Just A Call Away

Several years ago I visited with an older Pastor who was doing a phenomenal work in regards to planting churches. His heart was to plant 20 churches in just a few years. He had moved to a new ministry and I wanted to catch up and spend some time with him. I love learning and I especially love to learn from people who've been before me and are still making it happen every day.

As with most lifelong learners he started peppering me with questions of life and culture (great men of God will try to learn from everyone... even a rookie). Specifically he was having a space problem and wanted to know if anyone was doing anything 'cutting edge' in regards to growing ministries. This was back before multi-site was cool. We got into a discussion about multi-site churches and how they were done effectively.

He was curious about what he was hearing so he picked up his cell phone. He called a friend who happened to be the leader of a large denominational entity. He simply referenced our conversation and asked if it was true. The gentleman on the other side of the phone confirmed that a few larger churches had started to do these things called 'video venues'. After some small talk they hung up the phone and we continued our conversation.

About 10 minutes later my Pastor friend's phone rings. This time he apologizes to me as he quickly answers. I sat and observed a daddy (my Pastor friend) talking to his son (calling from Afghanistan). His son was calling while he had a break from his duties as a leader of a unit at war. He just wanted to tell dad he was safe and not to worry about what would surely be on the news later.
I just happened to think today about some things and I was reminded of two quick thoughts:

1. In our day of technology... anyone we need is just a connection away. (Through blogging friends in Orlando I've watched several great leaders interviewed for free over the last few days.)

2. My Heavenly daddy is just a call away. He tells me over and over to call on him... for salvation, for forgiveness, in times of trouble, when I'm worried... on and on. My God is just a call away.

Theologically speaking this is HUGE. If the God who made time and then stepped in it is just a call away... then there is not a need I could have on the planet that can not be filled in a moment's notice. It's a pretty cool and calming thought.

Red Letter Obedience

Recently I've been studying the Red Letters of Jesus. While I've often read through the gospels and the book of Acts I wanted to take a different approach.

I wanted to read, stop, study and apply simply the words of Christ. What I've chosen to do is read the scene and take time to ponder how the words of Jesus not only affected that moment but seek out the principle that can translate to my own life. Typically I end up spending a half hour or so per verse so I'm intentional about thinking and praying through it. (BTW: This is descriptive not prescriptive... I read the bible many ways over time.)

I figured I'd share with you a glimpse of one recent read of the red letters:

You don't get very far into the book of Matthew before you encounter the temptation of Jesus by Satan. The first temptation is for Jesus to make his own food. The second temptation is for Jesus to jump off of a high place so that God will send his angels to keep him safe. Both temptations begin with "If you are the son of God..."

Side note: If I were Jesus (its a great thing I wasn't) I'd be like "What punk? I'll crush you!" I'd be all about proving who I am and destroying this dude screwing up the Father's plan. Ultimately that's what Jesus will do but Jesus was much more obedient and patient. That's one of the things I learned here...

Jesus' Red Letter words are "It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test."

Some of my Red Letter thoughts:
1. Satan knows scripture- I'm over hearing people talk who know just enough of the bible to make them dangerous. Satan himself knows the word of God. Simply knowing a few verses and using them to manipulate the behavior of people doesn't cut it with me. The way Jesus was able to combat this temptation was that he knew the full context.

2. The 'temptation' wasn't evil in-and-of itself- The proposition was for Jesus to cause the Father to act. Would God have come through? Sure. Was that the time? No. Just because someone brings me some proposition with a verse attached doesn't mean its from God for that time. It's up to the leading of the Holy Spirit in my life to confirm that action as instruction from God or not. Not all of our temptations will come on a platter with horns. Some will be more subtle.

3. We all test God too much- Living under grace causes us to test God far more than we should. I'm convinced that much of our behavior and liberty we take with scripture comes as a result of relying on Grace as a hammock and not a safety net. Grace is there to catch us but I think we test God when we knowingly use Grace to allow us to walk out of obedience for brief times. We excuse ourselves because we know God will catch us. A more extreme example is when people refuse to apply biblical principles to their family life they run to God when hell breaks loose and say "God, catch us." Or when people spend way more money than they bring home they run to God and say "God, catch us." Some other people may find that they don't raise their children with God as the center of the home and when the kid is a teenager they say (after yelling at the youth pastor) "God, catch us." We put God to the test as if it becomes his job to catch us after we've jumped off the cliff.

Would the Father have protected Jesus? Yes. Should Jesus have put the Father in that position? No.

4. Love and freedom in the law- In studying these red letters I was able to re-read Deuteronomy 6-8 again. Once again I'm reminded how much love is in the law. I'm reminded again that obedience adds so much value, love and relationship between myself and God.

The Red Letters are packing a pretty cool punch for me right now. Hopefully this little insight inspires you to check 'em out anew.

My Liberty University Experience

People who hear that I attended LU ask me what my experience was like. I talk about the amazing vision. I talk about standing on a mountain and being able to see what God does when one man lights himself on fire. I talk about the community that exists and how much the people of Liberty University care.

This morning I came across this article that honestly describes what I got to see up close for 4 years. The atmosphere created at Liberty provides examples of what people of God can look like in today's culture. Check out the link below.

Read about The Donut Shop

CON-VIC-TING

Redemption

As I look forward to our next phase of ministry I continually find that I'm passionate about redemption. At the core of our faith is the practice of redemption. I'm finding that so many places, people and organizations are in need of redemption.

I know that its far easier to wipe the slate clean... but I find incredible value in transformation and change. Brokenness to beauty is more appealing to me than simply creating beauty from a clean slate. Both have value but there is a history, a story, an appealing attribute about taking what was once tossed aside and seeing new life breathed into it.

I think that's what draws me to cities. Cities have the marks of wear and tear. As you walk around a city in areas yet to be redeemed you can see stories. Stories of what once was, stories of pain, stories of hope. As I walk through a neighborhood I'm reminded of the thousands of overlapping stories that exist.

Another thing that keeps my heart beating for the redemption of cities is that there are people who are actively and quietly working to make their part of the landscape a little bit better. These are ministries you will never hear about and they work in places you would never ever take your family but they are our brothers and sisters in Christ. They are missionaries sent by God to transform their community. They bring hope, they bring Jesus.

My heart beats for these heroes of God. I long to see the redemption song sweep through their communities.

Some have asked me why I don't personally go and set up shop inside a city community. Honestly its because I don't see myself being the most effective there. I believe God has prepared me to be an advocate, an awareness-raiser, a fund-raiser, strategist and servant to my heroes doing the work. I wouldn't be as effective as I could be by copying someone else's work. I have found my uniqueness.

My passion is for redemption. My passion is for the Red Letters of Jesus. My passion is to build a ministry that will intentionally spur on the redemption and transformation of our nation's cities. It will come to pass.

Please continue to pray for me, pray for my heroes in the city and pray for our future as we continue to listen to God's voice.

She should stick to Interviews and Magazines

Anyone else visit her church?

My Inner Geek Speaks

So you may not know this... but I have an inner geek.

Yes, I admit it. I know more than I need to about tech stuff and I have ADD when it comes to the latest tech stuff. I see it and I want to figure it out. The only thing that kept me from becoming a computer programmer was that I don't have the patience to troubleshoot every day of my life. Praise God for those of you who can do that for the rest of the world. I celebrate with awe both your brain and your patience.

Every once in a while however I see something tech-related and say "I'm going to do that."
It starts innocently enough but if I hit a few hurdles the project turns from child's play to celebrity death match... Tally vs. Technology.

This is the latest example of why I'm a glutton for tech punishment.


|-RSS friends, there is a video here -|

The Backstory:
Basically I came across Qik.com (which is AMAZING btw!) from following Bobby Gruenewald of LifeChurch.tv on Twitter and then while surfing around Qik I found Scoble talking about a cool little program put together by his friend Dave Winer. The software enables a Mac to download an image feed (RSS) and display it as a rotating screen saver.

Scoble mentioned that on an HDTV you could turn your TV into an art gallery by grabbing feeds of great photographers like those of Associated Press, yourself or your friends. He talks about how having a rotating display of great photography in his home serves as art, a conversation piece and insight into the happenings around the world.

This intrigued me for a few reasons:
1. Perspective. I really enjoy the idea of getting a feed from around the world of stunning photos that tell stories.

2. Family & Community. I can 'subscribe' to feeds of family and friends *** IF YOU HAVE A FLICKR ACCOUNT WITH COOL PICS LET ME KNOW, I"LL FOLLOW YOU TOO***.

3. Conversation. I love the idea that this simple feed can rotate on my TV and bring up ideas, thoughts and conversations that I wouldn't have otherwise.

So true to form I spent several hours on this simple project (I had to move my router downstairs because my old MacMini didn't have a built in wireless device) but eventually conquered the beast and set this puppy up. I'm loving it thus far and it's making use of an otherwise wasted MacMini.

Don't forget.. if you have a Flickr feed of interesting photos, drop a comment and let the world know. I'd love to see your story on my TV too!

<--End of Geek Transmission-->

The Cure for Apathy

Over the last few months I've had some terrific conversations with God and friends. Most of these conversations have centered around who God has made me and what my responsibility to Him is regarding the life He's given.

In one such conversation a few weeks ago I had a dear friend tell me "Tally... well this all makes sense as it relates to the people who have brought you so-called problems in the past. You don't have much desire to tolerate people who complain when they have so much more than they realize. Your life has seen up close the people who have real problems..."

We continued our discussion but that line has bounced around in the chambers of my mind since that phone call. He was absolutely right. I have just about zero tolerance for people who claim to know the Living God but who show no real evidence of it in their lives. They are apathetic.

Apathy. It affects just about every church in the West and some Pastors are actually aware and are looking for a cure. The only cure I have found is to place the disciple front and center with "the least of these".

The problem with apathy is more than a problem of morale or excitement. Its more than an issue of how many people show up to a given 'event'. Apathy tends to run much deeper. An apathetic person can often times be the person who sets up chairs for the portable church, runs the sound board or leads your band on Sunday. Apathy can creep into the pulpit and elder meetings just as quickly.

According to Matthew 25 however, God doesn't show us that what matters is what you do around your Pastor or how you 'help the church' on the weekend. God looks at how we are when we feel like no one else is looking. As Pastors we give a hall pass to the immature simply because they will serve for or around us. Assuming a person's heart based on what they do for the Sunday organization can often lead to ignoring spirutal cancer right in front of our eyes.

Look at Matthew 25:

The first illustration asks: What is your sense of urgency in your diligence for the Lord knowing that He could return at any moment?

The second illustration asks not only how eager you are working but also: How are you leveraging all that God has given for His benefit?

The last illustration in this passage appears to sum up some of the aspects above as it relates to real people in real life situations. Do you know if you're apathetic? What are you doing for the poor, the thirsty, the down-trodden, homeless, etc.? When the rubber meets the road how has the gospel changed your outlook and actions toward others around you?


I found it interesting that neither group knew what the Lord was talking about regarding their actions. This shows me that their motive was not 'works based'. Their motive wasn't "Let me find someone beneath me so that the Lord will see my work and think I'm a better follower." The motive was a transformed life.

Both groups ask the same basic question: 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

Apathy leads us to become that group of people who view our faith in terms of what we say in a so-called 'prayer' that really wasn't from the heart to begin with. Apathy is what leads us to being people whom God observes from afar and sees us with a HUGE disconnect between what we verbalize before one another but we practice with no one whom we don't know.
So again... what is the cure for apathy? I believe the cure is to place yourself on a regular basis around the 'least of these' in our world.

The point is not to change a pattern of behavior in hopes to get a gold star from God... The point is our behavior is tranformed when we sincerely view ourselves as a 'living sacrafice, holy and pleasing to God." We in Christendom must determine to become consumed by the Spirit of God and give your being over to His will. There is nothing apathetic found in the Spirit of the Living God who is actively working out his plan for creation and seeing people come to Him all over the world.

'Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven."

Hmmmm...

Ever been here?

Race, Poverty and the Church

This weekend I had the opportunity to watch several specials on Dr. Martin Luther King. I have always been fascinated by one man who in a matter of effectively 12 years helped frame and shape the debate over segregation in our nation.

I'm often amazed at how little white Americans actually understand about the history of racism in our country. Much of what I hear today among my suburban Caucasian friends as it relates to race actually is little more than soundbites from the dinner tables of racist parents or grand parents. Those who have actually studied the issue understand that we're barely 45 years removed from Dr. King's speech at the March on Washington, bombings of black churches and fire hoses unleashed on citizens. Those who actually take time to ask what is wrong in America's urban centers will see that many of our African American brothers and sisters have never had an example of a productive nuclear family in their neighborhood. We are sitting by while generations of children are learning that there is no hope.

I'm completely convinced that poverty is a vicious tool of the enemy to keep generations of people hopeless, hurting and angry. Since segregation in America we have had a trend where we've seen a migration of the two-parent family from the city to the suburbs. Those who can make it get out and the rest are forced to live with the results of Darwin's theory in action.
I have people ask me on a regular basis why I was able to make it out. There are many reasons including the determination of my young mother who decided that she was going to do whatever it took to get us out of that environment. She got her GED, Associates Degree and a good job with the state of Maryland. By sheer determination she worked hard and earned enough to pull us out of the poverty-rich environment of the city.

In addition to my mother's determination I was blessed to have around me several mentors who took a liking to me at one point or another. Something inside propelled me to learn and grow from those few lights I could find in the dark world. Finally one other aspect of my success has been the fact that I am white. Not admitting that race had something to do with my mentors desire to guide me would be foolish. Let's face it... it's easier to help people who look like yourself. I know for a fact that several of those who helped me over time were still dealing with the residue of racism on their own pallet and I don't recall them helping others with a different skin tone.

But where are we now? Are we in a better place? Where can we go in hopes to change America and fulfill the dream of Dr. King?

I believe that by and large there is progress. No one can deny that the amount of opportunity for minorities in America has grown exponentially. The last several Presidential administrations have had cabinet positions occupied by people of color and many states and towns across the nation have embraced minority leadership to some degree.
Lets also view these changes with sober judgement. We are at the very front of what needs to happen in America if we sincerely want to have equality. Equality does not mean that we will live in Utopia where we all have the same income but it should mean that a child's family line, neighborhood or race is not a factor in your success or failure.

I believe America and especially her Christian influence need to act soon because for every minority in the White House there are 10,000 children believing that they can never get a job that can lead them to owning a house. To many suburban whites desegregation should have fixed everything. Minorities should simply make better choices. Let me remind my friends... when a person doesn't have hope or an example to follow then that person will not have perspective of what 'should' be done. Instead many of our inner-city young people turn to drugs, gangs and violence for self-preservation. Those of us who are blessed must take a new view of things. We must see our blessings as a way to reach into poverty and grab the enemy by his throat.

What are some ways to do this?

1. Educate yourself- Become familiar with poverty in your city/town. Find out which areas have the need for you and your network of friends. Find out what opportunities exist for education, recreation, entertainment, etc. . Get to know the political players, budgets, police protection, etc. Find out what is already being done by the government and non-profit sector (especially church related). What you will find is that the government resources are strapped and/or apathetic. You will find that the ministries doing great work need some structure, volunteers and cash. They don't need your ministry philosophy... leave that in the suburbs.

2. Get active- Contact some of the players named above. Develop relationships with those already doing the work. Again your goal isn't to be superman... it's to become an advocate withing your social network.

3. Get Others Involved- Make a list of action items and run it by the people you want to help. Remember... they've been at this a while. Your list may be great for your suburban ministry but horrible for their environment. Make sure what you want to offer actually meets a need.

4. Follow Through- Speak to someone dealing in areas of poverty and they will tell you how depressing it is for people to claim they want to change the world but can't even show up to a prearranged work day. Don't promise what you can't deliver. If you say you will have 10 people to help clean up a facility... be sure you can follow through on that.

5. Stick Around- In order to make long-term change and provide examples that kids can follow we must develop relationships for the long haul. You have to get these kids in new environments with new perspectives on life. Please do not make the same commitment to this as you did your white ONE Campaign bracelet. We are talking about changing a culture of poverty, not raising money for a one-time campaign.

Racism is real and our churches are silent partners in keeping people down. Let's not accept this any longer. Let's start opening our hearts and providing hope to the least of these. One of Dr. King's greatest lines was this: "I have a dream ... one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers."

In the American Church I believe we should still champion this dream. We must ask ourselves how we're doing in teaching our people to embrace those of different colors, backgrounds and socioeconomic conditions. We have to stomp out the ignorance of the past and embrace a biblical view of the future. Heaven is not homogeneous and I for one want people to be comfortable when they get there. How about you?

I continue to pray: "Thy Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven."