What Can Man Do Against Such Reckless Hate?

I hate injustice. I hate watching loved ones suffer. I hate going to the dentist.

Justifiable things to hate. No, I don't think is inherently evil, unless it is directed at living beings. Hating certain actions or even ideologies is OK- these are the true enemies of mankind. I think it is good to despise the doctine of the Nazis or any group that seeks to create genocide. I think we should despise actions that prevent people from finding spiritual truth.

But we should never hate the people behind those actions or ideologies.

"Are you saying we shouldn't hate Hitler, or Osama Bin Laden?" Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying, because they were/are human beings. Made by God. This is a tough one fo lots of people. These men have done evil things, they ahve killed people solely based on the victims beliefs or heritage. You know, like Christian Crusaders and Kings did- but we don't hate them, do we? The thing is, if we hate someone for what they do- we are a hypocrite.

In God's eyes, our sin is equal to Hitlers. We are just as evil as he is. It is humanity with our taboos and our "hierarchy of truly evil acts" that give more weight to some crimes over others. A tiny little lie merits a death sentence from God- without the forgiveness of said lie coming from the resurrection of Christ.

So we can't hate people because of what they do.

That takes care of hate on our end, right? Sort of. Do others think you are hateful?

Are you always negative? Do you constantly put down your love ones- out of love? Do you get angry with people who have different views, or at the least, ignore their arguments? Are you argumentative? (Ouch, that one hurts me a bit)

Thing is, if people see you doing these things, no matter how "innocent' they may be, people with think you hateful, or at least, kinda mean.

"I don't care what others think about me!" you may protest. I respond with this: If people claim to get their identity from their actions,and our actions are how other people see us, then if others think our actions hateful or mean, we are, in fact, hateful and mean. At least to those who see us that way.

And to be fair, substitute personality traits like arrogant, or snobbish, or immature, etc for hateful, and it is the same. We need to be more mindful of our thoughts, "take captive of them." I often find my anger at something I read begin to rise. If I'm not careful, my justified anger at an injustice quickly becomes anger at an individual. That individual may know Christ, or they may not. If they don't know Him, how can I expect them to act like Christ. And if they do know Jesus, then yes I can be angry at their actions, but I must be compassionate on the person because if for slightly different circumstances, I would be them. If I did not take captive of my thoughts, before long, reckless hate would consume me.

To be hateful is a choice. We may not consciously wake and say, "Today I will hate Joe, and all the people who live on Ash Street." But throughout our day, we do consciously give small thoughts food, and before long, we have passively chosen a negative and hurtful attitude, easily directed at our fellow man.

You should hate that children die hungry or are abused. You should despise injustices to all manner of creatures.

But you must only love and SHOW love to your fellow man and woman.

I Love to Hate You

Hate has got to be the most volatile four-letter word in existence. We reserve it for those special people or groups that really piss us off. We talk of hate speech being the one type of speech that should never be free. Hate is never talked about as a passive thing, we speak the words, "I HATE YOU!" only with venom that could strike its object dead if it were liquid.

But I am beginning to wonder if even though we say we reserve our hatred for extreme cases, we aren't actually filled with hate more often than we'd care to admit. I think it is almost a daily thing for me to see on Facebook someone who is spewing more than a simple distaste for someone- usually not named- or is feeling as though they themselves are being despised. I think about conversations I have, and though I might not think what I say is hateful or even mean spirited- do others think that in fact, it is?

Can hate be hate, even if it is unintended?

For instance, I often see Christians who oppose something, say homosexuality, called hate mongers. Truth is, some are, but I've also seen many people who simply say they disagree with the lifestyle labeled as bigots, or my favorite misnomer- homophobes. Is the perception that they are hateful making them so? On the flip side, is the accuser also not being hateful when they level bitter diatribes at their opponent?

They've said for a long time that politcs and religion are never safe topics, but it seems that is more true today than ever. People who believe the same in 98% of the same ideals and passions can go at each others throats over the fact that one has a D and the other has an R by their name. Sure, we say we're open minded to the other side, but how often do we immediately dismiss an idea simply because of the party it comes from? Sadly, I admit I often do.

Does this growth of hatred- and that is what I see growing in our nation- stem from righteous anger that has been perverted by selfishness? I think some of it has. I'm not advocating we stick to a plan of moral or idealogical neutrality. In fact, I push for totally the opposite. There are most definitely some things that are indisputable, and on those we must take a stand, draw a line, and defend them. But it is all in how we defend them that makes the difference between hatred- perceived or intended- and reasonable disagreement.

Have you ever been accused of dismissing someone's differing view? Have you ever been accused of being closed minded? Has anyone ever told you that you were harsh or appeared unkind? We must ask these questions of ourselves, and stare into the eye of the truth it reveals. Until we realize our tendency toward hatred or even toward self-righteousness (by the way, the difference in these two things is by mere degrees), and address this fatal flaw, we will continue to tear down every relationship we encounter.

We will disagree. This is good and healthy. But when we realize that we disagree with someone, we must be delicate, and kind, never harsh, overly critical, or dismissive. There are times a relationship will have to end because the disagreement is so vast, so problematic that the heart of the relationship is diseased. Too often though, the sickness is curable, if we work gently.

I'm not perfect, and I have failed at this endeavor more than I have succeeded. I'm learning to listen more to people who disagree with me, and to not respond with a knee-jerk reactions built by lifelong worldviews, political affiliations, and prejudices. I know what I believe, and I know where I stand on things, but I need not be a bully about this. I need to realize that the person I disagree with probably believes what they believe due to a deeply personal experience- just like how I came to my belief. My anger will not change their mind, nor will theirs mine.

Hate will only lose its hold on this world, when we lose our hold on hate.

Say You Want a Revelation?

The thing about waking up, at least for me, is that it rarely happens without outside influence of some sort. I've never gotten that whole internal clock thing down. It's always a noise, or alarm, or voice or light, or allergies that wakes me up to begin the task of getting my vision on.

Vision when it comes to a more spiritual or personal thing is, I believe, much the same. Vision has to be inspired. Now, I believe we humans are insanely and innately creative, but it takes an outside force to make that shotgun style creativity take a more precise route. I may want to do something to help someone, a pretty good, and also pretty general idea- not vision. Vision requires focus, as my non-corrective lensed experiences have proven. And for vision to be made possible, there needs to revelation. The outside force or thing that wakes us up.

I want to help someone, but I don't have a real vision for what that is until I see the guy pushing his car off the busy road when it runs out of gas. My general idea or desire to help someone becomes a vision for helping Mr. I-Know-I-Can-Make-It get himself and his car to safety. A vision brought on by the revelation of seeing a specific person with a specific need.

For many of you Christian readers, the word revelation inspires thoughts of the End Times. Now, before you run and grab your copy of Left Behind, Revelation (yes, the word and the book) really mean an unveiling. When one experiences a revelation, they are seeing something new, by the hand or action of an outside force. I cannot reveal something to myself, because a reveal implies that the reveal-or knew about this before the reveal-ee. So, what is the alarm clock that reveals the way to our vision?

Yeah, church answer time: God. God reveals to us many things, and from those revelations comes vision.

He uses lots of stuff to reveal to us. He uses other people, books, the arts, nature, the Bible, and sometimes He simply tells us, maybe not in words, but in a deep abiding sense that this is God speaking to me. Just recently, a friend confessed feeling distant from God. As we were praying later on, while he spoke with God, he stopped for a second, almost lost in thought. As we ended, he said it felt like in the prayer, everything else just faded away, and it was just he and God.

Revelation.

I believe God is constantly offering us revelation, but few of us ever see it. And so, many of us never seem to have vision and therefore sleepwalk through life.

Here's how I think it works. Everyday the sun rises- that's God's revelation. We know its out there, we even know when it will happen, yet few people purposefully see it. I only see the sunrise if I have to. But anyone who has seen one can tell you it is beautiful. Now, a lot people miss it because they enjoy their sleep and choose to ignore it. Others miss it because even though they are up, they busy getting ready for the day. Still others miss it because things are stormy and the weather is bad that day and the sun is obscured.

God's revelation comes, but many of us miss it because we are sleeping in, or too busy to notice. Others miss it due to the fact that there are many storms and troubles in their lives- from doubts and fears to illness to outside forces working hard to keep us from seeing God's revelation. The few who do see God's revelation live diferently because of it- they have vision.

So what is God's revelation? I don't know, and neither do you until you see it. That's why it is a REVELATION. Those who want vision must be awaiting God's revelation. Don't worry, not always seeing it, or in fact never seeming to get it don't mean you're a bad person, and for beleivers it doesn't mean you're not a Christian, you just haven't yet figured out what to pay attention for. And when you do it will be by accident, anyway.

Your revelation may not be a John type, or Isaiah type or even a Jonah type. Revelations don't have to be huge, earth shattering things. God's revelation may just be that broken down car, or that homeless guy or that loner in class. It may be a sudden feeling that it's just you and him right when you need to know where He is.

However it comes, once you have seen a revelation, find your spiritual glasses and get some vision- you're going to need it.

Vision Quest

One of the things I really hate about having sub-par eyesight is waking up. On a good waking experience, light streams in the room and I can just make out the brownish blob that is my nightstand, and then lean in to locate my glasses so I can see clearly. On a bad waking experience, it is pitch dark, a kid is crying, I blindly knock my glasses into the black abyss that was my floor, I give up trying to find them as the crying gets more desperate, I trip over the dog and seek the dull light of the night-light in which ever kid's room is playing host to the tears, as I navigate from memory where furniture is supposed to reside.

Thing is, I can operate without seeing clearly. I really shouldn't drive or try precision tasks without corrective lenses, but I can manage to barely function. I can live, just not for the best.

Physical vision and mental vision are pretty much the same, as I see it. I mean, how often do you seem to walk through life with a cloudy focus, ambling about from familiar point to familiar point, seeking the comfort of something solid and safe because you can't see where you are going.

I really wish we could put on some sort of glasses or contact for the brain, so we could think clearly. But then, maybe we can.

I've heard a lot of people talk about the benefits of meditation. I'd love to try it, but I have a real problem turning my mind off. The times I have been successful at this, the benefits have been great. There is a restfulness, if not a sense of clarity that comes. Others may keep a diary or journal. This is a great way to keep track of what has happened to you, and it allows you to look back over those events to try to gather some meaning. Alas, I have terrible penmanship.

Music helps me get vision, but try as I might, I can't always be sure if the song is going to inspire me. A song that may open my eyes to a thousand ideas will one day be dry and empty. Movies are the same- I often get a glimpse of a vision, but eventually, if I keep going back to that well, it too will be dry.

As a spiritual person, I should say reading the Bible and praying bring me vision. They do, but not with any more consistency that the other techniques. I will occasionally catch a passage that sticks with me, kind of like, "1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor. --Isaiah 61:1-3

For a long time this one really pushed me and gave me an idea of where I was going. But the problem is, our vision must grow and live and breath and move. Were I to have the same vision at 31 that I had at 21, I would not have grown and matured as I should. Sure, the core can be the same, but the rest of it needs to flesh out. Jesus himself told us that we would do more than him- meaning, as I take it, that the actions he did that inspired us should simply be stepping stones to continuing that work in a new and different way.

So how do we get vision, if our methods are working at a less than 100% level? Do we try to make it up as we go along? Or is the issue that vision should not have birth in us- that vision should come from somewhere else and use us as a conduit to being realized?

The prophets of the Old Testament were men of vision. Not their vision- but vision from a greater source. In order for them to have vision- they must first experience a revelation.

To Be Continued...

Who We Are Instead

I've been thinking a lot about defining an individual and corporate identity of late. It kind of arose because of a helpful critique given that our church lacked an identity. Or rather that we had mis-defined ourselves. That we seemed to assume that since we wanted to do some things, those things represented us even though we didn't actually do them. In a sense, we were pretending to be someone we were not.

I had to really stop and think about this, because, honestly, I had been blind to it. I had known of churches that definitely viewed themselves as progressive, but were anything but. I knew people who thought themselves great leaders, but had no followers, people who thought themselves open-minded that never met an idea they didn't hate, if it came from someone else. I didn't like these people and things, because I thought them disingenuous. Now, I was becoming one of them.

I began to think about how we are defined, by ourselves and by others. And it kind of hit me like a lightning bolt this morning: Both how others view us,and how we think of ourselves are right...and simultaneously wrong. Let me explain...

It's What You Do That Defines You

This is the way everyone else sees you. Your actions. People know me to be a bit arrogant, because I occasionally act that way. If I open the door for someone, they define me as well-mannered and kind. If I cut you off in traffic, I am a name-not-to-be-mentioned-here. If you like my writing, I'm defined as a good writer, if you don't that's your problem (And there is that arrogance thing, again.):)

If a picture is worth a thousand words, an action is worth a million. Others can't see our heart, or our thoughts, so they go on what they can see. Sure, we know "Don't judge a book by its cover," but the cover is all most people will ever see of us.

I know what you're thinking- "I don't care what other people think, especially if they don't know me." Fair enough, the people who do know you definitely know you better, and actually get to crack open that cover to read the book. But let's say you're in a new setting, you've just moved to a new city, church, or job. Your old friends who saw through your harsh demeanor aren't there. The new people in your life have not yet seen the need to endure the learning process that is you, and you aren't making it any more enticing to crack open the book. You may not care what people think about you, but have you lost friends, or jobs, or promotions because of your actions?

And in a church setting, when new people visit your church, what are you actions teaching them about your story? Are you open, friendly, inviting, and challenging- or are you filled with inside jokes, comfort for the initiated, and a wary eye toward new folks? Worse yet, are you being real with the new people or the more often used overly-excited to see someone, that comes across as phony to them?

I think, Therefore I Am

Truth is, what we do is only half the story of who we are. The kindest, most gentle guy in the world may harbor a deep seated anger no one knows about. On the flip side, the scary old man may be the sweetest guy in town, if you can get past his intimidating glare and creepy house.

Ever taken a personality test? Do you realize they are really asking who YOU think you are? With questions like, "Do you think you are more...?" and "What kind of....do you like to do?" they are asking what your impression of you is. And even if your outward life shows no evidence of this, there is some truth to your view of you. Don't believe me? Ask Paul.

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:7-14

Paul talks about all these things he thinks he is, then promptly says, but I haven't attained them yet. But he defines himself as who he is becoming.

There are people who think they are nice, but they have never been, nor had any desire to, be nice to anyone. No matter how much they think they are nice- they are not. But the person who was a jerk, and begins to change, MUST view himself as a nice person as he seeks to do nice acts.

Paul killed Christians, not too relatively long before saying this. For many people, Paul's prior acts totally violated the identity he held of himself. But Paul was working towards something, he was changing, and he had to let go of what he had been.

As long as I, in some way, think of myself as arrogant, I am allowing a part of my arrogance to continue to live on. I need to change my view of myself to being a humble person, because you are what you think. If I view myself as humble, I'll begin to stop the words, "I'm Awesome!" from leaving my lips for more often than if, deep down, I'm thinking, "Yeah, I really am."

The key here is that we need to be striving toward the person we want to be. As individuals and as corporate beings. See, our church says we want to be church for those who do not feel comfortable in church. Right now, in many ways, we still look like regular church, using church words and church ideologies. But as we desire to move toward that new identity, we MUST believe we are that church. It will cause us to ask deeper questions about why we do what we do. If we want to be a missions church, we need to call ourselves one even if we are not currently looking like one- Not that we have already obtained this, but we are pressing on toward it.

Our identity does begin inside of us, and eventually it does show in our actions. That's key, by the way- that our thoughts of who we want to be must be actively engaged in becoming reality- or it is really deluding yourself. None of us are completely where we want to be yet, and neither was Paul. However, he claimed as his identity one who had left it all for Christ, one who was consumed with a desire to know Him.

And how do we know Paul today?

So, the issue is that our identity is complex. It is a mix of who we think we are and who others perceive us as. Ideally, they overlap, but this is not a thing that happens in an instant. We are growing and evolving in our faith and identity every day, and our thoughts and actions are affected by these often micro shifts.

No matter where we are, we must echo Paul's call to "press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."

The Problem with New Creation

It has to be one of the most beautiful and frustrating tenets of Christianity. The concept that all who are in Christ are a new creation. It is beautiful because it is the promise of a fresh slate, a clean start and a new hope. It's frustrating because it rarely if ever looks like that.

If we're being honest, this is probably why Christians get called hypocrites so much. Well, that and our tendency to say one thing and do a whole other. And the way we judge people for the very things we do. And...well, you get the idea. But if we talk about being a new creation to everyone, yet they don't see much new about us, they just call us hypocrites. Its really just kind of a default answer at this point, and in this case- not entirely accurate.

See, I think we misunderstand the concept of new creation. We think give off the impression that coming to a relationship with Christ makes it all better. Oh, we know that's not true, but we still deep down feel that. It's why we feel so guilty the first time we fall, and the second, and the third, and...you get it.

There are no doubt stories of people who were clearly completely changed- the alcoholic who never again touched the stuff, or the promiscuous one who suddenly became monogamous for life. But most of us have lapses, and we can't understand it. In fact, we hate it. I hate it. Why am I still struggling with the same stuff I struggled with before I met Him.

I was really angry in Junior High. I was quite temperamental, and terribly small, so this was a bad combination. I was kind of like Ben Stiller's character from Mystery Men who get real mad, turn red and...nothing. That was his, and my, power. But then I met Jesus and I stopped being angry. Until I started again. I felt I was broken, something was wrong. Why was I going backwards? I thought this all changed.

What we need to do is re-examine the idea of New Creation. What does it really mean?

An Illustration

A few months back, I noticed our old, normal Walmart that sits less than a mile from our house was under construction. I asked why, and the cashier responded with a look that said, "What are you, stupid?"- but actually said- "It's going to be a Super Walmart.

Now, at that moment, for me, the Walmart was no longer just a regular Walmart. But it wasn't yet a Super Walmart. It was in between- but it was a new creation. It could never go back to being 'just a Walmart,' but until it was completed, there would still be plenty of evidence that it once was. Over time, it has changed. Still not done with its transformation, it looks more like a Super Walmart than it does a regular. Most of the changes have been inside, so it just looked like a mess, but recently, the outside has shed it's dingy gray and blue and been replaced with beautiful tan and brown bricks and overhangs. Everyone who drives by sees the change, and they can tell by looking there is a new thing happening there.

The moment we accept Christ's offer, we are a new creation. We will never go back. But many changes must happen in our lives, inside and out, some noticeable and some not, before we become our Super Walmart selves. For a long time, there will still be evidence of what we were, but hopefully, as God works on us, we look more like what we will be than what we were.

While this resolves some of my frustration, I still want to be better now. I don't want to go back to the same old mistakes and doubts. But I do. Repeatedly.

I must remind myself that I am still under Construction. I am pursuing holiness- and we must, for we should never desire to remain as we were- and it will take a lifetime of the intervention of God to achieve.

But I- nor you- will ever again be what we were.

That's the beauty part, by the way.

Haunted

Pardon me while I endulge in a bit of Lost. I promise, there is a point to this (My speaking of Lost- not sure if there is a point to Lost the show).

This last season has what is called a sideways world, an alternate reality of sorts, where the characters we've known for five seasons are the same- yet not. This Sideways world seems to be devoid of the mystical aspects of the Island world we have followed, in other words, its like our world. This world's story runs parrallel to the story we have been following, but the characters are not aware the other world exists.

That's not totally true. They don't know for sure what it is, but things keep tugging at their minds, memories and small inconsistencies that shake up their mostly content existence. To these Sideways characters, it is as if there is a force, or thing out there that they know is there, but don't know why they feel this and can in no way prove it's existence. They can't see it, taste it, touch, it, feel it or smell it- but in some weird way, they can almost perceive it.

They are haunted.

Slowly, some of them in the Sideways world are realizing the existence of the other world, and those half-memories become whole. They have begun to feel that this Sideways world is in fact not the real world- no, the real world is the mystical one with time travelling islands, smoke monsters, and mysterious supernatural entities.

Sound familiar? Except the time travel part, of course.

Haunted is a good way to describe me lately. I feel that there is something out there, something trying to get my attention, trying to tell me that there is more than what I am presently perceiving. I have had moments in my life when the ordinary days of this world are interrupted by glimpses and experiences of this mysterious other world. I remember a worship service about six years ago where the air in the room seemed to go out- an eeriness settled in- almost an oppression. Everyone felt it- nearly ninety people. The only other time I had felt this was when I visited Buchenwald- a concentration camp in Germany. I am still haunted by those days.

I am also haunted by a feeling that something even more powerful is working for the good. Kristin lost her wedding ring and Aggie ring and watch about three and a half months ago. Last week, at our small group, I pulled them out of a couch we had searched dozens of times. The people there that night described it as a miracle. I am haunted by the memory of a mountain top when I was sixteen- standing in the gusty winds at 13,000 feet, and feeling God. I am haunted by the memory of the day that God called me plant a church- the clarity in that moment of what I would do and why.

I sit today-though the feeling is not as strong as it was yesterday- I am haunted. I am haunted by the notion that there is a God and He is looking for me. I am haunted that I have some role to play in His grand plan. I am haunted by moments that have come before and will come again in which the hazy veil between this ordinary world and the very REAL world in which my God lives will be lifted. Then, the shadows will race away and I will again see clearly. What I will see will be indescribable, yet familiar. It will be terrible in its beauty, it will be powerful in its subtlety.

Like my Sideways Losties, I long for an awakening- for an adventure, for the more to this life that seems to be missing. To haunted by the ever-present but unseen God is an inescapable condition. Its only remedy is the return of Jesus.

When He comes back to reconcile- to make it all right.

Pursuit

I would say that to be passionate, one must first be inspired. And inspiration can come from lots of things. I for one am often inspired by music, or entertainment. They fire my creative juices and reveal to me a new way of looking at truth. Mountains inspire me, not so much creatively, but they fill me with a passion for life. Something about the crisp mountain air holding a slight chill even in mid-August.

It is not easy to inspire passion. I can be excited by something, intrigued by it, but that does not make me passionate about it. I may be inspired, but something is lacking to ignite that passion that makes we willing to sacrifice, to strive to achieve.

I was thinking the other day just what it was I was really passionate about, what came first from inspiration and over time developed into a pursuit that filled my life. I mean, I like playing disc golf, but the fact that I have played once in six months eliminates it as a passion. Ditto for hiking. I love superhero stuff, and may be a bit obsessed- but not passionate. I have my political opinions, but you won't see me running for office or even protesting whatever it's cool to protest this week.

Finally, I realized that what I'm passionate about is things that make me come alive. Seeing my daughters doing gymnastics with pure joy stretched across their faces. Watching Kristin sing. Seeing my family grow in Christ. I'm passionate about these things, but the thing at the top of the list is that I am passionate about seeing people be set free and become more fully alive.

When I sit down with people, and we discuss spiritual things, struggles and doubts and fears they have, and I see them beginning to try to break free- I smile. I can see that while they don't yet know what exactly they are looking for, they are on the search. And I love that moment when a person gets it. "This is what I've been missing!" I'm passionate about this because...OK, I can't really explain why but I am.

I want to see people woken up, see them come to experience the fullness of life, discover the things they are passionate about.

But I also want to nurture that passion. I want to protect it and feed it, because despite the power of passion it is the most fragile thing. A doubtful word, a negative response, a rejection and it is destroyed. It takes a lot to unveil passion, but very little to crush it. I'd rather a person let me try and fail than tell I can't do it before I've tried. And I never want to be the guy who says you can't do it.

Since it is my passion- I challenge you to find yours. Some of my friends are passionate about music, or international students, or kids, or relationships. Friends- pursue these things. Along the way, tell me how I can help you.

I also challenge you to be helpers. Go alongside the passions of your friends. You need not be passionate about the same thing, but be devoted to your friend. Let us be a passionate people.

Killer Passion

Have you ever believed something so completely, so deeply, that it consumed you?

Of course you have, it is how we humans are wired. We believe we love that person and they are THE ONE, so we devote all of our effort and all of our life to proving that to them. We believe strongly in a cause, and we become it's loudest champion. We will argue strongly with someone who doesn't agree with our belief. We seek new ways to explore our belief, no matter the cost.

This is passion.

We all want it, but few of us have it. Maybe it's because passion is a delicate flower- easily trampled to pieces under the heavy feet of cynicism and doubt. Maybe it is because passion can divide us from others- passionate people often become leaders and leaders are in front, and feel alone. Passion has a way of looking like obessession, even an addiction, and this is not acceptable behavior.

Passion makes us do weird things, like step out of our comfort zone, do something dangerous and risky, be willing to fail. Passion will either turn you into a lighthouse or a lightning rod.

Passionis really a vision. It's this idea, this thought, this whisper of a hope that causes us to wake up and live differently. I've been passionate about things. I've been passionate about politics and God, passionate about movies and television, passionate about Aggie football, and passionate about my wife. My pursuit of these things often lead me to be consumed by the things- as passion is apt to do. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with being consumed by something good- like God or family- but the dangerous thing about passion is that it will kill you.

See, long ago, one of the primary definitions for passion was the suffering of Christ on the Cross. His pursuit of our redemption was painful and cost Him His life. Passion was, and is, deadly. So it pays to be careful about what you are passionate about.

Are you willing to die for your family? That's a good passion. Willing to die for your favorite sports team? Probably not. Willing to die for your country? Not a bad one. Willing to die for the latest release from Apple? Ehhh, no. Willing to die for God? It was good enough for Jesus...

It's one thing to be willing to literally give your life, but what about a more spiritual application? Are you willing to die to all other desires that lie outside of Christ? I'm not saying you can't enjoy a good movie or LOVE your favorite team or even that you shouldn't be passionate about your family. I am saying that you should be passionate about those things in the light of your passion for Christ. I can love my wife with my own eyes, and heart, and thoughts- and I do it imperfectly. My passion is lesser. But if I love her through the eyes, heart and thoughts of Jesus, that passion is perfected. Focusing our energy on Him first, and doing and loving all things through Him will change us.

In fact, it will kill us. Our passion will be that we die to lesser desires. When we devote ourselves, give ourselves in a sacrificial way to Him, He will in turn give us worthwhile passions. Reasons to live fully, and a cause worth dying for.

Are we willing to give our lives as we want to live them to Him? Can I die to what I want more than Jesus? If I can't, am I at all passionate about Christ?

I want to be consumed by Him, so that none of me remains. May that be our passion.