Archive for the ‘fizzy faith’ Category

a prayer for 2015

Posted: December 30, 2014 in fizzy faith
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Father…

I want to walk in your favor and flavor.
I want to live out your story, all for your glory.
Jesus…
You are the King of me, reign in every part of my life.
I fix my eyes on you so that you can fix my eyes.
Help me see what really matters.
May I see people and situations the way that you do.
Holy Spirit…
Give me fresh faith and a fire in my gut.
Refill me…consume me.
Lead me into truth and beauty.
Work wonder in my life.
My God…
I give you this year, let your will be done.
Your joy is my strength.
Your peace is my anchor.
I love you.

taste and see that the Lord is FIZZY.

Posted: December 29, 2014 in fizzy faith
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The last few years have introduced a trend that is both cool and kind of creepy. Some celebrities are making a comeback…sort of. We are hearing from entertainers that have…well…um…died. It’s nothing supernatural. It’s all technical. We have seen
holograms of Michael Jackson, Tupac, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe. All captured in their prime – dancing, singing, rapping, doing their thing again…in spite of the fact that they have actually left the building.
It looks pretty real. But, it’s just a little fuzzy.
It got me thinking, what if the Christian subculture capitalized on this? Someone could create a hologram of Rich Mullins or Keith Green. Can you imagine? It would be HUGE!!! There could be a big comeback tour probably sponsored by K-LOVE or Chick-Fil-A. They could fire up the magic hologram machine and sell lots of tickets. The hordes would sing along with the familiar songs, people would cry and talk about recapturing something that the modern church has lost. I would go! I loved both of those guys and their music was a very special part of my journey. It is a great memory! I’ve seen both of them in person, I remember them. But it’s been a while, so it might seem kind of fuzzy.
That’s the funny thing about memories…they get fuzzy. We forget that the past wasn’t perfect. We start thinking that the past was better than the present and less scary than the future.
We are constantly trying to recapture something that once was and we end up with fuzz.
Instead of recapturing something that once was, let’s contend for something that never has been.
It seems like God is up for it…
In Matthew 9:17 Jesus put it like this, “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. For the old skins would burst from the pressure, spilling the wine and ruining the skins. New wine is stored in new wineskins so that both are preserved.”
New wine has fizz…not fuzz. That seems like our choice…fuzzy or fizzy.
Live in the past, everything is safe and really familiar yet a little FUZZY.
Live in the moment and taste and see that the Lord is FIZZY.
Live for a memory or live for a movement.
Don’t recapture fuzz when you can discover fizz.
Jesus is not a hologram. He is alive and real.
Jesus, whose first miracle was turning water into new wine, wants to pour out new wine into our lives and gatherings.
He wants to bring the fizz!
Let’s pop a cork.

‘Twas the day after Christmas…

Posted: December 26, 2014 in fizzy faith
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‘Twas the day after Christmas and all thru the apartment,
Not a triple A battery could be found in any compartment.
The gift wrap was trashed, the new socks thrown aside,
To look for electronics and a new Segway to ride.
In the air was the smell of deviled eggs and spoiled egg nog,
Clad in dirty PJs, Dad stumbled around in an apple pie induced fog.
The elf on the shelf silenced and boxed up for another year,
The leftover green bean casserole would soon disappear.
A stack of gift cards waiting to be spent.
The first toy already broken and bent.
When all the tinsel is gone, the true meaning is still here.
Hope is born, peace unleashed, love casts out fear.

Misfits and Magi.

Posted: December 23, 2014 in fizzy faith
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The cast of the Christmas story are a pretty diverse group, everything from farm animals to angelic host. There were even bedazzled mysterious Wise men. They were Influential men of means. They were dignified and they brought gifts! They were important enough that they got the attention of King Herod. They were VIPs, so it’s really not a surprise that these blinged out star gazers got invited to the first Christmas party. But they weren’t the first to get invited or show up. In fact, the wise men were fashionably late to the party. They didn’t meet sweet little baby Jesus in a manger. They, probably, showed up after a year or two after the Nativity and met sweet little TODDLER Jesus. That is just proof that when God shows up the party can go on for a while!

The first to get an invite were…brace yourself… a bunch of smelly sheep herders!

WHAAA? What will the neighbors think?!

Shepherds were the first to hear about the Savior!

Shepherds were burly, socially awkward outsiders.

They lived their lives like gypsies or carnival workers.

They sure didn’t get invited to parties!

They were the overlooked and overworked. They were the minimum wage workers who did the dirty work.

They lived on the fringes…with sheep. (Have you ever smelled a sheep? It’s nasty. Ever tried to carry on a conversation with sheep? It’s awkward.)

The shepherds never got invited to parties. They were never welcome at big, important events.

They would screw things up. They would do or say the wrong thing. They smelled like sheep. They were a walking talking social faux pas. They were simply not welcome.

YET…these are the first ones to get the message from heaven

The Savior is here…there is reason to celebrate…AND…

YOU ARE INVITED.

This was probably the first party they got invited to.

The BIGGEST news of ALL time was delivered for the FIRST time…in a pasture!

The BIG news was not delivered to BIG people, not the high and mighty, politically powerful, rich and famous…it was delivered to the disenfranchised…the last and the least.

Then it filtered its way UP…God is backwards like that!

I think inviting the shepherds was God’s way of thumbing His nose at man-made social rules and expectations.

“For God so loved the WORLD.”

that seems pretty clear.

The kingdom is for shepherds and wise men, homecoming queens and wallflowers, freaks and geeks, insiders and outsiders, rebels and rogues, the popular and the polarized….

“Every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball”.

It’s for pretty much EVERYbody. You AND that guy that you don’t agree with.

The Kingdom of God is wide open.

The velvet rope has been torn down, trampled on and thrown out.

It’s a party for you, me and that guy over there…

The Savior is here…there is reason to celebrate…AND…

YOU ARE INVITED.

Don’t miss it!

that’s the story of…that’s the glory of LOVE.

Posted: December 22, 2014 in fizzy faith
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I have a rather serious confession to make that might cost me a punch on my man card. During this holiday season I’m pretty sure that I have watched 87 Hallmark Christmas movies. It’s not that I’m a big fan of festive romantic comedies, my tastes run more towards something with zombies or Stormtroopers. But, my wife enjoys romance movies. I enjoy my wife. I really enjoy just spending time with her, so we watch movies with titles like: “Straight from Somewhere near the Heart”, “Love Comes with Some Assembly Required”, “Monster Trucks and Mistletoe” and the ever popular “A Spleen Transplant for Christmas”.

After watching approximately 174 hours of this Noel niceness, I’ve figured out that most of these stories are pretty similar in storyline.

There is a girl (played with a great deal of seriousness by a former child star). She has her life all figured out. (School/promising career/ predictable, very successful boyfriend). But then, usually through a comic mishap, girl meets boy (he’s the free spirit with no visible means of support. He has dreamy eyes, a flannel shirt and a heart of gold) at first, they don’t get along at all (that’s how you know that they are perfect for each other).

There is usually a dog, nosy best friend or adorable child involved, and since it’s a holiday movie, sometimes there is an actual angel trying to help them make a love connection.

Just when it seems like they are about to hook up, there is a crazy misunderstanding. The boy overhears something or the selfish EX comes back into the picture. The boy decides to take off and sacrificially move across the country. He doesn’t want to stand in the way of the girl’s happiness. Little does he know that HE is the secret to her happiness!

The angel or dog or nosy best friend works extra hard to get them back together. THEN…at the last minute, when it seems like all hope is lost, the boy demonstrates his unconditional love by going to great lengths.

And…BOOM…love conquers all!

it’s all set to a soundtrack of schmaltzy Christmas music.

I gotta confess, even with a lack of explosions, I have secretly enjoyed watching these movies.

There is something undeniably attractional about a movie about attraction.

Maybe it’s because that’s how we were wired. We were designed to be a part of a love story.

the script was written by a Creator that is so completely smitten with His creation that He is willing to go to any lengths to prove His love.

“For God so LOVED the world that He gave…”

The Christmas story is the greatest, CRAZIEST love story EVER.

Think about it, in a small town, there was this sweet, innocent girl named Mary. She has her life all figured out. It’s all very predictable, she is going to marry her fine, upstanding, business owner fiancée, Joseph. They will settle down, raise some honor students and live a safe, reputable life. But then, girl meets Holy Spirit and everything gets turned upside down. There is an actual angel involved. There is a crazy misunderstanding between her and Joseph…”you’re WHAT?” Joseph decides to listen to the angel and sacrificially takes Mary across the country. Little does he know that baby is the secret to EVERYBODY’s happiness!

God demonstrates his unconditional love by going to great lengths.

And…BOOM…love conquers all.

Christmas is the celebration of the single greatest act of crazy love ever!

The meaning of Christmas is inclusion by means of incarnation.

It is a divine wooing…a holy invitation…the Creator’s kiss.

The only response to a love so strong is surrender.

You were made for Him.

Throw yourself into His arms.

Lose yourself in a love that won’t be denied…a love stronger than death.

A love that conquers all.

That’s the story of…

That’s the glory of love.

New songs and golden oldies…

Posted: December 22, 2014 in fizzy faith
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If your life had a theme song what would it be?
I don’t know what the soundtrack of your life would sound like? Maybe it’s a happy song, maybe it’s a somber dirge

Psalm 96:1 “Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord!”

A new song…not repackaged or auto tuned, a fresh expression of what Father wants to do in my life today.

No matter how sweet yesterday was, I need to live in the right now…in the new…God wants to make all things new IN me and THROUGH me…that’s where my song should come from.

Don’t sing the same old song. Get loud with your love!

God doesn’t want us to revisit our golden oldies, our past hits or sour notes. Yesterday’s songs weren’t meant for today’s struggles. He wants us to sing a new song. His mercies are new everyday, so our love songs about Him should be just as fresh.

“Most men live lives of quiet desperation and go to their grave with the song still in them.” – Henry David Thoreau

“See, I am making all things new.” – Revelation 21:5

Sing your freedom. Let the sound of your freedom come alive.

The power of the piñata.

Posted: December 22, 2014 in fizzy faith
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I gotta admit I love piñatas, they can take a party to the next level. You got the brightly colored paper mâché donkey filled with candy, toys & trinkets. Somebody beats it with a stick, releasing the goodness & there’s a mad scramble. It’s a great thing UNLESS what comes out isn’t what you were hoping for. It’s always a little disappointing when someone puts cheap stuff in there, or worse…healthy stuff! Carrots? This sounds mean, but I always wanted to put 7 pounds of bean dip in a piñata. Salsa would be fun too, just to see the reaction. It could be scary.

Do you ever feel like a piñata? Life is just beating the crud of you. We all go through that…life is hard. We get pounded. The question is what comes out of you when life is hard. Sometimes it’s not pretty. The fact is what comes out of you is what you have put in you, pretty simple physics. The unsettling fact is that it’s in the tough times that we find out who we really are. It’s made clear by what comes out of when we get pounded. The secret is that the stuff IN you should be tougher than the stuff pounding you. That happens by emptying our self of self & continually getting filled with the Holy Spirit. It also helps when we are filling ourselves with truth & beauty. Life is tough, we get pounded like a cheap piñata (sorry, but it’s an inevitable part of life on a broken planet). But, we get to decide what comes out of our lives. Turn the pounding into a party.

“Finally, brothers and sisters, fill your minds with beauty and truth. Meditate on whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is good, whatever is virtuous and praiseworthy.” – Philippians 4:8

Living in the splash zone of grace.

Posted: December 19, 2014 in fizzy faith
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When we lived in San Antonio we had season passes to Sea World. I love Sea World, It’s a magical place that smells like tuna. Our daughter, Delanie, was a little kid and we would spend hours there, petting the dolphins, riding the roller coaster, laughing at the walruses & the penguins (I’m a big fan of penguins because I physically resemble them) & drinking out of the 12 dollar souvenir cup.

But, our absolute favorite thing at Sea World was the Shamu Show, and our favorite place to sit was right down front…in the SPLASH ZONE. It was awesome! We didn’t want to just watch the cool whale tricks, we wanted to get soaked with the fragrant whale water.
It was always interesting how people approached the splash zone. Some people didn’t go close, they sat in the back where they can see, but there’s no chance of getting wet. Some people actually wore rain coats & sat in the splash zone. They were basically saying “I want to get a little wet, but I don’t want to get soaked. I want to play it safe & choose what parts of me get wet”.
But, there was nothing like the wild, messy excitement of getting completely soaked, and it affected everything! Every part of you got wet and ( depending on the nasty Texas heat) you would drip all over everything & everybody for a while, leaving your mark.

The more that I get to know Jesus, the more that I want to live as close to him as I can get. I want to live in the splash zone of grace…

“May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers.” – 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13 (MSG)

I want to stay in the splash zone.
I want to get absolutely soaked with love & grace.
I want to live Spirit soaked.
I don’t want to sit in the back where I can see what God is doing, but there’s no chance of actually getting wet.
I don’t want to wear my spiritual raincoat & try to control how wet I get.
I want to experience ALL that the Holy Spirit has for me, I want to get soaked.
I want to live in the splash zone of grace.

When we live in the splash zone we get other people wet too. “It splashes over on everyone around us.” We drip love.

Dive into God & get soaked! Don’t sit back & just watch. Don’t be selective about what parts of you get wet…get Spirit soaked!

I’m going for it, It might be wild, unpredictable & messy. It is going to touch every part of me & I’m gonna leave a mark. But, I’m going for it…I’m going down front. I’m leaving my raincoat & reservations behind.
I want to get crazy wet!
And if I start to get dry, I want to get splashed again.
In fact, I want my life to be a nonstop soaking.
Soak me Holy Spirit!!

Find yourself in the BIG story

Posted: December 17, 2014 in fizzy faith
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It was my big debut and the very first time I sported a beard in public.

I was five.

It was a Christmas pageant at a small Baptist church.

I was a wise man, which made sense because I was in Kindergarten, and when I wasn’t eating paste, I was a virtual fount of wisdom and knowledge.

I wore a tattered Bath robe and a paper burger king crown.

But the whole reason I wanted to be a wise man was because I got to wear a fake beard.

It was scratchy and it made me look like a two foot tall Oak Ridge boy.

I gotta admit, that fake beard awakened something in me… something raw…something downright primal. I think I can trace my love for facial hair back to this moment.

I didn’t have a speaking role. I didn’t care, I had a beard.

My job was pretty easy, walk over to the baby in the manger and deposit a gift. The baby was a shiny plastic doll that looked like Winston Churchill. The gift was a bedazzled shoe box. My parents were incredibly relieved that I didn’t trip over my bathrobe.

I was a part of the BIG story.

Flash forward to 1993, in a little church on the east side of Tulsa, it’s another nativity…

I was Joseph in a pair of Chuck Taylors and this time the beard is real!

My wife, Diana was Mary. She was beautiful.

AND…

Our two week old baby girl, Delanie, made her big debut as sweet little baby Jesus.

I gotta say, despite the fact that she was playing a boy, she nailed it!

She was both calm and bright, and no crying she made.

She did make something else in her swaddling pampers, but nobody beyond the second row realized that.

We were a part of the BIG story.

That is the way it is supposed to work…

The Nativity is meant to awaken something in us…something raw…something downright primal…

The Christmas story was never meant to be a stand-alone story.

It is meant to be an invitation.

We are invited to find ourselves in the story.

It is designed for crowd participation.

We were never meant to just be spectators. We are supposed to become a part of the pageantry.

We fancy ourselves wise men…regal, wise, gifted.

Truth be told, we are more like the shepherds…misfits entrusted with majesty.

We should find ourselves in the mission of Mary…carry the Hope of the World into the World.

THE story is OUR story.

So look close at Christmas…Find yourself in the BIG story…the fake beard is optional.

GIVE to GET…

Posted: December 15, 2014 in fizzy faith
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a crazy little thought…want grace? give grace.
Luke 6:37 & 38 says: “if you don’t want to be judged, don’t judge. If you don’t want to be condemned, don’t condemn. If you want to be forgiven, forgive. Don’t hold back—give freely, and you’ll have plenty poured back into your lap—a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, brimming over. You’ll receive in the same measure you give.”
I’ve heard a lot of preachers quote verse 38 when they are about to take up an offering. They make it all about money, if you want money, give money. Give to get. BUT WAIT…it finally dawned on me this morning, after reading this for the 2,458th time ( I’m a slow learner), the preceding verse (37) is all about judging others & forgiveness. It’s got nothing to do with money! WHAAAA??? It’s about how we dish out our forgiveness. Don’t hold back on your mercy. DON’T BE STINGY IN MATTERS OF GRACE. you can create a great big grace flood, it will overtake you & be poured into your lap. On the other hand, if you judge others you get a big steaming lap full of judgement. GIVE GRACE! As RECIPIENTS of great grace, we should be RECYCLERS of great grace. It really IS all about GIVE to GET, but it’s about giving grace and forgiveness. When you choose to pour mercy into the life of others it get dumped on you, that’s worth more than money!
Let mercy rain!!!

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