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.
Posts Tagged ‘carbonated joy’
taste and see that the Lord is FIZZY.
Posted: December 29, 2014 in fizzy faithTags: belief, Bible, carbonated joy, celebrity comebacks, faith, holograms, Jesus Christ, Keith Green, Rich Mullins
‘Twas the day after Christmas…
Posted: December 26, 2014 in fizzy faithTags: carbonated joy, Christmas
‘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 faithTags: angels, Bible, carbonated joy, Christmas, faith, hope, Jesus Christ, misfits, outcasts, shepherds, wisemen
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!
Living in the splash zone of grace.
Posted: December 19, 2014 in fizzy faithTags: carbonated joy, grace, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, San Antonio, Sea World
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!!
Street preaching for dummies.
Posted: December 13, 2014 in fizzy faithTags: carbonated joy, Jesus Christ, NASCAR, sharing your faith
a while back, we went to the race. I was excited! I love NASCAR. I love being at the race. there’s really nothing like a live race, it’s a special flavor of fun. We had just arrived, parked about 12 miles from the track and We were walking into the redneck promise land. We were swept up in a big beautifully imperfect wave of humanity, lots of interesting sights, sounds and smells. there was a crazy sense of community as people bragged about their driver and talked a little smack about other drivers. I’m a Kyle Busch fan so I always attract a lot of unsolicited advice and gestures. It’s all good fun.
But then…
I heard the voice…
The voice of one screaming at the speedway.
He was a sweaty, angry man with a big megaphone and a message for Y’ALL. He was wearing one of those Christian knock off t-shirts designed to look like a biker shirt. It had a bedazzled cross on it. He didn’t seem to have a central message, He was just preaching against anybody and anything that caught his attention…rock and roll, alcohol, tattoos, scantily clad women, the government, etc. etc.
He was right next to an intersection where people had to stop and listen to his rant.
As I stood there something made me feel a little nauseous and it wasn’t the fragrance of the fried food.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against street preaching…
The truth is I think We are all called to be street preachers. but before you grab your megaphone, I think there might be a better way.
In the gospel of Luke, Jesus told a great story comparing the Kingdom of God to a party and he begins to wrap it up by saying: “And the host said, “Well then, go out to the highways and hedges and bring in the complete strangers you find there, until my house is completely full.” (Luke 14:23 – the voice) We are told to go out and invite people to be a part of the party.
Instead of putting people in their place, We need to let people know that there is a place for them.
Here are some random thoughts about street preaching…
Serve instead of shout.
Let love be the loudest thing in your life.
Listen more than you talk, you can learn how people are hurting and offer them a cure.
Earn the right to be heard.
Don’t be a jerk. I don’t see Jesus ever being a jerk. The only one who never sinned was the least judgmental person ever.
Don’t be so angry, don’t take yourself so seriously. People are attracted to joy.
Tell stories of hope.
Remember, the Gospel means “Good news”. Jesus compared the Kingdom to a party, not a tax audit.
There’s a time for uncomfort that will lead to life change, but the Holy Spirit is so much better at orchestrating that than we are.
Realize who you are representing…the Creator. His amazing creativity is constantly on display in the beautiful diversity of humanity. It’s not about making people conform and look like us. People are different from you…that’s by divine design…get over it.
Our job is simply introducing people to our best friend and inviting them to His party.
Don’t call people names…lift up THE name that has the power to save and heal…Jesus.
Let’s go into the highways and hedges and make some friends.
Hit the streets, but leave the anger and the megaphone at home.
tell me you’re coming back soon.
Posted: December 11, 2014 in fizzy faithTags: carbonated joy, Jesus Christ, reunions, soldiers
I love the news stories and YouTube videos of soldiers coming home to surprise their kids. A mom or dad has been stationed far away, and the separation has seemed like it’s FOREVER!
The kids have held onto the hope that Dad is coming back someday, but SUDDENLY someday is happening.
The kids are on a playground or school assembly or living room, it’s a normal day. SUDDENLY Dad rounds the corner, they turn around and see him. SURPRISE!!! The floodgates of raw sweet emotion burst open.
SUDDENLY nothing else matters. Everything is swallowed up in the moment. There is only HIM and only THEM. There is an explosion of sloppy love. hugs…kisses…uncontainable JOY!!
The sweetness of reunion.
It gets me every time, I get all mushy inside.
There is something in me that connects with this, because there is something in me that hungers for reunion…for someday.
I hold onto the hope…
Jesus made a promise:”Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.” (John 14:3)
Jesus made us a promise…someday, He will come get us. The Father will be reunited with His kids. The sweetness of Reunion will happen. Someday WILL happen.
CAN YOU IMAGINE the moment when we see the Lover of our soul?
SURPRISE!!!
The floodgates of raw sweet emotion burst open.
SUDDENLY nothing else matters. Everything is swallowed up in the moment. There is only HIM and only US. There is an explosion of sloppy love.
hugs…kisses…uncontainable JOY!!
Until then we hold onto hope. We don’t know when someday will SUDDENLY happen, but it will.
The sweetness of Reunion is fueled by SURPRISE not strategy.
Excuse me…it gets me every time I think about it, I get all mushy inside.
carbonated joy 