Confessing to Failure

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Steve LaMotte

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I failed a few weeks ago.

I failed to the point that I keep thinking of this incident and I’m ashamed about my response.

A few weeks ago after church, I was rushing around getting things cleaned up (we rent space, so we set up and tear down on a weekly basis) when I needed to take some things out to my car. That’s when I saw her. She was an African-American woman, who was well dressed and appeared to be coming from church. She walked with a cane. When I came near to hear on my descent down the outside stairs, she asked me if I had any money for the bus. I rarely carry actual, physical money with me anymore- and in general, I don’t hand money out to those who ask, preferring to help them with what they need (this is important as a downtown church). So I told the woman that I did not have the ability to help with bus money (which was true).

Here is my failure: I cared more about getting cleaned up that day than listening to the woman. I cared more about getting to my next “thing” than finding out what this woman really needed. It’s possible someone could have given her a ride- or helped with bus fare. I cared more about me than I cared about another.

There are two scriptures that come to mind:

Matthew 25:21-44: The parable of the Sheep and Goats. It’s a story of judgment on those who failed to care for the poor, the hungry, the naked, and the thirsty. This is certainly a goat moment for me.

Hebrews 13:2- “Don’t neglect to open up your homes to guest, because by doing this some have been hosts to angels without knowing it.” While I wasn’t asked to open up my home- I think basic hospitality is caring for those around us. What kind of blessings do we miss for rushing out of situations like this?

I’m praying for the ability to live in the moment; to live out my faith where I’m at rather than looking past to where I’m going.

Is there a time where you feel you missed on an opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus? What happened? Have you ever lived in the moment and “entertained angels” and been blessed?

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A Throne of Lies

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Steve LaMotte

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Later this week, Lance Armstrong is reportedly going to admit that he took performance-enhancing drugs which helped him win seven Tour de France titles. The interview is taking place on Oprah and there is a lot of discussion about Lance, cheating, the attempt to control the spin of the story, and so on. While many find it revolting that Armstrong allegedly used PED’s, or that he would reportedly hurt many people who didn’t want to help cover up his tracks, others are conflicted about the money raised through the LIVESTRONG foundation to support people battling cancer.

I’m reminded that any time we elevate a person- we set them (and ourselves) up for a fall. I think Armstrong has become more famous for his LIVESTRONG foundation than his seven Tour de France titles. Millions of people wore his yellow bracelets, T-shirts, and contributed money directly to the foundation because of Lance Armstrong and what he stood for. While there is nothing wrong with giving to a charity/foundation/church that we believe in- we run the risk of idolatry when we put them on an elevated platform and nearly deify someone (we do this with a lot of celebrities- but also normal everyday people in our lives).

We should remember the truth that we learn in the movie Elf– when Will Ferrell’s character see’s a fake Santa Claus in the mall, he exposure the fake saying, “You sit on a throne of lies!  We all, from time to time, sit on a throne of lies. I might wear a mask that keeps people from knowing the real me, or hide some secret sin. Maybe we struggle with pride to the point where we think of ourselves as being better than those around us.

In the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” This is not prescriptive, but descriptive- meaning that Jesus is describing what each of us are: poor in spirit. We are all sinful, broken, and hurt people. Thinking anything else about ourselves is a lie. When we become aware of our brokenness and sinfulness- that is when we begin to look up and to see Jesus and what Jesus has done for us. The love and grace of God through Jesus lifts us up- and rather than sitting on a throne of lies we can confidently sit on the knowledge that through Jesus we are called daughters and sons of God.

When we lose track of our sinfulness; when we lose sight of our brokenness; when we think that we’re ok, or even that we’re better off than those around us- we set ourselves up for a fall. But when we are aware (sometimes painfully so) of our sin, confess it, and look to God- then we are lifted up.

God, help me to see my brokenness, convict me of my sin so that I might look to You and put my whole trust in You and Your Son Jesus rather than in myself. Thank you for grace. Thank you for the gift of Salvation. Amen.

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It’s A Cover-Up

Posted on January 10, 2013 by Steve LaMotte

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This morning, I read the story of Noah as part of my quiet time. I wasn’t reading the part that we hear in Sunday School or in children’s Bibles. I was reading Genesis 9:20-28- Here is part of the story:

“Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.”

I’m guessing you can figure out why it’s not in Sunday school curriculum! (The flannel graph picture of my youth would be disturbing!)

While there are numerous interpretations of this story- here are the basics: Noah gets drunk, goes streaking, and finally passes out in his tent. One of his sons, Ham, sees his father naked and calls his other brothers to check out their old man. If the story of Noah was happening in 2013, Ham might be preparing to post pictures on Twitter or Instagram of his passed out, naked father- or sell them to the highest bidder in the tabloids. But Shem and Japheth go a different route- they take a garment or sheet, hold it up to their shoulders while walking backwards so that they don’t see their father’s nakedness. The preserve their father’s dignity in a compromising situation.

Ham- saw his father’s nakedness and sought to exploit it in some way (he called his brothers to join in). Shem and Japheth did the right thing by covering up their father until he could wake up, sober up, and get dressed. The descendants of Ham were cursed for his involvement while Shem and Japheth were blessed.

This other day, my friend and youth pastor Josh Gill posted a NPR story about Slut Shaming. I believe that any sort of bullying is wrong- whether it’s by jocks in the locker room or through what the article says is slut shaming. The bigger question I have as I think about the blog post and the story of Noah is what do we do when someone makes a mistake, or puts themselves in a compromising position (willingly or unwillingly)? Do we take advantage of the situation (through gossip or digitally by “liking” or re-posting a picture/story?) or do we do the right thing and seek to live as people of grace?

(Interestingly enough, Anne Hathaway was photographed getting out of a car in a compromising fashion last month- her response to the pictures hitting the internet are spot-on. “I was very sad that we live in an age when someone takes a picture of another person in a vulnerable moment and rather than delete it, and do the decent thing, sells it. And I’m sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants…”)

As Christians, we are called to follow the example of Jesus. At the cross, Jesus took on our sin, our shame, our indiscretions, our weakness, our brokenness, our pain, and our insecurities. The love of Jesus, compelled him to the cross, and covered up our sin. This is grace- getting what we don’t deserve.

Shem and Jepheth lived in grace and love- seeing their father in a compromising situation they covered him up. Let us as Christians, live in love and grace and rather than exploit, point out, perpetuate, or highlight someone else’s sin, let us lead these people to Jesus whose grace and love covers our sin and makes us new again. 1 Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sin.”

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Finding Hope

Posted on January 9, 2013 by Steve LaMotte

Today, I went looking for Hope.

Not in the figurative sense, but in the literal sense. I was driving back from dropping of some paper work in a town about an hour away when I saw this sign.

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I didn’t have a lot on my plate today, so I headed off to find Hope. I was curious as to what I would find.

Shortly after passing the sign, I saw a neighborhood called “Hopelands” with big houses. But I never came to a town called Hope. I know this because the next town I came to was not Hope, but Ingleside- and I went back and looked on Google Maps to see if I might have missed a turn, but I didn’t. The road to Hope, seemingly didn’t lead to Hope.

As Christians, we profess our hope in Jesus who not only saves us from our sins, but is redeeming our world-making it whole again. Some of that is happening now, and this hope will be fully realized when Jesus returns.

What does the world see when they see us Christians? Or when they see the church? We talk a good game about Hope- but are we showing people where they can find it? Are we taking part in God’s redemptive work here on earth? Or are we content to remain in our holy huddle and not go into the world?

In Matthew 5:14, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world.” In a dark world where so many people are looking for Hope (whether they realize it or not), we are called to take our light into the world. We are called to be used by God to push back the night. We have a mission to lead people to Hope- a hope that is found in the grace and love of Jesus Christ.

Where has someone shown you hope when you needed it the most? How is God using you right now to bring the Hope of Jesus into the world?

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Are We Locked In

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Steve LaMotte

One of my favorite bloggers is Seth Godin. I’m not alone. Seth’s books have been best sellers and his blog post are short and insightful. Earlier in December, Seth Godin wrote this in a post called, “The Pitfalls of Lock In”

“When you believe your customers have no real choice, either because they’ve signed a long term contract, or the technology locks them in, or they’re stranded in Fargo with no other options, you’re likely to drift away from delighting them.

This is the story of Microsoft and Apple and Instagram, at least when they stumble.”

Godin cites Microsoft, Apple and Instagram- Netflix might be another example of a company that made a massive mistake thinking that they didn’t have delight their customers. Companies that lose sight of being fun, innovative, user-friendly, intuitive, and useful will see their standing in the marketplace plummet.

What does this say about the church?

I’ve sat in too many meetings or participated in too many conversations where there is a resistance to change and leaders are happy to be locked-in to the ways things were/are. I get it, change is tough. Change can be painful. Change can be sad. (I’m sure that some day when my daughter wants dub-step worship in church, I might be resistant too!) When we see the decline of our churches, when we see the moral decay in our society, when we see lost people who need Jesus- why are we not willing to do whatever it takes to share Jesus with them? Why do we expect “the world” to adapt to our rules or come to our house (our church) when they mostly don’t even know what they are looking for?

Godin says in his last line of the post: “Generations change, and if you’re here for the long haul, there is no lock-in.”

We live in a rapidly changing world. No sooner was the iPhone 5 out than there were rumors swirling about the iPhone 6. Generations of people are changing their thinking, their learning habits, their understanding about Christians- and if we are locked-in as a church, we run the danger of missing them.

The Apostle Paul writes:

“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law),so as to win those under the law.  To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23)

My prayer, is to have the courage and the boldness to do whatever it takes to share the gospel of Jesus with those who have not heard it, who reject it, and who don’t think they need it. That I might be willing to adapt, change, and modify my approach to ministry and life so that I might share salvation through Jesus Christ.

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The Unaware Heir

Posted on January 2, 2013 by Steve LaMotte

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I read this article late last week in the Huffington Post and a few other sources. It is the story of the heir of a 300 million dollar fortune dying in Wyoming from hypothermia. The Huffington Post reports:

“Timothy Henry Gray, Clark’s 60-year-old half great-nephew, was found dead under a Union Pacific Railroad overpass in Evanston, Wyo., on Thursday, NBC News reports. Children who were sledding nearby found Gray’s body.

Temperatures in Evanston, a mining town, had hit a low of 0 in recent days. The coroner said it appears the homeless heir, who could have inherited $19 million of Clark’s $300 million fortune, had died of hypothermia, according to NBC. There was no evidence of foul play.”

This homeless man stood to receive $19 million dollars from a $300 fortune- and he dies alone under a bridge. The article doesn’t say whether the man knew about the inheritance (I assume he didn’t) or why the heir was homeless. The reality is, this homeless man was worth more money than I could imagine and may not have realized it.

Paul writes in Romans 8:14-17:

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.  And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

When we surrender our lives to Christ, we are adopted into God’s family. We enjoy the full privileges and benefits of being part of God’s family. It doesn’t matter when we were adopted into the family, or about our past- we are co-heirs with Christ. We receive the full blessing- salvation, redemption, grace, mercy, love and the promise of a life with God. It is already ours.

Far too many people, even Christians, go through life without claiming this truth. We are God’s children! God loves us! Jesus has given his life for us! If we claim this truth, it effects the way we live. We don’t need to live in fear, or worry, or doubt, or shame, or anger, or hatred: We have been made children of God through Jesus Christ: and there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:25-29).

As you begin the New Year- have you claimed your inheritance as children of God? Do you walk each day with confidence that nothing can separate you from the love of God? Have you cried our “Abba, Father” to the One who calls us by name- daughters and sons? My prayer is that each of us will live as children of God filled with the promise of the inheritance that God has already given us through Jesus our brother.

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Anne Hathaway and The Golden Rule

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Steve LaMotte

Many people have seen this clip from the Today Show where Anne Hathaway is asked about an unfortunate wardrobe mishap at the premiere of Les Miserables. Ms. Hathaway’s answer to Matt Lauer’s questioning is great…

 “It kind of made me sad on two accounts. One was that I was very sad that we live in an age when someone takes a picture of another person in a vulnerable moment and rather than delete it, and do the decent thing, sells it. And I’m sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants, which takes us back to Les Mis, because that’s what my character is.”

We do live in an age that when things happen, our cell phones come out and we begin recording video and taking pictures- and are quick to post them on the web. It is part of our cultures infatuation and worship of celebrity and our dwindling sense of boundaries when it comes to social media and what we put on the internet. Hathaway is also spot on when it comes to commodifying sex in our society.

I think it highlights another issue. Jesus says in Matthew 7:12 that we are to do to others what we would want them to do to us. It’s called the Golden Rule and there are some similarities in the writings of other religions. The point is, I hope no one post gratuitous pictures of me, or says slanderous things about me, or even treat me badly- therefore I should not treat other people the same way. We’ve become a culture where we don’t follow the Golden Rule any longer- and this becomes a dangerous thing.

If you didn’t see the interview with Hathaway- check it out here 

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What Are You Waiting For?

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Steve LaMotte

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I’m not very good at waiting- or sitting still for that matter. If you call me on the phone, I usually have to stand up and pace around while we talk. But there is nothing like having to “hurry up and wait” for something to happen. I think most of us don’t like to wait. It feels like we’re wasting time or missing out on something.

This advent, I’ve been struck by how often the Bible tells us to wait. Jeremiah 3:26 tells us that “it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.” The Psalms are filled with encouragements to wait on The LORD. The most common examples of waiting in the Old Testament were to wait for things that are expected and hoped for. 

Where I might think of waiting as a waste of time- the Bible talks about waiting as in preparing for something that is promised and hoped for. In the Old Testament- the people of God are waiting for a Savior, a Redeemer- the promised One of God who will establish God’s everlasting kingdom. In the New Testament- we see the results of waiting- and that is the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the promised One who has come to redeem creation.

This advent- what are we waiting for? For one, we are to be waiting for the promised return of Jesus when God’s Kingdom will be established on earth as it is in heaven. While we journey through Advent to prepare for Christmas- Advent reminds us that we are still waiting- and that waiting is active rather passive. We have a mission and a purpose during our period of waiting. We are to be sure that we have surrendered our lives to God- and that we are helping others prepare in anticipation and expectation for the return of Jesus.

What are you waiting for? How are you waiting? Does your life reflect hopeful anticipation of the return of Jesus?

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The Right Choice

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Steve LaMotte

On Saturday, like many of you, I heard the tragic news of Kansas City Chief’s Javon Belcher killing his girlfriend before turning the gun on himself at the Chief’s facility in front of his coach and GM. I cannot imagine the horror and sadness the Chief’s organization, Belcher’s family, and the family of Kassandra Perkins is going through right now. I have no insight on the why’s of the matter- but one thing that happened caught my attention.

I thought the Chief’s made the right decision in having a moment of silence, not for Belcher- but for all victims of domestic abuse. This was a classy move by the organization.

In my own ministry, I have met with 3-4 victims of domestic abuse that I know of. Their stories are gut wrenching and the fear that they feel is something I hope to never experienced. It is discouraging to hear of some of the “hoops” that victims have to go through to get help legally in the systems we have in place.

The Church is in a unique place- and has always been called to champion and advocate for the most vulnerable and voiceless people in our society (James 1:27). While we may not be able to solve the macro problem of Domestic Violence- we can make a difference one life, one story at a time. We can offer the hope that comes from being part of a community of grace, peace, and restoration.

 

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Battleground: Christmas

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Steve LaMotte

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It’s that time of year again when Christians and Non-Christians join in our annual bickering over Christmas. It’s a culture war that won’t go away. Just type in “War on Christmas” in Google and having fun reading! Christians get upset about people “taking Christ out of Christmas.” Those outside of the Christian faith (religiously or irreligiously) point out that there are many other celebrations going on in December besides Christmas- among other arguments. The Christian Post ran this story yesterday about Atheist in Wisconsin displaying a ‘secular’ nativity scene. The scene features Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, Emma Goldman, the goddess Venus, and The Statue of Liberty as the Magi. In place of the baby Jesus there is a baby girl. The display is set up in the Wisconsin Capital Building to celebrate the Winter Solstice.

Here’s what I think (for what its worth):

First, while I may not agree with the display mentioned above, our country was founded with the idea of religious freedom for all groups. As Christians, we should work to honor freedom for other religious groups. This is true tolerance- it’s not necessarily acceptance of their beliefs, but supporting the same freedom we want to enjoy as Christians.

Secondly- I think as Christians we need to get over ourselves sometimes. I love Christmas and think that it is a sacred time of worship and celebration in our churches and in my personal faith. But our participation in the War on Christmas really sets a bad example to the world. We have bumper stickers that talk about keeping Christ in Christmas, Yard signs to display, songs on the radio that sing about it, and pastors who rail about how our society is going down the tubes because we’ve taken Christ out of Christmas.

Christian- get over yourself.

If you want to keep Christ in Christmas, here are a few suggestions.

  1. Christmas is not your birthday (to use Mike Slaughter’s book title), It’s Jesus. Take a look at your Christmas celebration, what is God honoring about it? How quickly do we (and I point the finger at myself, too) read through Luke 2 on Christmas morning to get to the gifts, or the Ham, or whatever our celebration is.
  2. Stop participating in the Commercialization of Christmas: Sick of those crazy Target ads? Stop shopping and use your money to care for the poor in your community. Can you imagine the impact the Church in America could make by caring for those less fortunate than ourselves in our country?
  3. Christmas is about how God’s love came to us in flesh and bone in the form of Jesus. How about this Christmas, we truly love our neighbors, our co-workers, the Scrooge on our street, and those who believe differently than us. That is when we will know we are keeping Christ in Christmas. That is when our actions will match the message of Christmas. 

For further reading, I would suggest checking out website for Advent Conspiracy.

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