Can You Mess Up God's Plan?

I had a friend today send out an email that really got me thinking. Here's the question that I drew from his conversation:

Can you mess up God's plan?

This topic couldn't have come up at a better time as we (Cape Naz Church) are in the heart of our series on iDentity.

I think that the answer to that question lies not in what we do (the plan) but in who we are. Our society in many ways has become very "do" oriented. We identify ourselves by our jobs. Who we work for and what we do -- that becomes our defining characteristic.

If you don't believe me then think about the last time that you met someone new in a casual, social setting. I'm willing to bet good money that one of the first questions you asked (or they asked of you) was "where do you work" or maybe "what do you do?"

So, we become nurses or engineers or doctors or pastors or whatevers.

I would sincerely hope that for all of us the answer to the question "what do you do" is not the summation of all that we are.

So, back to the questoin of the day: can we mess up God's plan?

That entirely depends on you. Do you think God's plan is simply a "do" or do you think God's plan is more of a "be"?

After all, if God is who he says he is and continues being who he says he will be then we don't have much to worry about.

Do you think your flaws and failings are bigger than God? Why do we so often believe that the God who created the universe, flung the stars into the sky, and gave us breath would be at all surprised or flustered (in other words: rendered ineffectual) by our decision to "do" this or that?

No, God's plan for us is a "be" plan not a "do" plan. Be like Christ. Your "do" is a reflection of who you "are". We show our faith by our works. Our works themselves are not faith.

Can you mess you God's plan?

If you sincerely devote yourself to God and becoming the person He wants you to become, then you can be absolutely 100% completely and utterly assured that God's best will "be" in your life!
You might (scratch that... you will) mess up, but what matters is not yesterday's sins but today's decision to "be" like God and tomorrow's decision to be that way again.

I'm back!

Hey! It's August! I promised that I would be back in August, and here I am. I'm not really making a post today. Instead, I'm just reminding you that I'm here. I'm ready to write. I hope you're ready to read.

Here's hoping that you enjoyed your summer! Here's hoping that you, like me, took some time away from blogs and businesses and schools and whatnot to catch up with your family.

In the coming weeks expect me to dig deeper into the concept of iDentity, which is our current series at Cape Naz. Who are you in Christ? We'll be talking about that all August and into September.

I'll probably also look ahead to our next two series: Community (yes, like the TV show) and Life (yes, like the board game). Lots of blogging will be heading your direction, so keep your clicker pointed in "The Stomp Box's" direction.

Where have you been and when will you be back?

I know that I've been short in posting lately. Summer and all that comes with it are hitting harder than I expected. It's been a great summer so far, filled with lots of swimming, a trip to the lake, long drives, camp, and more of the same to come!

It's fun having a kid who gets a summer break. Jacob has finished his first year of school (kindergarten, of course) and we're trying to make the most of his time off.

Anyway, as much as I would love to be writing and blogging during the summer, something has to give. Unfortunately, the blog is the thing that's going to have to take a summer break of its own.

So, don't expect anything at The Stomp Box until August, when I'll be back full force with more of the content that you're used to, plus some new elements. Check our website, capenaz.org for details on when the blog will return.

Enjoy your summer!
- Jason

"The Reason Why There's No Post This Week" Post

I don't have a spiritual point to make today. I apologize for that. I offer this post as a "reason why there's no post this week" post instead. Enjoy.


Two weeks ago I hurt my back. I didn't really do anything to cause it to go out, it's just one of those things that happens when you're my age, I guess. Usually when my back goes out, I fall into a precise pattern of behavior. It hurts, so I rest it. It starts to feel a little better after a day or two, so I assume it's all fine and return to my usual activities. I push it too far too fast and, wham, it ends up going out again and we start the process over.

After a couple rounds of that through the last few weeks, I really thought i was over the hump. It had not hurt for several days. I believed I had full range of motion back. I decide it's time to test it out on the golf course.

The Missouri district pastors had an "Advance" this week out at Pinecrest campground. One of the activities was a scramble -- you're divided up into a four man team and play "best ball" to shoot the lowest score possible for your team. My round started out awful. No matter what I tried, I couldn't keep from topping the golf ball and hitting a little dribbler down the fairway. While I'm not a golf pro, I'm usually much better than that. It was almost like my back wasn't allowing me to take a normal swing.

That, in the middle of intense pastoral competition, was completely unacceptable.

On the 7th hole, I decide that enough was enough. I concentrate on staying in my slot and forcing my body through the normal torque and rotation. I go back and swing down hard, keeping my form, locking my body into its often-practiced motion, and following through completely. The result was a gorgeous 240 yard 3-wood that sailed up into the air, fading ever so slightly, and dropping in the middle of the fairway.

While celebrating my mental victory over the limitations of my physical self, I felt my left arm get all tingly. A creeping yet vicious pain shot from the center of my spine, filling the left side of my back with the fire of a thousand suns. Breathing became a real issue. My eyes watered. Oh the pain! Oh the agony! Oh the joy of hitting a great shot!

A normal man -- even a smart man -- would stop right there and call it a round. No sir. Not me. This is competition, remember. It's war. It's not some friendly round with a bunch of pastor buddies. I. Must. Play. On.

Whatever God-given obstacle that kept my back from making a normal golf swing (and me feeling relatively pain-free) was ripped asunder. On my next shot, I pleasantly discovered that I had full range of motion back! Sure, every practice swing felt like someone was billy clubing my left ribs, but if I sucked up the pain, I could move without limitation. I see victory within our reach. I go after it!

I absolutely let it rip. I started hitting greens. I was peppering the fairway. I was chipping and putting well. I was awing my teammates (who were convinced I had hustled them for the first 6 holes). I was downing Tylenol like they were Smarties. At one point I think I passed out for a few holes. It was fantastic!

We added up the scores at the end of the round and my team won, with a not-very-impressive 3-under par -- all of which came after my back, as one team man put it, "loosened up".

It was worth the effort, the pain, and the undiagnosed overdose on pain medications. We were the champions of the Pastor's Advance men's golf scramble! My performance will go down in history as one of the guttiest performances ever performed by a pastor trying to impress his pastor friends in order to win a meaningless competition with no prize except pride.

Sure, my back still hurts like you wouldn't believe. My neck is most comfortable when it's cocked at a 45 degree angle toward my left shoulder. My extremities still randomly twitch and spasm uncontrollably. But I'm not to complain about it. No sir! Not me! I know that what I suffer now, I suffer intentionally, having chosen several days of physical anguish over the agony of defeat at the hands of fellow pastors on the golf course.

So, that's why there's no post this week, and why, instead, you get a post about why there's no post. If you're looking for a spiritual or inspirational lesson... well, you'll have to find one in there yourself!

"Serve" vs. "Serve"

Let me preface this by saying very clearly and bluntly: I am not a Greek scholar. I never had much more than a casual introduction to Greek. I spent all of my language credits in undergrad and grad school on French and Hebrew... Neither of which will help me with this current post. That's why this is a blog and not something more official. If this piques your interest and you want to go deeper, then feel free to contact my friends Dr. Grizzle or Dr. Mansfield or future Dr's. Foster and Lunsford and they'll fill your brain with greek-iness all day long.

Now that that's cleared up, let's butcher the language of the New Testament!

The passage that I chose for the next two sermons is Romans 12:1-13. There are two references to the word "serve" in this passage, and both have unique contexts. The first is in verse 7.

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve".

The second reference is several verses later:

"11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."

If you've ever looked up a word in the English dictionary you know that sometimes words have multiple meanings. You depend on the context of the word to tell you what kind of meaning is intended. Here the NIV translators have chosen to use the same English word to represent two entirely different Greek words. In verse 7. the Greek word used for serve is "diakonia". In verse 11, it's "douleuo".

Douleuo -- to serve or to be a slave.

Diakonia -- to minister to.

Now, look back at the context. Diakonia is used in the context of the Church (people). Paul is taking about the Body of Christ -- the collection of individuals all with unique talents who serve each other in Christian love. Diakonia is your ministry, your service to the people around you. It's gifts oriented. It's how you attend to someone; how you minister to people; how you bless your Christian brothers and sisters. We'll talk more about this next week.

Douleuo is used in the context of your relationship with God. It's the answer to the three topics Paul introduces at the head of this chapter. What does it mean to be a living sacrifice (vs.1)? What does it mean to conform yourself no longer to this world (vs. 2)? How can you know and do God's will (vs. 3)?

Paul provides a radical answer. Douleuo. Become a slave to God.

Slavery is always a touchy subject. I'm watching "America: The Story of Us" right now on the History Channel and they're talking about the events leading up to the Civil War. Slavery was a driving force behind a war that killed more people than any of the other U.S. wars combined. It's something we've spilled blood to eradicate. It's completely contrary to the American ideal of freedom, that hard work and determination will lead you to success. All men are created equal and have unalienable rights! You can acheive your dreams and find success if you try your best! It's the American way!

God is suggesting, rather, that your success is dependent not just on how you use your freedoms but on how many of your freedoms you're willing to sacrifice for him.

There's a statement that I'm going to make in my message this weekend that I feel comfortable revealing now, hoping maybe it will sink in a little before you hear it again on Sunday morning: "What is common practice among common people is not the same as the extraordinary will of our extraordinary God."

What's the best thing that you can do with your life? Live free? Work hard? Be your own man? Make your own way? Nope.

The best thing you can do with your life is slavishly devote yourself to God and his will. Lay down your desires. Pick up His will. Set aside your old way of thinking. Unite your thoughts with God. Become a living sacrifice to him (a slave to his will), conforming your will to His, renewing your thoughts with His thoughts instead of the worlds, and then doing His will -- His good, perfect, and pleasing will.

More to come on Sunday. For now, think about that. Are you willing to be a slave for God?

It's That Simple

It can be this simple...

There's a rookie on the St. Louis Cardinals. Jaime Garcia is his name, and he's been a dynamic young starter for the Cards so far this season. I've followed Jaime (pronounced HI-MA) since he was drafted. I followed his box scores when he was in low A ball. I watched him in AA while in Tulsa. I never expected him to perform the way he has so far.

I haven't had a chance to watch him extensively this season. I've had other things to do during each of his starts so far. Tonight I hoped to change that. I fully planned to sit on the couch with my glass of cherry coke and watch all 9 innings of what I hoped would be another dominant performance by the young lefty hurler and a Cardinals win.

Through three innings everything was going as planned. Dinner was cooked, served, and cleaned up. Kids were entertained. Jessica was settled in. Baseball game was on. Garcia was dealing. All was well with the world.

In between innings I replaced my cherry coke a time or two and started noticing that a lot of my neighbors were outside tonight (it was a beautiful evening). The internal debate began. Should I stick to my guns and watch Garcia? That was the plan. Or, should I break from it and go outside to do some yard work and maybe have an opportunity to connect with some of my neighbors (all of which are on my 5 for 5 list)?

I've learned over the past 2 years that when you get one of those "thoughts" you should probably act on it. It might just be God stirring something up in you. Begrudgingly, I give in.

I leave Garcia and my cherry coke behind, grab my rake and hoe, and head out to the front yard to pick up rocks. See, our new house in Cape was built on an old silica mine. Well, that's what one of my neighbors told us at least; I don't know if it's true or not. I do know that there are an amazing amount of rocks in our young yard and they need to be cleared for the grass to come in better.

Now, I know what you're expecting. You've heard the stories before. I'm going to tell you that God brought one of my neighbors over to my yard, I said one word, and they immediately fell to their knees to give their lives to Christ. Maybe that happens for other pastors, but not for me. No, my story is much simpler. I raked some rocks. I chatted briefly with one of the neighbors on my list who was also out in his yard doing some dirt work. I had a good laugh with another couple who were out for a walk and empathized with the enormity of my rock picking requirements.

That's it. That's all that happened. It was nothing earth shattering. I just made myself available to make connections with my neighbors. I was putting myself in position for God to start something.

I'll keep praying. I'll keep fasting. I'll keep picking up rocks in my yard -- a project that will probably take the full 5 weeks of the 5 for 5 campaign. I'll keep connecting with the people on my list. We'll see what God does! That's up to Him. It really can be that simple...

5 for 5

Let me briefly explain what this is again and then I want to get into some details about it.

1. Name 5 unchurched connections that you have.
2. Pray for them 5 minutes a day.
3. Fast one meal a week.
4. Connect with the people on list once a week
5. Continue that for 5 weeks.

We're starting it this week. Have you prayed about your 5 connections? I hope so.

There's a lot of good things that will come out of this. Prayer and fasting, connecting with the unchurched, committing to do it for an extended period of time... those are all healthy, great things for a church committed to Christ to do.

The key, though, is not in our actions (as important as they are). The key is that GOD WANTS THIS MORE THAN WE DO! Remember, God so loved the world that he gave his son so that any who believes in him will have eternal life. You know that verse. You've seen it in Sunday School since you were a kid. You see it on billboards on the interstate. You see it written on Tim Tebow's eye black.

God wants to reach people more than we do. What we're doing is getting ourselves in position so that he can do that through us! We're showing our faith. We're showing our willingness to sacrifice. We're showing our concern for the lost.

We're getting God good and excited.

The one promise I can make through this campaign is that God himself will show us what he can do! He'll show us how he can create divine encounters. He'll show us how he can move to change people's hearts and minds. He'll show us that he can show up and still do the miraculous!

A friend at Cape Naz told me that the church had never done anything like this before. Oh boy! Look out then! God's ready to go; he's ready to bring his love to Cape Girardeau. Are you ready to go with Him? I hope so!