I am not a politician.

there's a lot of stuff spinning in my head right now, so we'll see where this leads us...

I never went into ministry to be a politician. I wanted people to be able to experience God- to know that they're loved unconditionally right where they're at, regardless of their circumstances. That kind of love drew me in, and I wanted other people to feel it, too. I wanted people to feel like they weren't alone in the world. I wanted people to know that someone cared about them, even if they felt like the scum of the earth. I wanted people to feel valued.

Somewhere along the way, I got pigeon-holed into being a politician. Everyone has an agenda, that's not any new fact or anything. But working in ministry, especially in a large church, it's easy to get lost in agendas. Everyone has an idea of how they want things to run, how things "should be." They lobby for personal preferences. And everyone feels they're right, because we've touted this "personal relationship with Christ" business without explaining its connection to the body. That connection is vital to our belief and growth in Christ, but the Church [universal] has said over and over, "personal relationship," and in today's world of "have it your way," we cling to the concept that "things should be how I want them, because I love Jesus and I know what's best."

FYI kids, it's not about us.

God slapped me in the face with that lesson at YS's National Youth Worker Convention in Nashville a few years ago. David Crowder was leading worship, and I was kind of annoyed because there were lasers and smoke machines and David Crowder wanted his name in lasers- stuff like that. I was frustrated, sat down, and didn't participate in worship, because I didn't like the presentation. I thought I knew best, because I've worshiped God before- a lot- and "that's not how you do it." There were thousands of other people in that room who did connect to the heart of God in that moment. DCB glorified God to that crowd- they revealed him, and led people in worship. And I sat there like a brat, pouting because it wasn't what I wanted.

Looking back, it pisses me off that I acted like that, but it opened my eyes to a bigger picture- the Church is here to support the mission of Christ, bringing the Kingdom of God to the world. It's not here to massage my ego, give me a power trip, or serve my personal agendas. We're here to reach out to people who live in a broken world, who have actual needs beyond, "I don't like this song." Children are going to bed hungry, people all over the country are losing their jobs, and we're sitting here crabbing about personal preferences. WE ARE UNBELIEVABLY BLESSED BY A GOD WHO LOVES US, AND WE'RE KEEPING IT TO OURSELVES, IF NOT ASKING FOR MORE. Imagine what kind of good the church could do if we took all the energy we put into getting our way and focused it on reaching people who don't' know Jesus! Imagine the kind of lives we'd change if we stopped fighting about paint colors, worship styles, and building use, and we started fighting to change the world for people without hope? People are hurting out there and we're too busy lobbying for our own agendas to even take notice.

I'm tired of politics. I'm tired of personal preference. I've given into it for way too long, and I'm done. I'll be pushing ahead for Jesus. If you want to join me, you know where to find me, and if you don't want to join me, please don't stand in my way.

The meeting-place president, furious because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the congregation, "Six days have been defined as work days. Come on one of the six if you want to be healed, but not on the seventh, the Sabbath."

But Jesus shot back, "You frauds! Each Sabbath every one of you regularly unties your cow or donkey from its stall, leads it out for water, and thinks nothing of it. So why isn't it all right for me to untie this daughter of Abraham and lead her from the stall where Satan has had her tied these eighteen years?" -Luke 13:14-16 [MSG]