Confessions of an Unfinished Pastor - Part 1

On April 4, 2010 I preached my first Easter sermon as a Lead Pastor. For the first 13 years of my pastoral ministry I had never attended an Easter Sunday service because I had always been on a Mission trip during our students' Spring break. The morning was an awesome experience, as each service was filled with people hungry to worship the risen Christ.

In addition to these worshipers, I came into the morning very aware that on Easter, many people show up to church gatherings who rarely if ever attend. The motives for this rare Easter church attendance vary according to those I have spoken with over the years. Some seem to show up out of a sense of duty to a friend or loved one who has been begging them to attend church for the previous 51 weeks. Others do so out of duty, believing that church is simply what good "God-fearing" Americans do on Easter morning. And there are still others with many other reasons, I suppose.

I treat every worship gathering expecting that many will be in our midst who have not yet become followers of Jesus. Some are genuinely seeking truth. Others are simply curious. But this Easter, I shared some personal things I believed would connect with those in attendance who wanted to believe in a risen Savior, yet struggle with incessive doubt. At various points along the way, I affirmed in no uncertain terms that doubters and skeptics are welcome at Valley Church - and that I too am a fellow doubter who, like Thomas, often wrestles with the desire to "see before I can believe."

While sharing personal information about weaknesses and struggles can be risky for a pastor, I believe that at the end of the day God's people will appreciate the leadership of someone who is honest more so than one who fakes his way through the journey with a plastic smile plastered all over his over-confident face. My risk ended up paying off, as numbers of people have since contacted me expressing a desire to meet over coffee to discuss Jesus further in the weeks ahead.

I realize that on the surface, it may not sound comforting for a person to hear that their pastor struggles with doubt. But properly understood - doubt should not be viewed as an enemy of faith, but rather a friend. Certainly there can be a negative side to ongoing unchecked doubt. But in my journey of faith, doubt has prompted me into relentless seasons of soul searching, Scriptural contemplation and personal investigation into the knowable facts. Ironically, it has been during these wilderness seasons of doubt that God has most significantly deepened and strengthened my confidence in Jesus Christ and His claims.

As my faith has grown, I find that I am rarely ever doubtful about such elementary topics as whether God exists or whether Jesus rose from the dead. In fact, I am confident enough of those things to give my life for them. Nonetheless, I have found that for most people it is NOT easy to walk by faith. It's not easy to believe that God's acceptance is totally unconditional. It's not easy to believe that God doesn't count our sins against us based on simply trusting in Christ. It's not easy to believe that there is no condemnation and that His grace is abounding to us every millisecond of the day. But the Scripture says that these things are true.

Doubts will come and go throughout the ebb and flow of life. Someone once said that an unexamined faith is of no real use - and I would tend to agree. Doubts force us to re-examine our core values and beliefs. Doubts bring us to the brink of realizing our utter dependence upon the God who has revealed Himself to us in creation, the Bible, and the Messiah. So while a handful of people may not want to hear their pastor speak of his own journey through the twists and turns of doubt - I remember that my mom always taught me that "honesty is the best policy." Integrity is not pretending to have it all together. Integrity is being true to the Truth no matter where it leads. So I'll repeat what I said on Easter morning: "Fellow doubters and skeptics...WELCOME TO VALLEY CHURCH!" Let's join with the disciples who honestly said "Lord, we believe - but help our unbelief..." That's when an unexamined faith begins to mature.

Any thoughts you'd like to add? Feel free....

Generous Joe and "Greedy Rich"

OK, I haven't blogged on Raw and Relevant about anything political in a few weeks. So here it goes...

Lately I have heard a lot of rhetoric from the far left about how these "greedy rich" people who make over $200K/year should shut up and accept that they owe their fellow countrymen universal health care - courtesy of a boatload of increased taxes. Incidentally, the President has recently mentioned that his campaign promise to only raise taxes on those earning $200K or more will likely drop to incomes MUCH less than that...but I digress.

Anyway, my compassionate heart could almost be swayed by an emotional argument like that if it weren't for a few stubborn things called facts. According to USA Today, a "study of wealthy households in 2005 found average yearly donations of $40,746 from people with incomes from $200,000 per year to $500,000 per year."
(Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-09-12-biden-financial_N.htm)

The 2008 report also goes on to reveal that Vice President Joe Biden - according to his 1999-2008 tax returns - gave an average of $369 per year to charity over that decade. Stop for a moment to re-read that sentence...

Does anyone else find it even slightly hypocritical that the VP would be lecturing hard-working Americans about their duty to pay higher taxes when they already give thousands of percent more of their income to the less fortunate than does Biden? What's wrong with this picture?

Don't get me wrong. I could care less what Biden gives. That is between him, his conscience and God. What I do admit is that I find it a tad irritating when Biden and his supporters attempt to demonize successful small business owners and investors as "greedy" folks who don't care about those who can't afford to go to the doctor.

Mr. Biden, I know that you'll never run across a little blog written by a nobody like me, but if I could fantasize for a moment that you might somehow stumble across Raw and Relevant, allow me to say this. According to your own tax records, my wife and I donate more to charity......every two weeks......than you do in a year. I do not say this to boast, Mr. Vice President - but to illustrate the following point:

Like many of my friends, I work long weeks in a vocation devoted to serving the needs of others. I am privileged and thankful for the middle-class income God provides for us. I live in a modest 31-year-old home that will need a new roof in a few years. The latest-model automobile we own is a 1999 Honda Minivan with a salvaged title we bought off Craigslist. Material crap just doesn't compare to the joy of a loving marriage and healthy children. Our aim is not to be rich - but to be generous with what we have, which is more than I can say for you. Mr. Vice President, how about LOWERING the tax burden on those who actually create jobs and wealth for others?

JEREMY!!! WAKE UP!!! THIS ISN'T A REAL CONVERSATION!!! Ahhh...but if it were - would you agree or disagree with me? Feel free to chime in with respectful dialogue no matter your opinion...

Is the Gospel worth Cussing About?

So I've been preaching for a few weeks now in an Easter series called "Signed in Blood - The Radical Gospel of Jesus." I have been receiving more feedback on this series than any I have previously preached - including on topics as controversial as sex and the return of Jesus. Why so much feedback? I believe it to be a reflection of the fact that so many in the Body of Christ are starving for grace.

Whenever I write or blog or preach or converse one-on-one with people about the Gospel of grace - usually I get feedback from multiple angles. One of those angles is the notion that by confronting modern-day legalists, I am somehow not being "gracious" myself.

Let me be the first to say that heated, passionate debate can and should remain as respectful as possible. It is never my intention to personally attack an individual. However, when attacking ideas one believes to be false, this is often interpreted by those who hold the ideas as a personal attack on them. I understand this fully, because I am no different. I can easily get defensive and feel persecuted when someone challenges an idea that I believe in. It's part of human nature, and that is why I agree that we must seek to be respectful even in debate.

That being said, is it not the mandate of every generation of believers to defend and clarify the Gospel of grace with the utmost passion? The Apostle Paul, when exposing his former legalistic way of life, said that he now considered all of that past false confidence to be "rubbish". The old King James Version more accurately translates this word as "dung". If we were going to be really honest and unafraid to offend the over-sensitive, the modern equivalent would literally be "S#@%". That's how expressive Paul was in exposing legalism (i.e. front-loading or back-loading the free offer of grace with human works). And that description is included in the INSPIRED Scripture.

Paul also said that he wished perverters of the Gospel would be "accursed" and he called the Judaizers "mutilators of the flesh" because of their insistence that believers had to be circumcised. Does this sound like a guy who was willing to tolerate false teaching about the Gospel? As I've written elsewhere - defending grace rises to a different level in the sphere of theological debate. We can debate such issues as spiritual gifts, the return of Jesus, the age of the earth and a host of other matters of secondary importance all day long. But the Gospel of grace is different. It is in a league of its own. If we get this wrong - nothing else matters.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am not implying that I hold the same level of spiritual clout which belonged to the Apostle Paul. Nor am I suggesting that we should not strive to be gracious in tone - a goal which I routinely fall short of. What I AM saying is that grace is worth defending. It's worth fighting for. It's worth dying for. It is the only thing that distinguishes the core of Christianity from mere man-made religion. That's my opinion...what do you think?

GRACE - The Best Way to Live

In this life, our plans seldom quite end up like we imagine. Today I was at a stoplight with my boys on the way to spend the day at Six Flags. "BANG" was the noise I heard simultaneous to my vehicle being thrust a few feet out into the intersection. In what felt like a millisecond, I asked my boys if everyone was OK and then watched in my rear view mirror as an embarrassed woman followed me through the intersection to the side of the road up ahead.

I don't know who felt worse as each of us stepped out of our vehicles to survey the damage to the back end of our Honda Odyssey. She was obviously upset with herself, apologizing numerous times and beginning to tear up as she noticed I had several children in the car. The reason I felt bad is because I've been on the offending side of a fender-bender, and I know that ugly feeling in your gut when you gather your thoughts enough to admit to yourself "That JUST happened!"

As I gathered insurance information from the woman, I tried to assure her by my demeanor that she had nothing to worry about - that I was not the kind of guy who was going to fake an injury and make her life miserable. And of course I had a selfish motive behind the grace and friendliness - namely, that I wanted to treat her exactly the way I would hope a man would treat my wife in the same situation. After reassuring her that the insurance companies would handle everything just fine, we went our separate ways.

Not exactly the kickoff I had envisioned for a father & sons day at the local theme park! As I reflected on the incident later, the blessing in disguise was that I had been able to show some grace and reassurance to a woman who was angry at herself for something any of us could easily do on any given day.

That's basically true about most everyday mistakes in life. Why do we get so irritated when people do something to "offend" us when on any given day we are just as liable? Why do we complain when our spouse or our children or our neighbor fails to live up to our expectations when on any given day we also fail? What gives us the right to hold a grudge against a person when we have been so freely forgiven by God through Christ?

I can think of times I've flown off the handle toward my kids or my wife or my friends about things MUCH less significant than a car accident! Today was just a reminder that GRACE is the best way to live. In fact - come to think of it, this day turned out pretty swell after all...

Ruffling Feathers with the Grace of God

Want to know a great way to make religious people indignant? Esteem the grace of God as the freely bestowed, unconditionally secure and flamboyantly generous Divine welfare program that it is! For years, I have been on a journey of seeking to mine the depths of God's grace in pursuit of the reality that it is - and more and more I find that it is GRACE pursuing ME in the Person of Jesus.

Religious people across the spectrum get downright uneasy when grace is lifted high. Cultists will front-load the Gospel by insisting that there are requisites to receiving the grace of God - that one must do as much as they are able and then Jesus will "make up the rest". Hard-core Arminians and Hyper-Calvinists on the other end of the spectrum will rip James 2 out of context to defend the idea that the Gospel of grace must be back-loaded by "results" - or "proof" - that a person is genuinely in the grace of God.

These ideas go beyond what Scripture abundantly teaches. Any time our assurance of salvation is placed upon our performance rather than on Christ's promises, we are in for a dark religious experience. Few and far between are the clarion voices of those like Brennan Manning, Zane Hodges, Steve McVey or Andrew Farley - who dare to esteem the grace of God so high that persecution nearly ensues against them. Why is it that when we mention the utter gratuitous nature of God's grace, we are met by well-meaning voices that immediately want to "balance" the discussion with talk of Christ's Lordship or point us to Paul's words in Romans 6 about not using grace as a license to sin?

Paul said "Where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5). And YES, he cautioned us against using grace as a license to sin. Sin is hurtful to ourselves and to others and to the Kingdom of God in its current earthly manifestation. But the caution to flee from sin in no way NEGATES what Paul had previously established in Romans 5. If Christianity is the least bit unique from other religious claims, this uniqueness rises and falls on grace.

Either the Gospel was and is a free, no-strings-attached offer of pardon and freedom based on faith alone - or it is a bait-and-switch religious scheme promising unconditional favor which it cannot actually deliver. As someone whose conscience is naturally legalistic enough to condemn a small nation, I don't need to be reminded NOT to use God's grace as a license to sin. DUH! I need to be reminded to surrender to an expression of God's kindness that in Christ is so freely offered I have no other response than to lose myself in it. Then and only then will I escape the performance treadmill to which my inner Pharisee wants to enslave me - and instead allow Jesus to live through me.

This "try hard, fail, feel guilty, confess and try again" form of Christianity is not the Gospel Jesus and the Apostles came to proclaim. Jesus' command to "DIE" was given to His audience prior to the cross while still living under the Old Covenant. Under the New Covenant, Paul says we are to "reckon" ourselves dead to sin and alive to Christ. This means that no matter how we "feel" at any given moment - we are to accept this reality by faith. When the unconditionality of this identity in Christ becomes our sole source of hope, we begin to rest - and godly transformation is finally possible...

I will close by saying that if I were to post the words "Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more..." on Facebook, I guarantee that my posting would be met by several "Likes" and a few "Amens" and also several "Yeh, but don't forget about Romans 6 or James 2" comments. Why is this? Why can't we stop for even 30 seconds and lose ourselves in the reality of grace untainted by our desire to "balance" it out? By definition, grace IMBALANCES the equation in our favor. If grace were not open to the possibility of abuse, it would at that very moment cease to be grace...

Right on the Money

Let's face it. Money is not the most popular subject to talk about at church. Some pastors loathe the idea of teaching on the subject. Many church members nestle down into their seats, catch the sermon title and think to themselves, "Money? Aw, man - why did I come to church today?" or "Why did I invite my friend to church today of ALL days?"

Why is money such a big deal? I think because along with sex and political beliefs, it is viewed as an extremely personal issue. And it is. But its not one we can pretend doesn't affect us deeply.

Most of us are great at compartmentalizing our lives. We tend to think of categories like our "emotional" lives, our "intellectual" lives, our "material" lives and our "spiritual" lives. But Jesus made no such distinction. In Jesus' view, all of life is spiritual.

So while I can definitely sympathize with feeling uneasy when ministries beg for money and manipulate people to give more - I can assure you that there will be no begging or manipulation this Valley. We want people to understand how to manage money in a biblically informed way that enables greater freedom in their lives. "Right on the Money" will be a 2-part miniseries followed by a live Simulcast with Dave Ramsey on March 13 at Valley. Here is a brief overview:

FEB. 21 - "Master Your Money (Or It Will Master You)" taught by me (Jeremy) will solidify a theological framework for possessing money rightly rather than it possessing you. This will be a passionate teaching which will also confront and expose false teachings such as the so-called "Prosperity Gospel." You won't wanna miss this...

FEB. 28 - "When the Bottom Falls Out (Rebuilding After the Storm)" taught by Pastor Raleigh Galgan. This message will encourage and teach people who have been swept up in the financial tidal wave of the recent recession - as well as give practical tools to those desiring to avoid financial ruin in the future. This will also be a Sunday you won't wanna miss...

MAR. 13 - On this Saturday, we will be hosting Dave Ramsey's live simulcast of "The Total Money Makeover". If you haven't seen Ramsey's show on Fox Business Network or would like to familiarize yourself, check out his website at www.daveramsey.com. This seminar will inform and inspire you to move beyond merely managing your money - and propel you into a life of greater freedom in this deeply personal area.

Hope to see you this Sunday at Valley at 9am (contemporary or traditional services available) or 11am (contemporary only). If you have questions, call the church at 707-448-7222 or visit our website at www.valleychurch.com.

Pastors and Politics

As a pastor, I affirm and embrace the reality that I am called to a high standard of conduct. While I fall short of God's standards in numerous ways (in other words, I'm a sinner), I take very seriously the Biblical charge to be an example to others and to live in such a way that I am "above reproach." The Biblical term "above reproach" was literally a legal term that had to do with "not living in such a way that people can easily drag you into court and accuse you." In short, it means keeping your nose clean and striving to be a good example to others.

One of the ways I believe I can be a good example to others is by being engaged with my culture on various levels. For example, I enjoy coaching youth sports - not only because my boys happen to play, but also because I cherish the opportunity to make a positive investment in other families by serving their kids. I will sometimes attend important City Hall meetings and other public gatherings to stay in touch with my community. I enjoy finding creative ways to build relationships between "church and state" in relation to the common ground we share in making our community a better place. And, as you can imagine, I also have socio-political convictions. Unfortunately, this is where it gets sticky for some people.

I am the first to admit that I feel sick to my stomach whenever a "pastor" or Christian leader makes some stupid public claim that would be better left unsaid. I don't think guys like Pat Robertson do Christians any favors by suggesting that natural disasters are God's judgment upon various people and places. We simply cannot pretend to speak for God on that level. Nor should we use our pastoral positions as leverage to endorse a political candidate or to coerce people to vote "our way". But I DO believe it is entirely appropriate to endorse good ideas and oppose bad ones - and this includes the arena of politics.

As a conservative-leaning Independent, many of my views are consistent with Republican and Libertarian points of view at this time in history. This does not mean that I hate liberals or that I despise individuals who see the world of politics differently than I do. But I get frustrated when people assume that because I am a pastor, I should never chime in on socio-political issues such as health care reform, just war theory, the sanctity of marriage or the best way for America to confront terrorism. I am a Christian first, and an American citizen second. Both of those identities require me to think about the superiority of one idea over another.

I am certainly not all-knowing. And i certainly don't claim to have all the answers. And I DO believe it is necessary for all political parties to seek to work toward compromise on a variety of political issues. So while there will always be the Jeremiah Wright's on the radical left - and the Pat Robertson's on the right - I believe that pastors have a responsibility and privilege to engage politically with respect, integrity and conviction while NOT becoming like those I've just mentioned. Yes I am a spiritual leader - but I am equally a husband, dad, friend and community member.

What do you think? Should Pastors be allowed to respectfully speak their mind on political issues? Chime in with your thoughts...