A Tiger’s Freedom

Tiger is back.

The hottest news out these days is that Tiger will make his comeback to professional golf at this years Masters April 8-11.

Everyone knows that Tiger never really left the media’s eye, or their ridicule.

I was listening to the morning news the other day and Tiger’s return was the primary topic of conversation. The hosts of the show were speculating about the fan response to his reentry. Golf ratings have dropped with Tiger’s absence, and they’ll probably spike up for the upcoming tournament. People will watch, but how will they treat (or taunt) Tiger from the stands?

I expect…

Hey Tiger…you’re forgiven!

Tiger thanks for apologizing.

We’re not only cheering for your game this weekend, but the restoration of your marriage as well!

What do you think? 50/50 chance maybe?

If our magazine covers, tweets, and newspapers had their way I anticipate much of the same criticism from spectators.

Tiger’s circumstances may have uncovered his secrets, but they have also revealed our self-righteousness. We have a standard for others but rarely hold ourselves to that standard.

The exposure of Tiger Woods was the best thing for him, and if the peanut gallery follows his lead, it may be the best thing for us as well.

Freedom is found in confession. Confession doesn’t free us from consequences, but condemnation. When we confess our sin to God (which I don’t know if Tiger did) we are forgiven and free from judgment and condemnation. Confession may bring about consequences, but consequences don’t equal condemnation. Consequence is a form of discipline correcting our wrongs by showing us what’s right.

Coming clean is one of the most liberating experiences, but it is probably the most neglected. Tiger’s 5 month dilemma revealed who he was, lead to addiction therapy, and it may just save his marriage.

Tiger’s trouble should prompt the rest of us to reveal who we really are. But our fear and self-righteousness gets in the way and blinds us to the truth.

Fear restricts confession and breeds pride and ignorance. Self-righteousness inhibits us from admitting our sins and causes us to condemn others for theirs. Sometimes we make the biggest fuss about other’s downfalls to avoid dealing with and exposing ours, or being found out for who we truly are.

Psalm 32 discusses the weight of hiding and the freedom in confession.

Blessed is he
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.

Blessed is the man
whose sin the LORD does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.

When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

For day and night
your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was sapped
as in the heat of summer.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the LORD “
and you forgave
the guilt of my sin.

The offense of the cross of Christ is that Tiger has been offered forgiveness without having to do anything but have faith in the grace of God’s salvation through Jesus. The demand of society requires Tiger to earn his forgiveness, but the cross spits at the performance based “salvation” of the world. I can only give advice to Tiger in a way that advises everyone: when we sin, fail, and fall we must confess and fill our lives with Jesus and His love, truth, and forgiveness. If we come clean but don’t allow God in, we make ourselves more vulnerable to Satan’s enticement and control. Jesus said it this way, ”When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” Confession frees us to be filled with Jesus.

Confession has freed Tiger from hiding. It has freed him of having to play the game. It has freed him to recover. It has freed him to heal. And if before God, it has brought about forgiveness for free.

Tiger doesn’t need us to forgive him, we need us to forgive Tiger so we can be freed of our self-righteous that causes us to believe we’re better than him. Our pride and arrogance may actually be worse than Tiger’s troubles. But the good news is that even we can experience the same freedom Tiger has been offered.

Confessing the truth will set us free.

The Solution for Segregation

We still live in a segregated world.

With Martin Luther King Day coming up on Monday, and his birthday coming up on the French Pressed Friday of January 15, I’m reminded of his monumental contributions to civil rights and racial equality. Our nation is what it is for many reasons – it’s military, music, and Martin Luther King. I wish Martin Luther King could have been alive to see the Blindside or Barak Obama sworn into office. Those tears would have been beautiful to behold.

Even though racism hasn’t been wiped out completely, things are radically different from the revolutionary days of the 1950′s and 1960′s. Blacks and Whites have been desegregated, but a separation among people still exists in the form of prejudice.

We’re an America of united states, but are we an America of united people?

Prejudice is displayed in a number of ways. Racism is an extreme form. It takes shape in cliques at schools and churches, social clubs, and neighborhoods. Pride, power, and superiority can accentuate it. Style, suburbs, and bank accounts will define it.

The cross of Christ destroys it.

Prejudice is an expression of the condition of our hearts. Our separation from people is an expression of our separation from God. Everyone chooses self over God, which many times is expressed in our gravitation towards those who are a lot like us.

Back in the 1st century Jews and Gentiles had a difficult time mixing.

Oil and water.

And apparently Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles had a equally difficult time getting along with each other. In the Letter to the Ephesians, Paul reveals the reality that should permeate the church in Ephesus and the lives of the Jewish and Gentile members.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away [from God] have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two [Jews and Gentiles], thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

The cross of Christ mends our segregation with God and people. For Jesus suffered the hostility of humanity, so humanity could be freed from hostility.

What motivated Martin Luther King? He wasn’t perfect, and people are naturally hostile. There are a lot of good men out there, but we still prefer ourselves over others.  We can’t give credit to Jesus because that would mean we’d have to get religious.

Is reconciliation religious or righteous? Prejudice sure does exist among the religious, but reconciliation will roll down from those right with God.

Martin Luther King proclaim this from Washington D.C. in 1963:

Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

Let this adaptation also be heard:

Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of PREJUDICE to the sunlit path of ACCEPTANCE and VALUE. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of PREJUDICE to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.

: The French Pressed 1 Thru 4 ::

Well Dressed Cavemen

The Dallas Cowboys just played, and lost (had to throw that in there, I’m a Redskins fan), their first game in the new Cowboys Stadium on Monday night. The stadium is colossal. It is a monument to progressive architecture and design. The arena cost over one billion dollars, it’s capacity is over 110,000, and the jumbotron stretches from 20 yard line to 20 yard line. It is a behemoth demonstrating the creative abilities of mankind.

It’s not just our ability to design stadiums that showcases our skill at excelling, changing, and advancing. The iPod is a household name of innovation. Musicians must be progressive to release new music. Doctors continually search out ways to eliminate cancer and offer effective health care to keep people alive.

We have come a long way.

One of the most booming eras of cultural development was the Renaissance. Taking place between the 14 and 17 centuries great advancements were made artistically, socially, and culturally. A way of living and thinking that the Renaissance emphasized was Humanism and Humanitarianism. Both of these stress the innate ability within mankind to develop and grow in ways that benefit and contribute to an upstanding society. This is undeniable except in one area, mankind as a whole isn’t getting any better. We haven’t made any movement, we’re still primitive. We’re cavemen, we just dress better.

Despite all the technological and social advancements, nothing has changed about people.

One of the earliest stories in the Bible is about two brothers, Cain and Abel. As the story goes, Cain got jealous of Abel and eventually killed him.  This sibling rivalry took place thousands of years ago. The same happens today, we just know how to cover it up, explain it away, and justify things. We steal, kill, and destroy just like Cain and Abel. We have exceeded in all things except individual character and quality.

The problem isn’t our progressivism, it’s that we have put our faith in our progressivism to save, heal, and redeem our lives. Our buildings are unbelievable, our apps are abundant, and our search engines can make decisions for us. But our hearts are broken.

We haven’t moved a bit.

Both the Old Testament and New Testament talk about the concept of circumcising the heart. Removing something to repair it. Shocking, isn’t it, but it gets to the point of our problem – something needs to be removed so we can move forward. Our ability to enhance is causing us to believe we can enhance our attitude and behavior. Reality is, as we continue to create we’ll continue to kill, unless…

Our fallenness has corrupted our lives. We need the foreskin of fallenness cut away from our hearts. It means surgery, it means pain, and it means change. Change we’ve tried to attain, but have failed at for thousands of years. Jesus is our surgeon and His death on the cross is the most progressive act a human being has performed. The act of dying so others can start transforming is something our human abilities would never have conjured up.

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: The drive on Rt. 9 :: 5 hours to the beach by myself was perfect

:: A last second field goal on Monday night :: Even if they aren’t my team it feels good

::: Advance Ministry Volunteers :: Cream of the crop

:::: Sunset Beach :: Rest

Wrestle for Salad

The movie Nacho Libre, staring Jack “Cheeelllooo” Black was on the other day…and fortunately I got sucked in. Go ahead and get sucked in yourself!

“I ate some bugs, I ate some grass, I used my hands to wipe my tears.” Awesome, huh? I thought so too.

Anyways. The plot of the story revolves around the athletic endeavors of the monk, Ignacio (Jack Black’s character), to enhance the quality of the orphanage and monastery he serves. He is a chef and disregarded socially and financially. This doesn’t stop his desire to offer the orphans more than slop each meal.

Ignacio has a secret though, he loves professional wrestling. To pursue this would be to betray his vow to the monastery. His dream to wrestle drives him to disguise himself and compete under the identity of Nacho Libre. After a discouraging defeat, while sitting in the locker room, he is given an envelop of money for participating. An unexpected surprise to say the least.

The next day Ignacio, the lowly monk, whips up a healthy serving of salad, with all the fixings, to all those in the orphanage. It is a day of celebration. The celebration occurs because they didn’t have to eat crap anymore, which was the result of Ignacio using his wrestling reward to benefit others.

What do you love to do?

How can you benefit others by doing it?

The Bible is full of stories and teachings instructing us to live in such a way that others benefit by our efforts. Jesus modeled this in the ultimate manner by loving people enough to leave heaven to serve and save those on earth.

I usually do the things I love for my benefit. I’m motivated by my enjoyment. I drink coffee because I like it. I serve others because it feels good. And I write this blog to boost my ego. When the motivation behind these things is flipped others lives can actually be impacted.

Why do you do what you love?

How could others benefit by you doing it?

I have a good friend who plays drums, because he loves to, but he does it along with a band so teenagers can engage in worshipping God. Another friend of mine just participated in a bike race, which he loves to do, that took place to raise awareness and funds for cancer treatment. Another friend of mine loves basketball so much that for years he couldn’t help coach and train others to become better players. Their love for something extended beyond personal benefit.

Basically, how can we wrestle for salad?

The Bible takes this idea a little bit further, “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” This was the true motivation behind Jesus’ mission on earth. Though His mission – to rescue men and women from the bondage of sin – benefits those who receive it, ultimately it exalted God above all.

This challenges me as I drink coffee, serve others, and write this blog. I am directed to do these things not just because I love them, or to benefit others, but to glorify God.

This puts some parameters around those things we love doing. There are plenty of people who love getting high, gossiping, and throwing eggs at people’s cars. And people will try to tell you they can be done for the benefit of others, in some twisted way, as well. The difficult issue is, how can we honor God by doing what dishonors Him?

On the other hand, it actually gives us a lot of freedom to do the things we love to do. It’s easy to think, because it’s in the Bible it means all we can do is go to church, play organs, wear maroon colored choir robes, be a priest or pastor, and respond to every situation with cheesy church answers. The verse mentioned above is actually giving us permission to do the things we love with a divine motivation. So, surf, rock climb, play guitar, write poetry, roll sushi, make pottery, parent, own a dog (which is one of the hardest ones for me), breakdance, bird watch, program computers, take photos, design clothing, scuba dive, and even wrestle. Do it to please God, and if you have the opportunity, do it to benefit others as well.

I hardly ever think about it, but next time I brew a cup I’m going to try to do it to honor God; and let me know if you’re interested and I’ll brew an extra cup for you.

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: Fish Tacos :: Give them a shot this week

:: Yo Gabba Gabba :: Weird educational programming

::: Voltron :: Bumped into an episode on YouTube

:::: Forgotten God :: Francis Chan’s new book

Throw Yourself Under The Bus While You’re At It

Chris Brown has been the topic of pop media regularly these days. I was listening to a local radio station that plays all the popular jams the other day, when the “celebrity sleaze” segment took place. The first issue discussed was a detailed account of Chris Brown’s attack on Rihanna before an awards show a while ago. The account was brutal, listening to the account was brutal, and the DJ’s comments afterward… brutal.

As I listened, the hosts of the show all voiced their astonishment at the cruelty of the altercation. A clear vibe was broadcasted to all listening that they couldn’t believe he would do something so horrendous and violent. Then their comments started giving off the impression of the impossibility of them doing anything of that nature to anyone. And under the bus Chris went.

Are we really better than others?

Are we really capable at keeping ourselves restrained?

We’ve tried for centuries to figure out what makes a murderer snap, or husband cheat, or a celebrity lash out. We’re still baffled, aren’t we?

Chris Brown’s situation humbles me. We have very little in common,  he has way more money, nicer cars, and nasty dance moves. We actually have one thing in common, we’re human. Therefore, I’m just as capable of doing what he did. We all are.

Everyone is capable of doing the inconceivable.

John Wayne Gacy Jr. killed 33 boys and young men, shoving them in a crawl space under his house to keep their deaths concealed. This is disgusting and overwhelmingly disturbing. Tremendously creative songwriter, Sufjan Stevens, wrote a song about the life of Gacy. In the song he recounts the horrific things he did and the places where he hid them. In the closing lines he sings,

“And in my best behavior
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floorboards
For the secrets I have hid.”

Those words are stunning! Are you serious?!?

What’s beneath my floorboards?

Aren’t we all hiding something? What will happen the longer we hide?

One of the writers of the Bible, the Apostle Paul, had this to say about the topic, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.” And this is where we check out. But it’s actually our opportunity to admit that we’re capable of minor acts of pain and rejection to major acts of destruction and suffering.

Is self maintenance actually helping the human race?

My good friend Robbi says it like this, “The good news is that we’re actually worse than we think we are.” The truth is we need our floorboards freakin’ ripped out and our lives renovated. If not, then we might as well throw ourselves under the bus to get run over by everyone else as well.

We love driving the bus and we love throwing people under because of the terrible things they do; things that we’re all actually capable of and a decision away from doing. So while you’re at it, throw yourself under.

Or pull people out.

Paul knew the pain of being run over and self-righteousness of throwing, until he was pulled out, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Jesus was thrown under.

So we could be pulled out.

:: The French Pressed Four ::

: Brent + Daisy :: They’re stateside after 2 years on mission in Belgium

:: Buffalo’s Southwest Cafe :: Get their medium wings… money!

::: Religulous :: A reminder to know why I believe what I believe.

:::: Prodigal God :: Just click here and go ahead and buy it right now.