I’m so grateful that God is a God of infinite chances and grace!  Over the past week I have had opportunities to experience so much life.

• I spoke at Lifesong Church on my latest book, Detox for the Overly Religious.
• Met some amazing guys who are architects and builders who love the church.
• I help my friend Dean Herman at 5 Point Church as they consider a bold move for God.  A special thanks to Steve Head of Christian Brother, Inc and Ron Cochran of Wave who went on this journey with me. Thanks for loving new churches and loving me.
• Celebrated my 51 birthday at a Falcon’s Game.  They lost, but I was with my wife and daughter.  What could have been better!
• I had lunch with the new pastor of Revolution Church, Jason Gerdes.
• I had an incredible coaching session with our church planting network and my church planting partner Shawn Lovejoy on Nurturing Vitality.
• I hung out with one of my best friends on Friday Casey Graham of The Change Group.  We celebrated his book release, Funded and Free.
• I got to plan a Compassion Party where we are going to partner with Compassion International.  I’m believing God for the sponsorship of 2000 children.
• I hung out with Bret Harrison of Experience Missions International.  I love this guy.
• We celebrated my birthday with about 30 people at my favoriteCuban Restaurant.
• My friend Jim Shepherd of Generis surprised me.  He left me a special gift at the restaurant.
• I spoke to my son who is getting out of the Army at midnight Monday.  I am so proud of him.  He spent 25 months in Afghanistan over the past four years.  Welcome home my son.  Excuse me while I shout!

I don’t deserve any of this, but God is so good.  He is a life giving God.  Reflecting back on my birthday week is a reminder that I have experienced a lifetime in the past week.

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For I tell you unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20, NIV).

Jesus came to establish a new kind of righteousness.  In our world we havedefined this righteousness in terms of the things we do and don’t do.  We confuse being a good citizen with being a follower of Jesus.  We assume if we don’t drink, smoke, curse, chew or dance with girls that do we are righteous.  Yet these are the same things the Pharisees and the teachers of the law put a high premium on.  Jesus is clear that our righteousness must surpass theirs.  How could this be?  How could we possible be more righteous then the Pharisees when it comes to keeping the Law?  We can’t!

Our second option is to explain this through the lens of modern Evangelicalism.  All of us would quickly say that the only way our righteousness can exceed that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law is through Jesus.  Jesus is our righteousness.  He really is, but far to many of us end here.  While this is true this is not the complete story.

Throughout the Gospels Jesus leans in.  He teaches us that there is more to the Gospel then my personal salvation.  In Matthew 25:31 and following Jesus tells the story of the sheep and the goat.  He divides the sheep from the goats placing them on his right hand side.  We pick up the story in verses 34-36:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by           my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the            creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I       was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you         invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked    after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’”

Notice the next few words in first part of verse 37, “Then the righteous will answer him.” Who are the righteous in this passage?  The righteous are those who feed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, invited the stranger in, clothed the naked, looked after the sick, and visited those who were in prison.  These are the ones who enter into his kingdom.

Once again Jesus says, “For I tell you unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20, NIV).

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One mother’s newborn will live for another day or perhaps week with the sugar, and grain we gave her. For another mother, we didn’t make it in time.  They buried her baby that morning.  They said she died of natural causes.  When is starvation a natural cause?

For the past week I have been traveling all over Uganda visiting various Compassion International’s projects.  Please take a moment to visit theirwebsite and consider how you might get involved.

Here is my first attempt at an update.

• My luggage didn’t arrive until the last day of our trip.  This meant I wore the same thing over and over again.  I literally survived on one pair of briefs, a pair of sleep shorts that doubled as boxers, two shirts, one pair of pants, and three pair of socks (two pair were gifts from teammates).  I discovered I can live on a lot less.  When my bags finally came I was disgusted at myself over all my stuff.  I will never pack the same again.
• Compassion International is an amazing ministry that makes a difference in the world.  Every where we went in Uganda and Kenya we asked the people we met if they had heard of Compassion.  They all had.  Every one of them knew someone or were sponsored as a child.  All of them were impacted.  I’m not kidding.  I have never seen a single ministry that is having so much LIFE GIVING and LIFE CHANGING impact.  Compassion is the real deal.
• Peter our host was a street kid that grew up in the streets of Uganda.  He was taken in my  family, sponsored by Compassion, and now he works tirelessly as an advocate for children all over the world through compassion.  Peter is one of many Compassion children who are making a difference.  I hope of have him and compassion at our www.churchplanters.com conference.
• The churches of Uganda or alive and well.  Every where we went the church was the difference maker.  It’s amazing what happens when social programs are not assessable and the church lives up to its name “Body of Christ”.  One rural church planters had raised up 21 pastors who had planted 21 other churches.  In another church where we worship they had an altar call where two elders prayed over me.  Every church we went to entire Muslim families are finding Jesus.
• The people of Uganda are so incredible loving and giving.  One lady gave us a bag of stuff she had grown, it was here only source of income.  I knew we were in trouble when they went and got their pig.  They kept the pig.
• Compassion is more then about sponsoring children.  Compassion has an incredible strategy that begins with Child Survival, Sponsorship, and then Leadership Development.  Compassion touches a child for his entire life.  We meet some of the most impressive, spirit-filled young people who are changing Uganda’s history.
• I met some incredible people from the US Church.  I traveled with 25 other people from churches all over the US.  We came for all over the US and served all kinds of churches.  At the same time make no mistake we were and are the “Body of Christ”.
• I’m all jacked up!  When I resigned my church ministry position I felt God calling me to follow him.  This following thing is overwhelming.  I know that I’m to help those who can’t help themselves.  Compassion is certainly part of that picture.

Finally, when you see me just ignore me.  It will take me a while to detox from my experiences.  I’m sure I will be a bit difficult to deal with.

I will continue to post on thoughts and reflections from my trip.

One thing I know, Jesus is LORD!

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As leaders we are either givers or takers.  We give life or we take like.  I know this sounds hard, but it’s the truth.  Those who take from others are always trying to get others to do their stuff their way.  Those who give life believe in people and want to lead them to success and significance.  Here is a simple acrostic from life giving leader Billy Hornsby. You can find it in his book Success for the Second in Command.

L – Love people

E – Encourage people

A-  Affirm people and add value

D- Delegate In order to develop

E- Exemplify the type of people you want others to be.

R- Respect everybody

S- Be wiling to serve people

H-Humble yourself

I – I may not have the best idea

P – Practice what you say you value

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What gives you life?

Jesus said, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10).  One way the thief robs us of the life God intends for us to have is religion.  Religion is our attempt to earn God’s approval or attempt to live up to the expectations of others.  The Gospel or Good News is we already have God’s approval.  We are accepted. We no longer have to do anything to earn his approval.  There is now no condemnation (see Romans 8).

Excuse me while I dance!

This one reality changes everything.  You may wonder if we don’t have to do anything to get’s God’s approval or acceptance then what is going to keep us on the narrow road.  Love!  When you have been loved by God well and begin to understand that love you can’t help but love him back.  Your motivation for everything changes.

When your motivation is right, everything is right!  When you motivation is wrong, everything is wrong.  Grace is the ultimate expression of God’s love.  It encapsulates everything good.  It changes our lives and the more we experience it the more it changes our lives.

Unfortunately religion and religious people seek to assert control over their environment and the people around them.  How do I know?  I did it for years.  It wasn’t until I went through the journey that led to the writing of Detox that I realized this.  I got born again.  The first time I got born again it was from sin.  This time I got born again from religion.

With this new birth my life is changing.  I’m like a baby learning to walk once again without the props of religion.  God is changing everything about me, expecially my motivation.  He is changing the way I view him.  He is changing the way I view my relationships.  He is changing the reason I do what I do.  He is even changing my relationships.  He is closing old chapters and opening new ones.

Yesterday I spent my day with one of the most life giving groups of followers I know. I am so thankful for my new friends at ARC (Association of Related Churches).  They are lead by Billy Hornsby and they plant life giving churches.  It’s easy to plant life giving churches when you are life giving.  I am so grateful for these new friends.

We all can experience the life giving presence of Jesus.  That’s what he does.  He gives us life.  Jesus invites us to “come follow him”.  This is our invitation to life.  Following Jesus is something that is possible because he has given us himself 24/7 through his Spirit.  God dwells in us and all around us.  The Kingdom is full of life.  We are invited into his Kingdom.

We believe, but are we following Jesus life giving way?  If your life is complicated and weighted down by the yoke of religion why not Detox.  That’s what I did.  Read through the Gospels focusing on Jesus’ life giving ways.  Maybe reading about my journey will help you alone the way. Pick up a copy of Detox for the Overly Religious.  Most importantly get around life giving people.  Connect with a life giving church.  Don’t worry when you find life giving people and life giving churches you will know it.  They will give you life.  Last, but not least be a life giver.

Peace!

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