September 29, 2013
September 5, 2013
Tim Tebow and the Gospel
Recently, I read
an article regarding Tim Tebow’s departure this past week from the New England
Patriots as the third-string quarterback and how it relates to his “faith”
journey. This is my response to
said article, which you can find here
if you are interested.
As a
passionate Arkansas Razorback fan and an SEC rival to the University of
Florida, I did not care for Tim Tebow from the beginning. I respected his freakish ability as a
rare and skilled NCAA football player, and one of the best at that, but nothing
more. Around the time He won the
Heisman (and Darren McFadden placed second as a record-setting Razorback RB), I
learned of the “real” Tim Tebow involving his life off the field and his
identity in something (Someone; Jesus Christ) bigger than football. I begin to hear this passion in his speech. It was then that I personally became more supportive and
wanted to see him lead his team to victory and receive national attention in
order to give him the opportunity to represent Jesus Christ and give the glory
to God in front of a culture that so desperately needed to hear the Gospel. And for this reason, I still root for
Tim Tebow.
Last
week, unsurprisingly to many, Tebow was cut from the New England Patriot’s
roster. Having just fulfilled
roughly three years in the NFL, he was let go. As it stands, he is yet to be picked up by another team,
which could come about in the days to follow, even though many see his NFL
career as nearly finished.
To say
that Tim Tebow is a polarizing figure in the sports world is a huge
understatement. Ask anyone who
knows a thing or two about the NFL and they will have an opinion about Tim
Tebow—good or bad. However, you
gotta give it to him, the man is a class act. He represents principles, sportsmanship, and a desire to
model Christ wherever he goes. And
for that, I am encouraged by his example.
In
response to the article, “Thinking
Evangelically About Tim Tebow” by Jared C. Wilson, which I alluded to
before, I can agree that if an NFL team decides not to take a chance on the
likes of Mr. Tebow, then Tim will ultimately portray Christ in another
environment to a different people.
He has given his life and been outspoken regarding his faith in God, and
to my knowledge, has shown the world that so eagerly watches what a man of God
looks like in the flesh.
Through
the media, Tim has expressed his desire to remain in the NFL as a quarterback,
which I take to be genuine and real, and not necessarily in conflict with his
first love, Jesus. However, this
desire is mainly out of his control.
Who knows where he will land?...if even in a roster spot at all… One
thing is for certain, God is glorified!
And maybe God is saying to Tim and the world that awaits, “I used you as a college and professional
athlete, for a time, to point others to Me and now I have a different plan than
you do, a part of the larger picture that you don’t see, Tim. I’m going to use you to reach more
people for my Kingdom in a different role than if you had stayed an NFL
quarterback.” And if this be
the case, and time will tell which path God has for him, then we can look at
Tim’s obedience to God first, not football, as the mark of true character,
which he already seems to display.
Lets
bring this home a bit! I think its
safe to say that we do a good job of making plans for our lives based on our
temporal, shallow understanding (I am not saying that Tebow is doing
this). Making it even more
personal now, I am great at “playing
God” and manipulating what I think is best for me according to my desires and
needs. Ultimately, what I need is to pull back from my narrow
perspective and ask the daring question, “God, what do you want from me? What can I do and where can I go to
display your Son as best I can to those around me?” This mindset, this heart cry is what God wants from us, from
me. And I find myself in a time
where personal direction is desired and necessary. And now that my attitude is becoming more aligned with His
Glory and Plan, not mine, I am totally free and I am willing to follow. And at this conjunction, the place
where my desires and priorities begin to take a backseat to His, I find peace
and rest. Realignment with God’s
Plan is not a one-time decision, but a frequent surrendering to His wisdom and
will.
Assuming
that Tim Tebow never plays another NFL game, would you consider this a loss for
the Kingdom of God, considering the sheer influence and attention that he
generates as an NFL player, or do you think this devoted follower of Christ can
be used in greater ways by God who so desperately wants the world to know of
His Love?
August 24, 2013
Living in Healthy Community
Recently, Angela and I had the pleasure of meeting up with some friends for dinner at a local restaurant. Our married friends moved away over a year ago to work for a church in a surrounding state. We were eager to hear how things had been going for them over the past year since we too had moved away and had not caught up with them in a almost a year.
Our friends began talking about their experiences in a new church environment with different staff and a somewhat different method of ministry. Don't get me wrong, there is not one right way when it comes to church ministry. There are many types of churches all over the world that have different styles of worship (and I'm not just talking about praise and worship-music). And as one who has traveled to a few different cultures myself, I know and remember often the common phrase that I've heard and recited a thousand times before, "it's not wrong; it's just different." However, there seems to me to be one thing that I have noticed that many churches (especially in the US) are without-community. As our friends sat across the table and spoke about their recent hardships, a lack of community was the common theme that contributed to their feeling discouraged. Their church did not have healthy community. The people in this particular congregation aren't living life together, rubbing shoulders with one another. They work and then go home, alone. They meet on Sunday mornings and that's about it. Its challenging to drastically deepen relationships solely on Sunday mornings. They are missing something huge! And it is extremely sad to think about the masses of church attenders who do not experience true community as it was designed to be experienced.
One thing that characterizes our church, as well as many other churches in the area, are its community groups. A small group of 12-15 people who come together once a week to share a meal, prayer, worship, the Word, and their lives is a powerful thing. I have experienced first hand how beneficial a community can be for me personally, as well as for the body in general. Some of my lowest times have fallen in the seasons where my sense of community was lacking, when I felt isolated and alone. And, on the other hand, God has grown me and strengthened me greatly in the times when I found myself deep in rich community.
We were made to live in community, experiencing life uniquely with others, sharing in the joys and hardships. Scripture tells us that God is three (father, son, spirit) dwelling together in fellowship. God also gave us a beautiful picture of community in the book of Acts when the new church body met together to encourage one another and work to advance the Kingdom. God has shown us-we were meant to live similarly.
What about you? Do you find yourself lacking community, the deep, rich, live-giving relationships that God uses to equip us, His Church? Begin praying that He would connect you with others around you in purpose and intention. If your church offers community groups, then just sign up. You won't regret it, and you will quickly see just how God intends for us to live as you begin to open up to others and experience the same in return. If your church doesn't offer community groups as an option, then consider being the first to start a group. Pray for opportunities and just start talking to others who may be desiring the same. We were meant to know and be known!
"And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the Day drawing near."
What about you? Have you experienced healthy community that you would like to share about? Feel free to leave a comment or a story...
jmh
August 20, 2013
Turning Thirty!
I made a promise to myself to journal about my life at certain milestones (every 5 or 10 years) beginning with the year that I turned thirty. Here is a snipit of the initial entry I journaled last spring...
April 3, 2012
Jason,
Today finds me on a plane across the Mediterranean Sea heading home to propose to the one I love. The next step in front of me is an exciting endeavor that I have waited for many days. Today, I am 30. I wouldn’t take back any moment in my entire life.
The last 10 years have been filled with many things that I am proud of. In that span, I have graduated college, worked in ministry, been an older brother to Kirby (including baptizing him), volunteered in a children's home in Nepal, become skilled at playing guitar, spent a summer in Moscow, Russia, run a marathon, biked 100 miles, been to Mt. Everest, toured the Holy Land, and taught Math and Bible in Bethlehem. Today, I am 30. One may venture to guess that my experiences would indicate a different age as I have done things some people will never get to do in their lifetime. However, as I am glad to say, my life is just beginning.
As I look over my shoulder at the past decade, I see more clearly the picture God has been painting. Sometimes things happen and we wonder, “Why am I going through this,” or “what is God doing exactly?” I don’t claim to know extensively the connectedness of things, events, people, and experiences that God has brought in my days and how they tell of a much larger story, and even how that story lives on into the future, but I do see loose ends slowly coming together. And yet, this painting that God is designing gains more color and detail with each new day. With my last breath, like Jesus, I desire to utter the words, “It is finished,” in response to a life lived without regret...
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jmh
jmh
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