Random “Linsanity”: What we can learn from Jeremy Lin’s recent media frenzy

photo © 2012 Some rights reserved by DvYang CC-NC_SA on Flickr

Ok. Yeah, I’ve caught the fever. Well, almost. As a natural contrarian, I’m typically not quick to jump on anybody’s bandwagon. But I’ve had a couple thoughts lately about Jeremy Lin and his sudden rise to the media spotlight. Just consider this my small contribution to the tidal wave of media that has fixated on this young athlete. While the future of his basketball career is still up in the air (7 wins a hall-of-famer does not make), I think his sudden rise in media attention can teach all of us something.

God is Sovereign

The past couple of years our family has had the privilege of hosting a couple of exchange students from mainland China. This has been an enriching experience for our family and has given me a sort of “insiders” view to the far east that I probably would not have had otherwise. While there have been many advances to the gospel in this region, the vast majority of the people have never heard the gospel message nor are they familiar with basic Christian doctrine. Jeremy Lin is helping to change much of that.

This past week he is reported to have been the number one search on Baidu, the Chinese (and highly censored) equivalent of Google. His profile lists his religion as “Christian” with a link to a common article on “Christianity”(a Chinese Wikipedia-type source), which based on my poor Google translation, seems to be a fair representation of the historical claims of Christianity (and its various strains–mainly, Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox).

There are enough articles out there describing Lin’s background, so I won’t retell that here, but the point is this: If God wants to take an American born man of Taiwanese immigrants and make him 6’3″ tall (much taller than his parents), allow him to be Harvard educated, have him go predominantly unnoticed by NBA scouts, and then send him to the peak of media attention in the world’s largest media market in a couple short weeks, then God can do just that. And if all that comes of Lin’s career, whether it be long lived or short, is being a high-profile light of the gospel for almost 1.5 billion people that otherwise may not even consider the claims of Christ, then I believe he is hall-of-fame caliber in a different book, regardless of his long-term basketball statistics. But that’s the cool thing about this hall of fame–there is only one Member (hint: it’s not Lin), and from what I can tell at this point, Jeremy seems just fine with that.

The Gospel is for everyone

Part of what makes this story so unique is the stereotype killing that is happening as a result of the media hype. He is the first Asian-American to play in the NBA. He is Harvard educated (I guess not ALL Christians are uneducated and ignorant [smile]). AND he has “unified” China/Taiwanese relations in that they both claim him as their own. (I say this somewhat tongue in cheek and you only have to do a little historical research to know the tensions that have existed between these two countries).

If you would have asked any sports analyst half worth his salt 10 years ago if he/she thought the most talked about player in the NBA would be an Asian-American, most probably would have laughed at you in the face. So, before you laugh too hard at your prospects of considering the claims of Christ as true for yourself–don’t laugh so fast, the gospel is for you as well. [For a short explanation of what I mean by "the gospel" click here].

Every Christian has a responsibility to live “the gospel”

In a recent interview, Lin was asked about how his outlook has changed with all of this new-found fame and he said “I’m thinking…how can I bring God more glory?”. This is much different than how most of us would respond. Many at this point would be thinking “how can I cash in on my new found fame?”, or “Yeah, it’s about time everyone sees how great I really am”. But seeking God and His glory first, gives Lin a unique perspective that, though counterintuitive, actually will make him more successful–more successful in the things that really matter, anyway. Will Lin score some big endorsement deals? Probably. If people dig deep enough, will they find “dirt” on this young athlete? Probably. I don’t mean this as derogatory to Lin’s testimony, however, the beauty of the gospel is that we’re all fallen and broken in some way, and that’s why we need redemption. However, the power of the gospel makes our shortcomings and failures as blood-stained patchwork on a quilt that is infinitely valuable and already purchased by God.

Regardless of who you are or what pinnacle of “success” you may or may not have achieved at this point, we all have a responsibility to bring God glory from our lives. In his book Soulprint, Mark Batterson states “…You were created to worship God in a way that no one else can. How? By living a life no one else can—your life. You have a unique destiny to fulfill, and no one can take your place.” Ephesians 2:10 states that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus”. We are all unique and infinitely valuable to God and to the “worlds” we live in. While my fame may never reach “Linsanity” status, I have a responsibility to live the gospel in my “world”, and in doing so, I can have eternal significance by loving those in my world, because I am loved by a King with an eternal Kingdom.

You are exceptional too

I wish the best for Lin and his basketball career. I hope he breaks all sorts of records and goes down in history as one of the best ever. But even more than that, I’m thankful that, regardless of his basketball success, he is exceptional in that he is “finding greater ways to give God glory”. I’m glad for the reminder that I am exceptional as well, because when God made me he broke the mold. He broke the mold when he made you, too. If we can find our identity in that fact and live in constant pursuit of knowing God and allowing the gospel to redeem our lives daily, we too can experience a kind of success that is unexplainable.

The Joy of Utter “Hopelessness”

“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable”. –Psalm 145:3

Have you ever set out on something you thought was a lost cause? Maybe it was the class ring you lost while riding on a ten mile wilderness trail, or maybe it was that time you tried to convince your father to borrow the car “one more time” only two days after you wrecked it? In any case, whatever the situation, it looked dire and almost hopeless. Well, there is another “hopeless” pursuit that we are called to as believers–one in which the full paradox of the Scriptures comes into full realization. This “hopeless” pursuit is unlike any other you’ve been on, though, because in this pursuit, the more “lost” you feel, the more “found” you realize you are; the more that you pursue in “vain”, the more meaning you actually find; the more thirsty you are, the more satisfied you become; the more persecuted and rejected you are, the more you find real acceptance—and the list could go on.

The pursuit that we’re talking about here is the never-ending pursuit of God. In Psalm 145, we see that His greatness is unsearchable.  It’s not that God cannot be found, because it is God’s very desire to have a relationship with you for He says, “…and ye shall seek me, and find [me], when ye shall search for me with all your heart” – (Jer 29:13).  The thing is, that once you are found in Him, you begin the never-ending journey of discovering how unsearchable and endless God’s love and character truly is. This one “hopeless” pursuit is the only thing in life that can actually provide real and lasting joy.

One of my favorite songs of the last couple of years is “Greatness of Our God” (track 11 on the ChurchLife Worship Band CD). In this song there is a line that says “..and no sky contains, no doubt restrains all You are, the greatness of our God”. Not only is this excellent songwriting, but this is an incredibly simple phrasing of a profound eternal truth. The God that you and I serve is greater and stronger than our most challenging trials, and whether or not we choose to believe Him, He is still the same God and still loves us just as much. The flip side is also true–there is no skeptic or doubter that can make God any less than, well, God. He is God and we are not. The end. Fine. And because of this, I plan to continue my “hopeless” pursuit today of the unsearchable riches of God. I hope you will join me, and in doing so, let us find lasting joy in the journey.

God as Creator: Implications for Gospel Creativity (Part 1)

In a recent discussion with one of our church staff, we were speaking of God as Creator and what it means for us and the local church. In many churches, and especially within the Independent Baptist movement (of which I am most familiar), we often hear of many attributes of God–holiness, grace, judgment, mercy, and so on. Of course, in children’s Sunday School we’ve been faithful to teach on the seven days of creation and that God “created the heaven and earth…”, but I have found that, often, very little application of this is made to our lives personally, as those created in His image. If God is creative and we are made in His image, then it seems that gospel-centered creativity should also be encouraged and developed as part of our formation as those who are God’s image bearers.

We are God’s image bearers

Man was created in the image of God (Gen 1:27). As such, we possess unique qualities that differentiate us from the rest of the animal kingdom. Though we may share common genetic code with the rest of the animal kingdom, we are distinct and different–creativity being one of the principle differences.Through reason and language, man has the capability of forming original thoughts and acting upon those thoughts. Though, unlike God, we do not create ex nihilo (out of nothing), we do have the capacity to see, think, reason, feel and respond to our surroundings while adding something very unique to it.

Lessons from the Creator: Creation is not God–neither are we our “creation”

God, through His own volition and desire created because He wanted to. We are not able to fully know the mind of God outside of what He has revealed, however, we know that God must have a purpose for His creation, though we may not fully understand every aspect of it. God is very distinct and separate from His creation. His creation reveals some things about Him, but it is very separate from Him.

In a similar way, we are not our creation. It is unhealthy as creative people, to wrap our identity around our “creations”. They may reveal a part of our character and be an expression of who we are, but they are not us and this is a very important distinctive. We must find our identity in our relationship with Christ Himself, because this is the only identity that is complete and fulfilling. As His creation, this is what we were created for. To find our identity in something else, whatever it may be, is unhealthy, unfulfilling and less than what God intended for us.

This fact also frees us to create imperfect creations. This may sound a little counterintuitive, however, as imperfect creators, this is all that we can produce. Creativity for human beings can be (and should be) a constant pursuit of excellence for the sake of the gospel, however, “perfection” will always elude us because we are not perfect creators. This is when we rest in the grace of the gospel to redeem our art because of the finished and perfect work of Christ. Christ frees us to create imperfect creations out of a pure heart and offer them to a perfect Creator as an act of worship for Him. The gospel frees us and gives us the ultimate reason to offer our very best, while at the same time, freeing us from perfectionism. We are free to create and, yes, even make mistakes, because we are not our creation and we find our identity in Christ who has already finished the most perfect work on our behalf on the cross.

How has the gospel influenced your creativity and what would you add to these thoughts?

Worship Management vs. Worship Leadership

As a self-admitted “all-things-Apple” fan boy, I’m a sucker for just about any quote by Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder and CEO. In John Maxwell’s new book, Everyone Communicates, Few Connect, he offers an interesting quote from Steve Jobs. Quoting Jobs, he says:

“Management is about persuading people to do things that they don’t want to do, while leadership is about inspiring people to do things they never thought they could.”

I’ve been thinking about how this applies to those of us who lead worship on a regular basis, whether we are a worship pastor, worship leader, choir member, band member, praise team member, or whatever our role, I think there are some interesting parallels here.

How many of us often feel like we’re “raising the dead” when we approach corporate worship (am I the only one that feels this way sometimes?). Maybe you feel like you’re just keeping the ship afloat…managing schedules, charts, bands, budgets, and divas. Or, how many of us feel more like cheer leaders rather than coaches–jumping up and down and making a lot of noise, but having very little influence on the outcome of the game? Before we enter into one of those “those people” rants, maybe we should look inside first and ask ourselves a few questions. (These have not been easy for me).

Am I “just getting by” in my approach to planning, leading, and more importantly–my relationship with God?  Am I being dominated by the tyranny of the urgent? Do I have some good things that I need to say “no” to in order to make room for the best?

People will follow an inspired leader who knows where they’re going and has been where they (the people) want to be. There is no greater place that we can be than in the presence of God. Whatever your methods, whether you plan meticulously months ahead of time, or “go with the flow”, whatever you do–get in the presence of God and the people will follow. (Jude 21-25)

Hope is Not a 4-Letter Word

Hope. A four letter word? No disrespect intended here at all, but for many it truly is. Even the Scriptures acknowledge this (Proverbs 13:12), especially in reference to a false hope, or a hope that is deferred. How many times have you hoped for something that didn’t come true, or hoped for better circumstances? Many today can identify with this. Joblessness is higher now than it has been in almost 30 years and many are wondering is there an end to it all? On top of all the  doom and gloom in the news, one of the top box office hits is “2012″, a film depicting the end of the world. Where is the hope?

Enter Jesus. “Hope deferred, makes the heart sick” (Prov. 13:12). While true, the good news here is that this Hope (Jesus) is already come–it’s not deferred. That’s what Christmas is all about. No need to wait. Hope came wrapped and delivered in a manger over two thousand years ago.

That is what we’re celebrating this weekend at Trinity with “A Night of Hope”. Jesus said that He has come to “…tell of good news to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, recover sight to the blind, and set at liberty those that are bruised and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord”  (Luke 4:18 paraphrased). Jesus is the hope that we all need.

Even if you’re still a little skeptical, I invite you to attend “A Night of Hope” this weekend (Dec. 5 & 6 at 4pm) and see for yourself what Jesus has done in the hearts of so many and what He can do for you. Our Choir, Orchestra, drama team, soloists and Artists in Residence, The Nelons (www.thenelons.com) will be presenting this hope in a dynamic musical/media presentation this weekend.

Jesus has come. He is even knocking on your heart’s door (Revelation 3:20). Open up and experience the hope that is found in Jesus and join us for “A Night of Hope”.

For more information on “A Night of Hope”, go to http://www.tbc.org.

*For more information on how you can help and provide hope for the hungry of Jacksonville to to http://www.fighthungerjax.org

As part of the event, we want to help provide hope for the hungry of Jacksonville. We are partnering with the Jacksonville Hunger SWAT Team and it’s affiliate organizations to raise awareness and help with non-perishable food items. You can bring your donation with you to the event. There will be donation bins in designated areas throughout the complex.

By the Mercies of God…

As I look back on the past couple of weeks, I am reminded of the great God that we serve! Pastor Tom’s series on the Prodigal Son has made a huge impact on my life. Every possible response that I can imagine seems to fall so short of the radical grace that God pours into my life every day.

Romans 11 gives such a great picture of God’s grace (on a large scale…especially for us Gentiles!) and Romans 12:1 begins with what our response should be to this radical grace–offering ALL of ourselves in worship (latreia) to Him. There is no other response that is fitting compared to the radical grace of the Father. Even this falls so short, but there’s nothing more that we can offer, and this is all He asks–nothing more, nothing less.

Worship is the constant outpouring of all that we are in response to all that God is and does. As in the story of the Prodigal Son, the Father doesn’t need anything we have (including our worship), yet He desires a relationship with each one of us. That relationship is only found when, much like the prodigal, we come broken and empty handed before Him, with nothing to offer but ourselves, and desiring nothing besides Him. It is at this point that we can sing with reckless abandon, “O Praise the One Who paid my debt and raised this life up from the dead!”.

As we approach this coming Lord’s day, exhort and encourage one another to good works and let’s join together as one unified, hell-conquering body to lavish extravagant praise on the God who has lavished such extravagant grace on us.

View the message here:
\”The Extravagant Grace of the Father\” – Tom Messer

Worship: the head or the heart?

We are so good at making God into our own image. If you’ve been a believer for any length of time, just look around–better yet, look within. If you happen to be a person that is in touch with your emotions, then you probably believe that God is a God of mercy, compassion and second chances. If you are a person who naturally thinks very left-brained and you go through life making very rational, logical choices, then you are more apt to believe that God is a God of principle, righteousness, and judgment. These just simply come easier for us, because they’re consistent with our personalities. I’ll admit, these are very sweeping generalizations, but if we look within and look around, by and large, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that it is largely the case.

Leading corporate worship on a weekly basis allows me the opportunity to witness this first-hand. I see people throughout our auditorium responding to God in various ways: some acknowledging the truth and doctrine of a song with a gentle head-nod; some acknowledging with reckless abandon, their brokenness before God with great outward demonstration; and some in vehement protest to the response of others. Most of the time, this is very consistent with our own personalities. I do not necessarily believe this is a bad thing. However, I believe that in the body of Christ, we have a lot to learn from one another, and more importantly, from God Himself.

The truth is that God is all of those things. He is merciful, compassionate, holy, and righteous. Take the apostle Paul, for instance. Before his conversion, Paul (Saul) was a zealot against Christianity. He had people killed and thrown into prison for their beliefs. He was “principled” in his disdain for Christianity. After his conversion, Paul was still a zealot but with a different focus and direction. Take Peter and Barnabas, on the other hand, who were more in touch with their emotions and the thoughts and feelings of those around them. Paul said (Galatians 2) that Peter even led Barnabas astray in his fear of what people thought. Paul, consistent with his personality, withstood them “to the face” concerning their hypocrisy toward the Gentiles (for fear of what the Jews thought).  In this story, Paul, acting consistent with his personality AND the Scripture was right. Peter and Barnabas were living hypocritically. Score: Paul 1 – Barnabas 0.

Now take a look at the other side of the coin. Barnabas and Paul in Acts 15, had a disagreement so sharp concerning the “worthiness” of one of their companions (John Mark) that it caused them to go their separate ways for a time. Barnabas, acting consistent with his personality, saw something in John Mark that Paul did not see (or didn’t want to see). John Mark had abandoned them before and Paul didn’t want anything to do with him. Barnabas, acting in compassion and grace, saw John Mark’s potential and determined to give him a second chance. In time, Paul later recognizes John Mark’s value by his own admition, no thanks to him (2 Tim. 4:11). Score now: Paul 1 – Barnabas 1.

What does this all have to do with worship? We often respond to God’s truth in ways that are consistent with our own personality. This is not necessarily wrong. However, in the Spirit-led life, none of us get “off the hook”. Brokenness does not get off with a “head nod”. Nor does an outward demonstration get off with inconsistent living and poor choices. Throughout Scripture God is always demonstrating the balance of the head and the heart. Take John chapter four–Spirit and truth; Philippians 4–hearts and minds; 2 Tim. 1 – love and a sound mind. The list could go on and on. 2 Timothy chapter 2 summarizes this well–”I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” Don’t be angry (heart) or unbelieving (mind). Also, don’t be judgmental of the worship of others. When God’s people come together in spirit and truth, without wrath and doubting, something very powerful happens. That is what God desires from his people.

We are all different. God wants to use all of us and created us with a specific purpose and plan. We all have a lot to learn from God by walking daily in His truth and being led by His Spirit. We also have a lot to learn from each other. That is the beauty of the Body of Christ. The fact is, God wants ALL of us–our head and our heart. Let’s remember that we are ALL made in God’s image, but let’s be careful not to make God into our image.

I am Blessed: (it’s better than being bitter).

Choices in life are interesting. Most of the time the choices we make occur long before what can be observed as the “point of decision”. Often decisions begin as a statement that is embraced by our attitude and then fleshed out in our daily living. Such as the statement: “I am blessed”. What a powerful affirmation! That statement alone, if fully embraced, can radically change our lives and the lives of those around us.

It is impossible to be bitter if you believe that you are blessed. This weekend at Trinity, one of our soloists (go get ‘em Kristin!) will be singing a powerful song of affirmation entitled (you guessed it!), “Blessed”. I have included the lyrics below for you to ponder as you approach the weekend (or tune in online if you’re reading this after July 12). The remarkable thing about this song is that it was co-authored by Ginny Owens, who is blind and has an interesting story.

She grew up as the oldest of two kids in Jackson, Miss., where she started playing the piano when she was 2. She lost her sight to a congenital eye disease around the same time. For Ginny, music was always a hobby. In many ways it was a relief because it was such a great way to express many of the thoughts and feelings she had trouble articulating. In fact, She wrote her first song when she was only 7 or 8 years old. When she moved to Nashville to major in music education at Belmont University, she had every intention of teaching high school music after graduation. Instead, she found herself getting discovered by a friend who took an interest in her songwriting. Since then she has released 4 albums and has traveled extensively throughout the U. S. and the world though she is a self-confessed “homebody” and introvert.

As you reflect on the lyrics below, remind yourself of how blessed you are. You may or may not have your eyesight, health, or a lot of material wealth, but know that you are loved by the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Get this song on iTunes.

BLESSED
Cindy Morgan | Ginny Owens

Verse 1
I may never climb a mountain
So I can see the world from there
I may never ride the waves
And taste the salty ocean air
Or build a bridge
That will last a hundred years
But no matter where the road leads
One thing is always clear

Chorus
I am blessed
I am blessed
From when I rise up in the morning
‘Til I lay my head to rest
I feel You near me
You soothe me when I’m weary
Oh Lord, for all the worst and all the best
I am blessed

Verse 2
All along the road less travelled
I have crawled and I have run
I have wandered through the wind and rain
Until I found the sun
The watching eyes ask me why
I walk this narrow way
I will gladly give the reason
For the hope I have today

Bridge
You’ve given me joy
You’ve given me love
You give me strength
When I want to give up
You came from heaven to rescue my soul
And this is the reason I know
I know

CCLI Song No. 3120381
© 2000 Word Music, LLC | Above the Rim Music | BMG Songs, Inc. (a div. of Word Music Group, Inc.) | (Admin. by BMG Music Publishing). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
CCLI License # 287059

The Path of Michael Jackson

This past week I’ve had the opportunity to read a couple books. One of them is The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley. It serves as a sequel of sorts to his book The Best Question Ever, which deals with our daily decisions and how they influence not only who we are, but influence who we are becoming often more than we ever know in the moment.

The basic premise of the book is that “direction, not intention, determines where you end up”. It sounds really simple, doesn’t it? Not extraordinarily profound. Often, though, it’s the simple truths that confound us. It’s the simple truths that either gives us great leverage or become seeming thorns in our side. A minor turn here or there surely won’t keep me from where I want to go, right? We don’t use that logic when taking a trip. Why do we use that logic in life? There’s probably no better illustration of that than what is in the news right now with the passing of Michael Jackson.

Even a casual observer of his life could see the signs. “No, Michael, don’t go that way…it’s a dead end.” All of the allegations, quirky behaviors, and strained relationships along the way just illustrated how easy it was for everyone except for Michael to see where he was going. Most of the world excused him, though, because he was so incredibly talented. I mean, come on, he united people (“We are the world”…remember?), broke racial barriers, he entertained people, oh, and the voice…wow. He almost single-handedly shaped the popular music of an entire generation and beyond. In all of that, though, the path of his decisions led him right where he ended up. Remember, it is our direction, not our intentions that determine where we go in life. The Scripture tells us that the “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?”.  God is the only One that is deserving of our whole heart. Do not trust your heart to something or someone else, or you will be highly disappointed. The next time you are up against a major decision in life, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Does this option violate one of God’s laws?

2. Does this option violate a principle?

3. In light of my past and my future hopes and dreams, what is the wise thing to do?

I’m currently on vacation and am sharing the same beach with people that, fiscally speaking, are both poorer and richer than I. However, the road we chose got us both to the same destination (for whatever reason). The good news (and bad news) is that in God’s economy, it doesn’t matter whether you are Michael Jackson or Average Joe, the path you choose will always lead to the same place. At the end of the day, whoever dies with the most toys…still dies. The real question is, how do you want your story told?

Take a hard look at the man in the mirror… What legacy do you want to leave? Are you currently traveling the path that will get you there?

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” – Proverbs 3:5-6