As Told By Josh

The Past, The Present, and The Things to Come

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:47:00 +0000

I am, by default, the nostalgic type.

I love the word reminisce. I love old movies and old music. I love history. I love getting a glimpse into that which came before me.

Maybe I love it too much.

Truth be told it could be very easy to live in the past. Hanging on dearly to that which has already happened instead of setting my eyes on what is to come.

And when you add in that small little detail of leadership...well, how do you lead to people toward the future goal when you are so enamored with the past?

I guess I need to turn to the Bible for an answer ( I bet you didn't see that coming, did you?)

In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians (better known as 1 Corinthians) Paul talks about the night Jesus was betrayed - the night which ultimately set in motion Jesus' approach to the cross. Paul says that Jesus told his disciples to view their final meal in a very specific way. I paraphrase "Eat and drink in remembrance of me. Proclaim my death until I come back to you."

Lets look at three words:

Remembrance: what was done in the past
Proclaim: an action to do in the present
Until: looking forward to a future event.

And in one brief conversation Jesus has fused meaning and purpose with every stage of life. There is a purpose in the past - but only in remembering the message so that you have something to proclaim in the present. And we remember and proclaim until Jesus comes back sometime in the future.

So thats how we reconcile the past, present, and future - in Jesus. Jesus keeps us from getting stuck in the past, frustrated in the present, and reassured about our future.

Pretty cool, huh?

Yum! Humble Pie.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:34:00 +0000

I love foods with initial bitter notes but leave a sweet aftertaste. I love coffee for this reason. That bitterness of a dark roasted coffee is divine. And yet I get the pleasurable sensation of sweetness from just the touch of sugar that I add.

Bitter then sweet.

Humble Pie is like that too. Bitter then sweet.

Our ego takes a hit when we get humbled (notice I did not say humiliated) and our initial feelings are very bitter. We hate what happened. Often times we feel embarrassed or as if we let down other people. There is something very raw about the taste of humble pie.

But after that initial taste the sweetness rushes in - if you pay close attention. It is not an overwhelming sweetness like cotton candy. It is a subtle sweetness like honey or lavender. And that sweet taste of humility is satisfying because you have finally reached a place where you look back in disgust at how out of control your own ego was.

The sweetness of humble pie is no longer playing the role of arrogant jerk.

Gay Marriage, Pentecostals, and Closed-mindedness

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:08:00 +0000

I have heard the term "close-minded" twice this week. Once in reference to people on opposing sides of the gay marriage debate and the second referred to a theological discussion concerning spiritual gifts.

In both cases one side declared that the other was "close-minded" and should seek the enlightenment that they had obviously found.

Also in both cases there was a sense that those on the "close-minded" side were viewed as wrong but also viewed the "open-minded" side as completely in error regarding their beliefs.

So, you got that? Both sides viewed the other side as begin unwilling to change and see the other side....

So I ask the question, "Who is the real close-minded person?"

I learned as a young lad that he who controls the language always wins the argument. It is said that those who oppose anything that is deemed as "progressive" are simply "close-minded" and need to get with the times. Its the popular insult of the day.

But can I suggest that these fine progressive and open-minded folks are just, dare I really say it, as close-minded against that which society deems "traditional"?

My humble, but pretty realistic view is this: We are all closed-minded people.

Every single one of us. Its called having a worldview. We all have a set of lenses which colors our world a certain way and when something doesn't fit in our world view we reject it. Sometimes we do it arrogantly and thats what really gets us in trouble. The arrogance.

My next point is: Its ok to be close-minded...but only up until the point when your worldview causes you or others harm.*

If we were fully open-minded people we would never make a stand or fight for anything. No changes would ever be made. It would be the universal social equivalent of the spousal argument,
"What do you want for dinner?"
"I don't know what do you want for dinner?"

And nothing ever gets accomplished.

But the fight will always rise on the definition of the word harm.

One side says its harmful to allow gay marriage. The other stands by their beliefs that is harmful to restrict it. One side says it is harmful to not speak in tongues. The other says it is harmful if you do.

If you were to strip away the arrogance of all sides it comes down to a stingily healed belief of what actually is the best way to live life. And when you look at it like that then maybe, just maybe, there is not a need to hate the other side. Disagree, for sure. But not hate.

And here we conclude with this: if you discover that your worldview is harming you or others then you need to make a change. It may be your prerogative to believe in the uncontrolled burning of buildings without consequence but I imagine that might be cause of much harm to many others. And perhaps if you were to negotiate someone to your viewpoint you might find that one day you'll arrive home only to see it engulfed in flames.

*and its never ok to be arrogant- confident, yes. Arrogant. no.

The Unimaginable

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:35:00 +0000

" There is courage and heroism in defying the human impulse and taking purposeful and painful steps to prepare for the unimaginable."
- Malcolm Gladwell
Somewhere along the lines we as humans have deceived ourselves into thinking that when an unexpected event pops up in our life we will be able to run head-long into it, conquer it, and emerge the victor over the present trial.
Foolish be we humans.
Perhaps it is our desire to be the hero of our own story that allows us to forget our recent past. Maybe it is just being willfully blind to what has happened before. Whatever the reason the examples are abundant - when the unexpected trials show up the worst of our human nature usually shows up too.
Perhaps it's the combination of what I see as a Pastor, the life story of Brennan Manning that I recently finished, and my living through one too many unexpected difficulties - maybe that's why I am thinking through this.
Or maybe its just because I truly believe that we don't have to be slaves to the destructive patterns so ever-present in our lives.
I mention Brennan Manning because he is one of my favorite authors. He often tells of times in his life that crisis arose and he returned to the bottle for his solution.
Perhaps it's not the bottle for you, or maybe it is, or maybe it's an attitude, an escapism, a defense mechanism...it's always something that makes you think that you can handle the crisis, fight the crisis, beat the crisis on your own. Or perhaps its a feeling that you'll survive just fine...
But what about all that time before the crisis showed up. What were you doing then? I'm assuming you weren't preparing for the crisis. and why should you? It's not like you were expecting it.
But isn't that what makes a hero a real hero? Preparation? The 9/11 responders weren't heroes just on that day. They were, in fact, heroes in training since the day they signed up.
We will never be the hero of our own lives - Jesus is always the hero our our story. But we forget about him so often when crisis arises. And maybe we forget that he is in the business of training us to make it through the crisis that come our way.
But we ignore Jesus and his training and we still expect to be heroes when it's all said and done. Maybe the only way we can be heroes is to step aside and point to Jesus as the Hero, the Savior, the Conquering King.
- a Story Posted from my iPad

Of Frauds and Fakes and Overwhelming Grace

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:23:00 +0000

I will never deny that Christianity is marred by many frauds and fakes that use the pulpit to gain power, riches, fame and sex.

I weep that the previous statement is real and not the opening line of a fictitious story.

But since it is real let's talk about it a little bit.

When I was growing up my pastor-dad was rocked by the scandals of some prominent televangelist (you know - THE famous ones of the 80's) and many a time we discussed how it was difficult to understand how God could use men who were mired in such muck to actually bring forth the gospel and how it actually impacted the lives of many people who heard the message.

I recently read a story about a famous songwriter who wrote a popular church-sung song but was faking a disease and raising money through his faking of the disease. Ironically the song was about believing he would be delivered from the imaginary disease!

And now I wrestle with the reality that one of the most powerful songs I have ever heard was indeed written from a heart of fraud and purposeful deceit - and yet it still means so much to me...

So I am forced to turn where I usually have to turn in times of confusion and that is to grace.

How profound the grace of God to use willful sinners to still bring His presence and the message of His gospel to the ears and hearts of those who desperately need it.

Sure it is right here you can insert your argument that Christians are flakey and ignorant and will follow the stupidest of all religions - yeah you can make the argument if you want. Its just not the argument that I am making. I find more comfort in giving credit to a God who still gets the job done despite man's willingness to publicly defrock and discredit him. You may not- thats cool and I completely understand where you are coming from.

But how profound the grace of God to use willful sinners to still bring His presence and the message of His gospel to the ears and hearts of those who desperately need it!

And I think that its only grace that allows us to make it through these times of confusion and hurt. Certainly it gives me hope that even when I slip and fall God can still use me - especially if I can maintain a repentant attitude.

I suppose we will never escape the era of Christian leaders publicly failing (we haven't for 2000 years) but we will never escape the era of God pouring out his grace on those who seek after it as well.

When Others Turn Their Back on You

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:53:00 +0000

I'm pretty sure this counts as a universal emotion. The pain you feel when trusted friends, colleagues, or partners completely abandon you right at the moment you need them most. I've felt it and you've felt it.

But what do you do about it?

How are you supposed to react?

I think that it's imperative to fight off the urge to let bitterness, first enter then consume your soul. Once the bitterness sets in it will leave no room for a genuine misunderstanding or miscommunication. Bitterness removes the benefit of the doubt and makes you think less clearly.

The next thing you can do is to get some outside insightful advice from someone WHO IS IN NO WAY connected to those who have scorned you. By consulting the least biased source you will probably find a help in balancing out your justifiably one-sided feelings.

(and if you choose to consult folks too close to the situation you might as well repent now of the gossip you will be committing)

My final piece of advice (although there are certainly more pieces available elsewhere) is to be authentic with the pain that you are feeling and confront the offenders. Do not talk yourself out of your feeling. Do not blame yourself and bury the pain. Rather, you should, as politely and respectfully as possible, tell those who offended you what is really going on.

This last step is more difficult the closer you are to the offender. But it's also the most necessary. Good friends can hurt you the most but they are also hard to find. And even if they abandon you when you needed them most it's still worth the effort to attempt to salvage what you had.

Now if you can't salvage the relationship what do you do? Well, that's another story for another day.

- A Story posted from my iPhone

The Hierarchy of Sin. The Equilibrium of Grace.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 01:06:00 +0000

I hate to admit this. I don't want to believe that its true. I try so hard to refute it's existence.

Alas, I cannot.

We humans live under a hierarchy of sin. Some sins aren't considered real sins (like telling your grandma how much you love that Christmas sweater...again) and other sins are virtually unforgivable.

Christians run into a conundrum because we say that all sins are same in God's eyes. I believe they are. He has this infinite perspective that I do not. But while we say that God views all sins the same we humans do not order our lives around this truth.

Our sins are either more palatable than our neighbors or theirs are worse than ours. We forgive those who hurt themselves much easier than we forgive those who hurt others. We either bond with those with whom we share a similar struggle or we jettison the people who we have failed so far from us that relationships go beyond severed - it is as if they were never relationships in the first place.

Sin is more complicated than any of us really know. It unhealthily connects us to others. It unhealthily disconnects us from others. Sin is always about people - plural. Sin will wreck your life but your life affects many others. And compound all the lives sin destroys and multiply it by the random connections of people throughout the world (via Facebook, of course) and you can catch just a glimpse at the ugliness.

And since we cannot possibly deal fully with the whole sin problem of every person we humans have taken the task of building the Sin pyramid which governs our responses to certain types of sins and how they happen in regards to certain type of people. It is an elaborate structure indeed. One so sophisticated that in allows a normal person to lie to an officer about speeding in their car but condemns to public death a politician that would do the same.

Elaborate, indeed. And convenient enough that we all have used it to get our way into or out of trouble so many times it would be impossible to track.

This pyramid has allowed us to believe that we can control our sin problem. But at the end of the day we know that we are really believing a huge lie. A lie that has had humanity duped for many, many, many generations.

So as we live our days judging whether or not some sin is worth our scorn or deserves our turned blind eye, we regrettably engage our world with our stereotypes, judgementalism, and overall lack of grace toward our fellow man.

And there it is - grace.

The word that restores balance in this biased world.

You see the equal offering of grace to all people by Jesus puts us all on the same level. Grace says to all "You are forgiven. The nature of your crime doesn't matter." Grace must relieve us all from our right to judge, hold grudges, and see other's sin as worse than our own.

It is grace that screams to us "It's not about what you have done! It's about what Jesus wants to do with you!" Grace restores the equilibrium of "all men created equal". It is grace thats healthily connects us together. It is grace that healthily separates us from that which will destroy our soul.

So I urge you today to choose grace. God's grace. The grace of infinite perspective. The grace that saves us from ourselves. The grace that destroys the evilest pyramid scheme of all.

Oh God let me trade my pyramid for Your grace!

Can We Really Do That? - Questions About Marketing Your Church

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:26:00 +0000

I watched this video on ESPN today. And this, compounded by the plethora of events and promotions held by churches during the Easter season, has me thinking about some questions.

How much is too much? How far can a church imitate the culture that it is trying to desperately speak life change in to? Where does the line get drawn between event for "wow factor" sake and event for "gospel proclamation" or "pre-evangelism" sake?

I wrestle with these questions every day because I, myself, deal with relating a public image of a church. I am constantly wrestling with the motives behind every event, webpage, video - every detail seen by the public that represents our church. And if my motive is impure or self-aggrandizing then I fail to promote Jesus first and foremost. If my motive is off then people may fail to see Jesus and then in essence I have really failed to do what I have been called to do.

To be clear I am not saying that the church in the ESPN video was wrong for holding the event. I am not saying that churches that use the music of U2 and Springsteen to highlight a worship service is wrong. I am always on the side of innovation and doing things like they never have been done before. (as hard as that is to actually accomplish). I am a huge fan of being different - but only as different as Jesus tells us to be different.

What I am saying is that I really hope and pray that all churches have searched their motives thoroughly. I pray they have been pray fully obedient to what Jesus is telling them to do in there cultural contexts. I pray that they are relying on "God-ideas" and not merely good ideas.

I Rely on Music and Books

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 17:34:00 +0000

For my entire life I have been searching for the right words to convey my feelings.

I'm really bad at conveying my feelings.

It's a language problem.

One of my favorite recording artist said that rock and roll gave us kids a language to express how they felt. When I first heard that line it all clicked and I understood that search and that journey for the first time in my life.

Language and communication make up 90% of my job. And I have a massive need for the right language to share what God is doing in my life.

This is why I read so many books and am constantly listening to music. It's about gleaning from the authors and poets. Those who have already attained the language they too were once searching for.

I encourage everyone to develop their language skills. Maybe your language is best discovered through painting or photography. Maybe your language is not words but numbers. Perhaps you speak through your work ethic. Whatever way you communicate be sure to communicate it well.

Don't settle for what you have - always seek more.

- A Story posted from my iPhone

Rule #1 or Quit Dissing Joel Osteen

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 20:46:00 +0000

The number one rule of being a human (especially one that follows Jesus) is and always should be never demonize another person just to make yourself feel better about your inadequacies.

Too often we resort to tearing down individuals just because we can't stand ourselves. And most of our complaints launched are birthed from a jealous spirit.

In the pastoral world the name Joel Osteen is almost as polarizing as Tim Tebow is in the sports world. Some love the guy. Others tear him to bits - in Jesus' name, of course.

And I look right into the mirror and speak to myself.

So, time for public confession: I have never seen, heard, read, or encountered anything directly from Mr. Osteen. Nope. Never watched his show nor read his books.

But I found myself with a negative opinion.

But why?

My own opinion was formed from the opinions of others. And all their negativity influenced me because I was too lazy to do my own homework and form my own opinion.

It wasn't until I recently heard the first positive words about Joel Osteen from a respected colleague that I began to reevaluate.

In my reevaluation I found how rampant of a disease this is among people. We hear something that affirms our uninformed opinion and then we treat it as fact. We then pass on the destruction.

And why? Because we are completely insecure, inauthentic, and immature.

Well, at least that is the conclusion that I drew of myself.

So I urge you to quit demonizing others (this includes Politicians!) just to make yourself feel better about yourself.

- A Story posted from my iPhone

Freedom is Not Doing Whatever I Want

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 04:31:00 +0000

The constant myth of freedom is thinking freedom is about doing whatever I want to do.

But when we say it like that we sound self-absorbed and shallow.

Instead we pretty up the ugly attitude by saying our mantra like this: " I just wan to be happy" or "I'm just following my heart"

You mean the heart that is, above all else, deceitfully wicked? That's what you are following?

The Bible says that whom Jesus sets free is free indeed.

But how did Jesus set people free?

Best I can tell it was by following him and doing what he says.

That doesn't fit the American definition of individual freedom does it? We are much more "you cant tell me what to do" than "Jesus tell me what to do" and yet we wonder why we still are not free.

The real irony is this in that our society is predicated on giving up freedoms to obtain a greater freedom. We give up freedoms when we commit to an employer who has a code of conduct in order that we might have financial freedom. We loosely give up the freedom to drive the speed we want in order that we and others make it to our destination safely.

We give up personal freedom because we have a bigger goal in mind.

But when it comes to religion, spirituality, or whatever we cry out and say that no God should tell me what to do. I'll listen to the corrupt government that makes me pay taxes but not to Jesus who died for me and wants to give me eternal life?

Maybe I'm sensitive to this topic because I believed the lie of personal freedom for so long. I've only lived long enough to know that following Jesus is better than wandering aimlessly after my desperately wicked heart's desires.

- A Story posted from my iPhone

A Slight Ramble on Confidence and Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 02:46:00 +0000

I heard this recently: "You will lead only as high as your self-confidence will let you."

Now I am not a big fan of self-confidence because usually leads toward arrogance and pride. But I am a huge believer in a confidence that is rooted in what Jesus can do through you.

My thoughts are this: If Jesus created me and sin marred the self-image of His creation than it is only He that can reveal the true nature of the creation which in this case is me.

Simply stated, Only Jesus can reveal the true me.

But the tie between how I lead and how well I can lead are found in how much confidence I have in what Jesus is doing through me. Its not a confidence in myself or my limited abilities. It can't be! Because my abilities are quite limited. But both my willingness and ability to lead or to take a next level is tied directly to my commitment to become a disciplined follower of Jesus. It is in that discipline that I gain confidence in what Jesus can do through an increasingly willing person.

It is in the pursuit of Jesus that the confidence comes. It is in the discipline that the miracle happens. Because Jesus becomes the ultimate reference point by which I can judge the opportunities and the roadblocks that are present in my life. He really becomes the lighthouse on the rocky shore ( I know, I know. What an overused metaphor, but its a good one)

Now what do you take away from this slight ramble?

Well you take away that you can do all things through Christ who enables you to do all things. You take that you are quite correct in feeling powerless to make any changes in your life attempted to be obtained using your own limited supply of power. You take that the only way to make any real progress in your life is to let Jesus be the one that reveals the path.

Most of all you take away that, yes, Jesus loves you enough to reveal the real you - the you you were created to be - and that he finds pleasure when we find ourselves in Him.

The Hokey-Pokey Christian

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:24:00 +0000

For those uninitiated in the ways of the hokey-pokey, please take this time to discover the ancient dance:

Now that you have been informed of this sacred rhythmic ceremony I want to take a moment and make a somber point.

You can only do the hokey-pokey for so long and remain a growing Christian.

Let's think through this together. If our hands represent our actions, and our feet represent the direction that we are going, our head represents our mind/thoughts and our self is well, our whole self then we can see that going in and then retreating out only to turn around all-about doesn't give us much actual progress does it?

Its the pattern we all tend to fall into. We say, "Jesus I will do (hands) what you want me to do". And we go in, but only to a certain point until it becomes too risky then we pull back out.

We say, "Jesus I will go where you want me to go" but a 1/4 mile down the road we get tired and return back home to rest.

We say, "Jesus let me see what you see and think your thoughts. When our mind is officially blown we get dizzy and fall away.

And if we are lucky enough to get to the point where we are all in - our entire heart, soul, mind, and strength - we dance around for a while until it becomes too taxing and then we jump back out.

Admittedly, it is fun for a while. And truthfully I really do believe that this dance is a the dance of faith. We all do this dance with Jesus to really see if He is who He says He is and He does what He says He will do.

It is ok to do this dance. This is not a condemnation at all. I do this dance all the time! You probably are doing it too.

But this is an encouragement for your future. You need to be pursuing the point where its no longer and in-and-out dance. We should all be graduating from the hokey-pokey to the tango. Yes, you read correctly. The hokey-pokey is simple, silly, and can be done in solitude. But the tango, ah, the tango is complex, precise and is most enjoyed with the one you love the most - Jesus.

The hokey-pokey is fun. The tango is passionate. I would take passion over fun any day.

So let's start taking some dancing lessons shall we?

Imagine '12: Conference Review

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:54:00 +0000

What a splendid time I had yesterday in Gettysburg PA. (And by the discussion on the way home it seems my teammates had the same feelings)

A HUGE thank you goes out to Freedom Valley Worship Center for being being amazing hosts!

If you, dear reader, will allow me to share some of what I learned I shall do that right now: (in bullet form)

Serve the Lord with gladness (Psalm 100:2) Stop being a grumbler and enjoy the opportunity that God has given you to serve others. If you can't serve with gladness then quit.
God does not count your prayers he weighs them.
It is a tragedy when we walk out of room and critique the technique and miss the unique vision that was shared
You really don't order your life based on what you have to do. You base your life based on what you really want to do.
Jesus will not move in a culture of contradiction - If you preach "Jesus Loves You" but are mean and nasty to people nothing positive will be accomplished.
Know the difference between expectation and appreciation
All leaders need an accent - The sheep know His voice
Know the power of a good report. Start speaking positive and quit talking negative.

One of my favorite points and it deserves its own paragraph is this: Have a vision that is bigger than just getting to zero. When you talk about getting out of debt and you structure your whole life just to get out of debt and you focus solely on getting out of debt - what happens when you get out of debt? Now you are back to zero and what do you do? Most of the time you go back into debt just so you can get back out of debt. Sociologist say this is a main reason why 85% of prisoners end up back in jail when they get out. Their only vision or goal was just to get out of jail - so you are out, now what? I lost the 25lbs - now what? But a zero sum goal is great step toward accomplish something bigger.

And in closing I would to share my newest encouraging phrase that I hope to put into regular use, "My dearest in Christ, bless you with a brick." :)

Don't Ignore the Choking Man

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 18:44:00 +0000

I'm watching an episode of an older TV show. You know the premise, of this I am sure. The main couple breaks up and both end up on their rebound dates at the same dining establishment. They each try to one-up each other proving that they are ok and coping well. But on this particular occasion the other man ends up choking on dinner while the now erupting fight causes the broken couple to ignore the dying man.

Laughing Out Loud.

Yes this makes funny TV but it makes poor reality. Now I have never been in this awkward situation personally but I have been in plenty of situations where a group of people get so absorbed in there own problems and dilemmas that they miss the people that are choking around them.

If you are not quite catching what I am saying let me say it plainly. There are people with worse problems than you. There are people gasping for there next spiritual, emotional, or physical breath. And too often we stand around and sulk that our problems are so, so massive...

Im not trying to heap on guilt. (and if I were I'd be heaping on myself most of all) I'm merely trying to correct a perspective issue. Yes this life will bring some uppercuts that will knock you down and send you crawling like a baby back home. Yes we all go through trials and experience a ton of pain. But if we fail to see beyond our problems to the bigger problems surrounding us we may spend too much wallowing in our own mess while others die around us.

The best advice I ever received was that when you are feeling down do something to make another feel better. Doing this accomplishes two things 1) It allows you to have time to temporarily "forget" your problems and take a break. 2) It raises the spirits of someone else and it shows you that despite what you are going through you still have the power to affect this world for good.

So don't ignore the choking man. And pass this along because one day you may be the choking man.

27 Years to Destroy a Life: A Love Story

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 21:06:00 +0000

I have been spending much time recently pondering why the natural course of humanity spins recklessly out of control and ultimately recoils in on itself much like the water in a flushing toilet.

I have no answer.

Maybe it's an accurate statement but to say that the moment you are born you start dying is not only overdramatic but leads to a pointless existence. And since I do not believe in a pointless existence I wonder why so many people that I know put effort into producing a pointless existence for themselves. I also wonder I why I chose to live like I believed in a pointless existence while simultaneously not believing in one.

I have spent 27 years totally in love with one thing - a person. That person is me. Sometimes he goes by the name of "myself" or even "I" And because I have lived out all my love pointed inward toward me I would have hoped that my outlook on life would have been more positive.

But it wasn't.

About 2 years ago I really got serious about my faith in Jesus. Sure I had the Bible college degree and the "proper" upbringing, but I reached the point where I finally needed to be able to fully commit. And by fulling committing to Jesus I mean learning to budge myself out of the center of my heart and let him be seated on the throne of my world.

You see, I can honestly say that with me at the wheel I was driving my life down an aimless street driving a stolen car on a pitch black night waiting desperately to get caught (Springsteen reference). I was driving in circles waiting for life to play out and end. I sought the end because I figured... I don't even know what I figured. I just figured.

But right at the point of giving up I was challenged with a statement, "Never give up until you have gone all in. Go all in just once and then if you don't like what you see then feel free to quit." And that is when I got really serious. I just had to know if all the stuff I learned about concerning Jesus and theology - I had to know if it was really real. It is hard to explain but something in me just had to know and had to try to give it all. And I gave all I had...

Only to find out it wasn't much.

I found that as I gave more that Jesus gave an infinite amount more back to me. I took one step, He ran a marathon. I gave a nickel, he gave things money could never buy. And since then its been a similar experience - I move a little further out of the center and He moves in a little more toward the center and toward having the final say.

In this process I have realized that I am a heavy person. I weigh a lot. (quit snickering) That is, it has been hard to move me from the center and let Jesus take control. Like a marble statue cast in my own image placed in the realm of my personal glory. My justification for this is that it is hard for everyone to move over but that a pretty poor excuse considering all that Jesus has done for me.

He loved me more than I thought I was loving myself. Where I reveled in things that were destroying me He was aching to rescue me from well, myself. At this point I can only wish that I have another 27 years to live allowing Jesus to reign in my heart.

The Best Trade You've Ever Made

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:38:00 +0000

Im not sure if I can actually brag about this or not but I have traded many vehicles in my lifetime. Each car was a better (read: more expensive) model than before.

And in some weird way I felt that the car that I drove validated my social standing. The better car I had the better person I was. I suppose that I living as if I had a better car I was better than you. It was not a purposeful pursuit. I didn't draw out the road map of my life to achieve this. I didn't even know I was living this way until the day that God told it was time to trade my car...again.

I was driving a gorgeous Pontiac - the last Pontiac ever made. It housed a Corvette engine and was fully loaded. It was a dream that I never wanted to wake up from. A dream that included a very high price tag and it was that price tag that led to a huge wake up call.

We had a missionary come to my church and I felt compelled to give. But I couldn't. I just made the payment on my car and it left me with no money left. I was broken and I knew I had to make a change. But I sure did resist it. I justified keeping the car in any way that I could. But I finally relented.

So I made the trade and I can still say that I miss that car but I don't miss what it represented: a pursuit.

I had set out to live my life pursuing that which rusts and fades away. I was searching for treasures that would never last. In trading that car I traded for a new destiny. It started my new journey toward living a life that pursues what Jesus wants and not what I want.

It was the best trade I had ever made.

And perhaps you need to make a trade too. Maybe for you it is not a car. Maybe its an addiction. Perhaps an insecurity. Maybe its a hobby. Maybe only you know what it is.

And maybe, just maybe, if you trade that one thing for the something better that God has in store than maybe you'll see what I saw - that I didn't really want what I had in the first place. What I really wanted was what Jesus had all along. I just hadn't seen it yet.

Becoming A Parent Who Prays

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:22:00 +0000

I can count on one hand the people I would call if I desperately needed prayer. And although that sounds like an indictment of the poor spiritual culture that defines American spirituality I am thankful for that handful.

As the title of this post suggests I count my parents as those few who stand in the gap or intercede or whatever other phrase there is to describe people who just cry out to God on the behalf of others. More times than I can remember I have asked them to pray. More times than I know of I am sure they were praying for me anyway.

I can look at the state of my world and unwaveringly declare that we need more parents who pray.

But we also need more children who pray.

I guess you could look at it this way: Everyone is either a parent or a child, therefore there is a need for you to pray.

I asked my mom to look back over her life and pinpoint the moments when she felt that she started down the path to becoming a prayer-warrior. And although she shied away from the title (all true prayer-warriors do) she came to person. Not a time, a crisis, a revelation. A person. It wasn't a seven-step seminar or a booklet my mom read that set her on the path. It was a person who took time to teach the importance of prayer.

In the age of the information super-highway it is striking to not be taking back to a book or to an article in a current magazine. And I must admit that writing a blog about the subject matter in light of the details seems a little ironic as well. So I will refrain from giving you steps or pointers or hints at how to become a better pray-er.

I will only point you to another example that I find quite familiar to the story of my mother's prayer mentor.

It is in Luke 11:1-13. The disciples wanted to learn to be better pray-ers. (And perhaps you do as well) So they went to the one who they knew prayed the most and asked for help. Jesus was always sneaking away to pray and the disciples knew it and they were wise to ask Jesus for help.

Is there someone you can ask that question to? "Can you teach me to pray?" I hope so. I pray so. And I pray that you will have the courage to go and ask them to mentor you, to coach you. And I hope that you learn not only how to pray but how important it is that you pray.

Dealing With Disappointment: People Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 02:19:00 +0000

You have not lived long if you have never dealt with disappointment. Disappointment is the sum of expectations and frail humanity. It happens across almost every boulevard in the suburbs of life. It should never stop you from stepping off the curb but it should remind you to look both ways before you cross.

Being let down by a friend is much different than being let down by your favorite teacher or athlete. There is a different relational connection that makes the disappointment feel more real, more painful. It is a true statement that the closer you are to a person the harder the pain you feel when you are let down. I needn't waste any more space on convincing you of this so let's move to the real question at hand:

What do I do when someone disappoints me?

Before you consider me some great source of all relational wisdom let me assure you that the very best answer I can come up with is not all that wise or deep or even functional. My best answer is :

It all depends on the situation.

Every disappointment arrives with the necessary task of contextualization. That is that you need to study the disappointment in light of all the circumstances. Its called gaining perspective. And too many times have I witnessed harsh and sharp reactions based on quick assessments and the unfortunate but predictable outcome is that the relationship is broken and never repaired. A friend is lost forever (though sometimes this is the best result)

If a proper framework has been established and it is possible an restoration process should begin. Most of the time by the disappointed party starting off by saying "I'm sorry." But I would like to interject that even if the "sorry" never comes there still has to be a forgiveness that takes place - especially if you say that you follow Christ. A Christian who can't forgive has most likely forgotten about all that he/she has been forgiven by Christ.

I would like to also dissuade people from being the judge, jury, and executioner. Most are not good at it and when people attempt things they are not good at the result is funny videos on YouTube or the destruction of something of value. And I do strongly believe that the only way to fight the human nature of being the triumvirate of justice is to consult the Father in prayer - to seek the perspective of the Father. You know, the only one with ultimate perspective. And you know what I am about to say here. Too often Jesus' perspective is the last one sought. We take our skewed perspectives to Jesus and expect him to bless our motives and actions.

I guess what I am trying to say is that disappointment offers you and me the opportunity to greatly seek the council of God and maybe even learn to yield ourselves more fully to Him. When life brings you lemons...

Failing

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:09:00 +0000

There is no shortage of examples of people failing. There are no shortages of examples of times when you have failed.

Failing is the nasty part of living that we try our hardest to avoid but always end up cruelly meeting.

But knowing that people fail should change the way we view the fallen, right? I could never bring myself to say that we should just "get over it" when people fail because failure brings hurt into our lives. We have placed a basic trust in our fellow humans - whether in leadership or not - that once its violated it just leaves an emptiness that, well, that is somewhat difficult to describe. But based on our own experience shouldn't we have expected it?

Let me answer that question: No.

We should never expect people to fail us for it is that hope of success that drives humanity forward. The hope of a successful marriage is what allows us to forgive our spouses again. The hope that the next President isn't going to lie is what propels to vote again. The hope that the next time we won't get hurt is what leads us to take the chance of the next time.

My English teacher always spoke of the "willing suspension of disbelief". It was what allowed the reader to believe in the story despite some unrealistic propositions. Its like believing that Rappunzel's scalp was actually strong enough to hold a persons weight without any pain at all. You rationally know its not true but you release your rights to rational thought for benefit of the story.

Expectations are kind of the same way. You know that someone is going to hurt you but you willingly release the thought for just the chance that the story turns out to be grand. And its worth mentioning that we must be able to release the doubts we have about ourselves as well. We know we will fail and mess up. But the next time you have to release that thought so that maybe, just maybe it turns out different this time.

Without that maybe life is pretty boring and actually not worth putting forth any effort. But maybe gives us hope that this time might be better. This time I'll fall in love. This leader will lead us to the promised land. This story is worth seeing how it ends.

Truth Feels Good in a Belly Full of Lies

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:08:00 +0000

"And she wore the lie like a coat for she found it warm, familiar, and comfortable. Though destructive and harmful she fastened the buttons tight an relied on the false reality to keep her together on through to the next day.

At times the coat became badly tattered and she could see the truth through the holes. To the seamstress she went over and over and had her lie mended for it was always too comfortable to ever let go for good."

And I suppose that all great works of fiction are birthed out of a story that we have told ourselves so many times that, even to us, they have become true. This falseness usually starts as a justification for a wrong that we committed or was committed against us. And we let the truth go, slipping off into that light which we refuse to believe.

I have not lived long enough to understand why we do this to ourselves. Why do we let the lie reign in the place of truth? I can begin to understand the how, the process by which we elevate the lie in place of the truth. But why?

It is foolish to sit here and point a finger at anyone who has done this in their life for I would be missing the fingers pointing back at me. And for every lie I have rid my life I of I often wonder how I foolish I could have been to let the lie begin in the first place. I look at some of the absurd lies I have believed and am literally shocked that I let them take root. Even worse, I suppose, is that I defended those lies as vigorously as I would that the sky is blue.

Despite my bewilderment I have gained some clarity on the issue of living lies. The clarity is not some deep thought or majestic statement of powerful prose. Its just a simple realization that truth feels good in a belly full of lies. Like a medicine to calm a sour stomach the truth reestablishes health and vitality to the body and the spirit.

The only that suffers when truth is accepted is pride and I am ok with that.

Fascinated again.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:24:00 +0000

It has become a ritual in my house that my daughter wakes up, smiles at her daddy, and says "Daddy, Elmo Blankie?"

As in, "Can we watch Adventure's of Elmo in Grouchland again, for the 264th consecutive day?"

It's a great movie as far as two-year-olds go, I guess. And the first couple times I actually enjoyed it myself. But after watching it every day (and sometimes, twice) it has gotten a little stale, a little predictable.

It ends the same way, every time.

But Cassandra is fascinated by it. It holds her intrigue that it may be that this time Elmo fails in his quest. That the world as we know it will end. That evil might just triumph over good this time.

Its not that she doesn't know the plot, she tells us about it constantly. It's not that anything new happens. It's just a pure fascination.

And I'm jealous. I want my life to be full of fascination - especially in the things I do every day. I want washing dishes to be filled with purpose and wonder (ain't gonna happen) and I want joy to over flow in the midst of the humdrum work day.

And I really want the fascination, the expectation of the marvelous every time I walk into church or open my Bible. Most times its there. Most days I look forward to spending my quiet time with Jesus and then celebrating in church on Sundays. But I would be lying to you if I said that I had the same enthusiasm as my daughter shows for a muppet.

So how do we, you and I, get to that point of joy and fascination? Well It comes through one of my least favorite words - discipline.

We must work our way into the feeling of joy and fascination. We put all this energy into establishing a habit but once that habit is set we then become free to enjoy the habit.

When I played basketball I worked so very hard and practiced hours every day. I was creating muscle memory so that when the games - the real fun - started I could enjoy the sport without worrying or laboring in the process of dribbling a ball or shooting a free-throw.

The practice, though mundane and repetitive, became joy.

I suppose that is the only way to be fascinated over and over again.

What a Life Can Teach You

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:40:00 +0000

I am well aware that many in my audience have no clue who Dietrich Bonhoeffer is. I am also aware that those who do know the name instantly think about a martyr who obtained the status by trying to kill Adolf Hitler.

To many he may not amount to much more than inspiring story.

To me he is a hero.

I was first introduced to Bonhoeffer's works when the President of my college handed me a copy of The Cost of Discipleship and urged me to read it. I did. What I found was words that described to me for the first time what I always thought Christianity was supposed to be. Of all the books, outside the Bible, I have ever read this has been the most formational.

I just recently finished reading a biography Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy. And I wanted to share with you a couple of things that I have learned through reading about one of my heroes.

1. Possessing a faith that demands all is not found in studying textbooks, attending church, or engaging other religious activities. They only play a part. Real faith is formed in really living.

Bonhoeffer read, studied, preached, counseled, and did everything one could do in the realm the we label as "being a Christian". He was an extremely disciplined individual ( more on that in a second) and relied on the practices of faith every day to get him through. But even He would admit that it wasn't enough. There is an unseen and "undoable" element to living out a faith. We should never avoid nor abstain from the practices of faith - but we should never be held captive by them either.

2. "Only through discipline may a man learn to be free."

This statement turns in on itself doesn't it? We must constrain ourselves to a task in order to experience an un restrained freedom. During Bonhoeffer's darkest hours in prisons and concentration camps it is said of him that is was his devotion to the disciplines of prayer and scripture reading and to fellowship that gave him a strength and joy in the midst of a falling world. But those disciplines were started 15 years or so before he needed to rely on them for strength - for freedom.

There are many other lessons to be shared but I urge you read the book for yourself. Travel along as the journey unfolds - the journey of faith that is more than it ever really appears to be.

Nothing Much To Say With Much More to Do.

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:26:00 +0000

There are days when words seem very meaningless. Words are at the same time the most powerful and mundane form of communication that we possess and use. Words aid communication but communication is not limited to words.

What am I really trying to say?

Too often we settle for telling people...telling them things, ideas, emotions.

But isn't "I love you" better felt than heard?

Sure, when someone confesses their love to you for the first time it seems like time and space have just stopped and all is right with the world.

But every moment after we yearn to feel the proof of the words spoken to us. We deeply desire to trust them at their word. And its the coming to the point of trusting words that makes the most difference in all our relationships - especially with those closest to us.

How you act, the attitudes of our heart, the courage of difficult communication - all play a role in determining how much you mean the words use say.

In the beginning of John's story about Jesus he says this, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son." By the end of John's story about Jesus we find the given Son on a cross suffering and dying to showcase that love.

Needless to say the actions back up the sentiment. Therefore we can trust God's statement of "I love you" because he did much to back it up.

You Got My Back, Bro?

noreply@blogger.com (Josh Schaidt) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:58:00 +0000

Growing up in a traditional church exposed to me to some customs. I will refrain from placing adjectives with the customs for I do not want to glorify nor demean them in any way. (although some were weird)

One such custom was the everyone had the title of Brother or Sister so-and-so. It was a title of respect and love signifying that you were a part of the family.

Somewhere along the line the use of these titles were deemed archaic and irrelevant. No one in the real world did this so the church did not really need to either. And while I sit here typing I wrestle with what the church lost when we threw out the titles of Brother and Sister.

I know that referring to Melvin as Brother Wiland gave me a sense of respect for the man. The same for my Sunday School teacher Maxine who was endearingly referred to as Sister Smith. They were not titles earned for any particular reason. They weren't merit badges or places of honor. Brother and Sister was merely a designation like Mr. and Mrs. but they held this weight to them - like it meant something.

And while I can sit here and tell that I do not mourn the loss of referring to each other in the church as Brother and Sister and that I do not think we should reinstitute the practice I do believe we've lost something more important. We have lost the constant reminder that those who share the seats with on Sunday deserve to be treated and loved like our natural brothers and sisters.

We often refer to the church as a family and yet so many times we let one of our own slip through some crack down into the caverns of sin and defeat. How can we let this continue? We must encourage each other to live lives worthy of the kingdom of God. That means we encourage each other to do good and warn each other when we are walking down a dangerous and sinful path. We can't control what our Brothers and Sisters ultimately choose to do but we are commanded to influence their decisions for Christ and for the kingdom. (Read 1 and 2 Thessalonians and count the number of times Paul commands them to love, encourage, and warn one another)

By not saying anything are you telling me you want me to fall?

How can I put this in personal terms? If I were running toward a cliff and didn't know it but you did, I would sure appreciate you speaking up and telling me about it. Now I may still run and jump after knowing, but thats my choice and therefore not your responsibility. But at least give me the option to choose. You never know, I may turn around and walk the other way (that's what we call repentance).