Yoda Faith: Do Or Do Not, There Is No Try

Yoda lights the way for the Christian journey...

Adore the green little Jedi master named Yoda, I do.  Ashamed of that, I am not.  Covered with Yoda merchandise, my desk is.

As a child in the early 1980s, I loved Star Wars.  I had all three films on VHS TAPE.  Yes kids, many years ago before the glory of Netflix and Hulu, we actually had to purchase copies of movies on VHS tapes that we played in magical machines called VCRs.  You couldn't skip to a scene.  You had to fast forward or rewind.  The hours of your life spent rewinding and fast forwarding your favorite VHS tapes were hours that you never got back.

Anyway, I actually do remember seeing The Return of the Jedi in the theaters.  It was the only Star Wars film that I was old enough to see in the theaters.  As a worldly young man of the age of 7, I rather enjoyed the film.  My younger brother was scared of Jabba the Hutt and I laughed at him for it.  I found Jabba entertaining.  Eating some sort of frog thing.  Having some puppet creature sitting on his tail. The pig guards.  What's not to like?

So, I was enjoying the film.  Then it happened.  Luke Skywalker finally returned to Yoda to complete his training.  And Yoda died.  HE. DIED.  He coughed and mumbled something about another Skywalker and then coughed some more.  He rolled over saying that he must "rest, rest, must rest."  And then he died and disappeared from his bed.

Sure, he was over 900 years old, but I was devastated.  (Much like my previously described devastation at the death of Optimus Prime.)

Looking back over Yoda's storyline, however, I begin to sense a reason why I like him so much.  Yoda trained centuries worth of Jedi knights.  He was wise.  He was all-powerful.  He had his mind blown by a flashlight.  Wait, what?

Yes, okay, so the great Jedi master perhaps spent too much time in the swamp, as he fought R2D2 over a flashlight and giggled like a toddler over it's magnificence.

Don't mess with Yoda. You have been warned.

That aside, Yoda knew how to impart wisdom and faith to the next generation.  When Luke Skywalker spent a large portion of his training whining and sniveling about how unfair things were and how he would never get it, Yoda just shook his head and used inverted syntax to impart gems to Luke  Gems such as:

“Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” (Yoda understood how destructive fear, anger and hatred are to faith.  He must have meditated on Jesus' teaching to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul and your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.)

“Always pass on what you have learned.” (Yoda was very focused on discipleship.)

“[Luke:] I can’t believe it. [Yoda:] That is why you fail.”  (Yoda understood that without faith it is impossible to please God.)

“You must unlearn what you have learned.” (Yoda clearly understood that your mind will be renewed through the power of Christ.)

“Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.”  (Clearly Yoda understood that you have to come to Christ like a child!)

“Do or do not. There is no try.”  (Yoda understood that a faith without works was dead.)

“Luke: What’s in there? Yoda: Only what you take with you.” (Yoda understood laying your burdens down and not carrying them with you in your daily walk with Christ.)

"Size matters not. Look at me.  Judge me by my size, do you?  Hmm?  Hmm.  And well you should not."  (Yoda was a big fan of David and Goliath.)

Understood the path of faith in Christ, Yoda did.

Yoda's training of the Jedi knights parallels the active role that your faith in Christ should have in your life.  In today's consumer driven church, where believers come to be fed and then see no importance in serving, Yoda's teachings could help light the way.  As Yoda famously chided Luke, there isn't a "try" in following Christ.  You do.  Or you do not.  Hot.  Or cold. There is no lukewarm try.  That is not to say that you will always succeed in all that you do.  It is to say that you should actively seek after the Lord every day and seek first His kingdom.

Do yourself a favor and follow Yoda's faith advice.  If you don't, your father will turn into an evil cyborg and he will cut off your hand and try to kill you.

The choice is yours.

Very definitive, Yoda is.  Uncertain, he is not.

Optimus Prime & Sacrifice

"One shall stand, one shall fall," --Optimus Prime 

On Memorial Day, we stop to thank those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom, those countless men and women over the generations who have willingly laid down their lives for others.

Sacrifice is a lost virtue in today's society and yet it is so central to the Gospel.  Social media, selfies, and an entire industry of reality shows centered around vapid self-centered people have conspired to baptize this generation in narcissism.

As a result, the Christian idea of sacrificing for others often falls on deaf ears.

As a child of the 1980s, I was one of many in that generation traumatized by the death of Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots.  Any child of the 1980s knows who the Transformers are--robots in disguise!  The evil Decepticons and the heroic Autobots were locked in a struggle for survival throughout the mid 1980s.  The cartoon show was part of my afternoon routine growing up.  If I didn't have a VHS tape ready to "time record" them, I needed to be there.  There were no such things as DVR, On Demand, or Netflix.  How did we survive?

Optimus Prime was my favorite.  I didn't own his toy until much later, however, as he was expensive. My Transformers were usually the cheaper ones.  So, the Autobots in my bedroom were often being led by lesser robots in hopes that Optimus Prime would one day arrive.  Then I had the great idea of pausing my VHS tapes and drawing the Transformers one by one.  I then cut them out and played with paper dolls of my heroes.  It was quite impressive.  I had a complete set of drawings.  And if one of them ripped or got faded, I just drew a new one!

Anyway, after several seasons, the cartoon series made the leap to the big screen in Transformers: The Movie. This seemed exciting.  Optimus Prime on the big screen!  That booming voice!  That awesome heroism!  The epic smackdown between Prime and Megatron!  That is until kids realized that the toy makers who inspired the show apparently needed to create a new line of toys and directed the storyline of the movie to kill off all that we held dear.

That included Optimus Prime.

As the Autobots on earth were nearly slaughtered, Optimus Prime showed up to save the day.  Graced with his own musical montage of the 1980s rock anthem called "The Touch," our dear Optimus Prime single-handedly defeated the entire Decepticon army.

Then he faced Megatron with the promise that "One shall stand, one shall fall."

Optimus was rocking it.  Then that annoying new toy Hot Rod interfered and Megatron got a massive shot in at Optimus Prime.  Although Megatron was also mortally wounded (so that they could introduce the new Galvatron toy!) Optimus Prime died and handed off the leadership of the Autobots to another new toy.  This was about 40 minutes into the movie.  Oh, and annoying Hot Rod ended up becoming the new leader by the end of the film.  What a kick to the gut!

There was weeping, gnashing of teeth and rending of garments. I would say that I went on a hunger strike, but as a chunky kid, I likely sought comfort in the house of TastyKake.

In fact, so scarred by Prime's death was I that when I saw the Michael Bay film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and witnessed Prime die on screen a second time, I turned to my friend and stated, "Optimus Prime better come back to life before this movie ends or I will burn this theater to the ground!"

Although I joined in the massive letter writing campaign that ultimately convinced Hasbro to bring Optimus Prime back from the dead, I learned a great lesson as a heart-broken 10 year old.

John 15:12-14 says:

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you."

Today's generation is so soaked in narcissism that it is missing out on what Optimus Prime understood: there is honor in laying down your life for others.  Jesus modeled this in His own sacrifice for our sins, but it was really the culmination of living an ENTIRE life putting Himself aside in favor of serving others.

Jesus laid down His life for our salvation, but He also continually laid down self in every action He took during her earthly life.

On Memorial Day, when we stop to remember those who gave their lives for our freedom,  it's probably a good idea to stop and think about our priorities in life and how we choose to live.

Do we put others first?  Do we serve others?  Do we understand the life-altering freedom-giving power of sacrifice?  When asked to sum up the greatest commandments, Jesus said to love God with all of your being and to love your neighbor as yourself.

In order to fully embrace the Christian life that Jesus has in mind for us, we need to embrace our inner Optimus Prime (complete with 1980s rock anthem of your choice) as we slay the Decepticon armies surrounding mankind.

Sacrifice.  Don't miss it.  When you "lose" your life as you narcissistically define it, you will gain a life beyond your comprehension just like Optimus Prime.

Protective Hulk Smash Dad: A Lesson In Trusting Our Heavenly Father

My Daddy Hulk-Smash was imperfect, but God is not...

Recently, our 8 year old son came to us and admitted that he was having a hard time at school because some kids were being mean to him.  These kids were doing their best Amish impressions and shunning him during recess.  His little heart was broken.  As he cried about how hurt he was about their rejection, our parent hearts broke.

This was especially difficult because of our 3 kids, young Jack is the friendliest and most adventure-prone of our kids.  His raw courage and complete lack of fear in virtually every aspect of life is remarkable to me.  As a kid who grew up in the grip of fear, it's been exciting watching Jackson embrace adventure!  While I often opted not to do things and embrace the safety of my couch as a child, Jackson is always ready to pounce on something new and adventurous.  On this night, however, he was a broken-hearted boy crying over his "terrible life" because of this rejection.  We hugged him, prayed with him and attempted to say the right things to him to make this better.

But somewhere deep inside me, a seething papa bear rage began to rise up.

A big of a HULK SMASH, if you will.

Suddenly, I fancied myself a massive green character in the Marvel Universe willing to smash and destroy anyone and anything that would dare hurt my boy.  I know what you are thinking, "this is a guy who works in children's ministry and he's blogging about attacking a bunch of 2nd graders?"

Yes.  Yes I am.  Of course, I wouldn't attack 2nd graders, but the desire to protect my son rose up within me with an unbridled passion.  I really didn't know what to do, but I felt such a protective urge to save my son at that moment.

Lately, God has been impressing on me the importance of trusting Him as a good Father.  We always talk about how God can protect us and God cares about us and how God is good.  We don't always walk that out.  Sometimes it is easier to believe that God is good from the sidelines, rather than in the excitement of the game.  Consider Jesus' teaching in Matthew 7:9-11:

"Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!"

We've all read or heard that passage a million times.  You're probably reading this right now quipping sarcastically, "okay, Bill, are you going to cite John 3:16 too?  I already know this."

As misguided as my HULK SMASH rage in defense of my son was, it was rooted in this same Fatherly passion to protect his own that dominates the scripture.  We are SONS AND DAUGHTERS of God, He constantly reminds us through the Bible that as our FATHER, in all things HE works things out for our good.  He promises to never leave us nor forsake us. His fatherly love for us is perfect.  It is the perfection of fatherhood that we will never see in earthly fathers.  When we well up with passion to protect our kids, sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail.  When HE wells up with perfect passion to protect our kids, he conquers sin and death and opens a path to freedom.

As imperfect children here on earth, we will never fully understand the magnitude of His fatherly awesomeness.  And that's okay.  We can just rest in knowing that He is bigger than anything we will face and He is dying to provide for us in the way that only a perfect Father can.

The Time I Ate A Bee

The protein isn't worth eating a bee...

Today's lesson from the life of a chunky kid comes from my illustrious soccer career.   

I was a fat kid that liked to read and watch television while consuming massive amounts of empty calories.  Even as a sluggardly chunky kid, however, I did play soccer for about 8 years.  I really liked playing.  In my final years as I began to put on weight, I became a lethargic defense player.  I could no longer keep up with the other kids with the running.  Heat and inability to breathe would overtake me.  As a result, the coaches would put me in the only position that I could handle.  Because of my size, I would be more intimidating to the approaching offense from the other team.  If they ran right to me and we collided, they would be going down.  If not, there was no way that I could catch up to them.  So, what began as a promising sports adventure ended as the lethargic defense player that took the penalty kicks and stood around near the goalie.

My soccer career was fun but rather uneventful.  In fact, the one major highlight from my soccer career involved sitting on the sidelines and eating.  It is the one clear memory from my soccer career that is burned into my memory even today.

And yes, I was eating on the sidelines.  In my defense, it was at least a healthy piece of orange and not the usual suspects of candy or chips. This is what a fat kid gets for trying to eat something healthy!

During our soccer games, moms would bring cut up oranges for us to eat during the breaks of the game.  Now oranges weren’t that exciting to me.  I was probably disappointed when I realized that when they said “oranges” they meant real ones and not the sugarcoated candy ones that I enjoyed.  But yet, like most chunky kids, I wasn’t about to resist any kind of food offered to me (with the exceptions of brussel sprouts and asparagus.)  

On this particular day like so many before, I enthusiastically grabbed a few pieces of orange and then headed for the bench.  So excited was I to consume some food that I thrust that piece of orange into my mouth with the rapidity of a cheetah.  In fact, in my mind I remember running faster when halftime was called then I ever did during our running laps in practice or during the actual game.  Food was on the line and just in case the mom on duty didn’t prepare properly, I wanted to make sure I got something to eat.  I was famished after all.  All of this being outside and moving around in the sunshine took a  lot more out of you than watching the Transformers on television while lying on the couch.

In my haste to enjoy my citrus wedge of orange juice, apparently my keen skills of observation missed a key detail on this day.  A bee had discovered my orange slice as well.  Giddy with excitement on the citrus treasure that he found in the middle of the landfill-laden land of New Jersey, he descended upon the slice in a brief moment of pure bee contentment.  If that bee had a communication device, he was probably letting the colony know that they had happened upon a citrus grove and it was going to be a delicious feast tonight!

Mr. Bee was likely giddy until the slice upon which he was lounging on was tossed into the mouth of an obese 10-year-old boy.  Suddenly his tropical paradise became a plaque-covered hell of gnashing teeth and waves of spit.  Imagine his horror as I attempted to eat him.  Like so many Doritos before him, he was now in a category 5 level disaster. 

Like any good bee, he had but one choice: he had to fight back.  Knowing that stinging me would result in his own death, he knew that he had a duty to his Queen to fight back against the obese giant that sought to eat his colony.  He might be dying upon a slice of orange, but he was going to take this nefarious soccer playing giant down with him.

So, in his final moments of life on this earth that September day in 1986, this bee took to the field of battle one last time in defense of his colony.  He thrust his stinger into my tongue and in the ensuing chaos, he found his opening to fly out of my mouth and die with dignity somewhere else on the field.

Meanwhile, on my end, I had been enjoying a deliciously juicy burst of orange juice from the slice when suddenly a sharp terror-inducing pain began in my tongue.  Suddenly, I could feel something bug-like crawling around in my mouth.  The horror of a bug in my mouth was enough to cease all eating operations immediately.  As I opened my mouth in horror to scream, the little bee flew out and my terror soared on the wind with him.

Realizing that you were in the process of eating a bee is something that turns even the most insatiable stomachs.  Terror had usurped my appetite and left me wondering whether the world was over or not.   No doubt many parents that evening were using this teachable moment to lecture their children about the dangers of obesity.

“Did you see what happened to that fat kid Billy?  He was so hungry he attempted to eat a bee!  I hope you see how important it is to maintain a good diet and exercise.  You don’t want to eat a bee like Billy.”

Whatever the impact of my cautionary tale of obese kids chowing down on insects at public sporting events was, for me the result was embarrassment and a break from soccer.  For the remainder of the game, I sat on the sidelines with a swollen tongue hanging out of my mouth and tears running down my cheeks.  Terrified by the horrors that had befallen me, I swore an oath to stop eating healthy food like fruit.  Candy and chips never tried to kill me.  Sure, the bee was to blame, but the scapegoat in my mind was the slice of orange.  I secretly hoped for a slow and painful death for the evil bee as I watched my team finish the game that my sloth-like tongue prevented me to participate in and quietly vowed not to eat oranges ever again except in soda, juice or candy form.

RANDOM ATTEMPT TO TIE INTO FAITH:






Psalm 118:12 says  "They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off."

Job 8:21 says that he will not fill your mouth with bees but that "He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy."

Sometimes you will just be eating a luscious orange and a bee will try to kill you.  Sometimes the enemy will prowl around like an unseen bee ready to strike when you least suspect it.  Let your attitude be that of the bee, undaunted by the menacing obese giant consuming him, he fought until the end.  No matter how great the obese giant facing you seems, he's probably ready for a nap.  The Lord can deliver you from the mouth of an obese giant or protect you from the sting of an unseen pollen-covered enemy!  

In all seriousness, things will sting you to take the joy out of life.  Don't let them.  God has bigger plans for you than consuming bees and swollen tongues!  It's very hard sometimes to hold onto a joyful spirit when the cares of life choke them from you.  I can look back now and laugh at myself consuming a bee.  At the time I was miserable.  It's important to not find our joy in our comfort and personal desires.  Our joy should come from the Lord.  In all circumstances we can have joy if we keep our heart focused on God and others instead of ourselves.  It's not lost on me that joy is a fruit of the spirit and I was eating a bee on a piece of fruit.  Often, the enemy will try to scare you or hurt you into not bearing fruit.  In this world you will have trouble, but stay true to your faith and don't let the hostility of the world to steal your joy--even when a bee stings your tongue.

You're Welcome, Dad!

You're Welcome, Dad...

I confess:  I'm not the neatest person in the world.  I sometimes find it beyond my ability to put my clothes away, do the dishes or take out the trash.

So, it wasn't a surprise when I saw how terrible our boys' room was.  Noah and Jackson hadn't really been cleaning.  The floor was completely covered with clothing--dirty and clean tossed indiscriminately around the room.

Toys, DVDs, books, and other flotsam and jetsam (not Ursula's hench-eels) were strewn about the room.  I told my boys to clean up their room.  Wii was off-limit my s until such time as this massive task was completed.

Hours passed.  I assumed that the room was clean and failed to do the proper inspection.

Later that evening I entered their room to put our youngest, Jackson, to bed.

As I feasted my eyes upon the complete disaster that still remained before me, my son smirked with confidence.

In my head my fatherly anger began to burn.  I asked myself if I was dreaming telling them to clean up the room.  I wondered as my eyes darted to and fro amongst the landscape of ruin in their room if even one thing was cleaned up.

Jackson, however, being the over-confident six year old that he is, took my shock and awe in a different way.

The shocked look on my face gave way to a "Jackson, YOUR ROOM!"

This statement was meant to convey my horror.

Thinking I was impressed with their cleaning skills, Jackson beamed with pride and said confidently, "You're welcome, Dad."

You're.  Welcome.  Dad.  

For a room that was just as disastrous as before the alleged clean up.

I quickly informed Jackson that he and his brother would have to clean this room again and that I was not in any way thanking him.

They were both puzzled the next day when Operation Clean-up Version 2.0 commenced.  I had to give them additional direction and they obediently spent hours cleaning up.

This time it was a success and the Wii was enjoyed by all.


Colossians 3:23-24

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.

It was no mistake, then, the very next Sunday when I was preparing to deliver the story at our Kindergarten to 5th Grade Large Group at church, that I read Colossians 3.  I realized that like Jackson, so many times we smile with confidence to Christ and say "You're Welcome." when in fact, we should be cringing in fear.

The Bible bids us to come to the throne of Jesus with confidence, but it doesn't mean this kind.

We need to work at EVERYTHING we do as if working for the LORD.  That includes BOTH the effort we put forth AND the attitude we have internally about doing it.

We need to resist the temptation to exalt in mediocrity and always strive for better.  Under grace we may be but JESUS demands our very best EVERY TIME.

Let's not rest in our own strength or lull ourselves to complacency under the shadow of grace.  Let our service reflect our worship to Him.

Calvary Chapel Gloucester County Kid Min Blog: The Determination of Moses!

This Sunday your child learned about the determination of Moses.  We looked at the adventures of Moses' life through the lens of needing to finish what you start and working with GOD to do that.  

Moses accomplished a  lot of great things during his life.  He led the Exodus of God's people from oppressive slavery in Egypt.  He parted called down the plagues on Egypt.  He parted the red sea.  He led the Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness and he met with God personally on top of the mountain and brought down the Ten Commandments (not the movie) to God's people.

He intervened time and time again for God's people when they lacked the determination to keep following God.

Through Moses, we saw that another aspect of developing a life-changing faith determination is to keep doing what is right because God is AWE-some.

To read the rest of the post, visit our church Kidmin blog by clicking below...

Calvary Chapel Gloucester County Kid Min Blog: The Determination of Moses!: 

Fix Your Cistern & Stop Baptizing Yourself in Soda

 Jeremiah 2:13:  "For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns--broken cisterns that can hold no water."

Reading in Jeremiah today, the Lord revealed quite a telling truth to me about many Christians today.  In the verse above, I believe we find much of what is wrong with the Christian church today.  That's not to say that this post will be all church-bashing and negativity.  It's just to say I believe this is a major area of concern that we should recognize.

In the above passage from the Old Testament, the Lord is identifying two major "evils" committed by His people (in this case the Israelites.)

The first is forsaking God, the "fountain of living waters" as described here.  Living water is a reference that is also found in the New Testament.  Water is also kinda a major player in baptism.  

Staying with the baptism/water analogy before my notoriously short attention span distracts me, I'd say that many of us are essentially baptizing ourselves in soda.  Not content with the purity of God's Holy waters, we are reaching for a sugary, syrupy treat and splashing about in fizz and chemicals.  We're soaking ourselves in man-made unnatural sugary chemicals with all of the appeal and desire of the world and none of the purity or cleansing power of Jesus.

In essence, we're forsaking God and the holiness and devotion that He requires of us in order to become more like the world.  We tell ourselves it is to reach the world but the reality is that the world is reaching us far more than we are impacting it.  This is something that the writing of Francis Chan really challenges believers on.  We're getting away from studying the Bible and instead embracing cutesy phrases and pop culture.

I'm not saying being trendy and cool is necessarily bad.  I can't really fit into skinny jeans, but I am not a total fuddy-duddy!  I am saying, however, that we need to make sure that we haven't forsaken Jesus and a daily connection to His living water  Without renewing our hearts and minds in His cleansing purified water-filled fountain, we will be useless.

As a result of losing that connection and forsaking our fountain, we've allowed ourselves to become broken cisterns.  Without a deep and meaningful connection with the Lord, we find ourselves hole-y instead of holy.  Unable to fill in the holes with anything else, we become frantic, distracted and useless.  

We need to be about fixing our cisterns.  We can't do that without returning to the fountain and splashing around like the cast of Friends in the opening credits.  Without Jesus, we can't get clean and we certainly can't hold anything to offer the world beyond indigestion.

May the words of Jeremiah remind us of what's really important.