I’ve also teamed up with Tyler Tarver and Joseph Craven to recap the entire run of The O.C. – a TV show that is ten years old, and one that I’ve never seen an episode of. We’re watching and discussing one episode a week, so if you’d like to check that out, click the pic below. BTW, we don’t talk exclusively about The O.C. We also discuss unibrows, teenage drama, and say YOLO a few times, so…get it.

There’s a new episode where Tyler and Joseph try to explain Mad Men to me, and we recreate some magic from Jurassic Park. There’s also a “deleted scenes” episode that’s completely and totally mediocre in every way. So, give them a listen, and then buy some ice cream for that special someone in your life.

I want to be liked. I want to be well-known. I want more Twitter followers and more Facebook fans. I want more clicks, more retweets, more attention, more admiration.

And almost weekly, there’s another book or blog post written about why I deserve that and how to get it.

“Build your platform! Grow your audience! Extend your reach!”

For my generation, attention is the new currency.

But the holy spirit and the holy scriptures whisper something different.

There’s a story about attention in John 3. For years, John the baptist had been preaching and baptizing in the Jordan river. But then Jesus showed up and started gaining followers. Some of John’s friends were worried and came to him. “Hey, uh…John? Remember that guy who was with you the other day? The one you called ‘the lamb of God’? Well, he’s preaching and baptizing now, too, and everybody is going to him instead. What are we gonna do?”

“You’re losing followers, John. You’re losing your audience. Shouldn’t you do something about it?”

And his response is exactly what I need to remember every day:

“You should remember when I said, ‘I’m not the Christ, but am sent ahead of him.’ The bride belongs to the groom. The friend of the groom just waits and listens for him, and then is full of joy when he hears the groom coming. That joy is mine; the groom has arrived. He must become greater, I must become less.”

He must become greater, I must become less.

He must increase, I must decrease.

I am not the Christ, I am not the focal point, I am not the way, the truth, or the life.

He must become greater, and I must become less.

But, in his honor, I’ll wrap this up-

Jesus loves you more than you’ll ever know.

Here’s a cat looking at some pizza.

Happy Monday, everybody!

Last week was tough. Emotionally, spiritually, physically- just one of those weeks that wore me out. When I got up to preach Sunday morning, I guess it was pretty evident that I was weary. Partly because I said the words, “It’s been a tough week,” but I also had several people comment that I looked rough. (Thanks, guys.)

But out of that came a wonderful demonstration of the body of Christ at work. Two men in our church came to me later in the day to intentionally minister to me, to encourage me. One pulled me into my office to offer words of hope and encouragement; the other invited me over Monday morning for coffee and prayer. And they both accomplished what they set out to do- after each conversation, I felt encouraged, loved, cared for. It was fantastic.

So, what does it take to minister to someone effectively? Well, a lot more than three alliterated points, but that’s all I’m gonna give you for now because I’m Baptist and that’s sort of our thing.

1. Sensitivity – Awareness, intentionally paying attention. To people around you, but also to the Holy Spirit. Just open your ears, your eyes, your heart, and listen. When it sounds like someone has a need, see if you can meet it. When you feel God prompting you to do something, go do it. The second guy that came to me said he “felt led” to encourage me, so he did. He noticed that I was feeling down, heard God whispering, “Speak to him,” and was obedient to that prompting.

2. Selflessness – I read this quote a few days ago somewhere: “It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others.” If you want to minster to someone, you gotta remember there’s someone else in the room. Let’s be real- we’re pretty selfish most of the time. Our schedule, our family, our job, our hobbies, our food, our naps, our pet snakes. (Just seeing if you’re paying attention.) We should be more concerned with others than we are with ourselves. And the great thing about this? If everybody cared about everybody else more, than no one would be left uncared for.

3. Sacrifice – The man who invited me over for coffee has a high level, full time job. When he came by the church Monday morning, I wasn’t particularly busy, but he was. He had work to do, meetings to prepare for, and serious business to handle, but he put it all on the back burner to pick me up from the office, make some coffee, and pray with me. We sat on his porch for nearly two hours, and not once did he mention what he ought to be doing instead. Serving others means being inconvenienced, giving some things up. Time, money, energy, coffee. It’s gonna cost something, but it’s worth it.

And as the church, as the body of Christ, if we’re not ministering to people around us, what are we doing? Our number one priority on this planet is to love and serve God, but a close second is to love and serve others. Pay attention today. Be willing to listen to those around you, be willing to listen to God, and be willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of serving others.

I know this isn’t an exhaustive list. Any other “s” words that you would add?

But this is the internet. Newton’s laws don’t apply here. Online, the rule is more like:

For every action and/or opinion, there is a ridiculously disproportionate response.

You could literally make any statement about any subject, and someone online will want you hanged for it. Do you support gay marriage? You’re going to hell. Are you against it? You’re going to hell, too. Want tighter gun laws? You hate America and your family. Don’t want them? You hate America and children. Watch CNN? You’re an idiot. Watch Fox News? You’re an idiot. Prefer cats to dogs? You’re dead where you stand.

And I have a theory on this. Allow me to chase a rabbit. (Shout out to Jamie Golden.)

Social media is the world we now live in, and likes, comments, shares, and retweets are the currency we use. I get a few of those in my pocket, and suddenly I feel rich and important.

“People read my blog, like my status, and retweet my jokes. Therefore, people care what I have to say. Therefore, my opinion is important to the culture at large.”

That’s a pretty big leap to make, but it’s one we’ve all made. All of us. All of us who use the internet with any sort of regularity. We all have become convinced that what we think or believe about things is culturally important, and carries much weight. But here’s the truth:

And don’t think I’m just picking on you, or them, or others. I’m including myself in this, too. (And the hypocrisy of this blog post isn’t lost on me. It’s like I’m using a black marker to cover up the black marks on your face. I get it.)

What I’m getting at is this- “Don’t think of yourselves more highly than you ought.” (Romans 12:3) Yes, there are some people close to you who love you, and value you, and want to know what you think about things. But when you assume everyone is entitled to your opinion, you necessarily conclude that your opinion is more important than the next guy’s, and that frees you up to yell at people who hold different opinions. But it’s not true. In fact, we’re all somebody’s “next guy.”

I think all of us should invest deeply in, and be really grateful for those people in our inner circle, who do care what we have to say. I know me- my flaws, my shortcomings, my embarrassing bad habits and poor taste in clothes. To think that anyone would care what I think is incredible, not assumed.

I also think we have a responsibility to listen to those people more than we talk to them. You’ve heard the old adage, “God gave us two ears, and only one mouth…” There’s truth in that. It would probably do all of us some good to talk less and listen more.

And a final thing- I wonder how often my dismissal of a differing opinion has unintentionally resulted in the dismissal of a person with whom I disagree. Often, we will write off an individual, or an entire group, that thinks differently than ourselves, and that’s a dangerous mistake to make. To cast them off, to lump them together as an untouchable “them” is maybe the worst byproduct of believing too strongly in how right I am.

So, internet, how about we all try to calm down a little. Let’s take a deep breath and show some more grace. Pray before you comment, think hard before you respond, and let’s all remember that we’re not as important as Joel Osteen would have us believe.

At any rate, I was thinking about that waffle thing last week while I was studying the Bible a little bit. I got to that verse in Mark where Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. I’ve read that and preached on it lots of times. “God wants all of you,” I’ll say. “Not just your Sunday mornings, but all your time. Not just ten percent of your money, all of it. Everything in your life should be subject to him.”

Heart, soul, mind, strength.

Desires, thoughts, actions- every part of your life.

But, I’m a man. I’m a waffle. And though I don’t mean to, though I don’t do it intentionally, I compartmentalize.

I let Christ have part of my time, part of my thoughts, part of my desires. He gets certain squares in my waffle, but I keep him away from others.

The problem with that is the word “all.”Jesus said the greatest commandment is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.”

Waffling is not really an option. Designating him to certain areas, while locking him out of others- that’s not what it looks like to follow Christ.

God’s more like a cup of hot tea.

Last fall, I got sick for a few days and our church secretary recommended drinking some hot tea with honey. I did, and I was surprised how much I liked it. I kept drinking it, tried different flavors, found what I liked and what I didn’t. I still have a cup a few times a week. Here’s what I’ve noticed.

When the water is hot and you drop the tea bag in, the whole cup is infused with flavor. Every molecule is touched, every ounce is flavored, and the contents of the mug are transformed into something different, something better. Designating part of the mug as “untouchable” is impossible.

You see where I’m going with this.

I want my life to be infused with the essence of Christ. I want my heart, soul, mind, and strength to be changed by his love, mercy, grace, and power. I want every ounce of my life to be enhanced by what he has to offer, and everything I am to be changed into something sweeter.

But that will only happen as I repent, surrender, and stop acting like a waffle.

1. Observe

Ask: What does it say?

Pretty simple, right? The thing is, you can’t understand something if you don’t understand it. (Redundant, but you get my point.) If there’s a word, idea, or person you don’t recognize, look it up. If it feels like you started reading mid-story, back up a chapter and get some context. If it’s complicated and wordy, read it slowly, maybe write it out on a notepad or something. Anything to help you get what the author is saying. It’s a simple first step- get a grasp on what it actually says, face value, on the surface.

2. Interpret

Ask: What does it mean?

Notice I didn’t say to ask, “What does it mean to me?” I had a college professor who liked to say, “A verse or passage may have many applications, but it will only have one meaning.” You can’t be like, “Yeah, I know it says do not kill, but to me that’s talking about plants. What does it mean to you?” These things were written by specific people, in specific contexts, with a specific purpose in mind, so it will have a specific meaning. To figure out what a text means, you should pray, look up related verses (usually listed in a center column or footnote), read commentary, and ask a friend/pastor/mentor/somebody who you think may have some insight.

3. Apply

Ask: What do I do now?

It’s foolish to read the Bible and not have it change you. Knowledge without action is worse than ignorance. Once you know what a passage says and means, you should spend some time praying and contemplating what to do with the truth you’ve learned. An attitude change, stronger faith in God, selling all your stuff and moving to Bangladesh- something should change. After you sit down and read scripture, you should be different somehow when you stand up and walk away.

Easy, right? Observe, Interpret, Apply, Repeat.

Do you have any habits, tips, or routines when you study the Bible?