I love (read: hate) these “let’s see how many Christians there are…Click like if you’re not ashamed” or “let’s see how many of you aren’t ashamed of Christ and forward this email message”. Yeah…I’m sure the white throne of judgment will include a section on how many Jesus based Facebook groups did you join or how many emails did you forward in my name. Ugh. I love Jesus it’s just that I’d rather live it out than spell it out on Facebook or an unwelcome email to a non-believing friend. It’s not that I mind your stories/groups/picture groupings or emails. It’s just that coercive bit at the end basically saying that someone must not really be that into Jesus if they don’t do what you say is the kind of super religious hyperbole that’s caused a TON of  problems in the past.

Disclaimer: I’m sure the people who create those emails/groups and those that forward/join genuinely love Jesus.

Today I got a text from a friend who’s Dad just lost his battle with brain cancer. As I was telling my wife about it my 9 year old, Judah, overheard the conversation. We stepped outside a few minutes later to toss the football around and he asked me about it. As I explained to him that being a good friend meant that we sympathize with how the other person must be feeling and pray for them from that place he got a little choked up. He said “I don’t know what we’d do without you Dad”. I told him we hopefully won’t have to worry about that for a long time. Then he smiled and said…

“Dad…if you die will I get the XBOX 360?” Me…”yes”. Judah….”so you’re saying there’s an upside?”

I don’t think I’ve laughed harder in a long time. How did this kid get my sense of humor?! What’s the craziest thing your kid has said this week?

My kids both prayed “salvation prayers” at early ages. They’ve both heard the Gospel, but it can be easy to forget the beauty of the story. This morning we were having our family devotion and my 9 year old son, Judah, said he wanted to ask the family something. Here was his question. “Are we doing enough to get into heaven? When Jesus comes to decide who gets in, will we have done enough?” It created the perfect opportunity for us to revisit the Gospel.

We turned over to Ephesians 2:8&9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.”. We spent the next few minutes talking about the beauty of the Gospel story. That Jesus died for us; paid the price for us; so that through His sacrifice we could have eternal life. That our hope doesn’t rest in our ability to keep a prescribed set of rules. That obedience doesn’t come from a place of fear of retribution but out of a place of gratefulness for salvation.

Judah responded by saying (tearfully) “you mean God gave His only Son for us just to give us this gift of eternal life?!”. I haven’t heard John 3:16 said with any more heart and thankfulness than my 9 year old described it.

The Gospel is beautiful. Can I get an amen?

Saturday I got some news that rocked me. My friend, Arielle Parker, was killed in an auto accident. You can check out an article about her here. I connected to Arielle and her family about 4 years ago in a deep way through a week at camp with them. You know how you connect to certain people and know immediately that not only do they love Jesus, but you were meant to be friends? That was me and the Parkers. Just amazing people.

Needless to say, Saturday was a punch in the stomach. I can’t imagine how the family felt but I know my family wept along with them. Some young people exude a sense of love and joy that makes other people wonder what their secret was. Arielle was one of those kids. Everything I ever saw her do said “I care about you” and “I’m sincere about loving Jesus by loving you”. She was an amazing person whose future seemed infinitely brighter than I think she ever had a handle on. I’ve yet to hear a bad story about her and doubt I ever will.

As I hung out with the family on Sunday and cried, laughed and prayed together I was shown some of God’s grace through this. Her cousin told me about a video she had made for her brothers about her being “gone to school”. That video obviously has a different depth and meaning now. I also heard about her stepping up and out in front of a huge crowd to share the gift of her voice in worship in a way that probably surprised even her. I heard about “cousin day”, trips to a favorite restaurant, faithfulness to Jesus and a life well lived by all accounts.

Even in the midst of those graces the question of “why” lingers on. I doubt we’ll ever know and I doubt I’ll ever understand. But this I know…we do not live as those that have no hope. Paul said this to the church at Thessalonica “Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13) It’s moments like these when that hope has to fill our hearts and the comfort of the Holy Spirit comes alive in us. As I cried with her mother she asked me to sing “I want to sit at Your feet…drink from the cup in Your hand…Lay back against you and breathe…feel Your heart beat”. They were lyrics from one of Arielle’s favorite songs to sing “The More I Seek You” by Kari Jobe. Then Djuana said the words that still echo in my heart. She said, “I guess that’s what she’s doing right now”.

May the God of all peace sustain our hearts, enlarge our hope and further focus our passion and intentions on Him alone.

I’m way too conscious of other people. My wife always tells me that. I tell her that it’s my Paul-esque gifting of “being all things to all people”. She thinks that’s cute. The truth is I do care what other people think and I’m jealous of people who don’t. People who are themselves, stubbornly and without apology, regardless of where they are or who they’re with. In some cases I feel sorry for them because they’re inflexibility won’t allow them to grow past a certain point of their own tolerance.

But most of the time I’m just jealous. They just seem completely unconscious about what others around them might be thinking. Impervious to the looks of “what are they doing?!” that may or may not be going on in the room. I don’t think these people callous I just think them alive. Fully aware of who they are and totally unconscious to whether other people are loving it or not.

In many ways I want to live more that way. I do feel like it’s part of my leadership gifting to be able to serve others and be aware of their needs. But I’m learning to draw the line between “I care about you and want to serve you” and “I care about what you think about me and want to be liked”. It’s an important distinction I think and one I need help making.

How about you? Do you live unconsciously or are you looking over your shoulder wondering who’s with you?