Rescue Matt

Firefighter's Creed

2010-12-20T09:24:00.000-06:00

I have no ambition in this world but one,

and that is to be a FIREFIGHTER.

The position may, in the eyes of some,

appear to be a lowly one,

but we know the work

which a firefighter has to do is to

believe that his is a noble calling.

There is an adage which says that:

"Nothing is destroyed, except by fire"

We strive to preserve from destruction,

the wealth of the world,

which is the product of the industry of men,

necessary for the comfort of both the rich & poor.

We are the defenders from fire,

of the art which has beautified the world,

the product of the genius of men

and the means of refinement of mankind.

But above all, our proudest endeavor is...

to save lives of men -

the work of God Himself.

Under the impulse of such thoughts,

the nobility of the occupation

thrills us and stimulates us to deeds of daring,

even at the supreme sacrifice.

Such consideration may not strike the average mind,

but they are sufficient to fill to the limit

our ambition in life and to make us

serve the general purpose of human society.

There He Goes, A Hero

2010-12-02T18:29:00.000-06:00

Many spend their childhoods dreaming of behing heroes. With great imagination, curiosity, and innocence, we spent time dressing up as our favorite characters... some real, some imaginary. One of the most popular "hero" costumes of all times has to be the firefighter. Heck, I still dress as a firefighter on Halloween, but that's generally a combination of laziness and a lack of creativity. But who wouldn't want to save the day? Children have an innate desire to emulate heroes; they spend time dreaming about being the hero.

Sometimes I think back to when I first joined the local fire service. My buddies and I joined at the same time and honestly thought we were going to spend our time running through fire and saving people. I still spend some of my time in training in preparation for the times when a life does need to be saved. It's in every heartbeat of a firefighter: Save people. Be a hero. Save the day. Even though I am a little less "wet behind the ears" in fire service now and have a little less of a naive approach to the tasks I complete, I still like to study about notable rescues across fire service. When a notable rescue comes available in some report or news story, I jump at the opportunity to read it; I even catch myself sometimes imagining how I might have reacted in the same situation. Do I have the abilities to do what this hero did?

Too many people grow up and forget what it is like to dream of being the hero. Sometimes we still want to be the guy that saves the day, but we imagine ourselves in our own skin being the hero. Remember when we were children and, when we imagined being the hero, we literally imagined ourselves in the very suit of the hero? Sometimes the imagination carried us to a place where we wore the giant 'S' on our chest... some other times it was a fire helmet. Other times it was a set of handcuffs in a game of cops and robbers. One thing was always the same. We weren't just being ourselves dressed as some hero. We WERE that hero. We were literally emulating one specific human being or character. We WERE Superman... just ask us.

What is it like to be an adult and still imagine ourselves emulating a hero? I'd say that's the definition of a follower of Jesus. Take the following examples into account.
-Jesus gave us instructions to have the faith of a child. (Matthew 18)
-We are to be transformed into the very image of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3)
-We are to emulate Christ's very actions in this world. (No link to a verse on this one; just read the Gospels and you'll get the idea.)
-We are to be "Little Jesuses" (ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church)

Look, bottom line is we get to be heroes. Much like the comic books we combed through as a child, searching for clues as to how we could be a better Superman... we are given the blueprint of how to emulate the savior of the world... someone even Superman could look up to.

I still want to be a hero. The only difference is that now, when I picture a hero, he's not wearing bunker gear.

Let No Man's Ghost... (a call out to leaders of the Church)

2010-10-01T00:05:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of assisting in the instruction at the Abilene Fire Control Conference just a few weeks ago. While in the registration room (which is a classroom), I saw an intriguing quote painted over the exit door.

"Let no man's ghost say his training failed him."

Firefighting is inherently dangerous. That is actually an official statement by the National Fire Protection Association. Yes, there is danger, but where danger meets inevitability is the many who fail to meet a minimum training standard. The phrase above is a constant reminder that fire fighters should constantly assess their training in the context of the challenge ahead of them. Perhaps the even greater reminder in that phrase is that of personal responsibility. It chants in the back of your head as a mantra prior to entering a life threatening situation... do I have the training? Do I have the experience? When the answer is no, time to get out there and be challenged in a new set of skills.

This past Tuesday, my fire department put a group of newer firefighters through a series of firefighter rescue drills. The training was intended to be above their level. It was meant to push them harder than we've ever pushed them. The goal was to force firefighters to overcome the mental challenges that await them in real life calls. It wasn't to beat them down, but to build them up... challenge them to see their own weaknesses and progress beyond them. As leaders of that fire department, we have a duty to train these fire fighters in skills that they will meet in real life. Then, when the time comes, we can wash our hands clean knowing that we have prepared those firefighters for what they are about to face.

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Recently, my wife and I were studying Acts 20. Toward the middle of the chapter was Paul's Farewell to the Ephesian elders. He said something that surprises me.

25"Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.

Paul is leaving the Ephesians for the last time, but he is leaving with a sense that he has taught them everything they need to know to carry on in his absence. How many leaders do we have in our Churches today who can say that, in their absence, their flock is capable? How many of our leaders feel like they have fulfilled their task of sharing with the flock the "whole will of God?"

Bottom line is, Church leaders can take a lot from the phrase above too. In a world where we can hardly differentiate the Christians from the unbelieving, where the Body tends to look, act, and speak JUST like every one else... Are we as leaders of the Body, training the flock, or leaving them to the wolves? I don't know about you, but I'm so tired of my Sundays looking like a fashion show and my Mondays-Saturdays looking like the rat race. When will we begin to train the Body to be in the world, but not of the world? When will we start following the way of the radical Jesus, the giver of life, rather than the way of the world, which is death?

I want to see the quote above plastered in church buildings across the world: "LET NO MAN'S GHOST SAY HIS TRAINING FAILED HIM." It is a new call, a new challenge to train each and every single follower of Jesus to be ready and able to take on the fight. Our congregations are so lacking in training of its members that we are being ripped to shreds in this world, but it is only at the hands of our own self service. When will we get up and look out the window to see the world we are meant to serve, then train to enter into it? Get out of the pews and into the world!

I dream of the day that I could speak with confidence, as Paul did, that I can wash my hands clean, knowing that I have lead my brothers and sisters and helped prepare them for service in this world. Until that day, the phrase continues...

Let no man's ghost say his training failed him...

Priorities

2010-08-23T22:47:00.000-05:00

If you haven't noticed... I've been absent lately.

I have been so busy with life that I never seem to get to the part where I sit down and write it all down. A quick lesson I've learned that I wanted to share with everyone.

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Last week was the Abilene Fire Control Conference. I was asked to teach a class called Rapid Intervention Team (RIT). For those in fire service, here is a great resource for you to learn how to create a great RIT program in the context of your organization. Either way, I did a lot of research leading up to this class because it has been a long time since I've taken RIT and I wanted to be up to date on latest best practices and national standards. The class went okay, but one part of the class reminded me about life and how sometimes we never seem to get to the bottom of our to-do lists.

For those who are unaware of RIT, it is the national standard and practice which states you should always have firefighters outside on a dedicated firefighter rescue team if firefighters are in a dangerous environment (such as inside a house fire). Those firefighters are asked to do nothing except be prepared in case a MAYDAY is called out by firefighters inside.

During this class, I decided to give students a checklist for them to use on their own fire scenes. Those checklists were not intended to be an exact template, but something they could use to develop their own checklists for what to do in the case of a MAYDAY call and request of a RIT team activation. The purpose of this checklist was simply to show that there is a lot to be done if a RIT team is activated and that they should make sure everything is done "by the book" to prevent overlooking important, yet minute tasks in the heat of the moment.

When I think about my daily life, I realize that I sort of need a checklist to work from too. I have priorities within my fire department, my career, my family, my faith... all of which are varying degrees of importance, but all must be completed. I have gotten in the practice of writing a to-do list every day to make sure I live up to the requests of my customers, fellow firemen, family, and Lord. I try my hardest not to see it as some legalistic rule of law, but rather a guideline to help me remain organized and follow priorities.

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What do you do to keep organized?

What signs do you see that remind you that you're getting off target and losing sight of priorities?

Late Nights; Early Mornings

2010-08-02T22:12:00.000-05:00

I am sitting in the passenger seat of a car that is Abilene-bound. We should arrive after 1am. I've spent only 3 nights out if the last 12 at home and the rest in hotels. Some for business, some for pleasure. Being so tired after weeks of traveling has me thinking about the many first responders going on very little sleep around the world.
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In many of my recent travels, I have been spending time with my firefighter customers and friends. The story is similar in most towns, large and small: big fires, technical rescues, and very little reprieve. Men and women who are in service to their community.
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As I think about the men and women who so often are overworked and underpaid, I think about our tasks as followers of Christ. We are called to work tirelessly spreading the Gospel in love. Again, men and women who are in service of their community.
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This particular weekend I am traveling back from visiting my sister, who had competed at NASA in an international space settlement design competition. I was very proud to spend time with her and see her hard work displayed on an international level. That's what a big brother is supposed to do, right? Yes, we are family... And family goes to great lengths to support each other.
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As in the firefighters working tirelessly to support the needs of the community they serve... And the family members who desire to support each other in their endeavors, I question whether our Christian brethren have grasped what it means to work tirelessly for the needs of the community. Then, I am reminded of the people who seem to never sleep while they take care of others. Tish and I are blessed to have the example of a few such families... One family in particular, the Green family have been the most constant source of emotional and spiritual support over the last few years in our efforts for South Pacific Missions.
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So, I'm tipping my hat tonight to my brothers and sisters-- firefighters and brothers in Christ-- who work tirelessly in service of others.

Personal Responsibility

2010-07-04T11:36:00.000-05:00

I tend to listen to a lot of talk radio while I drive. I can't say that I relate to everything I hear on this medium of entertainment, but it definitely adds some interesting thoughts to a mundane drive through west Texas. Given that I spend up to 1200 miles a week staring at the open land, I need something other than local radio stations to keep me occupied. While listening to the Dave Ramsey Show (a personal finance program), I came to a series of understandings that all relate back to personal responsibility. In his instance, he was describing the amount of money paid to interest in car loans. He used the example of a $500 per month car payment, paid into investments over a lifetime, rather that car payments, equals more than 2 million dollars. Out of the 2 million dollars you could buy brand new cars in cash every 4-5 years and still have over a million dollars. His humorously sarcastic statement was "even if I'm half wrong, you're still a millionaire, so shut up."

In my fire department, we are in a significant growth period with the community around us. With the two first out fire engines nearing 30 years old, we realize their time for retirement will soon be here. But a new fire engine costs more than $300,000. Do we go into debt for a new truck? I think not... if the situation above is true for $30,000 vehicles, wouldn't it be more true for a $300,000 vehicle? In addition to new fire trucks, the department is also trying to build a new fire station, at the cost of $500,000. With only enough income to cover operation costs, it would be a perilous mission to attempt to take a loan out for this facility. Instead, we'll have to pay it out, in cash, with our blood, sweat, and tears. It may take us a little longer to get into the facility, but our community can be better served when we have a facility that has no debt over its head.

It is amazing to me that almost all of life is simply a matter of delaying gratification. Some people can't wait to run down and buy the latest and greatest vehicle, but at what cost? They see a $30,000 price tag, but don't see the opportunity cost of investing that money and buying a slightly worn car for a few years until they can afford said new car in cash only. There is even a way that buying used cards instead of new ends up in the investments paying 100% of all vehicles for the rest of your life.

The same happened in the recent housing boom. I am oversimplifying just a little bit, but there were stories of people in low paying labor jobs taking out loans for over half a million dollars on a new home. When those adjustable rates readjusted, people found out they could not afford it. Yet, while some people people were spending more than half their take-home pay on a mortgage, others realize that settling into a smaller, more affordable home will afford them more later in life.

Then, most importantly, I think about my faith. I believe Christ spoke so much about delaying gratification so that the end result would be so much sweeter. A large example is simply our lives... If we live our lives in search of the Kingdom now, our reward in Heaven is far greater than living to our own desires now. Doesn't this ring true for so much else we do in life? Many researchers have found that those having the most sexual fulfillment in life are married couples, not single individuals out seeking sexual encounters. Furthermore, there is research to suggest those who did not cohabitate prior to marrying are less likely to be divorced. What does all this mean? Simply delaying acting out desires with a partner will result in long term fulfillment.

The list could go on and on, but the ultimate result is that a life lived with discipline and delaying short term gratification in search of long term success will result in a life more like Christ.

Rhyme behind the reason...

2010-06-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

A recent project I have been leading at our fire department is new probationary requirements. The previous requirements were simply out of context in the new way our fire department operates. Upon agreeing to this project, I sat down and listed a series of objectives I want every new probationary firefighter to learn and accomplish before being granted a position as a full member in the organization. While on probation, new firefighters respond to emergencies with other members, but are given a lot more restrictions on the tasks they are allowed to perform on scene. This is obviously for their own safety, as we don't want new firefighters trying to perform advanced tactics on scenes, though they can be useful performing menial tasks such as getting tools off the trucks and performing less advanced tasks.

While working on these new probationary procedures, I was struck with a serious challenge: How do I balance the need for a strong, thorough training regimen with the fears that too many rules will drive new members away because they simply can't measure up? The other issue at hand is that, by training them to a specific standard, I am not guaranteeing their safety nor am I guaranteeing that nothing will ever go wrong on a scene. What good is to to give them a list of "do this" and "don't do that" in life? What does that do to my credibility as their lieutenant over probation when something does go wrong? Why must they learn to drive in a controlled environment before emergencies? Why must they take a firefighter safety course? Why must they possess knowledge on all fireground equipment and apparatus? Why must they...? Why? Why? And the list goes on...

There has to be a rhyme behind the reason.

I came across a video that a friend posted on Facebook tonight. It describes the same scenario with the group many call "de-churched." This group of individuals were raised up going to church, but for one reason or another were driven away. The speaker of this video--Matt Chandler-- describes how the trap is set when we tell people that they must live by a set of rules but never give them the tools of being transformed by Christ. What good is it for us to live by a strict regimen if in the end we aren't armed to handle the struggles of real life: divorce, death, sickness, debt? What good is to "do this," or "don't do that" just because?

There has to be a rhyme behind the reason.

What are your thoughts?

How Hot Are You?

2010-06-14T00:57:00.001-05:00

Those who spend any time at all on Facebook have seen the myriad of Quizzes pertaining to the level of "hotness" of self, friends, coworkers, etc. If you expect to take one of those, look somewhere else.

However, I have some new ideas (or maybe just new to me) on how to be hot in regards to your physical life, spiritual life, and more.

Steam conversion is often depicted as the ideal scenario in firefighting tactics for structure fires. The reason is simply a matter of science. Fire is extinguished when it is cooled faster than it can produce heat. One gallon of water, for each degree of temperature rise, will absorb 1 BTU (British Thermal Unit) of heat. Steam, on the other hand, will absorb 970 BTUs with each gallon of steam applied. Furthermore, water vapor, produced when water increases from boiling point to one degree above boiling, has 1700 times more volume (space taken by the vapor) than liquid water. In essence, the steam acts as both a cooling agent (absorbing BTUs) and as an asphyxiant (taking up too much space to let oxygen in). The result, my friends, is an extinguished fire.

While this might be a little advanced in fire tactics for those readers who are not involved in fire service, I promise I have a point in this explanation. Only 1 degree in increased effort can increase efficiency by more than 1000%. Just imagine what you can do in life if you just take up every challenge with just one degree more in effort!

If you are wondering where this all comes from, I want to write for you an excerpt on the latest book I am reading.

At 211 degrees, water is hot. At 212 degrees, it boils. And with boiling water, comes steam. And with steam, you can power a train. Applying one extra degree of temperature to water means the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine - a beautifully uncomplicated metaphor that ideally should feed our every endeavor - consistently pushing us to make the extra effort in every task, action, and effort we undertake. Two-twelve serves as a forceful drill sergeant with its motivating and focused message while adhering to a scientific law - a natural law. It reminds us that seemingly small things can make tremendous differences. So simple is the analogy, that you can stop reading right now, walk away with the opening thought firmly planted in your mind and benefit from it for the rest of your life.

If there were to be one word that makes the difference between hot water and steam, it would be discipline. What if you got up 15 minutes earlier? [but I'm just so tired] What if you spent just 5 minutes more in prayer and scripture each day? [but I'm just so busy] What if you went just that additional degree for a customer in need of service? [Well, they weren't going to award me the sale anyway] What if you... Well, that list could go on forever. Ultimately, the answer is simply and excuse of why we don't. But what if we did? The extra discipline could make the difference in a saved marriage, a respectful son or daughter, or even another person won over for the Kingdom of God.

Scriptures make a similar statement about people's faith level:

Revelation 3:15-16 (New International Version)

¹⁵I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!¹⁶So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Naturally, this blog is always going to direct us in the context of a life of faith, but the lessons of this particular post are applicable across the board.

What parts of you life could you go the extra degree?

I have recently been putting links to Amazon on the books which I find most useful for my personal and spiritual growth. If you are interested in joining in these adventures with me, click the links and purchase a copy. Then, post your thoughts! Do you have additional books on a particular topic that would be beneficial for all of us, post them also in the comments section for all to see!

The Worship Tour

2010-03-20T18:43:00.000-05:00

This is Part 4 of a series. If you want to catch up:
Part 1: Excuses and the way we've always done it
My personal Struggles with doing the same ol' thang.
Part 2: You've Got to Have a Plan
Laying out a Plan to view the Church in a different light.
Part 3: Turning over the Tables
A radical Christ that we often forget

Many refer to being a firefighter as being more than a job...many even say it's a lifestyle. Firefighters work together, bbq together, and spend much of their lives together. To most firefighters, the time spent on the job leads to a life-long relationship off the job. One interesting thing that I have noticed is that this theme carries throughout shift firefighters, on call firefighters, and volunteers. If a fireman simply attends a fire call then goes home without the connection to the men and women with whom he shares that experience, one can hardly call that a lifestyle. If, however, a firefighter knows the intimate details of his fellow responders' lives outside the fire station... then, it is a lifestyle.

What is worship like in our congregations? Is it a simple event, like the obligatory fire call, or is it a lifestyle, more similar to the bbqs and time outside of the fire station?

Before I attempt to answer that question, I would like to embark on an explanation of previous forms of worship. Some of those apply today... some, not so much. I'll call this our "Worship Tour."

Worship in the Old Testament
While I lack the space to fully detail what worship looked like in the Old Testament, I wanted to hit a few high points. Often, when someone worshiped in the Old Testament, it referred to prostrating oneself in honor of God. Worship was done in many other forms too. Sacrifices, First fruit giving, and songs of honor were all considered worship acts.

David's Worship
We have all read the Psalmist's amazing songs of worship to God. Many of these are attributed to David. In the context of his life, we see an interesting trend. David worshiped God in times of desperation. There are also vibrant songs of worship that may or may not have been written during the struggles of David's life. All in all, it is apparent that David worshiped God at the highest points and the lowest points of his life.

New Testament
Especially in Jerusalem, people in Jesus' time often attended worship at the temple. There are passing references that suggest reading scriptures and preaching/teaching were routine items on the agenda. Some references suggest that early Christians attended Jewish synagogues as well as meeting in homes for times of worship. Later in the new testament, it appears that Christians worshiped in song, teaching, service, etc. More references on the early church later...

Now
We have seen a whirlwind "Worship Tour" of some of the forms and types of worship that God's people have presented to Him in the past. Currently, there are those who live communally and call it worship. There are others who attend a Sunday gathering and call that "going to worship." There are even others who believe both work together in harmony. There is no doubt that God desires as much a diverse range of worship styles as the subjects he created to worship Him! I do, however, want to look not at the act of worship itself, but at how we view it.

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I firmly believe that we have mis-defined what worship IS, therefore argue about how worship is DONE. I often fill a section of my blog with multiple Scriptural references around a similar point, but today I think it is easy to point out our misunderstandings of worship with one verse: Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Just prior to the "Therefore" is the Doxology, which simply states our place in his order ("Who has been his counselor?") and then reminds us that "from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." In other words, if we ignore the man-defined chapters in this passage, we see that God is ought to be worshiped, therefore we worship him through our lives.

Whoa... if you are like me, your mind probably gets lost a little in some of the language of the scriptures. That is okay... we can take a point which seems complex and break it down. In fact, the passage above actually clarifies something we have been arguing about for centuries. Rather than argue about specific acts of a general group of actions that can all be described as worship, how about giving respect to the one who created the diversity of the people from whom these worship acts pour out.

I am more and more convinced by the day that arguing about whether certain worship acts are more appropriate than others is just as ignorant as arguing whether a Schnauzer is more dog than a German Shepherd.

Many use references from the Letters to describe very specific and contextual methods of worship then try to state that it must be copied verbatim even in our time. I don't say that in an attempt to denigrate the importance of the Scripture's references to early Church worship. No... rather the opposite. I see it as a great honor to have such a vast and encompassing description of the ups and downs of early Christians. That is one of the things that has great application for today's followers of Christ.

So, is worship a simple event? Or is it a lifestyle?

How about... Both. There is an event which occurs every week across the world. Many call it worship. It is; however, if people mis-define it as being The Worship rather than a form of Worship, they are sadly missing some of the greatest worship experiences. Many events can be worship, though if an individual's--or a group's-- definition of worship is centered around an event of any sort, they are likely missing the boat. Worship is a lifestyle. Worship is serving others. Worship is singing. Worship is a Saturday afternoon bbq. Worship is the way you treat the clerk at Wal-Mart. Worship is life.

Turning Over the Tables

2010-03-05T01:17:00.000-06:00

If you missed the first two posts in this series, I encourage you to catch up on them at the links below:
Part 1
Part 2

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Fire service, no doubt, has changed. If you have read anything I have posted, you know that change is a common theme. For many years, firemen literally fought fires. That is what they did. At some point in history, people figured out that firefighters would take on additional roles if the citizens desired. So, a whole new fire service was born. Firefighters now respond to high angle rescue, vehicle rescue, structural and urban rescue, medical services, hazardous materials incidents, and much more. Yet, while the world expects so much from these men and women, some fire departments are being tragically left behind; consequently, towns are left without adequate care according to national standards.

We could argue and never reach conclusion as to why this occurred, but the bottom line is that it just did. Honestly, the rapid change, for some, must be like a sonic boom, where a jet blows by at or above the speed of sound, leaves a deafening thunder-like clap, then leaves the crowd staring into the blue sky wondering what just happened. Sometime after a sonic boom, the crowd begins to disperse and few stop to think about what just transpired. In fire service, that deafening sonic boom is the sound of the entire world changing. The lull after the sonic boom is simply the sound of being left in the dust. I am believing more and more that, for so many fire departments, responders are simply lacking the perspective of how radical the change in fire service has been.

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Temple worship had become despicable in God's eyes. Many wondered if God would ever speak to them again as he had to the prophets of old. An upper echelon of rich men seemed to rule the faith communities like a class of religious "good ol boys." There were faint cries of a so-called Messiah, but many argued whether that was even the case. Then some crazy guy wearing fur and living in the desert starts stirring people up about a coming Savior. The tide had just turned. Then, a Savior was born and leaders began to take notice of a young boy, born in a stable in Bethlehem. Others ignored the signs.

Approximately 30 years go by... then, a man takes a group of misfits and outcasts and turns them into a group of leaders. Sonic... BOOM. For the next few years, this man named Jesus gained so much traction that Jewish leaders everywhere were plotting and devising methods by which they might kill this man.

Two thousand years later, we attend a Sunday morning event which pays homage to this man and his life, death, and consequent resurrection. Something has GOT to be missing. What did I skip in this story? What was so radical in that 30+ year period in time where we now worship Jesus in a building on Sunday instead of listening to the teachers of the law speak at the temple?

I believe, sadly, the truth is that we have failed to grasp how radical the story of Jesus is. Furthermore, I think we have failed to respond with the same radical movement. Here are a few examples.
Pre-Jesus: Those who believe in God gathered to worship in temples.
Now: We gather on Sundays at an event we call Worship.
Pre-Jesus: Jewish leaders intermingled with politicians and popular political movements.
Now: Christian leaders often are quoted attempting to beat others politically rather than win them over for the Kingdom of God.
Pre-Jesus: Status Quo.
Now: Same ol', Same ol'
Pre-Jesus: Rabbis and other men are the scholars and are respected as having greater value in the story of God.
Now: What do we say to the laymen when just a handful of "talented" men stand on a stage and talk at the crowds?
Pre-Jesus: Sick and homeless are left outside the temple.
Now: I pass homeless men on my way to Church wearing clean clothes in my clean car... stopping off for coffee on my way.
Pre-Jesus: Intelligent people sit around and argue about doctrine.
Now: Hmmm...

I get almost sick sometime when I try to pinpoint which character in the Jesus story best fits me. More often than not, especially if it relates to doctrine and methodology, I look more like the ones that Jesus called the "brood of vipers." Ouch.

We all know there is far too much church-bashing that happens among people of my generation. I sincerely hope that this posting has a tone that is much removed from those who simply want church to look and feel their way. That's just simply ineffective and counterproductive. I simply desire to pose a question. What image of Jesus is most needed in this day and age? Is it the gentle sound of temple worshippers... or do we need a SONIC BOOM?

If you answered the latter, like me, then you might be wondering a few things:
Where is the Jesus that turned over tables in anger at the commercialization of God?
Where is the Jesus that screamed the seven woes in desperation at God's followers?
Where is the Jesus who broke all the rules if only to help one crippled woman? And a shriveled hand?
Where is the Jesus who knew that listening to the Words of the Father could cost him his life?

If you have been following with me the last few weeks, you know that I have been struggling with the Jesus I read about in Mark when compared to the Jesus I grew up knowing. Could these two men possibly be one in the same?

Brothers and sisters, the point is this: Before we must take on a fresh viewpoint on our Mission in this life, we must take a serious look at the man whom we are to imitate. That man was a radical. Are we radicals?

Much like the sonic boom described above, there is a crowd hearing the words of Jesus. That crowd is called the Church. The words and story of Jesus are a radical, immediate shift from the way things were to the way it shall be. Will you be the one staring in the wild blue yonder and get left in the dust? Or will you embrace the shift to a new radical lifestyle and take part in the Kingdom?

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Need further reading on this topic? I have been working through the book below. I encourage you to join in with me.

You've got to have a plan...

2010-02-28T22:07:00.000-06:00

My fire department is on an ambitious path to build a new half million dollar fire station. It has become overwhelmingly apparent that we cannot serve the community of 8000 people with the same old tactics and same worn out facilities. With a call volume increase of over 300%, the department has filled the current fire station with apparatus and had to resort to parking some outside. A new facility is the only option. Nobody on the board of directors has ever undertaken such an enormous capital campaign. The process began with some unfocused fundraising--a mention in a mailout, a new web page focused to station updates, that sort of thing. When you're talking about a half a million dollars, the same old way of making money obviously isn't going to cut it. It became apparent that we all needed to sit down and retool. It was during this meeting that we all came to the same epitome. We need a plan.

If you saw my posting on February 20, then you know I am in a position in my Christian walk where I believe there HAS to be something more to the Christian community than what I see on Sunday mornings. It's not that I am disgruntled or frustrated... just that I feel I am missing something. Furthermore, when I seek out reasoning, the answer I often hear is "that's the way we have always done it." If you have not read that post, I encourage you to take a look at it (click here) before you read on.

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Well, if you are still reading, you must have gotten through my last post and somehow I have not scared you away. As I have been thinking for the past eight days since that post was written, I have been uncertain how to proceed on this quest to find what we are missing. I sat down for a few minutes the other day and I have come to an "aha" moment... the result is that I have realized that I need a plan.

Over the next couple of weeks, I want to outline a few things about Christian life and community with hopes that we can all walk away with a fresh perspective on the Christian life.

First, I want to undertake a criticism on our perspective of Christ, the man named Jesus. I believe we put him in a western culture sized box sometimes and fail to give him the worldwide context he deserves. Without an understanding of the perspective of Christ, we lack the ability to form a community in his image.

Secondly, I want to ask what worship is supposed to be like. Is it an event or is it a lifestyle? How did worship look in the first century, in the beginning of creation, and during the time of David; is that how we should do it now or do we need to reevaluate?

Next, I want to evaluate our day to day interaction as a community. How did Christ interact with people? How do we? Do those look alike or are we lacking a Christ-imaged interaction with others? This entails our interaction with each other and our interaction with people in the community.

With a new vision of community, I think it would be interesting to pursue how far we can logically extend ourselves. How many people can we have meaningful contact with and not lose a sense of community in those interactions.

So, that's my plan. Will the plan develop exactly as I have laid it out here? If I am listening to God and researching this with no personal agenda, I doubt it. But at least I have a loose guideline on the concepts I want to pursue.

After seeing how we should interact as individuals, I want to discuss something that I call The Body 2.0. It is sort of a new methodology of points of interaction during a week via face to face, social media, and traditional contact with an emphasis on interacting over geographical space and networking across the globe.

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If you didn't see my list of resources on the last blog, I have listed a few of them below.

I am reading through this book to get a fresh new perspective on Jesus who was the Christ. If you are interesting in going through this journey with me, I have linked to it here:

If you are also interested in hearing some prior reading I have done to get me to this point, I finished this book last year:

Finally, if you are questioning whether you even want to believe Jesus existed, I encourage you to read this detailed book:

Excuses and the way we've always done it...

2010-02-20T00:43:00.005-06:00

One of the problems that has plagued fire service, especially volunteer fire service, is how hard it is to enact change, even when that change is for good purposes. Resistance occurs even when people simply want to change some tactics. For instance, there is no doubt that the ultimate goal of a fire department once on scene of a structure fire is to put out that fire. How firefighters attack that blaze is constantly evolving due to new advances in equipment, new scientific understanding of fire behavior, and new materials used in building construction. While the tactics change, the stated goal stays the same: put the fire out.
When approached as to why they wish to keep doing things as they have always done them, "old heads" often simply respond with an answer that "We've always done it that way." If a potential new tactic could save my life of the life of a resident, then I'm going to need more evidence than "we've always done it that way" to convince me that I should continue to do it the old way. Naturally, because there are so many opinions and schools of thought with every fire scenario, I don't jump on the bandwagon every time something new comes along either... but once in a while, something new comes along that makes me think: "they might just be on to something."

I heard the following today on the Dave Ramsey show: We've always done it that way" doesn't make it right or the best option. Remember "good" can sometimes be the enemy of "best".

ASIDE: Often, I see the "newest" idea and give it a shot. What I routinely find out is that it is really nothing new at all. Typically, it is only a contextual adaptation to something that has been done for a long time. The context may change, but this "new and better" idea is typically just building on something we know has worked for years.
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Do you ever get that way in church? Do you ever feel like church continues to look, feel, and sound the same simply because we've always done it that way? I must admit that about two years ago I began to feel like Sunday mornings were just repetitive and that there wasn't a point.

I'm about to tell you something that you probably will never hear from the pulpit. There isn't a point. Well, there isn't a point if the only experience you are having is the Sunday morning event. Before Jesus' sacrifice, there was already temple worship. If our entire task as Christians is just to live daily as we wish but attend a service on Sundays, then Jesus had no point in giving his life. He gave his life to change the fact that people needed a community and a life change.

Over the past two years, I have been experiencing some things that I wish to share with you. In fact, I think it is so important, that this will be a recurring theme in upcoming blog posts. I want you to know that if you are a follower of Jesus who sits in the seat on Sunday morning and struggle to see the relevance in how that pertains to Christ and his body, you are not alone. There are many followers of Jesus who no longer attend a "big church" on Sunday mornings but are still experiencing a time rich with worship, bible study, community, and all the things that some well-intended larger gatherings simply do not have. These smaller gatherings make it a focus to share time together throughout the week, much like we hear about in the Bible (particularly in Acts.) Again, just like the example of fireground tactics above, I am not restating the goal that Christ set before us. That is a forever goal... but maybe we need to rethink our tactics and how we reach that goal in the current environment. Maybe we don't. Only one way to find out...

How does this relate to my opening thought? I often hear the excuse from Christians that they don't want to try something other than a large Sunday morning gathering because that's the way they have always done it. What a tragedy. Don't you want to wake and be able to say something other than "because I always have" when someone asks why you follow Jesus? Don't you want more than simply a broken record in your relationship with God? The great thing about what I intend to share over the next few posts is that it's really nothing new... just an adaptation to our present day western culture.

Again, just like the example of fireground tactics above, I am not restating the goal that Christ set before us. That is a forever goal... but maybe we need to rethink our tactics and how we reach that goal in the current environment. Maybe we don't. Only one way to find out...

On the other hand, if you attend a larger gathering and you do see relevance to you life, do have genuine community rather than just weekly small talk, do have shared time throughout the week, and do have evangelism and contact with those who do not follow Jesus, then I applaud you! I suppose that I should begin this process with the disclaimer that I am not making a claim that I have found the "one true way" and that big churches are failing to live up to Christ's purpose. I know many larger gatherings are wonderful representations of the story and purpose of Christ. This posting is not about proving how I can do it better. If, however, you simply feel like there has GOT to be something more than your particular Sunday gathering, then I invite you to join with me in seeking to find. "Seek, and ye shall find" as the good book says.

For today, I would like to share some things I have found that have been beneficial. Those resources are below. I encourage you to share your responses to these ideas as we learn together.

What is the current context of Western Culture?

This book is simply a unique way of combining our task of sharing the Gospel with a strong understanding of the current culture.

Who was this Jesus guy, really?

As of this posting, I am beginning this book. Just a few chapters in, I can already see that this book plans to redefine who this Jesus guy was. We think of the smiling Jesus with children on his knee. While that is part of it, this book states that he is also a "loving, wildly passionate, dcangerous, radically merciful, and always surprising" savior. Sounds like just the kind of person I like to hang out with! I wanna get to know that guy!

How do I center my life in such as way that I can join in this journey?
Centereda Kindle Store e-book by Kent Smith.

Ongoing thoughts about what Church is and how to "do" Church:
Stories from the Revolution blog

What other resources do you know of that can help us take a fresh look at this whole "church thing?"

Sexy models, Probie firefighters, and Litmus Tests

2010-02-07T22:47:00.005-06:00

Disclaimer: This post may not be suitable for all ages.

I had a long conversation with a friend of mine about pornography the other day.

But first, let me take you back about five years. I had been involved in the volunteer fire service for only months at the time. I had seen very little "real" fire at that time and was what many people refer to as "green." Now, when an individual joins a volunteer fire department, he almost undoubtedly has a romanticized view of what it means to be a fireman. Often, he or she has seen heroic rescues on the news and has seen the Hollywood cinematography trying to depict what it is really like "on the inside." I was no different. I had seen Ladder 49, Backdraft, and every other terribly inaccurate firefighter depiction and thought that I would be just like them. Then, I had my first fire. The house burned all the way to the ground. People lost their home. But I thought I was supposed to save the day! Instead, I was left with soot-covered bunker gear, a sore back, and fire hose to clean and roll. The owner of the home fared worse.
What went wrong in this story? Did I at any point in the previous paragraph state that I had been properly trained in the harsh realities of fire service? Did anyone make me aware that heroic days are far outnumbered by days of tragedy? As a probational firefighter, I had filled my mind full of heroic images and romanticized beliefs of what that first fire would be like, and I was let down. Hollywood had failed me by not preparing me for the truth that unfolded that day.

The truth is, a camera is of no use in a real fire and there is no way to make a movie interesting. Instead of running through an open room like the "John Wayne of fire", a fireman is usually forced to kneel down and crawl in tight, dark spaces. Fire is not some majestic showing of beast-like proportions. The fireman does not get to have a "slay the dragon" moment. The truth is, a firefighter often crawls inches from the ground with so much smoke it is tough to find direction. When the fire is found, it is often more of a glow through the darkness than a gorgeous flash of brilliant reds and oranges. But I don't really blame Hollywood for this ignorance. I blame the images I placed in front of myself. I blame the fact that, instead of filling myself full of training books and learning about what it is like to be a real firefighter, I took pictures in front of fire trucks and watched movies about firefighters. In short, I had designed a litmus test of what it is to be a firefighter, and the day I was called to serve, the experience didn't measure up.

Back to the present. During my conversation with my friend about pornography, I began to think about why that is such a disastrous addiction. I know that our society explains that pornography is normal. People outside of the Christian faith point to terrible statistics that instances of porn addiction in the churches is very similar to those not attending a faith community. I have even heard of Christians who say that they watch porn with their spouses. What makes me think it is dangerous, then?

Another digression. I have a friend who works with individuals in nursing homes. She is involved in speech therapy. She described to Tish and I one night about a man she takes care of that is suffering from lessened cognitive awareness. Apparently he is one of the nicest men, who speaks so kindly to others. As she described the joy of this man, her next statement stuck with me. She has a theory-- if you could even call it that-- that the things you fill your mind with when you are younger will reflect later on when you lack the mental capacity to keep your thoughts to yourself. In other words, she was saying that a man who keeps his thoughts pure when he is capable of hiding them will shine with purity later in life when his mind begins to diminish.

This brings me to two points. The first is somewhat abrasive. I believe my wife is a rock star. She is absolutely gorgeous to me and I am outrageously attracted to her in ways I care not describe. You might just want to read Song of Solomon and you might get the picture. However, I know there will be a time when she will turn gray, possibly gain weight, and wear thick glasses to help her see. Will I still be attracted to her in the same way? I believe that all depends on the litmus test I select at this stage in life. If I fall into the trap of a pornography addiction and am staring at 22 year old girls on a computer screen doing things that I cannot describe on this post, then I would suggest to you that I will have romanticized the concept of a healthy sexual relationship and hold my wife to an unfair standard. If, however, I choose to hold my wife on a pedestal and refuse to watch other women perform sexual acts, then that would mean I have a fair litmus test on which to rate my relationship with my wife. My litmus test would be a test of reality and life, rather than romanticized viewpoints and dramatizations.

My second point is this: I truly believe that the words I speak are a true character witness of who I am inside. I must freely admit that using choice words and inappropriate language has long been a weakness of mine. I certainly make strides to contain that language and those thoughts. If I keep sexual thoughts and words on the forefront of my conscience by watching online videos, then at a point in my life when my character is called into question, I firmly believe I will fail that test. Click here for a wonderful story about being of good character.

The reality check: Okay, so if I am not supposed to fill myself with those images, what is appropriate? Well, as I alluded to earlier, a healthy concept of sexuality is found in Song of Solomon. Moreover, examples of the destructive nature of sexual immorality are found throughout scripture. David and Bathsheba come to mind. I also figure that if it takes viewing sexual images outside my marriage to stir romantic feelings, then maybe it is time to rekindle some things in my own marriage. How about looking through a couple of photo albums, taking a picnic, or take a romantic vacation? No matter what it takes, the focus needs to be on the marriage relationship, not on outside distractions.

Other verses:
Matthew 12:35-37
35The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

2 Timothy 2:20-22
20In a large house there are articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for ignoble. 21If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
22Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Philippians 4:8
8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

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Questions:
Is there a thought process or addition in your life hidden that would be less than favorable to be heard? Naturally, this is more of a rhetorical question, but if you choose to reply to that question, feel free.
Do the thoughts we fill ourselves with early in life reflect our words later in life? Even if we don't suffer from lessened cognitive awareness and start speaking out of turn, is it healthy to allow these thoughts to pervade at any stage in our life?

I would be honored to hear your thoughts on how I am right, wrong, or otherwise.

Back to the Basics

2010-01-27T15:33:00.002-06:00

In fire service, training tends to be cumulative, in that it simply builds one skill on top of others learned. For instance, once a firefighter learns hose handling and nozzle control, he might next learn some more intermediate fire attack principles based on those basic skills. Additionally, he might be soon expected to learn advanced tactics, up to and including live fire evolutions. Each new skill assumes he has learned the basis, or foundation, of the previous skill.

Once in a while, it becomes apparent that it is time to go back to basic skills and get some more practice. If a fire call points out that a few firefighters are falling short in the practical application of hose handling, the department might decide to use the next training session as a chance to "get back to the basics." Much to the chagrin of veteran firefighters, this is an absolute necessity to ensure that advanced tactics are not disrupted by responders who are a little rusty in basic skills.
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As I get deeper in these blog posts, I am attempting to keep the same principles in mind. I have decided to get back to the basics and share with each of you the reasons why I make these posts in the first place. Obviously, the blog name "Rescue Matt" is a play on of the fact that I am a volunteer firefighter and also a fire equipment salesman. The reason, though, goes much deeper. I personally believe myself to be rescued, as you will read in my very first blog post, which I have (gasp, he's not really going to REPOST is he???) reposted below for those of you who have joined with me after my initial post. I hope you can see grains and slivers of the post below in the spirit in which I post weekly for you. While the topics vary week to week, my goal is to keep on task with the following.
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It is a firefighter's nightmare... the day his brother falls in a fire and needs rescuing. Unfortunately, given the unavoidably dangerous atmosphere that firefighters are asked to endure, scenarios like this are inevitable. Firefighters train for this through drill after drill, but the moment it happens, I am quite certain all training goes out the window and it is simply a matter of a race against the clock. I have embedded this video as an explanation of what I mean (warning, not suitable for all viewers):

I personally feel very blessed that I have never had to experience anything like this, yet it reminds me of my own faith journey in so many ways. By now, you most likely know that I am a firefighter--a volunteer to be exact--and if you know anything about firefighters, we relate almost every aspect of our life to those experiences.

In my life, I was blessed to have been in a Christian since around the age of 6. However, during a time in high school, I feel away from that faith and struggled both behaviorally and spiritually. There was not one single moment in my life where I was rescued, yet a series of events led to me eventually reigniting my faith, "rescuing me from the dominion of darkness," as Colossians 1 states. So, as a Christian, I needed rescuing. And I received the rescue operation that I needed.

In addition to the thought of being rescued, I also think about the firefighters who are performing the rescue. You see, I believe that Christ gave specific commands to his followers that stated we are to be rescuers to others who are in danger of falling. But his command didn't go unfunded... with this mandate, he gave the resources with which to rescue his creation. First, he gave a community, which is much like the brotherhood of firefighters. This community is intended to be strengthened through their gatherings and in their commonality in Christ to the extent that they should have a desire to see others rescued as they have too been rescued. With this community comes the second resource, the Bible. The canon itself is filled with story after story of people being rescued from the dominion of darkness, yet Christians so often forget that this book is a blueprint to guide in these rescue efforts. Finally, he gave not only a community and not only a book, but himself. He is the martyred example of how to rescue people from the dominion of darkness. It is through him that rescue can even be made. If it was a cause that he believed was worth giving the ultimate sacrifice for, it is a cause that Christians should seek to model in their own lives. As Penn--yes, the athiest magician of Penn and Teller--stated, "how much do you have to hate someone, if you believe there is a God and a heaven and a hell, not to proselytize?" You see, this man Jesus, in whom I claim to believe, died for a cause in which I claim to believe. If I, a follower of Jesus, truly believe that this world is need of God's rescuing hand, and that I possess the necessary information with which to perform the rescue, and I fail to do so, then there is no rational explanation other than hate. So, we are given a community, a spoken word, and a martyred example with which to share a method of example. In my metaphor of fire and rescue services, the martyred example would be fallen heroes of the past, from whom we can learn to prevent future disaster.

So, where do we go from here? The simple answer is to go and perform the rescue for which we have been trained and equipped. As I close this post, I think about the firefighter in the video embedded above. If you watched it to about 1:20, then you saw the darkness come crashing around him. I have been there--not physically; not literally. I praise God that I have not been in such a scenario in real life... but spiritually, that is where I have been. Yet I was rescued. By God's hand, through my wife, through my family, through my friends, I have received the rescue I so desperately needed. So again, I say, as Penn already did, "How much do we have to hate--if we believe in God and Heaven and Hell-- to not share in the news which could rescue others from the Dominion of Darkness?

Commissioned

2010-01-25T17:51:00.005-06:00

When I was fresh out of college, the ink on my Marketing diploma still fresh, I began looking for jobs. I simply could not imagine myself sitting in a cubicle in some corporate environment, so I sought out a job in fire equipment. I took the best job offer and planned a meeting with my new sales manager to see the tasked which I had received. My task was to take a brand new territory-- one which had never been covered by a full time sales rep-- and make it productive. The equipment we sell is of the highest quality in the world, so I was given much training to show the legitimacy of what we sell. While we rarely are the lowest bid, fire departments can typically justify the additional expense due to the overwhelming quality or feature benefits over the competitors. I have never believed in a going with the lowest bidder without justification-- my Toyota Tundra and iPhone prove it. I also don't believe in spending money that is NOT justified, as I believe wasteful spending is simply a form of greed.

All that being said, I took on my task with great excitement. I had a sales territory that had never seen some of the wonderful products we represent. In short, I had been commissioned, and the road in front of me was open and promising.

I was baptized when I was 12. Not much was shared with me at that point, but as I have grown in faith over the years-- the periods of my life with less faith are for another post-- I have realized that I have been given a task, just as I was given during my initial meeting with my boss. That task is lined out in Matthew 28, commonly referred to as the Great Commission.

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

It reads like a job description. As followers of the man named Jesus, we are to follow the words of this task. Let's break it down. First of all, he states his authority. Just as my boss shared with me in my opening paragraph that he is my boss and that he would be my resource for how I would conduct my work, Jesus shares that he is not only authorized to be my resource, but upon that designation, he is sharing a task for me. Moving forward, we should make disciples (followers of Jesus)of all nations by baptizing and teaching (leaving a few things out for brevity.) Finally, he closes with a promise that he will be with us always.

Why do I always come back to the Great Commission? The Great Commission has now appeared in quite a few of my posts. The truth is that I, like many, harbor a few issues with the state of our current brethren. As a missionary, I am unabashedly biased, and view much of the Christian life through that lens. While, I could share with you my viewpoint that all followers of Jesus are "missionaries," I think I will save that for another day. Today, I simply intend to share that I firmly believe the body of Christ is suffering in many contexts simply because they fail to get back to the basics and see the task for which we have been commissioned. In the context of this post, I would like to point out the landscape Christ was viewing when he tasked his followers with sharing his story.

Much like my sales territory of my job, the world didn't know the man Jesus. Some of the places I visit have seen the brands we represent in trade magazines and at various shows around the country. In the same way, many people in Christ's time were expecting him because of the words they had read in the Scriptures... they had a general knowledge of the Messiah, but they had no idea of the story about being part of the body of Christ. What Christ did was task his followers with sharing his story to people who did not "know" Him. The truth is, people in that time were excited about sharing this. They had been granted a task of sharing the greatest story of mankind, and the were anxious to tell the world. Many of them eventually gave their lives sharing this story.

Fast forwarding back to the current landscape: the Body of Christ is still tasked with sharing this story. I firmly believe we have lost that fervor, that excitement, in sharing the gospel. My friends and brothers, please realize that we may have heard this story for much of our lives, but there are people in this world who are yet to hear of the man named Jesus. If we lose our excitement in sharing this story, we fail to live up to the foundation of our task.

We have been commissioned, and the road in front of us is still open and promising.

Surely He is with us always, to the very end of the age.

Just listen

2010-01-18T21:34:00.005-06:00

I recently found a forum posted by tech gurus about issues relating to fire truck siren usage. Their arguments against sirens related to noise pollution, new vehicle sound proofing, their personal desires to listen to loud music, and the fact that inattentive drivers probably won't see the lights and hear the sirens anyway.
Their solutions? Well, they ranged in everything from an FM signal which overtakes the audio in your vehicle to a GPS signal which tells vehicle drivers the exact location of approaching emergency vehicles.

The problem with these approaches? Both of these ideas (and everything in between that was also presented) rely entirely on the problem in the first place... the lack of attention drivers pay while on the road. That doesn't even take into account that these new tech concepts presented on the forum rely on every single vehicle on the road being purchased with or retrofitted with said devices.

The truth, my friends, is that we do not need new fancy gadgets and upgraded technologies to know that their is an approaching emergency vehicle. We need just look and listen.

I often think about how many gadgets I utilize in order to know God's desire in my life. When searching, I often listen to music, pray directly to God, or listen to the perspectives of my wife and friends. None of these are particularly bad, but I have begun to think that it may not be the easiest way to seek out God's desire in our lives. Maybe these words will shed some light on a new way to see and hear God in this very busy world.

1 Kings 19; The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" In other words, all Elijah had to do was listen.

1 Samuel 3; In a time when words from the Lord were rare, Samuel heard the Lord call his name. Three times he believed it was Eli calling to him. After being told that it may be the Lord calling, he lies down and waits for the voice again. Samuel heard the words of the Lord and listened. The story ends with these words: The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground. In other words, Samuel heard the voice of the Lord because he was listening for him, even in a time when words from the Lord were rare.

So, in my own life, when I need to hear a word from the Lord, should I approach my friends and talk to them? Should I listen to the words of Christian music artists? Should I open the Bible and read? Perhaps all of the above. I am hearing more and more people talk about how hearing a word from the Lord is rare in this day and age. That has been the case in many ages past and probably will be in many ages in the future. But if you want to hear the Lord's voice, all you need to do is listen.

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What have you been hearing from the Lord lately?
What times in your life have you heard the word most clearly? What was the environment around you?
Does God even talk to us anymore like he did back then?

I just wanted to take a few moments to thank those of you who have recently told me you enjoy these blog posts. I enjoy writing them and figured I would post with or without others' promptings. However, if you are enjoying what you read, don't hesitate to subscribe to the postings! I look forward to hearing more of your comments here on the blog, on Facebook, on Twitter, or in person!

Paving the Good Intentions Rd.

2010-01-17T15:51:00.003-06:00

I sat down the other day with my fire captain and had some conversations regarding training. We had just returned to the station from a vehicle accident where our conversation with a neighboring department led to explanations of training scenarios and training videos we had each seen. One specific training video mentioned was regarding vehicle placement on major highways and roadways in order to protect the patient and protect the responders (fire, ems, police) from inattentive drivers. It was almost immediately apparent that my fire captain and our neighboring department's fire officers had both seen the same video on separate occasions, in separate classes. What also became apparent was that so often in fire training, instructors search the internet and find video tidbits and clips to back up their talking points. The result is typically that the students hear these talking points as gospel and re-teach the same clips as additional documentation. After our return to the station, my captain and I began to talk about how often we go to training classes where the instructors "proof text" video clips to boost their training perspectives. What begins as an effort to bolster training with videos of real-life situations (good intention) leads to misunderstood scenarios and half-truths. The final result is often division among fire departments.

But does a difference in concepts HAVE to result in disfellowshipping other brothers? I mean, do some of these differences really amount to anything more than semantics in the real world?

After reflecting on that perspective in fire service, I thought about a seminar I had the pleasure of attending on Friday night. Some would view a short lecture on Restoration History as a sharp stick in the eye, but since I have a business degree and didn', t join in ministry/missions until after college, much of these concepts and stories of how the church of Christ began are completely foreign to me (what, the "Church of Christ" wasn't established in A.D. 33?) Furthermore, as someone who does not identify himself to a particular denomination (church of Christ, Baptist, Methodist, etc), I haven't spent a lot of time devoting myself to the research of my heritage in the church of Christ. The evening began with a rather painful approach. "Name the most negative thing you know about the church of Christ," Doug Foster said. Cultlike, Exclusivist, Legalist, the list began. But how did we get this way?

Doug Foster shared some history I did not know about the church of Christ. For instance, I have often heard fellow "CoC" brethren talk about being nondenominational, even though it is apparent that it is no less a denomination of the Christian faith than any other Christian group... Doug Foster shared that in the covenant documents of what eventually became the credo of church of Christ groups, it was the intention that unity, faith, scripture, etc be restored to followers of Jesus in order to avoid division. Yet, through a desire to seek knowledge of scripture and time in communion, a division was created that causes angst among many still today.

Well, what about how members of the church of Christ believe that their methodology in reading scripture and deducing truths is far above and beyond that of other Christians? From a covenant document of Alexander Campbell's 13 propositions: "That as it is not necessary that persons should have a particular knowledge or distinct apprehension of all Divinely-revealed truths in order to entitle them to a place in the Church... on the contrary, their having a due measure of Scriptural self-knowledge rspecting their lost and perishing condition by nature and practice, and of the way ofr salvation through Jesus Christ...with a profession of their faith in and obedience to him...is all that is absolutely necessary to qualify them for admission into his Church." What does all this 1800s English mean? Simply that to qualify as part of the body of Christ--not of a denomination, not of a particular Christian group... just simply to qualify for the salvation of Christ-- you need to realize that scripture states that we are all a lost people and have salvation in Christ and should act upon that. It is sad that a concept of explaining the beauty of salvation in Christ has led to many people trying to state that their knowledge and doctrine are superior. In short, it has created division among brothers.

Again, I ask, does a difference in concepts HAVE to result in disfellowshipping other brothers? I mean, do some of these differences really amount to anything more than semantics in the real world?

Just as in the case of the well-intended fire instructors above, we often take concepts that are pure in heart and let them get out of control. In the cases above, what began as an idea to restore unity among followers of Christ led to exclusive behavior by a few, which resulted in reduced credibility of a large majority.

We have heard the phrase "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." I want to take a little out of context and say "the road to division and half-truths is paved with good intentions." As a body of Christ, let's spend time this week trying to restore unity to the brethren, and redeem others back into relationship with their Creator.

Have a great week!

Unknown Location; Where to next?

2010-01-12T22:24:00.003-06:00

Whether or not you are in emergency services, you have had to cope with a foggy road or blinding rain while trying to find an address. Whether it's visiting a friend in the country or trying to respond to an emergency down a county road, the feeling that you may be lost makes can be a very eerie feeling.

On a recent structure fire call, a storm had passed through, dropping the temperatures significantly. We were responding during the heaviest winds and rain of this particular thunderstorm. Upon arrival, a fog settled in, dampening efforts yet again, and forcing a smoke blanket from the house fire to drop on the personnel all over the fire scene.

Today, my fire department responded to what we call a "well intent" call. Basically, someone sees or smells smoke but cannot put their finger on its source. In those occasions, we get called to find the source. Again, when you are responding to an unknown location, it can be an eerie feeling not knowing what type of fire or situation lies ahead.

Those scenarios are the back drop for a prayer I had read to me this week by a good friend. If you feel at times like you have no idea where you are going in life, take joy in knowing that you are not alone in this struggle. The words below may shed some light.

My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself,
and the fact that I think that I am following your will
does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that if I do this,
You will lead me by the right road.
Though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for you are ever with me.
And you will never leave me to face my struggles alone.
– Thomas Merton

2 in, 2 out: Never go it alone

2010-01-02T23:16:00.005-06:00

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a policy that is typically referred to as "two in, two out." Basically, the concept is that if an interior structural attack is instigated, there shall always be two people involved in that attack, and that those two individuals should be in direct contact with each other and with the outside personnel. In laymen terms: don't go it alone. (More Reading Here)

We have all seen the heroic firefighter movies (mostly cheesy, but entertaining) where a firefighter becomes a turnout gear-clad John Wayne of sorts and saves peoples' lives. This tactic certainly makes for a good movie, but the truth is that interior structural firefighting is unavoidably dangerous. If one makes the decision to go it alone, the result can be fatal.

How many of us has felt alone in this world? All have at some point. The beauty of our creation is that we were not intended to have to feel that way. While occasional loneliness is inevitable in this life, our God in all his wisdom has created a system through which we have individuals on whom we can rely... a buddy system, if you will. In fire service, this is two in, two out. In a Christ-community, it is two people, two disciplines (covered in the video below.)

I believe that when Christ sent out the 72 (rounded as seventy in some translations) in Luke 10, it was no coincidence that he did so in groupings of two. This intentional effort and giving partnerships of individuals on a common course can continue today.

This particular posting will be much shorter than my others, because I don't want to take any of your precious time when you could be reading an extremely beneficial resource below.

I have recently been reading a blog posting which ties into some similar concepts. You may have heard it referred to as "Church of Two" or CO2. Other simply refer to it as a method of keeping in contact with individuals. An easy example of why this is important:

I personally cannot keep in contact with the 1500 or so members of my congregation. Furthermore, if I did have contact with every one of those individuals, there is absolutely no chance that those contacts would really be anything more than superficial. However, if I have about three or four individuals with whom I have routine or even daily meaningful contacts, then those individuals have three or four of the same, soon all 1500 individuals in the congregation could have wonderful, meaningful relationships with other Christians... hence, a built-in buddy system.

If you feel like you might be struggling with the need for deep, meaningful relationships then I would encourage you to view this resource and consider trying some of these concepts.

For the root blog URL, view here.
For an understanding of CO2, watch the video below.

C02 Overview from TSP on Vimeo.

Final thoughts:
Have you had these experiences in the past and want to share how that worked for you?

What would your congregation look like if we really had everyone commit to having these deep meaningful relationships?

Finishing the Job

2009-12-27T23:16:00.004-06:00

But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus -- the work of telling other the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

There is nothing I hate more after a fire than getting home, taking a nice warm shower, then hearing the pager go off to return to a fire that has rekindled. It doesn't happen often, but every once in a while, a hot spot is missed and the result is a rekindling. Most the time, this never amounts to much further spread of wildfires, but it can certainly be a disastrous occurrence.

One of the speeches -- I am known for getting a soap box occasionally -- I often give rookies on their first grass fire is the importance of completing the job. Almost like a paraphrase of the Acts passage I quoted above, I can often be overheard telling newer firefighters "all the work we do today is worth nothing if we do not complete the job... we'll only be called out here again at 2am to finish it anyway." Our job as firefighters is worthless if we do not finish the job and fully extinguish the fire. Usually, once my explanation of being called back in the middle of the night sinks in, the firefighter agrees and works harder and smarter to complete the job before leaving the scene.

A few weeks ago, I posted some thoughts about the Great Commission. At that time, I was focusing on filters and biases that we often unknowingly put on the concept of spreading the good news. When we removed the blinders, we not only see how tunnel visioned we have become, but also see the endless possibilities when we put no limits on God's desire for us to share the Jesus story. I want to return to the Great Commission now, but to ponder on a more broad concept. As I said, we are instructed in this Matthew 28 passage to make disciples of all nations. Later, in the Acts 20 passage above, we hear Paul declare to the elders of the church in Ephesus that his life is worth nothing unless he does not complete the command placed on his life... sharing the Jesus story. Of course this is only after he declares that the Spirit has warned him that jail time and suffering are in his future.

My life is worth nothing if I don't complete my work. Would I be able to make that declaration if I knew for certain that it would lead to jail time and suffering? As Christians, that is the expectation.

I often hear Christians share their desires to create financial stability, raise a loving family, then possibly do some short term mission work later in life. All of these are wonderful aspirations in and of themselves, but if I were offered my picture-perfect American lifestyle knowing that it might lead to me not completing the commands set out before me, I hope my choice would be to surrender those desires in order to share the Gospel. Anybody thinking that late in life is a great time to start mission work might consider renting the movie UP by Pixar. If you have a heart to share the gospel as, in fact, the Spirit dwelling in all of us yearns to do, then waiting until later is never the right time to start.

--

What has God placed on your heart about sharing his story lately?

Digging a little deeper than I was able to go in a short blog post, what does it mean to count your life as nothing?

What might be the response if all Christians really did count their lives as nothing and instead rush to finish the work assigned to us?

Like a fire truck with no water...

2009-12-21T18:52:00.006-06:00

Many of you have read a previous post, where I described what it was like to receive our very first Class A pumper. I want to take a little step before that--just about 3 years prior--when I was a rookie. There was a 1975 Mack fire pumper. Now, when I had previously explained that my department had never had a Class A pumper, that was slightly inaccurate. We had never had a working Class A pumper. This 1975 Mack fire pumper was really missing something. It had no water. Furthermore, it didn't even have a working pump. The truck was the first due vehicle for structure fires, yet it contained no water. We lacked the funds to replace the rusted tank and fix the pump, so it served as a personnel-carrier with some hand tools and extra fire hose and equipment. The second due vehicle was a tender (water tanker) with a portable pump that could be used to make an attack on the structure. The sad story, as described in a previous post, is that this set up could never fight any more than a simple kitchen fire or any fire requiring more than 250 gallons per minute, for that matter. We needed something more to be effective in our work.
Could we fight fire with that particular set up? Yes. But what was missing was the icing on the cake... the actual water to put on the fire.
--
For the past two years, my mission team has been training towards launching a church planting work internationally. While we have been through the proverbial ringer over the past few weeks, we went over the weekend to our final team training retreat, called a training module. This module was called the CPAC, or Church Planters' Assessment Center. The focus of the training was a final assessment as to the maturity and capability of the team. Was our team incapable? No. Was our team immature? No. We simply were missing some focus and direction. This module was the icing on the cake. Much like a good marriage retreat, this weekend took close-to-the-surface issues and allowed them to surface in a productive environment of mentors, missionary peers, and fellow teammates.
During our team training modules, weekly mentoring meetings, and individual team meetings, we have come up with a team strategy, team covenant, traveled on a survey trip, and even performed some outside research to form some concepts relating to the Aussie culture. We needed something to be more effective in our work.
Could we have arrived in Australia without this training module and performed the work we had planned? Yes, but, just like the fire truck with no water, we lacked the icing on the cake.
--
Below is my synopsis of the ingredients of the aforementioned icing, which has now been applied to the cake which is our team.

1) Desire: We typically consider desire to be something related to our personal wants. Kent Smith, one of the mentors of the weekend assisted us in the process of redefining desire. Most of us desire things like a steady job, nice things in the home, even a nice meal with family on holidays. These things are not necessarily bad, but don't really deserve the title of a true desire. As a Christian, a true desire is a want that falls in line with God's will for us. As we work towards our 2010 launch for Australia, we have now worked through a process which takes these desires and bring them to fruition. What to know how you can center yourself more by aligning your desires with God's will in your life? I'm working through Kent Smith's book Centered right now, and maybe you will find its iPhone, Kindle, or PC version helpful as well.
2) Team Maturation: Admittedly, this assessment was tough to work through. With losing a teammate just weeks ago, this assessment was inevitably skewed in all questions relating to trust and communication. Even still, we were able to talk through some things that would assist us. We also agreed to wait several months and take this assessment again.
3) CernySmith Assessment: This gave a strong profile on our intercultural readiness, and explains some things we will each need to work on in order to be prepared to work as a team in the new culture.
--
What's the Point?
Most of you who read my blog postings understand that I desire to work in dialogue to sort through issues plaguing Christian communities. Much like Christ's parables, which used everyday occurrences to explain his story, I seek to use things I know and understand-- fire service-- to relate to you. Tonight's posting really has no hidden meaning. I merely desired to share with you some things I'm working through with my team.

Are you working through some things that you would like to share?
Don't hesitate to post things you are working through. I would love to hear your comments below. Additionally, if you read this post on my Facebook profile or on Twitter, those are wonderful places to dialogue as well.

Answering the Call: Staffing Shortage

2009-12-13T23:00:00.003-06:00

In the midst of the 2008 financial crisis, cities around the country were searching to cut back. After years of sales tax revenue increases and other signs of strong economic times, the downturn in housing and financial markets led to lower income for municipalities through tax revenue and all of a sudden cities were forced to make hard decisions. From a macro perspective, it seems easy to find ways that local governments can cut back without dire consequences. When we look at how it affected fire and emergency services, however, the result was a decision that costs lives.

For those not in fire service, allow me to explain--using some vast generalities--the seating positions of a typical four man fire truck. Typically, the driver of the apparatus works the pumps once on scene. He/she is called the operator. The front passenger seat is called the officer seat, is typically a captain or lieutenant, and that position is typically for the individual who leads the crew on that particular fire truck. The two positions in the back seat are simply called firefighter positions, and typically are given jobs such as fire attack, search and rescue, or other jobs as assigned. For any firefighters reading this, we can all attest that it takes all four seats being full to be effective on the fire ground. While one less firefighter is literally only 25% less individuals mathematically speaking, the ability of the remaining firefighters to work to at least 75% capacity with only three of four firefighters is greatly diminished, if not impossible.

That being said, this is exactly the expectation many cities placed on their local fire service. The fire departments sought to prevent this from happening, but when the choice is to reduce staffing or cut staffing all together, many chose the lesser evil. One fire service website stated that adequate staffing is very similar to a good insurance policy. You only worry about it when you need it, but to find out you are uncovered can be devastating.

And so it has come to be that fire houses and fire trucks are staffed with fewer, though the fire calls continue roll in and the fire trucks continue to roll out. They still must answer the call.

---

This past week, our "little mission team that could" lost a team member. One of our teammates informed us that moving to the other side of the world was no longer a commitment that she is willing to make. Many mission teams have multiple family units, including singles, couples, and children. Our team, however, was just my wife and I as well as two singles. Though small, each individual on our team had a unique capability, much like the seating positions on a fire engine. Each of the four of us had very unique personalities and gifts, which tended to give us the ability to have a very well-ranged perspective as a team.

For anyone who has never had the privelege to serve on a long term mission team, it is important to note the psychological impact of losing a teammate. Many have likened such a loss to a serious couple breaking up. There is a great sense of betrayal when you place your trust in an individual to work with you into the next decade only to find out that he/she has decided to break off said commitment.

And so it has come to be that "the little mission team that could" is now staffed by three instead of four. Just like the relationship of fire calls to fire trucks, God still calls this team, and this team will still answer the call.

---

The Whole Earth

2009-12-04T10:02:00.012-06:00

One day I read the Great Commission.

"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

"All nations?" I pondered. "How would eleven disciples go into the entire world?"
I decided that Jesus must have meant for everyone from that point forward to be part of this commission. "What joy Christians must get, having the honor to live out the very same commission granted to the eleven so many years ago. I bet they love to go out and share the Gospel. There must be missionaries all over the world," I thought.

I decided to check out exactly what Jesus must have meant about sharing the Gospel with all the nations.

Then I took a look at a map of the earth. My eyes went right to Antarctica and I chuckled. "Evangelism to penguins," I thought with a smile. So I chose to remove Antarctica from the map. I figured the North Pole fell under the same criteria, so I scratched it out too.

"There," I thought. "Now we have an inhabited earth to talk about." Then I remembered reading about how much of Canada and Russia are uninhabitable. If I scratched out the North Pole and Antarctica on those criteria, I couldn't very well justify leaving those sections of Canada and Russia, right? Since I couldn't remember what parts of Russia and Canada are uninhabitable, I just removed them completely. I also wasn't very skilled in high school geography, so rather than looking up a map with governmental borders, I just wiped out everything that looked VERY white on the map. Who wants to live in the permafrost anyway, right?

"Wow," I thought. "The earth is still rather large. How are all the Christians going to reach so much land mass and so many people?"

After studying the map for a while longer, I began to think about Europe. Since that continent is mostly made of white, affluent people, and mission work is typically targeted to those of lesser means, I decided to remove them next. Aussies and Kiwis speak just like the Brits of Europe, except have a prettier landscape. I hated to see them go, but since they are mostly white and affluent cultures, others just need the Gospel more than them. So away went Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

After some more thought, I remembered a politically conservative elder getting up during church and praising our troops for the work they are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan. I overheard another person at church saying that they wouldn't be surprised if Iran is next, the way Ahmadinejad is acting. "If so many people from my church are in support of our military's efforts on foreign soil, it must be the Lord's work being done, right?" I considered. I zoned out for a few minutes and thought of all of those email forwards I've received with pictures of soldiers praying. "Wow, and to think I had always thought wars were just political," I smiled. "Now I know that God's democracy is being spread the those nations." Upon that epitome, I scratched out the remaining portions of the middle east, because our soldiers pretty much have that region taken care of.

I keep hearing Christians on late night news commentaries on MSNBC and Fox News debate that we are a Christian nation. They give evidence in everything from the Pilgrims to the Founding Fathers, even citing scripture to suggest that the United States is a holy, ordained nation. Since this country is so well cared for, I took it off the list. "Who needs to send missionaries to a Christian nation?" I jested.

But after removing so much wasted space that is uninhabited, nations that have already seen Christ, and rich nations who don't need to hear the Gospel, I still thought the earth look rather large. While I've been able to draw on my own experience and my own intuition until this point, it is clear to me that I now must begin some intensive research. It is imperative that I know exactly what Jesus meant when he said "all nations." Surely, with an earth this large, he really meant to just pick a few target areas, right? I mean, the whole earth, really? C'mon.

So I took it upon myself to research congregation after congregation. Their websites were very resourceful. After exhausting the list of congregations I could remember off the top of my head, I turned to non-profit organizations with a Christian heritage. While not churches, these are organizations that use media, missions efforts, and other means to spread the gospel. Their websites and fundraising mailouts were instrumental in gathering information. Finally, after researching churches and nonprofits, I turned on the Christian channel on the TV. Almost immediately, there was a host to the program in some poor nation talking about feeding the poor and hungry and how Jesus wants us to care for those less fortunate. I noted the countries this show visited and added those nations to my list. After much research, I noticed Asia, with the exception of the Indian slums, was noticeably missing from the Lord's work. If God's people--by that, I mean the churches, organizations, and media sources that claim his work--are not working in a certain area, then surely that is because God's will has them working elsewhere, right? Along the same logic, if I see God's people referencing the Lord's work in the same places from completely unrelated, independent sources, then it must mean that God desires us to focus in these areas, right? I was rather proud of my newfound logic, and made my final cut.

As I sat back and looked at my new visual interpretation of the Great Commission. Surely Jesus must be proud that I took the time to read into his words and finally figure out the puzzle. I had finally gotten to the bottom of this. I thought I might share it with my pastor and elders too, so that they might be able to share with the congregation that the riddle is finally unwrapped... we now know where Jesus desires us to put our focus thanks to some careful consideration. Being so proud, I decided to go back to the Great Commission again. I read it out loud.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

I looked at my map. Somehow, there was a disjunct. My logic was sound, though, so what was the problem?

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

After reading these verses aloud again, I looked back at my map.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

My eyes began to tunnel in on the verses. Something was amiss.

go and make disciples of all nations.

all nations.

Oh, wait.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

In this fast-paced world, we always want to get to the meat 'n taters of the verses. You know, the main point. We want a synopsis, the reader's digest version, the Cliffs Notes. The biggest problem is this:

When you spend your time trying to reduce Christ's words to your own logic, your own meat 'n taters version, and your own worldview, you won't make the right cut.

Trainingless churches pool ignorance. Pt 2

2009-11-30T20:27:00.008-06:00

If you missed Part One of this discussion, you can find it here.

The general synopsis. I have noticed a serious issue that pervades churches. Police, fire, military, and other public service organizations fully understand the need to constantly train to adapt and change with the rest of the world. While churches have done a wonderful job training ministers to produce wonderful shows every Sunday morning with advanced media, powerful music, and thought provoking speeches, there is a segment of church responsibility that is being overlooked. That segment is a method of sharing the gospel. I do not believe the solution to be something like a "5 steps to salvation." No, the solution must be multi-faceted, complex, and adaptable. While I did not label this issue in Part One, I have decided to call this the Molly Problem, in honor the video that piqued my interest in this issue.

Now that we're all on the same page, I do not want this blog posting to be a church-bashing. My last post was related to the issues. This post should be about solutions.

My wife is a black belt. She may, in fact, be a second degree black belt sometime during the spring. It has taken a long time for her to reach this point. While the work in obtaining a black belt was difficult, it pales in comparison to the responsibility once someone obtains a black belt status. When my wife tested for her black belt, there were others that were obtaining that achievement at the same time. I noticed a significant difference between some black belts. Some believed the black belt to be the highest honor and achievement in martial arts. Others, however, believe the black belt to be the highest responsibility related to martial arts. What's the difference? The first group believes that their achievement is completed and the job is finished, while the second group believes that their journey as martial artists has only just begun. My wife will tell you that one of the greatest honors she has as a black belt student is that she now has a responsibility to share that honor with others. She now gets to teach students of all ages and rankings. Not only is she a great martial artist, but she is also a great teacher. That is the difference between a black belt status and a black belt martial artist. My wife is a black belt martial artist.

I believe Christians have the same responsibility. Martial Arts is a journey. Along with that journey, there responsibilities bestowed upon the students. To me, becoming a Christian through baptism comes with a wonderful responsibility. The honor in being a Christian is not merely that we gain entry to the Kingdom. Furthermore, the honor is not just that we have everlasting life. Those are great honors in and of themselves, yet one of the greatest honors in becoming a Christian is undertaking the responsibility of sharing in the story of Christ and assisting others in that journey.

What do I mean by responsibility of sharing in the story? Don't we hire ministers and missionaries for that? You tell me...
Matthew 28
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

I don't know about what you read into that, but I have yet to find the verse that says church-goers have less responsibility to share the story of the Gospel than the paid ministers.

What does this have to do with the issue of pooling ignorance and assuring that we no longer have the Molly Problem creep up within our congregations? I believe that when we become Christians, the journey has not ended. Instead, it is now our responsibility to share the Gospel. In order to be able to share the gospel, we must know the gospel. The key is training. It takes mentors of all ages sharing together about their experiences in sharing the gospel. There are so many resources out there that involve sharing the story of our sovereign God and his slain Son. Why do our churches fail to train the membership?

In fire service (and other industries), there is a system called "train the trainer." The concept is that if those teaching fire ground operations are not properly train, it is just a great big pool of ignorance being taught through generations of firefighters. However, if the training officers of a fire organization have advanced knowledge of fire ground operations as well as advanced knowledge on how to teach/train on these operations, then the trainees will leave the classroom/training field better equipped to adapt and overcome in their own environments.

While churches historically have lumped all evangelistic training into five simple steps, that is neither biblical nor appropriate in this culture. The answer is to train the trainers. We need to go back, as a people of God, and assist each other in living out the responsibility, the honor, bestowed upon all of us to share in this wonderful story of Jesus who is the Christ.

Just as fire service training captains and black belt martial artists are expected to continue learning and developing their craft, we should be developing our knowledge on the story of the creator God and his Son, the Messiah. Furthermore, just as fire service training captains and black belt martial artists are expected to pay that knowledge forward, we should be sharing what we have learned about Christ with those around us.

The way I see it, that is the solution to the Molly Problem.

Discussion:
1) Is my solution too simple? Have I missed the boat somehow? Tell me how! Let's learn together.
2) How does a church train the trainer? Or, in some cases, how does a church re-train the trainer?

Trainingless churches pool ignorance. Pt 1

2009-11-21T22:04:00.006-06:00

If one were to ask me what it takes to be successful in fire service, my number one answer is training. Whether you are a salesman, career fire fighter, executive officer, or a volunteer, change in this world is inevitable; training is the key to keep up with this change.
Sometimes training goes well...
Sometimes, well, you get the picture...

As a salesman, I am often blessed to see new developments in fire service equipment that can better the methods for those on the front lines. I often get to train on these pieces of equipment and show departments how training to use this equipment can better their operations as a whole.

Take the Eclipse thermal imager, for instance. This little pocket-sized imager is now cheap enough for most departments to afford and is even being adopted by larger cities so that more firefighters on the fire field have the life-saving device in their hands. Not only is size and price a benefit, it also is capable of software upgrades via the web, giving fire departments the ability to change with future updates. This is a piece of equipment poised to change thermal imaging operations.

In the case of firefighters, training is a necessity for their safety. As a firefighter, I am a proponent of aggressive training protocols to keep fire departments ready to adapt to challenges in protecting a community. For career departments, it can be as simple as what some shift departments do, which is devote 2 hours per shift to some form of training. For volunteer departments, it should probably be at least 6-10 hours a month (e.g.- two weekly meetings per month devoted to training.) Of course, we would all love to show up at the fire, be a hero, and go home to our families without danger and without the need for training... but that is a reality only in Hollywood depictions of fire service.

The problem with training is that it is all theoretical. Sure, there are some math equations in advance pump operations and hydraulics, but most of training is an exercise in being prepared for the unexpected. That is a poor argument some people use against training, but I say it is just a challenge that must be overcome. The training should not be a list of rigid rules with no flexibility. Instead, training should include flexibility, sharing potential downfalls to each tactic and offering alternatives. The key to good training is preparing for adaptability.

So, it is obvious that fire service needs training, but what about in families? I answer this question with a resounding yes! Though Tish and I have not yet been blessed with children, many families have shared with us that "teachable moments" are the key to raising disciplined, well-behaved children (in other words, using day to day activities to share with children about life lessons.) In addition to parenting, married couples must take time to grow and learn together, constantly seeking to understand their partners more. The result: families that communicate, love each other, and genuinely take care of each other.

If training works in fire service, and it works in families, what about in churches? I came across this question recently when viewing a YouTube account of a teenager trying to share the story of Christ to a Hindu friend. Take a moment to watch this video if you have not already. The entire premise of the scenario is cause for concern, but my focus is actually to rewind the clock and see what would happen if we were to employ training to Christians as a resource on how to share the gospel in love, not ignorance. In a post-Christendom world, where Christians are often viewed as ignorant, hypocritical, and hateful, it would have done wonders for the Christian in this video to do a little ground work first. Would it hurt to learn a little about Hinduism and Sara's home country of India before spouting off about Jesus, hell, and the wrong continent? Simply taking the time to learn Sara's spiritual point of view would go a long way in establishing trust and showing genuine love and sincerity. At this point, all this video has shown is that most of the stereotypes of Christians are true.

The case is made for mentoring in the scriptures (remind me and a future post will be on the subject of mentoring). I believe this mentoring relationship we see in the Bible carries over in how we teach each other to share the gospel. Those with wisdom and understanding-- especially those portraying grace and sincerity-- should be helping those who have less experience in sharing the story.

Sharing the story of Christ varies in tactic as much as people vary one to another. For that reason, I don't believe a simple lesson on the "steps to salvation" will do. Instead, I believe that training people how to share the gospel, just like in fire training, is a lesson in adaptability.

Unfortunately, I must stop here for today. The good news is that I will be back for Part Two soon.

In the meantime, I'd leave to hear your perspective on the following.

1) Am I right? Has the Church failed to train people to share the Gospel in love?
2) If you were to put a training curriculum together, what would it contain?
3) If you are not a follower of Christ, I would love to hear your perspective. Has anybody ever talked about the story of Jesus with you, and did they do so in love or did they do so more like our friend Molly in the video above?

Before you Crack...

2009-11-04T20:30:00.004-06:00

The sound, so I am told, was unforgettable. First a Crack and Boom; next, water is going everywhere. The weight and pressure must have been unbearable for the worn out old pump. What am I referring to? What you see pictured is called a pump volute. It is essentially a housing that surrounds the impeller (the rotor in the pump that increases pressure as well as gallons of flow). With the housing cracked and broken, the pump loses its ability to force water, essentially disabling the entire fire truck. Unfortunately, this scenario became a reality for one of our brush trucks last week.
The culprit was simply that the filling valve on the back of the truck (which is plumbed directly into the pump) had nothing to support its weight. As 150 gallons per minute of water flowed into the filling valve, the weight became insurmountable. The result is what you see in the above picture.
In life, the flow of our daily grind can slowly wear down on us. As we go about our daily work, the pressure builds tension and eventually we crack. But what if we were designed with a support system to help us cope? What if we could relieve the tension so the inevitable "cracking" never occurs?
From Acts 4...All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
I have more verses regarding the first century church and a supportive community than I have space to write. The truth is, a community is absolutely necessary in order to help us cope. Had Christ simply died for our sins, then left us with no support system, what good would that have served? No, Christ knew that we would need a community to give us the support we need.

Many have read my previous posting, I want to be tired. In that posting, I spoke about how I do not believe we are created to live a life seeking refreshment. I believe we have work to do on this earth and we need a greater sense of urgency in our work. When I speak of a supportive community today, it is not in contradiction of my former post. In fact, I believe it backs up my previous statement. The "supportive community" of which I speak is not intended as a crutch, but rather an encourager to press on and work towards the goal.

I want to be tired.

2009-10-22T20:08:00.008-05:00

This week, I am tired. Not my usual kind of tired... but extra tired with a cherry. And some hot fudge. Yep, I am eating a plate of tired with all the fixin's.

Truth be told, that's nothing new. In any given week, I am asked to fulfill a plethora of roles (in no particular order): husband, firefighter, salesman, service man, mission team member, fire administrator, and occasionally even a friend. You know what I am most of all, though? Exhausted.

Flash back. Remember in middle school/ high school sports when your coach used to tell you to "leave it all on the field?" When I think about life, and the gift we are given, I believe life is more about leaving it all on the field and being physically spent than slowing down to the point that we are awoken with a refreshed perspective every single day.

Don't get me wrong. I believe there are seasons of our lives that we are called to slow down and experience the hope and joy we are promised in Christ. I really do. But I think we often misconstrue the desire for a "joy in Christ," and confuse it with a physical energy based on a cup of joe and a wonderful night's slumber. I don't think that's true refreshment. Let me explain:

My favorite time of day is right before I fall asleep, utterly exhausted, and I lay down my head. The sensation of knowing my day was so long that I will almost immediately drop into a night of rest is the best feeling of the day. It means I really did something important. Whether it comes from waking early in the morning and working all day or whether it is due to a long late-night fire, it almost always means I filled my day with the work God has laid before me. Sometimes it's pay work. Sometimes it's volunteering at the FD. But almost always, I can say it is a product of hard work.

But with the refreshment of being in Christ, why would you want to be tired? Proverbs 14:23 gives honor to a day's work. Chris's ministry displayed a sense of urgency. The first Christians are often described as if they were working at a panic rate. I think the question quickly becomes "why do you always desire refreshment and relaxation?" I truly believe we are promised rest after this life. Yet, in spite of this promise, this current generation lives life in expectation of immediate result. If a show ends with "to be continued" we walk away disappointed. If our work does not immediately reap rewards, we look for new work. The worst example is that we so often sell our cars with life left in them simply because we desire something refreshed and new. But I truly believe that God desires us to put off rest for later. Instead of desiring that rest now, I would rather spend this body he gave me so that when I am finally laid in my final resting place on this earth, my body is tired and worn. What worth is my body if I die with plenty of life left in me? What good is my flesh if I live 100 years but fail to exert energy on fulfilling God's desires in me.

So, going back to the roles I fill every week. I am a husband, but one who desires to give everything he has to care for his wife and family. I am a firefighter... one who desires to put it all on the line when life is at stake. I am a salesman... a salesman who would rather bust it day in and day out for an ounce of success, rather than sit at home as an order-taker. I am a mission team member; I desire to do what it takes and travel to the ends of the earth if that's what it takes to fulfill God's mission in me. I am a fire administrator... a treasurer whose desire is to see my fire department progress into this century and beyond with the resources to protect a community. I am a friend... the kind that you can text and 2am and expect an immediate response. What does that make me? Not superman. Just tired.

But tired is OK with me, because I want to leave it all on the field.

Beverly Hills, Fire Steamers, and an empty compartment

2009-09-29T22:25:00.007-05:00

In May 2006, my fire department purchased its fully operational first Class A Fire Apparatus. In layman's terms, it was a fire truck-- red and shiny too. It was 23 years old, but it was new to us. Prior to that year, we had been using large water tank vehicles, such as those you see on construction sites, with portable pumps and a few cabinets to store equipment. But no... this was a real truck. A real, highfalutin, water-squirtin', siren-squealin' fire truck. We were on top of the world. We had big plans. We were going to use this truck to be the best-trained, most equipped, most professional volunteers in the area... so we bought some stuff. Then we bought some more. It didn't take long before we filled all that cabinet space we never thought we could fill. What's more, there was equipment bungy-tied to the top, the sides, and every other part of the truck. But it was the best we could do. You see, when we bought this truck, it wasn't purchased to just fight fires. Sure, it could do that, but it also responded to all medical emergencies, vehicle accidents, rural rescues, bee calls, structural protection on grass fires, assist neighboring departments, parades, community events, and so on and so forth. It was called upon to do so much more than just fight fire.
It was overloaded and soon became cumbersome to navigate on scenes. Some equipment always had to be removed to get to other equipment, and it was just inevitable that there was always something hanging in front of the item you needed.
Later in 2006, a large tanker vehicle was purchased that took some burden from the truck... then we bought more equipment to fill the empty cabinets. In 2008, it became clear that the vehicle was being overworked, so a Fire SUV was purchased to respond to medical calls and act as a command vehicle on large scenes. Yet still, the cabinets remained full or were soon filled with more equipment. Again, in 2009, a new fire truck was donated by the City of Abilene with the support and unanimous vote of the Taylor County Rural Fire Committee. This truck further lightened the load, and for the first time, our first-out fire truck has space in the cabinets. Items are no longer bungy-tied to the outside of the rig, and everything can be reached without having to reach around, over, or behind other equipment. In short, we emptied ourselves in order to be more functional.

In Darryl Tippens' book Pilgrim Heart, an entire chapter is devoted to the discipline of emptying. It is described in Philippians 2:7. Often called Kenosis, the concept is simply this: overfill yourself and become too burdened to operate. Empty yourself--or make yourself nothing-- and become what God truly desires from us. He further goes on to describe a life of self-sacrifice in the true spirit which God intended.

Many Christians, including myself at many times, have taken to the habit of attending every single ministry event, leading ministry campaigns, and filling ourselves up with good deeds. Much like in the example of my fire truck above, the intentions are good. People start out saying "yes, I can do that...and that...and that...and...." You get the picture. But soon, our schedules are full and we find ourselves being unfulfilled. Again, like the fire truck, we find ourselves strapping on more good deeds-- each righteous and holy in their own right-- until we are beyond capacity. Something has to give.

After spending some time in a house church setting, where few people are forced to spend entire work-weeks preparing for the gathering, I have come to appreciate simplicity. It's not that I have a theological reason to dislike larger gatherings, but my fear is that we are creating an environment which tells the lay-people that they are good for one thing: to sit there and watch the people who have filled up their weeks preparing for a perfectly conducted one-hour stage show. Once over, the ministry team retreats to their offices to prepare for next week's showing. As leaders, what are we telling people when we say that it takes a full-time ministry staff an entire week to prepare for ministry? Are we filled up, fed up, or both? Continuing to operate over capacity is not only wearing us out, but it is a sure fire way to miss great opportunities just outside our front doors.

Whether in big church, house church, or no church, I challenge each of you to try a new method of life this week. Empty yourselves in such a manor that we can reach our full potential.

Question for the week:
What in your life is driving you over capacity? If you were a fire truck, what could you remove and still operate effectively? What would have to stay to maintain essential, Christ-like operations?

Whose time is it, and why can't I have a drive?

2009-09-17T21:35:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I wish that time was like a best friend's car. I don't want to be in control all the time, but once in a while I want to take 'er for a spin! In life, I tend to be somewhat of a control freak until the point at which I actually gain control... and then I just get tired of the organization and am happy to give the reigns back to the original owner. Time is no exception to this rule.

Unfortunately, in life, in fire service, and in our service to God, that is not an option. My wife blogged recently about a particularly frustrating night working on fundraising. No doubt this was a particularly frustrating night, because her entire plan for the evening's chain of events was broken by an unfortunate oversight at Wal*Mart. You might have also noticed that I was noticeably absent from any of the afore-blogged events. I have not become a deadbeat to my family's fundraising efforts, though, I was definitely occupied that evening. Just about the time my wife was forgetting her ink cartridges, a familiar set of long tones followed by dispatcher's voice blurted out over my pager. "Possible structure fire; occupants unknown." I spent from approximately 6pm Friday night until 4am Saturday morning fighting fire in the driving rain and frequent lightning. In all honestly, a weekend fire can be a good stress release (though certainly a tragedy) after a long week; however, this particular week was promising to end with a laundry list of to-dos... It certainly was the poster child of bad timing. In fact, that entire night was a case study for the art of bad timing.
**digression, for clarity's sake**
That particular night, only four responders from Potosi responded due to many people being on vacation, at work, or dealing with family issues. Bad timing #1. Our neighbor, Buffalo Gap was already in another fire fight when this page was sent out. Bad timing #2. We were forced to rely on Abilene Fire Department (who was also busy with their own community to protect) to assist. Another department was requested, but never responded. Bad timing #3. In addition to low staffing, the fire occurred in an area with no hydrants. Bad placement (ergo timing) #4. No hydrants = no water to put the fire out. No staffing = nobody to drive the tankers to water shuttle from the hydrants two miles away. Every attempt at an attack led to the same problem... running out of water and waiting on trucks to bring more. This was yet another example of timing issues.
**regression, if that's what you call it**
On a night when I am promised the possibility of a relaxing pizza, coke, and a movie with my beautiful bride, I instead spend the night fighting fire. All this, again, is an example of why volunteering is both a blessing and a curse as well as an all-around tiring job.

I am reminded that we are never promised good timing by God. A teacher of the law asked Christ one day if he could go where Christ was going. In a round about way, Christ said yes... the man's response? First let me bury my father. Many ask to be part of the Kingdom, but few are prepared for God's response. It's usually simply a matter of timing. Kenny Chesney says it this way:

My wife said it another way. In a recent private email response to a dear friend's blog post about missions and support, my wife spoke about the lessons our team has learned about timing. I could spend the next half hour describing those lessons, but here is the synopsis:
Our original launch date was Fall 2007. Our team did not complete forming until January 2008 and still has one training module to complete this Fall. Our launch date got moved all the way to January 2010, but we will still miss this launch date.

Why? Because God has control of the timing and we do not. This posting might sound a little more rambled than my others, and certainly has no clear cut ending. Maybe that is because it is a lesson I am still learning.

The point, however, is that in life, fire service, and missions, I do not have the luxury of optional controls as I described in my opening paragraph. In life you get two choices: 1) God's at the helm and we get to join in his exciting journey, or 2) We take control, and we fail to fulfill God's plan for us. I often provide lip service to wanting the former to occur, yet in the end selfishly fall into the latter.

Where do you fall? Are you comfortable with letting God take control of the timing in your life? If so, congratulations, and, How? Or, are you like me, and want to take control when convenient? I can honestly say, I have met many people in both categories. I applaud those who have intentionally formed in themselves the ability to wait on God's plan to come to fruition. I think I am still riding the fence as of the time of this posting.

...but not so good for churches

2009-09-02T21:41:00.004-05:00

This past week, I had the blessing of attending Fire Rescue International (FRI), a national event planned and organized by the International Assoc. of Fire Chiefs. The event was in Dallas, which was especially nice, because I only had to drive 3 hours to get there. For those unfamiliar with FRI, it is 220,000 square feet of fire trucks, rescue equipment, safety equipment, communications, and more. It is pretty much a firefighter's dream house. While classes are always available for those interested in learning about current changes and events in the fire service, the pinnacle of these events is always the new fire trucks and fire equipment being released at the event. Most manufacturers and dealers spend 3-4 days setting up their booths, detailing trucks, and putting finishing touches on their (very expensive) displays. Some displays are over 1000 square feet.

While at the event, I began to notice an interesting phenomena. Some vendors had planned and prepared to have a very stunning display, while others appeared to have little foresight into their booths. It was intriguing to watch how many people stopped only at booths with the most presentable fire trucks, flashiest (is that a word?) light displays, or most friendly sales representatives. In short, people were window shopping based on appearance. As a salesman for a company that is well-known for having one of the most impressive displays at every single event, I am rather proud to say we were busy all weekend long. Our company prides itself on being able to take a basic truck with very few extras and turning it into a dream ride--something similar to taking a Honda Accord and turning it in to an Acura RL. The response, of course, is overwhelmingly positive.

With the expectations put on fire service organizations these days, people love to see how versatile we can make a basic fire truck. From EMS first response to rescue to structural response to wildland support to vehicle accidents, these trucks must be capable of doing everything... and believe me, they can do it. Having the most impressive display and most presentable "fit and finish" is a wonderful strategy for fire service equipment manufacturers and dealers...

...but not so good for churches. Currently living in Abilene, I come across a plethora of faith gatherings. Every well-known religion, denomination of Christianity, and even theological range of denomination is represented in abundance here. There are even gatherings devoted to those who oppose people of faith. When church leadership prepares a vision for the future of a given congregation, no doubt the concepts of marketing are guaranteed to be present. This is not a bad thing; however, what often results is a bad thing--and that is a contest to see who can make the most impressive display (and right now, I gotta tell ya, only Satan is winning this game.)

I am ashamed to say, I have often been part of the problem, not the solution. I have been on the church leadership side, where the focus is in a better worship experience, a prettier sign out front, or a more inviting foyer. I have also been part of the laymen, who wander from congregation to congregation on a whim, seeking only the gathering which provides the most impressive front. At the end of the day, though, isn't that all it really is: a front?

CHURCH: We are a fallen people, all imperfect, all sinful, and some of us rescued. Why are we acting like we have the most impressive display? Can we, in all our PowerPoint slides and praise teams/bands ever match the awe-inspiring glory of a host of angels? Can the most emotional sermon or the best church building entrance ever compare to the sight of a boulder rolled away from its resting place revealing an empty tomb? No. I don't think anybody would disagree with that, so maybe the best question would be "Why do we even try?"

I could give ample scenarios in which I have seen this same problem occur, but I don't think that is productive. Instead, I would rather pose a question: How do we, as Christ's body, get ourselves out of the rut that is our showmanship? How do we show others in the community that, not only do we not believe we have the most impressive display, it doesn't even matter if we do? For those of us not quite ready to cut those strings, how do we get to where we don't believe those things matter?

I look forward to hearing your response.

First Post: Rescue the Rescuer

2009-08-22T00:41:00.002-05:00

Rather than give the seemingly obligatory first post that states "I never thought I would...but now I am," or "I finally broke down and started a blog," or some other variant of said post, I would rather jump right in. So, here I am, blogger world.

It is a firefighter's nightmare... the day his brother falls in a fire and needs rescuing. Unfortunately, given the unavoidably dangerous atmosphere that firefighters are asked to endure, scenarios like this are inevitable. Firefighters train for this through drill after drill, but the moment it happens, I am quite certain all training goes out the window and it is simply a matter of a race against the clock. I have embedded this video as an explanation of what I mean (warning, not suitable for all viewers):

I personally feel very blessed that I have never had to experience anything like this, yet it reminds me of my own faith journey in so many ways. By now, you most likely know that I am a firefighter--a volunteer to be exact--and if you know anything about firefighters, we relate almost every aspect of our life to those experiences.

In my life, I was blessed to have been in a Christian since around the age of 6. However, during a time in high school, I feel away from that faith and struggled both behaviorally and spiritually. There was not one single moment in my life where I was rescued, yet a series of events led to me eventually reigniting my faith, "rescuing me from the dominion of darkness," as Colossians 1 states. So, as a Christian, I needed rescuing. And I received the rescue operation that I needed.

In addition to the thought of being rescued, I also think about the firefighters who are performing the rescue. You see, I believe that Christ gave specific commands to his followers that stated we are to be rescuers to others who are in danger of falling. But his command didn't go unfunded... with this mandate, he gave the resources with which to rescue his creation. First, he gave a community, which is much like the brotherhood of firefighters. This community is intended to be strengthened through their gatherings and in their commonality in Christ to the extent that they should have a desire to see others rescued as they have too been rescued. With this community comes the second resource, the Bible. The canon itself is filled with story after story of people being rescued from the dominion of darkness, yet Christians so often forget that this book is a blueprint to guide in these rescue efforts. Finally, he gave not only a community and not only a book, but himself. He is the martyred example of how to rescue people from the dominion of darkness. It is through him that rescue can even be made. If it was a cause that he believed was worth giving the ultimate sacrifice for, it is a cause that Christians should seek to model in their own lives. As Penn--yes, the athiest magician of Penn and Teller--stated, "how much do you have to hate someone, if you believe there is a God and a heaven and a hell, not to proselytize?" You see, this man Jesus, in whom I claim to believe, died for a cause in which I claim to believe. If I, a follower of Jesus, truly believe that this world is need of God's rescuing hand, and that I possess the necessary information with which to perform the rescue, and I fail to do so, then there is no rational explanation other than hate. So, we are given a community, a spoken word, and a martyred example with which to share a method of example. In my metaphor of fire and rescue services, the martyred example would be fallen heroes of the past, from whom we can learn to prevent future disaster.

So, where do we go from here? The simple answer is to go and perform the rescue for which we have been trained and equipped. As I close this post, I think about the firefighter in the video embedded above. If you watched it to about 1:20, then you saw the darkness come crashing around him. I have been there--not physically; not literally. I praise God that I have not been in such a scenario in real life... but spiritually, that is where I have been. Yet I was rescued. By God's hand, through my wife, through my family, through my friends, I have received the rescue I so desperately needed. So again, I say, as Penn already did, "How much do we have to hate--if we believe in God and Heaven and Hell-- to not share in the news which could rescue others from the Dominion of Darkness?

On a lighter note: I felt like sharing a fun video as well. This week, I had the pleasure of doing some live fire training with my brothers of the Potosi Volunteer Fire Department. For those who have ever been just a little bit curious of what a real fire is like, here is a thermal imager video taken from inside the fire. Enjoy.