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  What if Jesus came back today, what would you say?
On my last two trips to Haiti, I’ve worked with Pastor Bob LeFranc, affectionately, ‘Pastor Bob’. He and I have an ongoing disagreement. Bob thinks Jesus is coming back very soon to judge the world, very soon, as in, tomorrow if not before. My point in our debate is this, for two thousand years people have been saying the same thing, “Jesus is coming soon!” For two thousand years, as far as I can tell, they’ve been mistaken. This statement has also used to let those with wealth and relative prosperity to continue to rest on our laurels while others stay in poverty.
Pastor Bob and I do not continue this discussion very long when in Haiti, unless stuck in Port Au Prince traffic. On this past trip to Haiti, after meeting a couple of new partners and seeing their orphanages, schools, and children’s homes, I told Bob, “With so much to do, if Jesus comes back today, we’ll have to tell him to come back later because we are busy.” Do you feel like that most days of the week? Do you feel like you’re part of something that is changing the world and you just need more time to make the world a better place, more like the kingdom of God?
In 1986, a Gallup survey showed that, for the first time in decades, more people in the United States thought that their children would grow up to find a world in worse shape than the world they grew up in. This perspective is not what I found in Haiti. Each person we talked with had a vision for him or herself and for Haiti, including our group.
When we said, “Goodbye for a while,” to the children of Bon Samaritan Orphanage, Abbie told me that she was happy with me and mad at me. “Mad at me?” I asked. “Yes,” she admitted, “Glad that you brought me here and mad that you are making me leave.”
When will we go back? I don’t know. The rebellion of a daughter that wants to go back to work with children in Haiti is a rebellion, that I believe, that can change the world. I believe the transformation can be so great in Haiti and beyond that Jesus, even if he is coming back soon, will say to others in heaven, “Let’s watch this and see what happens!”
So, how did you feel when you got up this morning? What would you say if Jesus came back today? What vision of the world are you working toward?
See how you can join in our effort by checking out www.nochildhungry.net

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 When I was a child, “organic” just wasn’t part of my vocabulary. I don’t recall ever hearing it except as a form of chemistry in college. Since I avoided all classes of chemistry, organic seemed no different than any other. I would not have imagined there could be organic sections of a grocery store, that some vegetables could be organic, and others, by default, inorganic.
Since organic seems to be a category now popular in many areas of life, what about Christianity? Can there be such a thing?
Well, upon some reflection, I think Charles Darwin pointed the church toward Organic Christianity.
Below is a section from an article I have coming out in the May edition of SciTech that I’ll provide a link to when it is released. It is based on a chapter from my book, Out of The Crowd. The title of the article is Darwin’s Gift.

Continue reading “Organic Christianity”

As I pray and prepare for a Good Friday Sermon, a Sunrise Easter Sermon, and an Easter Sermon, I can’t help but think of my favorite Easter sermon. I’m glad to see Tony Campolo is still telling about it. He preaches a sermon about his pastor preaching, and it is still tremendously moving! Anytime there is Friday, I remember Sunday’s coming!

I began 2015 with this vision. While riding my bike on the edge of Orange County, I saw this eagle. It is neither easy to sneak up on an eagle while on a bicycle nor capture a picture of the sky king. 
Closer to the city, I found other birds much more complicit in my picture taking. Almost posing, they allowed me to take several.
The contrast in images and in birds was clear asking me, “In 2015 will you soar like an eagle reaching high for all God has to offer or be content like a crane, only flying stretching your wings when absolutely necessary?”
I remembered the promise of Isaiah 40,

Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
I vowed to take the eagle as my example and sang out the words of Steve Miller, dooo dooo dooo dooo, I want to fly like an eagle.

A similar contrast and challenge is in the story of the Magi coming up for Epiphany Sunday presented clearly in the difference between the approach to life and God by Herod and the citizens of the city of Jerusalem and the Magi in Matthew 2,
2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ³ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
⁶ ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Herod and Jerusalem lived in a culture known for their traditions, titles, and luxuries, valuing stability and security over stars and adventure. For them the poverty of some was a prerequisite for the palaces of others. In contrast, for the magi, the world was their home, their life was in the skies where stars shined, God spoke, and Messiahs could be found anywhere. They were not known by their titles but their gifts. They were not characterized by their comforts but their visions and their journeys. Treasures were for sharing, not protecting. They were like eagles, not cranes stuck to the ground, but flying to the skies of God’s heavens.
Two clear images. Which will you choose? Who will be your role model in 2015?

The traditional translation of Proverbs 13:24 is, “Spare the rod and spoil the child.” This interpretation has been used to support taking a paddle, rod, belt, or ruler to your child when he or she needs to be kept in line. I think the more accurate interpretation is from the shepherd’s perspective as the rod was not a whipping tool but a shepherds standard used to measure the height of a sheep. In this image, we spoil children when we don’t raise a rod of a high standard for them to achieve.

For my son Nathan, the rod has been set by his coaches. Kevin Morriello has worked with Nathan for several years starting when Kevin was in college studying to be a P.E. teacher and coach. Kevin created the Shoten Ninja Academy, or what we called Ninja Training, or simply Ninjas. Though it sounds like a martial arts class, it was class in physical training challenging each student to explore the heights of what he or she can attain physically through games and exercises pushing their own personal limits to a standard higher than they, or their parents, thought them capable of doing toppling their own records and the records of the class participants.

Compared to Nathan, Kevin is a giant of a man. He is huge from Nathan’s perspective, the size of a bear, with a heart as big as one. When Kevin became a coach at Battle Ground Academy, even though Nathan doesn’t attend the school, Kevin let him be a leader with younger children as Kevin’s aid, and he let Nathan be a student training with the high school athletes and sitting on the bench during their matches. Kevin certainly set the bar high as an example for Nathan on so much more than being an athlete, but being a man and a person of character and honor. Even though Nathan’s time of training as a Ninja with Kevin has come to an end, Kevin has set the standard high for Nathan in who he can be and become.

At Nathan’s school, Grassland Middle School, Coach Gil Filbey has the unique distinction of being the only person I know in Nathan’s life who can yell at him like a Marine Sergeant and Nate takes it as a compliment. If I or any other person were to yell at Nate like his wrestling coach, he’d melt, sure he’d done something wrong. I’ve seen Gil bark out at Nate during a match and Nathan turn and simply nod to say, ‘Okay, Coach.’ When Gil shouts out an instruction or a simple, “Come on, Nathan!” my son hears the vision and belief Gil has of Nate’s potential to do and be better. At the beginning of Nate’s first wrestling season last year I heard one of the most challenging lines for both parent and son, “We believe your child can grow up to be president or anything else they want to be. But we also assure you that if he wants to be a wrestler, it won’t just take growing up, but a lot of work.” At the end of the season, Coach Gil disclosed the secret goal of the wrestling program, to help the boys to grow up into men of character. Though the wrestling season is far too short for all Nathan receives from being a member of Gil’s team, the benefit is one he will carry with him as he the rest of our family joins me in Orlando in December.

Years ago, Charles Horton Cooley defined the Psychology of The Looking Glass Self, that our self-image and sense of personal worth comes from what we believe the important people in our lives believe about us. They serve as our mirrors. In 1 Samuel 16, Samuel the Priest of Israel went out to the farm of a man named Jesse. Jesse’s youngest son was the runt of the litter, but Samuel saw the boy David through God’s eyes. God had set high the rod, and Samuel anointed the boy giving the message, “You’ll do great things.” David went onto face giants and become one of the most famous leaders in the Bible turning to God through triumph and tragedy. I give thanks for Kevin, Gil, and those who did for them what they are doing for my son, anointing him as Samuel anointed David, seeing him through God’s eyes, raising high the bar for who he can be and become.

When you count your many blessings and name them one by one, give thanks for those who have not spared the rod but raised it high in your life and the lives of other people important to you as Nathan is to me.

I uploaded two sermons to my podcast today which tie together nicely. The first looks at the mass of people Abbie, Nathan, and I experienced at Universal Studios in Florida.
We thought it a wonderful idea to spend their last days of Summer at Universal Studios. The challenge was, lots of other people had the same idea! This experience aided my sermon in Kissimmee, Florida on how we are, as Jesus observed, like sheep without a shepherd.

The companion sermon is from Orlando Presbyterian Church as part of a series on The Sermon on The Mount. During these famous verses, Jesus challenges his hearers then and now, Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

To listen to these two sermons and explore how you can live Out of The Crowd, like a sheep following the shepherd, letting your light shine, click on one of the links below:

You can hear or download these two sermons at my podcast site: http://davidwjones.podomatic.com/
or on ITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/david-w.-jones-podcast/id597879836?mt=2

A little over a week ago, I preached my first sermon as Pastor of Orlando Presbyterian Church.
I was a little nervous and worked diligently to choose the best words I could find to begin my time in Orlando and try to communicate with my new congregation. I chose these words…

   Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.

Those are, of course, the first words of the first book in the Harry Potter  series. I thought those words authored by J.K. Rowling had worked well for her, so I thought they would work well for me and mine as well. Continue reading “Don’t Be a Dursley”

From Moses and Mickey Mouse – How to Find Holy Ground in the Magic Kingdom and Other Unusual Places  – recently re-released.
As soon as the school calendar paroled my children: Cayla, the eldest, fourteen; Abbie, nine; Nathan, seven; and our nephew, Jared, twelve, we packed ourselves into the van along with a sizeable portion of our belongings and headed to Florida for several days at Disney World. It turned out quite a few other people had the same idea.
As I moved through the masses of the different parks, I was amazed at just how many people were there. I did quite a few genetic observations while people watching, “So, this man and this woman produce these offspring. Fascinating.” Or, “Wow, you picked him for a mate. Was there alcohol involved?”
Then I asked myself, “Why do so many people come to Disney World again and again, bearing the cost, the hot Florida sun, the miles to get here, the congestion?” The answer seemed and still seems obvious – wonder, collective, shared, wonder.
Wonder is the Holy Grail of the Magic Kingdom, draped in a surprise, a thrill, nostalgia, or sweet sentiment. Whatever the form, Disney packages wonder, and our hunger for wonder draws Disney lovers from across the globe, into the parking lots, on the trams, through the gates, in lines, and on ride after ride.
I experienced that wonder on our trip to the Magic Kingdom. The rides and my children showed me the way, especially on my favorite ride, Peter Pan.
Peter Pan called out, “Here we go!” as our pirate ship left the boarding station with the long line of people behind us. Abbie yelled, “We’re flying!”
We sailed into the bedroom of Wendy, John, and Michael Darling
“We’re flying! Dad, how do they do this?” Abbie asked.
I started to answer, my hand pointed up at the rail above our heads, which attached ship to ceiling track, but I resisted, certain she’d figure the mechanics out soon enough. She did. She looked up on her own, saw the rail, but chose to ignore it as we flew like Peter, Wendy, John, and Michael, sprinkled with pixie dust, thinking our happy thoughts, through the bedroom window and into the night sky.
“It’s London!” Abbie squealed as we sailed around Big Ben.
“The cars!” she cried out pointing to pairs of lights moving along dark stripes on the floor.
I looked. I saw. The dark stripes became roads and the pairs of lights became headlamps. My daughter spoke. I heard her voice. And I believed.
She did for me what Peter did in the book, the movie, and the ride. She took this aging child, struggling to find his imagination, and gave me wonder. She took this land-locked, bed-bound child, and helped me fly.
By the end of the ride, with her as my guide, I heard the tick-tock of the pirate-hungry crock, fought with Hook, ran with Smee, danced with Tiger Lilly, and swam with mermaids. I was young again; I was amazed; I was flying.
Like my daughter, I saw the rail but chose to ignore it. We were flying. With her, I was sky high, and it was wonderful. Continue reading “The Power of Imagination”

What would it mean to drive like Jesus?

Jesus sets forth his ‘way’ in the parable of The Sheep and The Goats in Matthew 25. In this moment on the Britt’s farm, I give it my best shot at envisioning a world where people see beyond “us and them” categories to viewing ourselves and others as beloved children of God.

Here is a link to just the audio which is much clearer – click picture below.

While working on The Moment, I encountered this Ted Talk by MIT Engineer Joi Ito who suggests that the key to future creativity is to be a Now-ist. Here are some excerpts from Joi Ito: Want to innovate? Become a “now-ist”

I’m a three-time college dropout, so learning over education is very near and dear to my heart, but to me, education is what people do to you and learning is what you do to yourself. And it feels like, and I’m biased, it feels like they’re trying to make you memorize the whole encyclopedia before they let you go out and play, and to me, I’ve got Wikipedia on my cell phone, and it feels like they assume you’re going to be on top of some mountain all by yourself with a number 2 pencil trying to figure out what to do when in fact you’re always going to be connected, you’re always going to have friends, and you can pull Wikipedia up whenever you need it, and what you need to learn is how to learn…

So I think the good news is that even though the world is extremely complex, what you need to do is very simple. I think it’s about stopping this notion that you need to plan everything, you need to stock everything, and you need to be so prepared, and focus on being connected, always learning, fully aware, and super present.

So I don’t like the word “futurist.” I think we should be now-ists, like we are right now.

Here is the whole Ted Talk Continue reading “Being a Now-ist in The Moment”

What time is church?

The best answer is, “Now.”

When we first started meeting for worship in The Moment, we took up an offering. Instead of passing a plate, we asked people to come forward. The physical movement was to help take us out of the spectator role of an audience and into the place of participants. It also served as an example of what we are called to do as followers of Jesus, step out into the world.

While getting up and coming forward to give an offering is the norm in some traditions, it was not in ours. Whether in a sanctuary or a bar, whether the person was six or sixty, if called to come forward for the offering, everyone would look around and wait for one thing to happen before they would move. Someone had to go first. In a crowd of five or five hundred, if something new is started, people will look for someone to go first before they move. For our offerings, usually a mother would push her child into the aisle. As soon as the child would venture out, then everyone would follow. It always took the one. Continue reading “Now Church”

Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I have a vague memory from my childhood when I prayed in a family or other group gathering. Someone, perhaps a sibling, snickered at the words I chose in my prayer. My mother, the ever protector, responded quickly, “He wasn’t talking to you.”
Jesus taught that prayer was never a public performance but a private one. Here are his words again from The Message and Matthew 6,

⁵ “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
⁶ “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

Instead of doing a dance for the world, you do your dance for God, your audience of one, The One. Instead of proclaiming your righteousness, you seek alignment with the heart and desires of God. Paul Thorn offers a great image for when God is your target audience and simple prayer in a phrase in, I Hope I’m Doing This Right, Continue reading “Pray to Your Audience of One”

I’ve spent a good bit of time with songwriters in Nashville. Like writers of books, a question they are commonly asked is, “Who is your target audience?” The question presents a challenge to any artist seeking the approval of others for a work that contains their personality and soul. However, the question does present a wonderful opportunity for reflection. Consider this image of a theater.

In the theater to the right, where would you place the following?

Preacher
Choir or Singers and Musicians
Congregation
God

The common response is to place the preacher, choir, and musicians on stage, the congregation in the audience, and God everywhere. We discuss worship as in any theater. My favorite complaint about a preacher came from my aunt, who is a Methodist, after they had just had their first Sunday with their ‘new preacher’ appointed to their church by the Bishop. She was very frustrated because he preached past 12:00 committed an even greater transgression, he started talking about food. “Now David,” she said to me, “you don’t preach about fried chicken after 12:00 when everybody is hungry and thinking about lunch.” She complained to me as if pastors were all part of a Union, and I might be able to take care of their long-winded preacher problem for her.
Soren Kierkegaard challenged our thinking of worship and said that we have the audience wrong. The congregation is not the audience. God is the audience. Those who gather for worship is on stage. The preacher, singers, and musicians are all backstage prompting the congregation. It is not our pleasure which is the final judge but God’s. It is not whether or not we consider a service meaningful but whether God finds meaning in our service, in church and out, on holy days and every days. Continue reading “Make God Your Target Audience”

My body breathes naturally, inhaling and exhaling, taking in air and letting it go to make receiving the next breath possible. What my body does naturally, I find quite challenging. I take in life, counting my many blessings, naming them one by one, then grasping tightly for all I’m worth. When I need a little help remembering how important it is to release in order to receive, I look to two of my favorite and most encouraging songs both which have the same title, Let it Go.

Two of my favorite and most encouraging songs have the same title, Let it Go.

Continue reading “Let it Go”

Preaching a sermon is often no easy task, but it’s great when you can share one with a friend. I appreciate my friendships that have lasted over time. One I’m especially proud of is my relationship with Rodney Beard. Rodney started a Bible study at the Saturn Plant in Spring Hill. He took a bold leap of faith and began Living Word, a church that has been in at least five different locations since and has outlasted the Saturn factory. Here is the only sermon I’ve kept on dvd and recently figured out how to post it on youtube. May you each have a friend like this who you share a common vision for what the world might be, praying in unison, “Thy Kingdom Come!” while you reach out together.

This past Sunday, a group of us gathered for The Moment at Boyd Mill farm. We listened as Carol Warren and Dale Whitehead told us about the waters that covered their farm four years ago and the emotional response that comes with such trauma. As song writers, they found the lack of words difficult and challenging, so that’s what they sang about.

Words Won’t Come        Nov. 2010
Carol Warren and Dale Whitehead

The landscape changed while I was away
Found it just re-arranged, nothing more to say
Barn in the trees, the water left it there
Things that it held- like other memories- scattered anywhere…

Cause words won’t come
Words won’t come
Words won’t come
Words won’t come
Continue reading “Flood Words”