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Spirit and Truth. Truth and Spirit. Two words Jesus linked together in proclaiming who will be a worshipper of God. But they can be so hard to balance. Spirit is personal, emotional, in some ways subjective. Truth is the opposite. It is objective, universal, the will and authority of God. Jesus is asking us to give them equal weight and that is hard.

Can I ask you: which of the two is more important? If you were going to be good at one and not good at the other, which would you prefer it be? We'll dig in deeply on that today by giving you a couple of examples to consider. Sometimes we lean toward truth as the center of everything. And I'd say it is. But do we also see that spirit, faith, and heart must wrap around the truth?  It may even mean: heart first, then truth, then more heart. Let me use the Bible to help you see that today.

In the end, we need to keep working on our hearts and attitude. We also need to be easier on people whose emotions are different than ours. And perhaps we need to see that our spirit can even be more fully developed than our understanding of truth. And that may be exactly the thing that saves us!  Join me on this journey to work some of this out and let's become even more sincere - "true worshippers."

- Why did Jesus say both spirit and truth are necessary to belong to God?

- What is this "spirit" and how different is it than the "truth" that follows it?

- Okay, personal question - be honest with me - which is more important?

- Is David's "new cart" example in II Samuel proof that obedience matters more than heart?

- How do we start with heart, reach for obedience, and keep the heart going forward?

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How do you see Jesus? We are called to cast our eyes on Him. We are told to see Him and we are given descriptions of Him. For me, for a long time, most of my images of Jesus had Him on the throne at times, but often looked back into His ministry on the earth. Maybe Jesus healing people. Maybe Jesus on the cross. Those are great ways to visualize His love. But those are past events. Those are earth bound events. They don't exactly picture where He is now, or fully embody who He is. 

So let's give some attention to the book of Revelation. John is show a representation fo Jesus, and it is both comforting and terrifying. We are asked to take in two converse ideas of Christ: slain lamb, and yet powerful and wrathful lamb. Let's see Jesus in His present place, and perhaps find ourselves on our faces like John being lifted up by the soft yet firm hand of our Savior and King. 

- If I asked you to picture Jesus, what image would come to mind?

- How can seeing Him on earth be a slightly limited view of Jesus?

- How does Jesus look to you if you imagine Him presently in heaven?

- How do you balance the view of a pure and loving Christ with flaming eyes?

- How will it shape your faith to see both the shed blood and the pertruding sword?

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You are going to love this episode! Yes, you get a tip on how to get let go from jury duty, but don't stop there. More importantly, you will hear the beautiful testimony of young ladies who have turned to faith. These Oklahoma Sooners are leading with their love for Christ, and they have the baptisms to prove it! 

Behind this cultural change is their head coach, who has been more vocal about her faith in the last 13 years, leading to many new believers in their program and a culture of focusing on the promises of Jesus Christ. I hope you are as inspired, encouraged, and even admonished a little, by this story as I am. It doesn't get much better than this!

- What does faith look like in our culture? In homes, school and sports?

- Is it just setting a good example, or should we actually be saying Jesus' name?

- How can a consistent example lend to conversations about Jesus?

- If you have social media, and people checked it out, would they find a baptism?

- What is the difference between joy and happiness and which one do you daily seek?

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The devil will try anything to keep us from honoring our Lord. In centuries past he could keep people in the dark in terms of knowledge. Maybe keep people from getting a Bible, or keeping the preacher from making it to town. Maybe people had questions but couldn't get answers or help.  That is not the case anymore, at least certainly not in America. We have information everywhere and available in seconds.

So how is the devil to hurt is if he can't hide the truth from us? Well, he has a powerful tactic for times like these, times of health and security and ease. He pushes the narrative of time. We have plenty of time. There is no urgency. We can do right later. These are his messages - and really the message of his that exists in our culture. 

- How do you plan to instill urgency into the daily process of start, stop, continue?

- Why do believers, who know the truth, sometimes put off doing what is right?

- How is the myth of plenty of time a trap that catches people forever?

- What would change in your life if you lived it with daily spiritual urgency?

- If Jesus came back today, are you ready?

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Today I get to share some things that have continued to have deep impact in my life. These two ideas are separate, but equally powerful. I hope to weave them together for you so you can implement each by implementing both together.

Firstly, as we've talked about in different ways over the years, you have to see the value of a single day. Today is such a powerful gift! Each day is like a mini lifetime, with a beginning, middle and end. And yet, we get to restart and stack those days into a life, into what I pray is a rewarding and wonderful life!

Secondly, we need a proper strategy to modify and maximize days. Just a tag line like "seize the day" means nothing without a means by which to strategize that day. Let's take a look into the business world today to learn about three simple questions that can make a difference for a day, and for a lifetime.

- What is your general attitude about the day when you get out of bed?

- How is the goal of mastering a single day the ticket to a better future?

- What does it mean to be aware of your recent past and it's pluses and minuses?

- How can you use that to strategize a better today?

- Isn't effort easier when you believe it is the best possible thing you can do?

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Thank you for your feedback and support after last week's episode! Talking about sexual abuse was hard. And from the large amount of feedback I got, I know it is hard or people to think back on the abuse of their past. But I pray we can bring awareness and activism in terms of fulfilling the kingdom mission to protect the innocent and rescue to oppressed. 

For today, we need to head back to the topic of forgiveness. We will look at how little of it there seems to be these days, and what we can do (must do) to Bring Forgiveness Back! How can we go about normalizing again the willingness to confess sins? How about the humility to forgive someone who has done you wrong? We will need both parties to think about what God would have them do. But the people who know them may play much larger roles than they realize. Gossip takes division and widens it. But constructive, kind, helpful speech among peers can lead to healing. Everyone plays a role in bringing forgiveness back!

- Why do people find it so hard to ask someone to forgive them?

- Why are some people so hard to approach to ask for forgiveness?

- How important are friends and family in affecting forgiveness?

- How can you play all three roles in the Philemon story?

- How dominant is the grace of Jesus Christ in your spirit with respect to others?

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The title is "The Danger of Forcing Forgiveness" on the website. I was titled "The Tyranny of Forgiveness" in the printed magazine. Both articles are the same.

Today's topic is heavier than usual. Sadly, the topic of sexual abuse and how abusers use forgiveness to cover themselves is needful in our time. There are victims who need help desperately, but are effectively being coerced into forgiving in a way that keeps them silent. They are simply staying controlled and manipulated and not getting the attention and mercy they need to heal. 

The article above discusses this travesty and suggest four things that need to be brought to the light so that a better path can be taken. God desires to forgive. And so should we. God has given mercy to you and expects you to extend it. However, forgiveness is a gift to be given, not taken. It is not to be controlled by the one who seeks the forgiveness, and certainly not twisted to benefit them over the victim. 

I hope you find the article helpful. To breathe some lighter air going into it, we will start by looking at basic principles of forgiveness, including a heart for people who have not yet asked to be forgiven.

- What does it mean to forgive someone who has sinned against you?

- What should motivate that act?  

- What if they do not ask forgiveness?

- What if they have hurt you criminally and ask forgiveness, but want you to remain quiet about it?

- Should people face consequences for criminal sin, even after they've been forgiven?

- How will someone approach repentance if they care about God and the well being their victim more than for themselves?

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Today was a trip down memory lane for me. I listened to the very first episode of Excel Still More: Just Get Better. That episode drew a little bit of criticism in the early days for sounding like another way of packaging work based salvation. I filed that away as something to consider but I just wasn't in a place in my life to see it.

I've learned a lot since then. I trust you have as well. So I was ready to go back and listen and be woefully embarrassed. It turns out... it wasn't too bad. And I stand behind the content. But it did omit some needful elements of God's grace driving us and protecting us. And a clearer message that perfect so as to be blessed by God is not the goal, because by our own power, such a thing is unattainable. 

I'd address some of that in the episode today. But also, I want us all to see that our imperfections are always before us. Sometimes we get things right. But often times we may do the right thing with the wrong motives. Other times our motives are pure and we miss the mark on actions. All of us need to grow and change and learn. But, only closeness to God can help. Only His power, His grace, His Spirit, and His wisdom given to us can make us good. Let's grow closer to God. A cool byproduct is that people who thing they will never come together may find each other at His feet. 

- Why is "Excel Still More" a better idea to carry than simply "Just Get Better"?

- How is the pursuit of better sometimes a path to pride and further from God?

- Why is pursuing closeness to God the only way to be saved and grow in faith?

- Why is both "right wrong" and "wrong right" often a part of our path?

- How can we have confidence if "right right" is so hard to attain and keep?

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I chose a thumbnail for this episode after the content was recorded. It isn't actually referenced in the audio today. But I really love it. We need to be transformed. We want changed hearts and minds and lives. That means building everything around the cross of Jesus. Not the resurrection. not the ascension. The cross. The great act of power and kingdom glory was in Jesus lowest, most sacrificial moment on earth.

Being a disciples means being transformed into the image and life of Christ. I fear too many of us feel like maturity in discipleship is the right baptism and the right church and a good moral life. There is so much more. We are to become more like Him. Do you and I value our kingdom growth in terms of how much closer we become like Jesus on the cross?  Is growing in littleness and self sacrifice the metric for strength?

Today we explore all of that and continue to discuss things found in the Ronald Rolheiser book, Sacred Fire. I recommend that read to you. He included three stories from the Gospels that can begin a needful transformation in us all. Certainly me. 

- Why do youth need compassion and justice while building their lives?

- How are we to transition from building a life to giving that life away?

- If we followed the model of Jesus life, what would be our greatest achievement?

- How does our need to understand what Christ is doing sometimes limit our growth?

- How does a narrow view of our mission sometimes a problem in great discipleship?

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I encourage you to give this seven minute speech a listen: The Sixteenth Second.

Kyle Martin, a 2019 high school graduate, gives a powerful commencement address to his fellow graduating class. He put in a ton of work to accomplish being number one, but he reflects honestly on what it cost him. He learned a lesson early that should define his goals and the costs he is willing to pay in his life. Some of us have long past the age of 19, but maybe this is a lesson we need to learn as well.

Before we get to that, I'd love to tell you about a speech I was thankful to give to a group of High School students this past Friday night. God wants them, and you, to be filled and sealed with the Holy Spirit. When we are filled with Him, He makes us strong enough to stand the weight of the devil. And we can be prepared to pour the Spirit's goodness into the lives of others. This is God's will for our lives. May nothing else be allowed to rob us of this beautiful work of love and service.

- Why is a strong relationship with the Spirit needful to be strong in the face of trial?

- Why is connection with the Spirit necessary to be a light in the lives of others?

- Do we sometimes devote our lives to things that cost us our greatest mission?

- Are you comfortable with accepting God's great mission for your life?

- How can we live so that we will never regret "the sixteenth second"?