I’m from Kansas, and I love it.

We are called a flyover state, because everybody on the East Coast traveling to the West Coast (or vice versa) considers their life hipper or more important than the happenings of this sparsely populated, agriculturally based, midwestern valued place I call home.

I was actually born in Los Angeles, but made it to Kansas before I ever even started school. I grew up in a little place called Great Bend, but spent my summers with my grandparents in the suburbs of L.A.

As a pastor, speaker and motivator I’ve been all around the country and several spots around the globe.

So, my bragging isn’t from a position of ignorance.

I’ve been around the world and back, and I still love Kansas.

In Kansas, I know were not the Bible Belt, and as a preacher that would have its advantages. Actually, were more like the belly button just above the buckle on that belt. It puts us just far enough north to make church and Christianity a choice and not some heredity disorder, or social norm… in Kansas, you go to church because you want to, or you don’t go.

In Kansas, we don’t have any of those ivory towers of the ivy league’s elite to tout our intellectual prowess. Honestly, the more I read about what’s coming down from those lofty heights, I’m glad. Group think, political correctness and social conformity just don’t settle well here… in Kansas, we mix our education with a little common sense and we still think for ourselves.

In Kansas, we’re not backwood country nor are we big city, in the least. We are rural. It means we know how to survive, there’s a Walmart in the next city, we measure distance by time not miles, snow doesn’t bring us to a halt and summer heat is just part of the job, tornado sirens make us run to the porch, and we actually know what amber waves of grain are… they are beautiful. We are right in the middle: a little too far north to be southerners, a little too far south to be over cultured, a little too far east to be your version of cool and little too far west to be remembered… in Kansas, we’re right where we want to be, on our own.

Some may not like the description I am about to use, but I’m gonna use it anyway since I am from Kansas and not really concerned with your evaluation. I think of myself and fellow Kansas as ‘refined rednecks.’ We’re smarter than you think and tougher than you imagine.

Kansas is not perfect. There are still bullies in our schools, fights at city hall and gossip at the donut shops, but I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. These thoughts aren’t meant to offend anyone else from any other place. I hope you are proud of wherever you call home… if not, you should move here. Lot’s of space, good people, and I here there’s a great church.

So, go ahead world, keep flying over. We’ll just keep doing what we always do: living life, shaking our heads at the news and praying for everyone else out there.

Ad astra per aspera… sorry, it’s a Kansas thing.

Here is an audio recording of our message from Good Friday. It was recorded on my iPhone sitting near me, so, it is what it is…

But, I hope it is a blessing to you!

I am including a PDF document of the slides during the services for you to be able to follow all the scripture references: SLIDES

“So, what is a win for you?”

To be honest with you, it was interesting and dumb all the same time. Winning is just about the easiest thing to define on the planet isn’t it?

• I have the most points, I win
• I come in first, I win
• I receive the applause, I win
• I beat you, therefore I win

I know it’s fairly Neanderthal of me (all you men get it, right?), but isn’t that what winning is all about? Maybe it’s just caveman man of me, but if you put a mark in the “W” column, we just call that a win!

Still, that day sitting in the conference center when the speaker asked that question, “So, what is a win for you?”, I was intrigued.

They were making an argument that someone else’s win might not be your win. I’m not talking about that relativistic nonsense where it doesn’t matter what you think, what you believe or what you do so long as you’re happy doing it, then you’re a winner.

Turn off the Barney tape and quit singing that stupid song, even though it’s true, I do love you.

What they were really trying to stress was that for some, a win might be financial, for others relational, yet others political. It’s important not to let others set the definition of what a win is for you.

For example, as a pastor who is responsible for an organization called the local church I am continually asked about the 3 B’s: baptisms, budgets and butts. How many did you baptize, how are we doing financially, and how many showed up this weekend?

It’s such a part of that culture you might begin to believe that those are the wins. But at my church, there are 3 standards we hold up for every life that passes through our doors:

1. Love God
2. Grow Up
3. Serve All

Finances, baptism and attendance might be a part of this process, but they are only “a part” of the process. The real goal is transformed lives. That’s the win!

It is not that keeping track of those other things doesn’t prove helpful, but if you’re not careful we can start thinking weekly numbers are the goal and not the people they represent.

You really do have to know what your win is.

I was reminded of that again as I read Revelation 15 for my devotion this morning. Amid the metaphorical images there was a verse that seem to backward:

² And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire—and also those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands.

This heavenly choir made up of the Saints has appeared before the book. But, they are described with an interesting clause in this particular verse, “those who have conquered.”

Hmmmm… I am all for positive thinking, but the reason there in the heavenly choir is they died, martyred by the beast.

I might need a little help here, but of all the scorekeeping scenarios I’ve ever come across, I’ve never seen the one that counts dying (specifically being murdered) as a win. I guess that’s why this is not my book, it’s my God’s book.

Apparently, He defines a win differently.

If I were writing the book, one of the Saints would have used incredible courage, supernatural strength and become a Holy Spirit infused ninja. Somewhere about Chapter 13 he would have dropped down out of nowhere hurled a flaming tongues throwing star into the beast’s neck and save everyone from having a UPC code stamped onto their forehead!

Probably would’ve made a great movie, but it’s also a reason number 4,752 why you should be glad I’m not your Savior.

You see, God saw these dead, martyred saints as victorious, not because they defeated the beast, but because they were faithful and endured.

What everyone else might define as a loss, was defined, outlined, praised and proclaimed in the word of God as a win by the Almighty Himself.

You might argue, how can it be a win if the evil one defeated them? Well, he didn’t.

Their job was not to slay the beast, that was God’s job. Their job was to be faithful… and, they were good at it.

I wonder how many other things in life we’re wasting because we have the wrong win as our target? I wonder what God is valuing as a win and a the loss in our personal lives?

Something tells me he’s not that interested in our bank account, our social status, our physical prowess, our public persona or our cultural ranking.

I imagine He is far more interested in walking in forgiveness, expressing kindness, living in generosity, relishing in contentment, risking relationship while sharing our faith, overcoming the addiction, sacrificing for Him, growing in Christ, battling the sin and fighting the good fight.

Let me ask you an interesting question, what is a win for you?

Are you sure you’re even playing the right game?

It’s a little known fact that there are varying levels of ability, not just among those on the platform presenting, but those of us who are skilled, invested and experienced professional listeners. Let me just outline a few for you:

1) Appearing Interested – while every session is good for someone, not every session is good for you. So, to keep from being rude by distracting others with accelerated, involuntary nostril emanations (AKA snoring), a skill set of forced eye contact, meaningful head nods and well placed nonverbal affirmations are essential.

2) Ninja Texting/Surfing – everyone knows you’re not reading your Bible on YouVersion, or taking notes for future references… you’re Tweeting, Facebooking, or looking for ‘Epic Fail’ pics to replace your profile photo. It’s ok, just learn the art of secretive cell phone use. Under the desk, inside the conference program, pushed into a coat or sweater on your lap are all good camouflage techniques for hiding the phone. Just remember, if you are in a darkened seating area, your face will glow no matter how well hidden the phone is, so, use at your own risk.

3) Tactical Seating Selection – there are several things to keep in mind here, but just start with these: aisle seating for fictitious bathroom breaks (limit 2 per daypart), outlet access for midday phone charging (let’s be honest, you’ll drain it before they drain you), support beam seating (usually sitting behind a pole is non-desireable, but the right seat behind the right pole can help you to lean one way for engagement and the other for disengagement).

There is much more that I could share, but I think you get the idea (maybe I should hold a conference on how to develop these skills… maybe not).

But, what’s the point?

A common question that I hear at all these ‘clergy-based’ conferences is this: what is the mission of the church?

There are so many people more intelligent than I. So many who have so much more experience. So many who have overcome so much more. So, maybe this isn’t an appropriate critique coming from a guy like me, but isn’t establishing the mission of the church above our paygrade?

I’ve always believed the Great Co-MISSION given by Jesus (the Son of God, Head of the Body, Groom to this bride we call the church) is probably the mission we ought to go with…

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

You see that’s the vision of the church, that is if you’re a church that worships Jesus.

Too often church staff and lay leaders get distracted with programs, incentives and ideas:

• Social justice issues like global poverty, eliminating racism, or protecting the abused
• Meeting human needs like food and clothing shelters, counseling services and recovery programs
• Finding a niche in the market to reach college students, teenagers, non-english speakers, married, singles or any other flavor of people

These are all incredibly important strategies for the church, but the problem with any of the strategies above is that they are strategies. A strategy can’t be mission anymore than a hammer can be a house. Strategies are tools to accomplish the mission, but we can so easily get lost in the strategy!

We can use any strategy in the world we want, but we can’t alter the mission, and Jesus has already made the church’s mission clear: make disciples.

The real danger of focusing on the strategy/programs is that we get caught up in how many we’ll reach, how much it costs, how long it will take. When those are the questions we ask, we become obsessed with surviving, or thriving as a church.

The mission of the church is not to survive, it is to glorify God. Survival is optional.

So let me encourage you (at whatever church you attend) to not fall in love with a ministry, not dedicate yourself to a program, not to fight for dollars/space/people.

Let me encourage you fall in love with the Savior and commit to His commission.

Never make the hammer the project, but use it to build the house.

There is more I’d like to say, but I’m starting to get some weird looks… I better get back to conference I’m attending. Besides, my iPad is almost dead.

Remembering is a significant part of our faith. Remembering uses our past keep us from stumbling, refocuses us in the present, and gives us faith for the future.

Here is a roadside audio recording I offer as a moment to remember.

I offer it for two reasons. First, the thought behind this audio blog seemed simply profound to me. Second, I wanted to see if I could capture, edit, upload and post with nothing but an iPad and 3G… Oh, yeah.

Deuteronomy 4:9 Don’t forget anything of what you’ve seen. Don’t let your heart wander off. Stay vigilant as long as you live. Teach what you’ve seen and heard to your children and grandchildren.

Welcome to the season of love!

February is the time for heart-shaped cards, cheesy pickup lines, stale candy and crowded restaurants filled with dating dreams.

Yet, far too often “love” leaves us anything but happy. We’re a culture of the depressed, detached and desperate.

I remember Sunday School teaching that we are supposed to love with “JOY” – JESUS first, OTHERS second, YOURSELF last.

So if we got the order right, we’d be all right.

So, how’s that working out for you?

Maybe the key to love isn’t putting God first.

Maybe it’s loving Him, only.

Genesis 29 contains one of the saddest love stories in human history. Let me compress the background for you:

* Jacob loved Rachel.

* Rachel loved Jacob.

* Leah was Rachel’s not-so-pretty older sister.

* Laban (Rachel and Leah’s dad) tricked Jacob into marrying Leah.

* Jacob decided to put up with his unwanted bride if he could marry her sister, too.

So here’s the love triangle: two sisters married to the same man, but the man only loves one of them. We’ve got more drama here than a high school cafeteria!

Leah was unloved, yet love is what she wanted more than anything else.

But God loved her. He loved her more than she could understand.

“When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. And Leah conceived and bore a son.”

From heaven above, God shouted down to Leah “I love you!” and blessed her with a child.

Unfortunately, her response shows that she is still looking for love in the all the wrong places (thank you, Waylon Jennings).

“The Lord has looked upon my affliction; for now my husband will love me.”

Obviously, the love of her God was not enough. She wouldn’t feel significant until she had this man’s love.

God sent another love note in the form of child No. 2: “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son, also.”

You can almost hear her sigh of relief. She thought Jacob missed the first one, but he can’t miss a second crying baby.

He missed it, and Leah became even more desperate.

God shouted from heaven with a third child: “Now this time my husband will be attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.”

Nope.

Her addiction for this man’s love blinded her to the outstretched arms of the God who truly loved her.

But then came a fourth child.

Somewhere between the wailing of her three boys and the anticipation of the fourth’s birth, Leah had a revelation:

She discovered she’d been chasing the wrong thing, that jerk might never love her, butGod loved her all along.

Leah gave birth to a fourth son and named him Judah: “This time I will praise the Lord.”

We don’t need to love God first - we need to love Him only. Then, through the love of God in our lives, we can love a spouse, children, a calling or a cause the way they should be loved.

This time, let’s love the Lord.

I’ve been drinking it for so long, it not only tastes good, it tastes better than regular pop. I understand that the previous sentence is probably the single most controversial statement I have ever posted on this blog, but you will just need to deal with it.

It’s kind of a pattern for chronic dieters like myself:

• You make the decision to go lite
• You endure the transition
• You get used to it
• You get comfortable with it
• It becomes normal

You can do this with almost any habit, whether its food, drink, entertainment, political affiliation and unfortunately…even faith.

Yep, you can choose to go lite. It may feel awkward at first, but you’ll get used to it. If you try “Jesus-lite” it will eventually become normal.

Jesus-lite has become the new rage all around the world. All the love with none of the conviction. You can enjoy 100% of your daily requirement of feel good, with none of that commitment aftertaste.

Harvard University is a sterling example of embracing the Jesus-lite lifestyle.

The school motto is “Veritas,” the latin word for truth, but it wasn’t always that catchy little word. The University’s original motto was “Veritas pro Christo et ecclesia,” or “Truth for Christ and his Church.”

Hmmm…

So, Harvard decided to go lite, where ‘truth’ was still important, but Christ and His church were not?

We shouldn’t be too hard on this Ivy League liberalism. Lots of others have chosen Jesus-lite, too.

Maybe it’s just that we have found the need to seperate ourselves from the rigid standards and politically incorrect statements of Jesus and His church. I mean let’s be honest, if we were to actually let Jesus be the spokesperson for our lives and our institutions we’d get sued in a heartbeat.

Seriously, Jesus was a good foundation and He had some pretty revolutionary things to say ‘back in the day.’ But, come on, we’ve progressed, evolved, grown up… should’t we have moved past all this religiosity?

We can still love Jesus, but we don’t need to take Him that seriously, right?

Ok… let’s end the sarcasm here. There really is a problem.

If you accept Jesus-lite for too long, it’s just like drinking diet pop… you’ll get used to it.

He really is worth taking seriously. More than that, Jesus is worth everything.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Matthew 7:12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Luke 10:27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”

Luke 23:34 And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

I am sorry Lord that our world has become so proud that we would dare to edit You.

I am sorry Lord, when we have not taken You seriously.

I am sorry when we call you Lord, and do not mean it.

Lord we know You love, but You also judge. We know You care as a Father, and You rule as a King. We will no longer consider you a buffet God and take only what we want.

You are God and Your Word is law.

We offer all of us to every bit of You.

I should be excited, because when that happens it’s almost always God trying to speak.

I guess it’s time to listen (c’mon McFly… McFly!).

Although there is a bit more depth to it than this, the nutshell idea from the Lord is simply this… it’s more about Jesus than you think.

Colossians 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

My first conversation with a CrossPointer back in the states (vacation in Costa Rica, awesome, by the way) was another example of this reoccurring theme.

A friend had been reading the Old Testament, kind of for the first time since hearing the sanitized versions in children’s Sunday School years ago. It’s hard to show David finishing off Goliath with a bloody decapitation on flannel board in children’s church, so, we generally stop right before that.

But, now he’s diving into all the gory details and is struggling with the brutality and sternness of God in those stories. That’s legitimate, but why do we struggle with the Old Testament so much?

First of all you need to understand that you are not alone, nor are you in a new circle of thought if you have ever wondered, “What’s  with the Old Testament anyway?”

In the middle of the 2nd century A.D. there was a break off movement in the church called Marcionism which entirely rejected the Old Testament. They claimed it was not the same God and they chose to only accept the New Testament.

For this, and probably many other reasons, they don’t exist anymore, but the questions they had are still questions we have today. By the way, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having questions.

True,  the Old Testament is not the quintessential picture of God’s love, mercy and grace we see in the New Testament. But, the truth is this has much more to do with our definition of love than with God having some kind of conflicted nature.

In the Old Testament, we see a God of wrath, justice, anger, vengeance and severe consequences. But, do not miss the mercy hidden in these stories as well. God’s justice is never flippant, it is never baseless, it is always a waited for, endured, prolonged and delayed sentence passed upon individuals or peoples who have willfully defied, repeatedly, the Word/instruction of the Lord.

The prophets screamed, “Turn, run… or else!” These were warning shots fired by God again and again.

Then we read of God’s acts of justified justice and are confused, shocked and feel betrayed.

Why?

As parents, we have standards for children. We provide them with expectations and responsibilities. We warn them that continued disobedience will have consequences in two forms.

First, the natural process of their disobedience will bring its own heartache. We warn them the results of touching a hot pan will be a burn… consequences.

Second, we ensure them that continued neglect of our word will eventually bring punishment… consequences.

Why?

Because we know them, love them and know more than they do!

Disobedience requires correction. Anything less and we are unloving, weak-willed parents who care more about personal peace than correction. We become people who want our kids to be our friends more than wanting to create/forge strong adults. We become parents who give in to children allowing them to wander where they want, whine until they are catered to, and allowed to do what is right to their own eyes… not because of our love for them, but because… it’s easier.

Hmmmm…

Maybe we have trouble with a tough, disciplinarian of the Old Testament because we want Him to be the kind of parent we are.

• The thought of punishing wrong… no, no, it’ll just push them away.
• The thought of setting difficult standards… no, no, they will scream about that.
• The thought of loving our kids so much we’d say no, and mean it… heaven forbid, we might crush their spirits.

Psalm 51:8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.

The God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are the same. But, we often have to find the mercy of God in between the lines of the Old Testament.

Genesis 15:13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”

The seemingly vicious nature of the Old Testament as “God’s people” rolled through the promised land was a response to 400+ years of God meeting with and waiting for a rebellious and pagan people to respond to Him. God refused to  give Abraham what he had promised simply because he was preoccupied with mercy for the Amorite people.

All the while, forcing His own children, the descendants of Abraham, to play a generational waiting game in slavery in Egypt.

Why did God the latest promise for the chosen Hebrew people? Because God was not done displaying His mercy toward the Amorites!

Yet it is difficult for us when reading the Old Testament because all we can see is the sever and graphic punishment, but don’t miss the centuries of mercy!

Still, this mercy is so much clearer in the New Testament. Why is it so easy to see, picture and perceive this grace in the Gospels and beyond?

In a word- Jesus!

In the New Testament, the wrath of God was satisfied, and justice meted out, His anger diffused by pouring it all out on the innocent and the only One capable of bearing, surviving and overcoming the weight of punishment of all time for all the sins of all the people in the world… Jesus.

Romans 3:23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past.

It’s all about our sin.

God’s anger, severe actions and Old Testament fury are because of and entirely in response to our rebellion, neglect and sin. These completely just attributes of God are seen with crystal clarity in the Old Testament because they are chronologically prior to Jesus, the cross, the grave and the resurrection.   Also, the coming of the Holy Spirit which enables us to see with more Godly eyes does not happen until after the resurrection of Jesus Himself.

Grace, mercy and love are in high def in the New Testament era because Christ has become the spiritual shock absorber soaking up all the wrath and judgment of the world while on the cross, taking our punishment to the grave.

The resurrection is proof we can find protection, forgiveness and hope in Jesus!

The name of Jesus splits the Old Testament from the New Testament, and proves that there is one God in both halves of this book.

Without the prophecies and the messianic waiting of an Old Testament, there would be no credibility to the claims of One called Savior in a New Testament.  And, without a New Testament Savior there would be no fulfillment of Old Testament hopes and it’s worth would be devastated.

Jesus splits the Testaments and ties them together at the same time.

He portrays a God who is just yet loving, strict yet forgiving, a disciplining father and a loving “Abba” daddy.

There is an Old and New Testament, but only one Word.

There is a righteous Judge and a loving Father, but only one God.

There is an uncreated Creator and incarnate baby Savior, but only one Jesus.

Pause.

Believe.

Follow.

It’s more about Jesus than you think.

Most of my fellow churchgoers would not argue with this definition of worship. In fact, I have personally defined worship as anything that captures your attentions and affections.

What strikes me most though is the verb “clings” used by Beale. In my mind I can picture myself latching onto the thought of having a girlfriend in the 7th grade… I knew what I was worshiping.

I can vividly recall my almost sociopathic pursuit of great grades and accolades through high school… bowing low at the altar of achievement.

There’s no denying the idolatry of my early 20s when, even in ministry, I was worried about

who I knew and who knew me… in the cult of personality.

I could go on and on, but the examples from the latter half of my life are still a bit too fresh. Actually they’re still open wounds.

I think the reason the first commandment is to have no other gods before Him and the second is to have no idols or graven images is obvious. Humans have a horrible tendency to replace God with anything convenient.

Again, Beale’s definition screams out at me with that word “cling.”

Let me paint a picture of the mental visual this quote created in my mind and see if you don’t have the same concerns.

I can imagine myself praying passionately, continually and powerfully to a holy God for something as noble and pure as the health of my children. But, moving past the veneer of my prayer I realized that the purpose powering my prayer is not my zeal for God. In fact my prayer is fueled by my idolatry… my family.

I turned to God not because He is what I worship, but because I hope He can help protect what I am worshiping. I often get caught in cycles of pseudo-spirituality where I am praying to God and feeling like I’m where I should be, but all the while I’m just trying to use God to further my agenda, protect my interests, and serve my idolatrous lord.

I know these are pretty tough words, but if this happens in our lives it’s a sin that needs to be rooted out viciously.

Don’t get me wrong, we should be people of prayer taking every concern to Him.

Praying for your family. Praying for health. Praying for blessing. But, when my purpose and focus is anything other than Him and His glory, I am simply trying to use God for my own purposes.

Again, we should pray for our children, for health, for blessing, for any and everything. Simultaneously though, we must continue to monitor what we are truly “clinging” to, and make sure that it is God alone on the throne.

Maybe this is a spiritual heat check for you, or maybe it’s just confession for me. Either way, may God be what He deserves to be in both your life and mine: Lord of all.

5Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,1 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

(Philippians 2:5-11 ESV)

You know, one of those moments when your breath is taken away by the hugeness of the moon hanging low in the sky. You may have even thought, or said something like, “The moon is huge tonight!”

You might find it disturbing to know that your eyes are playing tricks on you. It’s still a beautiful moon and totally worthy of your pause and admiration of its Creator, but just so that you know… you’re wrong.

Wow, quit being so sensitive. I’m just trying to teach you something.

The truth is that what you see when the moon is “so big” is really an optical illusion in fact, the moon is always the same size in the sky. Let me give you a few sources:

“First of all, let me make it clear that the effect is an optical illusion. If you measure the moon with a ruler held at arm’s length (a paper clip bent into the shape of a calipers will also work), you’ll find it’s always the same size no matter where it happens to be in the sky. If anything, the moon is slightly smaller at the horizon than it is at the zenith, mainly because it’s 4,000 miles (the radius of the earth) farther away.”
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/831/why-does-the-moon-appear-bigger-near-the-horizon

The Moon illusion is an optical illusion in which the Moon appears larger near the horizon than it does while higher up in the sky. This optical illusion also occurs with the sun and star constellations. It has been known since ancient times, and recorded by numerous different cultures. The explanation of this illusion is still debated.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_illusion

Sometimes you can’t believe your eyes. This week is one of those times.
Step outside any evening at sunset and look around. You’ll see a giant moon rising in the east. It looks like Earth’s moon, round and cratered; the Man in the Moon is in his usual place. But something’s wrong. This full moon is strangely inflated. It’s huge!
You’ve just experienced the Moon Illusion.
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2005/20jun_moonillusion/

For you skeptics, just make sure you note the last one was from NASA.

While its not certain why the human eye/mind does this to us, all of us, it is for certain that we all fall prey to this illusion. While an optical illusion sounds benign, almost fun, there is a sinister side.

The Thesaurus shows several alternative ways to describe an illusion as an erroneous mental representation, semblance, phantasm, phantom, shadow, apparition, something existing in perception only, misconception, head game, delusion, deceit.

I don’t know about you, but I find it a little disturbing, if not irritating, that my own eyes deceive me. Still, it is a good reminder. There are so many things we trust, that just aren’t trustworthy: our senses, cable news, the Internet.

I know, you agree with two out of three on that list, but if you can’t trust your own senses what can you trust?

Good question…

• I won’t believe it till I see it.
• Seeing is believing.
• I saw it with my own eyes.

What a big moon we had last night, eh?

So, if our own senses can deceive us, how are we ever going to get this life figured out?

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Maybe it’s time we start following that which will not deceive or lead astray. Obviously, even our own senses aren’t doing a very good job at that.

As a man who is vexed with irrational fears and burdened with worries detached from reality, I know the struggle to not believe our eyes, let alone our mind’s eye. If we believe sin is real, then we must admit we are broken.

Without looking through the lens of the Lord we have no hope of seeing any better than a grade schooler straining to see the chalkboard through shattered spectacles.

So how do we see with His eyes?

When it comes to our relationships, let’s get into the Scripture.

When we have financial troubles, let’s ask the hard questions of how obedient we are with what we already have.

When we are confused, hurt, lost or in any need, let’s lean on the Lord and nothing else.

May we develop a new habit of turning to God for real understanding, and trusting Him even more than we trust ourselves, our senses, or very often even our own mind.

Don’t fall for the tricks of the eye.