2009 CNN hero of the year

It's always fascinating to hear stories of people who offer their lives in the service of others. You have to admire their courage and selflessness to try to make this world a much better place. CNN just awarded its 2009 Hero of the Year. And the award went to Efren Peñaflorida, a Filipino who is using his life to educate poor children and in the process, get them out of street gangs. A big congratulations to Efren. Check out his awarding below.

It's inspiring to see people give their lives for a cause like that. The Bible says, "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him" (2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV). God is searching the world for people who will devote themselves to Him and His work here on earth. And those who fully commit themselves to Him will always have the Lord God almighty to back them up.

for the 950th time

I came across an odd article the other day. A 68-year old woman from South Korea took her driver's license written exam for the 950th time. Now I feel for this woman because I also failed a road test a few months ago. But taking the test 950 times seems outrageously ridiculous. Failing one time is bad enough. And when you've failed for the 100th time, you might want to re-think why you're doing this. But after 949 failed attempts (unbelievably crazy!), she finally passed by reaching the minimum score of 60 out of 100. The woman had been taking the test since April 2005.

Despite the ridiculousness of the situation, you have to admire the woman's perseverance, determination, and flat-out refusal to give up. She's obviously a very stubborn woman. And her stubbornness finally paid off in the end.

I believe that Christians, in some ways, must also learn to be stubborn. It just seems so much easier to pack up your bags and give up on Christianity than to persevere through it. It's easier to give up pursuing a life that is holy and pleasing to the Lord. It's easier to give up getting back on your feet when you've sinned for the nth time. It's easier to give up on God when you feel like God has given up on you. It just seems so much easier to give up.

But just like this woman in the article, we must refuse to hang up the towel and quit. We must learn to be stubborn. Stubborn enough to keep on fighting for what is holy. Stubborn enough to get up every time we fall. Stubborn enough to keep the faith in spite of what may come. James 1:2-4 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (NIV, emphasis mine).

James clearly says that perseverance will ultimately benefit believers. If you're able to hang on long enough, perseverance will eventually lead to maturity and completeness. And so as believers, we must refuse to give up when things don't go our way--even if it takes 950 attempts. And in the end, I believe that it will all pay off.

a marathon

I'm bracing myself for an incredibly long prayer meeting happening tonight. Now I know that prayer is downright important. We have to pray. But a 5-hour prayer marathon seems way too long even for a pastor. I'm just being honest here. This is one long prayer meeting.

Now I know that it's very "unpastorly" of me to think this way but I have to admit that I'm human too. I get tired. I get bored. I fidget in my seat. I have random thoughts run around in my head. I fall asleep during prayer time. I'm just as human as the next guy.

And I'm not Jesus. But I really admire the guy. How he was able to pray longer than usual and more often than usual too.

Mark 1:35-39 shows us an incredible example of Jesus praying. The day before this took place was one of the longest days of Jesus recorded in the Bible. He was probably dead tired after all that teaching, healing, and driving out demons. But Jesus still managed to get up very early the next morning to pray. I have trouble waking up in the morning just for the sake of it!

And Jesus wasn't looking for an easy 5-minute quick-fix-solution to prayer. He really wanted to spend time with the Father. From the time that Jesus woke up, went to a solitary place, and prayed... to the time that everyone in the house was still sleeping... to the time that everyone woke up... to the time that they realized that Jesus was missing... to the time that they went looking for Jesus... to the time that they finally found Jesus... Jesus was praying! Oh how I really admire the guy.

And so despite my unenthusiasm for marathon-like prayer meetings, I'm going to be there anyway. I bet God will teach me something new tonight.

that's BS: tip #1 and #2

I've decided to share some things I've learned on getting the most out of my personal Bible study. I call this series "That's BS" (not to be confused with the other acronym with the same letters). Here's the first installment.

Tip #1: On your knees.

Prayer. It's the most obvious first step but I believe it's the most overlooked as well. How many times have we gone straight to the Word without getting down on our knees first? You need to start with prayer to get the blood flowing and to get the Spirit working. Remember, this is the time when God teaches you. So pray that He will do just that.

Tip #2: Get a new pair of eyes.

Approach any passage as if you're reading it for the first time. It's all too easy to say, "Oh, I've read this before. I know the lesson here." And when you do that, that's the time you put a brick wall in front of the opportunity to be taught something new from the passage. Come with a willing heart, an open mind, and a fresh pair of eyes. And I bet you'll see things you didn't notice before.

coca-loca

I find this Coca-Cola commercial hilarious especially because I'm in this line of work.

Now NOTE: Priests who have taken the vow of celibacy cannot get married. But pastors CAN. I just want to make that clear. I don't believe in celibacy--for myself in particular. ;)

I find it interesting that some churches require pastors to be married in order to become the senior pastor. I understand the practical reasons for this--less temptation, marriage counseling, etc. But I hardly believe that the requirement is necessary. In fact, the apostle Paul suggests that "it is good for a man not to marry" (1 Corinthians 7:1 NIV). And so a person doesn't have to marry if he or she doesn't want to. So why require senior pastors to be married when the Bible clearly says that marriage is not necessary? Beats me.

Now Paul also says that if you can't control yourself, it's better for you to get married than to fall into temptation. So in short, if you can't handle it, get married. But if you don't want to, there's no need to pressure yourself. Check out Paul's entire argument in 1 Corinthians 7.

dying all over the world

I read in an article yesterday that McDonald's, the global fast-food giant, closed down its doors in one particular country--Iceland. Even this profitable franchise couldn't stay ahead of the country's falling economy. And to bid the fast-food chain farewell, floods of Icelanders came to order their last cheeseburgers and Big Macs before the three branches closed down. A noisy crowd, long lines, and an almost ridiculous drive-thru traffic jam characterized the final hours of this burger joint in Iceland.

The story got me thinking about churches around the globe.

Churches too are closing down their doors and not just in one particular country but all over the world. Just search the internet for "churches closing" or "churches dying" and you'll find the different links that talk about this reality. And the reality is this: Churches are dying all over the world.

Pastors and leaders have to do something about this. We need to get our act together to stop and reverse this trend. And it's not because our jobs are on the line or because this historical church has been here for a hundred years. But it's because as Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, said in one of their Leadership Summits, "so much is at stake." People's lives are at stake. People's transformations are at stake. People's "forevers" are at stake. And so we better do a good job.

I firmly believe in the promise Jesus made to Peter when he said, "I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matthew 16:18 NIV). This apparently does not refer to local churches because we've seen local churches shut down. This probably refers to the universal body of Christ. Jesus will build his church--the global church which all Christians are a part of--and nothing can stop it from advancing. And if we've got Jesus on our side, tell me who can stop us? We need to claim that promise and get our act together because so much is at stake. I doubt that when a church closes down, there will be floods of people coming to say farewell in its final hours.

love the size of a football field

At the end of Luke 14, we can observe that crowds of people were following Jesus. At this point in time, Jesus had reached celebrity status. He's a very popular guy. But Jesus knew that the people following behind him were not his true disciples--real, authentic, hardcore, serious followers. That's why he turned around, rebuked the people, and explained to them what it took to be a serious disciple.

And Jesus said something interesting. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:26 NIV). Jesus, why so much hate? If I ever want to be your disciple, I must hate my mom, my dad, my brother, my sister, my wife, my kids, and even myself? What's Jesus saying here?

Well Jesus couldn't have meant a literal hate because all over the gospels Jesus teaches so much about love. Love God. Love your neighbor. Love your enemies. Why the sudden shift from love to hate?

This is what Jesus was saying: If you want to be my serious disciple, you must love me far more than anyone else in this world. If the size of your love for your family is the size of a soccer ball, the size of your love for Jesus must be the size of a football field. So when you compare your love for your family to your love for Jesus, it looks like you hate your family because you love Jesus so much more than them. And that's what Jesus asks of his disciples.

Your love for Jesus must be the size of a football field. I believe that Christians, at least in our heads, know this nugget of truth. But the problem is although we know it, it doesn't translate to doing it. It has to sink into our hearts and then flow through our hands. If you want to become a serious disciple of Jesus, you must love him far more than anyone else in this world. And that includes yourself.