What Are You Known For?

I’ve had a big question on my mind this week thanks to Jeff Henderson’s excellent book “For”. What do I want to be known for?

My answer to this question has changed so many times. As a I teenager I wanted to be known as a great basketball player. Too bad I was always a little too slow, a lot too skinny, and the youngest guy on the team. In college I wanted to be known as a great musician, and to an extent I was. For most of my life these three words describe what I’ve been known for, “the smart guy”.

None of those describe what I want to be known for. I don’t want to be known for basketball, or music, my intellect, or my writing. And, even though at momentary intervals I may have looked for validation from others in these things, I don’t anymore. Those days are all long behind me.

But what am I known for? I can’t answer that. Mostly because I don’t possess Professor X level telepathic mind reading powers. Wouldn’t that be cool? I wouldn’t mind being known for that, but I digress. I don’t know what I’m known for.

I only know what I would like to be known for. It’s not my intellect, my musicianship, or my step-back-three. I want to be known for the way I love. That’s it. That’s all.

I want to love my family exceptionally well. I want to love my friends, our church, my neighbors, and my students—I want to be known for the way I love. But loving those people should be pretty easy. What kind of person doesn’t love their friends and family?

I want to be known for loving others. It’s that simple. It’s that hard. Have you met some of you? Some of you are hard to love. Some of you don’t make it easy. But I don’t want to be known for doing what’s easy. 

It’s so easy to love people who are educated middle class conservative evangelicals—most of the time. Those are all things that describe me. It’s easy to love people who share common interests. You like Captain America? Me too. We can be pals. But what about everyone else. I better be known for loving the easy ones. But I hope I’m known for loving the “everyone else’s” too.

What do you want to be known for? What are you known for? Is there a discrepancy?

Here’s my challenge to you. Ask someone around you to tell you what you are known for. 

Be Help

When my phone rang a few hours ago I was in the middle of making dinner for my family. It’s Friday—steak night—and the cast iron skillet was warming up. But then Amy was on the other end of the line and she was stuck with her four daughters on the side of the interstate. She needed help. I turned off the stove. Put my boots back on. And got in my car to go help. It’s what friends do.

We’ll all been on the receiving end of help. Also, we have each needed help when there was none to be had—and had the sundering effect of its lack come crashing down around us. Because help is sometimes hard to find.

Maybe you’ve heard or even said, “good help is hard to find.” But it doesn’t have to be. Not wherever you are. You can be the good help someone needs.

How do you know who you are supposed to help? That’s easy. Who is asking? Who is within your reach? Can you get there?

Several years ago I heard this challenge and it has stuck with me. “Do for one what you wish you could do for many.” That’s a powerful affidavit when it comes to helping. You can’t help everyone, but maybe you can help the friend standing in front of you right now.

So welcome the interruption. Shelf your agenda. And get busy helping. The world will be a lot different—and you’ll help make sure it’s different everywhere you are.

Where You Will Fill Up

I had lunch with my Brad today. Brad is my best friend. We’ve been friends for decades. I love this dude. He’s like a 2nd brother to me. 

As I was leaving, the fuel light in my car came on. So I did what you’re supposed to do when that happens. I pulled into a gas station. When I went to pump some gas there was a problem. I swiped my card and put in the required information—but no gas came out. Nothing. There was a disconnect between the input and the output. I really needed gas. But I couldn’t get any. I got back in my car, went down the road, and got my gas. No problem. No disconnect. The input matched the output. I filled up the tank.

There are so many people who are empty. They pull right up. They. Need. What. You. Have. If you follow Jesus the people who’ve pulled up to you need the light of life living inside you. They need the joy that lights up your every day world to make a life-giving difference in theirs.

We can’t afford to have a disconnect between the output and the input. We can’t put up borders, boundaries, or hurdles. The invitation to Jesus is simple. “Come to me.” That’s what he said.

People will go where they can get full. They will go where someone wants to be there for them. But they don’t want the fake stuff. They don’t want a show. They don’t want religious hurdles. They don’t want rules. They want gas. They want the thing they need that will get them down the road. They want life in all of its explosive awesomeness. 

The thing about gas is there’s no hiding it. It smells. It’s distinct. The moment it enters the scenario it matters. It’s a game changer. 

Go be a game changer for someone. Make a difference. Help them matter and mean it. Don’t fake it. If it’s at your coffee table, your coffee shop, or your church pew. Connect them with the good stuff. Just a little bit matters. But I bet you have more than just a little. 

May 5 - Friends & Faith

Read: Matthew 9:2-8; Mark 2:3-12; Luke 5:18-26

And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. (Mark 2:3 ESV)

Story of Jesus and the paralytic is one of my favorites. Just imagine for a second if you'd been in Jesus' place. He was standing there teaching all of those people—it was a capacity crowd—and suddenly the roof opened up and a crippled man was lowered into the room.

Jesus had compassion on the paralytic. He healed him. He forgave his sins. But what if the paralytic's friends hadn't lowered him through the roof?

Who are you in this story? Certainly there have been times in my life when I was the paralytic. On many occasions I have found myself on the receiving end of an encounter with Jesus that was initiated by a loving friend. Sometimes that friend didn't even know what they did. Hopefully we all have friends like that. People who would tear apart houses and disturb the neighborhood, loved ones that would be willing to shake up the status quo a bit to initiate an encounter with the Prince of Peace.

What about all of those people around us that don't have anyone like that in their lives? There are millions, no billions, of people who need an encounter with Jesus. And every one of them needs at least one friend who would be willing to get out of their comfort zone and take them to Jesus.

Sometimes introducing someone to the King of Kings is about simply demonstrating an authentic lifestyle. At other times its about opening your mouth and sharing the truth. And then sometimes you just have to get them to a place where Jesus is. What will you do when the time comes to carry them to the One they need most of all?

11 Lessons College Teaches Beyond the Classroom

I have worked in college ministry for a decade. My wife teaches at the local university. We were talking about things we see people learn in college outside the classroom. There are many many more things that could have made the list, but here are 11 that came to us pretty quickly.

1. No one but you is going to wake your lazy butt up every day.

2. Time is valuable. You can spend it well or waste it worthlessly.

3. Laundry doesn't do itself.

4. You're responsible for your own actions.

5. Some people like you. Some people don't. Sometimes you'll change that. Sometimes you won't.

6. Math is important. Intro to Film is not.

7. Money doesn't grow on trees, puppies, or hubcaps.

8. The Internet lies, especially Social Media.

9. Choices have consequences and the future is real.

10. Friends that tell the truth, even hard truth, are better than friends that don't.

11. There are more important things than homework, but not very many.