John Piper - There Are 1,568 Un-Engaged People Groups Left on Earth (2008)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSmf0kK8wzg&playnext=1&list=PL027CC009B33ED890

Relief

When I was in kindergarten, there was this girl that liked me. She was always flirting with me, ya know.... picking at me... slapping me then running away, pulling my hair, kicking me in the shins & stuff like that. I did not have the same feelings towards her. I strongly disliked her. Girls had cooties. Cooties kill. Stay away from girls and build forts to defend against cooties. That was my mentality. Most boys are like that I guess.

Well, one day when we were standing in the lunch line, she snuck up behind me, and kept poking me in the back & giggling. I got frustrated to say the least & so I turned around, slapped her lunch tray to the ground & spit in her face. My teacher, who also happened to be my Sunday School teacher at the Baptist Church at the time, saw all this go down and before I knew it, I was dangling in the air by one arm & moving at a very rapid speed towards a hallway while I watched that little girl cry and all my other classmates laugh. Then I got my first school paddling.... I think it was my 3rd or 4th day there.

When I think about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, invading my life, a lot of what has happened over the years is similar to this story.

Here's what I mean....

Jesus loves me. He pursues me. He seeks me out. He is radically wrecking my life daily with grace and mercy and blessings..... when I was dead in sin, He made me alive. when I was lost, He found me. when I was blind, He gave me sight. when I was deaf, He made me to hear. when I was perishing, He rescued me. when I was the object of God's wrath because of my sin, Jesus stepped in and took the wrath for me. when I was unholy and unable to enter God's presence, Jesus made me holy by being holy for me. when I was seeking out pleasure & satisfaction in temporary things that wouldn't fulfill me, Jesus fills me with everincreasing joy. when I try to make it on my own & fail, Jesus steps in and brings the victory for me. when I stumble & fall, Jesus picks me up, dusts me off, & encourages me to keep going. when I can't carry the burdens of life, Jesus gives me rest & carries my burdens for me without making me feel embarrassed for being weak. when it comes time for me to die, Jesus is going to give me immortality. when it comes time for me to step out into eternity, Jesus is going to take me with Him to a place He has prepared for me, a place that is good, beautiful, unstained by sin, a place where death will be no more, neither will there be hunger or crying or pain anymore, a place filled with the love of God. Jesus has done, is doing, and is going to do everything for me to bring me to His Father, to reconcile me to God. even right now in my life, He is doing everything for my good. He is so loving towards me.

You would think my response to all that Jesus is doing would be a very thankful, worshipful, loving response.... right?

well.... not really.... I want to... but I have a hard time trusting Him, I can't seem to believe what He says sometimes & even when I do believe it, I don't usually obey what He says or rest in what He says... I have a hard time surrending my life to Him even though I know He is good and does good... I have a hard time giving up control to Him even though I know He works everything for my good and His glory... I am sinful, hateful, ungrateful, narcissistic, unloving, & rebellious towards Jesus.... it's like spitting in His face.

and I think to myself.... "How could I repay Him this way?"

the next thought that comes to mind is usually some elaborate plan of how I can make it up to Him.

This is where I need the Gospel.

The Gospel tells me that Jesus Christ died for my sins and rose from the grave (1 Cor 15). In Hebrews chapter 9, it says that Jesus Christ died once for sins and only once was it needed and that He now stands in the presence of God on our behalf until the day when He will return to save those of us that are eagerly waiting for Him.

Because Jesus died for my sins, I don't have to die. Because His death was only needed once, He doesn't have to die for me everytime I sin. And because He is standing in God's presence on my behalf, I don't owe God anything. I am not in debt to Him. Not only can I not repay Him, He doesn't expect me to. Christ has made the payment for my sins. Christ has purchased me, rescued me, has me.

God graciously gives us everything, provides everything, does everything for us to know Him and love Him. That's a piece of the good news of the Gospel, that it's all free. If the bank gives you a loan, you have to pay it off. Our salvation is not loaned out to us. Everything about our salvation is a free gift (Ephesians 2).

This might be a terrible illustration but humor me here....

I am a father of two precious little girls. Those little girls could not do a single thing in the world to make me not love them. They have never had to earn my love. I just love them. And when they get older, I am not going to make them repay me for anything that I have given them. Now, my littlest one is still in diapers. Sometimes she fills those diapers up with some smelly poo. I'm not keeping a tab on my little girl that I'm going to wave in her face one day reminding her of her smelly poo filled diapers & demand some repayment for it.

Don't miss this. God sees us as His children. He loves us no matter what we do because Jesus Christ has done everything to make us right in His eyes. He gives us everything. The same way I give my baby diapers and she ruins them, when we think we have ruined what God has freely given us, this isn't really funnny, but, our efforts to repay God is what really looks like smelly poo (Philippians 3). And in the same way that I don't beat my daughter up for ruining those diapers, God doesn't beat us up when we mess up. Jesus has paid the penalty for our sin. So we don't have to try to repay Him and make a real smelly pile of things.

This is beautiful for real. Knowing that God is for us because of Jesus frees us to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, & strength and frees us from tiring ourselves out in pointless efforts to repay Him. Instead of wasting our lives trying to repay God, we eagerly wait for Him to return like the writer of Hebrews says & like Paul says in Philippians 3, we count all our righteous deeds (our efforts) as smelly poo in order that we might gain Christ and be found in Him and know Him and share in His life, sufferings, death, and resurrection.

This is not an easy thing for me though. I still find myself falling back into the mindset of being in debt to God & I am in constant need of the Gospel to remind me that I am not in His debt and that He loves me, that He is for me, & that He is doing everything for my good and His glory.

I hope this is good news for you & pray God will invade your heart with His love for you.

Tough Skin

I have tough skin. It's very hard for you to say something that will hurt my feelings. I'm not sure that I even had feelings until I was 21 or so. I grew up in such a way that you hid your emotions and you weren't allowed to show weakness. I'm not trying to sound like a Spartan or like a tough guy. I remember crying in Wal-Mart around the age of 3 or 4 because I couldn't have a toy that I wanted. I was throwing a tantrum. My father stood over me and enlightened me to the fact that men don't cry. I was a poor excuse for a 3 year old man. In grade school, if someone made fun of you, you don't let them know they're words hurt. I think this can make you numb if given enough time and practice. I remember being made fun of and how my response was to always find a creative way to hurt them more. If someone cuts you, you cut them back. Perhaps this is why I have tough skin. Mama jokes don't bother me. Daddy jokes don't bother me. You making fun of my beliefs, calling me ignorant, calling me names, none of that bothers me. Sometimes, I even think it's funny myself. Maybe I just don't take myself very serious. Maybe you can become immune to insults. I'm not really sure what it is. It's not that I don't register what the other person is saying, I just don't care. I could careless what most people think about me. I spent the first 19 years of my life trying to please people and trying to live up to their standard. It's a losing game. I realized that I'd never be the person that everyone wanted me to be. I don't think we as humans are designed to be able to handle that load. So, I relied on my tough skin. I honestly believe that sometimes it's a blessing and a curse. I'm not afraid of saying things that seem controversial. I don't mind telling the truth. This seems like a good characteristic to have in my profession. If I hear of another pastor who refuses to tell the truth because he doesn't want to offend anyone, I'm going to punch myself in the throat. But, I also have a tendency to bottle things up and not process them which only results in an eventual explosion of frustration. You know, the desire to break something or kick a puppy (just kidding, i would never break something for no good reason). By the way, did I mention that having tough skin usually breeds sarcasm? I recently had one of those moments where I wanted to exploded. I have quickly learned that in ministry, like life, you simply can't please everyone. I once thought people only twisted the words of famous people like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Mark Driscoll, John Piper, or perhaps Jesus? But I now see that all leaders have a bullseye painted on their chest. I've had people misquote me, twist my words, make up half-truths, make up complete fabrications, criticize, critique (this one is especially comforting when coming from a person who doesn't contribute to the kingdom other than their presence in a pew on Sunday morning. thx for your service.) If you're like me, you want to be able to sulk when you're mad. You just want to put on some country western music and be miserable. I just want the chance to be angry. I just wanted to be angry today. In a moment of weakness, when I didn't have my guard up, God slipped a bible into my hands and the pages landed on Romans. I love the book of Romans. My ESV has stained pages in Romans from the fingers constantly turning there. I started in Romans chapter 12. Bad move if you want to sulk and be angry at people. You ever wanted to be angry about something and then God tricks you into reading Romans ch. 12? Clever move Yahweh. You got me again. I even asked God why He let me read that. I just wanted to be angry for a little while, "I promise I won't kick any puppies." But He wouldn't relent. For some reason, I had to read it over and over and over and over, then I read it from The Message, over and over. I'm starting to think there's a point He's trying to teach me. Maybe? I literally asked, "Why can't you just let me be mad for a little while? And why did you make me read that? Why do I have to love people like that? Why do I have to do hard things?" I'm just being honest. I hope my blog is a safe place to be honest. So, I asked God these questions and I heard Him speak as clear as day. He simply said, "Because I love you." Can you believe that? I almost got mad again. I'm seriously upset and best explanation as to why I shouldn't exercise my right and desire to be mad is, "Because I love you."???? But then I got it. He loves me. That's enough. He loved me when he had every right to be angry with me and every right to hate me for the things I had ever thought, said, or done. A love like that is a little scary. It's scary to love things that seem unlovable or the things that it hurts to love. But that's what He did. I don't think I can be mad anymore. It's hard to stare at an ocean of forgiveness and refuse to give any to your neighbor. If I'm honest, I have a job that would require me to explain God's love for humanity. How can I explain something that I don't understand myself? I can't communicate it to you, I can only choose to love back. I don't want to look at the ocean anymore, I want to dive in. I echo the words of 1 John 4:19, "We love because He first loved us." I talked to my friend and fellow blog contributor Petey Parker about this. He believes God will work into your life the truth of your own messages. I've been asking our students recently to give love freely to all, regardless of race, sexuality, popularity, belief, or deeds. Petey tends to think that God is trying to teach me something in this. He tends to think those messages were more for me than my students. That Jesus fellow is crafty. I realize ministry leaders will be ever be in the public eye. People will watch my life like a hawk trying to find a reason to criticize me and ruin my reputation. Even the hick pastor of a rural church in the middle of nowhere will face this difficult road. Praise God for tough skin and grace that sustains. I assume I could be anywhere working any other job under the sun, but I put my hand to the plow and I'm not planning on looking back sucka! (if you don't understand what sucka is, i suggest you watch this!)

Life Update

Life is a strange and mysterious creature. There are many highs and lows and everything in between. Many are crippled by the lows. Life can seem as if it just isn't worth living anymore. But I have hope. A hope that exist beyond myself. A hope that rest in the sovereign God of the universe. I have learned that there is joy to be had in life regardless of circumstances. This joy is only available through Jesus who gives freely and to all. You can have joy in life if you only look to Jesus. He is greater than your pain or circumstances. He is still in control. It is Jesus who also allows me find more pleasure in the things that I have been blessed. It is Jesus who allows me to love my wife at a higher level because of love. Food taste better, sleep seems more restful, pain less painful, movies more enjoyable, jokes become even funnier, life becomes worth living. Jesus has allowed me to enter into such an amazing point of my life. My wife will soon deliver our first child, Sawyer Reid Beckworth. My ministry is in a season of bearing much fruit. I have sweet relationships with friends who love me. It is this joy that allows me to face tomorrow. What will I do if all these things are stripped from me? I must say that my hope is in the Lord. He is good. He only does good and I will praise the God who gives and takes away.

Love on the Line

I love the words of Eugene H. Peterson as he comments on Romans in The Message//Remix. We’re told that, “…..God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.” What a beautiful concept. God put his love on the line. I sit in my office and I ponder what it would look like if you and I put our love on the line. Perhaps I am just crazy, but I feel like the whole world would change. It has to change. We no longer live in a world where people flock to churches for identity or truth. We no longer live in a world where students and youth run to church for answers. If something is going to change, we must put our love on the line. Students don’t want pizza parties or games. They want truth. They want answers. They want hope and help. They want to know that someone really does love and care about them. They simply want someone to put their love on the line for them. I encounter so many broken and hurting students who just want to feel love. I believe that God looked down from heaven and saw a broken and hurting world that needed to feel love. A world that needed to see real love in action. Love on the line.

Current Reading: The Message//Remix

Current Listening: Rehab by Lecrae

-Daniel

Community

It's been one week since I returned from my first youth camp while serving as the lead pastor. I was nervous. I was terrified at times. I didn't feel qualified to run a camp of students for an entire week. We survived. But not without a few battle wounds. I could hardly sleep at night. This was partly due to anticipation for the next day's activities and partly due to my inexperience. I made it through the camp. We made it through the camp. And it was amazing. I must say that I would have never been able to complete such a task if not for a wonderful group of volunteers. I must say that I would not have made it had it not been for my support group. This is the beauty of community. We share each other's loads and burdens. We do so gladly. We share the pains of life together. This bond makes the joys of life all the greater. Bitter & sweet we share. I remember earlier this year feeling depressed. I was exhausted. I was at my breaking point. I was crumbling under the pressure of working two jobs, completing my degree, trying to be a good husband, trying to find quality time with my wife & where I fit in according to God's global plan. I owe so much to my friends and wife who offered community when I wanted seclusion. At camp we discussed community. We all know that we need community. We all know that we need each other. But knowing and doing are two different things. I realized my need for community. As I looked back over the past year I realized that community was there all along. I realized that I didn't need to search for community, but rather embrace it. We simply can't do life alone. We need each other. Come to terms with this. We need each other for encouragement. We need each other to open up and confess our sins. Community doesn't judge. Community embraces honesty and seeks to see you through your dark moments. We are not alone. I am reminded of the account from the book of Nehemiah in which the people gather together in order hear the reading of the Scriptures. There was likely only one copy in the whole village. All the people gathered around. These people stood for 6-8 hours just to hear the word. Amazing. While this shows the importance of God's word, I think it also shows that the reading of God's word is to also be a public event. This is to be carried out in community. We gain so much from this unity built around the gospel. I am thankful for the ones that love me and have chosen to do life with me. Our bond is beautiful. We are strengthened as we lean on each other and press on toward the goal of finding our purpose in this broken world. This community is different. It is holy. Set apart. There is something holy about gathering with friends over a meal we've prepared as we tell stories, share our past & embrace our future in Christ. This is holy.

How He Loves

I can't even begin to tell you how much this means to me. What an incredible God. He loves us amid our fears & failures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7SQBJTjwOw&NR=1

-Daniel

Starbucks Religion

Whether you like it or not, no one can argue the fact that Starbucks is a force to reckoned with. I'm not a coffee drinker, but you can see the influence of Starbucks on the culture. The coffeehouse has cemented itself as an icon. This influence has even found its way into the church. You have popular books, such as "The Coffehouse Gospel," or "Coffehouse Theology." Pastors no longer stand behind pulpits, but now sit on a stool, possibly behind a cafe table, and sip a cup of...........You guessed it.....coffee. The lights are turned down a little low. The music sounds like a love song to Jesus. The mood is perfect. Many will say, "What's wrong with this?" or "We like this setting." There is nothing wrong with the setting or the lights. The problem is that the culture has not only influenced our lighting and our decorations, but they have also influenced our preaching. Churches today are dominated by pastors who preach looking for emotional responses rather than engaging people intellectually. We must appeal to the intellects of our people and our congregations. We are all to familiar with the pastors/speakers who work the crowd into an emotional frenzy in order to produce a response, but will these types of responses produce a lasting change? I don't think so. "You are not called to be a rock star. You are a called to be a shepherd. Now go serve your people." We must ask ourselves what will last at the end of the day? Will catchy slogans, free coffee, or soft sermons actually last? Is your church actually making an impact for the kingdom if the are only known for being hip or having cool music? Have faith that the gospel can really change lives. The gospel is scandalous, brutal and beautiful. Embrace it. Preach the gospel as if there is no tomorrow, because for some there is no tomorrow.

Daniel

Persecution in India

http://vimeo.com/9608493

http://vimeo.com/9607938