Christmas

Jesus sits in heaven, next to his Father, the hour before he must suspend his ability to remember he is God...before he places himself into the earthly protection of a human whose race he must ultimately rescue. The hero of the universe setting off on a journey to save a planet. Never has love been so reckless, to prove itself so intimate, so real, so tender, so beyond the power of fear, sin and death. ~John Lynch (2009)

The Verb "To Feel" - Two Definitions

The verb “to feel” means two different things: (1) the sensation created by physically “touching” something. (2) the internal sensation created by “relating” to something. Us to people. Us to the world. Us to hormones. Us to circumstances and life events. Interesting the same verb is used both to describe the physical and relational aspects of our experiences.

Metaphorically, to feel an emotion means to “touch” those things and people we "relate to", similar to a child touching the cool grass, the heat of fire, or the soft coat of a Golden Retriever. “To feel” means to use our relational tentacles. We can’t experience the sensation of our relationships without them.

In the church, I've often heard people say that they shouldn't have certain types of emotions like anger or jealousy. They really get down on themselves for having such emotions. I myself have been one of them. However, this is ridculous. This sort of person might as well tell me they should deny food which tastes bad because he or she doesn't want to offend the chef. The reality is that the food tastes good or bad. Period. If emotions are truly how we "feel" relationships and "feel" the circumstances of life, then a person who says they should not have certain emotions is saying that they only want to be connected to certain aspects of people and certain aspects of life. To me, this sounds like someone who wants to disconnect from life because it is too painful. The reality is that we need to set our emotions free from constraint, but act upon those emotions in healthy and appropriate ways.

Funeral Service for Jason Mitchener

His songs were sung. His writings were read. His pictures were on display. His pastor preached. His brother spoke well. His step-father concluded the service. We all stood and clapped in honor of a life well-lived.

Special moments for me: Talked with Janet, an aid of his for more than a decade, maybe closer to two. Recognized the intimacy in her relationship to him. A connection to his long-term care-takers. Met Kristann, a friend of Jason's from age 12. He walked up to her on crutches when she was new to the neighborhood and introduced himself. A connection to his past. Watched a tear-wrenching slide show. Pictures showed him walking as a child. A connection to his freedom.

A Personal Eulogy to Jason Mitchener

My friend, Jason Mitchener, died last night at 10:55pm on December 16, 2009. He was 39 years old. I had the privilege of knowing him for the past 9 years.

I met Jason in church, back in 2001, at Crossroads Christian Fellowship. Our paths crossed reasonably often in the midst of church activities, but I’d say I never really got to know him in the way I’ve known him since three years ago, beginning in 2006.

In that year, something happened in our friendship that was different than before. We decided to read a book together so that when we we’d hang out weekly (or every-other week-or-two) we’d have something to talk about. Those book discussions were a turning point in our friendship. I think we read “Killing the Giants” by Max Lucado first. It was rather simple—read a chapter or two, then meet and discuss the reading. It didn’t seem like a huge progress in our friendship each time we met for our book discussions, but I could tell that over-time there was a difference in our friendship that hadn’t been there before. One huge difference, I believe, is that we stopped trying analyze life so much and began listening to each other. I think this listening to each other and being attentive to each other’s personhood is what did the trick. Once we started listening to each other’s hearts, I believe this was each other’s way of telling the other that he was good enough. As men, we often fear not being good enough in this life, not measuring up. When we find another man or men in whom we know that we are good enough, then trust begins to develop. Jason was one of those people for me, and I think I to him. Jason was one of my very good friends. He was part of an important group of men in my life who I trust with who I really am.

Jason Mitchener also accomplished many things in his life that were quite amazing. He wrote a book. He wrote lyrics for a CD and lyrics for another band. He put together lots of neat pieces of digital art on his computer that many of us now own. He moderated portions of the “Third Day Message Board” and ministered to those in their discussion groups. He gathered 24,000+ followers on Twitter. He wrote devotionals that have impacted people via email and blog entries now for almost two decades. He did all of this in the midst of living with a rare, neuromuscular disease which prevented him from moving his arms and legs, or even breathing on his own. He needed a ventilator for his every breath. In fact, Jason accomplished all of these things with a computer and a stick in his mouth to type with. These accomplishments, however, were only symptoms of Jason’s personhood.

Yes, Jason’s accomplishments are numerous and quite remarkable. But, there is something deeper about Jason that was far more important than these things—it was Jason himself. Jason was a stubborn, funny, selfish, self-less, intelligent, witty, humorous, tired, sometimes half-hearted, often determined, energetic, man full of hope and despair, all wrapped up into one human being who accomplished many things. The many things he accomplished came from a normal human being with joys and sorrow who had the God of the universe living inside of him.

Jason was the first to admit that in the midst of writing his devotionals, positive messages through Twitter, and so forth, that he was a normal guy who sometimes had a hard time getting motivated to wake up for the day. At other times, he was full of dreams, vision, and energy that was amazing to watch. He and I both agreed that with the development of Twitter as a new technology, that he had found his niche and was coming into a new season in his ability to express himself creatively to the world.

The fact that he was a normal human being in an extraordinary situation was part of his heroicism. I think what I was most attracted to in my friend was his willingness to risk his exposure as being seen for who he really was. He and I took a chance, took off our masks, and dared to share our hurts, failures, dreams, successes, accomplishments, sin, and fears with each other. We practiced listening to each other. We were learning to trust each other. That’s the Jason Mitchener I knew and loved. Yes, I am thankful for Jason’s accomplishments, but only because they brought him to the world.

I end with a portion from one of Jason’s devotionals called Not Long for This Earth.

“Embrace what God has given you here [in this life]. Look with a child’s eyes of wonder at the clear blue sky and the hiss of green. Breath deep the fragrance of a rose or a baby’s hair. Listen to the music of a bird’s morning song or the rustling of leaves in the wind. Feel the warmth of the afternoon sun or the coolness of an evening breeze. Taste the sweetness of a succulent orange or the sourness of a lemon. Love those around you with a fervency that cannot be quenched.”

“While enjoying your journey here, remind yourself that something greater lies ahead. The joys of this earth pale in comparison to the glories of heaven. In heaven, it will be as if our eyes are finally opened and our ears can finally hear. Our weak, frail bodies will be replaced with bodies that will never perish. We will be in the sweet presence of a loving God. No pain or sorrow will ever tear our hearts.”

“Live life to the full because we are not long for this earth. An eternity awaits us in heaven.”

Jason Mitchener. You stubborn, funny, lovable friend! Holy smokes, you're there. I will miss you and grieve my loss, but I will not feel sorry for you. I'm glad we had our time together. Thanks for being a part of my life.

The Will of God

Oswald Chambers rightly states (in my opinion) that "the Christian doesn't ask what God's will is. He or she is the will of God." With this total freedom, I believe the identity-centered Christian will generally move along what most call "the will of God" anyway.

Counter-Intuitive God

In my opinion, the highest form of obedience is to believe that God has forgiven you and turned you into something amazing. All other forms of obedience fail in comparison.

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John 3:16, 17 -- 2 Cor 5:17, 21

Outside Sources Believing in Me (short version)

When someone believes in me, I begin to develop this audacious belief that maybe there is something inside me worth believing in.

Repentence and the Kingdom of Heaven -- Translated

Recognize the impossibility of trying to figure out how to fix the harm you've done (and will do) to others, as well as your resistance towards God. I'm a safe place of forgiveness and protection you can reside in where healing and restoration take place (Jesus in Matthew 4:17 SDT*).
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*SDT = Steven D. Translation

Acting Out of Our Authority

The crowds were amazed because He didn't teach about following rules, rather He modeled to them a sense of confidence in living out of a God-given identity (Jesus in Matthew 7:29 SDT*).
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*SDT = Steven D. Translation

I Have Come for the Unmasked

I have not come to heal those wearing masks, rather those who take a chance that I'm safe enough to go unmasked (Jesus in Matthew 9:13 SDT*).
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*SDT = Steven D. Translation

Dropping the F-bomb

I'm sitting here at Lux Coffee House and a nice, attractive woman working behind the bar drops the F-bomb. Why do I smile? I feel a little embarrassed or awkward. Isn't that interesting? Someone else drops the F-bomb and I smile. Just feels out of place.

Why?

I think it's because I grew up in environments where young women weren't supposed to do that sort of thing. Then, I got to college and women in my dorm were dropping the F-bomb like it was going out of style, especially those from Jersey and New York. During that time, I was also in a religious student organization where women didn't drop the F-bomb. Half F-bomb, half no-F-bomb.

I have a confession to make. I drop the F-bomb. Yes. I know. You thought it wasn't true. And, for those of you who've never heard me drop the F-bomb before, it's because it's a special word I use, and only use in one relationship. Yep. You got it. I only use the F-bomb in prayer.

The F-bomb is great for voicing my feelings and simply means "I'm really, really frustrated right now." These are sacred words I only use in prayer. I know it sounds crazy, but this is just the way it is. For me, there is no judgement in prayer. I can say anything.

My friend behind the bar wasn't dropping the F-bomb out of frustration. She was just being herself. I find myself smiling with a little sense of embarrassment because I've been entrenched in such conservative circles for so long. I'm not planning on dropping the F-bomb in public any time soon. I guess I don't really feel the need to, just like someone who drops the F-bomb more than drinking water probably doesn't feel the need to stop doing so. Why would they change? Why would I change. No need to do so really.

The major question is: What's the state of your heart behind dropping the F-bomb or holding back from dropping the F-bomb? The more important questions behind dropping or refraining from dropping the F-bomb might be as follows:

Do you still think life would be better if "he" would figure things out or "she" would stop acting that way? Do you still think things would be better if people just listened to you? Do you find yourself in mental arguments more often than not while doing tedious tasks or during free time? Is there lots of fear and anxiety and you aren't getting the help you need to deal with it?

Or, do you find yourself content? Do you understand which things in life are your responsibility and which things aren't your responsibility? Do you find moments or even longer periods of time where you'd say, "I feel at peace right now."? Do you find those times of peace even in the middle of difficult circumstances? You feel anger, sadness, and sometimes fear, but peace is in the middle of lots of those emotions.

These are the more important questions behind the F-bomb.

Finally, one more thing. If you have this nagging sensation that your heart is sitting on the negative side of things, there is no way you can get it over to the positive side*. And, if you have this sense that your heart is sitting on the positive side of things, there is no way you can keep it over on that positive side by yourself. Those on the negative side can only get to the positive side with the help of a healthy set of "others" in their life. Those on the positive side, if they really think about it, they'll realize that it was never them in the first place. They will realize that it was a positive, healthy set of "others" in their lives that gave them the freedom to live in a positive mindset in the first place.

So, whether you're on the negative or positive side of dropping the F-bomb, you'll ways need others in your life who can help draw you into the positive. You, in turn, will help them do the same thing, F-bomb or no-F-bomb. Making ourselves better isn't our responsibility, or even realistic. Finding a healthy set of "others" where we can rest and get better is our responsibility.

The real question is: Do you have a healthy set of "others" in your life?

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*An idea I borrow from Travis Stewart backed by my experience and my observations of those around me.

Believing in Our Personhood

The person who believes in us always guides us towards our God-given adulthood, our personhood, our identity. They don't try to make our decisions for us. They don't try to analyze us. This is a healthy form of interdependency albeit counter-intuitive, where we become the directors of our own lives by giving trusted others access into ours. Those we give access to are so pivotal to our emotional and spiritual health. Give access to one who tries to analyze your decisions for you and you'll never mature.

Sometimes they pursue us. Sometimes we have to find them. Do you have one? One who affirms your personhood?

Outside Sources Believing in Me

When someone believes in me, I begin to develop this audacious belief that maybe there's something inside me worth believing in. Learning this new paradigm takes an action from the outside acting upon me. It is the voice of God, often through another person. Apart from God and others, I cannot become truly confident on my own will. Interdependancy is the way God designed us. He bestows confidence upon us. We aren't able to somehow generate it of our own accord. Thus, it turns into a gift instead of a self-generated commodity. So much more enjoyable.

In thinking further about this, it occurred to me that there are so many of those around us who need us to believe in them too. Thus, when I believe in someone, they have the opportunity to develop this audacious belief that maybe there's something inside them worth believing in. In fact, 1 Peter 4:11 says that when we speak to each other that we should speak to others as though our words are the very words of God to them. Wow! Our words are so powerful because they carry the weight of God. In this way, it is really God who believes in them through us.

I think the trick here is to embrace both. We can't go around demanding that others believe in us and not eventually risk returning the favor to those who need affirmation. Nor can we go around believing in others all the time and fail to let trusted others know that we need them to believe in us as well. The first requires selflessness and risk. The second requires vulnerability. Selflessness, risk, and vulnerability require courage. It is scary.

Treating Ourselves Well

Treating ourselves well is one of the most outwardly focused activities we can embark upon.

God has Bragging Rights on You

God has bragging rights on you. It's like He's got you in a room with a whole bunch of His favorite people and says, "Guys, this is who I was talking about!" Then He stands you up in front of everyone else and says, "Do you remember all the stories I was sharing last week about one of my favorites? This is who I was talking about!"

Then he tells them your name. You've never heard someone say your name in such a way before. Romantic. You almost feel like He's whispering your name to you alone, yet the whole room is present.

Then He goes further. He begins to tell your story. The story is about you and Him. It's all about courage and strength and tenderness and repentance in the midst of an evil and broken world that you had even participated in. You still can't believe He's telling these stories of honor about you and yet it seems so right, as though it were always meant to be. His voice is safe, fearless, and trustworthy. Somehow, God's telling of the story turns it into something you had never known before.

This is what God has to say about the matter:

"¹¹Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus* is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. ¹²He says,

"I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." ¹³And again,
"I will put my trust in him." And again he says,
"Here am I, and the children God has given me."

~Hebrews 2:11-13

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*According to Christian theology, Jesus is God. Therefore, these words that are spoken by him are spoken by God. They are interchangeable.

Trip to Mexican Restaurant = Breaking the Bonds of Slavery

When your every breath comes from a machine called a ventilator, life is rather restricting. Couple that with arms and legs which have no movement, and life is downright constricting. Triple that with a three-year broken van which is supposed to transport you, wheelchair, and ventilator to socialize and make speaking engagements: well, life can feel like being in the bonds of slavery.

Then, start typing with a stick (in your mouth) on your computer and do the following: Write a book. Write lyrics and compose an album on CD. Create digital art. Write the beginnings of a screenplay. Manage several websites and a blog. Finally, do the research necessary to gather over twenty thousand followers on Twitter and compete with "New Kids on the Block" for the Ashton Kutcher Award. As a matter of fact, continually turn out for some of the highest and most influential ratings on Twitter with the likes of MC Hammer and Levar Burton, not because you are famous but because you do the research and send out Tweets with positive and thought provoking quotes that are used to inspire the masses.

Still, your van isn't working. So, after putting together enough money from vested individuals, you get your van fixed and put together a small team of transporters to take you to the different events that need attending. First, a trip to the MVD. Second, a trip to Via Delosantos. Yes, Via Delosantos. Via Delosantos is your favorite Mexican Restaurant with Pico de Gallo that is out of this world. Via Delosantos beats out speaking engagements or going to church.

When it's been three years, sometimes a trip to a Mexican Restaurant = Breaking the Bonds of Slavery.

My friend writes at:
http://www.restalongtheway.com
http://www.jasonmitchener.com

The Primary Solution

A friend reminded me the other day that the solution to most of our problems is being in a relationship of trust. I believe the most trusting relationship I have available is with the creator of the universe. He tells me who I really am. He tells me He is not ashamed of me.

Let's get a little personal here. Do I still sin? Yes. Does my behavior sometimes border something so destructive that I could ruin my life and the lives of others if I gave myself permission to do so? Yes. This is all true. You and I are always capable of ruining our lives at any moment,* and I speak from experience.

The most important relationship in my life, however, begins with the One who tells me He is not ashamed of me. He says, "Spend time with me. I know all the stuff. It doesn't frighten me. I also know what's been done to you and what you've done to yourself. I know that you feel embarrassed and exposed. You feel embarrassed because you think you should have been able to stop others from hurting you and those around you. You also feel like you should have been able to stop yourself from hurting your own self and and those around you. For years you even ignored Me, analyzed Me, sometimes told Me off, and even tried to philosophically draw a picture of Me which was a little foolish albeit understandable. But, here's something I want to tell you. I'm not embarrassed of you. I'm not ashamed of you. I don't feel insecure when I tell the angels that I associate Myself with you and that you are my favorite person to spend time with. In fact, I sing your praises (Heb 2:10-13)**. There is nothing that can separate you from my love because I have already decided that I love you."

So there we go. That is the kind of relationship that can solve our problems. Funny thing is, once we get into this kind of a relationship, we begin to realize that solving our problems was never really the core or foundation of what God was going for, even though our safe and loving relationship with Him begins to result in many of our problems being resolved. At the core, He wants to spend time with us in the midst of our trust that He loves us, fought for us, died for us, heals us, and says, "I like this person. I'm taking him or her for eternity." It was never based on our behavior.*** The moment I realize that He loves me in this way is the moment that eternal life really starts to kick in. I mean, it really starts to get good at this point. The relationship itself takes on a new life. Until that moment, life is hell. Like I say, I speak from experience.

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*Yet, even the total destruction of our lives is always redeemable. That is how good it is.

**Check out Hebrews 2:10-13. The picture that the author is painting is as if God (in the person of Jesus) is in the middle of a crowd with a whole bunch of us. It's like he stands me up a little higher than all the others in the crowd and says, "Guys, this is who I was talking about!" He starts telling stories about us. It's glorious. He's showing us off. No wait. He's showing Himself off too. It always points back to Him. He's the one who created us. Actually, I'm not exactly sure how this works, but holy smokes. This is good stuff. A little fun and mysterious, eh? Just don't neglect the fact that He says He shouts our praises. Maybe just need to leave it there. He says we are holy. The Holy One hangs out with the ones He's made holy.

***Even our trust itself is never performance-based. It is always grace-based since our trust level goes up and down so often.

Laughter and Being Known

One characteristic of a healthy group of people who work together or support one another in various situations is the degree to which laughter is present. This laughter is present in the midst of being known for our failures, our fears, our dreams, and our accomplishments. Laughter is no longer a mask, rather a symptom of being known, loved, and protected.

Double Wow.

The value of spiritually and psychologically healthy friends in my life when I'm freaking out on the inside = Wow. Their value in having me when they’re freaking out on the inside = Double Wow. We’re healthy because we bring our freak-out-times into the light, not because we ‘figured out’ how to keep our act together.

Our positive behavior is merely a symptom of living in the light with a few trusted others and a willingness to entertain new ways of thinking and living. These trusted others don’t think we’re weird or too tainted for approval. Their approval is based on who God declares us to be.

Our desire is never to minimize sin, but also to never treat one another as sinners. A person who understands Grace + Truth understands they = a Saint. Beginning with the transformation of their identity, the transformation of behavior can take place at its own pace. It can never happen the other way around.* The transformation starts from our core, the truth of our inner being.

Our value then, is placed on our identity, not our behavior. We are like currency that never looses its value, even during times of recession or depression. The percentage rate of our ‘Identity-based’ investment is astronomical. Our trusted others must remind us of this when we’re freaking out. They tell us we’re healthy because we’ve made an investment in trusting God and a few trusted others with who we really are. They tell us the truth, that God lives inside of us.

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*(i.e. better behavior first, never equals saint second)

The Glory of God - sdrawkcaB

I'm aware of various people who are in the business of trying to "glorify God". They never seem to be satisfied, from my observations. I know others who believe God loves them but aren't preoccupied with trying to "glorify Him". Yet, I have to say that in observing this second group of people, I find myself thinking, "Isn't this glorious? Isn't God glorious?"

The Resources of God (a lot of them at least)

All the resources at my church (i.e. people) are like God's arms holding me. Not a single one has tried to solve my problems, but in resourcing themselves to me, they are part of the solution to my problems, in-and-of-themselves, and I to them. With God inside us, a bunch of individually weak people protecting one another turns into divine strength.

Heaven (Part Three)

Nora Jones. Sunrise is the song. Her voice draws me in. Intoxicating.

I was listening to her today and felt deep sadness. It wasn’t the sort of sadness I wanted to evade. The feeling resembled missing a dear friend or loved one who’s moved away. Difficult and beautiful at the same time. Along these lines.

As I pondered the intoxication of her voice, I realized it wasn’t her or her voice that was drawing me in, especially since it was moving me so emotionally. I realized I was being drawn into the seductiveness of God. The One who created that rich voice is the One who created her. I can almost say I felt like I was listening to the voice of God Himself, and yet the One who created her has a voice that far outweighs hers.

These feelings of sadness or missing a departed friend are synonymous to joy when I think of why and who I’m missing. I’m missing God. His voice is seductive.

Beautiful landscapes. Brilliant sunsets. Leaves changing color. The voice of Nora Jones. When I die, I get to hear the intoxicating voice of the One who created Nora Jones.

This is heaven.

Polyurethane and Psychologically Unhealthy Environments

The other week, I learned how to polyurethane a wooden floor. Took a paint roller with a long handle and rolled the viscous, translucent stuff all over a cafeteria. About half way through, a friend of mine asked me if I wanted a break. He’d take over. I consented and walked outside to get some fresh air.

The thing about polyurethane is that fumes are powerful. I didn’t know that. During the time I was rolling the stuff onto the floor, I was slowly acclimating to the potent fumes and didn’t know that they posed a threat to me if inhaled for too long. Sort of like sniffing paint or glue. Over time, it kills brain cells.

Getting back to the story, after about five minutes of fresh air, I decided to go back into the cafeteria to see how the rest of the polyurethane application was coming along. Walking into the door, I was hit by a wave of fumes that knocked me over. I couldn’t go in. I had to back up. The fumes were way too intense. How was I in there so long? Basically, I had acclimated to the environment just like the story goes that a frog acclimates to slowly boiling in water over time. In the end, it can kill.

Psychologically unhealthy environments present a similar situation. In workplaces, families, churches, clubs, organizations, and other institutions, we can spend months, years, or even decades living in these sub-cultures because we acclimated to these unhealthy environments over time.

The problem with operating within psychologically unhealthy environments is that we often don't know we're in them in the first place, nor the gravity of the situation. Do you think you might be in a psychologically unhealthy environment, but you aren't sure how serious it is or what to do about it? I highly recommend the books Safe People and Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend as resources to help you determine if there is a situation that needs addressing in one way or another.

Polyurethane. It overtook me in less than 60 minutes of work. I didn't know there was a problem. It took a friend of mine asking me if I wanted to take a break and step outside. Psychologically unhealthy environments are very similar. They can overtake us without our knowledge. I hope my book recommendations might help you in "taking a step outside" to see if there might be a problem or not.

2011 addendum: By the way, the best way to know if one of these books are for you is if you have a general sense of angst, loneliness, resentments, or anxiety that have lasted for long periods of time. That probably means that you have been residing in a psychologically unhealthy envronment for a long time without knowing it. You'll need to find some safe people who can help you set up some boundaries in order to dwell in a more psychologically healthy environment. These books can at least help you begin this process.

Forgiveness

I’m cautious in writing on the subject of forgiveness. In fact, I’m not going to write much for now. Somewhat unfamiliar territory for me.

However, I ran into a quote which reads, “Forgiveness protects us from the insidious harm that comes from sin done against us.*”

Read the quote again. No seriously. Read it again. Look at the key word. The key word is protects us. Forgiving others protects us.

I used to think that if I didn’t forgive others like God forgave me, then He’d be looking down on me and saying, “Bad human.” This couldn't be further from the truth. He’s already stripped all sin from me and made me perfectly perfect (2 Cor 5:17). All He does is talk about me and the rest of His children with the angels. How could He call me “bad human” when He’s transformed me into a good human? This is illogical.

So, there must be another reason** to forgive others. I think this quote hit it right on the head. God wants to protect us. It’s like He’s working all the angles to get our attention. “Steven, when you forgive so-in-so, you will experience a release from resentment and bitterness that I so long for you! You will experience feelings of peace and tranquility more and more over time. It won't be perfect peace for you, because you'll fall back into the old thought patterns of resentment and bitterness from time to time, but overall it's gonna be awesome!” Wow!

God desires to protect you and I from harm. Forgiving others is part of that process. It’s like a shield or buffer that protects us from resentment and bitterness among other things. It is God’s heart for us.

This is about all I know for now.

Matthew 23:37
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*Leadership Catalyst
** Maybe not the only reason, but a darn good one to start with, at least.

On Being Included

I was an average athelete in grade school. Kickball. Flag Football. Field Hockey. Softball. Basketball. I rarely got picked last for anything, but every once in a while it was close. I might be next-to-last.

Then there were those times when a special type of older classmate would come along. Let's say I'm in the fourth grade and a sixth grader is one of the team captains for basketball. He might say on the second or third pick, "I'll take Steven. He's good. He'll guard so-in-so." He was one of these older kids that somehow knew how to affirm me as a younger guy without even knowing it. Made me feel good about myself. I wanted to say, "Are you sure? Are you talking about me?" Those comments never came out of my mouth because I felt too good about getting picked in a higher order and even better about my team captain having some good words to say about the matter.

Jesus is like one of these older kids on the field that somehow knew how to make the younger guys feel included. Back in the day, Jesus walked up to some pretty uneducated, unrespected men like Peter, John, and Matthew. He said, "I'll take you. You're just right for my team. You'll play this position. You'll do great. You're just the sort of teammate I'm looking for." They might've looked over their shoulders at first to see if He was talking to someone else. Is He talking to me? They might have thought to themselves.

We all want to be included. Jesus is the Great Includer. He's got a jersey for you. It's for His team.

Ephesians 1:13