Thanks to everyone at Renaissance Church for such an amazing day celebrating our 3 year anniversary! The Newman family (mom & dad, girls & all!) are very blessed. Great, great, day.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
-Acts 4:13

Being a leader and person of influence takes, skills, knowledge, training, etc. But an commonly overlooked leadership quality is courage. Leadership requires risk-taking. Boldness. The exercise of faith. Because at some point on their journey the leader will be asked to make an extreme decision of sacrifice.

The leader may have to risk their reputation. Their comfort. Their money. Familiar relationships. Possessions. Time. Safety.

The decision of sacrifice can take many forms. But to make the decision to give what costs most, the leader must be courageous. Without courage, true leadership isn’t possible.

The good news is, God gives courage to the cowardly when they ask for it. Boldness before people (and in spite of people!), comes as a result of boldly seeking God.

If your “courage meter” is low, find Jesus.

He makes the weak strong.

He makes the ordinary EXTRA-ordinary.

And He gives cowards the power to change the world.

We have all been shaped by environments (school, work, etc). But it is truly something to be shaped by the presence of God.

Blessed are the people who know the passwords of praise,
who shout on parade in the bright presence of God.
Delighted, they dance all day long; they know
who you are, what you do—they can’t keep it quiet!
Your vibrant beauty has gotten inside us—
you’ve been so good to us! We’re walking on air!
All we are and have we owe to God,
Holy God of Israel, our King!

-Ps. 89:15-18

My youngest daughter is SEVEN today.

I know that there is a term called “Lucky” Seven. But I don’t believe in luck.

I believe in blessing.

On February 23rd, 2003 a little blessing named Raina came into our lives.

She was so beautiful, even on the first day.

Since that time this little bundle of energy, joy, and laughter has captured our hearts ever since.

She is a singer, athlete, reader, and leader.

There doesn’t seem like there is anything she can’t do.

The sky is the limit.

And aside from all of her talents, she truly loves Jesus.

We appreciate the vivacious splash of color that your life brings to the world.

Happy Birthday Raina.

We love you.

Man’s days are determined;
you have decreed the number of his months
and have set limits he cannot exceed.
-Job 14:5

Flatlining is a term we commonly associate with death. The Merrit-Webster’s dictionary calls it, ” to register on an electronic monitor as having no brain waves or heartbeat”. Basically it means to die. Most people that flatline, don’t wake up. They are gone.

We aren’t told when that day will come for us.

But if we could know, how would it change our life?

If this was our last day on planet earth what would we say? What would our priorities be? What would we regret or want to do different?

The good news is that we have a chance to do something about it today.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”
-Matt. 5:13

The world is watching us.

We may not be aware of it, but the people of the world are watching us.

Watching us. Studying us. Checking to see if we are real.

Trying to determine if we really believe what we say we believe.

Looking to see if we are who we say we are.

This has been clearly evident during the earthquake crisis in Haiti and culture’s response to Pat Robertson’s comments about Haitian’s “pact with the Devil”.

The Minnesota Star Tribune published a letter to Robertson from “the Devil.”

Jon Stewart of the Daily Show literally reads from the bible to illustrate the God of Compassion as evidenced in the scriptures contrasted with Pat Robertson’s response.

But this really isn’t about Pat Robertson.

This is about us.

We presently exist in a time of great trial, great difficulty, great testing, and great intensity. Tragedies fill the airwaves and the internet, television and print media. Whether economic, relational, medical, environmental, we are facing things that we have never faced before.

Even though that is in the news, those realities and details aren’t the biggest story. What has the potential to be the biggest story is how the people of God will react and respond in this season of challenge, as Allan Greenspan entitled his latest book, we are in an ‘Age of Turbulence’.

In this ‘Age of Turbulence’ the biggest question is, how are the people of God going to respond? Are we going to lament, complain, point fingers, get critical, get nasty, and get caught up in the spirit of the age?

Or are we going to pray and seek God, asking Him for strength and for grace when everything screams the opposite. Can we serve hurting people the way Jesus would, no matter what? Can we show the world that we love Jesus more than politics, more than our nation, more than our stuff? And because we love Jesus so much, and because His love is now inside of us…we love THEM so much?

Can we do that?

Can we really do that?

Because the world is watching us.

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous run to it and are safe.
-Prov. 18:10

I have a soft spot for See’s candies.

I love the chocolate smell of the retail stores, the little white outfits the workers wear, the way a full box feels in your hands. A couple weeks ago I saw a huge See’s truck in transit, on its way to drop off tasty goodies to the masses. When I looked at the logo paited on the truck’s side I couldn’t help but smile.

You see, I have a soft spot for See’s candies (Nuts and Chews, Cashew Brittle in particular!). I always have. I remember gigantic 2 pound boxes of delicatable delights at Christmas time when I was a small child. The rustle of the little crinkled cups containing chocolate treasures. The plastic bubble packs my sisters and I gleefully popped while munching on mahogany sweets.

Lady See’s and I have been friends for quite a long time.

A few years ago while living in the Midwest (where See’s isn’t well represented), I would order boxes of chocolates online and have them shipped directly to my doorstep.

You know, I have a soft spot for See’s candies (I think I may have said that already!).

But one thing I have learned over the years is:

See’s candy makes a great treat.

But See’s candy makes a poor tower.

When I use a few candies from See’s as a “get-away” I get myself in trouble.

When I make anything other than Jesus my refuge, the “refuge” only lasts as long as the experience (and candy goes away quick!).

And the thing that I needed refuge from is still there.

It hasn’t gone anywhere.

I can either go back to the candy store, or I can run to Jesus (where I should have gone in the first place!).

Now you might be reading this while thinking, “I can’t believe Julian would ever think of finding peace in a candy box!”.

And yes, it is kinda dumb.

But after you have gotten over your shock, think of the various places YOU have run to find peace and safety.

It might not have been bags of candy, but it sure wasn’t Jesus.

Whether it’s this or that, some of that stuff and a little bit of this stuff…it really doesn’t matter.

If it isn’t Jesus, all we are left with is an empty bag.

And an empty heart.

Let’s make Jesus our refuge.

His Name is a strong tower.

When we run to Him, we are safe.

If we were honest, we would admit that we often run from challenge and diffculty, desperate to find the path of least resistance.
But “leastness” diminshes us, making us much smaller than we are intended to be.

True greatness isn’t found in the absence of adversity, but discovered in the midst of it.

Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., J.Hudson Taylor, Jonas Salk among others compel us because they found the strength to overcome resistance to accomplish God’s purpose.

Sometime today you and I will be faced with resistance.

At that point we will be faced with a very simple choice:

Will we choose Leastness or Greatness?

And one of them struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
Jesus answered, “No more of this!” And he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
-Luke 22:51

These two verses are in the middle of a strange story. One of the disciples (John 18:10 tells us that it was Peter), took a sword and in the panic of Jesus’ arrest swung a sword and injured the ear (literally cutting it off) of high priest’s servant (whose name was Malchus).

After watching his disciple inflict this mortal wound, Jesus stepped in and healed the servant.

Without the healing touch of Jesus, this man would have quickly bled to death.

He healed in spite of many reasons that it would seem that He wouldn’t:

3. It was a Bad Time-He on the way to redeeming the world.

Though these details are all true, Jesus healed him anyway. Jesus is always moved to restore the reckless injuries His disciples inflict on unsuspecting people. Peter didn’t set out to maim anyone, but because he was afraid, his judgement got jumbled.

Many Christians and followers of Christ are in a similar place. We are afraid. Afraid that someone is going to infringe on our values, afraid someone is going to say something or do something that is going to violate the scriptures, afraid that we are not going to be honored or respected the way that we ought to be, afraid that someone if going to take our ‘rights’ or privileges away (as if someone could).

This seizure of fear has made us defensive, causing us to be overly fixated on what is wrong with the world, rather than how we can make it right, and caused us to do (and say) incredibly stupid things. And like Peter, we don’t mean to be stupid people. We are sincerely sincere in our stupidity.

But our stupidity has made us forgetful. Made us forget that Jesus didn’t die for principles. He didn’t die to protect the status quo. He died for people. It was the religious establishment that was pre-occupied with keeping rules. Jesus was pre-occupied with healing hurts.

Ironically when we injure “ears”, we become barriers rather than bridges for the world to receive His Message.

The time has come for the Jesus followers to relinquish the sword of Peter, and through the love of Jesus bring healing to a broken generation.

Last week I tweeted the following sentence on my Twitter page: Be careful 2 give ur best no matter small the opportunity or assignment. Small doors walked through faithfully, often lead 2 gr8 rooms.

The next day I received this message:

Julian,
I loved what you wrote today about doing your best. My 20 year-old daughter started her first job in a brand new day care center about 3 years ago. In the beginning, because she is so willing and very helpful always, *I* felt as if the owner was taking advantage of her. Since it was her first job I often would say, “honey, they shouldn’t ask you to work when you’re not going to get paid”. Or, “it’s not your job to drop off the owners daughter somewhere and use the gas from your own car.” There were SEVERAL things like that and it seemed they went on often. You know, I thought I needed to teach her to NOT get taken advantage of. I’m her mom you know, it’s my job right???

So, you’re right, always do you best, in the little stuff, and even the stuff that you don’t think you should have to do.

Wow. When we recognize that Jesus is our boss, then everything else falls into place.

No need to add anything more than that.

I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
He promises peace to his people, his saints—
but let them not return to folly.
-Ps. 85:8

For us to get the return that God promises, we must make the investment that God requires.