The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 24: Lukewarm 04

Revelation 3:1 (NLT)

“Write this letter to the angel of the church in Sardis. This is the message from the one who has the sevenfold Spirit of God and the seven stars:

“I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead.

“Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict. They desire to fit in both at church and outside the church; they care more about what people think of their actions (like church attendance and giving) than what GOD thinks of their hearts and lives.” (page 69)

Have you ever gone through the motions? Put your best foot forward so that others will think more of you? Whether this affliction affects your church friendships or your outside-the-church friendships, it's equally appalling to GOD.

Let’s deal with the outside-the-church friendships first. If you’re reading these devotions, I’ll assume that you have a daily relationship with GOD. Because of this, you've probably already sacrificed some “friendships” to stay away from various lifestyles which would drag you down. This is not only commendable but necessary. As we reconnect with these friends or make new ones, a temptation may be to try to fit in with the crowd. Maybe you don’t join in the drinking or drugging or partying anymore. But maybe you gossip about someone you know. Or water down your relationship with Christ by not sharing the drastic change its made in your life. Maybe you change the subject to avoid talking about it. Maybe you have an opportunity to speak hope and encouragement but back down for fear of what they will say about you. Maybe you even succumb to some of those old behaviors. Jesus has something to say about both. First, he warns that those ashamed of him will get the same treatment when they stand before GOD. And secondly, those who turn back are not worthy of the kingdom of GOD. Although these Scriptures sound rather harsh, the real tragedy is turning your back or denying the relentless love and grace GOD changed you with.

Equally adverse to your spiritual health is wearing a righteous mask at church while on the inside your rotting away. This disease is so ingrained in many of us that we rarely even catch it. Or we’re in blatant denial. We consider ourselves “good Christians” because we show up for church, toss some money in the plate, eat and hangout at fellowships, and try to cover up any flaws we possess because we don’t want our fellow “good Christians” thinking we’re not as righteous as we should be. All the while, we’re falling apart on the inside and further and further away from GOD. We may be able to pull off the masquerade on the outside while the inside fades away. Jesus also had something to say about these types of people. He laments that they are whitewashed tombs filled with dead man’s bones.

It takes a great deal of energy to try to maintain both a churchly and a worldly persona at the same time. So let it go. Move from the ranks of the lukewarm. And to the glorious fire and freedom of the Holy Spirit.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 69-70 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski  

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 23: Lukewarm 03

Luke 21:1-4 (NLT)

While Jesus was in the Temple, he watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box. Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two small coins.

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

“Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church…as long as it doesn't impinge on their standard of living If they have a little extra and it is easy and safe to give, they do so. After all, GOD loves a cheerful giver, right?” (page 69)

God Bless America. We live in the richest country in the world. Yes, even our little patch of buckshot and poverty is among the wealthier on earth. You will spend more money today than most of the world makes in a week, month, or in worst cases,  a year. That’s correct. This isn't one of Provine’s profound literary embellishments. Most of the world lives on a few dollars a day. We spend  three times as much when we hit the drive-thru. For one meal. While I’m not writing this to make you feel some false sense of guilt, I do want to get your attention. Rather, GOD wants attention drawn to this tragedy. We, as believers, generally give to the church and other charities at comfortable levels, out of our abundance. As with everything, its reversed in the kingdom of GOD. We are shown examples of people who gave out of their need. They gave everything they had. Think of the widow and Elijah or the woman giving her two pennies when everyone around her unloaded their bank faults or the early church members who sold everything to give to those in need..

Giving is about the heart in which we do it so more than anything else. Are we giving because GOD gave us first? Or are we giving because it’s the “right” thing to do and is expected of any acceptable church goer. You will find the more you give, the more you end up getting. Maybe not in financial reward but in the eternal. We don’t give more intentionally to get more. (At least I hope not). But it’s a principle throughout Scripture. GOD multiplies faithfulness many times over.

“So, Provine,” you may say. “We break even every month. How can we possible give more to the church, charities, or friends in need?”

“Thank you for asking,” I reply. And then offer some of the following tips:

Live on less.

Don’t buy that thing you really don’t need. Impulse buying.

Curb your eating out and cook as a family at home.

Ride a bike to work.

Carpool.

Raid the food pantry at church and eat rice for the summer (sorry, that one was just for John (the Pastor, not the Baptist) and I).

Wear what is in your closet.

Beg, borrow, and steal. (That’s for all my teachers out there.)

Pray that GOD changes your heart when it comes to giving. Money and otherwise.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read page 69 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 22: Lukewarm 02

Isaiah 29:13 (NLT)

 And so the Lord says,
    “These people say they are mine.
They honor me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me
    is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

“Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go.” (page 68)

During the course of a school year, numerous opportunities arise to share Jesus with my students. Somehow we’ll get off on the topic of God, or religion, or denominations, or church. I will then inevitably continue this conversation because it affords me a chance to share the Gospel with them. Among the many questions I inquire of them is “Why do you go to church?” As you can imagine, I’m assaulted by a slew of differing answers. Some say they’re forced to go by grandma or another family member. Some go because of the girls/guys. Some of them go for the free food or the entertainment value. Some can’t stand the thought of going because of Christian hypocrisy. But the most resounding answer in favor of church attendance is that’s expected of them to be good.

“So,” I pry, “you can do whatever you want during the week so long as go to church on Sundays or Wednesdays.”

“Pretty much,” they reply.

While such answers no longer surprise me, they still cause me to cringe. I don’t cringe out of judgment but because I used to think the same way. Over my life, I have gone to church for all these reasons. And many more. And not gone. Period. But there comes a time in everyone’s life (right now if you've never experienced this before) when they must decide if they will simply keep coming to church because it’s the “right or good thing,” or whether they come because their greatest desire is to collectively worship GOD with other like-minded people. Other people broken and struggling and powerless in and of themselves. People in need of grace and mercy and forgiveness and love and patience. A people whose whole perceptions have been radically changed. A people who've shaken off the dust of the lukewarm and stepped into following Jesus the way he was meant to be followed. Passionately and solely.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 68-69 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski 

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 21: Lukewarm 01

Matthew 13:44 (NLT)

The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

Preface to the Lukewarm devotions:

You've heard the saying, “This is going to hurt me a lot more than it will you.” As we embark on the chapter “Profile of the Lukewarm,” I will forewarn you (having lived through it) that the next three weeks of devotionals will be like a holy punch to the face. Or punches. Plural. If the truth hurts, then these next few weeks will leave you spiritually black, blue, and bloodied. But, if you can channel your inner Rocky, withstand the barrage, trust GOD, and punch through to the final bell of the final round, you will endure. And become who GOD is calling you to be. Many of the people I've talked to about the book admitted that they had put the book down when getting into this chapter. My prayer that we all pick it back up, pray for the strength to do what we can’t do on our own, and press closer to GOD.

Now that you've been warned properly, spend the remainder of today’s devotion meditating on the Scripture or reading the “Profile of the Lukewarm” chapter. If you dare.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 65-68 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 20: The Great Romance

Mark 1:1 (NLT)

Here begins the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.

Take a stroll down memory lane. Maybe you were 13 or 30. But remember the first time you fell in love. Remember how you were struck by their beauty/handsomeness. They wooed you with flowers and candy and movies and romantic walks. You wanted to spend all of your waking hours with them. You had a choice whether to do this but your attraction to and love for them swayed you. Sucked you in. Fascinated you.

This is what GOD does. In purest form. GOD loves us enough to pull us toward him. Even before we know we need a Savior. Nowhere is this depicted more simply than in C.S. Lewis' book The Silver Chair from the Chronicles of Narnia series. Here, a little girl is talking to Aslan the Lion (who represents Jesus). She relates how she prayed to come there and stand before him. But Aslan responds that she would have never come had he not drawn her there. Profound.

If you’re not the story type of person, pastor and author John Piper states it concisely:

“GOD would have to transform my heart to do what a heart cannot make itself do, namely, want what it ought to want. Only GOD can make the depraved heart desire GOD.”

Powerful.

One of the phrases I've latched onto as a believer and share often as a teacher is this:

I wouldn't even know I needed GOD without GOD impressing Himself upon me.

This is what Francis Chan is conveying here. We should love GOD because we choose to. We should love and desire GOD because He is GOD. Not what we can get out of him. And GOD gives us the choice, all while drawing us to him and giving us every opportunity to join in relationship with him.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 57-60 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 19: A Strange Inheritance

Ephesians 1:18 (NLT)

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.

In what is a brief, but poignant section of the book, Francis Chan candidly observes:

“The irony is that while GOD doesn't need us, we desperately need GOD but don’t really want him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him- and we wonder, indifferently, how much we can do for him and still get by.”

This stuff seems to somehow become routine. So take a moment to reread that phrase and reflect on it.

(I know you didn’t reread it. Seriously, reread and reflect)

Maybe I can even make it plainer. In the Refugeese language:

            “GOD want us but doesn't need us.

            We need GOD but don’t want him.

            He gives lavishly.

            We give enough to get by.”

Something is bad wrong with us. Pray today that GOD adjusts our vision.

 Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 57-60 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 18: Wanted

Jeremiah 1:6-10 (NLT)

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!
Today I appoint you to stand up
    against nations and kingdoms.
Some you must uproot and tear down,
    destroy and overthrow.
Others you must build up
    and plant.”

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Yesterday, I unfurled some of the serious (and humorous) fears I possess. But none of those have wreaked more devastation than that of insignificance. Throughout my life (and even from time to time still), I splash around like a drowning victim gasping for significance. As a kid, I dove into books and learning. While I developed a life-long love for reading, I couldn't find fulfillment in them. Next, I tried athletics. And I excelled at every sport I played. There are trophies littering a trash dump in Dallas, Texas to prove it. My search continued to intensify as I joined the underground art and music scene. I eventually got in a band. Wrote and screamed lyrics and poetry. Authored a book or two. And despite the writing dealing with that very issue, I found no significance in the process. If anything, it made it worse. As the addictions to sooth this increased, life then became truly insignificant. I gave up.

In the midst of all this, I collided head-first into GOD’s unfailing love and grace. And things changed. For a while. One danger we must be aware of as believers is that, although we are new creations, the old nature tries to rear its head from time to time. And that’s what happened with me along the way. Eventually, I bought into the lie that Jesus wasn't enough. That despite being his, I was lost among the other 10 billion people on the planet. That I need to write about this complexity and confusion. That I would become a published author. That I would be revered by millions.

By reading this passage of Crazy Love and, more importantly, the passage from Jeremiah, I’m reminded that we are significant because GOD loves us. And if we need more than that- he knew us before we existed! He thought each of us up and then created us. I realize what I’m about to write is far from literary, but -WOW!

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 57-60 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 17: In Love With the One I Fear

Isaiah 40:22-24 (NLT)

God sits above the circle of the earth.
    The people below seem like grasshoppers to him!
He spreads out the heavens like a curtain
    and makes his tent from them.
He judges the great people of the world
    and brings them all to nothing.
They hardly get started, barely taking root,
    when he blows on them and they wither.
    The wind carries them off like chaff.

Matthew 22:37-38 (NLT)

 Jesus replied, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment."

Throughout much of my life, I've been afraid. Of being alone. Of being insignificant. Of being abducted by aliens for exponential purposes. Of clowns (who I’m still not enthusiastic about). But the most irrational of fears was being terrified of GOD. I somehow knew that when I messed up, GOD put everything else on hold, pointed wrinkled hands at me, and shot lightning bolts out of his fingertips like the Darth Lord from the Star Wars Trilogy (the classic ones). You know, pop me and make me flop around a bit until I’d learned the lesson. Compounding that was my guilt and shame over missing quiet times or coming to the harsh realization that I hadn't prayed until I curled up in bed half asleep. This entire time my perceptions of GOD- what I thought, learned, and knew of Him- were drastically different from the GOD described in Scripture. I began to quote the verses of GOD’s love until it began to sink in. They relate how GOD love us…not how he hates us or despises us or zaps us with the blue lighting from his fingertips.

The Bible defines GOD as love. In fact it says, “GOD is love.” When we come to realize this and return to that love, our perceptions change. We then can possess peace within our selves- even if we miss a quiet time every now and then. Let’s be clear on this however, in all of our love and freedom, we should fear GOD. Not in the biting-your-nails-and-peeing-your-pants type of fear. But a holy reverence knowing that He and His ways are beyond our understanding. And He holds everything- including all the power.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 56-57 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 16: I AM Your Father

Matthew 7:11 (NLT)

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

After taking my wife on a hot date last Thursday, Friday was Daddy-Daughter Date Night. Savannah and I spent the whole evening together. We sang songs in the Jeep. Dined at El Toro's. Hit Sweet CeCe’s for dessert. Then proceeded to walk the shopping strip there. We entered Wal-Mart, played with the toys, poked around the videos, and read a dozen books. Being with my baby was a joy. All of the memories were good because we were together. And I comforted her the entire time as well. I rubbed her head and hugged her after she bumped her head at the Mexican joint. I walked between her and the curb on our jaunt to the store. You know, as a buffer. I grabbed the toy off the top shelf so she wouldn't pull a Curious George and climb to the top, thus knocking the shelf off-balance, causing it to tumble into the next one and creating an enormous domino-knock-down-game out of the entire store. I steered her away from the horror section in the media center. We talked about prayer and saving up your money to buy things you want and the value of sharing toys with kids who don’t have them. We also spoke of not passing gas and blaming it on Daddy in the middle of a public place. (Like I would ever do that to her).

At times like these, we get a glimpse of how GOD is with us. On such a greater level than this. GOD hovers over you and I with joy as I spend time with my family, hike a trail, ride my bike, read a book, or even write these words. He follows you as you gather for football or baseball games, laughs with you as you watch Madea, rejoices with you over the new baby, uplifts you as you chalk up another sober day, delights when you discover joy in Him and not just it what He gives. He protects us from dangers we don’t even know about. He guides us into deeper relationship with Him. He stands as a buffer between us and the one who would snatch our soul. He teaches us how to love others.

Some of us had wonderful fathers; others had one who did the best they knew how; and still others had absent or horrible fathers. But GOD is the perfect Father. He loves his children perfectly.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 54-56 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski 

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 15: A Revealing Conversation

1 Corinthians 3:13-15 (NLT)

But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value. If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.

Today is less devotion and more devotional exercise.

Use your imagination. Let’s say that you die as you read this devotion. (Not trying to be morbid. Just making a point.) And suddenly you are face to face with YAHWEH. After you have risen from your knees and he draws you into conversation, the question arises, “What did you do with the beautiful gift of life I gave you?”

Ponder the question. Deeply. How would you answer? Honestly. Would you find that GOD would delight in your answer? Or do you already feel like you have wasted much of your life now that you've carefully examined it?

Take the time to think hard about this issue for a while. Have a conversation with GOD about it. If you've found that your life is full of the Spirit’s fire and you are taking every opportunity to share the hope of JESUS, then press on! If not, make today a turning point in your life. Because you never know when  the curtain will descend on the play that is your life.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 48-51 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski 

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 14: Are You Ready?

Matthew 10:32-34 (NLT)

“Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven.

“Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword.

My greatest desire is to be praising GOD the moment my time here on earth is complete.

Funny the things you remember. Years ago, I listened to this band called Korn. One of their songs builds and builds instrumentally until Jonathan Davis (the singer) screams, “Are you readyyyyyyyy?” What follows is a musical barrage and, if you’re present at their live show, thousands of people thrashing up and down, side to side in a flood of angst-ridden humanity. (Check out a YouTube clip. The one from Woodstock 99 is moving. In more ways than one).

After reading the subtitle “Are You Ready” in Crazy Love, I thought about these images. But my perceptions have changed drastically since those depressive, anger-driven days. Now I can still hear the clarion call of “Are You Ready” in my head, but I think not of a lost crowd of passive people releasing their pent-up aggressions in an emotional orgy. But of a countless crowd bursting into the unrestrained praise of GOD. I envision what it will be like to leave this fleeting world and the human condition behind and lift my voice with innumerable others in a concerted chorus of praise to the Creator and Redeemer. I see joy in its purest form flowing out of hearts who spent lives in faith believing and now becoming one in the greatest “ending” to any romance story ever told. I witness the absence of pain and confusion, and the emergence of an eternity in which light and love and story emits. Forever.

Now that’s a concert I not only desire to attend but want to participate in. So now allow me to say (not shout), “Are You Ready?”

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 46-47 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski 

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 13: A Tale of Two Responses

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

One sentence in this section struck me more than any other.

“Turning inward is one way to respond [to our lack of control]; the other is to acknowledge our lack of control and reach out for GOD’s help."

You’ll recall that I got to serve on a tornado response team in Oklahoma last month. On Sunday morning, we visited the church which allowed us to camp out in their parking lot. The pastor attempted to narrow down the two most common responses he’d come across in his counseling sessions since the horrific storm. They were: 1- Why me? And 2- Help!

The two sharply contrast and reflect the attitude of a person’s heart.

1- Why me?…

Or as Francis Chan would label it, the “inward” response. While its understandable given the circumstances, no statement is as selfish and self-centered as this one. The pastor related how the phrase is almost always followed by self-pitying rants, which may last anywhere from two minutes to two hours. We've all done it. But usually it's for much less. The car won’t crank…they don’t have our video in the RedBox machine…our child is pitching an unholy temper tantrum at the grocery store. It’s the victim mentality. Only seeing the uncontrollable tragedy. And even then seeing the tragedy that happened to me, me, me! Like it hasn't happened to millions of other people. (Again, its easy to say this from the relative comfort of my desk now).

2- Then there is the other option, the outward option.

The pastor referred to this as the “Help!” option. The desperate cry of a hurting child pleading to their Heavenly Father. Realizing that they have no control over the circumstances of life. Acknowledging humility and a lack of control even over basic necessities. Despite being the primal cry of a helpless child, it’s the more mature option. It’s the choice of someone who recognizes that you have to, in the words of the Serenity Prayer, “ …take, like Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as we would have it to be…”

Which course of action will you take?

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 45-46 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski 

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 12: The Movie That Is Life

1 Corinthians 10:31 (NLT)

So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

I can relate to the whole movie moment metaphor is this section of the book.

My grandfather has been a representative for a wholesale meat company since returning from the Korean War in the 1950s. In this capacity, he’s criss-crossed the Mississippi Delta with his magnetic personality. When movie executives were scouting the area for the film The Help, they discovered him by happy accident. And convinced him to play a brief role in the film. They built up the role. Had him practice his one line relentlessly. Filmed the one scene for the better part of two days. And all for a starring role that lasted all of a half-second.

It would be foolish of me to tell you that my grandfather was the star of a Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning film. Not only because I didn't watch it myself (the plot seemed boring and I jealously guard my time), but because the movie isn't even about him. He is but a glorified extra with a line and a cameo. He shines, then disappears.

What Francis Chan is trying to get across is the same idea. Life, as well as all else involved in it, is about GOD. He is the star of the movie of Life. We, like my grandfather, get but a tiny moment to shine. So let us do just that! Like my grandfather, let us rehearse relentlessly and be wooed by the star so that when our time to shine arrives, we shine gloriously.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 42-45 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski 

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 11: Worry and Stress

Philippians 4:4,6 (NLT)

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

How many lives have ended prematurely by these two suffocating emotions- worry and stress. Science and medicine have proven that these covert killers wreak havoc on the physical body, sending many to an early grave with heart attacks, strokes, psychological trauma, and bleeding ulcers. Harder to measure are those cases where people manage to hide the physical signs but who fail to live a robust life because of their stress and worry.

The solution is both simple and confounding. To stop stress and worry, we need only to trust fully in GOD. Simple enough. By building our faith one step at a time, we learn to trust him on a greater and more intimate level. With each step of faith in which we see GOD come through on our behalf, we trust him all the more.

In my personal opinion (for whatever that is worth), stress and worry originate in the struggle for control. We possess two choices in the matter:

Option 1: Trust GOD fully.

Rejoice in Him in all situations. Know, from the Bible and your personal experiences, that He is faithful to meet your needs. And rest in that.

Option 2: Make feeble attempts to control everything. When that doesn't work for you, stress yourself out and worry yourself to death because you can’t control your world. Not one for sarcasm, but let me know how that works out for you. Then again, never mind. Already know all too well how this one works.

Find freedom from stress and worry by placing (and keeping) your faith, hope, and trust in Jesus. And get about the business of life in joy!

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 41-42 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski 

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 10: You Might Not Finish This Devotion

James 4:13-14 (NLT)

Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

As a whole, we take life for granted. We go about our daily routines giving little thought to whether or not our next breath could be our last. I’m not trying to be morbid or anything. In the words of a dear friend, “I’m just sayin’.” I find myself only thinking about such things when I’m riding my bicycle up to church and a vehicle comes within inches of sending me to see my Savior.  Or I may find myself dwelling on it when I attend a funeral. Or read the obituaries (which I do every Sunday when my wife gets the paper for her coupons). But it's not part of my normal routine. Realizing that each day could be my last. That I’m not promised tomorrow. That I take many things for granted.

This section of the book simply challenges us to think about it for a moment. And I pass that challenge on you.

“Intellectually we all know that we will die, but we do not really know it in the sense that the knowledge becomes a part of us. We do not really know it in the sense of living as though it were true. On the contrary, we tend to live as though our lives would go on forever.” -Frederick Buechner

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 39-40 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 9: Before The Throne

During the course of penning these LifeTogether devotions, I've encountered bouts of writer’s block. None more so than when I read these chapters and vainly attempt to describe GOD. Despite writing these devotions for two years now, I haven’t even scratched the surface of explaining him or worshiping him or singing his praises. Feels anticlimactic to even try.

So with that being said, read these two chapters:

Revelation 4

Isaiah 6

And worship our GOD.

Before doing so, ponder what Francis Chan writes in closing this section:

“Both of these descriptions serve a purpose. John helps us imagine what the throne room of GOD looks like, while Isaiah’s reminds us what our only response to such a GOD should be. May Isaiah’s cry become our own. Woe is me…we are a people of unclean lips.”

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 34-37 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 8: GOD is Fair and Just

Proverbs 8:13 (NLT)

 All who fear the Lord will hate evil.
    Therefore, I hate pride and arrogance,
    corruption and perverse speech.

Sometimes I think I’m both god and good.

Yeah, I know. Some are sicker than others. And I’m bad off. Surely I’m not the only one.

Sometimes I think I've lived a good life (at least the last six or seven years anyway), help everyone I can, take care of my daughter, haven’t cheated on my wife, teach in an underprivileged area, serve at the church in numerous capacities, don’t watch porn, guzzle alcohol by the pint, willingly take advantage of people, I pay my taxes, tip generously, or don’t smoke cigarettes, don’t have cable, satellite, or the internet at home to tempt me, have a daily quiet time, and on and on.

I really think I’m good. I venture so far into my delusion sometimes that I even get to thinking I’m…get this…righteous. That I am full of love and grace. Mercy and encouragement. Fair and Just. Dare I say holy.

At times like these, Jesus has a few words for me (and those of you like me): Your righteousness is like filthy rags. To bring that into today’s terminology, our righteousness is like a used tampon. Jesus' words, not mine.

I know what you’re thinking. That’s not fair to compare the good things we’re doing with that. But the Scriptures continues to reiterate itself.

“There is none righteous. No not one.”

And on and on it goes. This isn't to slam us, mind you. But to remind us that GOD alone is a fair, just, and righteous GOD.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read page 33 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 7: GOD is All-Powerful

Col. 1:16 (NLT)

for through him God created everything
    in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
    and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
    Everything was created through him and for him.

Psalm 145:3 (NLT)

Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise!
    No one can measure his greatness.

GOD is God. Often times, we may not like this. We may even find ourselves hating and resenting it, fighting it, shaking our fist and cursing the heavens because of it.

But GOD is big enough for that. GOD is still God.

And that is the deceptively easy answer to all of our “why” questions on this blue and green ball we call earth. Recall some of the questions Francis Chan mentions (I’m not so naive as to believe that every one of you are currently reading the book sections which correspond to the devotions, so here are a few):

“Why are so many people dying of starvation?”

“Why is my family so messed up?”

“Why don’t You make Yourself more obvious to the people who need you?”

GOD is still God.

Chan closes with a statement which thrust like a fist from the pages of the book, punched me in the face, and screamed, “Think about this!”

He stated that GOD has more of a right to ask us these questions than we do of him. Which forces us all to rephrase the questions and ask myself those questions. And to take responsibility.

If GOD was obligated to explain his actions to us, then we would be god. While in our pride and arrogance we may think this is the case, it isn't so. Practice humility with the realization that GOD’s ways are so far beyond ours that he doesn't answer to us. And even if he did explain himself, we’d never be able to grasp it. Like teaching applied physics to a newborn.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read page 33 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 6: GOD is All-Knowing

Hebrews 4:13 (NLT)

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.

As a school teacher, I witness many aspects of  human nature. Perhaps the most well-known in education circles is cheating. And then lying to cover up the cheating.

During last term, I glanced up to find one of my students passing a small slip of paper to another. I continued to watch inconspicuously as the receiver jotted down what was on the slip and slid it under her own work. A few minutes later, I strolled over to subtly confront the issue. When I asked for the cheat sheet, the first thing the young lady did was deny cheating in any form and fashion. As I removed the evidence from under her test paper, she transformed from denial and hiding to blaming the guy who gave her the cheat sheet. I proceeded to then ambush him, inquiring whether or not he passed her the paper. Naturally, he denied any knowledge of anything. After telling them I had watched the entire ordeal, they still lied about it several times before, finally, admitting their indiscretion.

Now, I’m not sharing this story to slam my students but to show you how we all are. We are liars. We are deniers. We are hiders. We are cheaters who think we get away with things. And have been since our ancestors Adam and Eve.

But the inspired author of Hebrews informs us that GOD knows everything. Sees everything. Hears everything. Even those things we lied about, feverishly denied, covered up, and spent countless hours worrying that someone would find out about. Even those things we only think about but yet still want no one to discover. Yes, he knows about that thing you've buried in the back of your mind too.

Rather than viewing GOD’s knowing-all as a scary thing, we should see it as comforting. Because of his unfailing love, we’re able to be open, honest, and transparent with him. He understands our struggles. He walks through our temptations. He realizes we wrestle with the human condition. And He loves us anyway. An awesome relationship awaits when we learn to be completely transparent with GOD. And then he will give us the strength to be open and honest with those around us. I’m one hundred percent sure that you’re not alone in your struggles!

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read page 32 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 5: GOD is Eternal

Psalm 102:12,27 (NLT)

 But you, O Lord, will sit on your throne forever.
    Your fame will endure to every generation.

But you are always the same;
    you will live forever.

Eternity.

It's something we can’t fathom as human beings. It's almost as if it's not possible. Time going on and on and on. But perhaps “time” is the problem to begin with. Although not a physicist, my curiosity for understanding GOD better has carried me into deeper study. Like string theory and multiple dimensions (anyone else watch Big Bang Theory?). In watching a Rob Bell message, he discussed the explanations of men such as Edwin A. Abbott. Abbott came up this idea called “Flatland” to explain how we are limited as humans into our dimension (time). To illustrate, draw a rectangle on a flat piece of paper. Then draw you two stick people. Imagine the two stick people conversing about time and how their dimension (2 dimensional by the way) is the only one. No other dimension is possible. Now take one of your fingers and poke a hole through the paper between the two stick figures and leave it there. Imagine what the two figures would think or say. After cursing, they’d probably say something along the lines of, “that’s impossible! What is it?” One would reply, “One of those random things.” The other may respond, “There is something greater out there I can’t explain.” Both however, can’t deny their minds had just been stretched.

Your finger represents GOD. GOD is not bound by human time. He views it not as a straight line (like our timelines) but as a circle…or a square…or whatever he wants it to be. He goes in and out and in between. He always was, is, and is forever to come. Despite us never fully comprehending the “bigness” and “timelessness” of GOD, try to wrap your mind around living forever with him. In case you didn't realize already, this is one reason he doesn't operate in our timing.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 31-32 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 4: GOD is Holy

Revelation 4:8 (NLT)

Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
    the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”

Today, I will step out of the way and allow two of my literary mentors to relate the devotion this morning. In chapter one of Crazy Love, Francis Chan writes, “Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe GOD with the glory he deserves.”

I agree and won’t even try. What I will do, however, is give you this edited passage from C.S. Lewis. Every time I read this, I’m reminded how holy GOD is and how unrighteous I am in his glorious light.

(This portion is taken from the novel Perelandra. Both “the Lady” and “Ransom” were main characters.)

“As soon as the Lady was out of sight Ransom’s first impulse was to run his hands through his hair, to expel the breath from his lungs in a long whistle, to light a cigarette, to put his hands in his pockets, and in general, to go through all that ritual of relaxation which a man performs on finding himself alone after a rather trying interview. But he had no cigarettes and no pockets: nor indeed did he feel himself alone. That sense of being in Someone’s Presence which had descended on him with such unbearable pleasure during the first moments of his conversation with the Lady did not disappear when he had left her. It was, if anything increased. Her society had been, in some degree, a protection against it, and her absence left him not to solitude but to a more formidable type of privacy. At first, it was almost intolerable; as he put it to us, in telling the story, “There seemed no room.” But later on, he discovered that it was intolerable only at certain moments- at just those moments in fact (symbolized by his impulse to smoke and to put his hands in his pockets) when a man asserts his independence and feels that now at least he’s his own. When you felt like that, then the very air seemed too crowded to breath; a complete fullness seemed to be excluding you from a place which, nevertheless, you were unable to leave. But when you gave in to the thing, gave yourself up to it, there was no burden to be borne. It became not a load but a medium, a sort of splendor as of eatable, drinkable, breathable gold, which fed and carried you and not only poured into you but out from you as well. Taken the wrong way, it suffocated; taken the right way, it made terrestrial life seem, by comparison, a vacuum. At first, of course, the wrong moments occurred pretty often. But like a man who has a wound that hurts him in certain positions and who gradually learns to avoid those positions, Ransom learned not to make the inner gesture. His day became better and better as the hours passed.”

This is what GOD’s holiness “feels” like to me.

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 30-31 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 3: Everything We Need

Exodus 3:14 (NLT)

God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.”

See if this sounds familiar: You’re in your favorite store, whether that be Wal-Mart, Bass Pro, the mall, or the book shop. You didn't come in to buy anything necessarily but were just in the area and stopped by. Maybe just to do some window shopping. As you’re strolling down the colorful, attractive, or quaint aisles, you spot something interesting. A purse. A bow. An HD flat-screen. A C.S. Lewis book.

And before you can suck in a breath, something inside you says, “That’s it. That’s what you need. That will help life make sense. That’s what will make you’re life complete.”

“You don’t need this,” your conscience replies. “You have plenty of air, food, and water. Plenty of other stuff. You don’t even use all that you have. Plus, the family can’t afford it.”

The thing responds back with a compelling argument. “We will fill the void. Once you turn us on or draw us back or turn the page, your worries will be forgotten. You’ll live happy and free. We don’t cost that much. And as a bonus, your family can enjoy us also!”

Your hand reaches for it. And then it's got you. What you own will end up owning you.

In your enthusiasm and hopes of fulfillment, you fail to hear the whisper, “All you need is me.”

So you snatch the goods from the shelf. Only to find out later it's no different from what ever you bought the last week. The glossiness of the distraction wears off. And you’re empty once more.

And it doesn't even have to be something you purchase. Anything and everything vies for our attention: sexual images, sports events, hunting season preparation, jobs, clearance sales, lake days, the new restaurant in town, home improvements, vacation spots, pill-popping schedule, families, and the like.

Although this is a hypothetical situation from my own imagination, it displays the powerful point that Crazy Love is getting across. Our attention is elsewhere. Which means, essentially, it's not on GOD. We must implore ourselves to “intentionally and consistently remind ourselves of him.”

The next time you find yourself in such a predicament, take a moment to stop and listen carefully. There, you will find the whisper, “I AM all you need.”

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 29-31 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski

The Crazy Love Sessions, Volume 2: A Diverse Creativity

Psalm 19:1-4 (NLT)

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.
God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.

As many of you know, I grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas. Although I didn't realize it as a kid, my neighborhood was diverse. We had white people and black people, Mexicans and Chinese, wealthy and poor, pastors and road pavers, forklift drivers and a lawyer, food service employees and a computer salesman. Some worshiped at the Church of Christ, Baptist, Methodist, and Catholic churches. Some didn't attend church anywhere. One was an atheist (although he shouted the name of GOD a lot). There were groups who played the sport of the season, a couple were bull riders, some raced the super cross series on motorcycles, others of us rode our BMX bikes all over the area, girls flirted with the boys as they braided one anothers’ hair or yapped on the first cordless phones. On any given day, Tejano music mingled with hip hop. Country merged with rock. Smells of tortillas, barbecue ribs, hamburgers, and fried rice wafted up and down the streets.

In those days, it was just the neighborhood. Today, we call it cultural diversity. And it’s a beautiful thing. A GOD thing.

We glorify and reflect a very diverse and creative GOD. (This, of course, is putting it mildly. But you get the idea.) As a part of the neighborhood, we celebrated our differences. Everyone invited everyone else into their lives. We spent massive amounts of time together. We rode bicycles together, attended each others games, cried with each other through deaths and tragedy and rejoiced with one another over cancer-free reports and babies. We experimented with one anothers' recipes (sometimes with disastrous consequences).

As part of the body of Christ, we are created very differently. On purpose. Like the stars. To show off the glory off God. To reflect his creative, artistic style. We should praise Him for that! Appreciate that! Take time every day to consider it! And most importantly, consider him!

Author’s Note: for more on this topic, read pages 27-28 of Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Danae Yankoski