It was 12:30am (very, very late for me) and I was out walking the dog for a last-time-before-bed potty run. I’d stayed up way too late playing Skyrim (again) and just wanted the dog to finish her “duty” (get it?) so I could go to bed.

In the distance I heard that sound. You’ve heard it too. It’s low but powerful, sporadically sounding in the night.

Soon the far-off horn was replaced by the “clickity clack” of a freight train as it gently (I say gently because, from a distance, it looks like it’s moving gently but it’s still an immovable giant) passed by on the tracks just down the way from home. It was cold out but I stood out there an extra few minutes just to listen to it. Its engine rumbled lowly, sneakily providing enough power to haul the mile-long train of freight cars.

Why did I stand outside, taking in sounds we’ve all heard so many times? Because it reminded me of three things.

My Mom. Who took care of me (and still takes care of me) while Dad was toiling selflessly as a train engineer for 30-some-odd years.

My Dad. Who took care of me (and still takes care of me) by sacrificing any semblance of a normal life and working on the railroad, always on call, ready to leave in a moment’s notice, leaving Mom to deal with… well, me.

And lastly, my Father. The Father. Because Mom and Dad, through their tireless care for me, drew me a perfect picture of Him and His tireless care for me long before I ever understood who He was.

I’ve read through Acts 4 a couple times this morning and I’m continually drawn back to Acts 4:13-22.

The fact that they were speechless in v14 and how Luke 21:15 says He will give us a mouth and wisdom which none of our adversaries can withstand but, what’s more, in v20 it says they HAD to talk about Jesus. Amos 3:8 says “The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

It makes me consider the hubris of not only the council, but of us. I posted this Spurgeon quote a few days ago on Twitter and Facebook:

“The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.”

The spirit is alive in us. The Lion is inside, roaring to get out. But I think we keep it shackled more often than not. At least, I think I do. I can identify the times when I need to let the Lion loose but I often don’t because I fear what it will do to my reputation (will I look like a Bible thumper?) or a myriad of other things (read: excuses.)

It’s like I’m standing in a gap. On one side is the Lion, and on the other side are people who need to hear the word. The Lion wants out, and God says the spirit will give us the words. But I stand in the gap, arms outstretched to either side, holding the Lion at bay on one side, and keeping my distance from those who need to hear the Word on the other. It’s me who’s in the way of the Word being let loose.

I fear the thought of God saying, “why didn’t you let the Word loose?”

First, let me reprint LHM’s mission statement:

Refuge – Food, shelter, and clothing for those in need.
Recovery – Biblically based programs to minister to the whole person; body, mind, and spirit.
Restoration – Equipping people to lead productive and independent lives.

The purpose and mission of the Light House Mission is to aid, assist, and care for homeless individuals by providing shelter, food, clothing, education, and emergency services without regard for race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, or medical condition.

Wendy and I have served dinner on Tuesday evenings at LHM for a couple of years now and we’ll both tell you that it’s a highlight of our week. Because it’s not really about ladling food onto trays. It’s about getting to meet and talk with the residents.

A recurring theme we hear from them is that they’re just there to get back on their feet. We’ve seen our share of residents who’ve done just that. They’ve spent a small stint of time at LHM only to get back on their feet, get a job, get housing, and move out.

We’ve all grown close to some of the residents there and have enjoyed the time we get to spend with them. From Bob the musician to a baby shower for Brittany to serving root beer floats.

Maybe you’d like to get involved with a great cause this holiday season but you’re not sure who or how. Let me make it easy for you. You can donate to LHM and help out with their holiday meal giving. They get several hundred people who flow in for Thanksgiving and need your help in serving a great dinner for them. You can click right here to donate to LHM. $2.05 pays for a single person’s Thanksgiving meal.

Consider giving, or getting involved in a cause close to you. Then, shave your head, or let your hair grow, so people will ask you why you’re so clean shaven, or not shaven at all, and talk about your cause.

Go!

Thanks to Jerry Chapman for the LHM pic!

A couple guys and I are taking the challenges at the end of Radical seriously. The following came from our goal to read through Acts in November, and share a snippet together each day of how the Word spoke to us.

"Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" Acts 1:11

I’ve tried to comprehend before what it would be like to be with Jesus for a very intense three years, to see him crucified, come back (and prove to them he’s really back) but to then leave again. Personally, I think I’d feel lost and a little hopeless. Jesus was the driving force of their group and after being part of such a group for what I’m sure felt like a long three years, to physically be with the Christ, you’d probably think that things would be like that for a long time. At least until you died, possibly in His service.

I think God counterbalanced this extreme three years in a beautifully loving way by having two angels appear to the Men and say, "guys, He’s coming back. HE is coming back, and when he does, it’s going to melt your face."

But consider the angel’s timing. Verse 10: http://www.ebible.com/esv/acts/1/10

"While they were standing gazing." Not later that day, or two days later, or a week. Jesus might even have still been in sight and the angels showed up. But if you think about it, the angel’s visit was as much a "now get your butt in gear" move as reassurance. I think if I were one of the Men, I’d probably have stayed there gazing for as long as possible — hours, maybe days — in the hopes I’d see Christ return. Instead, the angels give them a swift kick in the pants and they get back to work choosing Judas’ replacement.

Even if we see Christ walk away from us, before he’s out of sight, we need to put our head down and get right back to the Father’s business. No lollygagging.

Reference: http://biblia.com/bible/jfbcomm/Ac1.11

How has the Word been speaking to you lately?

See, I normally have hair. And I normally have a beard. So letting my beard grow isn’t really a way for me to raise awareness about anything except my lack of a razor.

So, I’m doing the opposite.

I’m going to keep my pate clean and chin hair-free. Most people know me as I look at the top of my blog header. A good friend once asked if I was going for the “Grizzly Adams” look. Therefore, looking like this… so shorn… will prompt questions.

“Shawn, why did you shave your head? And your beard?”

BUT! I already have an answer to that.

“I’m doing NoShave November, only in reverse, because NoShave November is typically used to raise awareness about causes. A cause that’s important to me is The Light House Mission. They’re doing great things for people who have nowhere to go. People who just need a place to help them get back on their feet.”

Now, here’s my challenge to you.

Do something radical to your face. If it’s normally shaven, let it all grow out. If it’s normally unshaven, shave it. Make a big change in the hopes that someone asks you why you did it. Then, tell them about a cause that’s close to your heart.

Write up a blog post about this cause and have a half dozen cards in your pocket with a link to your blog post. When they ask, tell them why you’re looking so dapper (or rough) then hand them a card. Get them involved too.

I’ll have another blog post up later this week that goes into more detail about The Light House Mission, some of our stories from serving there, and how you can help them this holiday season.

What are you waiting for… go fire up the clippers… go!

I simply can’t get enough of this video. It’s 14 minutes long and, while lengthy, watching Louie set this up, then all of it falling in place, brought tears to my eyes. The first time I watched it I was in a public place. If I weren’t, I probably would have broke down even more.

Give it a watch then let me know what you think in the comments, won’t you?

It’s been over a year since I’ve lead worship in any capacity. That changes tonight.

It’s my honor to invite you to Terre Haute First Baptist Church at 6pm as Matt Millington (pictured at right) teaches on discipleship and what it means to follow Jesus. I’ll be leading a couple songs from piano in what I’d consider a low-key, almost acoustic worship set. We expect this to be a small crowd and, thus, a rather intimate setting (which I always dig.)

Let me know on Twitter or Facebook if you plan on coming out. Look forward to seeing you!

First off, just in case you’re not familiar with the Dead Sea Scrolls:

The Dead Sea Scrolls are a collection of 972 texts from the Hebrew Bible and extra-biblical documents found between 1947 and 1956 on the northwest shore of the Dead Sea, from which they derive their name.

Prior to being made available online, you could only read commentary from others who had examined the Scrolls and their conclusions. Now, you can view them just as if you’re standing right in front of them and come to your own conclusions.

Go check it out, and let me know what you think!

I was most impacted by Lecrae talking about his conference experience, specifically seeing others exist within their culture but fervently pursuing Jesus. He’d clearly never been exposed to the possibility of being an indigenous missionary up to that point and it gave him new life, new breath, new meaning.

Did you know that God has you right where he wants you? He has you in this place, this time, this moment, for a reason. Do you know that reason? Big picture, it’s to worship Him and glorify Him in all you do.

But how are you connected to the culture around you? Whether it’s being involved in your kids’ sports, or in a college function, or your work, you are where you are for a purpose.

I am an advocate of making disciples of all nations. I’ve been to Guatemala more than once and I know it’s a big part of God’s mission. But your daily commute, that coffee you pick up on your way to class or the office, the errands and chores you run, the sports arena you frequent… that’s your local missions field. The parents, friends, classmates and coworkers you rub shoulders with… they need reached, told about the saving grace of Christ.

Missions isn’t something you do. It’s something you live.

I’m not kidding.

Go.

Now.

If you have seen the movies, then the whole Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader/Anakin drama is well known to you. I can distinctly remember watching The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, hearing Darth say to Luke, “I am your father,” and looking at my friends, right there in the theater, our faces illuminated only by the light emanating from the movie screen, slackjawed in disbelief.

Darth is Luke’s dad? Seriously?

This set the tone for Luke’s resolve in the third film. Luke’s so sure that his father, his dad, isn’t beyond saving that he offers himself up to the very enemy that’s chasing him, just for the chance to get close to him. To talk him off the ledge, if you will.

But Vader resists. Luke’s love begins to weaken the wall Anakin built around his heart decades ago. Some could even say this is why Vader lost that final lightsaber duel to Luke. How can I truly resist this man, my son, who’s chasing me, into the heart of darkness, just to show me love?

But the Emperor steps in, truly vile, truly evil, with intent to destroy Luke. The Emperor beats Luke down to within an inch of his life. What does Luke do? He calls out to his dad. To his Father.

It’s then that the wall Anakin built so long ago finally crumbles, just like Jericho. Anakin sheds the dead carapace of Vader, grabs the Emperor by the nap of his neck, and tosses him sprawling into a generator shaft. (Star Wars nerds will tell you the Emperor didn’t really die at this point, but that’s neither here nor there…)

And just like that, Vader dies to self.

The Sith Lord Darth Vader tortured and killed hundreds, if not thousands. He organized the destruction of entire planets. And yet, Luke never stopped believing that love could win the day. Luke’s dogged pursuit forced Vader to let love in.

In your life, right now, someone’s beyond hope. Beyond grace. Beyond a second chance. Maybe that someone’s you. Maybe you’re withholding grace. Get on your knees, right now, and put your faith, your hope, in the God of Second Chances. Give Him your malice, your hate, your anger, your deceit and just let love in.

A bit of Star Wars trivia: Return of the Jedi was originally called Revenge of the Jedi. George Lucas decided that Jedi didn’t seek revenge so the name was changed.

A fitting name change, in my opinion. In the end, the Father sought not revenge but simply to return.

This post is part of the Never Beyond: Masks and Respirators series.