Groomsmen Part 7: The Italian Stallion. Not if. But when.

Antonio Vincenzo Pucci. (POO-CHEE). Also goes by Tony Pucci and or Pooch.

Pooch was one of my roommates at Truman and was a slot receiver with some dynamite route running and catching capabilities. I am gonna miss throwin corner routes to him very badly. Like the other two dudes who were my roomies over the majority of my college time, I deeply treasure my friendship with him. I know that no words I write will do any of my groomsmen justice as to how much they mean to me, and this post will be no different. But its worth a try. 

Pucci was a constant reminder of the constant presence of Jesus in my life. And he too understood my heart and struggles, because he had the same heart and endured the same struggles.

But the thing about Pooch that I love most is his deep desire and longing for something better. 

Now this Desire of his is also one of the things that pisses me off the most about him. We could have the best 5 course meal in the history of college thanksgiving dinners, and he would still manage to say something like, "The turkey was good, but a little dry."  "It would have been perfect if we had stuffing" Or even "The green bean casserole was too soupy" 
Now, at first it seemed like Pucci was just nitpicking. And I'm sure there is a part of it that is just nitpicking. But upon further review, the ruling on the field has been over turned: The man simply knows deeply how life is supposed to be. He knows the kind of life and joy God handcrafted his heart to experience. Anything less is well, not very satisfying.  Pucci is driven by desire, driven by his desire for joy, love, laughter, tender thanksgiving turkey, and a meaningful life. 

I can't help but look back on all of our times at Truman and see that suffering was the classroom God used for our divine education. And lets just say the Father taught us both quite a bit. I read that sentence and I cringe. Yet I know how essential suffering was to our growth and development as men. Its kind of like working out a muscle. To achieve the greatest muscle growth and to adapt the greatest strength, there must be a tremendous amount of stress put on the muscle. The muscle must suffer, must fail and fatigue to adapt and become stronger. At the time its not fun, but suffering has been the one thing God has used to produce the most goodness in Pucci and I's lives. 

Anyway, much like myself, Pucci's time at Truman was littered with suffering. He lost a close friend to an unexpected death. His football career was less than satisfying. 

Its safe to say Jesus understands how Pooch felt. He too lost his cousin and dear friend, to a brutal beheading even. Jesus' own brothers doubted who he was, didn't believe in him. Another close friend betrayed Jesus to his death. Throw in the exhausting death march and 6 hours hanging on a cross and I think we can agree Jesus suffered. The question I have is how did he live his life so well in the face of so much suffering? 

The answer is Desire. His profound, deep, unshaken desire for his victory. His desire for the Life and freedom of people like you and me. His deep longing for his homecoming reunion with his Father. Desire is the driving force behind Christs life. 

Much like Jesus was, Pucci is a man who lives from the desires of his heart, the desire for more goodness, more joy. A rather risky but utterly holy way to live. Pucci has stolen a page from Jesus' book here. 

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I have longed to bring you to myself..." (Matthew 23:37)

"And Jesus said to them, 'I have eagerly desired to eat this meal with you." (Luke 22:15)

Jesus is indeed a man of profound longing and desire. His heart overflows with passionate desire. 

"Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long list of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Hebrews 12:1-2, the message)

Oh yes. Jesus knew where he was from, and he knew most importantly where he was going. He was Gods dearly loved son, and he was on a journey to reunite with his Father in victory after he defeated the evil one once and for all. He was on his way to a joyous homecoming celebration in which he would be deeply honored and rewarded for his sufferings. It was this joy set before him that kept our Savior going. 

I see the same thing in my friend Pucci. Now I am not saying every time adversity or tragedy hits Pucci handles it perfectly. I am not saying that each time he endures a season of suffering, he immediately puts his hope and desire in the day of his complete restoration and freedom. What I am saying is this: Puccis deep longings and desires are good, holy even. His honest and willing heart that is so willing to thirst and hunger and want more is something I deeply admire about him. Because it too will be the driving force of his life. Like Jesus, the deep desire of Pucci will allow him to walk through any suffering this life has to throw at him, and come out a better man on the other side. But most importantly, Pucci's deep desire and longing for Life, Joy, Intimacy, Love, and a meaningful life will ultimately lead him, rather violently to God. 

And if he lets his desire take him to the Father, there is no question he will live a very powerful life. If he lets his desire drive him home to the Father, he indeed will live life to the fullest. 

Excuse me. Let me correct myself. When Pucci lets his deep desire drive him to the Father, he will live a very powerful life. I already see in him the heart and desires of Christ. There is no doubt in my mind about the kind of joyous meaningful life he will be living in 10+ years. 

It's not really a question of if, but when. 

And that's why I love him. 

Groomsmen Part 6: CRH III

Charlie Ringo Heinzmann. The Third. The man, the myth, the legend. He was by far my closest friend in my time at Truman and is splitting best man duties with Jack Klein in just 8 short days. 

I mean, you know when a guys middle name is Ringo, you got yourself a gem. In all honesty, this has been one of my hardest posts to write. For the simple fact that I know words can do no justice to the value of my friendship with him. So, instead of beatin around the bush I'll just get right into why I love old Chuck Ringo. 

Charlies from the picturesque town of Metamora located in the beautiful state of Illinois. It is a mirror image to my hometown of Kearney, just slightly smaller in size. The town revolves around the high school and its athletics teams much like Kearney. And they love their football in Metamora, having a storied winning tradition much like Kearney. We are from the same type of town, and we are the same type of guys. 

Charlie and I both enjoyed some success in our high school football careers, and brought with us a common attitude to Truman State Football that went something like this: "I'm gonna start for 3+ years and show these dudes what it takes to win. I'm gonna be a reason Truman Football turns things around." 

And though Truman had their first winning season in a while this past year, it didn't exactly happen how Chuck or I thought it would. Neither of us started as quickly as we desperately wanted to. We didn't enjoy team success or the turnaround we wanted. And Charlie tore his ACL. Twice. 

Even though I was fortunate to not have any serious injuries in my career, It's safe to say Charlie and I shared very similar frustrations and setbacks regarding football. We came in with the same mindset and attitude, and were disappointed by the same things. I won't go into any details, because quite frankly the details do not really matter. What matters is this: Charlie understood exactly how I felt. He understood with perfection my every longing, desire, dream, and let down because he had the same ones. This is, in my opinion, one of the most tremendous qualities of Jesus' personality. I'll let Eldredge take it from here:

"A notion has crept into our perceptions of Jesus. And this notion has done great damage to our experience of him. Its the notion that Jesus was really ''pretending'' when he presented himself as a man. We hold fast to the belief that Jesus was God. The heroic actions and miracles of his life attest to it. So, when we read the more human moments of Jesus' life, we feel that Jesus was sort of.....cheating. With a nod and a wink, we know whats really going on...Einstein just dropped in to take the first grade math quiz. Mozart is playing the flute for the kindergarten choir. After all, we're talking about Jesus here. The guy walked on water, raised Lazarus from the dead. He never broke a sweat right? But what about that terrible sweat in Gethsemane? 
Then he went to Gethsemane. He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here with me." Jesus said to them. And then he fell down and prayed, "Abba Father, if its possible, take this suffering from me." And being in anguish he prayed more fiercely, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. (Mark 14:22, Luke 22:44) 
Deeply distressed. Overwhelmed with sorrow. Anguished. This doesn't sound like someone cheating to me.He begs his Father, with tears, that this cup might pass from him. he doesn't want to do it. Sweat like blood puring from his tormented brow. Does this sound like Einstein adding two and two? 
Jesus was human. Really. When Jesus gets word his cousin and dear friend John has been beheaded what does he do? He takes a boat, leaves the crowds behind, and sails some place he can be alone. The man needed to get away, needed to grieve, just as you would. I cannot say this more emphatically--life affected Jesus. He never did anything halfheartedly. When he embraced our humanity, he didn't pull a fast one by making a show of it. He embraced our humanity so fully and totally he was able to die. God can't die. But Jesus did. 
It will do your heart good to discover Jesus shares in your humanity....The more we can grasp his humanity, the more we will find someone we can approach, know, love, trust, and adore."  (Beautiful Outlaw)

Now all of the 3 amigos (Pooch, Dusty and Chuck) had this characteristic as well. But Charlie embodied this piece of Jesus to a deeper personal level for me. Like Jesus, he didn't just take on my struggle, he knew my struggle. Knew what I was feeling, what I was going through, what I was fighting against. To have such a friend that knows exactly how you feel is unspeakably valuable to the human heart. 

You don't have to be misunderstood. Ever. Jesus got pissed. Jesus laughed. Jesus farted. Jesus got hungry and thirsty. He needed to sleep. Jesus cried. He felt loneliness, rejection, longing. He felt the whole range of human emotion and feeling. Joy, weakness, sorrow. 

Chuck was a daily reminder of my Jesus friend who understands me exactly and perfectly. And that's why I love Charlie Heinzmann. 

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity....Jesus took on flesh, and made his dwelling among us. (Hebrews 2:14, John 1:14)

Groomsmen Part 5: The Carpenter from North Polk

Me and Charlie had just got home for the day as we trotted across our back deck when we noticed something a little bit odd. There were three or four chunks of wood that had apparently been sawed off recently. "What happened here? What the hell is Dustin up to now?," Charlie asked. We both chuckled and shook our heads, knowing for a fact that the notorious Mr. Fix-it they call Dustin was at it again, performing another self appointed project. Our house handyman, Dustin also enjoyed taking on any home improvement tasks he could. Raised on a farm in the golden lush beauty of Iowa, Dustin Howard was a problem solver of all house maintenance issues.....most of the time. He was for all intensive purposes, the Carpenter of 1203 E Randolph, the one man fix-it (or wrecking) crew. 

To put it simply, Dustin increased the quality of life for our house the last few years. He took joy in fixing all things big or small. 

Light fixture malfunction? Call Dustin. 

Recliner all jacked up? Yea I'm gonna order some parts. 

Coffee table leg broken? Tell ole Dusty. 

I remember one time coming back from a break, Dustin stumbled in the kitchen doorway carrying an ancient but MASSIVE microwave. I mean this thing had to be 3 foot tall and 3 foot wide. Mind you the microwave we had worked just fine. "Yea I got this from the rents," he explained excitedly. "Figured we'll be able to microwave way more shit in this thing!"

I may have embellished a bit about how big it was, but still. Regardless, the microwave was just one of many instances in which Dusty was simply increasing our quality of life. And he absolutely LOVED doing this just as he loved fixing mishaps big and small. It was his joy, simply the kind of guy he is. 

Strikingly similar to my friend Jesus. Little did I know what was really going on the past 4 years-- The Carpenter from Nazareth was using the Carpenter from North Polk to visit me more than a few times. 

Like Dustin, Jesus takes great delight in simply making our lives better. Jesus did after all say he came to give us life. "I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance." (John 10:10)  Notice what Jesus DIDN'T say. He did not say "I have come so that they may behave better." He did not say "I have come that they may vote republican." Life. LIFE is what he came for friends, and life in abundance. Like Dustin, Jesus also enjoys fixing things that are broken. Its safe to say Jesus could fix up a crummy coffee table, he was a carpenter after all. But he most definitely majors in fixing people who are deeply broken. He takes the broken pieces of our lives and rather delightfully fixes them, if we will invite him to do so. He loves giving us more life, and more joy. 

"Well I believe in this Jesus dude, I can dig him. Why doesn't he just give me __________?" Fill in the blank. 

Well that's pretty simple. Jesus would much rather be first and foremost your dear friend, than just your Mr. fix it. This isn't a prosperity gospel. You don't follow rules, say a few heartless prayers, and get the Life to the fullest that Jesus is talking about. The secret is this: The abundant life Jesus is talking about is actually only found in friendship with him. The rest of the stuff, the massive microwaves and whatnot of our friendship with Jesus is just icing on the cake. 

The real joy of my friendship with Dustin isn't that he fixed about everything possible in our house and took care of getting us above average satellite services. The joy of my friendship with Dustin came from times of life shared over a meal, a few bud lights, or shootin some hoops in the driveway. If all I did was bother Dustin about fixing random crap in my house, we probably wouldn't be too close. The same holds true of our relationship with Jesus.

Now my friendship with the Blonde Bomber and his handyman talents are only a small part of the reason I love the guy. 

The piece of Jesus that I got to experience via Dustin Howard is a fairly simple, but profound one: his constant presence. My 4 and a half years at Truman were in large part, difficult. Disappointment and suffering seemed to be the theme of my college years. And all that being said, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world, because I didn't have to go through any of it alone. Now Charlie and Pooch both embodied the constant presence of Jesus to me also. Those two rascals and Dusty are the reasons I would do the whole Truman thing over again. 

But Dustin was with me since day bleeping one. He has been my roommate since the legendary days of room 555 in Centennial hall. He was there for a whole semester of the one they call BENJI. Start to finish, Dustin was simply there, everyday of my time at Truman. 

Now I know, Dustin laying on the living room couch playing Skyrim each morning I got home from work, isn't exactly groundshakingly meaningful. It wasn't life changing. But coming home to a bro-greeting and an inquiry about how work went was heck of a lot better than coming home to an empty living room. 

Similarly, sometimes being friends with and following Jesus isn't always laced with earth shattering wisdom and insight. At times it is, without a question. But sometimes, Jesus is simply there, following through on his promise to be with us always, to the bitter end. Dustin was a constant reminder of Jesus' constant presence in my life. And that's why I love Dustin Howard. 

And remember, I am with you always, to the very end. - Matthew 28:20

Groomsmen part 4: A little Jack and alot of Jesus

For those of you who didn't read my whiskey at the wedding post, I occasionally enjoy a little Jack Daniels in my coke. And I was reminded Tuesday night that I enjoy, more than occasionally, a little Jack Klein in my life.

I believe God brought me to Truman for a number of reasons. Recently I was reminded of one of the biggest reasons he did so. My friendship with Jack Klein.

I was feeling pretty tired, exhausted from a long day that included a final presentation for Marketing and lots of tending to Grigsby.

Anyways I was just getting ready to wind down for the evening when my dude Jack called me. I had completely forgot that we had set up a phone date for 8 pm on this particular Tuesday night. The phone call was exactly what I needed. But before I get into all that fun stuff, I'll give you a brief history of how I met this stallion they call Jack Klein. 

Jack and I were in the same recruiting class at Truman. He played safety and lived in the same dorm as me our freshman year. Our first semester, we had always been fairly close friends, running around together and whatnot. But our second semester was when something special started. I couldn't really tell you how or why, but somehow after we got back from Christmas break that year, we decided that we were going to read The Story (The Gospel) together. I say Story because for some very unfortunate reasons, the word Gospel is a word glazed in religious fog, and makes people think of the choir swaying, arms held high screaming LAAAAAWWWDDD ALMIGGGHTTTYYY. The Gospel, however, is far from the church bells and stained glass windows of lifeless religion. The Gospel is THE Story, an epic story of Gods rescue of his dearly loved family. Its the story of how one man fought so desperately and courageously to save you and me. Anyway, we began reading The Story together. We would meet everyday in the study rooms just outside of the lounge in centennial hall, and tear through the Story. 

And things changed. This Jesus guy came to life, became a bit more personal and lot more real to both of us. It was a time of great spiritual growth for both of us. To this day we both look back to that season of our lives with joy and gratefulness, knowing God worked in rather mysterious and effective ways to ransom us back to his heart once more. 

We had planned on getting a house with a couple other dudes from our team, and we were absolutely geeked to continue searching for the narrow path to Life throughout the rest of our college years. But long story short, Jack had to move back home and he transferred schools at the end of our freshman year. 

It was more than a little disappointing. We had shared our hopes and dreams for what might be shared over the next 4 years together. Football, roomie shenanigans, spiritual growth, Life to the full, etc. And those hopes and dreams were more or less deferred. 

But now to the good stuff, the good part of the story. Jack and I continued to stay in touch throughout our college careers. We simply kept being best friends despite our long distance bromance. 

Jack is my best guy friend. He understands me, gets me. He knows my heart, knows what pisses me off, knows what brings me joy. He knows my dreams and desires, and has walked with me through some rather ugly brokenness and sin. But the thing I think I love most about Jack and my friendship with him, is a shared vision. We both have this deep sense of a mission, something bigger than ourselves, a cause that is very much worth fighting for. We want the same things. 

I think it is so rare to find this. To find someone who knows you, loves you, would go to battle for you at the drop of hat; and also share a dream with you. Jack and I want the same things, want to spend our lives in the same manner. As I was catching up with him just recently on the phone I could feel a strength, a certain fire in my chest coming alive. I struggle really to put what I was feeling into words, so my first thought as to what was rising inside me was this; It was the life and heart of Jesus Christ. My True Best Friend.  My constant companion, and rather powerful partner in bringing His Kingdom to this earth. His life, his heart, his desire was awakening and stirring rather unexpectedly through time spent talking with Jack.  When it has been an extended time since I have truly connected with Jesus or the Father, I am so weary. I am busy, annoyed, on edge, exhausted, and not very motivated. I am also selfish. But when I do finally come back to Christ and take a good long drink of His Living Water, I am both relieved and strengthened. I can feel something alive and on fire in my chest once more.

Very similarly, when it has been an extended time since Jack and I have connected, it never fails that I leave our conversation energized and alive. Awake. When I spend even a small amount of time talking or hanging out with Jack, I am reminded of who I really am. I am reminded of what kind of man I really want to become. I am reminded of what I want my life to look like in 10 years. And through his very unintentional reminders, my heart is deeply strengthened.

It is something I have been deeply missing the past 4 years. When you spend time around certain individuals, they make you want to be a better person. Simply who they are draw you closer to God. Jack is that guy for me. The reason I cherish my relationship with Jack so much is because it mirrors my relationship with Jesus so much- he makes me want to be a better man. Simply spending time with Jack brings me closer to the Father; Jack leaves me wanting to draw closer to the Father. When I spend a little time with Jack, I get a lot of Jesus. 

To put it plainly, Jack is alot like Jesus.  And that is why I love him. 

Its safe to say that I am more than looking forward to sharing a little Jack Daniels with my dear friend Jack Klein in 22 short days. And I most definitely cannot wait to share a celebratory whiskey and coke with Jesus on the day he welcomes me into his Kingdom of Life and Joy. 

Redemption is Hard Work

Well, this posts been a long time comin. Grigsby, the master escape artist and free soul who has recently captured my heart, has ran away yet again. 

The first time he ran away was about a month ago. And it was an absolute mess getting him back. Samantha and I essentially had electronic wanted posters on social media for the arrest of our outlaw friend Grigsby. During our first search of our new Pug-Pomeranian prince, it had literally come to me going and renting a 'live trap' from the conservation department. I set the live trap up in the area where our fugitive buddy had been spotted most often, and set a can of filet mignon flavored wet dog food inside. All the time I spent looking for him, and the time I spent obtaining and setting the trap cut deeply into some much needed studying for my senior test. The whole time I had sensed God telling me to pursue this lil peckerwood of an escapist and to not quit looking for him. To try everything to get him back. Everytime I began being annoyed and frustrated in looking for him, the Spirit would simply say "the lost sheep parable." And so I would grudgingly take another lap around the block shouting for Grigsby to get his little spunky ass back here. 

"Doesn't God know I have to take the HFS test tonight? I don't have time to look for this rebellious dog." And God promptly replied, Easy there son. That's not quite the attitude I had when I came looking for you. 

Busted. This was not about finding a dog. It was about God disrupting my priorities in life. Grigsby brought loads and loads of joy to Samantha. So God asked me, Whats more important? A petty HFS test score or your future wife's heart? Whats more important? Getting shit done or loving others deeply?

OK. ok. I got it Father. Just bring this freaking dog back. 

Now I wished this story ended with: "Then GUESS WHAT?! I went to my HFS test and passed even though I barely studied all because the Lord rewarded me for all my lookign for our dog!!!!!!....then later that night I went to check on the trap, and guess who was in it?! GRIGSBY!!!!" 

This woulda been the perfect ending, surely would have been the script I wrote for the redemption of our relationship with ole Grigs dudes. 

But the trap didn't work. And I did not pass my senior test. BUT. Someone did find Grigsby. And we got our pup back this past Tuesday. 

Takeaway lesson: Redemption is hard work, and rather disruptive to your personal schedule, but its utterly worth it. Redemption doesn't always happen how we imagine, but by the grace of our Daddy in heaven, it does happen, in his perfect way and timing. 

Now to be perfectly honest, I was fighting Samantha pretty strongly on even getting a damn dog. At least until we were married. But when we went to the shelter I sensed God giving me the go ahead to get this little rascal. And now that I finally had brought him home and been re united with this lil booger, I had fell for him. I love him. Hes the bomb! He doesn't dry hump you, he doesn't bite, he snuggles with you like no other, Hes like a stuffed animal with a tiny bit more energy and life. Walking him was my new favorite time of the day. We would finish the last leg of our journeys with a rather spirited sprint. It was a blast even if the frozen tundra of Kirksville was so bitter. 

And now, Grigsby has ran away. Again. The front door opened to our house, and he immediately bolted. So fast none of my roomies could even react or prevent it from happening. Why the hell would God tell me to buy a dog that would run away like his life depended on it?! I mean the first time he ran away, I understand. He was an abused little guy, and was fearful of people, didn't trust us. But over the past 3 days I had proved that I was a good owner. I had given him unlimited love, lots of great food and water, a warm bed, and multiple walks a day. I had given him a WAY better life than the one he had lived in the shelter. I had given him an extremely better life than the one he had while he was on the run for a few weeks. So why would he run away? 

The fact of the matter is God has rather humorously and playfully given Samantha and I a clear picture of what we all do. 

God gives us perfect life and perfect love. He gives us the unconditional attention and affirmation that our hearts so desperately crave. When we come into relationship with God through Jesus Christ, God offers us a life that by far exceeds our past one. We are literally given life to the fullest from our Father in heaven. Yet the first chance we get, we bolt for a false sense of freedom, much like our pup Grigsby. Grigsby has no reason to be fearful of me, has no reason not to trust that I am good and loving. Yet he runs. 

And so do we. 

We have no reason not to trust that Gods heart for us is good and loving. Yet we run. I mean, its mind boggling. The guy takes a bullet aimed at us and dies so that we might live. What is not to trust about a guy who dies so that we can be rescued and given the life and joy we were meant to experience? 

Oh God is in this latest escape of Grigsby. When you walk with God, everything counts, there is something to learn in all experiences. 

What will Samantha and I's attitude be toward this? Will we throw in the towell?  He doesn't even want what we have to offer! Why would we even get our hopes up in finding him? Why would we even want to find him? 

Because if you recall, our Shepherd gladly leaves the 99 sheep on the hill to go look for the lost one UNTIL he finds it. (Luke 15:1-7)

Now if I am writing the story for this round of redemption, it would go something like this: "The next morning my roomies woke up and found Grigsby on the porch. He had turned back and came home!!!"

But I'm not writing the story. God is. And Samantha and I are open to whatever the heck He pleases to write. We don't mind if we get him back, only to have him run away yet again. We will simply love this little soul because we see pieces of our own hearts in his fearfulness of Life. Redemption might not happen how Samantha and I imagine, but it will come. And we will wait patiently for it. 

We might never find him again.....in this life. 

But that will make it an even sweeter Redemption when the great snuggler of all--Grigsby--wags his tail in joy as we crossover from life to Life. I have a hunch on that day Grigsby will no longer be fearful of Life, or distrust our great love for him. I also reckon our own doubt of Gods great love will no longer weigh us down either. 

In the mean time, if your in Kirksville please be on the look out for our guy! Pray about it. Dare to believe God's in this. Dare to believe God is in your own trials, big and small.

And keep in mind, victory is not in the outcome, victory is in the decision to fight, to stay hopeful and present in the moment. In this life or the next, our most desirous prayers will be answered. 

Groomsmen Part 3: Why I hate Nativity Scenes and Love Wes Allen

It’s officially November, and I’m officially dreaming about Christmas time.

On the way home from our most recent contest at Kentucky Wesleyan, I was jamming to the ipod on shuffle. Randomly (or not so randomly depending on your personal beliefs), a teaching from John Eldredge’s book Wild at Heart came on. The teaching was specifically on spiritual warfare and how there is a lot more going on in our lives than we care to believe. He uses an example from Christmas, and talks about nativity scenes.

“All nativity scenes are typically very similar. The same characters tend to appear in each one. Shepherds, wisemen, a few barnyard animals. Of course there is Mary and Joseph, adoring the new born baby Jesus. And a few scenes will include an angel or two, but that is as far as the spiritual realm is represented. The characters all have a very warm, sweet, pastoral feel to them. And while this is very true, it is also very deceiving. Deceiving because this is not a full representation of what is really going on. For that, you must turn to Revelation 12.” (Wild at Heart Audio, The Enemy)

“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.  She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.  Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads.  Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter…..Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.  But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:1-5, 7-9)

Philip Yancey calls the birth of Christ, “The great invasion…a daring raid by the ruler of the forces of good into the universe’s seat of evil.” To grasp the other half of the picture of Christ’s birth, it would be appropriate for you to watch the initial invasion scenes from Saving Private Ryan. The parallels between Saving Private Ryan and the Gospel are stunning. A massive invasion is launched, and a daring rescue mission for the safety of one lost man behind enemy lines. God invades with his son Jesus, and personally sends both Jesus and an intimate band of angels to rescue you. You are private Ryan in the movie. And like Tom Hanks and his troops, Jesus will stop at nothing to bring you home safely.

Now back to Revelation.

The child is born, the woman escapes, and the story continues:

“Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.” (Revelation 12:17)

“Behind the world, and the flesh is an even more deadly enemy.. one we rarely speak of, and one we are even less ready to resist, the devil himself...this is where we live now...on the front lines of a fierce spiritual war.” (Wild at Heart Audio, The Enemy)

And thus, I hate nativity scenes. They are soft, like most of our sacred and holy ‘Christian’ culture.

Now I know, it all seems so dramatic, so ultra spiritual and weird. But if you look at the scriptures, warnings about the Enemy are everywhere. Even the old Saint Paul knew how serious spiritual warfare was, he understood that if we are to walk with God in a genuine way and be the men and women we were created to be, we must engage in the spiritual war raging around us. We must fight. Period.

Bringing it a bit closer to home, God began to speak to me about the game I had just finished playing. We beat Kentucky Wesleyan 35-27. We should have scored a lot more points, and I imagine the defense feels that they could have held our opponent to fewer points. The problem was, our team as a whole, was lulled to sleep. We forgot that on Saturdays, it really makes no difference who lines up across from us. We forgot that no matter who our opponent is, no matter what venue and atmosphere we play in, the context for our game is war. And if your mind is not ready for a fight, you will swiftly get your ass kicked. We walked out onto the Kentucky Wesleyan field and it was dead quiet. Saying there was no energy or buzz from the stands would be an understatement.

To make matters worse, we got up by quite a few points early. This early ‘success’ further progressed the lulling to sleep of our team. We had officially forgotten that we were in a fight.

Now to why I love Wes Allen. Now to those pieces of Jesus pumping through Wesley’s veins that so often speak to my heart.  Wes is a soldier, literally. He is going into the Marines after school, and he will make one wild warrior. He is one of the few men in my life that remind me that I am at war, that there are some things in life worth fighting for, and I love that about him. We worked together for a majority of this past summer, and we formed a strong bond as we shared our common love of epic movies, (Gladiator Braveheart We Were Soldiers, to name a few) and Eminem’s lyrics. Often times we would pass the time at work jamming to Eminem, or quoting our favorite movie lines. But my favorite way to pass the time at work with Wes, was looking up quotes from the Marines or other branches of our military. So much wisdom and strength in the quotes of men who have led our countries warriors into the most hostile spots in the world.  Any quote concerning war would do for us. Here’s a few of our favorites:

We thrive on adversity- Navy Seals

Every plans a good one until the first shots are fired – US Marines

A man once told me that death smiles at all of us, all a man do is smile back – Marcus Aurelius, Gladiator

We are never out of the fight – Navy Seals

Only the dead have seen the end of war. – Plato

As Wes and I chatted in the locker room post game, after we narrowly escaped with a victory, we revisited the quote about never being out the fight. “We’re never out of the fight. But that’s the same for the other guys. We forgot that they were never out of the fight either.”

Yes. We did forget Wesley. The Father brought this to my attention on the bus ride home, began fathering me yet again through the game of football. How often do I personally forget that I live in a world at war? How often do I live as though everything is hunky dory in the land of butterflies and rainbows? When in reality, I am in a fight. Satan is enraged at me, hates me. Wants to devour me, wants to steal my joy, kill my heart, and destroy my life. (Click these cool things >>> John 10:10 and 1 Peter 5:8)

We can’t afford to forget that we are at war. We can’t turn the other cheek to where we find ourselves. You can’t win a fight you don’t think exists. Which is why this is Satan's greatest strategy-Lull us to sleep and make us believe that he simply doesn't exist. It’s a subtle assault on humanity, and it’s dreadfully effective. If we believe we are not in a fight, we will swiftly get our asses kicked in this war. I'd venture to say that a majority of the brokenness and pain in your own life is connected to you forgetting, or not knowing, that Satan is assaulting you every freaking day. As Plato said, only the dead have seen the end of war. War is simply where we are in the story. We must accept it, believe it, embrace it, and as men and women of God,  fight with every fiber in our body.

Maybe you have turned down the fight for all your life, refused to accept the fact that Satan is literally waging war against your soul. Maybe you are more than slightly discouraged that you have not jumped in, and fought the evil one. Maybe you feel like its too late, that Satan has gained too much ground on your life for a turnaround.

I would be quick to remind you, that you my friend are never out of the fight. It’s never too late.

We are never out of the fight, and we thrive on adversity.  

I dare the dudes reading this that call themselves Christians to start praying this prayer once a day. It will take about 10 minutes, and it would be a good start in fighting the good fight. It will bring you near to Gods heart, and will teach you how to embrace your role in the war we find ourselves in. 

Fight for your lives. Nothing good has ever come without a fight. Life to the fullest, a life full of Joy and intimacy with God is worth it. But you must fight for it.

And for the love of God someone add a machine gun or something more violent to a nativity scene this year. 

He can't wait

If you couldn't tell, me and Samantha are absolutely GEEEEEKED for our wedding. We cannot wait to wave goodbye to this long distance relationship and usher in a new season of life. 99 days for those of you counting at home.

As I have previously stated, Every good person you have ever loved, has been sent rather personally to your heart from God Himself. Jesus uses these people you love so dearly to introduce himself to you many, many times. He is constantly knocking on the door of your heart through these people. I'm one of the crazy people who thinks that God uses our relationships to reveal some piece of his heart for us.

That time your parents told you there is nothing you could do to make them love you less, was actually the Father's love calling out to you. The countless times your closest friends were simply there for you through thick and thin, was actually the faithful friendship Jesus desires to share with you. Or how about that one married couple, who after many years of life together, actually love each other more than when they first began? That would be the kinda intimacy and soul oneness we were literally designed to share with our Creator. And so Eldredge explains in The Sacred Romance:

"The scriptures employ a wide scale of metaphors to capture the many facets of our relationship with God. If you consider them in a sort of ascending order there is a noticeable and breathtaking progression. Down near the bottom of the totem pole we are the clay, and he is the potter. Moving up a notch, we are the sheep and he the Shepherd. A little better, but hardly flattering. Moving upward we are the servants of the Master, which at least gets us into the house, even if we have to wipe our feet, watch our manners. Most Christians never get past this point, but the ladder of metaphors is about to make a steep ascent. God also calls us his children, and himself our Father which brings us into the possibility of real intimacy. He then calls us his FRIENDS, which opens up a communion that a 5 yr old doesn't quite know with his mother or father. 

But there is still a higher and deeper level of intimacy and partnership awaiting us at the top of this metaphorical ascent. We are his lovers. The courtship that began with a honeymoon in the Garden culminates at the wedding feast of Jesus. "I will take delight in you", he says " as a groom rejoices over his bride, so I will rejoice over you" (Zephaniah 3:17)"

After reading the excerpt from The Sacred Romance my relationship with God was absolutely turned upside down. I began seeing Gods deeply personal love for me through all my friends, family, and Samantha. It was tremendous. It is tremendous. God very plainly told me that Samantha and I's joy and delight in one another is only a tiny glimpse of his love for me.  I will take delight in you, as a groom rejoices over his bride, so I will rejoice over you. Are you kidding me?! There is no question that in 99 days I will be rejoicing over Samantha. In 99 days I will take indescribable delight in Samantha. And I'm just a flabby human....How much more does the Living God, the Great Lover rejoice over us? How much more does he take delight in us? 

All our deep longings and desires for one another are but small extensions of his deeper and wider longings for us to be united with him; united in an endless intimacy that infinitely overflows with joy and ecstasy. 

And so I begin to wonder, if Samantha and I are giddily counting down the days until our wedding, how much more is God ecstatically counting down the days until The Wedding? Every day we wake up, Samantha and I remind each other how many more days until our wedding. 

What if you believed that God does the same for you? That with each time you wake, He crosses off another day spent apart from the love of his life? You are the love of his life, don't you know? There is only one of you.  God longs for you to fill the empty void in his soul that you alone can fill. 

Samantha was enjoying herself at a coffee shop in Des Moines reading and relaxing this past spring. She text me excited yet incomplete saying "I wish you were here though. It's just not the same without you." Bingo. It was a message sent directly from Gods heart to my super sweet slider phone. Its just not the same in without ya son. I wish ya were here.

God wants you, longs for you, even needs your companionship. Not in way that makes him less God if you do not give yourself over to him in reckless abandon. But in a way that makes his Lover's heart ache with incompleteness upon your refusing him as the love of your own life. 

Samantha and I often tell each other we 'cant wait for our day.'  Its really God telling us, and you, that He can't wait for your day.

He can't wait to see you face to face, and wave goodbye to a long distance relationship littered with sin and brokenness, and usher in the new season of Life. 

He can't wait.