He made a fake birth certificate, fake name, and pretended to be homeless to throw officials off the path to his real identity.  And it worked. He played against Jr. High students over a span of 3 years. 3 years!!! Talk about a case of mistaken identity gone terribly wrong.

Have you ever been lied to? Has anyone ever told you they were someone else? Worse yet…have you ever been told that you are something different than you really are? 

I call this the “American Idol” syndrome. You’ve seen it….Paula, Simon, and Randy are holding auditions, and in walks some of the worst singers we have ever heard. In the world. Period.  But somehow, in some way, they believe they are the next big thing – a true talent – a singer extraordinaire. Just ask their Mom…

And THAT’s the problem….somebody close to them is either deaf, or just doesn’t have the guts to tell them the truth.  And now they are being laughed at by millions of people.

It’s hurtful when the truth about who we are is not known.

And you and I – ALL of us – have heard and believed similar lies. Lies about our true identity. We have listened to a world that has told us we are expendable – we are a product of accident – we are just animals. We are not special, unique, gifted, or loved by anyone but ourselves. And these lies have hurt us.

Coming up next week at Quest Tuesday Night, we will look for the Truth – Who are you? Who is HE? Who are we? – and we will find it.

 Genesis 1:26               Galatians 3:26             2 Corinthians 5:17

 No matter the model, who owns it, how it’s used; Toyotas smell like Toyotas. 

Last week, Pastor Sem and Pastor James, two leaders of a church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa visited us here at Bel Air Pres. These two men are different from most of us in every way: experiences, race, language, family, education, income, food preferences, clothes…..everything. And yet, something about them “smelled” the same.

 It was Jesus. And the fact that they followed Him was apparent almost immediately. 

 My hope is that we here at Quest will be people who – although vastly different in experience, perspecte ive, ideas, talents, goals, dreams, and life stories – will all have one thing in common; something that everyone notices when they interact with us.

Jesus.

 In fact my hope for every Christian on this planet is that like Toyotas, we will all carry the same quality. The look, taste, smell, and love of Jesus. Not that we might be in agreement, but that this world which so desperately needs Him will see, taste, smell, and be loved by Him.    

2 Cor 5:20

By the second day, my feet, my shoulders, and one knee were killing me. For various reasons this trip had become one of real physical pain. Not something I am used to dealing with. 

As is usually the case with pain, it quickly became a major distraction. Instead of enjoying the jaw-dropping beauty of the wilderness around me, the focus of my eyes was on the trail right in front of me and the focus of my mind was on my suffering body.  The scenery that I usually gawk endlessly at, was not holding my gaze. I was now having to force myself to even notice it. I had to literally stop and make a conscious decision to recognize God’s amazing creativity and beauty in the giant Sequioa trees, the rushing waterfalls, and the snow covered peaks and granite lakes at 11,000 feet. For the rest of the trip, the beauty of God and my pain were fighting for my attention. And much of the time, my pain won the battle. 

It was not long before I felt God saying to me, “Chris, I’m here! I have not gone away. Even though you are in pain, I am still here. Just stop and look around you.” 

This month has been a tough one for me and for close friends and family. Loss of a cherished relationship. Sudden death of a parent. Cancer diagnosis of a spouse.

 Real, difficult, and painful suffering.

 These times of suffering are much more devastating than the physical pain I experienced while on my trip through the wilderness.  But as I have said before, life experience is often a microcosm of God’s truth. And in life, like on the trail, our God is still here amid our suffering. He is still beautiful. Still loving. Still good. Still powerful. Still at work. But we often have to make a concious effort to stop and look around.

 It’s funny. The people who often point out God’s absence in the suffering of others, are NOT the ones suffering. They are only onlookers. Those who are suffering know where God is. 

     In the face of a ended relationship, He is in our faithful friends.

     In the reality of death, He is in the hope of life eternal.

     In the pain of loss, He is in the thankfulness for all we have.

     In the shame of sin, He is in the love and redemption of grace.

     In the desire to give up, He is the power that sustains us. 

I hope that as I continue to suffer loss and walk through life with my suffering family and friends, that we will all stop – look around us – and see God. Because He is still to be found. Because He is still here. 

Isaiah 40:26-31

“Then Job replied to the Lord:

I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you.

You asked, “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?”

It is I – and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me.

You said, “Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.”

I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.

I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.” 

I’m not sure why, honestly, but this has been a season of humility. The passages God seems to be drawing me too are ones of his power, wisdom, and righteousness, particularly as they compare to my ignorance, short sightedness, and selfishness. 

I was not on the hunt for another such passage today, but stumbled across this one none-the-less. 

Like Job, I often ask questions of God’s wisdom “with such ignorance”. 

But when all is said and done and I finally grasp the what God is doing (or has done) in my little world, I am humbled again realizing his plan is “far too wonderful for me.” Always far too wonderful indeed. And I am humbled again and made grateful anew.

 So today, my personal prayer mimics Jobs own realization in this passage – May I too not only be able to claim that I have “only heard” tales of this wise, mighty, mysterious, and wonderful God, but may I continue to get more and more glimpses of him “with my own eyes.”

Last night, during the afore mentioned 6pm service at Bel Air Pres, I found myself fidgeting again. But it was not my legs. It was my mind. And….unfortunately, it was my heart. 

These last couple of weeks have been weeks of uncertainty. Big decisions. Strange changes in relationships. Weird realizations about who I am. Discomfort with where I am and what I’m doing. The reasons? I’m not sure. And that bothers me. It causes me to fidget. In my mind…and in my heart. 

As I sat restlessly in the service last night, I felt encouraged by God to look at scripture. At various points in the evening, some favorites came to mind. During worship, the announcement of Jesus’ resurrection (Luke 24). During communion, the passage about the last supper (Luke 22). And as my heart bounced around (not unlike my bouncing legs), I was reminded of Psalm 46:10. 

“Be still and know that I am God.” 

I used to think this only applied to physical motion – Sit down. Be quiet. Spend some alone time with God. And while that definitely applies in life, in this moment God was encouraging me to let my heart and mind be still. 

     Stop jumping to conclusions. Be still.

     Stop trying to predict the future of my job, my relationships, my decisions. Be still.

     Stop wondering if God knows what is really going on in my life. Be still.

     Stop criticizing yourself for not doing enough. Be still.

     Stop letting your emotions control your heart and your life. Be still and know that I am God. 

Did Psalm 46:10 instantly solve all the world’s problems? Did it solve all my problems? No. Not yet, at least.

But did Psalm 46:10 remind me that God offers peace and stability in the midst of every problem I have, or ever will have?Yes. Yes it did. 

Getting my hurting, anxious, and fearful heart to be still is perhaps the greatest challenge I face these days. And yet, when my heart is reminded that He is God, it is also reminded that it can be still. And in that stillness there is peace for me…and anyone else who happens to sit on my row.

A similar curiosity often gets the best of characters in the films we watch. It’s a standard Hollywood plot tool that goes like this – The good guy is mixing it up with the bad guys trying to save the girl and the world. The girl overhears his conversation with an evil vixen or sees him passing money along to a shady group of dudes, and she draws inaccurate conclusions about his intentions. She thinks, “Maybe he’s not the hero I thought he was.” “Maybe he’s really evil and I’m all alone again!” “Maybe the kiss we shared on the high-speed train loaded with nukes and government secrets about cloning was meaningless to him!”  Now her feelings are hurt and she takes hasty actions that almost prevent the hero from saving her and the world. 

Well, it’s not just Hollywood movies. As I discovered this week, this happens in real life (minus the nukes on the train).

Two nights ago I walked into a friend’s apartment building unannounced, and as I reached the door of her apartment, I heard my name from inside the door. My friend (who knows me well and cares deeply for me) was talking to her two roommates (two people who do not know me well and who have not yet tried to remedy that). Again, curiosity got the best of me. As I heard my name spoken again, I foolishly chose to listen closely to what was being said about me. I wish I had not been so curious. 

Among a number of things I did not hear well, I heard her two roommates say something that was completely untrue about me. Then I heard laughter. Then I heard my good friend say “I know, right?”   

And in an instant, based on these tiny bits of information, a flood of defensiveness, insecurity, and doubt rushed to my head and my heart, and I was hurt. I had thoughts like “does my friend agree with them?” “Were they ALL laughing at me?” And as you can imagine, there was an awkward decision making moment; do I leave? Do I knock and go inside to defend myself? Do I keep listening and risk hearing other hurtful things?

I briefly walked outside to gather my thoughts before the hurt I felt prodded me to return to the building with an intense desire to address the bits of conversation I heard through the door. I knocked. And my friend came outside… 

Within minutes, my dear friend was crying. Not because she was sorry for what was said and not because she had hurt me. She was crying because of the lack of trust I had in her. My friend is smart. She is thoughtful. She is compassionate. And with all three of those traits being used to their full potential, she asked me, “Chris – what, exactly, do you think you heard?”  As I answered, it very quickly became apparent that I had not heard the full story. I had heard only bits and pieces of a conversation that included my name and some random laughter.  And I had quickly jumped to a conclusion that was inaccurate and incomplete.

Then she said something that I hope I will never again forget – “Chris; I only want the very best for you. I hope you will trust me.”  As we continued the conversation it was crystal clear that she loved me, wanted the best for me, and that I could trust that she would do nothing to intentionally hurt me. Everything that she does or says is shaped by these two facts: she wants the best for me and I can trust her - even when things may not seem that way.

Life is a microcosm of God’s truth. The Bible is clear that God wants the very best for us, and that He can be trusted. And yet many times, particularly when I don’t understand exactly what God is doing, I rely on my hurt feelings and my own fears rather than the fact that God wants the best for me and He is trustworthy. Period. 

I hope that in your life and mine, we will trust in God’s insanely overwhelming love for us and His perfect plans –even when we do not understand them, and even when we only see tiny bits of what He is doing. Before we allow hurt and defensiveness to creep in and before we jump to inaccurate conclusions about our God, let us first remember – and never forget – that He wants our best and He is completely trustworthy.  And those two facts shape everything He does.

Romans 8:28    Psalm 37:5     John 10:10

 There were a few scenes that really struck me. Clooney’s character is a man whose job is to fire people. During a company’s down-sizing, he is hired to come in and lower the boom on unfortunate employees. You can imagine how the people who are “let go” feel about this man.

 What struck me was how the people felt about their jobs – or more truthfully, how they felt now that they had lost that job. Most of the characters were depicted as completely distraught. Lost. Dumbfounded. And worst of all; hopeless.

 I found myself praying (yes, praying). I was uttering prayers for the real people, like these fictional characters, who have lost their jobs during these last two years of difficult economic times. And I prayed for you college-age folks who are involved with Quest that will soon be entering a job market that still looks bleak. 

 What I found most saddening and truthful about these fictional scenes, was the hopelessness that overwhelmed people who lost their jobs. And while I will never deny the terrible circumstances the jobless find themselves in, I will always pray that each of us puts our hope in something greater than any job.

 I hope everyone finds a job. But more than that, I hope all of us finds our worth, identity, joy, and hope in something eternal: something you can not get fired from.

 Psalm 39:7     Romans 5:1-6     1 Timothy 6:17

Late in the game, the Colts veteran field goal kicker, Matt Stover, missed a crucial field goal from 51 yards out. With his missed field goal, the Colts missed a golden opportunity to slow down the momentum of an up-and-coming New Orleans team.  It was a huge turning point in the game. As the ball sailed wide of the goal posts, the camera cut back to Matt Stover. And instead of hanging his head after missing a huge field goal in the biggest game of his career, he raised his head and put both hands in the air, index fingers pointed to the sky.

We see this gesture a lot in sports. Sometimes after touch downs. Sometimes as a homerun hitter crosses the plate. Sometimes at the end of a race at the Olympics. And typically, this gesture is reserved for celebration – after a score, after a victory, after winning a championship.

But Stover pointed to the sky after missing. The thought crossed my mind; Did he think he made the field goal? Could he not see that the kick was not even close?  Was he so confident that he made it that he prematurely pointed to God in thanksgiving and celebration??

 Quite the contrary…

 As the replay caught Stover running off the field after his missed field goal, fingers pointed to the sky, the CBS commentator noticed and said, “Stover, a man of deep faith, points to the sky every time he kicks; whether he makes it or not.”

 Job 1:21 

www.mattstoverfoundation.org/matt.html

Steve Carell! Jennifer Garner! Johnny Depp! Tina Fey! Jason Bateman! Michael C. Hall! 

Some of them I’ve seen only a dozen times, and some of them I’ve seen in literally thousands of images on screen, on the web, and at the Ralph’s check-out line. I’ve heard sound bites with their voices and watched them in countless movies and TV shows. And if someone said to me, “Hey, do you know that guy that plays the NBC executive in Thirty Rock?” I’d say, “Oh, yeah. Alec Baldwin. I know him.” 

I feel the same way with facebook sometimes. We’ve got all these “friends” on facebook – their little faces show up every time they write us, or record something about themselves on their wall, or post a new pic for us all to see. The tendency is to say, “Yeah – I know them.”

 Truth is: I don’t really know Alec Baldwin. And unfortunately, I don’t really know everyone I’m “friends” with on facebook.

 To be known is an important thing. To be able to share life with one another. Not just pics, thoughts and sound bites – but real life. Meals. Experiences. Perspectives. Conversations. Speaking honestly, listening carefully. Giving hugs, joining in laughter, and unashamedly sharing our highest joys and lowest disappointments.

 At Quest, we try to KNOW each other. Yes, we’ll ‘friend’ you on facebook. But we really want to know WHO you are and HOW you became the person you are.

 So come. Share your life. We can’t wait to know you.

Last week I saw a very suspenseful movie with a friend of mine. These are NOT my favorite kind of movies. I get too nervous about what is about to happen. My friend, who had already seen the movie, occaisionally threw out comments like, “Dude, you’re gonna love this part”, or “you will NOT believe what’s about to happen!” A couple of times I even heard him mutter under his breath, “Oh, boy. This is not gonna be good.” 

To many, his comments would have been annoying. But to me his comments were comforting. I know, Iknow - it was just a movie. But I was wrapped up in the story and I needed to know it was going to all be alright! With my friend commenting on the unseen scenes, I was able to relax and enjoy the story.   

As I enter this New Year, anxious about all the looming uncertainty, I long to have a glimpse of the future. I long to hear someone say, “Dude, you’re gonna love this part” or “Don’t worry. This is not good now, but it will all work out.” 

That longing is filled by our God. A God who already knows how this whole thing is going to go down. Beginning to end. Good and bad. Scary and joyful. And as we experience life, one frame at a time on the edge of our seats, He has been kind enough to say, “It’s all going to be alright.” 

So in this New Year, filled with anxiety and the unknown, I hope you and I will take comfort in the comments our God has about the end of the story…. 

…God’s home is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”  Revelation 21:3-5