1. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
2. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14
3. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Ephesians 1:7
4. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
5. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28
6. “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.” Romans 4:7-8
7. I write to you, dear children,because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 1 John 2:12
8. Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
9. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Jeremiah 33:8
10. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. Hebrews 8:12
11. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17
12. Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:48-50

Over time, however, I noticed an interesting phenomenon. Most of the people that I talked with in my neighborhood, at my kid’s ball games and through the natural course of life regarded themselves as Christians. Very few professed to be atheists, or even to have serious doubts about the existence of God. Everyone seemed to believe in God, yet few of them attended church or spent much time seeking Him.

They lived  in recognition that there was a God, yet saw no connection between that belief and how they went about their daily affairs. They never considered or factored God into their key decisions, or patterned their lives after His values. Consequently, they believed in God but behaved as if He didn’t exist. We came to call this idea Practical Atheism.

Practical Atheism is a dichotomy, a split between what we say and what we do. Practical Atheism explains the chasm between what many people say they believe and how they live out their lives. Statistics about our culture bear this out:

Many of us believe God exists

- Almost 9 out of 10 (88%) Americans claim to believe in God (Gallup, 2007)

- More than 3 out of 4 Americans (77%) claim to be Christian (Gallup, 2009)

Yet few of us live like God exists

- Less than 1 in 10 (9%) of people hold to a basic Christian worldview, including a Biblical understanding of Jesus, Satan, salvation and heaven (Gallup, 2009)

- Slightly more than one out of ten people (13%) attend a Bible-believing church on a regular basis (ARDA, US Census 2009)

While these are only two key indicators, they point to a very real disconnect between our nation’s beliefs and its behaviors. I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that Practical Atheism has become the dominant form of Christianity in America. What’s more is that it has impaired our ability to encounter God, to experience life change and to engage in the calling He has for our lives. Although the American Church is the most educated, resourced, and prominent Church in history, the phenomena of Practical Atheism has inoculated us against a deeper, more vibrant expression of our faith.

Many Christians speak of feeling disconnected from God and discouraged with life because they have come to believe that it isn’t possible to genuinely experience God. Is Practical Atheism something you’ve seen at work in your own life? If so, what have you done to overcome it?

1. We are going to lose weight, get in shape or in some way live healthier.

2. We are going to reduce our debt and/or get control of our finances.

3. We are going to spend more time with our families.

4. We are going to reduce the stress in our lives and/or find ways to enjoy life more.

5. We are finally going to get organized.

6. We are going to quit smoking NOW!

7. We are going to lower our alcohol consumption.

8. We are going to continue our education and/or learn something new.

9. We are going to find a better job.

10. We are going to volunteer more and/or find a way to help others.

While the nay-sayers point out that most of us (75%) will abandon our goals by March – I’m rooting for the rest of us who are tryng to find a way to live better this year.  What are you resolving to do?

When I was in high school, I got to meet Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Arnold Palmer at a PGA event. It was the thrill of a young life. I remember not just what amazing players they were, but how they treated some kids from a steel town with grace and class.

I wanted to be like them – not just on the golf course, but in life. They were bigger than life, especially to us, but they wore it lightly and seemed to grasp that their celebrity was as much a responsibility as it was a privilege.

Like most of you, I have been following the Tiger Woods debacle. I have to confess I have never been much of a Tiger fan. Not because he isn’t the best player in the world – he is. Rather, because he has always seemed very self-absorbed and uncaring to those around him, particularly the “average Joes”. He would frequently drop the “F-Bomb” and slam clubs on the ground, pout and throw temper tantrums without regard for people, especially the young people around him. He gave the impression that fans were merely extras in the great drama of his life.

The world wanted to see a champion of color – and again, I must confess, so did I. We wanted an ambassador of golf for a new generation; one that would introduce the joys of the game to a broad group of people that might never have set foot on a course. Many golfers from previous generations grew up poor and spent much of their celebrity on encouraging other everyday people, mostly kids, to try a sport they never saw themselves involved in. I’m one of those kids.

I think that Tiger’s decision to cheat his marriage with what seems to be quite a collection of women is disappointing, but not totally surprising. Neither were his early fabrications about what happened the night of the accident or his apparent indifference in his press conference. It seems to be consistent with his view of life – that it’s really all about him.

That’s an attitude that extends well beyond athletes and movie stars. It has become home court for many of us. We have grown up in an age of entitlement. We often believe that life or God owes us something. We believe that our position and possessions are for us to enjoy, not to make the world a better place. That perspective is destructive to ourselves and those around us. When we start to believe that we are the center of the universe, not merely humble servants of God, we enter a danger zone.

No lasting healthy relationship, whether with a spouse, child or friend, was ever constructed on a foundation of mutual selfishness. If we are to learn anything from Tiger, it isn’t simply that cheating in life and golf courses comes with a heavy penalty, but that self-absorption leads to disaster. Or another way to say it might be the way it is found in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

No amount of success at work can make up for failure at home. It just doesn’t translate. Another way to put it might be, it doesn’t matter how many under par you are on the back nine when you triple bogey life.

That is why God desperately encourages us to be loving, humble and gracious. How we live really matters. We don’t get to create our own reality, we just get live in one already created for us; one with God at its center – not us. One where love makes relationships work and humility is the only sure lens through which to see life.

In the end, I wish Tiger and and his family well. I hope they find healing in God. But, just as importantly, I hope their pain can serve as a reminder to us all; that when we make ourselves what life is all about, we end up with, well, just our self.

Tell me what you think about this.

• Our children’s and youth ministries have helped 5,868 students grow closer to God.
• Our compassion team responded to 1,348 requests for help from people in our church who needed food, clothes, financial relief, shelter, counseling, and prayer.
• We held mobile food pantries and collected more than 30,000 lbs of food through ShareFest providing 44,000 meals to over 8,000 families.
• We launched a work ministry to help people who are unemployed due to the economy.
• We helped three children be adopted into Chapel families through the Adoption Scholarship fund and placed 15 children in Chapel families through the Safe Families program.
• We have helped 2,737 people connect with God and each other through small groups.
• We baptized more than 100 people since January and loosely estimate that more than 400 people have come to Christ through the weekend messages.
• We provided back to school supplies for 850 local school children in need.
• We have 80 volunteers who regularly serve more than 130 inmates and their families at the Lake County Jail.
• Our Adopt-a-School program has been a huge success. All of our campuses have adopted and are working to improve schools in our area.
• The Barrington campus has launched a “sidewalk outreach ministry.” Volunteers take the train two times a month after church to downtown Chicago to feed, clothe, and pray for the homeless.
• The People to People ministry that launched out of our Mundelein campus fed nearly 1000 people (more than 4,000 meals) in September. They also provided clothing, housing, tutoring, furniture, and more to hundreds of others.
• We hosted a conference with Chuck Colson for 475 local pastors.
• Catalyst, our network of churches, has grown to more than 75 local congregations.
• We helped plant a church in Round Lake.
• We grew as a church on all of our campuses, and have helped thousands rediscover God.
• Last year The Chapel and Catalyst partnered with these ministries to advance the Kingdom: Groundwire, Free Wheelchair Ministry, Living Water International, Salvation Army, Wing Haven, International Teams, Prison Entrepreneurship Program, Girls Connected, Oasis for Orphans, Compassion International, Breakthrough Urban Ministries, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, The Dream Center, Northern Illinois Food Bank, The Youth Campus, Willow Creek Association, Sunshine Gospel, Fellowship Housing, TIM (India ministry)
• This year, we have given away $729,000 outside our doors; an amount equivalent to about 8% of our overall budget.

This has already been a wonderful year of ministry, and we still have a couple of months to go!

Lord Jesus, thank You for using us to love others and to genuinely help our neighbors. Thank You for guiding us and empowering us every step of the way. Thank You for our people who so tirelessly serve You because they love You. Lead us on – always forward to help You build Your Kingdom here on earth. Amen.

Many of us have tried to fill that need in ways that have not helped. We’ve dated or even married people who haven’t really treated us well. We fell in with friends who didn’t take us in the right direction or we filled our lives with shallow relationships that never really met our needs. It’s actually possible to be surrounded by people and still feel loneliness. I’ve had relationships with people for years but don’t feel like I really know them or they me. Relational satisfaction isn’t based solely on how many people we have in our life but also on how well we know them and feel known by them.

The quality of our relationships is as important as the quantity of our relationships. Some of us naturally gravitate to having just a few very close relationships; others to having lots of relationships that vary in depth. Whether we have many or few, the real question is whether those relationships help you to feel connected to others in a deep, lasting and meaningful way.

God’s plan to help us overcome loneliness is two-fold. First, He wants us to have significant relationships with both our natural family and our church family. This is why small groups are so important. To be able to connect to people who love and follow God is one of the most supportive and helpful things we can ever do. Small groups help us as individuals, but they help our marriages and families to thrive as well.

But there is a second part of God’s plan – He wants us to regularly connect with Him in a meaningful way. In fact, He created us in such a way that a part of our soul can only feel content when we are connected deeply in a relationship with Him. In  other words, we have a God-shaped vacuum in our hearts that can only He can fill.

We are the most complete when we connect with God at the center of our lives and with others who love God and love us at deep levels. This is God’s plan for us relationally.

How are you doing relationally? Do you feel relationally full or empty? What is a next step for you to take relationally with God?

Most of us are insanely busy and lead very full lives. We work hard, spend time with our kids, go to church, Facebook our small group, cut the grass and oh yes, have a moment in the day to actually relax. All that activity can lead us to sometimes feel like a gerbil on a wheel running as fast as we can, but going nowhere. Strange, isn’t it? Sometimes the busier I am, the more I wonder about my impact.
Most of us find out that life can happen all on its own. It moves on day after day like a huge river waiting for no one. Our lives flow along with it, moved by its currents. To change course takes intentionality, energy, and perseverance. In other words, it’s really hard; that’s why most of us don’t make many changes, or at least big ones.

We grow up, we get a job that leads to other jobs, a house that leads to other houses and we get married, which usually leads to kids. By then, who has time to think about life? It’s simply moving too fast. Change at that point is hard, because we have made so many commitments and have accumulated so many things that need to be maintained. Everything seems tied together, dependent on one another. We fear that if one block is pulled out, everything else could come crashing down. In those moments, life can seem like a long game of Jenga. In those instances, it can feel like life is happening around us or even to us. We can feel trapped, fenced in or pinned down.

It is then that we usually wonder where it’s all going. Does my life have meaning? Does what I do really matter?

These are the times we decide to change course, to get in shape, by a sports car, start a business, have an affair, relocate to a new city or immerse ourselves in new diversions and hobbies. The problem is we usually find that these changes don’t really change much of anything, at least in a good and lasting sense. At best, they rearrange the elements of our life in a different order that’s more fun for a while – until it starts to feel like everything else. At worst, we grab at things that promise more than they deliver and shipwreck our lives. In those seasons we find out that there are far worse things than being bored.

God gives us a different choice. He gives us the opportunity to partner with Him in building His kingdom on earth. This sounds far-fetched at first, but when we stop to realize that God made us in a particular way, with gifts and skills and talents to use, we understand our potential to build an eternal legacy with Him.

The highest and most noble use of our lives is serving God. It is the only way our life can have eternal significance. The Bible tells us that at the end of our life, we will stand before God to give an account of all that we have done. On that day, two questions will be central. “What is your relationship with my Son?”, and “What did you do with the life I gave you?” Our first answer determines where we spend eternity. Our second answers affect our experience of eternity. While, I don’t know everything that means, Scripture is pretty clear that God rewards these who are faithful to Him. All of our accomplishments that don’t have eternal significance will pass away (1 Corinthians 3.11-15). On that day, the positions we’ve had, the money we’ve earned, the accolades we’ve accumulated – all of them will become meaningless. On that day, all that will matter is our relationship with Jesus and the things we’ve done to serve God.

How can we do that? Does it mean we all have to start churches or become missionaries to Africa? Probably not, but what it does mean is that we should take a look at how God has made us and figure out how to serve Him with our life. Some of us are very relationally-skilled, others are skilled with their hands, others have talents in leadership and technology. Whatever your gifts are – put them to work for God, help Him build His kingdom on earth.

I think one of the greatest hindrances – particularly for men – is the fear of boredom in church work. They imagine it to be the tedious planning of activities, endless prayer meetings, and hours spent with challenging, difficult people. The truth is, serving God is the greatest adventure there is. It demands boldness, wisdom and courage. It is an opportunity to leverage who you are to make a real difference in people’s life for eternity. How cool is that!

How are you making the most of your life? What are some of the most impacting ways that you have served God? What is your biggest fear associated with serving God?

Yet, sadness is unavoidable in this life. We live in a place where heartbreak and pain are a reality. People disappoint us. Life doesn’t always turn out the way we want it to. There are even seasons of life when we wonder if we have what it takes to endure. Tragedy and loss are known to all and sometimes visit us disproportionately.

How can we be happy? We answer that question in so many ways. Sometimes we try to fill our lives with pleasure in many forms. Let’s be honest, that’s not all bad. Great food, movies, romantic getaways and playing superheroes with your kids can be a lot of fun. So can other things, darker things, forbidden things. The Bible says sin has its pleasure for a season (Hebrews 11.24-25). No one who has ever sinned would dispute that. The problem is the price that often accompanies it.

As a young man I tried to find pleasure in many things; some that were good and others that were well, not so good. I made it my quest in life to seek pleasure in all its forms. For a while I was convinced I was on to something big. Later, I found that the darker things I frequently partook of came with a cost that was more often higher than I wanted to pay. This isn’t especially surprising. What amazed me was how quickly the joy leaked out of my life, even when I filled it with pleasurable things that were good. It seemed that no matter how exquisite the experience was, it never lasted.

No rational person prefers sadness to joy or suffering to pleasure. The real question becomes how to live in such a way that our joy is maximized. I believe the answer lies in the presence of God. The Bible tells us that God is the source of joy. One of the qualities of experiencing God is joy. Not just because He is joyful but because He is joy.

When we give our life to God, when we commit 100% of ourselves to Him, the Bible tells us that He spiritually comes to live inside us. That means His joy is in us. When we prayerfully connect with Him, we experience that joy and it, in part, becomes our own. Over time, we experience it more frequently and in greater measure.

This joy from God has the power to transform our hearts. It’s still great to hang out with good friends and do fun things but these things can’t come close to replacing the joy that is found in God. Many things are pleasurable, fewer are profitable, but none can replace the joy we find in Christ.

The challenge for most Christians is getting to the place of full commitment to God. Partial-commitment affects our experience of God, which in turn affects our joy. In addition, few people intentionally spend much time with God, further reducing their experience of joy. I think these two things more than anything else has frustrated Christians in their efforts to seek God.

Let’s be clear – I too struggle with these things. It’s hard for me to focus my mind on God and truly give myself to Him fully. It’s a daily battle that’s always hard but incredibly crucial to my experience of God.

How do you find joy in God?

Issues like that get to the heart of one of the most profound of human needs – safety. One of the things every person wants to know from the earliest moments of life is, “Will I be safe?” This is one of the basic needs of infants. They want to know in the vastness of their new world that someone nearby loves them and will help them when they are hungry or sick. In some ways, not a lot changes throughout life. As kids, we learn that bad things can happen to us  when we’re not careful, and sometimes when we are. As adults, we learn to do everything possible to create a safe environment for our families.

We eat healthy and exercise regularly. We try to live in safe neighborhoods and build good schools. We buy car seats, alarm systems and insurance plans. We protect ourselves with fire departments, police and the military. We save money for a rainy day. We do everything we can to be as safe as possible. And we should, because we live in a fallen, dangerous world where evil and calamity exist. Yet none of these things can really ever guarantee our safety. Where is God in this?

In  moments like this, I think it is always helpful to remember that God didn’t create the world to be this way. He made it perfect and good, a place devoid of suffering, strife or death. We actually are to blame for the entrance of evil into our world. The Bible tells us that it was when humans rebelled against God and abandoned Him as their spiritual father that things went awry. Our revolt against God created a rift, a chasm, between us and Him. As a result of that separation, evil, suffering and death became a part of our lives.

God could have chosen to distance Himself from us and ignore our pain, but He didn’t. He still loved us – even when we didn’t love Him. This is why Jesus came. He entered our world as one of us – God in human form; to die in our place and build a way back to God. For those who accept Him and His way, God promises to give us what we were created for; a place of peace and safety, a place of comfort and joy – His eternal Kingdom.

Jesus told us that we can begin to experience aspects of that Kingdom while we are still living in a fallen world. Yet, we will never experience it fully until He returns to set the world right (Revelation 21.1-4). This is our dilemma – we are created for a perfect, sinless place but we live in the fallenness of of our own making. God will make all things perfect again, but not yet.

The Bible says that we should expect that God will both deliver us in times of trouble (Psalm 34.17) and use the pain and suffering in our lives to help us change and grow (Romans 8 ). I don’t know about you, but I like the first part of that plan a lot better than the second part. But I have to admit that I have grown as much from adversity as I have from abundance.

The truth is God sees things from an eternal perspective. He realizes we will live forever and that this world is but a brief moment in that eternity. His promise of safety to us is the safety that comes from an eternal life with Him in His Kingdom. This is a miraculous certainty in the midst of the uncertain chaos of life. Beyond that, God helps those whose hearts are completely His (2 Chronicles 16.9). He heals, He delivers, He guides, He loves, He supports and He blesses. Yet, He never completely removes the influences and consequences of sin from our lives. These we must continue to endure as a reminder of our waywardness and need. God’s promise to us in this life is not to drape us in spiritual bubble wrap so nothing bad can penetrate our life, but to be there with us no matter what (Matthew 28.20). Sometimes His presence brings deliverance from evil, sometimes it brings comfort in the midst of evil.

At the end of the day, all the insurance policies, alarm systems, armies and healthy living cannot compare to God’s offer of eternal life and companionship on earth. True safety can only be found in God.

What do you fear? What fears do you struggle to commit to God?

Inequity causes fear; specifically, the fear of scarcity. Either because we start with little and and fear being forever defined by poverty or because we start with much and fear losing our privilege. Either way, we fear scarcity and wonder, “Will I have enough? Will I have what I need to live? Will I have enough to be comfortable? Will I have enough to truly satisfy me?” These fears stoke a competitive fire in all of us.

We learn early to outsmart, outwork and out-hustle enough people around us to get what we want. We think of life as a competition for scarce resources. The idea is that there isn’t enough for all of us, so we need to be sure we get ours first. Often, this need is at odds with our belief in a benevolent and all-powerful God. We intellectually believe that God is there – that He loves us, that He answers our prayers. But emotionally, we struggle to have faith that He will be there for us when we need Him. Can we really count on Him to take care of us? Can we actually rely on Him to provide for us? The notion of order in a world of seeming chaos, of love in a planet defined by self-interest and of trust in a place so fueled with disappointment seems emotionally fragile to us. It seems to good to be true; and we’ve learned that things too good to be true usually are.

We usually try to solve this dilemma by living a duality. We profess our belief in God and allow part of our heart to trust Him but still pursue our life as if He isn’t there – just to be sure we have enough by our own hand. I think this is the reason the vast majority of Christians don’t tithe (give the first 10% of their earnings to God). It isn’t out of a sense of greed, but out of a fear of scarcity. We think, “If I give 10% of my money to God, I won’t have enough left to get all I want.” This why the decision to tithe is so important. Not for the money, rather because it is a tangible act of faith that declares to ourselves that we have to trust God to provide for us. Think about it – God doesn’t need our money – He wants us to have faith in Him, in every area of our lives. He realizes that if we don’t trust Him with what we do see, including our finances, how will we ever trust Him for things we can’t see – like eternal life? That is why the words of Jesus are so impacting – because He speaks to the center of our need:

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6.31-33

God knows we are anxious, even frightened, about the potential of scarcity. Will we have enough? Enough clothes, enough food – enough of everything we need and want? Yet, He reminds us that this is how people who don’t believe in God behave. He corrects us without shaming us. He helps us to realize that people who truly put their faith in a real God have no need to fear scarcity. He reminds us that our job is to fully give ourselves to God. To no longer live for ourselves, but to live for Him (seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness). When we do that, we will not only receive what we seek but also everything we need to live for Him on earth.

This is so simple. There really is a God, He wants us to faithfully serve Him with our lives. When we do, He will take care of us because He knows what we need and He loves us. Yet, at the same time, it is so hard to overcome our doubt. What if God is not real? What if God doesn’t come through? What if God gives me less than I would give myself? Maybe this is why God chose faith as the prime test for humanity – because it’s the best indicator of where our heart really is. It is easy to intellectually believe in God – even the devil does that (James 2.19), but it is far harder to have true faith – to place our lives in God’s hands and rely on Him to overcome our present crisis of scarcity and our future crisis of death. Intellectual belief risks nothing. True Christian faith risks everything.

Here are a few questions I’ve used to really help me process this issue in my own life:

1. What would it look like in your life to trust God to povide for you?

2. What are you willing to risk on God?

3. Are you at a place where you can trust Him to provide for you?

4. Could you be content with whatever God provides?

5. What’s the next step?