It was when me and Iris were eating our breakfast.  

As I was about to help myself with another spoonful of my milk-saturated quaker oatmeal squares that were well mixed in with thinly sliced bananas, walnuts, almonds and raisins - - - I heard it.  

An explosion that ended with a huge splat at the end.  

Bweeechzeeeck!

It did not sound good nor pleasant so I went into the bedroom to check out what happened.

Apparently Enoch had dropped a humongous ‘bomb’ on his diapers.

Upon releasing the straps on the diapers and checking on the aftermath of the explosion - it was indeed huge.  

The dung was all over his back - down to his thighs … dripping down from his pelvic area to his legs.  It was also mixed with the pee he had freely released and … the sight and the smell kind of resembled the kind of out-houses my grandparents had back in Korea out in the country.  

At this point - Enoch had nothing to offer to our relationship - except for his dung exploded self.  

He laid there helpless with his dung basically owning him.  

So dirty and so helpless.  

In desperately need of cleaning and salvation from his dung.  

As I began the process to remove the diapers and to clean him up - God directed my thoughts to that fateful day 16 years ago.  

When I was being owned by the dung of my sin … when I was laid there dirty and helpless.  

He drew near - took off my diapers … and with the most loving smile on His face - started cleaning me up.  

I had nothing to offer to our relationship - except for my sin-stained and sin-owned self.  

Yet He drew near and gave me a bath I’ll never forget for the rest of my life.  His hands wiping away every sin I’ve ever committed.  Him clothing me with His “diaper of righteousness”.  

Unmerited Grace.  

I knelt down once again in tears with Enoch in my arms - thanking God for His amazing grace.  

“Amazing love.  How can it be.  That you my King would die for me.”  

“Amazing love.  I know it’s true.  It’s my joy to honor you.  In all I do.  I honor you.”  

“You are my King.”

When are we happier?

When we’re free?  Or when we’re committed?

When we’re footloose?  Or when we’re firmly rooted?

Many in the “18-to-30-year-old” bracket take on a view that goes something like this:

Freedom is all about endless spontaneous and exciting diversions you can take whenever and however and whomever you want.  You can travel the world, try new things, casually have sex with absolute freedom and live the “life”.  You don’t have to get stuck in a “middle-aged drudgery” - going to work at the same job and home to the same wife - shackled and chained to the same o’ same o’ experience 24/7, 365 days a week.  

However, when you’re living it up with endless parties, bars, cafes, clubs, friends, tribes, hook-ups and jumping from one gig & event to the next … and from one night to another night … and from one relationship to another … and from one job to another …

You’re missing out on loving, deep, committed family relationship and stable bonds - old friends over for dinner, watching the kids grow up and making consistent impact and difference in your town and community.   

The contrast that you need to open your eyes to is this:

Do you want to waste your life to a life of shallow fripperies - zipless sex, vacuous possessions, showy luxuries and yet sad & lonely existence?

Or do you want to commit your life to deep committed relationships with your family and people in your community?

The sort of illusory, peripatetic and freewheeling life that seems on the surface - free & full of pleasure - is only an illusion.  

For the last 40 years, America has celebrated expressive individualism, self-fulfillment, and personal liberation.  But now more than ever, America finally feels the desperate need for more community, connection and interdependence. 

It is only when we overcome the fear of commitment - and freely and voluntarily commit to someone other than ourselves - happiness, meaning and fulfillment freely flows into deep chambers of our souls.  

I’ve been married for 6 years and now have a son.  

I’m the happiest man alive.  :) 

True Story.

“Jesus had a team of three, and you must emulate Him if you are ever to build anything solid enough to outlast your life.”  - Ralph Moore

Leaders, especially pastors need to learn how to equip and empower. And one of the ways pastors can empower is by deeply investing in people.  

When looking for people to invest in, these are the 3 qualities we need to look for:

1. Passion
2. Urgency
3. High Spirituality

Jesus knew how to cultivate intimate relationships.  He also deeply invested in people. His first and foremost investment went to John.  Then to Peter, James and Mary (the one that sat at the feet of Jesus).  In the outer circle, Jesus had the 9 other disciples along with Lazarus and Martha.  

The benefits we reap when we deeply invest in people are:

• Relational Vitality
• Guiding Coalition for Change
• Buffer zone when attacked
• A Team that creates a legacy

When looking for people to invest in we need to seek God’s wisdom and ask the Holy Spirit to show you who you need to invest in deeply.  Jesus fasted 40 days and stayed up all night in prayer before He chose His disciples.  

What does deep investment look like?

1. Sharing life together.
2. Eating out together.
3. Planning and leading out events together.
4. Traveling out of state and country to do ministry together.
5. Growing relationally & professionally together.
6. Giving verbal and written affirmation.
7. Giving gifts.
8. Providing resources.
9. Learning to be vulnerable.
10. Empowering with ministry opportunities.
11. Creating materials together and soliciting input.

_____________________________________________

There is one thing that will change the world.  And it’s investment in people.  Jesus knew this and focused on this for the time He had on earth.  He did nothing else to change the world.  He simply invested in His disciples.  And the rest is history.

Great movements arise only in the context of invested relationships.  The world changes through one empowered person at a time.  

We can never forget this truth.

The most important thing on earth is our investment into the lives of those around us.  

We cannot waste our lives by living for ourselves.  

But we need to rise to the challenge of investing our lives to equip and empower others for ministry.  

It’s that time of the year once again.  

You’re back in school.  There’s new blood, fresh faces w/ skimpy, next to nothing wardrobed girls that are ambitious not only to make new friends but garner as much attention as they possibly can.  Not only are they friendly but they re-define friendly by rubbing and flirting against your hormone-saturated soul.  Against such flesh that spikes up your primal, raw, primitive animalistic passion - you feel utterly helpless to drown in your lust fantasy and “cravings”.

When living in a day and age where sexual is the new spiritual - you’re an easy prey to the ‘prowling lion’ to be devoured in passionate 5-7 minute ecstasy with the adulteress only to regret the short-lived 5-7 minutes for the rest of your life.

You up there, leading out in worship, playing that guitar and singing your heart out w/ your hands lifted high during week of prayer - while scanning the room for faces and bodies that will lubricate your lust-craving soul.

Sometimes the lines blur between a spiritual-high and a sexual-high.  There’s always an attempt to “catch two-birds with one stone”.  You find yourself motivated go to that prayer meeting, bible study or that outreach - only because there’s a boy/girl that gets you high both spiritually and sexually(?).    

What does God have to say about this?

Ephesians 5:3 

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.

Not even a hint.  Nope.  Can’t have it both ways.  She can’t be both your sister and your sexual fantasy.  That’s disgusting.  

What is impurity?  What is sexual immorality? 

It’s poison.  It’s what destroys us. It’s what destroys our purity and our marriage/future marriage.

It’s like humongous chunk of booger in our mushroom soup. Or a cat diarrhea masquerading as sauce on top of our chicken salad.

That is nasty.  You don’t ever want to eat a salad with a cat diarrhea in it.  

In like manner, being in a spiritual environment w/ a horny soul is nasty.

Keeping the Sabbath only to watch porn or read 50 shades of grey to lust over its characters is like eating a mushroom soup with a huge booger dissolved in it.  

In God’s economy and in His book, there aren’t 50 shades of grey. 

There’s black and white.  Right or Wrong.  Purity or Impurity.

What God forbids is often the booger or the diarrhea.  

God isn’t anti-sex or anti-pleasure. He’s simply anti-poison, anti-booger and anti any kind of diarrhea entering into our pure souls.  

According to 1 Cor. 6:18, God has one word of advice for waging war sexual immorality.  

Flee from sexual immorality!

That is, Run Forest Run!

Don’t ever think that you can handle a little flirtation and a little rub on your skin.

Run.

Don’t ever linger or pause in your gaze or fantasy down or up a girl’s shirt/blouse/skirt.

Run.

Prov. 5:8  ”Keep to a path far from her (adulteress)

As leaders, you need to remember that you can’t build a life of purity on a foundation of sin.  

Statistics say that 40-50% of young spiritual leaders out there are sinning sexually while trying to be spiritual.

Don’t be a statistic.  That’s a losing battle.

Determine run and flee from sexual immorality.

Have godly men and women in your life to keep you accountable.  

Give access codes to your computer or phones to your parents or people you trust to keep you accountable.  

One moment of weakness is all it takes for satan to utterly destroy you.

Don’t give him that chance.

Instead, Run to Jesus!  

Cracked jars.  

Broken glasses.

Empty cisterns.

An endless blackhole in our soul that drains all our passion, energy and zest for life.  

We feel it all the time.  

Which kind of explains all the “busy-ness” & “entertainment” we stuff our lives with to somehow avoid dealing with it.  

With food, music, movies, games, social media, & one night stands - - - we try block that big ole’ “blackhole” in our souls.  

What are you exactly looking for on tumblr?

What are you trying to fill through facebook?

What are you really doing when you’re on youtube?

What role does games, sports and media play in your life?

Then, there are those times, very rare, but those times when we come face to face with something or someone real.

A real conversation.

A real encounter.

A real heart to heart.

A real catharsis & waking of the soul.

Maybe through a book, through a person, through an event, through solitude, through accidents, through crisis, through real life-changing relationships … 

it finally dawns on you, and you come alive.

Why is it that we often make the mistake of trying to find that which we need in everything else but God?  Our families?  Our loved ones?  And through real engaging and serving relationships?

It’s time you ask that question to yourself.  

Before you go to sleep or … 

go through yet another insomnia while surfing through endless contents on the web to keep your mind “busy” from thinking about what really matters.