Dave Burchett's Blog, page 51

Postcards from God Get Delivered in the Most Unusual Places

What if we are stubbing our toes on the sacred every day and not realizing it? That is one of the taglines promoting my book Waking Up Slowly. The book proclaims that we are the most connected culture in history but arguably the most disconnected from the awareness of God’s presence. I examine twenty-one different attitudes and actions that cause me to miss the sacred moments that I believe can be found in every day. But like the believers of the early church at Galatia I have an amazing ability to forget what I have learned (and written). Paul could have addressed this to me in recent weeks. You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for He is the one who called you to freedom. (Galatians 5:7-8, NLT) I run along smoothly for a day. Sometimes two. Then I forget who I am. Not my actual name.

I Was Born In A Small Town

John Mellencamp’s song Small Town is, in many ways, my story. I was born in the small town of Chillicothe, Ohio and even though I have moved to the big town I am still a small town guy at heart. Educated in a small town Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town Used to daydream in that small town Another boring romantic that’s me I was indeed taught the fear of Jesus in a small town. Boy howdy was I taught that! The respect of God’s Holy nature is certainly something that needs to be taught. But the rest of the Gospel story was not proclaimed nearly as well. I wasn’t shown the love of Jesus nearly as passionately as I was taught judgment and the need to shape up and not sin. Dr. Karl Barth was one of the most brilliant theologians of the twentieth century.  He wrote weighty volumes on faith.  A reporter once asked Dr.

Who (or What) Are We Going to Serve Today?

Bob Dylan wrote some powerful songs about his faith journey in the late 70’s. One song he composed popped up on the music feed recently. “Gotta Serve Somebody” simply says that no matter how independent, self-sufficient or in control we might try to be we still serve something or somebody. But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed You’re gonna have to serve somebody Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody That lyric struck a spiritual chord because it reminded me of some seriously head and heart messing stuff I have been reading from Tim Keller. Keller wrote a thought provoking definition of idolatry and how we can substitute even good things for God. “Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily

Smiling Faces Sometimes…

On a day off in Detroit I finally got the chance to visit the Motown Museum. I loved every minute of it! One of the songs that played during the tour was Smiling Faces Sometimes from a group called Undisputed Truth. The song was originally recorded by the Temptations but the version released by Undisputed Truth in 1971 became the number 3 song that year. Here are the opening lyrics from that song… Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes They don’t tell the truth uh Smiling faces, smiling faces Tell lies and I got proof I often hear from wounded Christians who could have started their note with those lyrics. They have been hurt and betrayed by other churchgoers, often with smiling faces. I try to encourage them. I remind them that we are all human. I ask them to look to Jesus. I

Note to Self…

A song from Jason Gray is on my “I need to remember this every single day” playlist. The song is called “Remind Me Who I Am”. Jason Gray’s song is exactly what I need for this season of my life. Here are some of the lyrics. When I lose my way When I forget my name Remind me who I am In the mirror all I see is who I don’t wanna be Remind me who I am I have to be reminded constantly that to be effective in this journey you have to remember who you are in Christ. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is in play here. Paul had spent a little over two years teaching and discipling the new believers in Ephesus. Just a few short years after he left Paul received reports that those new hearts had reverted to old habits. Things were a bit of a mess and the word came back that the old

Words Do Matter. A lot.

The uproar over late night comedian Stephen Colbert’s rant has focused a lot of attention on how far you can go in public discourse. Colbert often talks about his faith and I do not doubt his sincerity. However, I would challenge him to take a look at what Scripture has to say about the words we say and the power they have. That is an uncomfortable challenge I have taken.  I have included an excerpt from my new book Waking Up Slowly about the power of words. When it comes to social media people seem to be on the attack all the time. We say truly ugly things and assign terrible motives to people we don’t know. I quit going negative on social media many years ago. I affirm where I can and stay silent when I cannot. I just don’t understand what satisfaction people get from savaging someone or something from the safe bunker of the Internet. Maybe I

Let He (or She) Who is Without Sin Tweet the First Mean Tweet

Twitter makes cowards courageous. The anonymity of cyberspace can make the mean spirited downright evil. I have watched with sadness as Twitter tyrants have destroyed or severely damaged people and institutions. Sometimes the venom is directed at those who simply have a sincere difference of opinion on moral issues. Nothing seems to generate more glee than a Christian leader or institution failing. Without fail the hypocrite word is used with smug satisfaction. And it is true. Let me make this personal since I can only speak honestly for me. I am a hypocrite. I do not consistently live up to the teachings of Jesus. I fail. I sin. That is why I need a Savior and not a self-help course. I am confident not in my holiness but in the holiness of Jesus. I remember hearing a pastor say that “we all sin and fall short of the glory of God. But that doesn’t keep us from comparing distances.” That

It Truly is Amazing Grace!

(I wanted to share a little excerpt from Waking Up Slowly. I hope you enjoy it!) I have everything I need as a follower of Christ to be content. Yet I wander looking for something new or the latest trend in the church. What I was looking for in every book, program, study, and event was the sweet Gospel of unconditional love, unmerited forgiveness, and complete acceptance. I was looking for grace. This line from poet Nancy Spiegelberg may be the most indicting summary of my misunderstanding of grace for decades. Lord I crawled across the barrenness to you with my empty cup uncertain in asking any small drop of refreshment. If only I had known you better I’d have come running with a bucket. I wish that everyone who hears the gospel message would comprehend the love that God demonstrates to everyone who will receive that love. Instead of turning His back on sinners who deserved just that, God

Give a Personalized Book to Mom!

You can give your Mom or someone special a personally autographed copy of Waking Up Slowly. I have 200 special adhesive autograph plates that I am going to send out to purchasers of Waking Up Slowly for Mother’s Day gifts. What a unique gift for Mother’s Day to give her a personalized and autographed book! I will personalize and sign this adhesive plate and promptly mail it to you. And this offer is not just for Mother’s Day. You can grab a personalized copy for a birthday gift or any special occasion. Go out and buy a copy of Waking Up Slowly or order online now (this is on the honor system). Email me at dave@daveburchett.com and tell me where you bought it, how you want it signed and where you want it mailed. No receipts required. Simple. The cutoff date for Mother’s Day is May 8th or whenever I run out of plates. Don’t miss out on this unique

Even If…

Sometimes we wonder if God is still there. Sometimes we wonder if He really cares about what is happening in our lives. Sometimes we wonder if it will ever get any better. Those are questions that every honest follow of Jesus has wrestled with. My friend Bart Millard of MercyMe was pondering those questions when he wrote one of the most powerful songs from their amazing new record Lifer. I found it interesting that in the same time frame I was writing a chapter about doubt in my new book Waking Up Slowly. Bart can write in a stanza what it takes me hundreds of rambling words to say. But both of us experience the same struggle. We share the hope of grace. We write and sing about how our identity is not worldly success but who we are in Christ and who God says we are because of that relationship. You should be extremely grateful that Bart Millard is