Jon Acuff's Blog, page 70

Have you ever prayed this?

The worst humans on the planet are the couple who have an incredibly easy baby. Their kid never cries or screams. Their kid goes to bed peacefully and eats more than just chicken strips for dinner. Their kid is learning Mandarin and knows how to walk.

And when I have friends like that, I immediately pray, “Lord, in heaven, please bless them with a normal kid. Someone who cries for no reason and eats crayons and fights bed time like Wayne fought Kevin on the Wonder Years. In your name, Amen.”

Have you ever prayed this?

 

 

Should humor matter to Christians?

Spoiler alert: the answer is yes.

Yes, humor should matter to Christians, but why?

Why should laughter and humor have a place within faith?

It hasn’t always. I’ve never heard an atheist say, “I’m not a Christian, but wow, do they have a great sense of humor!” (If you have ever heard that, please let me know so that I can mail you a box of Thin Mints.)

That said, there are a lot of funny Christians doing funny things right now and maybe the tide is turning.

But again, why?

Why does laughter matter in faith?

The answer, funny enough, is in the Bible.

In Psalm 126:2 it says:

Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Then.

Then.

Then.

That’s the most powerful word in that verse. The laughter was not just some frivolous thing. The laughter was not folly. It was was not jest.

It was a sign that the Lord has done great things for them.

In all our failing about to show people the goodness of God, I fear sometimes we’ve lost the simplest way.

To laugh.

To be overjoyed.

To be full of mirth.

Should humor matter to Christians?

It mattered to God, and that’s good enough for me.

Quit it.

If Jesus called your cell phone, you’d answer. You’d probably wonder how he got his photo in your phone. Or how his contact info came up without you making a profile for him. I don’t care if you’re an atheist, you’re not kicking Jesus to voice mail.

And you know he’d be calling from an iPhone.

Jesus hates Droid.

Look it up. That’s in Luke I think.

And quit making stuff like this. It’s dumb.

 

 

Me and my wife making out.

How’s that for a headline?

Yowza! Allow me to explain.

My wife Jenny can’t stand public displays of affection. She’s a private person and thinks that making out in public is awkward.

Recognizing that as the mature husband I am, I invented a game called “Jon tries to kiss Jenny on the mouth.” It’s an amazing game but, for years, I didn’t have video evidence.

Until today.

About a month ago, I spoke at Catalyst in Dallas. After my speech, they surprised me by having Dave Ramsey and my family join me on stage. Dave flew them down to celebrate Start hitting the New York Times list.

It’s a pretty awesome moment, and one that certainly highlights Dave’s generosity and willingness to celebrate.

It’s also a pretty funny moment of me trying to kiss Jenny in front of 5,000 people.

Enjoy!

 

 

My dreadful confession.

I need to get something off my chest.

I need to be transparent and authentic (words Christians love).

I need to confess something.

Whenever the minister asks us to close our eyes so that people can raise their hands indicating a salvation moment, I peek.

That’s a lie. I don’t peek.

I look.

I count hands.

I survey the room in an ocular way. (That’s fancy talk for eyeballs. I’m wicked smart these days.)

I look. I can’t help myself, and it turns out I’m not alone. A few months ago, after just such a bow-your-head moment, my wife said to me, “Hey that biker guy gave his life to Christ.”

I immediately shamed her for looking and judged her. That’s part of being a Proverbs 32 husband. Look it up, it’s in there.

Now it’s your turn. You ready to come clean?

Have you ever looked during the salvation moment?

Jesus steps on a lego.

I think even Jesus might hurt his foot when he steps on a lego.

After all, he does know what it is like to be human.

Regardless though, it appears that a group called “#weoccupyJesus” reinvented the walking on water scene with legos.

Well done. I think the reactions of the disciples are the best part of the whole thing.

There is no baton pass.

Sometimes, when something happens in life, it feels like God has passed me the baton.

I get a good opportunity and feel the pressure to maintain it all on my own.

Something bad happens and I feel like I need to weather it myself.

I’ve made my bed, and it’s time for me to lie in it. (Or is it lay in it? I always confuse those two.)

But the older I get, the more I’m realizing something simple:

God never passes the baton.

He never asks us to completely take the wheel.

He doesn’t bring about something good and say, “OK, it’s your turn. Let’s see how you do without me.”

He doesn’t start a storm and then see if we can swim.

He’s a present God, not an absent god.

Does he invite us into his story? Without a doubt. Are there decisions to be made and actions to be taken? Of course. This is not a call to laziness; this is a call to control. As in you don’t have to. God never asks us to be god. That role is already taken.

There is no baton pass.

 

 

A horrible prank.

I don’t know who did this, but it’s a horrible thing to leave in a dark bathroom. (Via 9gag)

We’re giving $50,000 to nonprofits. Wait, again?

I wrote nearly that same headline almost 2 years ago, and I’m excited to announce again that I’ll be speaking at the 2013 Epoch Awards on October 28 in Atlanta. We’re giving away another $50,000 in grants to six nonprofit leaders–to people who are crossing the street or the world to change this world we live in. Fantastic, huh?

So, tell me, who deserves this money? Is it your friend? Missionary? Neighbor? Co-worker? Ministry leader? Pastor? Well, they can’t win if you don’t nominate them, so do it! Today! Here’s the link: http://epochawards.com/nominations/nominate/

The deadline for nominations is June 15th, so get them in now!

Last time, we got more than 430 nominations from 5 continents and 25 countries. We can beat that this go ‘round, don’t you think?

In addition to handing out the money to the winners, one of my favorite speakers of all time, Bob Goff, will be doing the keynote. You don’t want to miss his heart-felt, mind-blowing, and rather comedic, explanation of how to live.

Finally, I leave you with this 30 seconds of Epoch:

When:            October 28, 2013

Where:           Fox Theater, Atlanta, Georgia

Tickets:         Purchase tickets for yourself and a friend, or for a table of friends here. Use code “Jon,” and you’ll save $25 off the ticket price!

Attire:            The Epoch Awards is a black tie event. While I know most of you own tuxedos (and ladies, we don’t need to know how many evening gowns are tucked away in that closet), I’ll be renting one and you can, too, but don’t feel like you have to.

It’s going to be an awesome night, in an awesome location, for an awesome reason. Hope to see you in Atlanta!

How to avoid mall kiosk salespeople.

I don’t need to be sprayed with cologne while I am walking in the mall. I already smell like sandalwood and a forgotten beach day.

But sometimes, I’ll get approached by mall kiosk salespeople.

They want to sell me a hair braid kit for my wife or a vacation rental or a small helicopter that will break when I make eye contact with it at home.

It’s a problem, albeit a small one.

How does my friend Wendy deal with it?

She tells the salespeople, “I’ll stop and listen to your pitch if, at the end of it, I can tell you about Jesus.”

That my friends is the very definition of win-win.

If they say “no thanks,” then you don’t get blasted with lavender body rinse.

If they say “yes,” then you get to share about Jesus.

And it’s so unexpected, that it usually starts some really interesting conversations.

Next time you are at the mall and don’t need a knock off pillow pet, do what Wendy does.

I promise your day won’t be boring.