I read a great article in the Huffington Post by Joe Peacock concerning a young man who had been profoundly affected by a very short exchange with a girl from his high school. In his own words, it went like this: “I asked her to the spring dance,” he said. “Then she called me lame and said, ‘That’s why you don’t have any friends. Because you’re weird.’”

Peacock continues, “There are thousands — no, hundreds of thousands — of us. All weird. All strange. All over, everywhere. We all went to school and hated everyone because they didn’t understand us. We dealt with the bullying and the isolation and the feeling that we were the weird ones. You want to know what’s weird? Spending hundreds of dollars on clothes and shoes and purses that everyone else thinks is cool. Spending hours of your life doing things that everyone else is doing because it’s cool. Liking the bands that everyone else likes because you’re a loser if you don’t.”

For most of us, being labeled weird is not a desirable thing. So we do our best to fit in and be “normal,” perfecting the art of pretending to be someone we’re not. It’s a tiresome exercise, but it’s better than shame, embarrassment and loneliness.

By His grace, God provides us with a solution to this awful dilemma – we are rescued from this wearying existence by Jesus Christ, who accepts us as we are, but changes us so completely that we are new creations. No more pretending, and no more shame. We are completely and totally forgiven and free – but there’s a catch.

We’re still weird.

Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 14:2, and 1 Peter 2:9 all identify God’s people as “peculiar.” I love this word, because it means Christians are set apart, unique…weird. For many, this kind of weird is far different and a lot better than the other kind. There’s joy and comfort and genuine relationships with other “weirdos” who follow Christ. When we’re with them on Sundays and in small groups and on mission trips, things can actually feel, well, normal.

Then we go to work on Monday, or we listen to the news, or have a difficult conversation with an unbelieving family member – and we’re weird again. Uncomfortably weird – just like we felt before we trusted Christ. We don’t like this feeling, so we fall back into old patterns – we drop the God talk and the firm convictions and the belief that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us – and we pretend we’re not weird.

What’s it take to break this cycle? In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus makes the answer very clear: You must choose who you master will be – and you can only choose one. If your master is fitting in, or approval, or fear, then you will never be free. If your master is God, you may be weird, but you will enjoy life to the fullest.

If Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still in your sins. 1Corinthians 15:17

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of Christianity. Of course, it doesn’t take an unusual amount of faith to believe that Jesus actually died on a cross. There is ample evidence for this in the Bible as well as other historical documents. But the resurrection presents significant challenges because, though there is strong historical evidence in its favor, we quite naturally have a more difficult time believing that it happened. After all, most of us have experienced people dying, but no one I know has been eyewitness to a resurrection. We can understand death as a natural event, but rising from the dead requires more evidence to be believable.

The Bible provides plenty of this evidence: Jesus predicted His resurrection in Matthew 16:21, followed by numerous post-death appearances to His followers. He comforted the mourners outside His tomb on Sunday morning (Mt. 28, John 20). On the road to Emmaus, He explained things about Himself from the Old Testament (Luke 24). Later, He ate in their presence and invited them to touch Him. He was also seen by more than 500 after He rose from the dead (1 Cor. 15). Add to this the extra-biblical testimonies of Flavius Josephus, Ignatius, and several others – and you have quite a case for the resurrection.

But we’re still a little skeptical, and I think I know why.

I think we doubt the resurrection not because we don’t have enough historical evidence, but because we don’t want to deal with the implications in our own lives.

You see, if the resurrection is real, then (according to Romans 1:4) Jesus is the Son of God, having the very nature of God Himself. He has the power to forgive sin, conquer death, and defeat the enemies of God. For those of us who call ourselves Christians, this means we are following after Him – living our lives according to His purpose and plan, not our own. This means, as Romans 6 so blatantly states it – We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Did you catch that? We will also be resurrected one day – new, perfect bodies living on a new, perfect earth. But that “one day” isn’t today (at least not at the time I’m writing this article). Today we live as Jesus lived when He was on earth – surrendering, sacrificing, serving, forgiving – dying to self and living for God. That’s the roadmap of Romans 6 – living and dying like Him before we are resurrected with Him.

These are the implications of embracing the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Difficult? You bet. But still the best news you will ever, ever hear.

College basketball is by far my favorite spectator sport, which means this time of year is especially exciting. They call it “March Madness,” where 64 teams (not counting the play-in games) battle each other in a single elimination tournament to determine who will be the NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions for 2012. Every single team, whether a perennial powerhouse or an underdog, is hoping to win it all. And history has shown that anything is possible. However, what I find very interesting about this big tournament is not the fact that when it’s all over, there will be one very excited winner – rather it’s the reality that there will be 63 losers.

Did you get that? 98.5% of the teams participating in the tournament will go home disappointed, failing to accomplish what they set out to do. Most athletes will tell you they hate losing with a passion, but those same athletes, if they’re honest, will tell you they learn more from losing than they do winning. That education typically has less to do with game strategy or blown assignments or better conditioning. What they learn has more to do with the strength of their character and ability to persevere. When you win, it’s easy to look forward to the next game with confidence. If you lose – and especially if you lose often – then pressing on takes a special kind of resilience.

The Bible has a few things to say about winning, but there’s a lot more in the Scriptures about losing. Adam and Eve lost paradise and their innocence. Moses lost the Promised Land, Samson lost his hair and strength, and Job lost pretty much everything. In the beatitudes (Mt. 5:1-12), we’re told that losing our money, happiness, safety and dignity is actually a blessed thing. Jesus even goes so far as saying we should lose our very life for His sake (Mark 8:35). This from a man who lost all these things and more.

But strangely enough, “losing” for the sake of Jesus and the gospel doesn’t make us “losers.” Actually it’s quite the contrary. Jesus Christ, who possesses all authority in heaven and on earth, humbled himself and became a loser – deliberately choosing this path to save us from sin and death. He received our punishment and our penalty – forgiving our sin, setting us free and giving us everlasting life.

This amazing gift is not conferred to us because we’re the smartest or the most spiritual (winning), but because we surrender and believe (losing). In a society obsessed with winning, this is a very difficult concept to accept. But it’s the way of Jesus – and it’s the only way to experience life to the fullest.

If my favorite team loses this month, I’ll be disappointed. But it won’t last long, because I know this experience just showed them a little bit of what it means to follow Jesus.

One of the great lines from the movie, “Blues Brothers” occurs when Jake and Elwood are trying to convince a fellow musician of the need to put the old band back together. “Me and the Lord,” Jake says, “have an understanding.” To which Elwood adds, “We’re on a mission from God.”

Now you would be hard-pressed to call the Blues Brother’s mission a Biblical one, but I think we could all learn a few things from their sense of purpose. They recognized that there was a grand story playing out, and they were somehow participating in it – their decisions and actions all contributed to the over-arching plan of God. They were a part of something far bigger than just themselves, and the possibilities were endless.

This is how all Christians should live, seeking first God’s kingdom and the great adventure He has planned for us. We’re to be constantly looking for where God is at work, and then joining Him – for his eternal purpose and glory. Rick Warren, in his best-selling book “The Purpose Driven Life” says it very plainly in the opening lines of the first chapter – It’s not about you. In other words, if you want to experience life to the fullest, then the first thing you have do is realize you’re not the one who decides your destiny – you are on a mission from God.

There is a familiar passage of Scripture in Ephesians 2 that many Christians consider their favorite verse, because it so perfectly sums up the nature of our salvation.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. We are rescued from sin and darkness by God through Christ alone – we contribute nothing to this great and mighty act. But one of the problems with making this our favorite passage of Scripture is that we often neglect what comes after our beloved verse.

Ephesians 2:8,9 tells us our salvation is NOT by works, but verse 10 indicates that our work as Christians matters. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. I think what the Bible is saying here is that once we’re saved, we’re on a mission from God – and He’s already prepared our assignments in advance.

Our job is to figure out what that mission is – in our homes, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, or anywhere He sends us.

Tim Tebow, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, has been in the news a lot lately. Some of this attention comes from the fact that he is partly responsible for turning a losing team into a winning one – not bad for someone who was never expected to make it in pro football.

Critics say Tebow lacks throwing accuracy, experience and the ability to quickly assess the opponent’s defense. They also say that his style of playing the position will never work in the NFL – but for some strange reason, he keeps leading his team to victory. He’s certainly not your typical pro football quarterback, but he does possess that “certain something” that makes him a winner (the last couple of games notwithstanding).

Yet the critics persist. The more he wins, the more they dislike him. Jake Plummer, a former NFL quarterback, might have been speaking for nay-sayers everywhere when he remarked that he would like Tebow a lot more if he would just “shut up” about his faith in Jesus Christ.

And with that comment, the real reason behind the criticism emerges. It’s not about football, it’s about faith. Some people just don’t like the fact that he’s an outspoken Christian, and the more demonstrative he is, the more they hate him. It’s amazing how the “Tebowing” craze has swept the country (a posture of kneeling in prayer that strangely resembles Rodin’s “Thinker”), but my hunch is most people assume the pose out of mockery and not reverence.

What’s strange is that Tim Tebow certainly is not the first athlete to give thanks to God after a big play – that’s been going on for decades. But he’s definitely receiving more negative attention for it than most have in the past.  Maybe it’s because they know he’s serious, and that his faith in Jesus Christ is far deeper than “the man upstairs who helps him win football games.” Maybe it’s because his desire to follow Christ is more important than protecting his pride or being labeled “weird.” Maybe, just maybe, he’s doing what most Christians in America fear the most: Risking his reputation for the sake of the gospel.

In Matthew 5 Jesus said, blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Tim Tebow seems to be pretty comfortable with these words. The questions is, are you?

I just finished a book entitled “Weird,” by Craig Groeschel. In one of the early chapters he writes about our obsessive desire to “have it all,” and then he describes problems this creates in our relationship with God and others:

“…remember the old theme song to Schoolhouse Rock’s “Conjunction Junction?” You remember: “Conjunction junction what’s your function?” One of the most important things we can do in life combat busyness is change our conjunction. Instead of saying “and,” we need to say “or.”

He goes on to give several illustrations – instead of fried chicken and grilled steak, we can have fried chicken or grilledsteak. Instead of soccer practice and guitar lessons, it needs to be soccer or guitar. Instead of working late and taking work home, it’s one or the other.

You get the point – we need to change the conjunction.

And there’s no better time of year to do so than December. The inclination to overbook, overspend, overeat, and just plain over do it is particularly strong right now, and our ability to fight against it is weak. We don’t want to disappoint our friends and family, so we buy them all the gifts they’ve requested and throw in an extra one or two just to show how much we care. Whether it’s genuine love or that dreaded feeling of expectation, we say yes to one too many parties or gatherings. We take the extra slice of pie because, well, Christmas only comes around once a year and we can always spend some extra time (that we don’t have) at the gym.

It’s time to change the conjunction.

In Luke 10, one of the great passages on changing the conjunction, Jesus gives a gentle rebuke to Martha – a wonderful, Godly woman who had said “and” far too many times:

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

One thing…..one thing is needful. Could you honestly reduce your life to a single need? I’d have trouble getting it down to ten, much less one. So where do I begin? The first part of Jesus’ statement gives me my clue – go from the “many things” to the “few things.” Change my “and” to “or,” and focus on what’s most important. I can begin by making decisions based upon what God has called me to do rather than what those around me want me to do. After that, it’s the continuous exercise of confession, repentance and faith.

This Christmas, give yourself (and others) the gift that keeps on giving; when it comes to your time, talent and money – change the conjunction.

On the fourth Thursday of this month, most of us will gather with family and friends around a dinner table full of delicious food. Even if mealtime prayer is not something practiced in your household, you’ll likely pause before digging in to give thanks for the variety of blessings you have experienced over the past year.

Children will give thanks for mommy and daddy and grandparents.The family pet might also receive and honorable mention. The teenagers will likely be silent, maybe even sullen, but in their minds they’re probably giving God props for good food and their cell phone. Adults are usually a bit more serious – thankful for jobs, health, family, relationships. Maybe the unexpected money that appeared when times were lean will make it on the list, or the perhaps the medical test that came back negative.

Over the years I’ve payed closer attention to the content of these prayers, and an interesting theme emerges – we give thanks for a lot of really significant things, but no one really ever mentions the small stuff. Now there are a number of possible explanations for this, like the fact that Thanksgiving only comes around once a year, and it seems inappropriate to pray for the mundane on such a special occasion. There’s also the pressure of testifying in front of the entire holiday gathering – you don’t want to be accused of not being very thankful, so you naturally think big.

These are, of course, understandable concerns. However, I’m worried that this attitude of thanking God for only the big stuff prevails long after the leftover turkey sandwiches have been eaten. It’s easy to say thanks when your job is spared, but it takes more effort to remember that God gave you the education to do the job, the car to get you there, and the clothes you wear, etc. The list, of course, could go on and on. It may seem silly, but unless we get in the habit of thanking God for everything, we begin to think that we somehow share in the running of the world.

Take a deep breath – you were able to do so only because of God’s grace. Be thankful. The fact that you are able to read this article means you have eyes to see and a mind to process what you read, and likely you received an education that developed those God-given gifts. All blessings, every one of them.

1 Thessalonians 5 says “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” All circumstances means more than just the situation you find yourself in – it also means giving thanks for each thing that comes into your life. The big stuff and the small stuff.

This Thanksgiving, make a note to pray for the small stuff – because in the words of author Richard Carlson, it’s all small stuff. And without what we perceive to be the small stuff, we’d never get to say thank you for the big stuff.