Jon Weece's Blog

Here's that video we previewed this weekend during services. A word of warning, it does have PG-13 level content, so watch with caution. It's extremely powerful.

Jacob's Story from Southland Christian Church on Vimeo.

In his play Macbeth, Shakespeare wrote, “Away and mock the time with fairest show; false face must hide what the false heart doth know.”

Since the uncovering of sin in the garden of Eden, humanity has experienced shame. Shame is a naked state whereby we know we cannot hide from the One who made us and sees us. The irony is we want to hide but we also want to be found. We want to know and be known. And Adam and Eve created the tension, this need to look over our shoulders for fear that our lies might be unearthed. It’s like we’re all playing a role in this grand Shakespearean drama with fake lines and choreographed dances and imaginary places and costumes and make-up and lots and lots of masks. In his book True Faced, author Bill Thrall notes, “The trouble with papier-mâché is that it doesn’t reflect.” And as the image bearers of God we were made to reflect the glory of God. And few things rob us of that joy like the shame that is born out of porn addiction.

In his book, Wired for Intimacy, bio-psychologist William Struthers observes that:

“As we fall deeper into the mental habit of fixating on these images, the exposure to them creates neural pathways. Like a path that is created in the woods with each successive hiker, so do the neural paths set the course for the next time an erotic image is viewed. Over time these neural paths become wider as they are repeatedly traveled with each exposure to pornography. They become the automatic pathway through which interactions with women are routed...They (men) have unknowingly created a neurological circuit that imprisons their ability to see women rightly as created in God’s image.”

In an interview with Playboy Magazine, John Mayer, a man who has had his fair share of sexual liaisons said, “When I watch porn, if it’s not hot enough, I’ll make up back stories in my mind...This is my problem now: Rather than meet somebody new, I would rather go home and replay the amazing experiences I’ve already had...What that explains is that I’m more comfortable in my imagination than I am in actual human discovery.”

Empty. Lonely. Those are the words that came to mind when I read his words.

I deal with men who started viewing pornographic images in their elementary years of development. Typically, their dads kept a stash of magazines under their mattress or near their toolbox in the garage and the temptation and curiosity was too strong to resist. So as a boy, they snatched dad’s magazine and headed to the woods for a peek. And with their buddies from the neighborhood gathered around, a hushed silence fell over them as they turned each page slowly, soaking in this mysterious wonder known as the female form. With hands trembling, hearts racing and hormones raging, each new picture generated something they had never experienced before as boys...ecstasy! But with the ecstasy came this intuitive reaction of, “I don’t know if I should be looking at this.” In that moment of fixation a small voice in their brain said, “Something about this feels wrong.” But the rush of ecstasy overpowered the whisper of shame. And little did they know that a simple exposure to a naked woman would lead them down a destructive neurological and spiritual path.

James 5:16 says: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

That is a fear inducing verse. It’s far easier to hand our dirty laundry to God. But to air it in front of people...

What we forget is that people are wearing the same papier-mâché masks we are. What we forget is that people are stained by as much shame as we are and need to be soaked in God’s love as much as we do. The same enemy who punked Adam and Eve is the same enemy who is trying to convince us that God’s forgiveness only goes so far. When the truth is, God wants to set us free from the cages we’ve locked ourselves in. The wide open expanse of God’s grace has no fence line.

And in our next series, Throw It Down, which launches in three days, we are going to let go of any and all hurts, habits, and hang ups that keep us from experiencing that freedom! And maybe for you, the cage you’ve been trapped in doesn’t involve pornography. Maybe for you, your lips have been glued to a bottle or your value has been dictated by a scale or a mirror. Whatever it is that you hold on to and whatever it is that holds on to you, God is inviting you to join us as we take a risk together and chase hard after the breathe in deep life that Jesus died to give us!

And know this...it doesn’t matter to us what you’ve done or where you’ve been...what matters to us is you...as you are. So take a look at what this pastor has to say about throwing it down...

I Corinthians 13:8 says: Love never fails. 

I John 4:8 says: God is love.

So God’s love never fails. Which means God never fails. Ever. He never falls asleep on the job. He never forgets to do what He is. He never forgets to love. Ever. 

And you are the person God loves. God will never fail you. Ever. He will never reject you. He will never leave you. He will always love you. Always. Forever. Because God is love and love never fails. 

Listen to this song. Sing this song. Pray this song. Dance to this song. Share this song. Rest in this song. 

“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless every single one of you with anger at injustice, oppression, and the exploitation of people so that you may work for justice and freedom and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain and rejection and starvation and war so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you, yes you, can make a difference in this world so that you can do for Christ what others claim cannot be done. May God bless you with a heart that breaks for the things that break his heart; may God bless you with a divine tenderness. May God give you an ear that hears his voice. May God increase the anointing upon your life, for you have been filled with the same Spirit that raised Christ from the grave. In Jesus’ name we pray…Amen.”

Five years ago this Sunday, ComAir Flight 5191 crashed just after takeoff at Bluegrass Airport, killing 49 people from our community. As you recall, our church family stepped up and we did everything we could to love the families of the victims. We provided lodging, food, counseling, paid for funeral costs and hosted the first anniversary memorial service on our campus. More than anything we’ve prayed for them, entrusting them to a God who “collects all their tears in a bottle” and promises to “never leave them, nor forsake them.”

Here’s where I need your help...This Saturday at 9:50 AM our city is hosting a memorial service marking the 5th anniversary of the crash and unveiling a statue in memory of those who died. I am speaking at the service which will take place in the Arboretum off Alumni Drive (Directly across from UK’s Commonwealth Stadium). I would love to have you help me show our love and support to the 400 family members expected to attend the event.

So, would you be willing to buy a poster board and write a message of hope on it? A message like, “We love you!” or “We’re praying for you.” or “We won’t forget you!” or whatever God puts on your heart to share. It will be a silent show of support and will cost you no more than a dollar and an hour of your time. I would recommend that you park near the stadium around 9:00 AM and plan on spreading out down Alumni Drive until 10:00 AM.

Thanks in advance for the healing that you will bring to the hearts of those who are still hurting from the tragedy of 5191. 

I was speaking at a conference recently and the organizers of the event had me stay in a nearby hotel. To ensure that I would not miss the morning session, I called the front desk and asked for a wake up call. There are few things I loathe more than being startled early in the morning by the sound of an alarm or a phone ringing. But the wake up call did what it was intended to do. It woke me up.

Some people receive a different kind of wake up call in life. They are startled by the loss of a job or a bad medical report or divorce papers or the loss of a loved one. And like those first few minutes in the morning when you wake up and everything is still a little foggy and you’re trying to make sense of your surroundings and you’re trying to get your bearings, many people spend months and sometimes years in a fog like that. The wake up call sends their world into a tail spin where they find themselves wanting to go back to sleep, wanting to hibernate from the reality around them.

But for a select few, their wake up call brings clarity. It’s like they’re waking out of a deep slumber of the soul and for the first time in their lives, their eyes are open and their hearts are awakened to life and the beauty of it.

I pray for our city daily. I pray that people wake up to the life they could be living instead of the one they’re sleeping through.

Tom Shadyac is a well-known movie director who nearly died after a bad bicycle wreck. It was his wake up call. And the result of his eyes being opened is a new film called I AM. I’ve attached the trailer in hopes that it stirs something in you. Especially if you are sleeping through this life.

It may be the most important question we can ever ask and pursue an answer for. There are only two possible answers: There is a God or there isn’t a God. Everything in human history is defined by the answer you determine to be true.

Over the years, Christians have for the most part received a failing grade when it comes to Peter’s challenge of, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15) Sadly, Karl Marx’s observation that “Religion is an opiate of the masses” tends to be true for many believers.

I was taught by my parents and my professors that faith is based on sufficient evidence and the evidence for our faith is more than sufficient. I’m not much on debates because they tend to lack a relational element of “speak the truth in love” which Jesus was so adept at. But I do enjoy listening to someone who can define and defend what we believe from a theological, philosophical, and scientific viewpoint. One such person is William Craig Lane.

I’ve posted a recent debate held at Biola University between Dr. Lane and famed atheist Christopher Hitchens. My recommendation is to break up the two hours over the course of a week. You will either find the video fascinating or you will use it as an alternative to Ambien.

In the past year my good friend Kyle Idleman has served Southland through his teaching and, I know I speak for all of us who call Southland home when I say, “Our lives are better for it!” As you know, Kyle and I have known each other since we were boys and in spite of all the shots we take at one another from stage, we have had the privilege of encouraging each other in life and ministry for the past 15 years.

Kyle recently finished writing a book entitled Not a Fan . And I want to encourage everyone who reads this blog to read it.

The premise of the book is centered on the fact that so many people pay lip service to the Lordship of Jesus...so many people are fans of Jesus, while very few people are actually followers of Jesus. Kyle’s writing, wisdom, and perspective will help you recapture your passion for the mission and message of Jesus. It is a raw, stripped back look at what it means to be fully submitted to Jesus and his way of thinking and living in a world that so desperately needs to be re-introduced to Him.

So whether you are a new believer or a rooted person of faith, pick up a copy, find a quiet place and invite the Spirit to unleash His power in your life.

This weekend we're hosting an event that is getting some attention from the press and other entities throughout the community. This event works with the Hispanic community and our friends at Iglesia Nueva Vida to minister to an incredible group of people in Lexington. With this event, there has come a great deal of opposition and protesting, along with many false accusations about Southland and what we’re trying to do here.  In these situations, we ask that you give us the benefit of the doubt. We are doing nothing illegal. The events are held all over the country and they’ve been going on for years.

We do understand that some of it may be confusing. So we've compiled a fact sheet that deals with all of the misinformation that's out there. Feel free to read it over and pray for those we're reaching with this ministry.

A month or so ago, we cheered for a family from Southland who was watching us online in Ecuador. They've been in the country finalizing all the necessary paperwork to bring home a son named Jefferson. I received an e-mail from the family today asking for prayer. You can read what they've written and I would ask that you pray until we receive word that they've made it home safely.

 

We're a Southland family who's in Ecuador completing the adoption of our son, Jefferson. We've gotten all the paperwork done, the adoption complete and we were scheduled to fly out for Lexington tonight, but this morning the national police force along with the air force here in Ecuador has gone on strike, seizing the airport in Quito and closing many roads in the country. Needless to say, our flight has been cancelled. We're staying in a missionary guesthouse here in Quito, so we're safe as long as we don't go outside the walls here. Security is at a minimum with all the police on strike. All the businesses in Quito have closed--schools, restaurants, markets, etc because of fear of looting. Right now, we're scheduled to fly out of Quito on Saturday morning, through the Netherlands and into Lexington, arriving around 11:00 PM that night. We hope the airport will be reopened by then so that we can bring our family safely home--we also have 2 of our biological children with us, Lizzie 10 and Connor 7. We're just asking that people start lifting this situation up, as there are many Americans, just like us, who are stuck here hoping for a quick, positive outcome. We know God is in the details--we're trusting that all will be okay, but prayer never hurt anything. Also, I ask that you lift up our families back home who are worried about our safety.

We need 30 beds for people we are loving in this city. If you have a bed to give please contact my friend Steve.

This weekend you’re going to hear me share a quote from one of my favorite authors (Dallas Willard) who says, “You’ll never understand God until you understand this about Him: God is the happiest being in the universe!” What God is inviting us to do with our Richmond Road Campus will have its challenges and will undoubtedly cause us to scratch our heads from time to time, but I think it’s going to be a whole lot of fun loving people! I’ve seen too many Christians and too many churches who take the fun out of life. Yes God knows sorrow, but God’s sorrow is like God’s anger in that it’s God’s temporary response to the fallen world. In the same way that God is love, God is also joy! Paul said, “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) His words weren’t written in the context of, “Rejoice when you feel like it or if you feel like it.” His words were not a suggestion, but a command! I think the new world God creates will be fun and filled with joy! So if that’s what is coming, doesn’t it make sense to you that the church today and Christians today should be a preview of coming attractions?

I like things that make me smile and maybe that explains why I like eating fun foods. Foods like Mike ‘n Ikes and Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls and Cheetos and slushies and plums. I ate a stellar plum this week! And I know for all you health food fanatics out there you are wanting to tell me that most of what I just mentioned isn’t really, technically food. Hey, don’t rain on my parade! This is my blog! I also like to go to fun places like movie theatres (“Inception” blew my mind and “Despicable Me” got my heart!) and swimming pools with my kids—who are learning to do back flips off the diving board! Sometimes you have to go through some pain to find the fun! Just ask Silas about landing on his back 10 times before nailing one! I also like doing fun things like trying new restaurants and going to baseball games and concerts and shooting off fireworks in the office with my fun friends Chris and Jeff.  I also like scaring our lead Elder, Craig! Ask him about it sometime! My point is this: Lexington needs more fun! So have fun! Make fun! Pursue fun! Because at the end of the day, there are enough things in this city and in this life to make us sad. I say we reverse that trend by doing things that make people smile! So to all my friends in the grocery store industry, what do you say you weld some skate boards to the back of a few carts for those of us looking to have some fun while we pick out our plums? It doesn’t hurt to ask…

I was talking with a good friend of mine this morning about marriage and how easy it is to say “I do” on the wedding day but how difficult it becomes to say it years into the relationship. Marriage is hard work because life is hard. And in our weakest hour it is so tempting to want to replace “I do” with “I don’t”.  So I’m taking on the roll of a DJ today and I’m dedicating this one to Alli for staying on the dance floor with me. Paul was right—“Love never fails.” And I’m dedicating it to every other couple out there that finds themselves in the middle of a minefield.  

If you are a leader in any environment, I want to recommend a book that has challenged my thinking over the past few weeks. It is entitled “Open Leadership: How Social Technology Can Transform the Way You Lead.” It is written by Charlene Li, a Harvard graduate whose critically acclaimed debut book “Groundswell” changed many of the structures and systems that corporate America had operated by for decades.  She uses real life and real time illustrations that not only explain why we should embrace an open posture of leadership but also how we go about doing it via social technologies that are more reality than fad.
 
Li writes, “The first step is recognizing that you are not in control—your customers, employees, and partners are. If you are among the many executives who long for the “good ol’ days” when rules and roles were clear, indulge yourself in that kind of thinking for just a few more minutes—then it’s time to get to work. This is a fad that will not fade, but will only grow stronger, with or without you.”
 
As a lead follower, my goal is to invite and involve as many people as possible in the shaping of Southland’s future, while always remaining cognizant of the fact that none of us are in control…God is! And that shouldn’t frustrate us, rather that should free us! It should free us to chase our dreams believing that the God who placed those dreams in us wants to see them move from the land of far-fetched fantasy to the highways and by-ways which connect all of us that call Central Kentucky home! And one way we release the dream in us is through social technologies like Twitter and Facebook and YouTube and Yammer and Jive.
 
And one of the ways we make sense of the future is by looking to our past. Though I don’t agree with everything Henry David Thoreau stood for, I do believe he hit the nail on the head when said, “We are most alive when we are awake in our dreams.” Think about it…Thoreau didn’t just write about Walden, he invited others to experience it with him!
 
A few years back Allison and I went to see a Cirque du Soleil show called Reve. If you’ve seen O or Mystere or Kooza or Grace, then you know the Cirque shows are characterized by unparalleled creativity and talent. Reve was all about our dreams and what I was most fascinated by was how they brought to life the reality of the unreality. Nothing was off limits in the show because nothing is off limits in our dreams. I found myself believing that anything and everything is possible. If you don’t mind me asking and if you don’t mind being “open”, what are you dreaming about these days?
 
Last week, we went to the neighborhoods adjacent to the old Lexington Mall and we listened as people who live just off Richmond Road shared their dreams. What a fun way to connect with the people we want to live with and love. We will continue to listen—to God and to others—trusting that what is unveiled will be a dream all of us can get behind. Like Thoreau, I want to invite you to experience it with us. Be here this weekend as I kick off a new series entitled “Countdown to Lexington.” We want to invite you to dream with us by sharing your thoughts on a new web site that will be revealed.
 
And if you need any inspiration or motivation in seeing what happens when a critical mass of people are open about their dreams…look no further than our Danville Campus or the Refuge Medical Clinics! Let’s continue to be “open” to God’s next dream for us!

Whether it is what we have done in villages around the world or what we will do in our new campus off Richmond Road, our strategy has been and will be: We will "walk with poor people" and "listen to poor people" before we attempt to "help poor people". It is ego-centric to think that we have the solutions to the problems the impoverished of Lexington are dealing with every day. So we will walk with them and listen to them before we try to serve them. Real compassion meets real needs.