Training For Something Greater
In Luke 19, we read another story about how Jesus goes out of his way to give an outcast a new identity. One day he’s walking through the streets of Jericho and a crowd gathers parade-style, by the side of the road to welcome him. In the crowd is a short tax-collector named Zacchaeus. He [...]
It takes time for many of us to accept this new identity and even longer to live into it. It may take some radical action from Jesus, or his followers, to open our eyes to the truth of it. One of his first disciples was a tax-collector named Levi (aka as Matthew). Jesus picked him [...]
Being called a “little Christ” is appealing, yet we struggle to embrace our new identity. We hope to transformed someday, at the resurrection, but it is hard for us to imagine ourselves ever playing the role of Jesus in the world today. Consider the stories in the gospels where Jesus interacts with someone and bestows [...]
There’s a great scene in Return of the King when when Elrond presents Aragorn with a big ole sword that can only be wielded by the true king. He tells Aragorn that its time to “set aside the Ranger, and become who you you were born to be.” The time had come for his behavior [...]
Words matter, especially the words we use to describe ourselves. What we call ourselves, and what others call us, shapes our self-perception. That’s why we call everyone who trains in our gym an “athlete.” I recently had a friend challenge the notion that everyone who does CrossFit should be described as an athlete. He believed [...]
Imagine committing yourself to the strictest of diets. You brainstorm all the foods you love to eat and then your trainer tells you that you can’t eat them anymore. Say goodbye to chocolate covered chocolate. Because you respect your trainer and because your doctor told you to lose weight or die, you commit to this [...]
One of the critiques of seeker churches, is that while they do a great job of accepting newcomers, providing a safe space for investigation, and initiating them in into the Christian faith, they don’t always do so well at helping new Christians continue to mature as followers of Jesus. (There are plenty of churches that [...]
There is a difference between accepting people where they are and leaving them there. The CrossFit Community is built on acceptance, but acceptance is also accompanied by encouragement to seek out better ways to move, eat, sleep, and live. Part of accepting people where they are means that we’re willing to give them plenty of [...]
We find one clue for how to scale the gospel in the way Jesus interacted with sinners. He was known as a “friend of sinners.” In other words, normal, everyday, non-religious people felt comfortable around him. They gravitated toward him while avoiding the other religious leaders of his day. (See Luke 15:1) One of the [...]
An attitude of acceptance and the willingness to scale each workout for newcomers so that everyone can participate is one of the reasons CrossFit is exploding with growth. How can churches overcome the similar fears “out of shape” sinners have about showing up on a Sunday morning to explore what it means to follow Jesus? [...]
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
