Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Politics & Pastors

I make an intentional effort to avoid political discussions on my blog and in the pulpit, even though I'm a political junkie. I watch the news everyday. I listen to talk radio. I read political blogs. I'm a political junkie of the first rank…but you'd probably never know that if you read my blog or are part of my church.

I am really tired of pastors using their position to promote politics and politicians. At the very least, it is a misunderstanding of what it means to be a minister of the gospel. At worst, it is prostitution. Strong word, for sure. But when someone sells themselves out for the benefit and pleasure of another, what else would you call it?

Pastors, please stop using the pulpit to promote a political agenda. And while you're at it, please stop using Facebook, Twitter, your blog, etc. to do the same.

Now, I'm not suggesting that we don't discuss political issues at all. When a political issue is also a spiritual issue, then game on.

For example, I have never dodged issues like abortion. And homosexuality. And debt. And racism. And the entitlement mentality.

All are political hot potatoes, but they are also spiritual issues. The Bible is very clear about these issues (and many more). But when I talk about these things, I always pray that I can do it with grace and truth. Just like Jesus did (John 1:14).

Much of the political rhetoric coming from pastors today lacks grace. Or truth. Or both.

We can do better, pastors. Much, much better. We are called to preach the eternal gospel of Jesus. The King of kings. If we use our position to promote a "temporary king," we need to repent and then return to the truth of the gospel.

It doesn't matter if the temporary king is named Barack Obama. Or Newt Gingrich. Or Ron Paul. Etc. Etc. Etc. We are called to proclaim the one Name by which people may be saved (Acts 4:12). And it's not the name of any political candidate or political party.

To be clear, I do believe that we need godly people to step up and pursue political office. If a believer is called to go into politics, then go. And when you go, go all in.

But I am all in as a pastor. That means that I won't endorse any politician (and yes, I've been asked by a few local/state candidates). It means that I won't publicly support any political agenda, even though I have very strong political opinions. Being a pastor simply means that my loyalty lies with the gospel. I'll preach tough, controversial issues when the Bible is clear. And when the Bible is silent, I will be too.

If you want to know my political opinions, you'll have to ask me in a private conversation. I actually love to talk to politics…but I will not preach politics.

Let's bottom line it, pastors. If you want to preach, then preach. If you want to be a politician, go be a politician.

But please stop trying to be both.

Sunday Night Reflections

Some thoughts as I reflect on yet another slamming day at ACC.

• The Lost Causes series really didn't shape up as I thought it would. But it turned out exactly as God thought it would. Each message took twists and turns that I didn't plan, but God really used this series to mess me up. Especially today's message (podcast will be up early this week). The entire series really touched a nerve. It was raw and intense…and it set a lot of people free.
• Our small group sign ups are ROCKING! One groups is already full. Some others are getting close. If you haven't signed up for a group, do it NOW. Go to ameliasmallgroups.com and register today!
• Our student ministry kicked off tonight. My wife is hanging out with students as I type this, as are a lot of other amazing adult volunteers. So glad to have adults willing to love and invest in our students!
• I read a post from Perry Noble about how he measures success in their children's ministry. Every week, he asks his daughter two questions. 1. Did you have fun? 2. What did you learn? I'm so thankful that my boys have great answers to both of these questions every week!
• I promise that I'll won't make another Vanilla Ice joke. Until the next time I make a Vanilla Ice joke.
• I loved the new song All To Us! It is stuck in my head and it won't get out. That's not a bad thing, though. Great new song! Another great day from our worship band. You guys rocked it again!
• The Ravens broke my heart today. I can't stand the thought of the Patriots winning the Super Bowl. In Indy. In a year when my Colts won a grand total of two games. That's football purgatory. I know that has nothing to do with the rest of this post, but it's my blog. Deal with it!
• I love our leaders. We have a ton of challenges to face in 2012. But that's the way it is when God pours out incredible blessing. Huge challenges always accompany huge blessings. And our team is ready. We don't have all the answers, but we know Who does…and we're good with that!
• I saw Jesus walking through locked doors all over the place this morning. So many of us thought the doors of our minds, hearts, and souls were locked. But Jesus is an incredible locksmith. Coming through locked doors is just what He does (John 20:26).
• I am so privileged to do what I do. I get to pastor a healthy church that is on offense and taking new ground everyday. I love you, ACC! I am so proud to be your pastor! You are the Egg McMuffin of churches!

Ten Reasons You Need To Join A Small Group

Registration for our spring semester of small groups is open right now. Here are ten reasons why you need to join a group.

1. Community matters. Faith is not a solo act. The Bible clearly teaches time and again that we need each other. There is no "go it alone" mentality in the church. God created us for community.

2. Depending on the group you choose, you have a chance to…

• learn how to apply godly wisdom in your finances.
• gain a deeper understanding of your spouse or significant other.
• seek out a Scriptural approach to your diet and health.
• be challenged by what is arguably the most important book in all of Scripture.

3. It's fun. Seriously. People in our groups have a blast.

4. There is a group that fits your schedule. We have groups on Tuesday nights, Wednesday nights, and on Saturdays.

5. All the cool people are doing it. (Going for a little positive peer pressure here.)

6. Small groups are the second step in our vision of Connecting, Growing, Serving. We have been called to grow in God and grow with others. And that happens best, not in large gatherings, but in small groups. If you are "all in" with ACC and our vision, you've gotta get into a small group.

7. Registration couldn't be easier. Go to ameliasmallgroups.com right now. You can check out each group and register for any one you want. All our groups are currently open, but any of them could fill up at anytime. Go register now.

8. Why are you still reading this? I thought you were going to go register now. Sheesh.

9. You have something to add to a group. Small groups are not just about what you gain. They're also about what you give. You have something important to contribute. Something that will bless another person or family in our church. If you're not in a group, you're keeping it to yourself. And that sounds kind of selfish.

10. We have seen more spiritual growth happen in small groups than anything else that we do. How can you not want to be part of that?

Something I Learned From Brad Pitt

Nicki and I watched the movie Moneyball last night. Not a bad flick overall. I love baseball, so it was right up my alley. But I don't think you have to be a baseball superfan to appreciate the movie. (Obligatory disclaimer…if you're easily offended by harsh language, skip this film.)

I won't spoil the movie for you if you haven't seen it. I'll just tell you a little about the setting of the film. In this movie, Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, the general manager of the Oakland A's. In the mid-2000s, the A's lost all their star players to teams with more money. They had to rebuild from scratch. Most people wanted to operate from a standpoint of conventional wisdom, which says that small market teams (like the A's) can't compete with large market teams (like the Yankees). But Billy Beane refused to believe it. Instead, he got creative. Very creative.

I'll leave it at that because I don't want to spoil the movie. But there is a principle that I've been thinking about ever since I saw the movie. So many people around Billy Beane operated from a scarcity mentality. They were focused on what they didn't have. Billy operated from a very different perspective. He kept asking, "How can we do more with what we do have?"

The application in our lives is so obvious. It's easy to give cop out answers.

"I could do that if I had his money."

"I could do that if I had her education."

"I could do that if I had their opportunities."

But it's not just individuals. Churches do this, too.

"We could do that if we had their building."

"We could do that if we had a staff as big as theirs."

"We could do that if we had their budget."

Enough already. These kind of cop outs aren't helpful. In fact, they're incredibly destructive. And they're an insult to God, who gives us the grace and provision that we need. If we operate from a scarcity mentality, that is monumentally insulting to our Provider.

We need to adjust our approach. Reorient our thinking. Play to our strengths. Stop focusing on what we don't have and start maximizing what we do have.

And by the way, when we are faithful with what we do have, that's when God entrusts us with more. A scarcity mentality will never receive additional blessings. When we are faithful with little, we are blessed with much (Matthew 25:21).

The Most Dangerous Thing God Can Give You

More.

That is the most dangerous thing God can give you.

And we pray for it. We beg God to bless us with more.

More money. More house. More cars. More clothes. More whatever.

"God, can I just have a little more?"

Be careful. That's a dangerous request.

We see how dangerous in the book of Hosea, where God said, "But I have been the LORD your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me. I cared for you in the wilderness, in the land of burning heat. When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me." (Hosea 13:4-6)

Did you see the progression?

More led to satisfaction.

Satisfaction led to pride.

Pride led them away from God.

It all started with God's blessing. God blessed His people with more than they needed. They were more than amply supplied. But instead of turning their "more blessing" into "more worship," it had the exact opposite effect. The more they had, the less they needed God.

We live in a nation that has more than any other nation has ever had. Ever. To say that we are amply supplied is a grand understatement. People who live in "poverty" in the U.S. often still have heat, running water, a car, and cable TV. That wouldn't come close to qualifying as an impoverished lifestyle in the rest of the world. But that's how much the more mentality has overwhelmed us. We have so much more that we believe it's normal, when it reality it's an incredibly abnormal blessing. One that most people in the world can only dream of.

But more is a very dangerous thing. Is your more prompting you toward gratitude and worship? Or is it having the exact opposite effect?

Be careful before you ask for more. God just might give it to you. And if He does, can you handle it?

It really is the most dangerous thing He can give you.

A Marriage Rant

This is less of a blog post and more of a rant. Sometimes you've just gotta rant. In case you're wondering, there was no single event or person that prompted this rant. It was prompted by trends that I see, not individual people that I know. But if the shoe fits…

And now, on to the marriage rant.

Guys, stop ogling other women. I don't care who it is. The woman you work with. The girl at the mall. The cheerleader at the game. The Victoria's Secret catalog.  Doesn't matter who it is…just stop. And save me your excuses.

"I'm a guy." No, you're a little boy.

"I'm just window shopping." No, you're destroying your wife.

"I can look at the menu as long as I have my meals at home." How sick are you to believe that women are nothing but a buffet to feed your lust and fantasies?

When you got married, you promised to be a one-woman man. There is one woman for your body. There is one woman for your eyes. There is one woman for your mind. End of discussion. Any type of argument or explanation or justification that you offer proves that you don't get it. Marriage isn't for boys. It's a man's game. And you'd better man up before you lose everything.

Ladies, stop ogling other men. There was a time when I would not have included this, but that time has passed.

Ladies, it's not ok. It's just not.

It's not ok for you to Facebook or tweet your lust for the "hot guy" in the movie. It's not ok for you to joke with your friends about it, either. Just like it's not ok for you to dress provocatively for anyone other than your husband, it's also not ok for you to fantasize about anyone other than your husband. It's just not.

And it hurts him deeply when you do. He won't admit it because he's supposed to be strong. He'll claim that it doesn't bother him. But it does.

Husbands and wives, you committed to "forsake all others" in your marriage vows. Remember that?

Anytime you lust or fantasize about someone other than your spouse, it's adultery. If you don't like that, don't get mad at me. I didn't say it. Jesus said it.

I realize the tone of this post (rant) is direct and uncomfortable. But there are situations that require hard, unfiltered truth. This is one of them.

I want you have a happy, healthy, amazing, godly marriage. But that will only happen when you actually decide that you're married to ONE person. That doesn't just mean that you don't have sex with anyone else. That means that you commit WHOLEHEARTEDLY to this one person. It means you honor them in your speech, in your attitude, in your service…and it means you honor them with your body, your eyes, and your mind.

Isn't your spouse worth it?

Isn't your marriage worth it?

Isn't your family worth it?

Isn't your legacy worth it?

Sunday Night Reflections (Monday Morning Edition)

I like to occasionally write some blog reflections on Sunday night. Last night, I was too busy watching Tim Tebow and being ill (keep in mind, those two things are completely unrelated). But I can't let yesterday escape without some reflecting.

• Preaching while ill is something every pastor has to do. (I was reminded by a Facebook friend that Drew Brees doesn't get to call in sick on Sundays, either.) I've had to do it a lot over the years. But it amazes me how many times I feel better while I'm on stage. Yesterday was one of those days. Before and after I preached, I felt awful. But once again, God gave me the grace I needed.
• We were SLAMMED yesterday. We pretty much ran out of seats and I know for sure that we ran out of parking spaces. Two thoughts here: 1. This is AWESOME! 2. This is all the more reason to double our prayers for God to make our next step clear to us. He is blessing us, but with greater blessing comes greater challenges and greater responsibility. Please keep praying!
• Once again, I was reminded how great our team is at ACC…and how much does NOT depend on me. I wasn't at my best yesterday, but our team was. And most importantly, God never brings anything less than His best. And that's more than enough.
• I'm no germaphobe, but yesterday it seemed best that I kept my distance. I really missed connecting with people. I missed the opportunity to give and receive love and encouragement. Our biggest strength is not what happens on stage. It's what happens in the seats. And I missed being part of that yesterday.
• Your inadequacy is not greater than God's sufficiency. It's not humble to believe your limitations are also God's limitations. It is the height of arrogance.
• Registration for the spring semester of small groups is open. The second step of our vision is "Growing," and small groups are where this growth happens. We don't just do small groups. Small groups are an integral part of who we are. Go to ameliasmallgroups.com and sign up today!
• "Who am I?" is the wrong question. The right question is, "God, who are you?" Keep asking that question as you begin your week.
• We are getting set up for something even more amazing, ACC. Fasten your seatbelt. We're rolling!

Top Ten Posts of 2011

Since posts like this seem to be all the rage among bloggers today, I'm making my contribution. Here are the ten most viewed posts on my blog from 2011. As I compiled this list, one thought kept running through my mind…what a year!

#1 – Osama bin Laden

#2 – An Open Letter to My Church

#3 – The Song of Solomon

#4 – Decision Points

#5 – Valentine's Day Is Coming

#6 – Let It Go

#7 – Later You Will Understand

#8 – This Sunday Will Be HUGE!

#9 – The Fastest Way to Unimpress Me

#10 – Sunday Night Reflections (from 9/11)

Lost Causes

We're going to kick 2012 into high gear this Sunday as we launch a brand new series called Lost Causes.

“I'm written off as a lost cause, one more statistic, a hopeless case.” (Psalm 88:4, The Message)

You ever feel like that? I have. A lot. And I'm betting you have, too.

We all come up with a myriad of reasons why we're a lost cause. We struggle with feelings of inadequacy. We have a past that still haunts us. We struggle with the same old nagging doubts. For these reasons, and many more, we feel like a lost cause.

In this series, we're going to tackle this head on. This isn't a nice, shiny, feel-good series. It's raw and intense and tough.

And it might just set you free.

Chipmunk Christianity

I love animal documentaries on TV. I realize that doesn't make me cool, but I'm getting old enough that I just don't care anymore.

One of my current favorites is the Wild Russia series that's been on recently. The cinematography is awesome, and it features some of the rarest animals on the planet. But one of the interesting tidbits that I saw recently wasn't about a rare, endangered animal. It was about a common, everyday chipmunk.

Chipmunks bury food constantly. If you see a chipmunk, it is either searching for food or burying food. All day, everyday.

But here's the interesting part…their memory is only three days long. I don't know how we figured out the length of a chipmunk's memory, but apparently we have conclusively determined that a chipmunk can't remember anything longer than three days. That means that they often forget where their food stashes are located.

Chipmunks are all about gathering and storing food…but most of it never gets used.

As I was watching this show, it occurred to me that most believers in Christ are chipmunks. They are all about gathering food. They always want to stock up on food and store it away.

Food, in this case, is Biblical knowledge.

So many Christians always want to attend another class. They want to do another study. They want to accumulate more and more food…but they never use it.

In James 1, God tells us, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (James 1:22)

That is one of the least complicated, easy-to-understand verses in all of Scripture.

Don't just store it up. Don't simply acquire more and more knowledge. Use it.

John Maxwell said, "Most Christians are educated far beyond their level of obedience."

Most believers gather more and more food. They stock up. They store it away. But they never use it.

They learn, but they don't love.

They gather, but they don't give.

They store, but they don't serve.

Apparently chipmunks are forgetful and wasteful animals. They hoard food that is never used.

It's time to put a stop to chipmunk Christianity.