Jeff Adams

Up early, early to head to the other side of the metro to a cave of vampires. Not really, I went to a lab so they could draw blood for a routine physical exam. Following that I met Pastor Jay and others at Grace Church were we had the first ever meeting of the BKA- the B_eh_dini K_ur_d Alliance. Sorry for the weird graphics there, but that is simply a mild layer of security.

All this began less than a year ago through an amazing chain of divinely orchestrated events. In March at The Summit, we cast the vision. Now, a scant four months later we have a functioning alliance of 8 churches - 4 Latin American and 4 North American churches. Praise God! Grace and KCBT gave birth to this alliance and it was great to have Pastor Sam from Midtown with us today. Another metro church, Cornerstone, has committed to participate. We patched in Pastor Marco from Puebla, Mexico via Skype and I translated the whole meeting. After several hours of this I feel like a tennis ball in a tournament.

We started the alliance with a simple commitment to pray. We had no idea what to do or where to begin. What has happened these past four months is a pure work of God. I am astounded at the contacts God has brought across our path. We now have a working strategy, a budget and a pretty good idea of the projects we are trusting to accomplish over the months ahead. It is exciting!

I got back across the city just in time to walk into our prayer ministry tonight. I was so encouraged to see such a fine group of people. What began with 8 people in The Point about a year and half ago has now grown into the beginnings of a true culture of prayer in our church. We all sensed God’s presence with us in a special way tonight. Wow! I wouldn’t have missed this for anything.  One of the things that motivates me the most is to hear testimonies of answered prayer.

They say that music is the universal language, and I suppose that’s true. However, if there is one song the whole world sings it is - Futbol! as in soccer.

I thought it was time to shake you up, so I decided to write about soccer at the risk of all the obligatory comments about being boring, etc. The mood struck me because I was able to watch the US vs Brazil yesterday on TV. Amazing! Utterly amazing! This is the first time in history the United States has even been in the final championship game of a FIFA (world governing body of soccer) tournament.

The entire world is nuts over soccer except for the USA. I’ve been saying for years (along with many others) that this about to change. Kids are getting it. All we have needed is time to catch up. That time is arriving!

For decades, except for a fluke win over England in 1950 during a World Cup match, no one has taken the USA seriously in the world of soccer. Gradually, that has begun to change over the past 1o years or so. Now, no one can deny that Team USA is  worthy of respect.

If you felt the earth move under your feet last Wednesday, it was because the United States defeated Spain, the #1 rated team in the word, by a score of 2-0. Spain was riding on a record-breaking 35 straight unbeaten streak. Huge! This was not some practice field accident; this was for the Confederations Cup, the third biggest competition in world soccer.

So, Sunday was for the Confederations Cup championship against Brazil. Brazil may be rated only #5 in the world, but Brazil never stoops lower than that, folks. We’re talking about the only team in the world who has won the World Cup five times. We’re talking about the New York Yankees to the tenth power.

I got home after church, flipped on the tube and saw that the USA led Brazil 2-0. Life went on hold and my eyes never left the screen. Could this be a miracle? This was not some lucky punch - the US looked great. They flat dominated the game. The second half was different. The Americans simply ran out of gas. They never gave up, though, and even though Brazil came back to win 3-2, they knew that they had played a team that deserved to be on the same field. The world has changed.

I’ve probably lost most of my readers by now, but if you’re still with me and don’t understand soccer, you’ve got exactly one year to learn. In June and July of 2010 the next World Cup (every four years like the Olympics) will be held in South Africa.

If you still don’t get it, let me recommend that you plan your vacation anywhere in the world outside of the United States during the World Cup and simply observe. When matches are on, the world stops. Literally. Waiters in restaurants join patrons in staring at the screen while screaming.  Crowds in the street gather around the windows of electronic stores to watch TVs in the window. Offices, factories and schools report massive absenteeism - those stupid enough to try to stay open. I’m serious. If you could just experience world cup mania once in your life, you would never be the same.

Favorite personal soccer moments:

• I was in Bogota, Colombia some years ago as Colombia beat Argentina 5-0. This is like a 45-0 baseball score. People screamed. Grown men wept for joy. Cars formed caravans and drove around the city blowing horns, occupants hanging out windows and yelling. Guns fired into the air. People ran through the streets throwing sacks of flour on people. Really. It was total pandemonium. I was in Kansas City in 1983 when the Royals won the World Series. By comparison that was like two spinster English ladies who just beat two fellow church choir members in a game of  Gin Rummy.
• A few years back Cheryl and I were in Amsterdam when Ajax won a major European contest. We were waiting for a tram and discovered they had stopped running. Blue lines of police officers fanned out across the city as we walked back toward our hotel. Crowds began to swell bigger and bigger and grow rowdier and rowdier. People were climbing on top of bus and tram stops and screaming at the top of their lungs. Arm-in-arm squadrons of fanatics sang unintelligible soccer songs songs to no one in particular. Normally safe Amsterdam started looking spooky. By the time we made it back to the hotel tear gas was stinging our eyes.

OK, Soccer fans, speak up!

One of my favorite times is hosting a reception in our home each month for folks who have  come through the First Connections Class that is designed to make sure they are connected to God and to the church. It’s a great time to meet new members of our church.

I like to ask everyone to tell their story, how they came to faith and how they connected with KCBT. Whenever I get discouraged, just a few minutes with these folks is more than enough to lift the clouds of despair.  Here are a few of the comments I remember from tonight that people gave as reasons they were attracted to KCBT.

• Ministry to Children. Both parents and kids love the ministry to children - this only  get better shortly when the campus expansion is finished.
• Bible teaching. In almost every group people say they were attracted by solid, understandable, practical Bible teaching that they can follow along with their Bibles open.
• Friendly people. Almost always folks comment about how friendly and helpful people are. Tonight, one lady shared that she felt the people she met here were “authentic” and not hiding behind a mask of what they or anyone else felt a Christian should look like.
• Ministry opportunities. People often have the idea that a larger church doesn’t need them. Then they learn the truth that a larger church has a multitude of ministry opportunities of all types imaginable.
• Diversity. This is one of the first things people notice as they walk into our church and it is a huge draw,  especially to folks with kids. They want an environment where their kids can learn that people are people regardless of ethnicity. They are excited for the richness of lessons we can learn from each other as we  grow spiritually together.
• Systematic approach to disciple-making. A couple commented that there is often a gap between the initial enthusiasm and joy of coming to faith in Christ and learning how to grow as a follower of Christ. They appreciate that there is a pathway to growth - we call it Get Connected to God and the Church; Get Directed in your Spiritual Growth; and Get Perfected in God’s Plan for your life.

Those were comments I remember from the group tonight. Thinking back over the past months, other responses frequently heard are:

• Emphasis on God’s global mission. People appreciate the accessibility of being able to get involved in what God is doing here in Kansas City and around the world.
• Worship. Though music styles differ in each service, people often comment about the worship services and how they sense the presence of God’s Spirit.

Here’s something else I have noticed. People end up here more often than not because of a relationship - a friend, co-worker or family member. Isn’t that interesting? In this age of marketing, slick literature and massive campaigns and events, it still comes down to people reaching people. Someone seeing Christ in another and wanting what they see.

This morning in our study of Nehemiah I was talking about needing a Fish Gate in our lives and how we are called to fishers of people. Let’s go fishing!

Thanks to you who posted your comments and insights regarding the passing of Michael Jackson, the King of Pop. All input is greatly appreciated. Others offered your insight via the Facebook link.

Some expressed grief that Mr. Jackson apparently gave no evidence, words or deeds, of being a genuine, biblical follower of Jesus Christ. Others communicated an attitude of “good riddance,” pointing in effect to the laws of sowing and reaping and judgment to come. Some remarked on the certainty of death that comes to us all, rich or poor, famous or unknown.  Some shared verses of scripture that have relevance to this situation.

Few, though, followed up on my real question - why do certain individuals become such a global sensation? What is it about them that causes others so adore them (some fanatically), overlooking their many and obvious flaws? My desire was in no way to hold up Mr. Jackson as a positive role model, pass judgment on his walk with God or the lack thereof, but simply to ponder why a handful of individuals become such a phenomenon and others are overlooked.

I thought Greg dealt with this as well as anyone (myself included) in a poignant summary:

Can we call this “Lessons to Live By”? Michael Jackson worked and played hard, made a great sum of money (and spent more), and had the fame that people only dream of - Yet did you ever feel like there was contentment and peace in his life? Our faith in Christ offers so much more and we are all celebrities in the eye of God.

Greg is a friend from High School and I had to give him some play. Seriously, his thoughts were great. Another High School friend, Tina, who sometimes makes celebrity appearances in this blog, had some interesting thoughts on her own blog. You can see for yourself right here.  For those of you who can handle the Spanish, Lucas Leys dealt with precisely the same theme on my mind - What was it that made Michael Jackson so influential? - only he did a much better job than I did. Really. His is a very good, well-written post. But, then again, he’s one very smart Dude!

Now, what is so fascinating about all the hoopla surrounding Mr. Jackson’s passing - and in no way do I mean to minimize or trivialize either his life or death - is the way this story has dominated the global press. We will continue to be blanketed by coverage until the toxicology reports come in two or three weeks from now.

Meanwhile, what is happening in Iran? Have the protesters given up their anger and gone home to drink tea? What is really going on in this strategic nation that will influence many global events? Has anyone noticed that there are crucial elections happening in Argentina and Honduras that will undoubtedly affect their neighbors?  What about the wild man in North Korea and his chest-thumping threats against Japan and the United States? Has anyone heard what’s going on in Somalia lately? Has anyone considered how all of the above may affect the work of God’s kingdom?

As we speaking of Michael Jackson’s death, I think back over some of the other items I have posted in just the past two weeks.  Several missionaries have been martyred. A trusted servant has been beaten and imprisoned. As Greg reminded us, these are the real celebrities in God’s eyes.

Celebrities die every day. A Michael Jackson comes along once a generation. Love him or hate him (or both), few people would dispute that no one since Elvis Presley has had the type of global influence as Michael Jackson. The Beatles were this kind of big, but there were four of them and two are still alive.

Countless millions of people around the world learned to dance to his music, probably trying to mimic his moves. He was at the forefront of pop culture from the time he was a small boy until he died at age 50.

Earlier this year I traveled extensively through some remote regions of the Middle East with a middle-age white man who has his legal name on his US Passport - Michael Jackson. I honestly cannot remember a border crossing, hotel clerk, military check point or airline counter where that name on the passport did not elicit a wry smile and usually some humorous comments. You have to work really hard to find a place on earth where Michael Jackson’s name is not known.

For the past 24 hours I have found it fascinating to watch and listen to responses to Jackson’s untimely passing. even the obvious dark side of his life could not quench the amazing and global influence of this man. What is it that causes someone like Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley to suddenly float above other millions and millions of human beings to such an iconic position?

These are a few thoughts that came to mind today. Maybe you have some more you’d like to offer. I’m sure I have not thought of them all. Let me confess that I was never a Michael Jackson fan. I was never an Elvis fan, (I was a Beatles fan) but I have to recognize that in both cases I am a minority.

• Genius level talent - Raised in a show-business family among very talented siblings, Michael was always different. Winning the talent contest at the Apollo Theater at age 5, Michael’s astounding talent always lifted him above everyone else. He could write, sing, dance, act and everything else a pop icon does. But Michael had “it.” Whatever it was, if Michael did it, it was going to going set the bar higher than anyone else. Thriller (1982) remains the best selling record of all time, and with the sales Amazon reported today it will probably not be challenged anytime soon. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time.
• Hard work - His work ethic was legendary. He added hard work and discipline to his incomparable talent. He would practice dance steps for hours and days on end. He had an eye to see what others do not see. He would search movies from the 30’s and 40’s to discover dance steps that everyone else either forgot or never noticed. He was passionate about his passion and never let up in his relentless quest to be the be the best he could.
• Barrier-breaking creativity - Michael Jackson was more than talented; he was unique. His Thriller defined the whole genre of music videos. His moonwalk moves are still mimicked by kids everywhere. He was better than better; he did things no one else had ever thought about.
• Painfully-flawed personal life - For whatever reason, this seems to be almost a necessity for a generational pop hero. He made millions and millions and spent more. Those cosmetic surgeries and transformational changes in appearance puzzle even those closest to him. Rumors and accusations of child sexual abuse haunted him, yet nothing was ever proved and he was acquitted in the only case to go to court. Bizarre behavior such as dangling his baby from a hotel balcony in Berlin has caused many to question his basic sanity. Anytime five humans sit down around a table anywhere on earth, chances are one of the five is an amateur psychologist who can speculate loudly about how Jackson’s own abusive childhood relationship with his father has resulted in his own flaws. Even now some are speculating that his well-known addiction to prescription drugs may have led to his early death.

Some people rise above millions of other. Even in the Bible, there are just a handful of mega-personalities (apart from Jesus). Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David,  Paul. Yeah, there are other biblical heroes, and we can quibble that one or two more should be included in the list, but there really aren’t many.

They all had their flaws, too. We don’t have to look further than David, a man famous for his intense devotional walk with God. Yet he was a murderer and adulterer. Of the list of biblical heroes, only Joseph and Daniel do not have personal sins recorded in the Bible (though they were sinners like us all). Only two over the course of six thousand years had this type of impact and no one mentions their flaws or sins.

What is it that forms a Michael jackson? What can we learn from larger-than-life people like this? Is there a Bible passage that comes to mind, or that offers some insight, explanation or instruction? Feel free to share.