Underdog.

Alright, I’ll just say it, I’m a political junkie. I love days like Super Tuesday. And while I certainly have my political bents…much like sports, mostly I just want to see some good political dialogue and discussion (a nice way of saying I’m intrigued by the political bantering). It’s interesting seeing the strategies that work, and those that don’t, such as Rudy’s attempt to wait until Florida to start really campaigning…ah, the beauty of hindsight. One thing I’ve really noticed lately, is how you can tell the underdogs from the frontrunners simply by the tone of their speeches. See the underdogs have to take risks in what they say and do, they have to risk for their future, they can’t afford the luxury of an entitlement mentality. And let’s be honest, we’re drawn to underdogs aren’t we? Underdogs just by how they risk and live instill a hope that attracts, and stirs something deep inside. Frontrunners though seem to get increasingly hesitant….their the group you love to cheer against. They’re increasingly watchful of what they say as to not make the big slip-up with a statement or stance, which might I add makes it hard to know what half of them stand for. This all got me thinking…in many ways I wonder if this is not a picture of many of us. How do we live our life? Do we live it as a frontrunner, hesitiant to take any real risks, hesitant to lose what we’ve gained in life, to take a chance for more in life. In “Chasing Daylight” McMannus describes this as the “promegranate dilemma,” this idea that sometimes God’s blessings in our life can sometimes be our biggest hindrance to living out God’s dream for our lives. In other words, the good in our life can sometimes keep us from experiencing the great in life. I remember my college days, and how easy it was to take risks, and step out in faith…mostly because everything I had could fit in an ‘82 Saab. Taking some of those steps now seem to require a little more thought, a greater risk, as I now have to take into consideration the blessings of a wonderful wife, a mortgage (is that really a blessing?), and the friends we have. It’s not all bad being a frontrunner, it’s good to have an awareness of Gods blessing in life, but may we not get so caught up in what we have that we no longer pursue what God has for us. You know I really believe that the world hungers to see the church come alive with underdogs. A people who are not afraid to believe that David can still take down Goliath in our lives. A people that realize that Christianity is not about doing no wrong, it’s about doing something right in our world. See we live in a world that hungers for the hope of Jesus Christ, a hope that is often best spoken, best lived out by a life willing to risk going against the status quo, risk living out God’s truth, risk pursuing a God dream for our lives, risk simply doing the next right thing in life. One of the reasons I believe Living Hope continues to expand and reach out in a world where so many other churches seem to struggle is because it’s a place that welcomes and embraces the underdog role. It’s a church that risks, a church committed to not playing it safe. And as a church of underdogs speaks into the lives of others that through Jesus (the ultimate underdog)there is hope, through Jesus they can overcome an addiction, through Jesus they can overcome fear, through Jesus’s finished work on the cross they can overcome death. So go ahead, cheer for the underdogs…more importantly don’t be afraid to embrace the underdog role in your own life.