A Blog by Jason Salamun

This morning, my Maw Maw took a turn for the worse.

An early morning call led me back to her bedside

We rode the waves of imminent death and slight improvement.

In a moment, when it seemed clear she would soon leave us, a dozen people crowded into a small mobile home bedroom

To hug, to pray, and spontaneously sing “Amazing Grace.”

It was beautiful.

Meanwhile, huge wind gusts rocked the trailer.

Seemed a fitting moment for my Maw Maw.

A feisty, ornery, and restless spirit.

And full of love.

As we surrounded her in that room, these words came to mind.

a room-filled with memories.

of a grandmother, mother, and friend.

a cancer in the lungs

a fighter ‘til the end.

an ornery wind blows

outside like a knife.

a simple, ironic picture

of the story of your life

the caregiver to many

today, many who give care.

surround your bed together

in song, in tears, and in prayer.

watching as you struggle

for air to enter your chest

you’ve always been a restless soul

now your soul can rest

Somehow, to the nurses surprise, she is hanging on.

I’m not surprised.

She’s always been scrappy.

So thankful to have the chance to tell her thank you.

For always being there.

For being a bright spot during dark days.

For being my Maw Maw.

She smiled as best she could.

And asked me, “Can I go now?”

I told her yes.

Go be with Jesus.

And I’ll see you there someday.

She’s unresponsive now

Playing teeter-totter between life and death.

It’s so hard to die when you’ve always fought to live.

But paradise is knocking.

Ultimate joy awaits.

Peace is at hand.

The finish line is in sight.

And his name is Jesus.

Some thoughts from the road.

If you can’t view the video, click here.

Later this week I will embark on a journey.

The highway of my life.

You see, my Maw Maw (grandma) is dying.

The cancer in her lungs has overwhelmed her.

She now has days to live.

She pretty much raised me the first 11 years of my life.

So I’m driving down to say thank you and goodbye.

In addition, I will see my mother for the first time since I was 14.

And a brother who’s finishing up his time in prison.

And a long-lost sister I’ve only met once.

And a bunch of rough childhood memories.

I expect this trip is going to mess me up.

Trail of Memories

In a good way.

The path of my journey takes me from my hometown (Rapid City, SD).

Through the place I met and married my wife and served in the Air Force (Colorado Springs, CO).

To the place I was born and lived until I was 11 years old (Lubbock, TX).

I’ll be driving through a trail of memories.

Some good, others not.

Such is the highway of life.

I’m inviting you to join me later this week.

I will chronicle my journey here via video.

And on Twitter via 140 characters.

To be honest, this trip is not going to be easy.

But it will be good for me.

My hope is that my journey will help yours.

To know you’re not the only one with a past to confront.

Or a goodbye that’s hard to say.

Or a shattered heart that God’s putting back together.

We all have a story.

Thanks for joining me.

And caring.

Live Free!

Jason

I have a confession.

I have a tattoo.

I’m also a pastor at a church.

Seems strange to some.

Cool to others.

But more importantly, is it cool with Jesus?

Many religious types like to point and quote Leviticus 19:28.

“You shall not make any cuts on your body for the dead or tattoo yourselves: I am the Lord.”

Funny how we pull verses out of context.

That’s dangerous.

Here’s the deal.

The surrounding culture (Canaanites) marked and cut themselves for the dead and to gain favor with their gods.

God wanted his people to worship him alone and not get caught up in their mess.

That’s why it’s there.

It’s not about tattoos.

It’s about worship.

Silly religious people.

Plus, Christians are free from the law.

Thanks to Jesus.

So now we can trim our beards (Leviticus 19:27).

Including your Aunt Gertrude.

In fact, we can do whatever we want as long as we love God and people.

What about today?

Is it okay to get a tattoo?

Sure.

As long as you’re loving God and people.

The act of getting a tattoo itself is not a sin.

It’s not the outside that matters, it’s the inside.

The heart.

Did you know Jesus is coming back with a tattoo on him?

“On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lord.” (Rev. 19:16).

Actually, his mark will be much cooler than anything we have.

His body was also marked with wounds for us and our sins.

That’s more important than a silly matter of tattoos.

Tattoos for beauty, decoration, and expression are cool.

Just not for worship of something or someone other than Jesus.

That’s true of everything in life.

Also, use wisdom.

Lest you end up with a tattoo for an old flame.

That’s called tattoo regret.

That’s not cool.

Want more information?

Visit sacredink.net or religioustattoos.net

Picture yourself at a backyard BBQ party.

There’s conversation and laughter

Kids are running around playing.

Many of the adults have a beer or a Mike’s Hard Lemonade in hand.

According to Scripture, is this a sinful picture?

When it comes to Christians and alcohol there are various points of view.

a. Satan made it and I don’t want it.

b. Satan made it but I secretly enjoy it.

c. God made it but I don’t want it.

d. God made it, I say I don’t want it, but I secretly enjoy it.

e. God made it and I enjoy it.

I used to be an option c guy.

Then an option d guy.

Now I’m an option e guy.

Why?

I read my bible.

It changed my mind.

Like Deuteronomy 14:26.

Or Psalm 104:14-15

Or John 2: 1-11

And many more.

Then there’s Jesus.

I love Jesus.

He’s my Savior and my great example.

He drank.

See Matthew 11:19.

And it wasn’t mere grape juice.

Jesus also never sinned.

2+2=4

I can do what Jesus did.

It’s a problem to apply our morality to Jesus.

It actually works the other way around.

Jesus is better than religion.

But we do have a few guidelines.

Don’t get hammered.

Be of legal drinking age.

Don’t make it your god.

And in all things, love others.

Because living free isn’t just about what we can do.

It’s who we can love along the way.

So let’s go back to the original picture.

The BBQ.

There’s conversation and laughter

Kids are running around playing.

Many of the adults have a beer or a Mike’s Hard in hand.

According to Scripture, is this a sinful picture?

Assuming we’re loving God and people, no.

It’s actually a wonderful picture of community the way God intended it.

A little drop of Isaiah 25: 6-9

So whether you drink or not, it doesn’t matter much to me.

You have a conscious.

Follow it.

But it’s not the voice of a preacher, parent, or your old youth pastor.

It’s the Spirit of God inside of you.

I could say more but I’ll leave it at this:

You’re free to worship God and enjoy his creation.

And if you do drink a beer or sip some wine, remember 1 Corinthians 10:31:

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Enjoy your beer knowing God is the great Brew Master.

Just do it in love.

On Friday evening, some peeps from Project Church are going to host a family movie night at local elementary school for the students, parents, and staff.

We don’t plan to proselytize them.

Or pimp ourselves.

We just want to love them.

We strongly believe that we are to bring good news, no doubt about it.

But we believe we are to be good news too.

So we’re going to build relational bridges with folks at the school.

565 (or so) students and stories.

Even more parents and staff.

We’ve heard several heart-breaking stories from teachers.

A small sample of many.

These stories need to be changed.

Jesus showed us the way to change a story is to enter a story.

We can’t make all the stories better.

I wish we could.

But we can make a few better.

A few is better than none.

And ultimately, our hope is that they meet the One who puts all the pieces back together.

Who restores stories.

That’s why we enter the story.

To change the story.

Hey you.  Yes, you.

Thanks!

I’m on a quest to live free.

I struggle with that.

It’s hard to believe freedom is real.

It’s even harder to live it out.

Freedom is love without condition.

Freedom is God’s great gift to us.

We just have a problem receiving it.

At least I do.

But I’m learning.

To walk in the paradox of grace and truth.

To walk with Jesus.

To live like a free man.

To love like a free man.

This is my great voyage.

Despite myself.

Despite other lovers of my soul.

Despite religion.

Jesus set me free from all that.

He set you free too.

Let’s figure out what that means.

Live Free.

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word:  ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Galatians 5:13-14 (ESV)

If you’re like me you have things you wish you didn’t do.  You also have things you wish you did do.

We call these things regrets.

Regrets are a nagging mistress.  She pesters you, eats away at you, motivates you with guilt.

Dump your mistress.

You don’t have to live with her anymore.

There’s a better companion.

Her name is grace.  She forgives you, restores you, motivates you with love.

No, you don’t deserve her.

But she’s yours anyway.

Embrace grace.

She’s a much better companion to live with.

I wrote this for my church and thought I’d share it with you all.  Hope you find it beneficial.

Being a Christian is so much more than a mere label, it’s a way of life.  A pattern that’s integrated into everyday life not because we have to but because we get to. Not so much out of religious obligation but compelled by a love for God and people.  Love is what a disciple of Jesus should be known for and these are the rhythms we are striving for.

Follow
Above all, we seek to know, love, and follow Jesus in our thoughts, words, and actions.  In every day and every moment, we look to Jesus as our great King and example.  Following Jesus is a series of next steps, each resulting in us becoming more like him. His footsteps may be large but they mark the path of the life in full.

Sent
Jesus sends us out, on mission, into culture, to be salt and light everywhere we go. In this sense, we are missionaries wherever we are.

Explore
To love God with all our minds means we are to be curious and filled with wonder at what God has revealed- in particular in the scriptures.  By regularly reading the bible, we learn what it means to live the lives we’re meant to live and we are shaped by the very words of God.   We also discover more about our Creator and his creation in all realms of learning through story, wisdom, song, nature, imagination, and more.  However, our highest authority is our divine conversation with Jesus through the reading of scripture.

Eat
We choose not to waste our meals.  We will seek to commune with others when possible and view each meal as a blessing from God.  With each food and drink we consume, we will remember the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf as his body was broken and blood was shed for us.

Presence
We reject any notion that we are to create our own subculture. Instead, we dwell within culture in order to influence, shape, and redeem it. We believe this whole world and everything, and everyone in it, belong to God. Like Jesus, we choose to enter the story in order to change the story.

Listen
We are charged to love God and our neighbor as ourselves. One tangible expression of love is listening. We will take opportunities to hear the stories of others. To rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. We also will listen to God and create deliberate moments of silence and quiet our hearts before our Creator.

Party
Backyard BBQ’s, gathering at the local watering hole, inviting friends to our home for food and fun. These are just a few examples of what it means to party. We choose to celebrate and enjoy life with people inside and outside our community. This is what Jesus did. A good party is like a little drop of heaven on earth and is a way of life for the follower of Christ.

Bless
We are blessed by God to be a blessing to others. This can come in many forms. An encouraging email, a note of appreciation, a kind word, an unselfish act, a helping hand. Wherever your imagination takes you. Being a blessing is to make deposits into the accounts of people. Showing grace is to do so whether someone deserves it or not. We will look to tangibly bless others daily.

Grow
Growth is a natural byproduct of every healthy, living thing. This includes people.  Since growth comes from God, we will continually fix our eyes on Christ, search our hearts for any cheap substitutes to him, and repent of our sin and place them at the feet of our King.  We will seek to live lives of health and wholeness remembering there’s one throne and one source of genuine growth.

Include
The arm of God is big enough to wrap around the whole world. The least we can do is wrap our arms around our neighbor, the people we come across in our daily lives. We will not play favorites based on social status but view all people as equally valuable under an almighty God.  Our community is one where people can belong before they believe and find grace overflowing.  All are welcome to the table.

Pray
We will be a people of constant conversation and communion with God.  As we live our lives, we will pray without ceasing according to God’s will.  We will thank God, worship God, be honest to God, confess our sins to God, listen to God, and always seek opportunities to pray for others.  Our hope is to be the go-to people for prayer in our relational networks without making a big show of it.

Share
We will seek to share our time, talent, and treasure with others. Generosity will flow out of the grace God has given us. We are to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. We will be an authentic community who shares one another’s burdens with a battle cry that “no one stands alone.”  This is pleasing to God and a fingerprint of a true disciple.

Fight
We will stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves and offer hope to the hopeless. We will fight against injustice and guilt-based religion by our actions and the Gospel.  We agree with scripture and believe for justice to roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.  In serving others, we serve Christ.  We will never forget that our ultimate mission is to bring good news and be good news to those around us.

Romans 12:9-18 (ESV):

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”