The show was really built on one thing: mystery. It wouldn’t had made it if it were cheesy, poorly directed, dumbed-down, or had bad actors. But mystery IS what the show was built on.

Where was this island that Oceanic flight 815 crashed on? How did so many people survive the crash? Where did the polar bears come from? How was the paraplegic guy able to walk? What is the smoke monster? How are all of these people connected with each other? Etc…And that’s all in the first few episodes. Episode after episode and season after season Lost continued to pile one question on top of another. It is really what drove the show. People wanted to tune in the next week to see if an answer to some of the mysteries would be revealed. But usually, instead of an answer being given, each mystery and each new episode seemed to leave only more unanswered questions.

The show appeared to be about numbers, hatches, Others, Initiatives, time travel, electro-magnetic pulses, ghosts, mysterious godlike characters, and the fine blurry line between good and evil. Those are the things that the audience loved to speculate about and that drove countless hours of water cooler discussions over the course of six years.

America fell in love with Jack and Kate, Jin and Sun, Sawyer and Juliet, Claire and Charlie, Michael and Walt, and the dozens of other characters that inhabited the island and our television sets each week. There’s no question that America was passionate about these characters and how the show’s writers dealt with them. There were those who longed for Jack and Kate to be an item, and those who longed for Sawyer and Kate to be an item. I can remember dozens of conversations that I had about these people as if they were close friends whom I cared about deeply. But despite people’s passion for these lovable character’s, it was the mystery of the show that made people drool for next week’s episode.

As the end approached, people hoped that all of their unresolved questions would be answered, and expected that at least most of them would be. Even if every beloved character died a horrible death at the hands of the smoke monster on the show’s finale, people still would have been satisfied if most of the shows mysteries would have been solved.

People waited with baited breath at the beginning of the show’s finale to find out: who Jacob and the Man in Black really were, who and what was their adoptive mother and where did she come from, what is the Man in Black’s name, is the smoke monster really the Man in Black, what is the island, where is the island, what is the bright light emanating from the hole in the island, why did Claire disappear into the jungle before the Oceanic 6(including her son) left, what was the significance of Jacob’s cabin, wait…wasn’t it actually the Man in Black’s cabin, did the Others follow Jacob or the Man in Black, was Jacob actually bad, what was up with the sand around “Jacob’s cabin”, why did the Others disguise themselves with dirty old clothes when they first met the Lost’ies, why did Ben kill the Dharma people (what purpose did that fulfill?), were the Others the descendants of the people that came in the same ship as Jacob’s birth mother, were there other Others before those Others, why was Walt special, why couldn’t people leave the island under Jacob’s care, how did Jacob leave the island to touch his candidates, who discovered or made the wheels that could move the island through space and time and transport people to remote parts of the planet, what was up with the giant statue, why didn’t the giant tidal wave that washed the Blackrock into the middle of the jungle destroy everything on the island, who was Richard really working for and why was he made immortal, couldn’t Charlie have just swam out of the portal when the communication room was flooded with water to escape death and simply deliver the “Not Penny’s boat” message in person, what is the significance of the numbers, where did the “rules” come from the Jacob and the Man in Black had to obey, etc……………….……the questions could fill a 100 page small print book…really.

But when the end did come no questions were directly answered. Sawyer, Kate, Richard, Claire, Miles, and the pilot leave the island on the plane. Ben and Hurley stay behind to protect the island- taking Jacob’s place. Rose, Bernard, and Vincent stay to live a hippie’s life on the island. Locke(i.e. the Smoke Monster) is killed by Jack because he is no longer immortal apparently because the ‘plug’ was temporarily pulled from the island, and Jack stays behind to die in the same location he landed in when the plane crashed.

All throughout the final season there was a side-verse where the Lost’ies never crashed on the island and their lives played out accordingly but they all started bumping into each other in Los Angeles even though they didn’t know each other in this reality. As they bump into each other they start to remember their lives in the other reality on the island. Well, Jack is the last to remember.

Turns out that the side-verse they built up all season long is actually some kind of purgatory where apparently all of the Lost’ies appear simultaneously after they die (on and off the island in different times). They have to work out their problems and sins while they are “there” in order to “move on” (to heaven?). Apparently bumping into their friends from their ‘past life’ reminds them of who they really are/were and because of that they are able redeem themselves and find forgiveness for themselves and for the ones who have hurt them. When Jack remembers his past life, his dad shows up and lets him know that he (Jack) is dead- apparently all of the other characters figured this out (that they were dead) on their own when they ‘came to’ but Jack needed a little help. Once Jack realized that he was dead and made amends with his father, he and everyone else had a little hug- reunion and were able to “move on” (i.e. sit in a church sanctuary and watch a bright light).

This ending, however, was completely unsatisfying for the avid Lost fan because it passed over all of the mysteries and questions that the show was built on and skipped ahead to the characters’ deaths where they were all reunited. It was as if everything that took place while these characters were forming their relationships was pointless and irrelevant to the story: Jacob and the Man in Black really served no purpose in advancing the story, it didn’t really matter what the island and its inner glowing light represented, the Oceanic 6 didn’t really need to return to the island after all, the numbers meant nothing, there didn’t need to be a constant, Daniel Faraday’s research meant nothing, Miles’ ghost whispering abilities were meaningless, etc…All of the great things that had been used to tell this epic story meant nothing through the lens of the show’s finale.

But maybe I’m missing the point. Maybe all of the details and mysteries in life we spend so much of our time and energy focusing on really don’t matter to our stories at all because what matters most is the relationships we make.

I still want to know why Walt was special though. Making birds fly into windows and kill themselves doesn’t seem too special to me.

Although I do think that I would have been more satisfied with the finale if we discovered that the whole thing was just a weird dream after a night of too many milk bones and drinks out of the toilet by Vincent- just say’n.

Believe me, I am excited for the day of Christ’s return. My heart aches for it. But there are some believers, who, it’s the only thing they think about. I believe that for most of them, probably unknown to them, it’s a selfish longing because Christ’s return means a better life for them and an end to their problems. It’s almost like they’re giving the rest of the world ‘the finger’ while they’re on their way to Glory Land. I’m afraid that for these Left Behind obsessed Christians, that, they have forgotten the heartbeat of God which has always been the lost- of which they were once a part.

So the next time you are getting impatient for the coming of Christ, stop and remember that there are billions who won’t be taken to be with Him. Let that thought transform your heart and give you the desire to unselfishly share the grace, love, and hope that you have found in Christ with the lost world around you.

Know that Christ is coming and rejoice! Know that the lost will perish and allow your heart to mourn! Live within the tension because that’s where we are who God has called us to be.

Too often teachers will refer to a Bible story or passage, not explain it, then pass by to the next thing- leaving their audience bewildered as they continue.

If you build a foundation for the rest of your message on something that no one understands or knows about (either a Bible strory or cultural reference), they won’t be able to understand the rest of your message it’s built on.

Don’t be affraid of referencing obscure Bible stories or cultural references, just explain them- alot (more to come on that later).

Remember, especially with younger people, that today’s generation probably doesn’t know much about the Bible stories that you learned in Sunday school because- they didn’t go to Sunday School.

So remember to preach to the nonChristians, or the Biblically uneducated, in your crowd and not just to the seasoned saints. When a simple message is spoken, where Biblical points and theology, are thoroughly explained everyone is strengthened and edified- especially if the message is Gospel focused on and central (more to come on that later).

I always assume that my audience is made up of nonChristians and speak to the entire audience as if they are such. This way I can make sure that everyone understands and can weave the central message of salvation into everything, and hope for a response to the Gospel.

As I gear the message towards the lost, I also make sure to make many references that Christians will catch, but not at the expense of losing the most valuable member of your crowd: the unsaved.

He made a statemement, that I have heard recently somewhere else, that has really got me thinking. He saud,” We will do anything short of sin to bring the lost to Christ” Wow!

I am so fed up with religion and non-Biblical rules that tell us as Believers what/when/ how we are supposed to act and share our faith. I am tired of people allowing tradition to drive their actions instead of passion for real people who will burn for an eternity in a real hell.

It is so ridiculous to hear Christians says things like;’ You can’t play that kind of music’, ‘You can’t show that movie’, ‘You can’t hang out in those places, or ‘You can’t talk to those kind of people’ when it comes to doing church and taking part in evangelism.

I think of Jesus and the people that he associated with, particularly ones that he ate with. Eating with someone in the ancient Near East was a way of showing acceptance of someone. He hung out with the sinner and the cultural outcast. Religous/ Traditional people were so upset by it that they started calling JESUS a drunk!? They couldn’t handle Jesus breaking their made-up rules. I think it was because they realized that it really wasn’t their good deeds that could save them, but Jesus. And that made them uncomfortable because of their arrogance. They wanted to believe that they could take care of themselves…and that they didn’t need God to do so instead.

Our Church today is the same. We have come to rely on our traditions, our music, our charisma, our teaching style, our programs, and our contemporary made-up rules; and we are pathetic. It’s time to get back to Jesus! There are some of us who are starting to wake up to our incessive need for God, and a movement is beginning. I hope for the day when our nation and our generation of Christianity experiences a revival in ferver and passion for Christ, and in particular, evangelism.

Like Jesus, we need to start influencing the sinners and the outcasts with our friendship and convicition. We need to do so with wreckless abandon without the worry of what religous Christians will think of us. Because afterall, we must see embrace becoming all things to all men so that some may be saved.

And this means truly doing anything short of sin to save the lost! I’m with you Perry.

Not knowing your destination is worse than being lost.

So last night was the first Thursday in several months that I have not been able to feed my Lost fix. It was a rough night of withdrawals, but Last Comic Standing and So You Think You Can Dance (even though they don’t even come remotely close to the sheer awesomeness of Lost).helped me get through it. I cannot wait until January (?) of next year when our Lost’ies return!

So I have been starting to look for a new job- for far too many reasons to list for the purposes of this site.

Ministry job hunting is very different than “secular” job hunting. If a secular company asked the kind of bizarre questions that churches ask their potential employees, it would be considered discriminatory- that is not an exageration. I totally understand why though, and appreciate the precautious lengths that churches go to to make sure that they place a minister who will best fit in with their community.

Once I was interviewed by one of the largest and most influential churches in the nation. The interview did not go good. I thought I would be asked spiritual questions about my walk with the Lord, my ministry philosophy, or my heart for the lost. Instead I was asked…”Have you ever hired or fired someone?” What?! Of all the questions they could ask, this was one of the first ones they pulled out?? One of the next questions: “What kind of fishing do you like to do?” once again, not the most spiritual of questions.

Today I had a pleasant talk with a nice pastor and his wife. This was my second “interview” with them. One of the first questions I was asked? “Do you like sports?” Where does Jesus fit into this equation? This is nothing against the people or churches that I have interviewed with- just once again I am surprised by the things that matter to a church or a pastor when they are trying to fill an open minstry position.

So what does this have to do with doctrine…I know…I have been ranting and I am sorry. It’s just easy to get frustrated over things like this. Anyways, I am in communication with a church up North and they have asked me a lot of questions- a lot of great questions.

Yesterday they contacted me again and wanted to know what my ‘Statement of Faith’ was. I could easily give them a one sentence Statement for each category of my Christian Faith, but I felt it was important to give a more detailed answer with Scriptural references to each of my points. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to. I already had a paraphrased personal statemet of faith jotted down, but I wanted this to be an introductory to those who don’t know me to the deep faith that I have in God and His Word.

I know it’s cliche’, but I really do take a two-fisted approach to doctrine: closed-fisted and open-fisted.

Closed-fisted doctrine is that which I am unshakable about. I rest on it for all things involving  belief, hope, faith, decision, and relationship. The Closed-fisted stuff is what the Bible clearly states. It is essential doctrine to being a Follower of Jesus- being a Christian. With me, it is not open to debate or questioned within my life or ministry. I’ll gladly discuss it and listen to other perspectives. But I know that it is those closed fisted things that make me who I am in Christ.

Open-fisted Doctrine is the stuff that we as Christians can agree to disagree on. It’s the stuff that’s not essential for salvation. It’s sometimes the stuff that the Bible is unclear or vague about. Or the stuff that people have a really hard time understanding. These are the things that we usually all have opinions on, but are willing-sometimes to openly debate and discuss. Often, Closed-fisted doctrine is not as much about doctrine as it is about methodology.

I will describe both of these types of doctrine as we go through this blog series. I will start with the Closed-fisted doctorine and then work my way into the Open-fisted stuff.