So apparently, Apple Maps has twice now given turn by turn directions to drivers who ended up crossing an active runway at the airport in Fairbanks, Alaska.  Having used maps quite a bit and once been taken to a home owned by “Lana Bowling” when I was looking for a “Bowling Alley” I have to admit that I can see how this could happen.  But to me, the crazy part of this whole story isn’t that a map application failed to give good directions, but that the headlines for the story focus on the app INSTEAD OF THE DRIVER!

Who takes their GPS unit or their map app of choice so literally that they actually drive across an active airport runway??  “Oh look, there’s a really large jet landing.  I guess we should cross here anyway!” – said no one EVER (unless, of course, they’re one of the 2 yahoos driving in Fairbanks looking for the airport).  And if you see airplanes on a runway, wouldn’t that be some kind of clue that you’re, oh, say, AT THE AIRPORT??!  Couldn’t you then just LOOK AT THE SIGNS to find your way to the terminal?  Most airports have those (terminals AND signs that direct people to them).

And if you don’t want to put the responsibility on the shoulders of the iPhone loving drivers, you’ve still got another choice long before you blame a piece of software.  How about the Fairbanks International Airport for not having fences or gates to restrict access to a road where JETS ARE LANDING??  Seems like that shouldn’t be an option to drivers, no matter how bad the turn-by-turn directions may be from a small phone in the car.

Thoughts?  Opinions?  Planning a trip to Fairbanks to try the directions for yourself?  Weigh in on the matter in the comments below.

Ok, I just used the title to get your attention, because this won’t be nearly as cold as those words sound. It isn’t so much that God doesn’t care about how we feel, but rather that God cares so much more about WHO we are than HOW we feel, because he knows that our identity can always carry us through bad times.

Think of it like this: emotions can be great indicators, but they are terrible identifiers.  If you or I are having a down day, we may feel sad and that can help alert us to things that we need to be aware of and can help us make choices that can lead us out of that funk.  But if we let that sad feeling tell us who we are – if we let it become our identity – then we don’t see ourselves as joy-filled followers of Jesus having a bad day.  Instead, we see ourselves as sad people, and that can be deadly.  In other words, our feelings may tell us HOW we are, but they should never tell us WHO we are.

That’s what God’s word is for.  Only God can tell us WHO we are, and it’s so important for us to begin to tell ourselves as the people God says we are – even if our feelings tell us something else.

So, does God care how you feel?  Sure he does.  But He cares more about WHO YOU ARE!  And here are a handful of things (well, if you have 8 fingers on that hand) that you can declare about yourself each day.  They won’t make you a better person, because Jesus already made you a new person on the cross.  But they sure can help fill your mind and spirit with the truth that defines you on the days when your feelings try to divert you.

• Today, Jesus allows me to live free from condemnation and full of confidence. (Romans 8:1; Philippians 1:6)
• Today, the love of Jesus makes me an overcomer…no matter what. (Romans 8:31-39, esp. verse 37)
• Today, the work of Jesus has prepared me to work for Jesus. (Ephesians 2:10)
• Today, I will choose to forgive others when they are at their worst, because Jesus forgave me when I was at my worst. (Colossians 3:12-13)
• Today, the power of Jesus in me means that I have everything I need for everything I will face. (2 Peter 1:3)
• Today, the value of knowing Jesus will impact how I use my time and energy. (Philippians 3:8)
• Today, the generous gift of Jesus allows me to live with a new heart that is generous like his. (John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 9:15; Jeremiah 24:7; Matthew 10:8)
• Today, I will live and give generously so that God can give more blessings to more people through me. (2 Corinthians 9:11)

This past Sunday our church – The Gathering – celebrated quite a bit.  It was the end of our second year since we launched the church in September of 2011, the first official Sunday in our brand new space and the opening day for the 2013 NFL season (I don’t need much of a reason to turn ANY event into a FOOTBALL event).  A couple of months ago I started praying that we’d see 300 people come on to the Kickoff event, and between the worship service (we had right at 200) and the people that popped by later to enjoy the inflatables, food and football, we probably saw around 250 people.  Not quite 300, but I’m not complaining.  It was a great day – quite possibly the best day – for our church since we began. The air was electric, and before and after the service there was that great sound of people talking in excited tones that makes the room feel like it’s alive.

But that wasn’t the best part of the best day.  The best part came much later, after the majority of the people had called it a day and gone home and just about 40-50 were staying till the bitter end of another Panther late-game collapse.  As I sat and talked with a number of people who had been with us, one of them said something that really made me smile, and for me – and all of you that are planted as members at The Gathering – this comment is what will always make me think of September 8, 2013 and say, “We won!”

One of the guests that had been with us for the whole celebration was talking about how much she enjoyed the service and how much she’d gotten out of the worship and the teaching, and so she asked one of our elders (and I’m paraphrasing here, but it’s pretty close to this), “So, what’s you church like on regular Sundays?”

The elder looked at her and said, “Pretty much like today.”

And that, church, is the win.  We didn’t put a fake foot forward, or try to blow up the building with a big show, or pretend to be anything other than who we are.  That lady could come back this Sunday (and I hope she does!) and, minus some hot dogs and a bounce house, she’d find that the air is just as filled with the excited anticipation of followers of Jesus waiting for HIM to show up big.  She’d find that we sing just as loudly and passionately on “regular” Sundays as we do on the “big” ones.  She would see that we devour the truth of Scripture just as much, laugh just as hard, and hug each other just as tightly each week as we did last week.

Shows are fun, and I’d never deny it.  But at some point shows are over.  The great thing about the awesome presence of God is that it doesn’t.  In fact, the promise of scripture is that his presence just gets stronger and stronger and stronger.

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

What that means for The Gathering is simple: the best is yet to come.  The plans that are being paid out for our third year will prepare us for EVER-INCREASING GLORY, and that means that this time next year, we’ll have even more victories to celebrate on another day that will be the best day in our church.

And the best part of that best day will still be what was the best part of this best day: who we are on one day is who we are on all the others.

And that makes me – and Jesus – smile.