Short Arm Sean

It has now been 5 days since Love Wichita - the corporate effort of 4000 volunteers representing 30 churches to perform various community service projects around the city. Today the city sits a little bit cleaner than it was this time last week. Some homes have a fresh coat of paint and there is less trash sitting curbside. What I am wondering though is, are the people of this city closer to their Creator because of it all? While vacant lots have now been emptied of the junk that had been allowed to pile up, do people remain empty because of the junk that has piled up in their lives? Has meeting the felt needs of the community really caused the community to feel their need for a Savior?

Please don't misunderstand what I am saying. Jesus was all about helping the lame, sick, diseased, hungry and poor. He tells us to love him by loving the "least of these". But Jesus was also all about verbally proclaiming the amazing news that God was bridging the gap between Himself and mankind. The former simply gave a platform that lent credibility to the latter.

We must not be so caught up in the idea of social justice and external community servitude that we forget that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. The cross must be central and foremost in all we do and say. Without it, the perishing remain the perishing.

As Kevin DeYoung writes in his book, Why We Love the Church, "There is a danger in much of the missional (church) literature that the gospel of God's grace toward sinners gets swallowed up in urgent calls for world redemption and cultural transformation. There is a danger that we find our unity in doing good missional deeds for our community and not in the good news of the gospel."

In my view, just as the declaration of creation is enough to condemn, yet lacks the true power to save (Rom.1:18-22), so community action by believers draws attention to a spiritual deficiency, while not providing the redeeming power of the Cross. The common mantra is to "preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." While I agree that we should live out the message of Jesus on a very practical level, let's remember that no one has ever entered into a relationship with the Eternal God because someone planted a tree or cleaned out a gutter. Those things can only ever be a springboard into the deeper conversation of repentance and forgiveness. May we find our strength, hope, passion, and most of all, our confidence from Christ and him crucified.

My Top 10 Something or Another.

This week's category: PEOPLE I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE LUNCH WITH

I'm leaving out the obvious choices of Jesus, Oprah, and Bono. I plan on eating a meal with Jesus as soon as I get to Heaven anyway. Oprah and Bono just bother me and I may, very well, end up throwing food at them.

10. Jim Gaffigan
9. Michael Jordan
8. Steve Carrell
7. Abraham Lincoln
6. Mac Brown
5. Louie Giglio
4. Rob Bell
3. Matt Chandler
2. The Apostle Paul
1. My Dad

Feel free to disagree. I would love to hear who would be on your list.

This past weekend I had the chance, along with my youth ministry, to participate in a city-wide event called Love Wichita. This is where area churches partner to volunteer and complete various community service projects.

Our group started by helping with a clean-up project in the Plainview area of the city. Our students jumped on trash trucks, filling them to capacity with items that area residents had set curbside to be disposed of. Other student headed to vacant lots to pick up trash or help load tires be hauled away. The afternoon saw us shift locations to either planting trees and shrubs at a local elementary school or help with painting and landscaping at a home.

After a long day of work we felt good about what had been accomplished and there was a sense of pride about helping those in need. While this day was a great exposure to serving the ones who need it, I am thinking not about what we did, but about what we should do. Was this it? Is this really what it means to be a Christian - a once a year foray into helping our neighbors? If this is all we do, then I would say it was fairly pointless. To me, the challenge is to not pat ourselves on the back having done our Christian duty. The real struggle is to take what was experienced and to realize that those needs still exist today and tomorrow and will continue to be there. I believe that we now have an obligation to continue to love Wichita with our time, energy, service and resources everyday. We can no longer claim ignorance.

This may not come as a surprise, but some part of me finds great joy in being argumentative and antagonistic. This came to the surface in a recent Facebook post on the day when we were to observe the so-called "Earth Hour", the hour where we supposed to turn out our lights and thus sit in the dark for an hour. I proudly announced that to celebrate I would be turning my lights on, clear-cutting a forest, and shoot an endangered species. Obviously I was joking....I think.

Today is Earth Day. The day that we has been set aside to raise appreciation and awareness for this planet we call home, particularly the environment. The founder of Earth Day, Gaylord Nelson, believes, ‘The fate of the living planet is the most important issue facing mankind. As someone who holds a Biblical worldview, I would disagree on two fronts.

First of all, in my opinion the most important issue mankind faces is whether or not they will choose to recognize their Creator and be reconciled to Him. God seeks to know and be known on a relational level by the people he has created. According to the Scriptures, this is only made possible through faith in the atoning work of Christ on the cross and his defeat of death as demonstrated by his resurrection.

Additionally, I take issue with Mr. Nelson's statement in that, I believe that God has granted mankind dominion over the Earth as opposed to the other way around.

Genesis 1:26-28 states, "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that 8moves on the earth.”

I do believe that part of that dominion means that we are to be caretakers of this creation. However I feel that society, particularly the American media, has chosen to bow down at the altar of the Earth rather than the throne of the One who made the Earth.

Romans 1:19-25 puts it this way, "They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise!

A proper balance is what is needed. We need to act responsibly and reasonably when it comes to the care and well-being of Earth but not in lieu of the care and well-being of the inhabitants of the Earth and the worship of it's Creator.

It seems that we have begun a new tradition in my family. The last couple of Monday nights we have been sitting on our deck with our new chiminea burning. This week even included S'mores, a definite bonus. It has been a great time of just being a family. I guess gathering around the fire is what people of the past did in lieu of watching T.V. The quote of this past week came when Olivia stated that she wasn't close enough to feel the heat of the fire. To which Rylan replied, "Olivia, it's not about warmth, it's about the ambiance."

These little times have given us a great opportunity to talk about life and faith. It is amazing what just getting away from the television and video games will do to get these kids to open up. Questions have ranged from "what superpower would you want?" to "what will Heaven be like". Oh, and Camden's question - "Can I have another S'more?"

I feel like our retreats onto the deck are really helping me be the kind of dad I am supposed to be. Can't wait for the next one!

My Top 10 Something or Another.

This week's category: Sporting Events I Want to Attend
(In certain cases, I have also included the dream matchup I would like to see.)

10. Duke/Carolina Basketball Game
9. Summer Olympics
8. Florida/Georgia football
7. Red Sox/Yankees Game at Fenway
6. World Series (Cubs vs. Yankees; yeah right.)
5. NBA Finals (Cavs vs. Lakers)
4. Texas/OU football(Been to one. Want to go back.)
3. The Masters
2. Super Bowl (Dallas vs. Indianapolis)
1. BCS National Championship (Texas vs. Florida; of course, Texas wins)

For me, the hardest part of being a dad is striking a balance of wanting to be liked by children, but also being rigid enough to be respected as a parent. It's a tricky tightrope to walk. On one hand, there is a constant desire to have my kids adore me for being the fun dad who gets it. On the other, is the need to enforce structure and guidelines in their lives, which in turn, tends to kill my popularity with these little people.

After being in youth ministry for almost a decade and a half, I have noticed a trend. The kids who consistently struggle with life and tend to get into the most trouble are the ones who have parents that seem to care more about being accepted than respected. These are the parents who have the attitude that says, "I'm just going to let little Johnny find his own way." If this is the way to go, what is the point of a parent anyway?

Let's face it. We all want to be liked by our children. But at what expense? Their ultimate well being? Perhaps the most frustrating situation I face as a student pastor is when I see parents fail to direct their kids to do what is ultimately in their best interest. I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard a mom or dad say, "I don't want to force them to ______________." (Fill in the blank with any church/youth ministry activity/event/gathering.) The reasoning for this inevitably goes to some deep-seated fear of resentment which justifies allowing the child to do whatever they want.

It seems ironic to me that parents will allow their kids to not come to youth group or pass on camp because they don't want to "force them", yet this is inconsistent with parenting in other areas. Think about it. Do you let little Susie stay home from school because it may damage your relationship and cause negative feelings toward education? When is the last time we allowed our kids to skip a dentist appointment for fear that they may grow cold toward dental hygiene? Yet, something as important as our children's spiritual well-being somehow gets moved to the "optional" category.

I understand that we don't want to cram Christianity down our kids throats, however, there is a good chance that if you do not guide your child in that direction, they may never go down that road at all. I'm not suggesting that you bind your son or daughter with a straight-jacket and drop them on the doorstep of youth group this Wednesday. What I do propose is that you stress the importance of involvement in something that is going to shape their character at a core level as they move from adolescence into adulthood. Just something to think about the next time you make your child get up for school and brush their teeth before heading out the door.

My Big 10

This is my top 10 favorite something or another.
This week's category: American Idol Contestants

Okay, so there are only 9 left, but I'm still calling it my Big 10. Here is my breakdown of those left.

9. Tim Urban
So seriously. American Idol auditions hundreds of thousands of people every year. You're telling me Tim Urban is in the top 9 of all those people? I'm fairly certain he has made a deal with the devil to keep him in this.

8. Aaron Kelly
Mr. Vibrato. Consistantly sings songs that appeal to 50 year old women. So tired of his move of pulling the microphone away from his face on his "big" notes. Note to Aaron: keep the mic in front of your mouth. Your voice isn't going to blow us away.

7. Katie Stevens
Here's the deal. I could eat oatmeal everyday and I would survive, but I choose to eat things with more flavor. Katie is the oatmeal of the competition.

6. Siobhan Magnus
This girl is such a weirdo. Her outfits look like she raided the Star Wars costume closet. She seems to have the public speaking abilities of a hamster. Yet, she is not a terrible singer. I have grown very tired of the now infamous "scream note".

5. Andrew Garcia
I had such high hopes for this guy during Hollywood Week. He is this year's Danny Gokey. Of course, we all know that his highlight was his interpretation of Paula Abdul and has never been able to recapture that magic. Too bad.

4. Michael Lynche
If I hear the term "velvet teddybear" one more time, I'm going to throw up. If he picks up someone else, I'm going to throw up. All that said, he is actually a really good singer. He needs to stick to the R&B stuff and let go of his pop side. That's where he is really in his element.

3. Casey James
Casey seems to be getting better each week. I'm so pleased that we have moved beyond the stupid Kara/Casey pseudo-romance and can now just focus on his singing.

2. Crystal Bowersox
She is the most natural and gifted. I love the sound of her voice although her hair looks as though it could stand a good washing. Additionally, she is much easier to watch now that they seem to have whitened her teeth. She should cruise to the finals.

1. Lee DeWyze
To be honest, the first couple of weeks I thought he didn't stand a chance. His pitch issues were beyond painful. It's amazing what a little self-belief will do for you. He is now the one that I look forward to the most each week. The tone of his voice is amazing and as long as he can maintain pitch control and continue to make wise song choices, he is the one to beat.

This is Wednesday.....Shot Day. What I mean is this is the day that I give my wife her weekly injection. A 3 inch needle that has to go all the way into her leg muscle.

It was 4 years ago that Jennifer started feeling like something was not quite right. Problems with her eyes were followed by numbness in her face. After many tests the diagnoses was in. Multiple Sclerosis. I remember thinking what the heck is Multiple Sclerosis and how long does my wife have to live? The good news - this disease is not terminal. The bad news - this disease is progressively debilitating and has no cure.

The last 4 years have been filled with ups and downs as we journey with this disease. The amazing thing to me is that the way Jen conducts herself. To watch her, you would never know anything is wrong. She still struggles with the periodic attacks of MS - the numbness in arms and legs, weakness and fatigue and the definite need to identify the location of nearby bathrooms. With all of this going on, my amazing wife lives her life as though nothing is wrong.

Early on, Jennifer made the determination that she wasn't going to let this thing get the best of her. After all, she was the mom of 3 young kids who need her to be there and wife to a husband who can't even find his shoes without her. After the initial diagnoses, came the offer of support groups for dealing with the depressing emotional side of this. Jennifer laughed at the idea of sitting around with a bunch of people and wallowing in sorrow over how unfortunate she was to be stricken with this thing. My wife quickly built a bridge and got over it! Her attitude was "Why should I feel sorry for myself? At least I don't have a brain tumor!" (Which was what the doctors initially feared.)

So tonight I will stick a needle in my wife's leg and tomorrow she will feel like she has the flu. Also tonight my wife will tuck her kids in bed, kiss her husband goodnight and tomorrow she will get the family off to school and work. Yeah, I'd say we have a great life!

My Top 10 Something or Another.

This week's category: RESTAURANTS

10. Chipotle (National Chain)


Burritos the size of a small dog! Always good and nice place to eat healthy food.
Favorite dish: Steak burrito with hot sauce, cheese, and guacamole.


9. Gordon Biersch (Kansas City, MO)


Never had a bad meal here.
Favorite dish: Gorgonzola Bone-In Ribeye 18 oz., topped with gorgonzola butter,
served with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables



8. Mustard's (Des Moines, IA)


Home of the Sauce Man! Great BBQ.
Favorite Dish: Hot Italian Sausage Sandwich. Served on an Italian style hoagie bun pattied, char-grilled, topped with melted mozzarella cheese.


7. Las Vegas (Hollywood, FL)
Amazing Cuban Cuisine!
Favorite Dish: Baby Churrasco. Skirt steak with white rice, black beans and plantains.

6. Hong Kong Inn (Springfield, MO)
In a city with about a million Chinese restaurants, this is my favorite.
Favorite Dish: Beef Fried Rice

5. El Charrito (Georgetown, TX)
Hole-in-the-Wall Mexican with huge portions.
Favorite Dish: Steak Fajitas

4. Chuy's (Austin, TX)


True Tex-Mex. Awesome atmosphere.
Favorite Dish: Elvis Presley Memorial Combo. Beef enchilada, chicken enchilada, cheese enchilada, crispy taco, beans and rice.





3. Scornovacca's (Des Moines, IA)


Best Pizza I've had!
Favorite Dish: Italian Sausage and Mushroom Pizza




2. Cheesecake Factory (National Chain)



Don't let the name fool you. So much more than just cheesecake. Entrees are wonderful! So much food.
Favorite Dish: Bistro Shrimp Pasta. Crispy Battered Shrimp, Fresh Mushrooms, Tomato and Arugula Tossed with Spaghettini and a Basil-Garlic-Lemon Cream Sauce.

1. Tasty Tacos (Des Moines, IA)





The mother of all restaurants. I would probably eat here everyday if I still lived in Des Moines. There are days I strongly consider driving the 6 hours from Wichita just to have it.
Favorite Dish: Flour Original Tacos. Deep fat fried tortillas and the best hot sauce I have ever put in my mouth.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing."

This is the quote uttered by the character Boromir in the first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy as he holds The One Ring. For me, the small thing that causes me to suffer so much fear and doubt is worry.

I have always been a worrier. As a kid, I recall being completely overcome with fear and worry over seemingly trivial things. As a 9 year old, I watched a documentary in which Nostradamus predicted an apocalyptic world war in 1997. I remember being overwhelmed with feelings of dread because of this for the next 2 years. I literally would lose sleep due to my fear of this impending doom.

Another area of deep anxiety as a child was my ridiculous fear of tornadoes. I recall keeping a close eye on the slightest change in the coloration of the clouds which signaled it was time to seek shelter. Never mind the fact that there were no storm warnings or any real threat on the horizon, I was heading to the basement.

Although I now look back with a laugh at these silly, unfounded trepidations, worry is still something I struggle greatly with. These days, my uneasiness has moved to the adult realm. Predictions of world wars and weather patterns have been replaced with concerns over finances, health, my children, my ministry and the general state of the world.

What is it that causes this constant uneasiness within my heart and mind? If I am going to be completely honest, it boils to down to a complete lack of faith on my part. To worry says that I can somehow control or manipulate the outcome of circumstances and God cannot.

The Bible makes it clear that without faith it is impossible to please God. It hurts the heart of God when I do not trust him to take care of me as He has promised to do. God wants me to place my reliance in Him to provide. Worry, simply put, is the reliance of self.

The sad part is that worry doesn't actually solve anything. Jesus said it this way, "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?" The answer is, of course, no. This doesn't mean that we neglect our responsibilities. I'm not suggesting that you disregard your next power bill and just assume that God will send in the money you owe. But it does mean that we live in practical expectation that He will take care of all our needs.

To sum it up, let me close with Matthew 6:25,26. "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?"

God, thank you for being bigger that Nostradamus, tornadoes and power bills!

A couple weeks ago, while in Iowa, I had opportunity to visit the gravesite of my dad. It’s a place I hadn’t been in almost 20 years and just felt like it was something I needed to do. After a bit of a journey, I finally found the right place. Most people visit a grave and reflect on the many memories that they shared with the person who has died. However, for me it was a little different. You see, my dad died when I was 3 and I don’t have a single memory of him.

What I did remember, as I stood in the cemetery, was the day my dad died. September 30, 1978 is my earliest childhood memory. I remember vividly the events of that day…coming home from the mall with my mom, seeing the police car in the driveway, the officer telling my mom to sit down and the uncontrollable crying that ensued, and the unanswered question that I kept asking – is daddy ever coming home?
As I was at the burial site of my father, I had no lifetime of memories to recall, but I did begin to wonder. What would my life be like had my dad lived? What if he stayed home instead of going for a motorcycle ride? What would be different had the young man driving a farm tractor been more cautious before pulling out onto the road that my dad was traveling on? What would Sean Sorensen be like had Joe Sorensen lived?

I guess since everything happened when I was so young, I grew up not really knowing the difference or what I was missing. My mom never remarried and worked hard to provide which meant that I was shuffled from babysitter to babysitter as a kid. Not having a dad meant that a friend’s dad taught me to ride a bike and a neighbor taught me how to shoot a jump shot. All of this just seemed normal.

I have felt a void all these years and I definitely would have loved to have my dad to watch me grow into a man, get married and meet his grandchildren. However, I feel that some good also came out of an otherwise tragic circumstance. When I was 15, I met Jerry Mahner, the youth pastor at what was to become my church. Jerry took the time to invest in my life and became the first really strong male influence in my life. As a result of his investment in my life, I am a youth pastor today.

Obviously God is bigger than the circumstances in my life and I could still be in ministry regardless of the death of my father, but who’s to say? Maybe God used the hole in my life to introduce Jerry and call me to do what I do. Maybe not having a dad meant I had a greater need to rely on my Heavenly Father. I can’t get a clear picture of how things would look had my dad lived but I do know that I love the way things turned out. Not having a dad has somehow made me a better dad. Growing up without a father has made me appreciate the time that I have with my own kids. Growing up with an unconventional family (if there still is such a thing) has made me appreciate the stability of my own family. Losing my father at a young age taught me a valuable lesson on the brevity of life and I love everyday that I live.

All of this reminds me of the story of Joseph (interestingly enough). Time and time again Joseph saw tragedy turn to triumph, loss to gain, and devastation to victory. Thank you, God, for using the circumstances of my life to shape me into who I am and for being a Father to the fatherless.