I've been a "supporting husband" in my wife's Rodan + Fields business adventure for the last year and a half. I've watched her and cheered her on as my Amy has knocked down hurdles and tenaciously built a POWER Team of amazing Consultants and an ever growing base of happy return Preferred Customers.

I never planned this. I never went looking for this. Talk to me 3 years ago and I would have LAUGHED OUT LOUD if you ever suggested that Amy and I would be building a network of relationships within a home-based business model like Rodan + Fields.

But then... we have watched R+F. Amy wisely jumped in head first. I watch her thrive. I see her passion. I see the QUALITY of the products and the UNBELIEVABLE ability to succeed with the tools and support system that R+F gives you right out of the gate, and I have asked myself, "Where is the down-side?" Because I don't see one.

There are 100 good reasons I could give you to answer these questions, "Why this? Why now?" Here's my TOP THREE:

(1) FLEXIBILITY  --  I am made to be a Pastor. I love being a Pastor. I love getting to love people in Jesus' name and tell the world there is a God who loves them and wants them for His own. But I never sought out ministry work because it was a lucrative career choice. That means we have to be creative with our budget, and as we raise five sons (the first of which is headed to college in the Fall), it means looking for God-given opportunities to bring in additional income. R+F gives me ALL the flexibility our family needs to work our schedule the way we need to. I can Pastor our beautiful church here in Montgomery, IL, and find time at home to feed and grow this business in the way that works for our family. I love the FLEXIBILITY.

(2) QUALITY  --  Integrity matters. I have a low tolerance for bologna in relationships and in business connections. Just shoot straight, do what you promise, and deliver quality. That's what I look for. And we have seen time and again that not only is the SUPPORT NETWORK (talk about great Consultant Support, and the WEBSITE for each Consultant is unreal) fantastic, the PRODUCT is literally changing the lives of people. I see all the before and after pictures. And our own family has been literally SHOCKED at how effective these products are. I couldn't BACK it if I didn't BELIEVE in it. I love the QUALITY.

(3) TEAM  --  I'm wired for relationships. Frankly, my theology teaches me that we ALL are (yes, even you introverts - God bless you!) But I personally am exceptionally drawn to function best in RELATIONSHIP with a like-minded, like-hearted TEAM. TOGETHER trumps being a Lone Ranger every time. In THIS case, not only do I get to partner with my fantastic BRIDE (which is going to ROCK), but I also walk into a seriously WONDERFUL TEAM. And I mean that. It's one of the reasons I am excited to be coming on board. Officially, now. It is one of the things I love about this company. I love the TEAM.

I Googled "Christian Yoga." Over 53 million links were found. That's a 53 and six zeros. So I'm quite certain that everything that CAN be said about this topic has already been said several times over.

But as a pastor, I field questions about "Christian Yoga" from my own congregation. Women from our church are attending a Women's Retreat in the area which is offering Christian Yoga as an optional activity. So what do I say to them?

Ultimately, I do not think this is a "black and white" issue. So some discernment is needed. Rather than try to hold a nuanced, complete discussion of the topic here, I will use this post as a tool to aggregate my thoughts and give an overview - including a few other resources to consider - for further, prayerful consideration.

(1) The Incompatibility Position  --  Because Yoga is built upon and grows out of eastern mysticism and eastern religious ideologies whose worldviews ARE incompatible with a Bibliocentric, orthodox Christian worldview, many Christians assert that "being a Christian" and "practicing Yoga"are inherently at odds. When it comes to traditional yoga, I tend to agree... although what passes for yoga in the Unites States is hardly "traditional" anymore, and most so-called "Christian" yoga goes out of its way to avoid using phrases and language that roots the physical practice (stretching and deep breathing exercises) in its eastern mystic philosophical framework.

(2) The 1 Corinthians 10:23 Position  --  "All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful/beneficial/uplifting/good for you." This would be the position of many people I look to for Spirit-led wisdom, such as Pastor John Piper. You can read his short article on this topic here. He ends with the summary statement, "As I assess maximizing rather than minimizing my pursuit of God’s goals and the flourishing of my own soul, I would go another way and find another kind of exercise." I totally respect this position and would tend to counsel members of my own congregation to take this approach. In other words, this is the, "It may not be inherently WRONG, but neither is it inherently SAFE, so why dabble with it?" approach. I believe the underlying compatibility of "Christian yoga" with our scriptural worldview rests almost entirely in the hands of the LEADER and the depth of their understanding of theology and the dangerous theological and spiritual assumptions tied into traditional yoga practice. For that reason, I would council our congregation to seriously consider avoiding the practice altogether.

(3) The Freedom and Redemption Position  --  I'm a big BIG fan of freedom and redemption of culture for the glory of God. There are also Christ followers I respect who make the case that the physical and emotional benefits of yoga stretching and breathing exercises can be enjoyed within a God-honoring context. For a good summary of this position, click here. This position on "Christian Yoga" asserts that the Church is in the business of redeeming things the devil has co-opted and utilizing them for God-glorifying purposes. Think of the tradition of the Christmas tree, for example, which may have had its roots (so to speak) in pagan worship practice, but is now filled with Christian symbolism. Think of this position every time I play drums in our church on a Sunday morning. While some may assert that the drum set has been used to produce SO MUCH anti-Christian art, it is also used now in churches and venues around the world to help give voice to millions of worshippers, singing praise to Jesus Christ.

So in a nutshell... 

I tend to agree with position #1 above. Christianity and traditional yoga practices are incompatible, because yoga is built upon and fueled by non-biblical eastern religious worldviews. However, in the case of "Christian Yoga," it seems that SO MUCH responsibility lies with the LEADER to re-interpret and re-contextualize these otherwise eastern mystic ideologies that it seems WISEST to me to adopt position #2  and avoid the practice altogether. Having said that, I respect those who adopt position #3 to choose for themselves what they feel is best. I know some would disagree and consider "Christian Yoga" to be a complete oxymoron, but I tend to believe there is enough freedom in our faith to allow differing opinions on this. I put "Christian Yoga" in the "adiaphora" bin.

Admit something:

Everyone you see, you say to them,

   "Love me."

Of course you do not do this out loud;

   Otherwise,

Someone would call the cops.

Still though, think about this,

This great pull in us to connect.

Why not become the one

Who lives with a full moon in each eye

That is always saying

With that sweet moon

   Language

What every other eye in this world

   Is dying to

   Hear.

-Hafez

During a December 2014 online discussion about the supposed "Christian faith" of Oprah Winfrey, the following video clips were shared as evidence that she is, indeed a Christian:

          Clip #1, from April 23, 2012

          Clip #2, uploaded to YouTube October 19, 2011

These videos actually provide direct evidence that her theology is at least confused, if not in direct opposition to the clear identifying marks of Christianity, and specifically, saving faith in Jesus Christ, who said plainly, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

• Oprah defines "spirituality" as "living your life with an open heart through love," which she further defines as embracing the values of "tolerance, acceptance, harmony, and cooperation." Therefore, to be truly spiritual is to be tolerant of all points of view, religious or otherwise. This is a postmodern view of both truth and values, not a Christian worldview, which assets that truth is not subjective, but fixed, and morality is not subjective, but absolute. 

• Oprah defines "God" as a "force or energy or consciousness..." This is New Age spirituality, not Christianity. Christianity defines God as One God in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

• Oprah equates the "blessed life" to "living in the space of an open heart" or "living in the space of the spirit." In other words, she clarifies, the CAUSE of her blessed life is the fact that she has always (since she was 4) lived with this awareness, or "with an open heart through love," or "embracing tolerance, acceptance, harmony, cooperation..." In other words, she is blessed (and we can be, too) because of her attitudes and actions. This is a mix of works-righteousness and a "prosperity gospel" mindset error that equates the physical blessings of this earth with the degree to which we embrace love and respect of all people AND acceptance of their philosophy and religious ideology, regardless of Biblical distinctions. In Oprah's spiritual paradigm, tolerance trumps truth. That is not a Christian value.

• In speaking about our desires and dreams, Oprah communicates a mixed message. On one hand, she asks her audience to "surrender" to a God who dreams greater dreams for us than we dream for ourselves (again, at least flirting with a prosperity gospel mindset), but at the end of the day, this "higher power" or "thing greater than yourself" (which is how she often characterizes God) is found within ourselves, in communion with some mysterious "energy" of the universe. She asks, "What would you, God... the universe... have me do?" Not God OF THE universe, but "God... the universe..."  Oprah says that if we truly want something, "There's no question that if the energy and the vibrational frequency is correct... is in sync with what is going to come your way, there is a space YOU CREATE (emphasis mine) that allows that to happen." At the end of the day, Oprah's concept of God is with ourselves. This is not the Sovereign God of the Bible.

...as this picture from Google Image Search clearly proves.

I have Fantine's lyrics running through my head from Les Miserables...

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I'm living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

Why? Because I've spent 2 hours trying to simply number the pages in a word document. Thanks Bill Gates. I can't wait to work on the footnotes. Woo hoo!

Today my mind has changed. I'm a little embarrassed that it has taken this long. There is no way I can reconcile teams using names like "Indians" or "Redskins" with what I believe about racial reconciliation and the image of God that every human bears.

On the left is an actual confrontation between a Cleveland Indian fan and a Native American protester from the Cleveland Indians home opener last week. On the right is a prophetic cartoon by Lalo Alcaraz from 2002.

This was my tipping point.

All Sons and Daughters LIVE. Oh my goodness. I'm loving this right now. New worship language! Makes my heart beat harder.

This is simultaneously brilliant as a teaching strategy, redemption of anti-social behavior, and a critique of modern art. This wins.

John Mark McMillan. Released today.

My friend Paul posted this shot, labeled "72 hours without Laura..." Nice work, Paul.

A quote from Russell Brand on the tragic death of Philip Seymour Hoffman (via John Stossel):

"In spite of his life seeming superficially great, in spite of all the praise and accolades, in spite of all the loving friends and family, there is a predominant voice in the mind of an addict that supersedes all reason and that voice wants you dead. This voice is the unrelenting echo of an unfulfillable void."

I submit that all men have this void to fill, and that for the addict, a substance is used to try to fill it. I believe we all try to  fill what can only be satisfied through relationship with our Creator. I'm not suggesting that Jesus is a band-aid that supernaturally quiets every voice in our mind, every craving, every competing urge. But I do believe he can be our strength and our joy. While every other voice whispers lies to us about how that void can be satisfied, He provides us the power of a superior promise.

John Mayer does a cover of Free Fallin' (Tom Petty) on this album that I think I could listen to all night.

"Thank you God for the good food we ate today. Thank you that we're a team of brothers. Thank you that we are the Spoberboe family. Thank you for Mom and Dad. Thank you for dying on the cross to forgive our sins. Amen." #nailedit

The key to winning the battles over sin in your life in the long term is not found in some inner reservoir of strength or new-found resolve. Instead, it is found in the joy and freedom of the Gospel. When you have tasted the goodness of God and freedom from guilt and shame, it puts your mouth out of taste for the fleeting and corrupting pleasure of sin. Turn to God for forgiveness, and believe that Jesus' death was for YOU. Sin promises lasting joy, but only delivers short-term pleasure. Like bait on a hook. God is infinitely more satisfying.

Athletic ability optional.

Join us in August 2013 for the First Annual Skogerboe Greater Pittsburgh Triathlon. (Date TBA pending available funds to buy kiddie pool and snacks.)

INSPIRATION:  I have good friends training right now for a "short triathlon" later this summer. I thought to myself, "How cool is it to actually be a triathlete? Super cool." What is needed is an even shorter triathlon. For the rest of us.

PERSPIRATION: Optional. The race course will send runners all the way up our winding driveway where they will plunge briefly into a refreshing kiddie pool before descending said driveway on their bicycle. Estimated race time: 1 minute 14 seconds. Official looking T-shirt included with registration fee. Carb-loading spaghetti dinner the night before is on you.

MOTIVATION:  To be a real Triathlete. A real one.

REGISTRATION:  Check back here for updated info concerning race times and race day protocol. Registration is $50. We get your money, YOU get the glory.