God Is the Box

Leadership and Listening

2012-01-27T22:46:00.000-08:00

How do you view leadership? What part does listening play in leadership?

In Churches, Cultures and Leadership by Mark Lau Branson and Juan Martinez, I was recently convicted that leadership in the church is much more about listening than we give it credit for. As I think back over how I have been impacted about understanding leaderhsip I realize that I have not really valued listening.

I ignored the importance of listening to the people I will lead because I have been colonized into believing that "real" leadership is about setting a vision, direction and pulling people on board. Now this type of leadership may work in the corporate world, but is it best for the life of a church? I am beginning to think NOT.

I will be pondering on the idea the church leadership is about being a leader that listens to the heart, experience and feelings of those I am leading while trusting that God will be speaking in the midst of all of this.

Advent Reflection: God With US

2011-12-19T15:20:00.000-08:00

As we are in the season of Advent I have been reflecting much over the last week about Immanuel - God with Us. Here is a quote I really like from Albert Edward Day in The Captivating Presence:

But God is present in reality no what unreality our practices and our ponderings imply.
He is forever trying to establish communication;
forever aware of the wrong directions we are taking and wishing to warn us;
forever offering solutions for the problems that baffle us;
forever standing at the door of our loneliness, eager to bring us such comradeship as the most intelligent living mortal could not supply;
forever clinging to our indifference in the hope that someday our needs, or at least our tragedies will waken us to respond to his advances.
The Real Presence is just that, real and life-transforming.

God is present because God is with us!

Policies or Conversations

2011-03-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

I was listening to Andy Stanley's message titled: Big Drift in his Big Church series that North Point did a month ago. Towards the end of his message he made a great point - he said that churches have a tendency to drift towards legalism and away from grace (I think people do to...but that is for another post...). In the drift towards legalism, we want to have policies. Policies then become the answer to questions and conflict - we have a policy for that and this is how we handle it. In this situation we see institutionalism. On the other side of the coin, he mentioned that at North Point they don't have policies - which can be frustrating for the staff - because he wants people to have conversations. Conversations are important because they force us to meet with people. To talk with people. To hear them out and experience grace. Conversations was the way Jesus did ministry and it is the way we need to think about our ministries. For me, I want policies. I want policies because sometimes it is just easier to hide behind the policy. I want a policy so I don't have to have a conversation with a specific person. I want a policy so I treat all the people the same way. But as I have thought about conversations, I realize they have a greater ability to impact people. Through a conversation, I can remind people of our vision; I can gauge their passion for the specific topic and passion for ministry; I can see a level of spiritual maturity; and I get to be a living example of grace. Thus, I am going to try to move towards conversations...

Great Post about Blogging and Theology

2011-03-24T10:45:00.001-07:00

If you think about how the world has changed since FACEBOOK, we can also see how theology has changed - or at least how wide and shallow theology in our world can be today. Here is a great post about why "NOT MANY OF YOU SHOULD PRESUME TO BE BLOGGERS":
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/marchweb-only/bloggers.html?start=1

Enjoy

Sermon Prep...

2010-11-01T23:36:00.000-07:00

Here is a copy of a post by Douglas Wilson that I found helpful... http://dougwils.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=8068:the-holy-spirit-and-sermon-prep&catid=108:who-is-sufficient

We must first smite and slay the extempore bias. From at least the time of Rousseau, we have been taught that that which is spontaneous is that which is honest, fresh, sincere, and untrammeled. On the other end, we have been taught that that which is prepared beforehand is stiff and insincere.
But like many very effective lies, there is an important truth here. You do want it to be fresh. But that is why you have to prepare to be fresh. You will get what you prepare to get. Freshness is no accident. When preparation results in stale messages, that is because you didn't seal the bag right. You want fresh, then prepare for fresh. This is the discipline of a pianist practicing scales so that she can sit down and play a glorious piece "spontaneously."
But before the message can be fresh, the man must be. Prepare the man before you prepare the message. The first issue relates to character -- confess sin, grow in grace, resist temptation, feed your soul something other than spiritual Doritos.
Then there is your family, the place where the man lives and thrives . . . or not. Love your wife, spend time with her, love your children, give yourself to them. Your household is your first church, your foundational church, your probationary church. Don't work on your sermon all week, and give your family the dregs of your time. Give yourself to your family in such a way that you have something to say to your second church.
Third, you prepare the man who will preach the Word by concerning yourself with his mind and heart. Feed that part of you that will be doing the preaching. Read, listen, grow. What constitutes the leaf mold of your mind? What is composting there? Don't read like you were studying for a test. Read like you are covering the forest floor with half a foot of leaves. Don't bother keeping track of them.
Then we come to the mechanics of sermon prep, remembering that the Holy Spirit doesn't pop into existence on Sunday morning. In learning about this, don't copy slavishly. Don't let a tuba player teach you how to carry your snare drum. Work through this kind of thing selectively.
That said, Wednesdays are my sermon day. I try to have the outline done by late morning or early afternoon. If I have a topic or a fresh idea that has been forming in my mind, then I just do the outline. If I am preaching through a book, then the first part of the day consists of reading in the commentaries, followed by composition of the outline.
My outlines follow this general pattern: 1. Intro 2. Summary of the text, which unpacks the text in such a way that every major teaching is repeated, along with any necessary contextualization. 3. Three or so major points from the text that I want to develop or apply at greater length. 4. Conclusion and application.
This outline is almost always done by Wednesday. I then leave it to sit for a few days. I pick it up again sometime Saturday and read through it. Sunday morning I look at it again, and jot down any additional thoughts I may have in the margins. I then preach from the outline. My outlines are generally around 1,200 words, and an average sermon would be about 5,000 words.

Evaluating Outreach in a Small Church

2010-10-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

I found this article by Paul Kelley and was convicted, encouraged and challenged...

Small churches can be frustrating places to do outreach to teenagers. Frankly, the thing that attracts most teenagers to a youth group is other teenagers. And a small youth group, by definition, lacks a large group of teenagers. It can be a difficult cycle: The teenagers you have may not be excited about your group because there aren't many of them. You try to reach teenagers to build a bigger group, but visitors don't like the group because there aren't many teenagers there. So, how do you do effective outreach? I think many small churches approach outreach ineffectively. Let me suggest some questions to ask yourself as you attempt to reach out to teenagers in your area.
1. Are you reaching out to teenagers to build a bigger youth group . . . or to love them to Jesus? Some of you want to say: Both! I understand your answer, but I'd like to ask you to think a little deeper about the question. Teenagers are possibly the most marketed-to generation in America. Everyone from the people who make Rice Krispies to MTV are trying to get them to watch something, buy something, use something, or be something. Savvy teenagers catch on pretty quickly that the guy who is trying to sell them jeans appears to care about their "image" but really just wants to get their money. If what you really want from a teenager is to make your youth group successful, it is probably going to backfire. The more teenagers you have, the harder it will be to lovingly disciple each one. And teenagers don't need another activity to join . . . they need to experience the love of the Savior.
2. Are you focusing on teenagers you don't have in your group at the expense of those you do have? Yes, we are called to reach the lost for Christ. We need to be looking for ways to make Christ known. But it seems to me that Jesus spent a lot more time with his Twelve than he did preaching to the crowds on the hillside. I believe God has called you to disciple those he has entrusted to your care. And, my guess is, the most significant outreach work you do will be done by the students you are teaching and guiding.
3. Are you focusing on events or relationships? Events are great ways to engage teenagers in relationship, but if your attention is on the event you are not likely to reach many teenagers. If a guest at an event wants to ask questions, do you have time to listen and explore faith with them . . . or are you going to be so busy making runs to the store, fixing the food, organizing the games, and setting up a video screen that you don't really have time for the teenagers. Most of the time, the answer is engaging lots of adults. If everyone takes care of one or two details, everyone has time for teens. And if everyone–youth group members and adults–is looking to build relationships, a teenager has a lot of opportunities to connect with someone.

Can I Have Some Money

2010-09-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

The other night, I went to pick up cheap dinner for me and the kids at Little Caesar's while Kim was on the womens retreat. As I was walking into Little Caesar's a man asked if I had any change I could give him...as I looked at this man I recognized that he was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict that I had helped one day months earlier.

So when I first him ask, I said no rather quickly and went on with picking up my pizzas. As I was inside waiting, I realized that this was a great teachable moment for my 3 kids and a neighbor girl that I had with me. So as we were leaving I stopped to talk to "Greg".

As I knelt down to his level, I told him that I remebered him from months earlier when I helped him out and that i knew about his history. Greg asked if he could have a couple dollars. I thought for a second and asked him if he wanted the money for some food or for some alcohol. At this question, Greg froze. I told him I would gladly buy him a pizza, but that I would not give him any money. But Greg asked for some money again. I offered to buy him a pizza or nothing at all. He said he was really sick right now...

I walked away and had an opportunity to talk to my kids about this but I forgot to tie it back to Matthew 25:31-46. So tomorrow for our morning devotion I will talk about this situation with them...hopefully it will still be impactful.

My prayer is now that I would have the eyes to see those who are really in need (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGr8as7pPBE), and have the wisdom to meet those needs and bring light into darkness. I don't want to be a christian who walks our streets and pretends not to see people for the 21st time (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvqwHGH3Tlw&feature=related).

Encounter Service Starting September 26

2010-09-17T22:42:00.000-07:00

On September 26, we will be experimenting with a young adult service that we are calling "ENCOUNTER". I am pretty excited, yet pretty nervous at the same time...

I am excited about:
- the opportunity we have to create a sacred space for people to truly encounter God.
- the group of people who have shown a pretty high level of excitement for this idea.
- the diversity that we are trying to hold as a high value among this service.
- the possibility of people really encountering God.
- the possibility of God shattering our expectations about Himself and how we relate to Him.
- the teaching theme for our first four monthly meetings: MISCONCEPTIONS!
- the possibility of this taking off and becoming a movement of young people who experience a renewed passion for Jesus and the desire to follow him whole-heartedly!

I am nervous about:
- the expectations others will have.
- the idea of this just becomining another service that takes us into institutionalism.
- the possibility of this "failing" and how others will view if it does not work.
- the teaching theme - will we really get close to identifying peoples MISCONCEPTIONS.
- the cultural differences we will have with a diverse group of leaders.

I will wait with excitement and nervousness as we wait to see what our great God does...

Questions to Measure your Spiritual Health?

2010-09-14T14:10:00.001-07:00

I love these questions that I found posted at http://gospeldrivenchurch.blogspot.com/2010/08/diagnosing-your-spiritual-health.html;

Don Whitney's 10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, from the book of the same name:
1. Do you thirst for God?
2. Are you governed increasingly by God's Word?
3. Are you more loving?
4. Are you more sensitive to God's presence?
5. Do you have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others?
6. Do you delight in the bride of Christ?
7. Are the spiritual disciplines increasingly important to you?
8. Do you still grieve over sin?
9. Are you a quicker forgiver?
10. Do you yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus?

I love these questions because they are simple, yet really challenge us to examine our hearts and see exactly how it is we are doing spiritually.

Movement or Institution

2010-09-10T13:56:00.001-07:00

I saw this at http://adrianwarnock.com/ and thought it was important to remember; especially as we are starting a new service at our church that has amazing possibilities.

This article by Tim Keller explains the following characteristics of a movement. According to Keller it is:
- A vital, dynamic human organization
- Marked by an attractive, clear, unifying vision for the future
- Has a strong set of values or beliefs
- This unifying vision is so compelling that it takes pride of place.
- Generous flexibility
- The accomplishment of the vision is more important than power and position
- Innovativeness . . . Ideas flow out of the whole organization, top to bottom.
- Spontaneous generativity.
Keller then quotes David Hurst on how movements become institutions
- Vision becomes strategy
- Roles become tasks
- Teams become structure
- Networks become organizations,
- Recognition becomes compensation

Meaninful Worship and Expectancy

2010-09-05T23:23:00.000-07:00

If you have ever read Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, you may remember a story he tells in the introduction or an opening chapter. He talks about his experience of going to a church in the Los Angeles area, I think Pasadena, where he says that as he was parking to go to church, he noticed that people were actually running to get in to church! Yes I have that right... people running INTO church. As I read this story for the first time and I wondered how often that happens in churches.

Then in the last year, I read Tangible Kingdom by Matt Smay and Hugh Halter. In the introduction of that book, they asked a question for reflection that asked you to think about the last time you had a meaningful worship experience in your church.

From these two books I have really been wrestling with what it means to enter into worship expectantly and what makes for a meaningful worship experience? And I am still thinking, but some ideas are coming together....

Small Talk and Transparency...

2010-09-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Check out this quote from Steven James in Becoming Real...(which he took from Frank Laubach in Practicing His Presence)

“I disapprove of the usual practice of talking ‘small talk’ whenever we meet, and holding a veil over our souls. If we are so impoverished that we have nothing to reveal but small talk, then we need to struggle for more richness of soul.”

I love this quote because we need to be reminded that as live in the Kingdom of God we have the freedom and the responsibility to not conform to the patterns of this world, but really be people who are striving for a richness of soul.

God in the ClassRoom

2010-08-22T23:57:00.000-07:00

So I found this link on another youth ministry blog and few weeks ago...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jul/20/god-classroom-teaching-science

Towards the end of his post, the blogger writes: If my colleagues and I do our jobs properly, our students should go away with a story about the history of life and the universe that is far richer, far grander and far more detailed than that presented in any religious text.

As I read this I wondered if he has really read the Bible, for in the Bible we find the ultimate story. The rich story of life and life with each other and with God. We see the truth of humanity portrayed over and over again, and the truth of God's radical pursuit of humanity because of his deep love.

In the Bible, we are not just given a bunch of made up stories, but we get a story that we are invited to join. We see a story that is still happening in the lives of people. We see how we, as humans, try to live as our own gods, and find that when we do we find that something is missing.

The Bible is the story of life that I want to share with people. I want to share it in such that they become captivated by our Great God, who goes to great measures to bring us back to him. As a teacher of the word, if I do my job properly, hopefully my students will be captivated by this story.

Faith Formation in Youth

2010-08-22T23:48:00.000-07:00

Here is an interesting article that I came across about faith formation in students by Kenda Creasy Dean:

http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=8654

Are We There Yet...

2010-08-08T23:27:00.001-07:00

Recently, we had the great privilege of taking a family vacation recently. We got to spend time at 2 different lakes and the time we got to spend in the car and the time we spent together was alot of fun, but also a learning experience.

I remember as a kid asking my parents frequently while traveling in the car; "Are we there yet?" Now it was my turn to experience these questions, but this time as a parent. And as I heard this question I thought about this question in relation to our relationship with God.

As I look back at my life, and even now... I feel like I have asked God that question because I have wanted to get there (the next step in my formation) quickly. But over the last couple years, I have realized, just like my vacation experiences now... there is joy and excitement in getting "there".

I want to look forward to finding joy in the journey I am on with God and wait patiently on the Lord who hears my cry!

How do we Pray when we are in TROUBLE?

2010-07-26T10:36:00.001-07:00

Do you ever think about what you pray when you are in trouble? When I am in trouble I often pray "Lord, Help me." Now, I don't think there is anything wrong with praying for the Lord's help. It could be one of the most humble things we do - admitting that we need help. But there is something we should be aware of when we pray in trouble...look at what Jesus said:

"Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!"

Do you notice the last part...FATHER, GLORIFY YOUR NAME! When I am in trouble I want to make sure that this is part of my hearts prayer.

A Week of More OR Less

2010-07-23T23:22:00.000-07:00

This past week I was on a mission trip on San Diego... yes San Diego. Throughout the week 63 adults and students lived out a life of selfless and joyful service to people throughout San Diego so that we became less and Jesus became more.

I loved this theme... to live a life making more of Jesus and less of us.

I loved this theme because it was simple yet deeply memorable.

I loved this theme because it sums up simply the Christian life... to live in such a way that Jesus becomes more evident in our lives and we fade off into the background...

This is how I will try to live....

A Quote from Mere Christianity

2010-07-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

Lewis writes:

"If you are thinking of becoming a Christian, I warn you, you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you..." (Mere Christianity; p. 78)

Sometimes I wonder if we are proclaiming this truth frequently enough in our churches...

Are we telling people the true demands of the gospel... the whole of life surrendered to grace of God. Do we talk enough about every aspect of our lives being surrendered to all of who God is?

The Gospel and Great Post

2010-07-16T23:15:00.000-07:00

Love this quote about the gospel from http://antony-billington.blogspot.com/2010/07/light-on-gospel.html

Many religions begin by telling men and women what they should do; Christianity begins with what God has done. The shorthand word for this is ‘gospel’, referring not to a set of good instructions or a piece of good advice, but to the good news of what God himself has achieved – for me, for us, for the world – in Christ.

Also, I thought this was a great post about being a "big" church. Check it out: http://www.challies.com/guest-bloggers/9-minutes-with-frank-turk

The Week Is Over

2010-07-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

This week was our annual VBS that our church holds, but done differently than in the past. By different, I mean we did not do it at our church, but took our VBS's to the community. We had 5 different locations throughout Anaheim, Placentia and Fullerton. To be honest it sounds like it has been phenomenal, according to our early reports.

This is great to hear, but as this idea was presented to our church, many had reservations and questions as to why we are doing VBS this way this year. These questions are totally valid, important, and great to hear the body ask.

The main reason for our movement was because we have been thinking about what it means to be missional in our community and join God in His mission. As we thought about this and some recent conversations we were having about engaging our world in ways that are relevant, we came across some very interesting statistics.

In November of 2009, we gathered as a group of pastors and were presented with some interesting statistics. The most interesting was that we are now living in a time in which the percentage of people who are willing to come to a church is now shrinking. (see this post: http://www.leadingsmart.com/2010/05/the-shrinking-40.html ). This may sound wrong because it seems that there are more mega-churches or "big" churches that are growing. And this is partially true... but we were told "big" churches are growing, but evangelical Christianity is shrinking. This is happening because we are competing for 10% of similar people. By similar people, I mean people who are willing to step into a church. This is compared to the 60-70% of people who are not willing to step into a church or see the church as irrelevant to helping them in their relationship wit Jesus.

So in thinking about these statistics, we took to neighborhoods... and we are waiting to see the effect it had on our body and the community.

Are You a Leader or a First Follower

2010-07-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a great question to ask yourself if you are on staff, or involved in any type of leadership within any organization:

ARE YOU A LEADER OR A FIRST FOLLOWER?

Think about the difference...

Liked this Post

2010-07-12T23:47:00.000-07:00

I really like this post from Perry Noble about questions to ask on Mondays...
http://www.perrynoble.com/2010/07/12/nine-monday-morning-questions-for-church-leaders/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+perrynoble%2FZvVU+%28Perry+Noble+dot+com%29

Is it Hard to be a Christian?

2010-07-12T17:17:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like it is hard to really live out the Christian life? I do! To be the type of man that is surrendered to the will of God, where I follow him in faith and love people as myself; for me this is not always the easiest thing to do.

But in response to my last post about listening to messages from our pastor, Ed said something that made me really think over the last couple days. On Sunday, Ed was preaching out of Matthew 11:28-30 - which is an amazing invitation! At one point in the message Ed said that the Christian life is not hard. Think about that...the Christian life is not hard! At first I found it difficult to really agree with this because of the experience of my own life.

But when you stop and think about the invitation Jesus offers in this passage - to come to him for his yoke is EASY and his burden is LIGHT - you may see how the invitation by Jesus to come to him should lead to a life that is not hard.

Now I realize that this sounds idealistic, but if you think about the invitation of Jesus the life of following Jesus in step with the Spirit should be free - a life of freedom.

Listening to the One in Your Church

2010-07-11T23:51:00.000-07:00

I found this blog: http://transformingsermons.blogspot.com/ the other night and this post made: http://mattbredmond.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-i-no-longer-listen-to-downloaded.html me think ALOT! It is about downloading sermons and who we listen to. Check out some of what Matt Redmond wrote:

"(The following is not meant to be prescriptive for anyone's behavior. It is merely descriptive of my own. I bind no one's conscience.)

I have not listened to a recorded sermon in months. In fact I cannot remember the last time I did so. A lecture or "talk" maybe. But a sermon has not reached my ears which was not preached in my own church for a long while...

It all started - or stopped, if you will - because I was tiring of the celebrity pastor phenomenon sweeping the evangelical landscape. For good or ill, it was starting to sicken me. I seemed to hear more people talk about the sermon they downloaded than the one the pastor put over them had delivered for their good. In this I heard the dissatisfaction of past moments in the life of Matt Redmond in their elation. I had so often said and done and thought just as they, it took no degree of imagination to hear my voice say the exact same thing. I had been more than a little guilty of downgrading the importance of the sermon served up by the shepherd appointed to feed my soul and watch it. By God. And I had upgraded the importance of the pastor who would never know me or my family...that is, apart from my desire to follow said pastor around to conference after conference after conference. After conference.

All this naturally led to the sermon being a medium of entertainment. I suppose I could find ways to entertain myself which would be worse for me. But the sermon by the celebrity pastor was now becoming like a TV show. How did I know this was a bad thing for me? I started expecting from all pastors what I was hearing in podcast form. I probably justified it in the name of excellence or something asinine like that. Don't get me wrong, we should expect our pastors to preach well just as we expect plumbers to plumb well. But not all will have the same abilities. And I must be honest, I was entertained the most by the sermons when the preacher was "bringing it" or "killing it." Whew, good to get that off my chest.

My main reason for no longer listening to sermons by celebrity preachers is...well, I have a preacher. When I am not preaching, he is my preacher/pastor. God has given him to me and my family for my good and his glory. He is the principle human agent I should be looking to for making sure my soul is fed. Are there better preachers out there? Yes. Of course, for there always will be. But they are not my pastor/shepherd. I would prefer for nothing to get in the way of what God has put in front of me to keep me on the way.

Certainly I might do the same when listening to my pastor. But for my own part there is a controlling mechanism inherent deep inside my personal desire to be fed by the man standing in front of me, preaching the word. When I want no one else, effortlessly the Word is easily seen as being for me first and foremost. For conviction, encouragement, sight, hope, fire and refreshment.

So when you ask me if I have heard a sermon by anyone other than my pastor, my answer will increasingly be "no." For I do not listen to the recorded sermons of celebrity pastors anymore." From Matt Redmond's Blog

This resonated with me so much because this is what I do. I am addicted to iTunes podcasts of some "celebrity preachers." Now do I feel guilty about listening to others...no. I listen to others to try to learn the art of preaching and different styles used to communicate God's Word with clarity and conviction. But I do notice that listening to "my favs" (that is preachers I like: Matt Chandler, Mike Erre, and Tim Keller) has created something not so good for me when my pastor and shepherd is preaching which is bringing about a sense of guilt within me... my guilt was found in not listening fully to Ed. I used to listen differently when Pastor Ed preached, but as of today, this morning in fact, I changed the way I listened to Ed... for he is our pastor and is bringing messages for us as a body. So from now on, I will listen attentively to Ed or whoever is preaching when I am present.

For Your Good

2010-07-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

So I am reading FORGOTTEN GOD and in the first chapter there was a passage from John 16 that Chan referenced; "It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." (John 16:7)

Now stop and think about that verse within its context:
- He has been with his disciples for some time, they have seen his miracles and the passion is approaching
- Now he is telling them He is going away and it is FOR THEIR GOOD!
- No longer will they have God with them in the flesh, soon they will have the Holy Spirit.

Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit; and things have changed!

If you think about the story of God pursuing humans and what has changed we should be filled with wonder and awe. Think about the way God's story with humans is playing out:
- In the beginning God is walking with Adam and Eve.
- After the fall, we get to Exodus, and Moses is instructed to build the tabernacle which is where God dwells amongst his people.
- Then we move to the temple and God lives among the people.
- Next is the incarnation and God is among his people in bodily form.
- Then FOR OUR GOOD, we get the Holy Spirit - God dwelling in His people.

So then we must look at the good that comes from the Spirit...

A Calling to Live For

2010-07-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

So I saw this link on another blog and I loved it because it really resonated with me and the hopes I have for so many of the students I have been blessed and given the opportunity to minister to...

This is from Steven Furtick and can be found at:
http://www.stevenfurtick.com/motivation/staying-out-of-trouble-vs-walking-in-your-calling/

I have a deep passion to see this present generation of students have a God-sized impact on the world. In my opinion, there has never been a group in history with more potential to be used by God to further His Kingdom.

They have the resources. They have the gifting. And most importantly, they have the audacity to believe that God can actually use them to accomplish the impossible.

Which makes it all the more aggravating that we’re losing this generation. Some think it’s their lack of commitment. Others think it’s because they lack structure and are just too wild.

Each of these suggestions places the problem on the students. I think the problem lies with us. We haven’t given them something worthy of giving themselves completely over to. Instead we’ve settled for simply trying to keep them out of trouble. We are training them to be good little boys and girls.

God did not raise them up for that. He wants them to be great men and women of God. He has placed a calling on their lives. Collectively and individually. And this is what we need to spend all of our time and energy communicating. Students do not need us to be behavioral modification specialists. They need us to demonstrate what it looks like to walk in your calling.

The vision we are casting before them is too small. The challenge we are presenting isn’t great enough. I feel that the greatest peril in modern Christianity relating to youth culture is that we are under challenging this generation of students with an anemic alternate version of the Gospel that isn’t worth keeping your pants on for. We lull them to sleep with do’s and don’ts instead of waking them up to the God-given potential inside of them.

The truth is you can stay out of trouble but fall short of your calling. You can stay out of trouble, but live a life of little impact or significance.

When a student comes to understand that God has something for them far greater than sex, alcohol, and the pursuit of short-lived high school popularity, everything changes. These things lose their attractiveness. And it has nothing to do with staying out of trouble. Their motivation is that they would not dare risk the glorious destiny God has for them by wasting their time on anything that could short-circuit it.

Students (and all of us for that matter) don’t need rules to live by. They need a calling to live for.

I am going to be looking for ways to communicate this to students and hope that they live this out.

Life Is A Mess

2010-07-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

Do you realize when you are in a messy situation? Messes come in different ways... it could be the secret sin that has been exposed; it could be the pace of life - the fast paced million miles an hour pace that we often try to keep up especially in So Cal; it could be the sin of others that has sucked you in to their lives to help and support.

Whatever it is, we need to be aware of how we respond to that situation as we live life in the reality of God's Kingdom. Last night I talked about this with our Jr. High and High School students. Here is the key points from last night:

1. Know that God can redeem any mess! Think about this from the scriptures... the Israelites in slavery - they were in a mess! The prodigal son... he lived with pigs - that had to be messy. Where else do you see stories of people in a mess in Scripture?

2. In the mess - SEEK GOD! One of my favorite verses is James 4:8... Draw near to God and He will draw near to you! In the mess of life and the circumstances the most comfortable thing to us can be the presence of GOD. And God can be found when we seek him with all our heart!

3. Know that the mess has a purpose! God is about bringing about Christ-like character in us. We the character of Christ is formed in us, we then become witnesses to his transforming power. When the character of Christ is formed in us, we can then be lights in the darkness that much of the world find itself in.

Remember... 2 Cor 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

The mess is light and momentary!

Real Life Spiritual Maturity

2010-06-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

Walt Mueller, of CPYU, recently wrote an article about "Real Life Spiritual Maturity." You can read the article here:
http://www.youthworker.com/youth-ministry-resources-ideas/youth-culture-news/11631499/

There are two quotes that resonated with me...
1. In his great book The Contemporary Christian, Stott says that when we take this approach, we are no different than the Pharisees. He wrote, "Instead of seeking to be holy in thought, word and deed, while retaining relationships of love and care with all men, they withdrew from social contact with ‘sinners' and despised those who did not follow suit. They became a ‘holy club,' a pietistic enclave which virtually has contracted out of the world. They also became harsh and censorious; they had not pity for people in ignorance, sin or need."

2. Douglas Coupland, reveals how abrasive and non-compelling we become when we equate spiritual growth with checking out on the world. In his riveting novel Hey Nostradamus, Coupland reveals what that approach looks like to outsiders through the eyes of one of the book's main characters, a high school senior who says, "It always seemed to me that people who'd discovered religion had both lost and gained something. Outwardly, they'd gained calmness, confidence and a look of purpose, but what they'd lost was a certain willingness to connect with unconverted souls. Looking a convert in the eyes was like trying to make eye contact with a horse. They'd be alive and breathing, but they wouldn't be a hundred percent there anymore. They'd left the day-to-day world and joined the realm of eternal time."

As I read this article, I realize that I think this is part of the "spiritual maturity" process people go through... at first, in our conversion to life with Christ, we run away from and separate ourselves from the "world" in our attempt to be holy. I say this because it seems that this is a message the church has subliminally impressed upon me and others. However, after some time and spiritual maturity, we are reminded of the Story of God and his plan of redemption and reconciliation and brought to a clearer understanding of how Jesus lived. As Mueller says, "One of the marks of spiritual maturity is endeavoring to maintain a redemptive presence in the world."

This is my prayer for me and the people of God, that we would maintain a redemptive presence in the world by proclaiming the redemptive power of the gospel with deed and word!

Some Great Thing

2010-04-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

Currently one of the books that I am reading through is Counterfeit Gods, by Tim Keller. This book is great and Keller does a great job of bringing every story back to the true Gospel. There is one thing I read recently that has really left me thinking...

In the chapter on Success, he writes something great....at one point he says we don't have to do some great thing for God, because Jesus has already done the greatest thing ever.

As a pastor I need to keep this in mind. It is not that I have to some great thing for God, Jesus already has. I don't have to think I have to do some great thing for God, it has been done. I don't have to tell people that they have to do some great thing for God, because Jesus has. I think this is something we need to think about...

What would make Jesus cry today?

2010-03-01T23:52:00.000-08:00

Do you ever look at what Christian's do as bearers of the name of Christ and just want to cry? Do you ever look at what church's do as a representation of Christ and just want to cry?
Do you ever look at what the pain of people in church and just want to cry?

And through all of this I wonder what would make Jesus cry?

Discipleship and Community

2010-02-14T22:40:00.001-08:00

So recently I was reading a book that is probably on the controversial side and one comment in there made me think a little..."Disciples comes before community." I wondered about this. Does discipleship come before community? Or does community help bring people into a discipleship relationship? Is there an order? Does this depend on how you define each - discipleship and community? I will be thinking about this a littel more...

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T22:31:00.000-08:00

With today being Valentine's day I tried to spend much time thinking about the love God has for humanity. Which is always interesting becuase when it comes to God's love and our reflection of His perfect love, we must admit that we cannot fully understand the love of God. But at the same we should strive to understand this love to the most of our ability.

To think about God's love, I like this quote from J.I. Packer: "God's loves is an exercise of His goodness toward individual sinners whereby, having identified Himself with their welfare, He has given His Son to be their Savior, and now brings them to know and enjoy Him in a covenant relationship."

God's love is an exercies of His goodness, towards all of humanity so that we could be in a joyful, intimate relationship with Him forever.

But God's love goes further...according to Romans 5:5 God has poured out His love into us by the Holy Spirit. So as Christian's, filled with the Holy Spirit, shouldn't everyday be a day for us to love others?

AWE!!!!

2010-02-12T22:40:00.001-08:00

So there is something I am thinking about and it all starts with a quote I read somwhere and it is simply this: "This generation of young people is an aweless generation." Now if we were to stop and think, when was the last time you were in awe? When was the last time you were speechless because of what you saw? When was the last time your mouth was left open because of what you saw?

Now turn this to your relationship with God and who God is...so when was the last time you looked at some part of God's amazing creation and were in awe? When you look at the cross, and think about how Jesus died on the cross for your sin are you in awe? When you stop and think about the reality of your sin are you in awe of who God is and how he loves you? When you read the Scriptures are you amazed at what you have just read?

For me, I am trying to take more time to stop and be in awe of who God is, what he has made and waht HE has done to bring us back to him?

Bible Reading and Hearing from God = SLOW DOWN!!!!!!

2010-01-31T21:29:00.000-08:00

Like most "good" Christians I try to have a daily bible reading time where I set aside time to hear from the Lord and what it is that he wants to say to me on any specific day. To be honest there are times when the Bible reading is not clicking and I am not getting much, but there are also times when the Word of God is living and active and God is acting like the great surgeon that he is and cutting into me with his words. Sometimes, I would wonder what would make the difference? I think I have come to an understanding...

For me, I am realizing that God speaks most clearly to me when I am not rushing through my time with Him. I have realized that when I slow down and just not read through a passage, but let the passage get through me - something different is happening. When I set aside enough time to think about God and His word, the Word is much clearer and much sharper. If I stop and try to relax myself and focus on God even before I get to His word...there is something mystical and mysterious about that time.

For this to happen I have realized that I must also "sit" in the passage for a while. By using "sit" I mean rereading and rereading the passage and trying to be attentive to what I need to hear. This may require that I read the text, passage or verse over multiple times.

So slow down and try to give it a shot...see what happens...

Live Different: Don't Waste Your Life

2010-01-22T22:45:00.000-08:00

Right now we are in a series for our youth ministry called: LIVE DIFFERENT. This is our series now and our theme for the year. This theme has got me thinking so much about what it means to be a Christian in our culture today.

Last Wednesday we talked about not wasting our lives. As I thought about this idea (with the help of John Piper - thought I haven't read the book only briefly skimmed it) one way I thought that so many of us waste our lives is by doing NOTHING. Just like one of the servants did in the Parable of the Talents.

How do I see Christians of all ages wasting their lives by doing nothing? Here are a couple of ideas:
1. When we do not serve on a regular basis we are really doing nothing. I could guarantee that if you were willing to serve a church could find a place for you - but know you may be behind the scenes.
2. When we don't give at all to our local church - we are doing nothing and wasting what God has given us. I now this is tough in Orange County right now especially for young families and because of this we are really good at coming up with excuses as to why we can't give.
3. When we don't understand the power of the cross and think that we can't be used by God we sit back and do nothing. When we come to Christ we must remember that the cross is a visual reminder that our lives will never be wasted when surrendered to God.

Thinking about Conversion

2010-01-10T22:40:00.000-08:00

Currently I am taking a Spiritual Disciplines class at Fuller Seminary. Yesterday I was reading
"Spiritual Theology" by Diogenes Allen. In one section of the book, he talks about conversion and there are many points that he makes that resonated with me here are some thoughts:

1. Allen identified that in the Christian church we often think of conversion as reaching the goal.

2. Conversion is not the goal but the starting point of the journy that helps us get centered on God.

3. "The most common activities of church life today are revivalism, Christian Ed., pastoral counseling, and social action. With revivalism, being a Christian is virtually identified with a conversion experience, so not enoug is done to guide people's subsequent spiritual growth." - Allen p. 15

4. "A personal experience, no matter how intense, is not the essence of conversion or even necessary to it." - Allen p. 38

5. To gain the right understanding of what converion is we need to ask what it is we are to turn from and what it is we turn to.

6. The main issue in Christianity is whether or not we are devoted to God, not the speed at which the change in our life happened. - p. 39

7. In the New Testament there is much stress put on conversion. At first all Christians were Jews who received Jesus as Messiah and Lord. For them, conversion was not a turn from unbelief to belief, as it is so often with us today, since Jews already believed in God. What they turned from was a community that did not receive Jesus as Messiah and God incarnate to a community that did... - Allen p. 39

Here is why this is huge for me: so often when I think about conversion I think about the miraculous story...but here from his study, we see the conversion has a lot more to do with turning to God and following Jesus and Messiah and Lord. So likely there are many people in our churches who call themselves Christians, but they need to be converted to Christ.

I see a correlation between conversion and discipleship...

Sunday Recap

2010-01-03T22:36:00.001-08:00

The last couple weeks have been interesting at church...I wonder how other churches are impacted by the holidays. For us, it seems as if there has been a chill in the air...because our heater has not been working. For this week this was my fault because I didn't say much last week after it was freezing in our service as well. With it being a little on the chilly side, it seems as if the body has been somewhat frozen. But I don't think it is because the church is cold. I am praying right now for God to light a fire in our body over the next year. I pray that God would put a passion in our people to encounter Him every time we gather! I pray that the people of Sunkist would come to church with a holy expectation to see God work and hear God speak to us personally.

For our youth ministry, I pray that we would focus this year on living differently. I pray that we would live different as Christians and the way we live would impact our witness and our proclamation! May our students live different as they follow Jesus.

When Jesus Appeared

2009-12-19T21:50:00.000-08:00

Recently in youth group, we have been going over a series of what happened when Jesus appeared...we started off with Grace and Truth Appeared. The love and faithfulness of God became tangible and sensible! Grace and Truth became a person we can touch and see. God communicated Grace and Truth in a person.

Then we looked at when Jesus Appeared: Glory Appeared. The heaviness of God appeared in the world and the light of God was shining in the world. But as we talked about the Glory of God, we can choose one of two paths: either we continue to use it as a word we know and use in church and talk about it's deep meaning, or we can try to dig into this word and concept and get to understand what it means; at least to the degree that we can truly know it.

Sunday we are going to talk about Light Appearing. When Jesus Appeared: Light Appeared. God broke 400 years of "darkness" with the birth of Jesus the light of the world. The light came into the world and shines through the darkness! This light shines so we don't have to be afraid of the dark! I love the way Steven James gives some insight into this:
"A world as dark as ours is in need of the light of God, and it arrived one night in a manger. All of creation had been waiting since Eden for the dawning of this baby's death...And then the child grew and the word spread. He was different. So much like us, yet so different from us. We have both light and darkness threaded into our hearts. We can see both dawn and dusk in our souls, but he was light with no shadow, illumination with no night. That first Christmas God sent a light so strong we would never have to be afraid of the dark again." - taken from Steven James in "Sailing Between the Stars" p. 78.

We don't have to be afraid of the dark! And we can testify to the light...how are you going to testify to the light this Christmas?

Prayer and Bible Reading

2009-12-14T15:40:00.000-08:00

So I picked up Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind, by Tremper Longman III. The third chapter is called The Surprising Encounter and here is a great quote to think about:

"God speaks to us through the Bible. He encounters us in its pages. It is true that He speaks to us in other ways as well but never so clearly and directly as in Scripture...
But God HAS chosen to reveal Himself to us in the Bible, and it is God's description of Himself. It is not an internal voice that could be the product of our wish fulfillment; it is the voice of God addressing us from outside of ourselves. (THIS IS THE REALLY GOOD PART) In this regard, the Bible is the other side of prayer. I speak to God by praying to Him, and He answers me most clearly as I read the Bible. To pray much but not study the Bible traps us in a one-way conversation with God. Prayer without Bible reading is narcissistic. We hear ourselves but not God." - p. 39.

Simply put, prayer and Bible reading must go together...it is the conversation of prayer.

The Gospel in Two Words

2009-12-12T20:31:00.000-08:00

So for the last couple weeks I have been thinking alot about the Gospel and how we communicate the message of the Gospel clearly. But I have been reminded of the paradox of the gospel...that is that the gospel is huge and just when you think you have come up with one way to define you are reminded of something else. Yet, know I have come to really see a simple a definition of the gospel in 2 Words: BUT GOD... and this works both ways...here is what I mean.

First, I say the gospel can be defined (at least as a starting point) in these two words - BUT GOD - because the gospel is the story of God and his work and movement towards us even while we were dead in our sins. For example: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - (Romans 5:8, NIV) And: But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved...(Ephesians 2:4-5, NASB)

I say this works both ways because of people's fearful response to God. For example, when God confronted Moses and told him to go speak to Pharaoh, more or less he said, "But God, I don't speak well." And often I think we hear this response from many people as well. But God, could not love someone like me. But God, would be disappointed in me. Yet we can answer these doubts with the best BUT of all...But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

May we always remember But God....!!!! and communicate the gospel clearly.

Quote's of the Day...

2009-11-19T09:54:00.000-08:00

Heresy comes the moment we try to make his (Jesus') message palatable and user-friendly. - Steven James in Sailing Between the Stars, p. 88

There are only 2 reasons everyone is not a Christian: 1. They do not know a Christian. or 2. They do... - unknown

The mind justifies what the heart has chosen. - unknown

God doesn't call people who are qualified. He calls people who are willing, and then He qualifies them. - Richard Parker

Faith is the ability to see truth that's invisible; it's not the ability to comprehend the incomprehensible. - Steven James, Sailing Between the Stars, p. 82

Reading, Reading and more READING

2009-11-02T22:24:00.000-08:00

As I entered full time ministry, there was something that was made very clear to me by my Sr. Pastor. Simply it was this: if you want to stay in ministry for a long time, you must be reader. This was the starting point, and now it seems like books are often my addiction.

The funny thing is that when I started reading I would get in reading ruts...it seems like I would read similar books from similar authors on similar topics. But recently my reading has broadened. For example:
Recently, for school I had to read books on preaching: The Witness of Preaching by Thomas Long, A Primer for Preachers by Ian Pitt Watson (good little book), and another I am thoroughly enjoying is Bread of Angels by Barbra Brown Taylor (This is book of her sermons...she is fun to read and can expand your sermon form...pick up some of her work). Along with those I am reading Biblical Preaching by Haddon Robinson...

To broaden my scope I am slowly working through Systematic Theology by Grudem...fun and this is because to be a good pastor and teacher we must be constantly thinking theologically...

For fun and a new perspective I am reading Sailing Between the Stars by Steven James. I really like this book because it is creative and fun to read, and James has very interesting insights...for example:
Everywhere you look in Christianity, you see mysteries piled upon mysteries.
Here, death is the beginning of life, foolishness is the pathway to wisdom, the meek conquer the strong, a lamb tramples a snake, and the almighty Creator of the galaxies has a belly button. The foundation of faith is paradox, not common sense - because logic can only take you as far as the confines of language and reason, but paradox can lead you all the way to truth. (p. 12).
It is this type of stuff that makes this reading fun and stimulating for my creativity and communication. Not to mention is fun little poetry excerpts that are great to read. I would recommend this book for fun reading.

Thankfulness and Walking with the Lord

2009-11-01T14:28:00.000-08:00

This week we were reading through Colossians and the thought in chapter 2 verses 6 and 7 struck me. In this chapter Paul writes:
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
This passage struck me because as I thought about the idea of overflowin with thankfulness I realized that being thankful is a key to continuing to walk with Jesus.

As I thought about previous students and people who have tried to follow Jesus and walked away, I think alot of the decision to stop walking with Lord comes down to the idea that many of those people lose sight of being thankful for all that God has done, is doing and will do. I think that when we overflow with thankfulness we will continue to walk with and follow Jesus. Are you thankful?

Preaching

2009-10-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

Preaching...the joys, the pains, the agony...it all happens as we prepare, but in the midst of this preparation those of us who have a chance to preach have the great opportunity to have our own wrestling match with God and His Word. For those of us who get to preach, we should take great delight in this. NO MATTER WHO WE GET TO PREACH TO! If we get to teach in Release Time, prepare as if you are preaching! If you are a youth pastor, everytime you stand up in front of your group you have the opportunity to preach! So PREACH! If you are a college pastor, you get to PREACH! So PREACH!

Reflections on Sunday Worship = Entertain Me

2009-09-14T11:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had two young guys lead us in Musical worship. The sound was much different than our "normal" Sundays. This was an all acoustic set: an acoustic guitar and an acoustic bass! It was awesome! The sound was great and the volume was perfect: you could hear the instruments, their vocals, and the congregation singing! There were no drums, no electric guitar nothing that shocking.

This was interesting in light of a recent conversation I had with someone else about one of worship services. The worship service we were talking about started off with songs that were not of the "RAH RAH, CLAP YOUR HANDS, SHOUT FOR JOY" type of songs. We started with: Gathering song by Eoghan Hoeslip, Whole World in His Hands by Tim Hughes, Wonderful Maker by Redman and Tomlin, and then Who Is Like Our God by Vineyard. Now these songs are not the typically "happy" type of songs, but I think these are great songs that proclaim truth!

This conversation made me really think about the songs and the "Flow" or "usual" way we worship. It seems like often when we gather, there is the type of let's get happy songs - which are not bad and I am not saying that we should not use those songs because I think we should. But I guess what I am really getting at is the attitude we have when we come to worship. It seems like many want to be entertained and if we take time to talk about God's faithfulness in a slow or "reflective" way that is not part of the "response time" people feel like "worship just wasn't that exciting for me today." So in light of this I want to write a song...it will be called "Entertain Me." I would write this because I think that is a song we could sing with real honesty because that is what we expect.

Do You Want to Know What it Feels Like to Preach?

2009-09-10T22:41:00.000-07:00

So for the last four weeks while my Sr. Pastor was gone, I got to preach in "Big Church" (which is really a name I hate for it shows the separation that happens in church ministry between children, youth and adults...but perhaps I will blog about that another time). It is really interesting to be "on the stage" or the "platform" or "pulpit" because you see the church in a much different way. I could try to describe it my own words, but Thomas Long in The Witness of Preaching gives a much better description:

Despite this brave talk about the ministry of preaching belonging to the whole church, every honest preacher knows something of the loneliness of the pulpit too. As Moltmann's picture implies, we who preach get up from our place in the midst of the congregation, and then we walk to the pulpit and stand in front of the people. There is a difference between us and them, and often we feel this distance keenly. We want to speak the gospel to the them, the gospel of grace and demand, and yet we sometimes stand there looking out at people who could hardly seem less receptive. Because we come from them, we know them, know their apathies and divisions, know their broken place and their dull ears. We stand there and look out at the man who is even now cheating on his wife, the parents who are pressuring their children into lives of frenzied overachieving, the couple who just purchased a new home to escape an integrated neighborhood, and the merchant who recently pulled a fast one on the IRS. As we stand there, we see the restless teenagers on the back pew passing notes to each other, the church officer who is doing her best to undermine our ministry, and the man who is already asleep, and the place where we stand feels like a lonely place. (The Witness of Preaching, p. 5).

If you are a pastor and now your people, that is what it feels like to preach! Doesn't that sound exciting? Do you want to give it a try?

Grace and Demand

2009-08-31T13:29:00.000-07:00

I have been preaching for the last three weeks at my church because our Senior Pastor is on a well desrved sabbatical. And as Ed left, the preaching privilige and responsibility was left to me, with complete openness...so I got to pick the series.

As you might guess I chose to do a series on the Kingdom of God/Kingdom of Heaven/Eteran life/life/lift to the full (which throughout the gospels can be interchangeable terms...

With this one of the interesting things I have found is that the gospel is a gospel of grace and demand. When we talk of the gospel of grace, there is really no explanation of that required, but to add DEMAND as a word to the gospel? But that exactly is what the gospel of the Kingdom demands...a demand for a decision!

The demand for a decision is what we are all presented with...will we decide to live in an interactive and dynamic relationship with God and His Kingdom or will we continue to be kings or queens and decide to reject the most valuable opportunity we will ever be presented with?

Preaching Reflections

2009-08-20T23:55:00.000-07:00

What is the purpose of preaching? Sometime as I read through the gospels I look at Jesus model of teaching and I wonder why we put such an emphasis on preaching. I say this because there are times when I read the gospels and see that much of Jesus teaching came in the midst of life and conversations. Yet it seems that the church has put such on emphasis on one person being upfront being the primary teacher.

Now I believe in the power of the word rightly preached, but I wonder if the church talks enough about the power of the word in conversation. When was the last time you had conversation in which you really think that you taught somethign to someone else in the midst of a conversation?

Also, in preaching we spend so much time in preparation, but much of Jesus' teaching seemed to be as they were walking along....how much of our teaching is impromptu?

The Gospel and Death By Church

2009-07-28T22:42:00.000-07:00

So right now I am reading Death by Church: Rescuing Jesus from His Followers, Recapturing God's Hope for His People by Mike Erre. I am enjoying this book and the thoughts that Mike is sharing. But while reading this many questions have developed in my mind. Let me start with one that I am really thinking about: THE GOSPEL!

Now this is a huge concept and anytime we think about the Gospel what is it that we think of? Do we think of a Pauline definition or what Jesus said? (Is there a difference?) Brian MacLaren in the Secret Message of Jesus shares about a conversation he had with a friend that is a theologian who asked him this question. MacLaren responded by quoting Paul in saying something like, "It is by grace that we are saved and this not of our own efforts or work." (Now we should praise God for His grace that leads to our salvation...But more to come....) His friend responded by saying "Why is that we more often quote Paul than Jesus?" I think this is a great question...because what does Jesus say the gospel or good news is? To get Jesus' response we look at Mark 1:15; "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!" What is the good news Jesus is proclaiming? The Kingdom of God is near or here depending on translation. Do we talke about the Kingdom and its relation to the gospel enough?

This is a question I am wrestling with...and here is why. I think that in the church when we talk about the gospel we go to Paul's words in Ephesians 2:8-10 or 1 Cor. 15:1-8 (and others) more often than we go to the words of Jesus.

There are even great theologians and pastors who don't seem to mention the Kingdom in their definition of the gospel. For example, John Piper has said that the gospel is "is the news that Jesus Christ the righteous one died for our sins, rose again, and is eternally triumphant over all his enemies so that for those who are in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation, only everlasting joy." Now I love this definition, and see that Dr. Piper is perhaps hinting towards the kingdom in saying that he is "eternally triumphant over all his enemies." Perhaps...

But let me share a quote found in Death By Church... "Rene Padilla says: "The Gospel is Good News concerning the Kingdom, and the Kingdom is God's rule over the totality of life. Every human need therefore can be used by the Spirit of God as a beachhead for the manifestation of his kingly power." (see p. 212.)

What do you think???

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday

2009-07-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is VBS Sunday and I get the privilege of preaching. Now I am excited and nervous about this. I am going to present the gospel through the life of Peter.

In the Gospel's Peter has three defining marks that I think we can use to present the gospel to others:
1. Luke 5 - Lord I am a sinful
2. Matthew 14 - Lord Save me!
3. Matthew 16 - Jesus you are the Messiah.

Ulitmately...my prayer is that one person would truly come to know Jesus tomorrow or at least start the journey...

If You Don't Go, We Are Not Going

2009-07-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

I have been looking at Exodus 33 this week and there is a specific comment in this passage that I have been pondering on lately. In this passage we see that Moses goes in the tent of meeting with God and where the Lord would speak with Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend (v. 11).

In the midst of this conversation, Moses gets very honest with God and asks Moses pours out some questions. In response to this God tells Moses that his presence will go with him, but not the people of Israel. The you in v.14 is singular.

From here, we see Moses' leadership of the people of Israel. He intercedes for them and tells God that if his presence is not going to go with them, they don't want to be sent out from where they are:
15 Then Moses said to him, "If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. 16 How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?"

I love this section because this should be a defining mark of the people of God. As we live our day to day live we must remember that God presence is with us. We must strive not to look religious but to truly show the presence of God with us all the time because the Spirit of God is within and we ourselves are God's temple (1 Cor. 3:16).

Youth Ministry Goals....

2009-06-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

I recently took a volunterr position with our Southern California association of NAB church's dealing with youth ministry. I had to come up with some goals for our area and here are my thoughts:

Primary Goal:
“Recent research reports indicate that about two-thirds of those who were once faithful and active in church attendance during high school tend to drop out of church attendance when they leave home for college or the world of young adulthood (LifeWay, 2007).” – Taken from an article in The Journal of Youth Ministry, Spring 2008 by Wesley Black

In a recent conversation with Steve Kellar, the Regional Minister in Northern California, he said that churches across the denomination are dying because we cannot keep our younger generations.

This has been a trend that some of the churches in our association have seen as well. Thus the primary goal is to decrease the percentage of students who walk away from church once they are done with high school. We are hoping to gradually increase the number of students who stay involved in the life of a local church. To help accomplish this goal we will continue to network as youth pastors and encourage each other to:
1. Change the view of students from objects of ministry to agents of ministry. We will try to connect students into areas of service within the body hoping to build connections with people inside the church and outside of youth ministry.
2. Look for events and opportunities that will integrate students into the full life of the church through generational connections.
3. We will consistently look for opportunities to do worship events and mission projects together to show students that the body of Christ is bigger than one church.
4. We will also try to connect students with other adults who can disciple and mentor them in their faith.

Reflections on a Week at Hume and the Spiritual Formation of High School Students

2009-06-28T19:12:00.000-07:00

I just got back from HUME Lake Christian Camps yesterday and it was an amazing week. We had 6 students from our church make first time decisions for Christ...and that is always exciting.

But there is something that is very interesting about the Spiritual Formation of High School students...First, for many of the students it is very hard for many of them to truly articulate what they really understand, but at some point they admit that they have a need or a desire for Jesus. This is the first step that they must make as they move to understanding the Gospel.
Second, it is also interesting to see how many students recognize that they have not really lived the life of a follower of Christ and in some way they want to change their ways...Confession and repentance are critical aspects of life with Christ.

Now that we are down the mountain, this is where the work of the Body of Christ can really make a difference and help the students in their Spiritual Formation...here we go...I can't wait to see what God is going to do.

What Do You Teach About God?

2009-06-18T21:10:00.000-07:00

So here is the thing...I must admit that I am an iPod junkie. I am always listening to podcasts and messages by anyone that communicates Truth very well. One of the guys I listen to alot is Matt Chandler, and not just his stuff from the Village, but also stuff from the Acts 29 Network as well.

Recently he was in San Diego for an Acts 29 bootcamp and spoke about the importance of teaching the attributes of God in every message and gave an amazing example of why this is important. He shared the story of a woman in his church whose grandson woke up one day when he was 3, had a massive seizure which lead to the discovery of a giant brain tumor. When Chandler arrived at the hospital he talked about how the women was somewhat able to make sense of it all because she knew the attributes of God. To quote him loosely he said, "Do you think in times of fire and trials that people remember the six keys to staying out of debt, or do they remember the character and attributes of God." Check out the message...see Acts 29 Network Sermons...Influence through Word and Worship...about 30 minutes left in the message. It's brilliant! Check it out!

This reminded me that teaching the Word is about pointing to God and the revelation he has given us. Preachers and Teachers are to constantly think about the ways in which they describe God to those who sit under their teaching. It is important to remember that teaching is about God and making him known.

What God Is Teaching Me About Leadership

2009-06-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

It has been interesting the last couple months to think about what it is that God has been teaching me lately, especially about leadership. Here is simply what I think God has been revealing to me about leadership especially in the Church:

1. Initiation: leadership/pastoring is about taking the initiative to do things with people. Keeping in mind that Jesus became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.

2. Invitation: people like to be invited; to be part of something and active or a part of something. Leaders must be people who invite others into life with them, and ministering with them. Jesus was a master inviter... "Come follow Me..."

3. Pursuit: leadership at times must be about pursuing people. I think this is what God did to Adam and Eve in the first game of hide and seek...and part of Jesus' mission to seek and save that which is lost.

These are three things that I am going to try to keep before me for a long time.

An Exciting Time of Year and Depressing as Well

2009-06-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

Summer time...this is such a great time of year - Hume Lake is coming up, beach parties, trips to rite aid after youth group, but to be honest for me it gets depressing as well. I get depressed at this time of year because of a trend that happens within the church, especially in youth ministry.

Check out some excerpts from an article by Wesley Black in the Journal of Youth Ministry from Spring of 2008:
A continuing concern among those who nurture youth
in their faith journey toward young adulthood is the problem of
dropouts following high school graduation. Recent research reports
indicate that about two-thirds of those who were once faithful
and active in church att endance during high school tend to drop
out of church att endance when they leave home for college or the
world of young adulthood (LifeWay, 2007)...
Current youth ministry practice is oft en blamed for the
drop-off in church att endance following high school graduation. In
a study of “twentysomethings” with the Barna Group (2006), David
Kinnaman, director of the research project concluded:
Much of the ministry to teenagers in America needs
an overhaul – not because churches fail to att ract
signifi cant numbers of young people, but because so
much of those eff orts are not creating a sustainable
faith beyond high school. There are certainly eff ective
youth ministries across the country, but the levels of
disengagement among twentysomethings suggest
that youth ministry fails too oft en at discipleship and
faith formation. A new standard for viable youth
ministry should be – not the number of att enders,
the sophistication of the events, or the ‘cool’ factor
of the youth group – but whether teens have the
commitment, passion and resources to pursue Christ
intentionally and whole-heartedly aft er they leave the
youth ministry nest.

I get depressed because I have seen this to be true, and honestly I am thinking about the overhaul that needs to happen in the youth ministry at Sunkist.

WHAT A FUN PROCESS....?!

Spiritual Gifts

2009-06-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Pastor Ed gave a message about Christians being "Gifted People." In the message he talked specifically about spiritual gifts and he mentioned that we can't really learn our gifts from taking a spiritual gifts test, but we really learn what our gifts are when we start serving. For when you serve you see what exactly your gifts are...i think this is so true.

But the aspect of the message I enjoyed the most was his definition of spiritual gifts: expressions of faith that aim to strengthen faith.

Are you using your gifts to strengthen your faith and the faith of others?

How Do You View God?

2009-05-28T10:38:00.001-07:00

Last night in our youth ministry meeting we broke off into small groups and discussed a story out Steven James' book "Never the Same." (Pretty cool youth-ish type book that gives a different perspective on passages of Scripture!) Last night we were talking about Jesus being a party animal by looking at Matthew 9:9-13 [The Calling of Matthew and partying with tax collectors and sinners] and Luke 15:11-32 [the Parable of the Prodigal Son]. Here is what we took from James' book to open conversations with:

"I’m gonna let you in on one of the greatest secrets of all time: God is into parties, not religion!

At the core of God’s being is a deep desire to find the lost and then party with the found. That’s why Jesus came (Luke 19:10). God isn’t a quiet, reserved, reverent mumbling monk in heaven. God is a party animal!

The Old Testament is packed with parties and festivals in honor of God. And in the New Testament Jesus himself compares the kingdom of heaven to a party more than anything else.

Nope, Jesus never said, “The Kingdom of God is like a church service that goes on and on forever and never stops.” No way. He said, “God’s kingdom is like a homecoming party, a wedding, a banquet, a feast, a Thanksgiving dinner with your friends and family!”

Heaven is gonna be more like a wedding reception than an organ recital. More like a pep rally than a church service.

How about that? The kingdom of Heaven is a party with God.

This idea was too radical for the religious leaders of this day. They were more concerned about etiquette, manners, traditions, and religious rituals than about partying with Jesus. And that’s why they missed out. Jesus was too much of a party animal for them to accept (Mtw. 11:19) and yet too pure to find any fault in (Mark 14:55; John 8:46).

According to Jesus, the truly spiritual life is one marked by freedom rather than compulsion, love rather than ritual and peace rather than guilt. Jesus saves us from the dry, dusty duties of religion and frees us to cut loose and celebrate. That’s my kind of Savior!" - Never the Same p. 47-48.

Cool stuff and check out the first question we started with:
1. How do you tend to think about God? Do you ever think about God being a party animal? What is your image of God? Have you ever thought about God in this way:?
“He has a single relentless stance toward us; he loves us.
He is the only God man has ever heard of
who loves sinners.” – Brennan Manning

-In my group the answers were honest and real, focusing around God's Holiness (good) and God being mean or angry :(.

But after last night, it was great to hear many of the students say they never thought of God as a God who celebrates when people are found after being lost...see Luke 15.

Fan or Fanatic; Admirer or Follower; Christian or Disciple

2009-05-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

The NBA playoffs right now are amazing! Just think, if it wasn't for "King" James' amazing game-winning three pointer on Friday night, the Magic could be up 3-0. And the Lakes, though up 2-1, they could just as easily be down 2-1..."NBA action...it's fantastic!" (Remember that add..)

With that said I have been thinking about fans and fanatics...now I know we get Fan from Fanatic but today there is a difference. Let me explain: Fans enjoy games and hope to watch a game, but fanatics will reorient their lives to be at or even watch a game. And in some way I believe this has some correlation to one's discipleship to Christ.

Check out this quote: (once again, not sure where I got it, but it's not mine)
“The difference between an admirer and a follower still remains no matter where you are. The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in words, phrases, and songs he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, but yet he renounces nothing gives up nothing, will not reconstruct his life, will not be what he admirers and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admirers.”

When it comes to sports are you a fan or fanatic? When it comes to Jesus are you an admirer or follower? A Christian or a Disciple? (Because in today's world there is a difference!)

Not Just Another Old Lady: A New Look to Release Time Christian Education

2009-05-22T22:35:00.001-07:00

Tonight was a closing ceremony for Anaheim's Release Time Christian Education at Sunkist Community Church. I am guessing that we had over 200 people at our meeting tonight and it was amazing to see.

This was my first year teaching in Release Time and I must say it was quite an experience. Here are some of my reflections:
1. It was very interesting to watch the students and the school teachers look at me when I told them I was the new RT teacher this year...they likely didn't expect a man, nor a young man at that.
2. It was great to see the kids get engaged in the OT stories we went through this year.
3. Teaching younger kids really makes you think about what you want them to take away from the time you have with them. For example...what do I hope they take away from the story of David and Goliath; Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abendego.
4. It is an amazing opportunity to touch the lives of these young kids and see how they respond to God.
5. I am still amazed that Anaheim City School District has allowed RT to stay involved...God is up to something...there were over 600 4th or 5th grade students this year from 26 or 28 schools.
6. My prayer is that the Word they heard this year will take solid root in the lives of these students and that they would really follow Jesus with their lives.

Nice Tattoo to Talking Jesus

2009-05-21T00:34:00.000-07:00

So the other day I was in the park, watching Bryce's baseball game and I had an amazing coversation with a 21 year old dude. I noticed he had a tattoo on his arm...I asked him what it was and before he knew it, we were talking - very repsectfully - about his religious views and I was able to share the gospel...

I think we talked for nearly 30 minutes and it was amazing! Here are two things I realized:
1. People will be willing to talk about spiritual matters if you ask questions and listen before you push in with your beliefs.
2. Religious pluralism is alive and kicking! In today's world it seems that people are making up their beliefs based on a little of this and a little of that. And if we are going to be faithful proclaimers of the Word we need to know how to talk about Jesus and what it means to follow him.

Being Deceived

2009-05-19T23:58:00.000-07:00

There is one passage that has been constantly going through my mind the last couple weeks...it comes from the parable of the Sower in Mark's Gospel. The part that has been nagging at me is found in vv. 18-19:

"Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful."

I am really thinking about this passage in regards to my own life. This is a reality check for me: is the deceitfulness of wealth and the desire for others things choking out the word in my own life?

I am trying to learn to be content and completely satisfied in Jesus. I want to live out the belief that Jesus is truly enough, that God is faithful and generous. I don't want to be deceived by the things of this world and focus on those things...I want to focus on Jesus and I am trying to with the help of God.

Evangelism IS NOT for Professionals

2009-05-14T23:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday, I was at a great Seminar lead by Mike McNichols of Fuller Theological Seminary, entitled "Exploring a New Paradigm for Evangelism in the Emerging Culture." OK big title, but some good stuff...

One key aspect worth sharing was the idea that many people in the church hold to the idea that evangelism is to be done by the Professionals - you know the paid people who do that type of thing. But Mike said that evangelism is to be done by the opposite of professionals - that is amateurs. You know people who do a specific thing because they love it.

Know I am interpreting that by saying that evangelism is the work of people who are in love with Jesus! Evangelism is the work of the Body of Christ because evangelism should be the very expression of the Church - those who love Jesus.

Here are some other thoughts I will wrestle with:
-"The Church is the new Israel or it is the people who struggle with God."
-"Maybe pastors need to find a regular lunch time parish." (To meet people who are not Christians!)
-"Evangelism is an acoustic art." That is we need to listen to others to see where the Spirit of God is already working...we are dusting for the fingerprints of God.

Why I Need the Church

2009-05-12T13:33:00.001-07:00

The Church. The ugly yet beutiful. The hypocritical yet holy. The bride of Christ. The group of people the Jesus was willing to die for. The Church.

The Church is something that many people have a problem with today and honestly, I really can't blame them. In reality, church's have done some pretty ridiculous things to people in the past, and tragically meaning people leave their life with Jesus because they leave the church. Honestly, this saddens me, but I know I need the church. Here is why:

I need the church - the body of Christ, the community of disciples, the people of God (not the building) - because I need to learn from other disciples. I need to learn with people. I need to see how life with Jesus is not always easy, pretty and powerful. I need to see how people get through desert times. I need to see how others see God. I need to be with others so that I can grasp a better picture of what God is like.

I need the Church because I need grace from others to recognize the grace of God. I need to hear others speak truth in to my life when I have forgotten the Word of the Lord. I need others to help me understand what loving my neighbor as myself looks like when some people are hard to love.

I need the Church because, as Hauerwas and Willimon say in Resident Aliens, "as an isolated individual, I lack the ethical and theological resources to be a faithful disciple." (p. 80)

If I am going to be a faithful disciples I need others to help correct my theological views that may go askew if I constantly think by myself.

I need the church to help me be a faithful disciple of the life and teachings of Jesus!

That's why I need the Church!

God is Heavy

2009-05-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we were going through the book of Ephesians and looking at what Paul outlines as some of the callings for the church. One specific idea is that as the church we are "to be for the praise of his glory" (Ephesians 1:12). Glory...such an interesting word in Christian circles. How do we define it? How do we explain it? How do we as individuals and the church truly live for the praise of God's glory?

Philip Graham Ryken in his book Discovering God in the Stories of the Bible helped me understand this a little bit better. He points out the Hebrew word for glory came from the word heavy, which refers not only to a physical sense, but also honor or recognition. For those who were heavy, were people who were honored or recognized. He used a quote from a book called God in the Wasteland by David Wells that talked about God being weightless (opposite of heavy)...check it out:

“It is one of the defining marks of Our Time that God is now weightless. I do not mean by this that he is ethereal but rather that he has become unimportant. He rests upon the world so inconsequentially as not to be noticeable. He has lost his saliency for human life. Those who assure the pollsters of their belief in God’s existence may nonetheless consider him less interesting than television, his commands less authoritative than their appetites for affluence and influence, his judgment no more awe-inspiring than the evening news, and his truth less compelling than the advertisers’ sweet fog of flattery lies. That is weightlessness.”

Do we give God the honor or recognition he deserves or have we made God unimportant in our lives by our conduct and actions?

A Challenge to Discipleship

2009-05-08T22:05:00.000-07:00

This a story I heard in my ethics class (titled Christian Discipleship in a Secular Society) at Fuller Seminary. (I DON'T KNOW WHERE MY PROFESSOR GOT THIS BUT IT'S NOT MINE AND ITS NOT HIS). Read it slowly and really think about it:

The late theologian, Jim McClendon, tells the story of Clarence Jordan.[1] Clarence Jordan founded the Koinonia Farm near Americus Georgia in the early '50s. It was to be an interracial community—and this was before anyone knew anything about civil rights. And even though he came from a prominent Georgia family, Jordan wasn't popular because he was an integrationist. The were bound to face opposition, such as when they were refused delivery of heating oil to the farm. By law, they were entitled to the oil and they were perfectly happy to pay for it. Now Clarence's brother, Robert Jordan, was a prominent Georgia lawyer and later came to be a state senator and justice in the state supreme court. So Clarence asked his brother to legally represent Koinonia Farm. But Robert responded to Clarence:

"Clarence, I can't do that. You know my political aspirations. Why, if I represented you, I might lose my job, my house, everything I've got."
"We might lose everything too, Bob."
"It's different for you."
"Why is it different? I remember we were both baptized together, we both joined the church on the same Sunday as boys. I expect when we came forward the preacher asked me about the same question he did you. He asked me, 'Do you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.' And I said, 'Yes.' What did you say?"
"I follow Jesus, Clarence, up to a point."
"Could that point by any chance be—the cross?"
"That's right. I follow him to the cross, but not on the cross. I'm not getting myself crucified."
"Then I don't believe you're a disciple. You're an admirer of Jesus, but not a disciple of his. I think you ought to go back to the church you belong to, and tell them you're an admirer not a disciple."
"Well now, if everyone who felt like I do did that, we wouldn't have a church, would we?"
"The question," Clarence said, "is, Do you have a church?"

How do you follow Jesus?

PreachingThoughts: Preparation and Presentation

2009-05-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

Currenlty in my systematic theology class we have been talking about the role of the church. Tonight we talked about the role of preaching in nurturing of disciples. As I listend to Doc Ok talk about the importance of preaching I was filled with thoughts about preparation and presentation. Here are some quotes and thoughts from tonight and other things I have heard him say:

1. The preacher is the mouthpiece of the living Christ. (Now think about the implication of this...)
2. Preach Biblically not culturally. (We need to go to the Word first, and then correlate this to the world.)
3. When you preach, you are responsible for every word that comes out of your mouth and once it is out there you can't get it back! (I am still wrestling with this idea, especially for those who don't use notes, remember their sermon word for word, or read their sermons. Thus I am thinking about how much a preacher must be in step with the Holy Spirit in his preparation and presentation.)

The last point makes me think alot...especially about my preparation and presentation.

Believing God MATTERS is the Issue

2009-05-06T15:29:00.000-07:00

In "Starting Right: Thinking Theologically About Youth Ministry" Kendra Creasy Dean quotes from her book with Ron Foster, that for teenagers (and I would say most everyone) "Believing in God is not the issue; believing God matters is the issue."

I believe that this is absolutely true and this is something I hope people believe, especially the people I get to do life with. We must never forget - God Matters! I think this is also a pressing issue in the Church today. Do we believe that God Matters. Do we believe that following God is worth it. Can we say what Paul says in Philippians 3:8-9a, when he writes...

"Everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him."

May those of us who have given our entire lives to the mission of Jesus always remember that knowing Jesus and living life with Him MATTERS, because HE is WORTH IT!

Living Life Worthy of the Calling

2009-05-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Pastor Ed's message was based out of Ephesians 4:1-2. Every time I get to this passage, verse 1 just jumps at me: "As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received."

This verse reminds me that my whole life, not just certain compartments are to impacted by my discipleship to Jesus. I must strive to live in to the calling God has placed on my life. That is to be holy, prayerful, filled with the Spirit, a witness to the glory of God, and...the list for this could go on, but my point is, once again, that life with God must impact every area of life.

This then spills over into what the Church is supposed to be...which we'll talk about this Sunday!

A Wedding Today

2009-05-02T22:37:00.000-07:00

Today was my cousin's wedding and it was amazing because I had the opportunity to officiate the ceremony...and it was such a priviledge. Weddings should always be a time of celebration! In a wedding we get to see two people commit thier lives and their love to each other. But for anyone who has been married or is married there are some great things that we learn throughout our lives together. Here are some of my favorite quotes and thoughts about marriage:

1. "In a marriage, you are your spouses only legitimate source of romance." - taken from Lane Jones in the book he co-wrote with Andy Stanley; "Communicating for a Change" (If you teach or preach this is a good book to get some gleanings from.) This is such a great quote if you really think about it, especially in our current times.

2. So much of marriage is about sacrifice. Here is a great quoute that I have no idea where I got it from: “Whatever sacrifice you will be required to make to preserve this common life, always make it generously. Sacrifice is usually difficult. Only love can make it easy; and perfect love can make it a joy." Can't you see this in the life of Jesus? A generous sacrifice made out of perfect love.

3. Marriage in some way is a mysterious testimony to the mystery of the Gospel. Christians cannot forget this!

4. Weddings have so much symbolism that is often talked about at weddings, yet I think it is oftern forgot about once we move away from the ceremony.

Just Finished Reading

2009-04-29T23:44:00.000-07:00

I just finished "Resident Aliens" by Hauerwas and Willimon. This is quite telling a book for pastors and the role of the Church. At times it was hard to get through, but once I stepped back and looked for things to take away...I think I enjoyed this book and was challenged to think about the Church in different ways. Here are some quotes:

1. "...the gradual decline of the notion that the Church needs some sort of surrounding "Christian" culture to prop it up and mold its young is not a death to lament. It is an opportunity to celebrate. The decline of the old, Constantinian synthesis between the church and the world means that we American Christians are at last free t be faithful in way that makes being a Christian today an exciting adventure." (p. 18) We can look at our position today as an opportunity...we have the opportunity to show a watching world that the Church is not tied to American culture, but can be something completely separate, but attractive.

2. "The Bible's concern is whether or not we shall be faithful to the gospel, the truth about the way things are now that God is with us through the life, cross and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth." (p. 22) We need to be faithful to the gospel...let's be sure to wrap our teaching in the gospel. (Matt Chandler does a great job of talking about this in his message at the Desiring God 2009 Pastors Conference...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5YzI7b92L8 )

3. Pastors we need to be truth tellers and remind our people that we are to continually go back to the story of the Gospel and live in and out of that Truth. But know, that if a pastor does this he may be lonely, for the calling people to the truth when they live out a lie is divisive. But the pastor should find this truth telling exhilarating because we are being faithful to God. (Chapters 6 and 7).

4. "The challenge facing today's Christians is not the necessity to translate Christian convictions into a modern idiom, but rather to form a community, a colony of resident aliens which is so shaped by our convictions that no one even has to ask waht we mean by confessing belief in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit." (p. 171)

On a scale of 1-10...I give it a 7.

Parading Power and Perfection in Testimonies

2009-04-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Today I was listening to a message by Matt Chandler that he gave at an Acts 29 Network training (Vivification and Modification was the title) and in this message he talked about the weekly testimonies that they share at the Village Church each week. In this message he talked about the importance of not always parading the person with the perfect and powerful testimony about his or her life with Christ. He said it was important to have the testimony of the dude who is struggling with his sanctification and growth with Christ...and I must say I couldn't agree with this more....

As I have thought about this idea, it seems that the Church in America is in to promoting the spectacular all the time and in some way this may have a drastic effect on the people in the church. As the Chandler says "Let's be Honest, i know it is church, but can we do that here...?" Come on church let's be honest.

Let's be honest about how life with God is messy alot of the time. Let's talk about how discipleship is a lifelong process...notice that a LIFELONG PROCESS. Let's not always parade the perfect story, but let's work on parading the true stories. Let's talk honestly about how we became disciples of Jesus. (For a great article on conversions as a process check out this article ... http://documents.fuller.edu/news/pubs/tnn/2008_Winter/5_promoting_good_conversions.asp)
Let's be the Church that is the community of people who really tell the truth!

Weddings, Marriage and Discipleship

2009-04-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

This week I am really excited about having the opportunity to officiate a wedding for my cousin and his soon to be wife. As I have been preparing my devotional message for the wedding, there is one thought that just keeps echoing in my mind. That is

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, to make her holy, cleansing here by the washing with water through the word and to present he to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." - Ephesians 5:25-27

From this passage I am always convicted to think about how I love Kim. Here is a quote from soemeone else that challenges me: "there is not a marriage problem that any couple faces that cannot be helped by a man learning how to more fully and adequately love his wife in the pattern of Christ's love for his bride - the church."

As I have thought about this quote and verse many times, I see the truth in it. I know that when Kim and I go through rough times, one way to get out of them is to love her in the way Christ loved the church, for that is my call as husband who is trying to live out my discipleship to Christ in every area of my life.

Why "God is the Box"

2009-04-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

As I read the blogs of other people, I always wonder what is up with the name they choose. Some people just go with their name, some with their nickname and others create a name that has some significant meaning. I went with picking a name with significant meaning...so why "God is the Box"?

I chose this name because of the frequently used term in many Christian circles about "putting God in the box..." which honestly at times drives me crazy, yet I know it is true for many. However, I want to live life in such a way that my whole life is submitted to God and every aspect of my life is lived out with an understanding that my faith in God surrounds my whole life - my relationship with Kim, the way I parent, my studies, my life roles - simply everything in my life is lived with an understanding that for a disciple of Jesus every act of life is spiritual!

Time to Blog

2009-04-24T23:44:00.000-07:00

I finally think it is time to try to enter into the blogosphere. This is going to be quite an experience as I plan to blog about living a Christian life (every aspect from work to parenting to driving) in the now and not yet Kingdom of God.