Ever have times where you are blasted by the Holy Spirit and write something deep or profound (at least to you) ? They don't always make cohesive sense (mainly cause it is usually 1 or 2am)
This is what my heart spilled out two nights ago:
I don't want a God that I simply ask him to bless my food when I'm already eating it.
I don't want a God that I simply ask for things when I am in a pinch or because I feel like I deserve it.
I don't want a God that I casually acknowledge.
I don't want a God that I easily forget when things are going well or I am being successful.
I don't want a God that I hide from the very people who need to hear and see Him.
For constructive reasons, my heart tells me a lot about myself. Thankful that I have a God who not only works out the stupidity, selfishness and pride within me, but who also forgives me and tears down this person, so that they can be built up to look more like Him.
I have always enjoyed Thanksgiving. It is the time of year where my mom would make foods that I normally wouldn't get during the rest of the year (sausage balls in mass quantity). But it was also a time where family would get together and at least for myself I would reflect on what I was truly thankful for.
As a kid, I was thankful for my newest toy and mass quantities of food. When my family was hit hard financially I was simply thankful for a roof over our heads and food to eat. As I grew older and hopefully wiser (still up for debate) I became thankful for less of the frivolous things (material objects and new toys) and for deeper more personal things ( the love of my family and friends). When I became a Christian I realized that all of those things came from someone else, someone bigger, stronger and more powerful. I began to be thankful for being loved by God. This didn't negate everything I was thankful for beforehand, but it did put all the things I was thankful for in perspective.
One of my favorite passages on Thanksgiving is 1 Thessalonians 5:18: "...give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will in Christ Jesus."
The verse has always stuck out to me, because it calls us to be thankful daily no matter our circumstances. As one commentator said that, "...[giving thanks] should be a common and constant element in our daily life."
Now I don't know about you, but I struggle with being thankful. Most of the time I take things for granted, even the smallest things---a sunrise, clean air and even waking up to a new day. This happens because I get wrapped up in thinking about what I have to do that day or worrying about something that isn't complete that I miss being thankful.
The second part that really kills me is that my circumstances do not dictate whether I should be thankful or not. Are there times that I am more thankful than others....of course, but being thankful shouldn't be dependent upon my circumstances. The object of thanks in this passage is God and it is an essential part of my relationship with Him. Whether I am in a great position in my life or in a position of suffering and struggle, a part of my character as a believer is to give thanks to God.
So no blog about Thanksgiving would be complete if they didn't tell you what they were thankful for:
I am ever so thankful for what Christ did on the cross (who saved a wretch like me).
I am thankful for my loving and caring wife (without her I would be a mess).
I am thankful for my family (and in-laws) who has been there through trial and success (and put up with me for too long).
I am thankful for friends God has placed in my life both past and present, near and far (again they put up with me, but also helped form the man you see today).
I am thankful for my church and community. (who I continue to grow and get to know and remain thankful for their prayers and encouragement---and put up with me).
What are you thankful for?
Have you developed this element in your life daily not just during Thanksgiving?
If so, what do you do to keep the spirit of being thankful ever on your heart and mind?
Okay so I think it is important to not just write about biblical stuff, but about life in general. I used to love going to concerts when I was younger. I didn't mind being crammed into the Boathouse in Va Beach with sweaty, beer spilling, non-deo wearing fans yelling and jumping to 2 Skinney J's, 311 or Mae (I know I am dating myself). I have even seen some oldies like Chicago (with my parents) in a huge venue watching old people sway reminiscing about the younger years.
As I get older I find that I like that less and less. So when I do go to a concert I try to find venues that are not too far or look like they could be in one of the Saw movies. One place I do like is Jammin Java in Vienna, Va. This place is located in a strip mall and at first looks like it will be a disappointment, but this place is really nice. The artist we went to see was just hanging outside talking with people when we arrived. They have a nice bar when you first walk in and curtains to separate the bar from the concert area. The picture above is the concert area which is standing room only with about 15 chairs off the side. When we arrived there were about 30 people and when Aaron got on stage it was probably around 50 tops. The place had a real "artsy" feel with artistic paintings (possibly local) and various artist tour posters in a collage on the walls.
Standing about 2 feet away from stage
I appreciate places like this (the 100 person type place) that has good artist come through. Yes I am older and I do enjoy the kind of atmosphere where I can enjoy music and maybe something to eat without the excessive noise and interesting people watching. In the end I rekindle the joy of being at a concert. It is a great way to get away from work, the house and just sit back and enjoy an artist you enjoy. I went with my wife and she can tell you that I was blown away by the aatmosphere.
There is no doubt in my mind that blogs have already been flooded with issues of politics and the election that is coming up in November.
As a Christian, I live in two kingdoms: the earthly and the kingdom of God. My allegiance is first seek God's kingdom ( Matt. 6:33; Phil. 3:20) and to serve others by making him known in love and service in the other kingdom. There is no president that has ever been a Savior to me, because I already have one: greater and more powerful. I have never been a part of political party, I have never entered into political debates, nor subscribed or "liked" any presidential candidates, and frankly rarely talk about it. Now I am not putting down those that do, I just want to give you an idea of my heart and who I am. I grew up in a non-political household. We rarely if ever discussed politics or presidents or even policies. Since I came from Section 8 housing (low-income housing), we were concerned about other things in life. Even when I came of age to vote, I didn't as I was very apathetic to politics and voting.
Over time I eventually saw that voting is something I should do. Plus you have no right to complain if you didn't vote. I say all of this to lead to me to a statement that has really impacted me and affirmed what I already believe. When my wife and I returned from vacation, I took a Sunday off and so we visited a local church. The pastor's sermon was on the church community: what it looks like, how it operates, etc. He paused a moment and spoke about how during the election season, Brothers in Christ can begin to turn on each other for the sake of a candidate and therefore breaking community with one another. I have seen this first hand in many churches: judgment based on who someone voted for.
He said something that I think is vital in the midst of this political season: "We aren't elephants and we are not donkeys, we are sheep in need of a Shepherd."
How true this is? It is easy to get caught up in what the parties tell us we are and forget we are broken sheep who need our Shepherd. This statement along with many times in prayer and reflection (esp. in the Gospels) have led me to a couple of things that are important thoughts to mention:
1. Political parties do not define WHO we are. Christ does or at least He should. (1 John 3:2)
2. Voting is a privilege, people laid their life to preserve this freedom, go vote.
3. Being Republican doesn't make you anymore Christian than going to church for 80 years and never missing. Same goes for Democrats (see Pharisees)
4. (Spolier Alert) There is no such thing as a Christian political party. Not every candidate or parties policies are completely or more Christian than another.
5. We bring the Kingdom of God to earth by displaying Christ in our own lives and through sharing the gospel and serving others. Love always trumps policy or law (tried it once, didn't work out well).
6. Finally, the Democrats or Republicans cannot save this nation........salvation has always been rooted in Jesus Christ and Him alone (Hebrews 5:9).
7. I believe it is possible to support and vote for different candidates (wait for it.....) and not be vindictive, ugly, call someone Hitler (or there choice of candidate), and still believe and worship Christ!
Finally I can't help but think that there is also a problem with what the church should be doing about some of the issues in our nation or at least our approach to them. I won't go into detail because I do not have the solution nor am I saying that the church is to solve all these issues because it can't. But the church is the primary place (Acts 1:8) that God uses to display His glory and love and that counts for something with these issues.
But hear me out: If we display the kind of infectious love that Jesus showed, and people are being drawn into the community of God and hearing the Gospel. Then through the Gospel experience the newness of life offered in it.......they WILL live differently. They will see their marriages differently, parenting differently, their jobs and issues in our world differently. And the world can't help but be impacted by the kind of transformation that occurs from the gospel and gospel oriented people. Just some food for thought.
Like I have mentioned several times in my blog I tend to have long spaces between entries. This is due to my ADD, but mostly my busy schedule. Many transitions have taken place in my life, all of which have been an immense blessing to me and my wife. I recently moved from my last pastoral position to another. Changing ministry jobs is never easy. I am a relational type of guy and grew very close to many people at my last church, especially the teens that I primarily worked with. Most churches struggle with what to do with a youth group once the youth pastor leaves. Some just hope volunteers will take the torch up or they hire someone to fill the void.
But I am not here to talk about how to hire a youth pastor, rather I am here to brag a little bit about a youth group. Most youth pastors and pastors have read several books on discipleship. Many tell us what are good marks of discipleship or how you can tell there is discipleship taking place. I recommend reading some of them.
The issue that has been around for years is that there still many youth groups that are focused on entertaining teens rather than being a place where they grow deeper in Jesus Christ. This doesn't give teens what they really need and it doesn't prepare them for the things they will endure in life.
Now don't want to have a top 5 list for "real"discipleship, but there is one important quality worth mentioning.
One mark of real mark of discipleship is developing your teens (particularly senior high) to function without you. I know this sounds a bit strange at first, but think for a second. Jesus gave his disciples everything they needed for discipleship: the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) , investment of His time and life (the Gospels) and finally left a perfect example for them to follow.
Since leaving my last position I have been proud to see that several of the teenagers have taken up the mantle of running the youth ministry. Not only running, but preparing lesson and worship slides. Now don't get me wrong there are volunteers in place to guide and help them, but for the most part while not having a youth pastor, they have continued to promote, invite and encourage attending youth group and continuing major events.
It almost feels like when a dad sees their child riding the bike without training wheels. They have prepped them to a point that they now can move on to the next stage of life.
This can also occur within a youth ministry that has developed good volunteers to both help and lead the youth. This leaves a lasting impression on teens as they grow and learn to live out there faith without you over there shoulder. One of the most rewarding things I have ever seen is a teen living loudly or worshiping or serving The Lord on their own.
So like Jesus, we teach, we equip and we pray all to allow those we teach, equip and pray for to do so for others.
My blog is a perfect example of being really busy and being very ADD. I apologize that there are such gaps but a lot has happened in the last month. My wife and I have returned from our two and a half week trip to England, and when we got home ministry never stopped.
Today I reflected on something I feel that most people have either thought about a lot or experienced. See when I became a Christian I was given a verse by a faithful mentor that has stuck throughout my life:
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off anything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance, the race marked out for us."
-Heb. 12:1
A great verse detailing many different things, but I want to focus on one specific part: " let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles..."
First the writer tells us to "throw off or lay aside..." This can also mean stop, or put away. This conveys the picture of throwing something away or to the side so that it is no longer in the way. What is it that we are called to throw off?
We are told to put aside the things that hinder us. Hinder here is the Greek word "onkos" which means weight, impediment or burden. It is something that weighs us down or gets in the way. Sin is something that frequently gets in the way of us living in holiness and it can be a heavy burden. What kinds of things are in your way? What kind of burdens are heavy on your heart?
The second obstacle that tries to thwart us off this race is the, "sin that so easily entangles."
Notice that the sin we are called to throw off easily entangles us! I don't know about you, but it frustrates me to know that I am so easily deceived and willingly walk away from glory for vomit (Prov. 26:11) The phrase easily entangles is the Greek word eurperistatos ( u-per-ris-statos) and means to control tightly or cling closely. The idea is that the sin that we struggle with is sin that we hold to tightly and at times don't want to let go.
Running the race requires letting go of the very things that are holding you down (hinder you), and letting go of the sin that we so often defend, hide and cling to.
Some may that there is too much "work" by a believer in this passage. The amazing part is that through the whole process of throwing off obstacles and sins is fixing our hearts and eyes to Christ (Heb. 12:2). He is our source of strength and guidance during our race so that we may persevere and finish strong.
What things are hindering you right now?
What sins are you clinging tightly to?
Have you ever played the game where you would think of what you buy if you had a million dollars or more? I know I have contemplated what I would do: buy my mom a house, invest, pay my sisters college tuition, buy a new laptop, probably a guitar ,etc. What struck me recently was reading an article two weeks ago about how thousands of people waited in line for hours (some up to 12 hours) for a lottery ticket to win the 640 Mega-million dollar lottery. The wait and line was so bad that in some of the locations selling the tickets, they had to bring out portable toilets for them!!!!
This got me thinking. Why did these people wait so long...spend so much time to get these tickets?
Just like any other human being they believed they could possibly win. Second they believed in some way that winning would help eliminate their financial problems and many other problems:past, present and future. I can only thing of the classic Puff Daddy and Mace song: "Mo Money Mo Problems" rings very true. (to hear this song click here)
After reading and doing some research, there is a laundry list of Lottery Winners who have had increased depression, suicidal thoughts, and ended up broke within a couple of years. Beyond this relationships have been ruptured and scammers have come out of the wood work. Families were torn apart over the almighty dollar.
Now in fairness there are wonderful stories of lottery winners who invested, didn't spend much and are financially responsible. But sadly this is far smaller amount then one would think.
Two Reflective Thoughts:
1. As someone who put too much trust in money/wealth-----money will not solve your problems. I grew up with relatively little money. It was hard and stressful but even when we received more money than previous it didn't solve many of our problems. Grant it some of us could use a couple bucks to help pay for bills, health insurance, car insurance...etc. But ultimately money will not solve our issues. We think it will, and we rely on it entirely too much. Jesus made this point clear: The problem isn't the money....its YOU. (Luke 16:15)
2. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells us our hearts will be restless unless we find contentment/peace (or Shalom) in God and God alone.
Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.
Matthew 6:31-33 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ “For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Luke 3:14 Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
Philippians 4:11-13 For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be. I know now how to live when things are difficult and I know how to live when things are prosperous. In general and in particular I have learned the secret of eating well or going hungry of facing either plenty of poverty. I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me.
Finally we have to be honest with ourselves and how we handle what we have been given already! Fortunately God gave me a wife who keeps me in check and makes budget reports for me on our finances. She knows my heart....and how my I like my toys.
I love what I do. This past Sunday I had the privilege of leading our congregation in worship and teaching them from God's word. Not only that I made the power point for our service, along with the song selection while having 7 smelly, hungry, but awesome guys stay at my house. I was tired and drained emotionally as many pastors are. I woke up today and headed to work, and sat in the empty sanctuary. I could still hear the music from Sunday, humming to myself to the chorus'. I sat back and thought about how far God had taken me and joy of the small things. I do find joy in preaching God's word, I find joy in leading small groups, leading worship, in sitting in a coffee shop or food place debating or talking about Scripture, but I didn't think about any of those things in that silent sanctuary.
My first thought went to when I got my first office. When I came to FBC in 2008 I was just a summer intern. From there I was given the position of youth pastor which eventually led to being an Associate/Youth Pastor. I was so excited just to have an office. Now my office was originally a stockroom filled to the brim of old junk and papers that I could barely get in there. Lucky for me there was a desk under all the debris and I eventually cleaned it out and overtime my wife and I painted the walls. I decorated it with movie posters, bday/Xmas cards given to me, and my college diploma and ordination certificate. It made me smile because I guess I felt like a big boy, but that office has meant a lot to me. I have had some serious conversations, made some hard decisions, written 17-20 sermons, had disagreements and had a youth come to Christ in that office.
Another small joy I thought of was when I received my keys. I was so excited that I had keys that opened everything. I was excited that I was given responsibility over a building and really that I could open any door! I have spend late nights there, had parties, stayed overnight to finish a paper, hidden in many rooms (for hide and go seek....not trying to be creepy), cleaned out many rooms. I know this seems so small but it brings me joy to know that I have been given that kind of responsibility.
I say all of this because it is easy to be so busy, and so overwhelmed with work and life that we never stop to think about the small things that bring us joy. These memories were from within my work, that I could sit back and reflect on those things that seem so small yet are so big.
I think this has biblical over tones as well. We can get deep in theology (which isn't bad as I do), deep in debate or discussion, or just busy with life, kids, marriage, work, stress but essentially for help, for joy, for peace we return to the basics: the gospel--love, grace, mercy and forgiveness.
What are some small joys you are thankful that God provided in the midst of your business?
Write them in the comments section or send me a message. I wouldn't mind knowing.
Anyone who has worked as a boss, or a manager or someone who has had to hire someone into a place of leadership understands the importance of finding the right leader. In the church it is no different. We need good, godly leaders to lead our churches and ministries no matter how big or small. The most vital and important aspect for a church and choosing its leader is prayer.
Luke 6:12-15 "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor."
We all know Jesus would often withdraw to solitary places to pray. Here it is no different. But it is not where Jesus prays but why he prays that is significant. Luke indicates that Jesus prayed the entire night. For what? "When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them." Jesus prays for those whom God would appoint from disciples (pupils, students) to apostles (sent out"ones). This was a big decision. Jesus would use these men to be the witnesses of his ministry (see Acts 1). Notice that there were many disciples. Jesus had multiple disciples following him (as indicated by Greek plural of the word) and he chose (elected) twelve. He didn't choose everyone but he spent time praying about who those twelve would be.
A similar situation happens in Acts 1:13-23. Here Jesus has ascended into heaven and the apostles are looking to fill Judas vacancy. They are gathered together "constantly in prayer." While the apostles do have a specific criteria (or resume) for those who can be an apostle (see 1:21-22), they still see the priority of prayer. They narrow it down to 2 leaders and instead of making a off the cuff decision or taking the coolest guy, they pray. But look at their prayer: "Lord you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen." The apostlesare now modeling what Jesus had done for them in Luke 6! They know God knows everything. He knows the inner hearts of man. They ask that HE would elect or choose the leader best to represent Him.
We should do the same with our churches. Churches have fallen to pieces over bad leadership or poor decisions in picking the wrong people to lead. We must immerse ourselves in prayer about our leaders. This not only applies to staff or pastors but to our small group leaders and our volunteers. If prayer is vital and important for Jesus and his disciples in regards to leadership then how important should it be for the church today?
This video has had a lot of attention (16 million views) from the Christian community and beyond. There have been tons of copycat videos and varying opinions attacking this guy's poem in various ways. Some can be understood, what I think people have trouble with most is clarity on the use of some words in his poem.
Most of all his use of the term religion. Many people have argued that Jesus did not come to abolish religion as he says in the beginning. As I have searched around the internet, it seems that many Catholics have taken offense to this guys usage of religion and it seems more personal to them than most Protestant responses that I have read or seen.
This seems to be the majority of issues with this poem therefore let's look at what he means:
First the term religion can mean:
a set of beliefs,
a body of people who believe a certain set of beliefs and the practice of religious belief.
So we can say there is the Christian religion or Buddhist religion or Hindu religion (they all have a set of beliefs) These are also bodies of people who believe and practice a set of beliefs.
We see each of these definitions within the context of several Scripture passages:
Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive.
Acts 26:5--"They have known me for a long time and can testify, if they are willing, that I conformed to the strictest sect of our religion, living as a Pharisee.
1 Timothy 5:4--"But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.
James 1:2--"Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.
James 1:27--"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Here is what I feel some people missed: He defines the religion he is talking about. Read the description here
Did Jesus come to abolish religion? No, he came to redeem his people from the slavery of sin, give them new life so that they would proclaim the good news. (John 3:16; 2 Cor. 5:17 1 Peter 2:9) But Scripture also looks down on pridefully motivated religious activity that masks the idols that we hold so tightly too (even in the name of religion). The Pharisees would kick our butts when it came to "knowing the Scriptures". Paul even says that he was an all-star Pharisee (Phil 3:4-6) but compared to knowing Christ and the gospel he proclaims it was all worthless. (4:7-8)
So here is why I do not have a problem with this video:
1. I love and appreciate this guys passion for the gospel and Jesus. This guys youtube video has created discussion and awakened some people in the Christian community and forced them to think for once about their faith (something most of the NT writers did frequently). Some are just arguing for the sake of argument while others see a need to discuss the damages that religion with no gospel creates. He focuses on the gospel, and what religion doesn't provide along with doing it in a creative way.
2. This is important. This is a poem. Not a theological treatise. As an artist myself, who writes poems and music frequently, I don't usually go over my lyrics with a Systematic Theology book. (Besides its hard to write a poem or song about Revelation knowing that you may offend a Pre-Trib, rapture or non-rapture, Amillennial or Pre- Mill person). I write because I want to illustrate what Christ has done in my life using music.
Seriously, how many times have we read over David Crowder lyrics or Lecrae lyrics to see if they are using "correct" theological terms? The guy lets us know that it is a poem he wrote to highlight my journey to discover this truth, and it involves part of his life, what he has learned and how he feels about it. It is art not a sermon.
3. He speaks about how it is the gospel that will gives us true freedom, and that the gospel is what should motivate us to love, to care, to share the good news, to feed, to serve people out of a love for Christ NOT religion. He displays in his poem that purely religious motivation (again defined as earlier) can cause damaging effects and consequences. Who doesn't believe this? I think the initial shock of Jesus hating religion catches the eye and the ear but don't we all hate the religion he speaks of in ourselves? Was Jesus opposed to the type of religion the Pharisee spouted?
Lastly, I recently read a book that goes in this same general direction called Gospel by J.D. Graeer. Here are 3 things that J.D. Graeer says religion cannot do:
1. Religious activities fail to address the "root" idolatries that drive our sin.
-The gospel roots out our deepest idols while religious activity can mask our deeper rooted sins.
2. When our acceptance is based on our performance we exacerbate two root sins in our heart: pride and fear.
-Easily seen with the Pharisees--when there religion (pride in their actions) was threatened by the gospel preached by Jesus it scared them. Their fear turned to hatred.
3. The insecurity of always wondering if we've done enough to be accepted causes resentment of God, not love for him.
-Religion tells us to do more and through that we get frustrated wondering if we have done enough. Because the motivation for acceptance become about religion and not the gospel, freedom and acceptance is never attained.
Graeer finishes with this and what I feel is what this young man has learned:
"The gospel turns religion upside down. The gospel reawakens us to the beauty of God and overwhelms us with mercy."
