i meet on a weekly basis with the male community group leaders in our ministry. and this year as a part of our weekly meetings we have been going through a series of "major" stories from the bible that span from genesis to revelation.
we meet on thursday afternoons and so i typically find myself studying the story on thursday morning sometime in preparation for thursday afternoon. however, this past week, i knew that i was going to be particularly busy on thursday and so i had planned on reading the story for thursday during my morning quiet time that day.
however, when i got up on thursday morning, i realized that i had forgotten to bring him the bookmark that has the references for the stories that we are reading, and so i didn't know what story i was supposed to be reading. and on top of that, i was tired and had a tough time getting out of bed and so i only had a few minutes to spend reading that particular morning.
and since i didn't know what story i was supposed to be reading for my meeting, i decided i would just read a little in the one year chronological bible that i have been reading (for over a year now...but i will finish). so, i opened up my one-year bible and i had time to read just 12 verses of scripture. i read mark 2:1-12 (Jesus heals a paralytic).
and unfortunately (or so i thought), that was all the time that i had to read that morning and so i headed off to the office for a busy day. and it wasn't until about 2:30 that i was even able to pick up the bookmark that had the reference for the story that i was supposed to read on it (the meeting where it is to be discussed starts at 3:30). and i look down on the bookmark where it says what we are supposed to read for the week and it says, "Jesus heals a paralytic".
to which i am like, "holy crap"...but because i had looked ahead for just a second in my one-year bible, i remembered that there is more than one account in scripture of Jesus healing the paralytic man. and so then i quickly jumped down below the title, "Jesus heals a paralytic", to see what the reference was, and sure enough...the reference underneath that title said...
"Mark 2:1-12"
God...you are a pretty cool guy...you never cease to amaze me...and i am blown away by the many forms that your grace takes!!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Mentoring from Mistakes...
in working with college students, there are many questions relating to how certain situations played out in my life...what i did when this happened or that happen...
when i feel like i handled a situation they are asking about well, and in a way that God would desire for me to handle it, it is pretty easy to give them the input on how i handled it.
however, i have been thinking lately about how it seems so much harder to give the input about it when i didn't handle a situation so well, or in the way that i think that God would have wanted me to handle it. and looking back, i know that my advice would not to do what i did.
but it is much harder, at least for me, to mentor in that way. part of it is probably my perfectionism. but i think that part of it, for me, is the fact that i feel somewhat hypocritical and unqualified to be giving the advice. and yet, i know that one of the very best ways to learn is through failure. and so maybe it is more about the perfectionism and just wanting to "get it right"...i don't know. just something kind of interesting that i have been thinking about lately.
when i feel like i handled a situation they are asking about well, and in a way that God would desire for me to handle it, it is pretty easy to give them the input on how i handled it.
however, i have been thinking lately about how it seems so much harder to give the input about it when i didn't handle a situation so well, or in the way that i think that God would have wanted me to handle it. and looking back, i know that my advice would not to do what i did.
but it is much harder, at least for me, to mentor in that way. part of it is probably my perfectionism. but i think that part of it, for me, is the fact that i feel somewhat hypocritical and unqualified to be giving the advice. and yet, i know that one of the very best ways to learn is through failure. and so maybe it is more about the perfectionism and just wanting to "get it right"...i don't know. just something kind of interesting that i have been thinking about lately.
Friday, February 5, 2010
A Crazy Thing Called Pride...
pride is a crazy thing. it seems that often times, when things aren't going terribly well, when we are not terribly successful, pride doesn't seem to be nearly as tempting.
but as things go well, as we grow in our abilities...i would say, particularly, in our abilities that God has wired us for...the temptation towards pride seems to grow...
recently i have struggled alot with pride. i wouldn't necessarily say with pride itself, but with the temptation towards pride.
i have been feeling like God has been teaching me and growing me in some awesome ways. and that is exactly it...if it weren't for God being actively at work, i simply wouldn't have the abilities that i do. and yet, it can be incredibly tempting to become prideful about those very same abilities.
and i just wish that there was an easy solution to turn away pride...but there just isn't. at least not the way that i see it. it is something that we must actively and intentionally flee from daily. and as things go well, the need to intentionally flee only grows.
but as things go well, as we grow in our abilities...i would say, particularly, in our abilities that God has wired us for...the temptation towards pride seems to grow...
recently i have struggled alot with pride. i wouldn't necessarily say with pride itself, but with the temptation towards pride.
i have been feeling like God has been teaching me and growing me in some awesome ways. and that is exactly it...if it weren't for God being actively at work, i simply wouldn't have the abilities that i do. and yet, it can be incredibly tempting to become prideful about those very same abilities.
and i just wish that there was an easy solution to turn away pride...but there just isn't. at least not the way that i see it. it is something that we must actively and intentionally flee from daily. and as things go well, the need to intentionally flee only grows.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Evangelism 101...
this past wednesday night at campus house, we started a teaching series called...my most important question. it is based out of questions that students gave us at the end of last semester.
we started the series with a question about evangelism. it was an entirely different approach from just about any other teaching we have done at campus house...but the students really seemed to engage with it.
we used the best material that i have come across when it comes to evangelism. a book by don everts called "i once was lost". if you have not yet read it, i would highly highly recommend it. great stuff.
as i reflect back on the material for myself...i have come to one quite unfortunate reality for myself. that is, i don't feel like i have anywhere the heart for lost people that Jesus did. i don't feel like i have a burning desire for the lost sheep or the lost coin that Jesus talked about. which honestly seems quite hypocritical being that i am a "minister". i know that it is an area that God desire for me to grow in and i know it is an area that i need to be praying about!
we started the series with a question about evangelism. it was an entirely different approach from just about any other teaching we have done at campus house...but the students really seemed to engage with it.
we used the best material that i have come across when it comes to evangelism. a book by don everts called "i once was lost". if you have not yet read it, i would highly highly recommend it. great stuff.
as i reflect back on the material for myself...i have come to one quite unfortunate reality for myself. that is, i don't feel like i have anywhere the heart for lost people that Jesus did. i don't feel like i have a burning desire for the lost sheep or the lost coin that Jesus talked about. which honestly seems quite hypocritical being that i am a "minister". i know that it is an area that God desire for me to grow in and i know it is an area that i need to be praying about!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
The Personal Impact of Missions...
last night we celebrated the couple of seniors that have been involved in our community that are graduating at the semester. as part of the time, we asked each of them to share a little bit about their spiritual growth during their time in college and what has been the most formative for them.
one of our seniors was a member of our mission team to build a house in juarez, mx with casas por cristo. and last night he shared about the impact the experience had on him...it was a refreshing reminder to me of how God uses missions to not only change the places and people we serve, but also to change us and the way we see the world.
he talked about the impact that a pregnant woman's excitement about her baby made on him. about how their appreciation of life blew him away. and about how we are far more than americans...we are members of the body of Christ.
the whole time of sharing was incredibly refreshing and an incredible reminder that God is at work in this place in awesome ways. there is much more work to be done...and i am sure much that we could be doing better, but God is certainly doing his thing!
one of our seniors was a member of our mission team to build a house in juarez, mx with casas por cristo. and last night he shared about the impact the experience had on him...it was a refreshing reminder to me of how God uses missions to not only change the places and people we serve, but also to change us and the way we see the world.
he talked about the impact that a pregnant woman's excitement about her baby made on him. about how their appreciation of life blew him away. and about how we are far more than americans...we are members of the body of Christ.
the whole time of sharing was incredibly refreshing and an incredible reminder that God is at work in this place in awesome ways. there is much more work to be done...and i am sure much that we could be doing better, but God is certainly doing his thing!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
An Inspiring Place...
a couple of days ago i got a chance to sit around for a few hours at greyhouse coffee and supply co...the coffee shop that is owned and operated by the campus house at purdue.
it was nothing short of an incredibly inspiring and energizing time. to be in a creative atmosphere like that is so exciting for me.
i feel more and more drawn all the time to the idea of restoring the shalom of God to the world...and that is exactly what i feel like is happening at greyhouse. i get really intrigued and really excited about being part of something similar to that at some point in this journey that God has me on.
i don't know that it would have to be a coffee shop (though i would absolutely love for it to be)...i was talking with a student the other day about the idea of creating an art studio type of a place to attract art students and folks of that type to come to. i don't know for sure what it might be...but i certainly know that i am very attracted to the idea of thinking about it and dreaming about the possibilities.
one thing that i am feeling a need to think through with this type of idea here at ucm is just simply the idea of what would work at this type of a university. at this size university and in this size of a town. i am not exactly sure...but i certainly want to be dreaming about it for sure.
i must confess and admit that i don't feel like cailyn and i spend nearly enough time dreaming and more than that, praying, about ideas and possibilities like these. i want very much to be living in and making the most of today...but i also want to be thinking about dreaming about and most importantly praying about what God's plan might include for us in the future.
it was nothing short of an incredibly inspiring and energizing time. to be in a creative atmosphere like that is so exciting for me.
i feel more and more drawn all the time to the idea of restoring the shalom of God to the world...and that is exactly what i feel like is happening at greyhouse. i get really intrigued and really excited about being part of something similar to that at some point in this journey that God has me on.
i don't know that it would have to be a coffee shop (though i would absolutely love for it to be)...i was talking with a student the other day about the idea of creating an art studio type of a place to attract art students and folks of that type to come to. i don't know for sure what it might be...but i certainly know that i am very attracted to the idea of thinking about it and dreaming about the possibilities.
one thing that i am feeling a need to think through with this type of idea here at ucm is just simply the idea of what would work at this type of a university. at this size university and in this size of a town. i am not exactly sure...but i certainly want to be dreaming about it for sure.
i must confess and admit that i don't feel like cailyn and i spend nearly enough time dreaming and more than that, praying, about ideas and possibilities like these. i want very much to be living in and making the most of today...but i also want to be thinking about dreaming about and most importantly praying about what God's plan might include for us in the future.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
6 Months and Counting...
6 months from today, cailyn and i will begin pedaling eastward from jamestown, va on our cross-country adventure on two wheels. and so in honor of our 6-month countdown...here are a few more thoughts about the trip...
we have been talking and researching a lot lately about food. doesn't seem like a huge deal normally...but when one is burning calories basically for the better part of 10 hours straight, it becomes a much bigger deal. (in case you were wondering, we will likely need to intake somewhere around 5,000-6,000 calories a day...yes, that is over twice the normal daily intake.)
as i mentioned, we have been researching, and one thing that we learned recently, is that we need to basically be eating while we are riding to the tune of 1/2 gram of carbs for every pound of body weight each hour. honestly, we are not exactly sure what is going to be the best method for accomplishing this.
we will likely take things like animal crackers with us that can easily be eaten (from a fanny pack around the waist...i know...i know...it is not the greatest of fashion statements). we also plan on keeping bagels and peanut butter with us as much as possible and we hope to run into many fresh fruit stands along the way.
in some senses, it seems incredibly exciting to basically be able to eat as much as we want...but on the other hand...i have an inclination that this trip is going to taint some of the enjoyment in eating because it is going to have to be monitored so much so that we don't run out of "fuel" along the way.
i am sure that the science of calorie-intake is going to continue to be a huge point-of-interest for us over the next 6 months. and hopefully we continue to learn and become educated more and more about what it takes to power the amazing God created machine that is the human body.
i look forward to the challenge and learning experience that it will be!
we have been talking and researching a lot lately about food. doesn't seem like a huge deal normally...but when one is burning calories basically for the better part of 10 hours straight, it becomes a much bigger deal. (in case you were wondering, we will likely need to intake somewhere around 5,000-6,000 calories a day...yes, that is over twice the normal daily intake.)
as i mentioned, we have been researching, and one thing that we learned recently, is that we need to basically be eating while we are riding to the tune of 1/2 gram of carbs for every pound of body weight each hour. honestly, we are not exactly sure what is going to be the best method for accomplishing this.
we will likely take things like animal crackers with us that can easily be eaten (from a fanny pack around the waist...i know...i know...it is not the greatest of fashion statements). we also plan on keeping bagels and peanut butter with us as much as possible and we hope to run into many fresh fruit stands along the way.
in some senses, it seems incredibly exciting to basically be able to eat as much as we want...but on the other hand...i have an inclination that this trip is going to taint some of the enjoyment in eating because it is going to have to be monitored so much so that we don't run out of "fuel" along the way.
i am sure that the science of calorie-intake is going to continue to be a huge point-of-interest for us over the next 6 months. and hopefully we continue to learn and become educated more and more about what it takes to power the amazing God created machine that is the human body.
i look forward to the challenge and learning experience that it will be!
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