yesterday i had some really tough conversations with some students. conversations based in highly charged topics surrounding faith and actions. topics that tend to be polarized...some standing on one side while others choosing the opposite side.
they are things that if we lived and followed Christ in an ideal world, we wouldn't have to deal with. but because that is far from the context in which we live...we do have to deal with them. and i believe that they way we chose to embrace these tough gray areas has serious implications for faith moving forward.
and yet, i have to be honest...there is a huge part of me that wishes...and maybe even dreams that we wouldn't have to have these conversations. often i want for ministry to be easy, and comfortable, and smooth, and safe, and without tough stuff. but i know in the depths of my being, that as soon as those thoughts and emotions win out...our ministry begins to fail. because that is not the way that true life change happens. easy, comfortable, smooth, safe, and without tough stuff is not going to lead people towards finding their way back to God. we have tried that in churches and faith communities for far too long...and it is simply not working.
and so...as i look back on yesterday...it had some of the toughest conversations i have had in a while...and it was one of the more roller coaster like days i have had in a while. and yet, i can say confidently, that it was one of the best days of ministry i have had in quite some time as well. i feel confident that strides were made in people finding their way back to God...and that is what i believe God has called me, and us, to hang our hats on here in this ministry in this place.
i pray that out of this, i will be able to embrace the tough stuff more and more! Lord help me, because i know there is no way i can do it on my own.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Learning About the Holy Spirit...
over the last month or two, God seems to be leading me in a journey to understand the Holy Spirit in a deeper way.
i have been reading and discussing francis chan's book Forgotten God with one of our students...it is stretching and growing me in some great ways. but in addition to that, it seems that everywhere i turn there are experiences that teaching me as well.
today was one of those days...
i met with one of our biggest campus house supporters to tell him about some incredibly exciting things that are on the horizon for our ministry...and to specifically ask him if he would help financially support a major part of the endeavor. however, it turns out there were a number of factors that i hadn't anticipated. as a result, i was not able to ask for his support.
normally, this might be something that i would just reschedule and plan to do in another day or two. but as i have been thinking more about the Spirit, it has caused me to seek to listen to the Spirit about what He may desire for me to do in this situation instead of what i had initially planned.
it is something that i by no means have all figured out, but i am learning that listening to the Spirit opens up all kinds of deeper possibilities. and while it is much less defined, it does certainly seem like the way to go.
i have been reading and discussing francis chan's book Forgotten God with one of our students...it is stretching and growing me in some great ways. but in addition to that, it seems that everywhere i turn there are experiences that teaching me as well.
today was one of those days...
i met with one of our biggest campus house supporters to tell him about some incredibly exciting things that are on the horizon for our ministry...and to specifically ask him if he would help financially support a major part of the endeavor. however, it turns out there were a number of factors that i hadn't anticipated. as a result, i was not able to ask for his support.
normally, this might be something that i would just reschedule and plan to do in another day or two. but as i have been thinking more about the Spirit, it has caused me to seek to listen to the Spirit about what He may desire for me to do in this situation instead of what i had initially planned.
it is something that i by no means have all figured out, but i am learning that listening to the Spirit opens up all kinds of deeper possibilities. and while it is much less defined, it does certainly seem like the way to go.
Monday, October 25, 2010
A New Way...
we have been studying the sermon on the mount for the last number of weeks. we have talked over and over again about the fact that these words are all about turning the world upside down...or maybe we should say...right side up.
i am not sure there are words in all of scripture that have more potential to turn the upside down world right side up again than the words of matthew 5:38-48.
just try to imagine what it would be like for every Christ follower to take seriously the command to "not resist an evil person" and instead to "love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you". it would be nothing short of revolutionary.
we used this great clip as an illustration...
i am not sure there are words in all of scripture that have more potential to turn the upside down world right side up again than the words of matthew 5:38-48.
just try to imagine what it would be like for every Christ follower to take seriously the command to "not resist an evil person" and instead to "love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you". it would be nothing short of revolutionary.
we used this great clip as an illustration...
A New Way...
we have been studying the sermon on the mount for the last number of weeks. we have talked over and over again about the fact that these words are all about turning the world upside down...or maybe we should say...right side up.
i am not sure there are words in all of scripture that have more potential to turn the upside down world right side up again than the words of matthew 5:38-48.
just try to imagine what it would be like for every Christ follower to take seriously the command to "not resist an evil person" and instead to "love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you". it would be nothing short of revolutionary.
we used this great clip as an illustration...
i am not sure there are words in all of scripture that have more potential to turn the upside down world right side up again than the words of matthew 5:38-48.
just try to imagine what it would be like for every Christ follower to take seriously the command to "not resist an evil person" and instead to "love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you". it would be nothing short of revolutionary.
we used this great clip as an illustration...
Friday, September 24, 2010
a thought about mourning...
i have been thinking recently about how i have this tendency inside of me to assume that something bad has happened. not like in a negative pessimistic way, but when a situation arises where it seems possible that someone close to me has been hurt or something like that.
i am finding that i have a tendency to almost clamp up inside in this fear that bad news is going to come. which might just sound like a bad case of being a worrier. but while I do think that i can be too much of a worrier, i don’t know that worry is the root of these feelings. it may be a part of the feelings, but i don’t think that it is the root.
at the root of these feelings, i think, is a desire to not have to feel pain and hurt and to be in mourning. i am not sure that it is really about worrying about others and their well-being, but rather i think that it is more about my own comfortability.
i taught this past wednesday on the beatitudes and in those, Jesus says, “blessed are those who mourn”. he is saying, “i am with you when you mourn”. he is not telling us that we need to seek out mourning and try to be mournful…but he is saying that when we mourn, he is with us and he will bring an ultimate comfort in those times that we wouldn’t otherwise know.
so, i am not saying that i need to figure out how to be looking forward to and being excited about bad things happening that might cause me pain or anguish. but i am saying that i need to stop letting this negative feeling win out and start trusting God to have a plan and that if and when that plan does include pain and suffering and mourning (because it will), that i will be better for it in the end and i will come to understand and know God as the ultimate comforter in ways that I wouldn’t otherwise know.
i am finding that i have a tendency to almost clamp up inside in this fear that bad news is going to come. which might just sound like a bad case of being a worrier. but while I do think that i can be too much of a worrier, i don’t know that worry is the root of these feelings. it may be a part of the feelings, but i don’t think that it is the root.
at the root of these feelings, i think, is a desire to not have to feel pain and hurt and to be in mourning. i am not sure that it is really about worrying about others and their well-being, but rather i think that it is more about my own comfortability.
i taught this past wednesday on the beatitudes and in those, Jesus says, “blessed are those who mourn”. he is saying, “i am with you when you mourn”. he is not telling us that we need to seek out mourning and try to be mournful…but he is saying that when we mourn, he is with us and he will bring an ultimate comfort in those times that we wouldn’t otherwise know.
so, i am not saying that i need to figure out how to be looking forward to and being excited about bad things happening that might cause me pain or anguish. but i am saying that i need to stop letting this negative feeling win out and start trusting God to have a plan and that if and when that plan does include pain and suffering and mourning (because it will), that i will be better for it in the end and i will come to understand and know God as the ultimate comforter in ways that I wouldn’t otherwise know.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Challenge of Relationship...
i was thinking this morning...and have been thinking recently...about how often i want for cailyn to just be able to know exactly what i am thinking and understand exactly where i am coming from, my perspective, without having to spend time dialoging and talking about it.
talking and conversing...sharing life...takes a lot of time and effort. it is work. and don't get me wrong...i understand fully and completely that it is well worth it. i am just saying that often times i wish that it didn't have to be that way. probably mostly because of laziness and the desire for things to be as easy as they can possibly be. i don't like that sometimes i am that way...but that reality is that, at time, i am.
so yeah...i wish that there could be full and complete relational understanding without all of the time and investment.
and this morning, that got me thinking about my relationship with God. and really it is pretty much the same way. i am have a full and complete desire to know God's heart and His plans...it is just that often times i would rather just know them without all the relational investment and time spent. i want the cliff notes version...i want to get the results without putting in the time.
however, i know that, just as in the marriage relationship, that is not how it is designed to be. we are designed to spend time with God...to have Him on our hearts and minds...and out of much time and much investment and much of what the world would call "inefficiency"...comes an understanding of His will and desires...His heart.
talking and conversing...sharing life...takes a lot of time and effort. it is work. and don't get me wrong...i understand fully and completely that it is well worth it. i am just saying that often times i wish that it didn't have to be that way. probably mostly because of laziness and the desire for things to be as easy as they can possibly be. i don't like that sometimes i am that way...but that reality is that, at time, i am.
so yeah...i wish that there could be full and complete relational understanding without all of the time and investment.
and this morning, that got me thinking about my relationship with God. and really it is pretty much the same way. i am have a full and complete desire to know God's heart and His plans...it is just that often times i would rather just know them without all the relational investment and time spent. i want the cliff notes version...i want to get the results without putting in the time.
however, i know that, just as in the marriage relationship, that is not how it is designed to be. we are designed to spend time with God...to have Him on our hearts and minds...and out of much time and much investment and much of what the world would call "inefficiency"...comes an understanding of His will and desires...His heart.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
A Lesson From the Croquet Club...
yesterday we had a table at the universities activities fair. we just so happened to have a table right next to a new club on campus...the croquet club.
as our time there went along, i noticed a couple of things about the people representing the croquet club. one...they were very passionate about the "product" they were selling. a good thing for sure. you could tell that they definitely loved croquet. two...they were very open to anyone and everyone joining their club. most of the day they were out in front of their table talking to all kinds of different people. and three...(and this is where i think i have a problem)...as they were standing out in front of their table...they were basically forcing conversation and interest on people as they walked by. it often seemed quite apparent that people really had no interest in croquet...but these guys would continue talking and trying to get them to put their contact info on a sheet of paper.
as i watched this continue to go on...i realized something. these guys are basically evangelists for croquet. they are evangelizing people to croquet.
and as i had that realization, it first left me feeling guilty. guilty because these guys seemed to be "more passionate" and talking to more people than we were. however, as i pondered on it more, i realized that the last thing that i want to be personally...or that i want us to be as a ministry is pushy and in your face. i just don't feel like that is a good method.
and it is there that i feel lies the difference between evangelizing for the croquet club and evangelizing for God. because the bottom line is that i am sure that a number of the people that were somewhat cornered by the croquet guys were fairly annoyed...but there is really not going to be any lasting damage from that. it will probably be forgotten by the end of the week. however, that is not the case for the church and for God. if we were to start cornering people and pushing Jesus on them...i would propose that the damage that would be done would far out-weigh the positives. the church has already done much damage in this area...people already have stereotypes about the church and christians and they already carry a lot of baggage.
i was reading this morning in mark and i came across the parable of the sower. in the past when i have read this story, i have always assumed that it is to make us aware that not everyone is going to receive the message...that there are going to be different types of people...and that is okay. but this morning as i read it, it left me wondering if part of what we are to take from it is that not everyone is good soil and part of our responsibility as Christ followers is to be seeking Him out to know where the good soil is.
the croquet club guys were throwing seed wherever they could...but could you imagine a farmer doing that...we would think he was absolutely out of his mind...spreading seed on the middle of the highway?
maybe part of our responsibility as Christ followers...and part of our responsibility as evangelists...is to be in tune with the Spirit to the point where we are able to begin to discern where the good soil is...and throw the seed there.
as our time there went along, i noticed a couple of things about the people representing the croquet club. one...they were very passionate about the "product" they were selling. a good thing for sure. you could tell that they definitely loved croquet. two...they were very open to anyone and everyone joining their club. most of the day they were out in front of their table talking to all kinds of different people. and three...(and this is where i think i have a problem)...as they were standing out in front of their table...they were basically forcing conversation and interest on people as they walked by. it often seemed quite apparent that people really had no interest in croquet...but these guys would continue talking and trying to get them to put their contact info on a sheet of paper.
as i watched this continue to go on...i realized something. these guys are basically evangelists for croquet. they are evangelizing people to croquet.
and as i had that realization, it first left me feeling guilty. guilty because these guys seemed to be "more passionate" and talking to more people than we were. however, as i pondered on it more, i realized that the last thing that i want to be personally...or that i want us to be as a ministry is pushy and in your face. i just don't feel like that is a good method.
and it is there that i feel lies the difference between evangelizing for the croquet club and evangelizing for God. because the bottom line is that i am sure that a number of the people that were somewhat cornered by the croquet guys were fairly annoyed...but there is really not going to be any lasting damage from that. it will probably be forgotten by the end of the week. however, that is not the case for the church and for God. if we were to start cornering people and pushing Jesus on them...i would propose that the damage that would be done would far out-weigh the positives. the church has already done much damage in this area...people already have stereotypes about the church and christians and they already carry a lot of baggage.
i was reading this morning in mark and i came across the parable of the sower. in the past when i have read this story, i have always assumed that it is to make us aware that not everyone is going to receive the message...that there are going to be different types of people...and that is okay. but this morning as i read it, it left me wondering if part of what we are to take from it is that not everyone is good soil and part of our responsibility as Christ followers is to be seeking Him out to know where the good soil is.
the croquet club guys were throwing seed wherever they could...but could you imagine a farmer doing that...we would think he was absolutely out of his mind...spreading seed on the middle of the highway?
maybe part of our responsibility as Christ followers...and part of our responsibility as evangelists...is to be in tune with the Spirit to the point where we are able to begin to discern where the good soil is...and throw the seed there.
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