Reflections Of A Broken Man

2010-06-22T10:07:00.001-07:00

So I have been reading one of the greatest books on youth ministry I have ever read, "Contemplative Youth Ministry: Practicing The Presence Of Jesus" by Mark Yaconelli.

I'm challenged by this passage:

"What would it mean if the goal of our ministries was simply to be prayerfully present to young people-to allow them to be fully themselves? Could we trust that our presence is enough? How would we treat youth if we weren't trying to convince them of the importance of the faith, the worthiness of Jesus, the necessity of the church? What would happen if we sought to minister to young people through our ears, through our presence, through silent prayer and an open heart? What would such radical acceptance evoke in young people?"

Deep down this is what I desire to see in our youth ministry, but what does it look like? How do we do it? What does it mean? What do we need to change in our program? In ourselves?

2010-03-25T13:50:00.001-07:00

Just listened to a very interesting report on BBC radio as I was driving in to the office today:

In Zambian prisons basic necessities such as soap, shampoo, toilet paper and even food are extremely scarce. As a result prisoners have begun a black market of sorts to purchase the items that they need, the main currency in this black market...sex. The major problem with this is that approximately 27% of the Zambian prison population is H.I.V. positive, a statistic that is higher than in the rest of the Zambian population.

Recently when one of Zambia's leading medical researchers did a study on the overall health of Zambia's prison population he discovered that nearly 100% of inmates admitted to exchanging sex, either due to force or willingly, for goods/food. Statistically speaking it is only a matter of time before an inmate will contract H.I.V.

One solution that has been proposed to combat the spread of H.I.V. within prison's is the distribution of condoms to the prisoners. However because homosexuality is illegal in Zambia the government will not allow this to happen. On top of the government rejection, there has been strong opposition by Christian's on moral grounds.

It was this last bit that really struck me. The question that comes to mind is this, "what is more immoral, the practice of homosexuality (for those that believe that it is a sin) or to hand a person a death sentence (H.I.V./AIDS) when it is in your power to stop it?"

Perhaps I'm just setting up a "Straw Man" but this is the way my mind thinks at times.

I'm sure there are other ways to curtail the spread of H.I.V. within Zambia's prisons other than simply distributing condoms, and I would certainly hope that the church's in Zambia are working to make this happen, although I can't speak to that.

Something to think about

2010-03-23T15:42:00.001-07:00

One thing that becomes increasingly disturbing for many grownups is the sense that they have little control over young people. This scares adults. Adults want youth to conform to adult standards. They want kids to act responsibly. They want them to sit down and listen. They want them to hurry up and get their identities fixed and grounded. Adults want youth to have a roadmap for a secure and reasonable future, and they get rattled when they realize that most youth aren't carrying one...

Perhaps one source of these adult anxieties is the growing separation between youth and adults. For the past 40 years, economic policies, changes in social norms, and a relentless marketing strategy to create and sell to a teenage market have combined to create what sociologist Christian Smith calls a "structural disconnect" between adults and youth. This separation begins long before adolescence. Many youth spend most of their childhood segregated in daycares and schools, afternoons and evenings in front of televisions and computers, weekends hanging out with friends. By early adolescence most young people are attuned to a different reality, a different world, than adults.

The less contact adults have with young people, the more mysterious they seem. Adults can fall into the traps of projection, speculation, worry, and fearful imaginings. Congregations and church leaders find themselves relying on the media to learn about kids. They absorb stories about teenage gangs and violence. They watch videos and movies that portray youth as hormone-driven, sex-crazed nymphs. They hear news stories and government reports that talk alarmingly about "at-risk" kids. All of this becomes a filter for how young people are perceived. Adults see teenagers in baggy jeans and oversized jackets and fear they're hiding drugs or weapons. They see a group of young women in short halter tops and lipstick and worry about their sexual activity....

Sometimes adult fears about youth arise from what we do know. Adults get scared when young people reflect behaviors and attitudes we recognize. Adolescent desires for pleasure, material goods, entertainment gadgets, constant activity, sex, and mood altering substances all mirror the behavior of the adult culture - and it scares us. There is much we adults don't like about ourselves. There are mistakes parents have made and want their kids to avoid. We get frightened when youth begin to reflect the ambiguous values and conflict of the adult culture...

Maybe what's most unsettling about youth is the way in which they remind many of us of our own adolescent hearts. Young people can stir up forgotten dreams and evoke unmet longings within adults. They can unearth the contradictions between the hopeful vision of our younger selves and the mediocre and muddled reality of our adult lives. Whatever the particular cause, the truth when adults relate to teenagers out of anxiety we miss seeing them, we miss hearing them, and we lose our sense of compassion for them...

As a result most youth ministries in North America are ministries of anxiety. In fact, most Christian communities don't even consider the spiritual needs of young people until there's a critical mass of anxious adults. Look behind most youth ministry programs and you'll find pastors and church boards nervous about declining memberships, parents afraid their kids lack morals, congregations worried the Christian faith has become irrelevant to younger generations, and the persistent frustration among adults that something ('anything!") needs to be done with "those kids!"

- Mark Yaconelli "Contemplative Youth Ministry"

2010-03-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

I was reading through one of my many books this morning and came across this prayer. I don't know why but immediately I felt like crying. There is something powerful in these words, and even more powerful in the God who responds to this cry:

Open my eyes, Lord.

Help me to see your face.

Open my eyes, Lord.

Help me to see.

Open my ears, Lord.

Help me to hear your voice.

Open my ears, Lord.

Help me to hear.

Open my heart, Lord.

Help me to love like you.

Open my heart, Lord.

Help me to Love.

I live within you.

Deep in your heart, O Love.

I live within you.

Rest now in me.

2010-01-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

Today I had to make a heartbreaking decision. I had to turn away a desperate father who came to the church looking for money to purchase formula for his hungry baby daughter. He was in tears, asking if he could work around the church as a way of earning the $12 he was short. Unfortunately we were not in a position where we could help him out and I had to turn him away.

Now our church gets a number of people who come in off the street looking for money for various reasons. Everything from stranded motorists who need to fill their gas tank up, to needing help with bills, to needing money to pay for a hotel, etc. The majority of these requests are scams of one type or the other. We have even had one man come in about 6 times in the last year and a half. Always with different versions of the same story and they always end with him "threatening" suicide if we can't help him out. I personally have talked to him three times.

Because of this we have adopted a "no cash" policy. We will help someone out by giving them food from our food bank, beyond that we may attempt to connect them with an organization that can help them out. Occasionally myself or one of the other pastors will help them out, out of our own pocket if we can and if we feel that they truly need the help. More often than not however we turn people away and it's always bothered me when we have to do so.

It can be so hard to live in the tension between caring for the poor on one side and being a good steward on the other.

On one hand having a policy like ours ensures that those who need help are the ones getting it. It allows us to be wise with our finances and ensure that we will have enough to continue doing what we do. The down side is that we do have to turn away some people who genuinely need our help.

The other option is to just help out everyone who asks. Sure there will be those who come in looking for a hand out knowing that church's are easy targets. But it would also mean that no one who really needs help would be turned away. The down side is that it is not sustainable. If you operate in that manner you will soon run out of resources and then you cannot help anyone.

This is not an easy place to be in. Especially when there are so many people out there right now who can use a hand.

Now I don't know if this man who came in today really needed the help. My sense is that he did. I offered to go buy the formula myself since I didn't have any cash on me. Unfortunately his daughter requires a special formula that you need a prescription for. At that point I had to turn him away. As he walked out of here in tears I started thinking about what I would do if I were in a similar situation as he is. A desperate father trying to take care of his child, humbling himself enough to ask for help. It would be my hope that people wouldn't question my sincerity.

"Lord I pray for this man and his family. I ask that you would provide what he needs. I don't know if everything he told me was true or not but if it was Lord please take care of his baby girl. Do not let our inability to help be a blight on Your name but instead provide for him in ways that only you can...."

I think I need to start keeping a little cash around just in case...

2009-12-26T06:44:00.000-08:00

"Are you serious? Were you Jehovah's Witness or something?"
That tends to be the reaction I get from most people when they find out my family didn't celebrate Christmas when I was growing up. For some of you who just learned this fact about me, you are probably having the same reaction right now. Well, let me make myself even more strange, we didn't celebrate Easter either, although that is a topic for a later post.

No we were not Jehovah's Witness, nor were we radical atheists hell bent on destroying religion. My parents were and are solid Christians who love the Lord and have no hidden agenda for destroying the fabric of American society. Why then, you may ask, did we not celebrate Christmas? One simple reason, it has nothing to do with Jesus.

Now I understand that this last statement will be even more shocking for many of you , than my admission that I never celebrated Christmas as a child. After all, everywhere you look we see evidence of Jesus birth. Manger scenes are erected in nearly every house, church marquees remind us that Jesus is the reason for the season, we sing songs asking if Mary knew her baby boy would be our savior or about the three kings who traveled to meet Jesus at his birth, even the conservative pundits are telling us that there is a war on Christmas and that the evil atheists are trying to remove Christ from Christ-Mass. How can I possibly tell you that Christmas has nothing to do with Jesus?

The reality is that December 25th has had a long history of being used by religious groups to celebrate the birth of their gods. Many of these celebrations revolved specifically around sun gods. This is easy to see given that December 25th is the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) and the day when the sun begins to make it's return back to the north. While these pagan festivals can be traced as far back as ancient Babylon, it was really the Roman Empire that united many of these festivals into a common theme. Across the Roman empire traditions from many religions were joined together, the yule log (celebrating the sun's eternal light) and the evergreen tree (a reminder that the sun would return and bring the crops back to life) for example, and celebrated commonly as Dies Natalis Sol Invicti "the birthday of the unconquered sun". It wasn't until hundreds of years after Christ's burial and resurrection that December 25th became associated with his birth. In all probability Jesus was born in early September, although no one really knows for sure.

Most early Christians did not celebrate the birth of Jesus, more than likely for two reasons. First Jesus never asked them to. The only thing that Jesus asked was for us to remember his crucifixion and resurrection. Second the Jewish culture regarded celebrating birthdays as a pagan tradition that was to be avoided. All of this changed however with the Roman Emperor Constantine. As I'm sure you are well aware Constantine was the first Emperor to legalize Christianity. In doing so he brought about many of our Christian traditions, once again a story for a later time. Amongst these traditions is the celebration of Christmas. You see Constantine, as well as being the Roman Emperor, was also the head of Roman religion. And the easiest way to get pagan Romans to convert to Christianity was to take the pagan celebrations and traditions, and slap a Christian label on them. So December 25th which celebrated the birth of the sun god now was changed to celebrate the birth of the Son of God. We now exchange gifts because God sent us the greatest gift, His son. The evergreen tree now symbolizes eternal life that is found in Jesus, rather than the return of the sun. The yule log symbolizes Jesus, the light of the world, rather that the sun's eternal light.

As you can see Christmas, at least in it's origins, has nothing to do with Jesus. That is why, growing up my family never celebrated it.

Why then do I choose to celebrate Christmas?

First, because my conscience is clear to do so. Some Christians, and I do have some friends and family who fall into this category, cannot get past the Pagan origins of the holiday and are unable to celebrate. In a very real sense this becomes like the "food sacrificed to idols" that Paul mentions in 1 Cor 8. There were some believers who could eat this food with a clear conscious and some that could not. For those who could not, it was a sin for them to do so. I view the celebration of Christmas in this same light. I fully understand the pagan origins of the holiday but they hold no bearing in my decision. I have a clear conscious before men and God.

Second, I believe that Christmas can be/has been redeemed. Paul in Acts 17 walked into a pagan, idolatrous city, Athens, and used their idolatry to point them to Jesus. Regardless of the pagan origins and traditions associated with Christmas, many of these have been used in the same way. People all over the world for the last 1,700 years have been pointed to Jesus through Christmas. I don't see that as a bad thing.

Third, it causes me to reflect on what is truly important in life. I have the opportunity to spend time with friends and family in a way that is different than the rest of the year. While I value my time with loved ones all year long there is something special about gathering together in a time of celebration. I enjoy blessing my friends and family with gifts. I enjoy sharing a good meal together. I enjoy the memories that come from these times. In the busyness of life it is very easy to take these things for granted and Christmas is, for me, one time when I can slow down long enough to savor them.

Fourth, I love the celebration. I love the Christmas lights that line the streets. I love putting up my Christmas tree and talking about the different ornaments and the memories they hold as we pull them out of their boxes and hang them up. I love my mom's winter village that she puts up every year. I love making cinnamon rolls for friends and family, and of course myself. I love trading goodies with my neighbors, a tradition that my wife started when we got married and we all look forward to. I love giving, and yes receiving, presents. I love the Christmas carols we sing at church. And yes I even love the kids Christmas play every year. I truly believe that God want's us to enjoy the life he has given us. For me this is one of the ways I do that.

Fifth, and by far the most important, Jesus. While I know that the origins of Christmas have nothing to do with Jesus, my celebration of it has everything to do with Jesus. He is my reason for everything. And while it's true, as my parents have said, we should be celebrating him all year long rather than just on one day, it's nice to have a time of "forced" reflection. To take some time and truly ponder all that he has done in my life over the last year. To reflect on the miracle of his birth and the importance that it holds for all of human history. We take time to celebrate the births of our family and friends, and to thank God for the gift that they are in our lives. To me it only makes sense to do the same for the most important birth in all of humanity.

I could go on an on, but I won't.

These are my reasons, yours may be different. You may even be one that chooses not to celebrate and have your own list for why you chose not to. That's ok.

Just remember as A.W. Tozer said "It's not what a man does that makes it sacred or secular; it's why he does it." For some, Christmas is nothing more than a secular holiday. For me, it's extremely sacred, and one I will continue to celebrate with friends and family.

God bless you all. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2009-12-09T14:44:00.000-08:00

Bottled Water or Living Water?

One thing I have been convicted of lately is drinking bottled water. Yes you heard me correctly, I said bottled water. What, you may ask, is so bad about drinking bottled water? Well let me tell you.

We live in a society where bottled water is readily available. It comes in all shapes and sizes.
Imported, domestic and yes even local "tap" water can be found bottled and sold if you look hard enough. Some of the bottles are plain to the eye, others are fancy. Some make claims that if you drink their water your life will be forever changed. Others just promise you a refreshing drink. You can find bottled water that fits just about every taste and lifestyle. And above all it's convenient. Other people have already done all the hard work, all you have to do is open and enjoy.

The truth of the matter is that I have become quite addicted to it. Every time I walk into a store or am shopping online and I happen to see a new bottle that I haven't tried before I purchase it. I have amassed quite a collection over the years. Some I have really enjoyed, others not so much. Some I have recommended to friends or even purchased a bottle or two to pass on.

The problem? Well...it's bottled water. You see bottled water will never be as good as water that comes from the source. I mean it's good, but it is lacking.

Now least you think that I am some sort of freak who is obsessed with bottled water let me clarify a bit for you. I'm not talking about the wet stuff that you find in just about every supermarket or corner store across the United States. I'm talking about spiritual water.

In John 4 there is a story about Jesus hanging out at a public well. His disciples had traveled on ahead to get food. As He is waiting for the disciples to return a Samaritan woman arrives to draw water from the well. Jesus asks her to give Him a drink of water and they end of having a conversation:
_________________________

The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw water with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did also hi sons and his flocks and herds?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."
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The absolute best water I have ever tasted can be found in Northern Arizona at the base of the Mogollon Rim. I used to backpack quite a bit up in that area and one of our regular stops was at a spot called Horton Springs. The water flows directly from a spring in the side of the mountain. It is ice cold and a bit sweet. It needs no filtering or purification because it has been naturally purified by the limestone and sandstone rocks that make up the rim. It is the perfect treat for a tired and thirsty backpacker. In fact I can almost taste it just thinking about it. Nothing else will compare to this natural spring. It doesn't matter how fancy the bottle, what country it comes from, what additives it has in it. Bottled water will always fall short.

Jesus made it clear that He was the one with the Living Water. He is the source of the water that will never leave you thirsty. The funny thing is that it is often far easier to turn to Bottled Water rather than Living Water even though we know it will fall short.

By Bottled Water I am talking about all of the books, all of the videos, all of the sermons, all of the magazine articles, all of the TV programs, all of the radio programs, all of the blogs that are produced by men and women who have encountered the Living Water. Now I'm not saying that these things are bad, far from it. Many of them are extremely valuable and have helped me tremendously in my ministry and my relationship with God. However they are still Bottled Water. They will always leave you thirsty.

I have been convicted that I am far more addicted to Bottled Water than I am to Living Water. I am far more inclined to pick up the newest book or listen to the latest sermon from one of my favorite pastors than I am to pick up my Bible or sit in silence waiting for God to speak.

I wonder how many of you are in the same boat?

I really want to learn to become addicted to Living Water

2009-10-07T13:17:00.001-07:00

Emphasizing our interpretation of scripture over experience will lead to legalism. Emphasizing experience over scripture will lead to heresy. Agree/Disagree? Why/Why Not?

2009-09-16T22:18:00.000-07:00

Currently in our youth group we have:

3 sets of teens who have parents separating/getting divorced
2 teens who have lost their home within the last 3 months
2 teens that are currently losing their home
3 teens that have had a parent attempt suicide within the last 3 months
3 sets of teens with chronically ill parents
3 teens that are cutting
1 teen attempting to sever all ties with their parents
1 teen caught up in a nasty custody battle
1 teen whose good friend was recently sexually assaulted by a youth pastor
2 sets of teens who are moving out of state within the next few months

Sometimes it all just feels so overwhelming and I wonder if our kids even stand a chance. That's when I have to lean into the Father and trust that He will work good in each of these situations. please be praying for our youth. They need all they can get

2009-08-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

On August 19th 2009 a series of small tornadoes hit the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. One of the buildings that was hit during the storm was a Lutheran church which was hosting the annual convention of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (ELCA). Damage to the church was minor, some damage to the church roof and the church steeple. By most accounts the storm was a normal occurrence and the tornadoes were nothing new. In fact according to a University of Minnesota website "tornadoes occur in every month from March through November" with the month of August being the 4th most active month (http://climate.umn.edu/doc/historical/tornadic.htm).

Unfortunately a well known and highly regarded pastor recently took a different approach which ultimately throws him into the same camp as fundamentalists like Jerry Falwell, who claimed that 9/11 was God's judgment on America for allowing homosexuality and paganism, and Franklin Graham, who said hurricane Katrina was God's judgment on New Orleans for sexual sins. John Piper, who I do not always agree with but do appreciate the contributions that he has made to the church, posted on his blog the he believes that the "tornado in Minneapolis was a gentle but firm warning to the ELCA and all of us: Turn from the approval of sin. Turn from the promotion of behaviors that lead to destruction." (http://www. tiny.cc/IGdNh). According to Piper because the tornado hit the church at the exact moment that the ELCA was supposed to be taking a vote on whether or not to allow practicing homosexuals to serve in pastoral ministry, it was a direct warning from God. In his statement Piper quotes a number of scriptures to back up his position; 1 Cor 6.9-11 (Homosexuality is a sin), Mark 4.41 (The wind and waves obey Jesus) and Luke 13.4-5 (Tower of Siloam is a warning to repent from sin). On the surface it sounds good however as Greg Boyd points out in his response to John Piper (http://tiny.cc/oHPNK) a few of these verses are taken out of context.

While I do agree with John Piper on one point, the practice of homosexuality is a sin that the church should not openly condone, I have a difficult time agreeing with the rest of his conclusions. Or with anyone who would look at devastating events in life and automatically ascribe them to the hand of God. Now does that mean that God never uses things like storms, or illness, etc. as a way of getting our attention? Of course not, in fact it would be impossible to read through the scriptures and say otherwise, but I think we must be careful in how we interpret what is going on around us.

Allow me to post a different view on events such as these:

1 - Natural Order: We live in a fallen and cursed world. There is stuff that happens simply because of this fact. In Genesis 3 we read about the effects of sin on the world we live in. The ground now produces weeds and thorns, women have pain during child birth, all living things now experience pain and death. These are the natural effects of sin, a perfect creation is now made imperfect. When weeds grow in my backyard after a storm, it's not God punishing me for something I did wrong or sending me a warning to change my ways, it's part of the natural order of things in a cursed world. When hurricanes hit places like the Gulf Coast or Florida or the Caribbean islands it is because they are located in a tropical area where hurricanes occur on a regular basis. When tornadoes strike in "Tornado Alley" (yes Minnesota is in Tornado Alley), it is because this is where weather patterns have the right conditions to form high numbers of tornadoes. When the South West has massive wildfires it is because we are in an area that does not get much rain and our forests and deserts are dry and prone to fire. In many cases these devastating events are needed. Hurricanes help to cool the worlds oceans down by redistributing hot and cool air, they have broken major droughts in the Gulf Coast region and around the world, they are the worlds most efficient desalinization plant taking salty ocean water and through evaporation transport it as fresh water onto dry land refilling lakes, streams, rivers and underground aquifers, they also create new sandbars for wildlife and clean out areas where debris has accumulated allowing for new growth of plants. Wildfires work in much the same way cleaning forests and deserts of dead and sick plants allowing for new healthy growth. Even though they can be destructive and leave grief and suffering in their wake, without them our world would be drastically different.

2 - God Ordained: Now even though many devastating events occur because it is the natural order of our earth, we cannot discount God's hand in some things that happen. We see in Genesis 6-9 that God sent a flood to destroy mankind, Exodus 7-11 says that God sent plagues on Egypt, 2 Sam 12 talks about God punishing David's sin with the death of his child, 2 Samuel 21.1 talks about God sending a famine on Israel. Throughout the Bible we can see God's hand at work in situations like these, however in each and every one that I can find God makes it very clear that He is the one causing the event to happen. There is no guessing game. In fact there are many examples of things happening that God did not take credit for and even challenged people to think differently about it. One example is the Tower of Siloam passage (Luke 13.1-5), which John Piper quoted, Jesus rebuked the people for thinking that God had punished the Galileans who Pilate had killed or the 18 who died when the tower fell. Instead he says that they are all in the same boat. So yes God does move in these areas but He makes it clear when He is the one doing it.

3 - Demonic: A third cause of events in our lives is the Demonic. We see in Job that it was Satan, albeit with God's permission, that was behind the destruction caused to Job and his family. In Mark 4.35-41, again quoted by Piper, we see that Jesus, rather than controlling the storm, rebuked the storm, in the same way he rebukes demons, indicating that the storm had a demonic force behind it. How many times in scripture do we see Jesus and the apostles casting out demons who are causing sickness and disease in people, showing at least in some cases that it was neither God's punishment nor a natural illness?

4 - God does work in all situations no matter the cause: Romans 8.28 tells us that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him". It does not say that He is the one behind everything, but rather that in every situation, no matter if it is caused by natural means, demonic means or if God is behind it, He is working it out for the good of those who love Him. Hurricane Katrina was not sent by God as a punishment on New Orleans, in fact the most sinful part of New Orleans the French Quarter, was left unscathed while many godly people and churches that were working for the Kingdom were effected. However God's hand could be seen by how many believers rallied together to love and serve the hundreds of thousands who were left devastated along the Gulf Coast, something I witnessed and participated in myself. I would challenge all of us, rather than being quick to ascribe something as God's judgement, punishment or warning that we would look for what God is doing in the midst of the storm regardless of the cause.

2009-07-22T15:20:00.001-07:00

I was going through some old things I had written a number of years ago and came across the following poem. I was inspired to write this after talking to a young man on Mill Ave. one night. For those that don't know about Mill Ave. it is probably one of the most evangelised areas in our state. It seems like every time a Church wants to witness to people Mill Ave. is where they go and much of that witnessing is done through street corner preaching or handing out tracts. The young man I spoke with was raised in a Christian home. His dad was a pastor, who was also an abusive alcoholic. One night when his dad was beating on his mom, he ran away from home and was living on the streets around Mill Ave. In his mind Christianity represented everything his dad was and he wanted nothing to do with it.

Over the last couple years I have really been exploring what it means to live an authentic Christian life and what that means in my relationships with other believers and those outside the church. During this time of exploration I have really shifted my views on how we are supposed to reach out to those who come from a different paradigm than ourselves. Now that I look back I think this encounter is what really started this journey. I hope and pray we will all discover how to be effected witnesses for the truth to a hurting and dying world.

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"Repent, turn from your wicked ways and be saved"

I hear these words all the time
Do these people even have a clue?
Have they ever been in my shoes?
Do they know that I know the truth?
Do they know that I was raised as a Christian?
Do they know my dad was a pastor?
A pastor on a liquid diet
Do they know that I used to watch him preach love at church
And then beat my mom at home?
Or are they blinded by their own zeal?

What can they offer me that I haven't already seen?
Love?
I've seen their kind of love
Joy?
In this mixed up world?
Peace?
Not with the nightmares I have
Patience?
They seem so quick to write me off as lost
Kindness?
I see everything but that behind their stares
Goodness?
More like self righteousness
Self Control?
Tell that to my mom

So slowly I shove my hands back into my pockets
Hang my head and walk away
Maybe some day someone will take the time to actually care about me
If there is a God I hope he is not like those who claim to represent him

2009-06-01T16:06:00.001-07:00

Something to think about:

"The ordinary man has always been sane because the ordinary man has always been a mystic. He has permitted twilight. He has always had one foot in the earth and the other in fairyland. He has always left himself free to doubt his gods; but (unlike the agnostic of today) free also to believe in the. He has always cared more for truth than for consistency. If he saw two truths that seemed to contradict eachother, he would take the two truths and the contradiction along with them. His spiritual sight is stereoscopic, like his physical sight: he sees two different pictures at once and yet sees all the better for that. Thus he has always believed that there was such a thing as fate, but such a thing as free will also. Thus he believed that children were indeed the kingdom of Heaven, but nevertheless ought to be obedient to the kingdom of earth. He admired youth because it was young and age because it was not. It is exactly this balance of apparent contradictions that has been the whole buoyancy of a healthy man." - G. K. Chesterton "Orthodoxy"

2009-05-07T20:16:00.000-07:00

So tonight was the final session of our Vineyard National Pastors conference in Galveston, Tx. It was a great week. For me one of the bast parts was to see how many young people (under 35) are now involved in leadership. This was the youngest conference I have attended in the past 11 years. Two years ago in Anaheim they called for all of the leaders under 35 to come forward for prayer. There were probably 100 - 200 of us, out of about 1500. This year nearly half of those in attendance were under the age of 35. Very exciting. The running joke all week is that the Vineyard has traded in it's Hawaiian shirts for tattoos and body piercings. I'm really encouraged by this mix of the old and the young and excited about the future of the Vineyard movement.

The theme of the conference this year was "Heroic Leadership in Changing Times" and there were some great challenges laid before us this week. For me the biggest challenge of the week came in tonights final session. Rich Nathan, the senior pastor of the Columbus Vineyard, and a man of Jewish heritage, interviewed Sami Awad, a Palestinian, Christian, peace activist. Sami runs a ministry called "The Holy Land Trust" which works with Palestinians in non violent resistance against Israeli occupation of the Gaza strip and the West Bank. He shared much of his story which goes back to the death of his grandfather at the hands of an Israeli sniper, while trying to raise a white flag over his home to protect his family, during the war of 1948. His grandmother, a Christian woman, instilled the value of forgiveness into her children, even to the point that the legacy has been passed down to Sami's children and even to the next generation below that. Incredible story and a very different picture than the one we hear here in the states. In fact if you have the two hours to sit down and listen to the whole session you can find it here: http://tinyurl.com/c6ljjz (if it's not up yet just check back. It may take a few days).

For me the challenge is not in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict. My challenge is the concept of justice/equality from a Kingdom perspective and exactly what my role in this is and what it looks like. I have always struggled with this because I truly feel like I am living in two Kingdoms if you will. One Kingdom is made up of the ideal, or what things should look like and be like. In this Kingdom the ideal is that we can bring about peace through non-violent means. We can see justice happen for the poor and the oppressed simply through taking a stand and doing what is right. In this Kingdom there are no illegal aliens, no walls between Irish Catholics and Protestants (or Palestinians/Israelis), no genocide in Africa, etc. That is the Kingdom of God and it is an amazing concept to grasp.

The second kingdom that I find myself in however is the kingdom of reality. The reality that we can't solve all of our problems through non violence, sometimes there is a call to pick up a sword and defend the defenseless . Sometimes the only way to peace is to defeat all of your enemies. The old example of this is Hitler and the Nazi's. They had to be defeated so the Jewish people and even the German people could be free. And it was messy. And it was costly. And people lost their lives. In the kingdom of reality a wall is necessary in Northern Ireland, at least for now, to help keep the peace. Is the goal to eventually tear down the "Peace Walls", sure but in the meantime it is serving a purpose. The same with the walls in the middle east. The desire is to have Christians and Jews and Muslims living side by side in peace and equality as they did prior to 1948, but until that day comes the walls provide security. In the kingdom of reality national borders are necessary to provide stability for governments and civilizations. Laws are in place for the same reason and while it may not be the ideal situation the serve their purpose.

Now how do I live between the two kingdoms? That is the real question, at least for me. I honestly am not sure how this is supposed to look in my life. For some of you, you have it figured out, but I still wrestle with this. So far the best I can do is to strike a shaky balance between the two. I can love the Mexican, or any other nationality, who is here illegally as a person who is created in the image of God, have compassion on their situation, attempt to serve them as best as I know how; while still taking issue with the problem of illegal immigration. The individual is not the whole and vice versa. I can love the individual Muslim that I meet, and still take a stand against terrorism and radicalism, even to the point of supporting a war to stop such ideology. I can speak out against atrocities on both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and still reach out to and love those on both sides. Can I do it perfectly, probably not. Is it ideal, not sure. What I do know is that God is ever changing and shaping my heart and the way I view life in the present and life in the Kingdom. And in all reality, I hope I never truly get it all figured out, because I really enjoy being stretched and challenged beyond my comfort zone.

2009-04-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

Jesus said, "Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God's kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn't care enough to change and believe him. (Matt 21.31-32)

Does your church pass the "crooks and whores" test? To tell you the truth I'm not sure many of ours would. And if we were to be really honest with ourselves, I don't think we really want them to.

We do a good job talking about loving the siners wanting them to be saved but do we make a place for them in our church? Sure once they have accepted Jesus, and have cleaned up their act and don't have "stuff" to deal with we will love them and welcome them into the church but how about before they look like "us"? How about when they are still dirty? How about when they are still sinners? How about when they still have "stuff"? I'm not so sure we really want them here. This is not the case for every church, there are many who open their doors to anyone, but I fear it has become far too comonplace among evangalical churches.

A couple years ago I was at a conference and heard a pastor say that our churches should resemble going to the local Walmart, locking the doors, and everyone inside was now part of your church. That's a scary thought, especially if you happen to lock those doors after midnight...lol. However this is exactly what Jesus is saying, the crooks and whores are entering the kingdom infront of the religious...yes that even includes some of us. I truly believe that church should be more than just a safe place to bring our kids and meet with other like minded people. It should be a place where the broken can be restored, where the lost can be found, where the seeker can find answers...the homosexual can find love, the abortion doctor can find forgivness, the drug addict/alcoholic can find support and freedom...etc.

The problem is that gets messy. It exposes us and our kids to things we wouldrather not be exposed to. I was talking with a friend of mine on Sunday about this issue. I brought up that while all of this sounds like a good idea most of us don't want it. I used the analogy that if the kids from our weekly Drop In, teens who curse/smoke/drink/do drugs, actually started coming to youth group on Wed nights, parents would freak out. My friend and his wife honestly admitted that they would be right there with those parents. Now I understand where they are coming from and I don't begrudge them at all for wanting to protect their kids from certian influences, but it does show where our hearts are. The truth of the matter is that if we were really doing what we are supposed to be doing the church would be filled with "crooks and whores".

Our pastor told us about one of the things that his pastor used to say "I want you to go find the people who no one else will be their pastor, bring them here and I will be their pastor". I pray that we can truly adopt this heart. It won't be easy but it will be worth it

2009-04-01T15:31:00.001-07:00

"The hospitality and pastoral care practiced in the Celtic and Angelo-Saxon monasteries was part and parcel of a broader ministry of presence and availability in which the Church's primary role was conceived of as simply being there in the midst of the people. The ministry of the presence was exercised both inside and outside the confines of the monastic vallum...The exercise of this pastoral ministry of the presence was seen as a more important function for the Church than engaging in mission or evangelism." (Ian Bradley "Colonies of Heaven: Celtic s for Today's Church")

As I am learning more about the early Celtic Church I am finding myself drawn more and more to the Celtic concept of "ministry of the presence". The idea being that it was enough for believers to just be around people. There was no need to preach or evangelize or attempt to convert for the sake of conversion. Instead the Celtic Christians realized that just by being around people and building relationships and getting involved in their lives ministry was taking place.

It is good to see this concept begin to make a comeback. From what I can see more and more Christians are starting to see the value in loving people purely because they are image bearers of God, not because there is a hidden agenda to convert them to Christianity. Making this change in our mentality allows the doors of ministry to open in ways that 30-40 years ago would have not even been considered. Churches are starting to open community centers that provide childcare, after school programs, education classes and even community health clinics. Believers are beginning to build meaningful relationships with their co-workers and neighbors that move deeper than a potential evangelistic target. And in the midst of this doors are opened for the Kingdom of God to advance.

For me the ministry of the presence takes the form of our weekly "Drop In" at the church. Every Thursday night we block off a large section of our parking lot and open up the youth building to give the teens in our community a place to hang out. They come to play basketball and dodge ball in the gym, play video games, shoot pool and play air hockey in the youth room and skateboard/bmx in the church parking lot. We have built/purchased ramps and grind rails for them to use outside as well as balls and games for use inside. We also cook between 75-150 hotdogs for the teens every week. This coming Summer will mark the fifth year of doing the Drop In. We started off with only a handfull of kids (15-25) and are now seeing between 50-70 teens show up every week, the majority of them have little to no church background. There have been many who have asked us what the fruit is that we are seeing, meaning how many kids are getting "saved". They want to know why we don't make the teens sit down for a Bible study or short teaching each week. For some unless we are sharing the Word of God with these kids on a weekly basis then there is no value in it. I think the early Celts would dissagree. We have discovered that there is value in just being here. The realationships that have been built with the kids who have come through the Drop In over the last 4-5 years are priceless. These kids have told us that they count there weeks by "Thursday nights". This is the one highlight to their week and by us just being there consistantly we have built a trust with many of them. They open up to us and share their problems. We are able to pray for them when they are going through difficult times, even if they don't know we are praying. I just reciently had the opportunity to talk with a teen whose grandfather had passed away and wanted to know if he was in heaven. A couple weeks after that I prayed with a teen whose best friend had just gotten hurt in a serious dirt biking accident. And yes, we have even had some of the teens come to church in the past couple of years.

Ministry is happeneing just because we are who we are, not because we are forcing it. St Francis' words ring just as true now as ever "preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." It is my prayer that God would help us all to see where our presence is all that is needed.

2009-03-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

MAKE THE SPIRITUAL CONNECTION

"One day they read aloud an advertisement in huge letters on a distant billboard, and then I realized that something was the matter, for not only was I unable to read the sign but I could not even see the letters. I spoke of this to my father and soon after got my first pair of spectacles, which literally opened an entirely new world to me. I had no idea how beautiful the world was until I got those spectacles...while much of my clumsiness and awkwardness was doubtless due to general characteristics, a good deal of it was due to the fact that I could not see, and yet was wholly ignorant that I was not seeing." - (from a letter written by Theodore Roosevelt, recorded in "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Edmund Morris)

2009-03-09T14:42:00.000-07:00

An old man said, "Judge not him who is guilty of fornication, if thou art chaste: or thou thyself wilt offend a similar law. For He who said, 'Thou shall not fornicate' said also 'Thou shall not judge.'" - The Desert Fathers

2009-03-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

For me the concept of Set Theory when it comes to Christianity is a fascinating, albeit new, concept. If you remember back to your academic days you will recall that set theory is used to determine what items belong grouped together. Most religions of the world, including Christianity, use what is called "circle set theory" to determine who's in and who's out.

Basically imagine a dot on a piece of paper. Now draw a large circle around that dot. everything inside the circle is 'in" while everything outside the circle is "out". Within Christianity we use certain factors to determine who's "in". For example have you "prayed the prayer"? If so you are "in". Do you go to church? If so you are "in". Do you read your Bible? Do you pray? Have you been baptized? And the list goes on and on. Viewing things this way helps us keep things nice and tidy, and it gives us a nice package to present to those who are "out" and are looking to get "in". All you have to do is X, Y and Z. And seemingly the most important is to "pray the prayer", you know admit you are a sinner, ask Jesus for forgiveness, acknowledge that He is the Son of God and died on the cross for your sins, etc. Almost like the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail where they must answer three questions correctly to cross the bridge or else they were doomed.

Using this thought process one could easily ask the question when did the Apostle Peter go from being "out" to "in"? Was it when when Jesus first called him to drop his nets and follow Him? Was it when Peter first acknowledged that Jesus was the son of God? Was it at the end of John when Jesus restored Peter and told him to "feed my sheep"? What about the fact that even after all of these events in Galatians Paul calls Peter out and tells him that he knows nothing of Christ or the cross? The difficult thing with the 'circle set theory" is that life is messy and complicated. At times people can look at your life and conclude that you are "in' and then at other times like Peter, you can be accused of knowing nothing about Christ or the cross.

I want to suggest that Jesus did not come with a "circle set theory" mentality. In fact he seemed to constantly be at odds with those who held onto this mentality and thought they were "in" while prostitutess and tax collectors were "out". We see this most clearly in the story told in Luke 7 about the sinful woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. The Pharisees were upset that Jesus would even allow such a woman to touch Him. In Matt 21 Jesus said "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the s are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you." This totally turned everything upside down. Jesus was saying that it's not doing the right things to get "in" its all about where your heart is. Jesus came with a "center set theory" mentality. He is the dot on the center of the page and the question isn't whether or not you are inside the circle, in fact He eliminated the circle all together. The question now become are you moving towards Him or away from Him? What a radical concept. It means now that the sinner who is all the way at the bottom corner of the page and makes a step in the direction towards Jesus, is closer to Him than the religious person who does all of the right things but their heart is far from Him.

How can shifting from a "circle set" to a "center set" mentality change the way we view "outsiders"? How can it it change the way we view "insiders"? How can this change what it means to have a relationship with God?

2009-02-23T18:17:00.000-08:00

I have finally decided that I am going to attempt to write a book on youth ministry. I figured after 10 1/2 years of doing this I have learned plenty of things not to do :) Not sure how long this process will take or if I will ever finish but I did manage to write my first five pages today. not much but hey it's a start.

2009-01-29T15:31:00.000-08:00

"Whether we ar dealing with international relations or one-on-one personal relations, evil must be named and confronted. There must be no sliding around it, no attempt (whether for the sake of an easy life or in search of a quick fix) to pretend it wasn't so bad after all. Only when that has been done, when both evil and evildoer have been identified as what and who they are...can there be the second move towards embrace: the embrace of the one who has deeply hurt us or me. Of course , even then this may not happen if the perpertrator of the evil refuses to see his or her action in that light. But if I have named the evil and done my best to offer genuine forgivness and reconciliation, I am free to love that person even if they don't want to respond." - N.T. Wright "Evil and the Justice of God"

2009-01-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

"Christian ethics does not consist of a list of 'what we're allowed to do' and 'what we're not allowed to do'. It consists rather in the summons to live in God's new world, on the basis that idolatry and sin have been defeated at the c ross and new creation has begun at Easter - and that the entire new world, based on this achevement, is guaranteed by the power of the Spirit." - N.T. Wright "Evil and the Justice of God"

2009-01-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 46.10 "Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure'"

Gen 6.5-7 "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, 'I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them.'"

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Romans 8.30 "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified."

John 3.16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

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Exodus 20.12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you."

Luke 14.26 "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple."

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The above verses are only a handful that can be pointed to in scripture that at least on the surface seem to contradict each other. The first ones tell us that God knows the end of the story from the very beginning yet after seeing how wicked man had become he regretted making him, as if this was an unexpected outcome. In the second set of verses we see the God has predestined some yet anyone who believes in Him can be saved. Finally we are told to honor our parents but if we don't hate them we cannot be Jesus' disciples. What's up with that?

Far from being contradictory statements, these illustrate one of the most profound ideas of scripture...tension. For some this may be seen as a middle of the road, wishy-washy, way of dealing with difficult issues, you don't have to come down on any one side, just sort of hang out between the two. I think it's so much more than that. Jay Pathak, the pastor of the Arvada Vineyard, described tension as "holding onto one set of ideas and then pulling hard in the opposite direction." In that description there is no room for a middle of the road approach. It's really about stretching us beyond what we feel comfortable with in order to see a bigger picture of who God really is.

In the Vineyard, tension is the key to one of our core values, Kingdom Theology. We see it in the fact that the Kingdom of God is already here but not yet. Like the sun which casts it's light into the darkness of night even before it fully appears, God's rule and reign can be seen in a dark world even before it is fully present. Having studied the Kingdom of God, this is not a difficult concept to grasp. Scripture is full of references that point to both realities. However the Kingdom is not the only concept that should be held in tension and I think it would serve us well to do so with other things as well, for me in particular are the issues of open/closed theism and predestination/free will, although it should certainly not be limited to these two topics.

The more I hear arguments on both sides of these debates the more I come to realize that they both fall short of the whole picture of who God is. Each side can pull out a slew of scriptures to support their position, often the exact same ones. They apply interpretations that may or may not be accurate, but certainly stem from their own theological bent. And explanations are given that on the surface sound good but never quite answer the questions being asked. Yet each side can become so entrenched in their position that often the bond that should be found in Christ is lost altogether. Fellowship suffers and thus the work of Christ suffers. Unfortunately I have seen and experienced this in my own life and I fully believe that there is nothing that the Devil appreciates more than brother who cannot unite because of "trivial" disagreements. If it were not for the serious nature of the matter it would be almost comical, that we mere mortals would dare to think that we have God figured out. Although on the surface we are quick to deny that claim when we get right down to it we really do believe that we have it figured out and others are "creating God in their own image". Instead of acting like we are in the right, why don't we try to live in the tension? Hold on to our positions and then pull hard in the opposite direction. Who knows, we just might learn something new about the Awesome God of the Universe and strengthen the bonds of fellowship in the process.

Make any sense at all or just rambling?

2008-12-22T10:10:00.000-08:00

10 years...that's how long I have been involved in youth ministry. It's hard to believe that it has been that long already. God has done a lot in my life over that time, when I started out as an 18 year old "punk kid" I was zealous for the faith and ready to conquer the word for Christ. I was surrounded by many other young people who had the same passion and desires as I did and it was great. However as I have gotten older my zeal has been tempered with wisdom and maturity. I am really enjoying this time of my life as God is shaping my views and my heart. Things that I once considered to be important are not so much so now, in fact when I think back to how I used to be it almost makes me cringe a bit.

I remember about 8 years ago we put on a youth conference at East Valley Vineyard called "The Revolution". There were about 8 of us who organized the whole thing. For nearly a year straight we planned and prayed for the conference and we really felt like God was going to show up and do some amazing things. Our whole goal was that this conference would be the beginning of a massive turn towards God in the East Valley. We wanted God to begin a Revolution amongst the youth, not a revival, because revivals come and go, but revolutions make a lasting impact. At least that was our thinking back then. We kept coming across things at the time that confirmed that we were on the right track; a license plate that read "Rvlton" on a car in front of us on the way home from a prayer meeting, a book geared towards youth called "Revolution: The Call to Holy War" that was released during the time we were planning the conference, verses that we were using (Ezk 37) were starting to show up amongst other youth organizations (Acquire the Fire, The Call, etc). This was it, God was going to move and the world would be forever changed. Not that our little conference would do it on it's own, but we were a part of the bigger movement. All of our talks were geared towards "No Compromise" life styles; "You wouldn't eat a cake with just a little bit of manure mixed in, so why would you live a life with just a little bit of garbage in it? Why watch movies with just a little sex? Why listen to music with just a little bit of swearing? Why give in just a little bit? God has set us apart. We are supposed to live holy lives. We are supposed to be different than everyone else, how can we be different if we do the same things they do? So stop listening to secular music, stop going to movies that have garbage in them, stop talking like the rest of the world so God can use you to take back your schools, work, families back for Him." Honestly this was our thinking. This was our battle cry. We were on the front lines of a "holy war" a revolution. The conference came and went. It was fun. We had about 300 people show up, had some great worship and some great speakers. But in the end it was just another conference, the world didn't change but my heart began to.

From that time until now I have gone through a transformation. It is no longer important to me to try to start a revolution. At least not in the sense above. I have no desire to take back the schools or the workplace or the world for Jesus. At least not in the sense above. And while living a life that is "set apart" is scriptural and important, I no longer view this as trying to live "better" than others. The Christian walk is so much more than any of this.

At our church I have discovered that all of our pastors kind of have their own thing. Pastor J is the "theology" guy. Whenever he preaches you can expect to get a good dose of it and it's great. Pastor M is our resident Dr Phill. He does most of the counseling and when he preaches it is often along those lines. Pastor D is the "liturgy" guy. He seems to enjoy Celtic spirituality, and ancient spiritual practices (Lectio Divina, contemplative prayer, etc). I am starting to realize that I am the "real" guy, not that the other pastors are not real, but rather the concept or reality or authenticity seems to be my thing if you will. What does a relationship with Jesus look like in the real world? What does it look like in my relationships with Christians and non Christians? How does this play out in my response to those in need? Can I be honest enough with myself, others and God to admit when I screw up? Or that I don't have it all figured out? Can I break out of the "Christian Bubble" that has it's own way of doing things in order to meet people where they are at rather than expecting them to come to me? And in the process of figuring all of this out in my own life how do I bring others along on the journey with me?

That's where I'm at at the moment. I'm sure God's not done with me yet. In another 10 years I may look back to this time in much the same way as I now look back to 10 years ago. Who knows. One thing I do know for sure is that I never want to stop being real in my faith and I never want to stop growing.

God bless you guys and have a merry Christmas

2008-11-29T11:03:00.000-08:00

The other day I was watching the Nooma video "Rhythm" by Rob Bell, one of my favorite videos in the Nooma series. Rob starts out the video by talking about how he has observed people talking about prayers God has answered in their lives or blessings that people have attributed to God. Things like finding a parking spot near the front of the store or discovering an item that a person wanted had just gone on sale, even a situation where two people had been prayed for for healing and one had indeed gotten better. Rob pointed out that those things seemed a bit trivial to him in light of the immense suffering that goes on around the world and that often our view of God and what it means to be in relationship with him can easily get skewed. In the full context of the video his observation was right on, however I do have one observation.

This last Thursday night (Thanksgiving) Jen, Elijah and I came home from dinner at her parents house. Jen was pretty tired, having a newborn will do this to you, but Elijah just did not want to sleep, in fact it seemed like all he wanted to do was cry, as most newborns tend to do. In our vast experience as parents, I think it was all of 5 days at this point, we had come to realize that if being held and feeding him doesn't quite him down his pacifier usually does the trick. So I went to retrieve his pacifier from his diaper bag, and horror of horrors came to realize that we had left it at Grandma's. Now any good parent worth their weight in salt would have a backup lying around the house, we do, in fact we have no less than 20 different pacifiers of all shapes, colors and sizes, but Elijah in his long life, 5 days, had decided that he only likes this one specific type of pacifier. And so I began the task of attempting to find a store that woudl be open at 9 pm Thanksgiving night, it was either that or drive all the way back to Grandma's house. I wen't to Walgreens, closed. I wen't to Fry's, closed. I went to Albertsons, closed. Finally I made my way to CVS with the realization that if they were closed I would have to make the trek back to Gilbert. Not wanting to do that I prayed a short little prayer, "Lord please let them be open and let them have the right pacifier." Nothing extravagant, but a prayer of desperation none the less. Well lo and behold CVS was open and they did have the right pacifier. As I made my way back home thanking God for yet another answered preyer I recalled what Rob had said in his video. With all of the immense suffering going on in the world, with all of the parents praying in desperation for their children who are dying of Aids or who have no food, why would God bother Himself with something as simple as a pacifier on Thanksgiving? Then the answer hit me. Peter wrote in his first letter "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you." (1 Peter 5.7 NLT).

We have a tendancy in the West to diminish what we go through because people iin other parts of the world have it so much worse than us. For the most part this is true. I would never equate my search for a pacifier to that of a father looking for food to feed his starving children. I fully understand how blessed I am living in the United States however my problems are still problems. They may only be 1st world problems not 3rd world problems but they are still things that concern me and have an effect on my life in the culture I live in and in this culture they can seem like a big deal. I fully believe that God is concerned just as much about my 1st world problems as he is about 3rd world problems, not because they are equal or one is greater than the other but because "He cares about [me]".

I hope that we would never feel guilty or foolish to bring our cares and worries before God, just because they may not be as important as someone elses. If they matter to us they matter to God, because He is our father and He does care about us.

2008-11-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

When does playing devil's advocate move from challenging a teen to think deeper about their faith into planting seeds of doubt about their faith?

2008-11-05T11:36:00.000-08:00

Last night I watched a documentary about "Purity Balls" that I had recorded from TLC over the weekend. It was actually quite interesting. It followed four groups of father/daughters who were attending the nations largest "Purity Ball" in Colorado Springs. It was started by New Life Church a number of years ago and now runs every year with girls as young as five attending with their dads. Some aspects of it I really liked. I liked the part about the dads and daughters dressing up and having a special time together (the ball includes dinner and dancing), many of the fathers chose to rent Limos for the evening. The young women were made to feel like princess's for the evening, which I think is always important for daughters to know that they are loved by their fathers. I also liked the fact that these dads were taking an active role in their daughters lives and spiritual development and serving as protectors of their daughters (one guy even had a cool statue of a knight in armor leaning on a sword and a little girl playing under him). In our day and age where so many dads are not in the picture this is important. None of that bothered me at all, some of it was a little weird, counter culture for sure, but Christians should be a little counter culture.

What really got me however was how people reacted when their daughters couldn't/didn't live up to the purity pledge. Along with following the four families who were attending the "Purity Ball" TLC also spoke with a young woman named Jessica who had grown up in the purity movement. She remained a virgin until she was 20 (I'm not 100% sure on the age, but I think that's right). She started courting a young man, also from the purity movement, with her parents permission. Apparently one thing led to another and at some point in the relationship they had sex. She said the guilt and shame were so great that they felt they couldn't tell any one so they kept it to themselves and just tried not to do it again. Of course that never works and soon she found out she was pregnant. When she broke the news to her parents they were angry and decided that Jessica and this young man needed to get married right away, it was after all the right thing to do. Shortly before the wedding Jessica miscarried the baby. It was at that point that she realized that she was only marrying this young man because of the baby, not because she loved him, so she called the engagement off. Due to all of this her parents piratically disowned her, calling her miscarriage a punishment from God for her sins. At this point she is away from the church and from her family. There is more to the story that I can't quite remember or put down here, but I'm sure you get the gist of it. If you get the chance to watch it, I would recommend it, I'm sure it will replay at some point.

It brought up a question for me however. Since I do not have any grown kids yet I will defer to those of you who do. Obviously there are certain standards that Scripture lays out as to how we should live our lives. As believers we attempt to raise our children, as best as we can, to follow those Scriptural mandates. What happens though when they do not follow the path laid before them? How will you respond?

I know of one whose daughter has taken a purity pledge, I pray that she is able to fulfill that, by God's grace and her parents guidance she just may. But what will you do or say if at some point she fails?

I was watching another program on MTV called "Sex with Mom and Dad". On this episode a young man (16) who lived in a Christian home, with parents who believed in abstinence before marriage, decided that he didn't hold his parents same views and didn't want to wait. He had to break the news to them and let them know that, while he wasn't having sex yet, he planned on it before he got married. How would you respond if this was your son or daughter?

While we are talking about children moving astray, what about the child that believes that may be gay? How do we respond in that situation as believers?

Do we push for the Biblical mandate and risk pushing our children farther from us and Christ?

Do we allow them to make their own choices in an attempt to maintain relationship and someday draw them back to the Lord?

Or is there a middle ground?

I am asking these questions openly and honestly. I am curious to hear your thoughts, especially those of you who have children.

What is more important: relationship with our kids at all costs in the hopes of a return to the Lord or an adherance to Scripture no matter what?

2008-11-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

Great insight from Jerry Cook's book "Monday Morning Church":

"Do you work with people who are annoying and cross? Do you wish sometimes you could work with only plesant people who talk nicely and smell good, complete all of their assignments, and never complain? People who never leave their work for you, who don't keep dirty pictures in their lockers and in their minds?

The reason you're where you are is because Jesus loves the people there-and you are the way he loves them. If you don't love them, he can't. You're there not because you would choose it; you're there because you choose to be with him, and he has chosen to be there.

If you're going to be with Jesus, you're going to spend time with some difficult people, because he came to seek and save that which was 'lost' (see luke 19.10). Feel free to cross out 'lost' and substititute any of these words: ugly, mean, vulgar, immoral, dangerous, violet, abusive. Those adjectives describe the kinds of people Jesus came to find. And lo and behold, he found some right where you work! Isn't that remarkable? All he wants to do is love them, and you are the way he wants to love them."

2008-10-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 5.16-19 "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."

Galatians 2.19-21 "For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

I have always loved these two verses, they point to a reality that is beyond what I can see or even in fact have experienced. This is a foundational part of the "already but not yet" of the Kingdom of God. I am already a new creation, Christ is already living in me, yet I do not experience the fullness of this on a daily basis. Each day I have to struggle against my old nature that wants to rise up and regain control. Some days the new life is successful, more often than not however I end up like Paul, doing the things I do not want to do and not doing the things I know I should. It is a frustrating cycle of failures and successes yet no matter what I have a promise that "He who began a good work in [me] will carry it on to completion." (Philippians 1.6). I am so grateful for this, it's not about me or my own efforts, it's all about Christ and the new life. He is the one doing the work, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36.26).

However while we are quick to accept the validity of the verses when it comes to our own shortcomings and moral failures, I have seen, far too often, an inability to apply these same verses to the lives of people around us who may be dealing with their own issues. Recently I was reading an article by a well known pastor about the issue of pornography. This pastor was writing directly to Christian ("Saved") men and this is what he said:

"In 1 Cor 6.9-10, Paul says, 'Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters ...will inherit the kingdom of God.' Clearly, God takes the sexual sins of His men so seriously that men who remain enslaved to sexual sins will die in their sins will wake up in the eternal torments of hell."

I have heard this verse applied so many times to different groups of people, s, alcoholics, etc. We like to disqualify people from the "club" with verses such as this one.

The questions that arise now are:

Can the homosexual go to heaven? (Even if he/she finds them self engaging in this lifestyle after salvation? Take for example Lonnie Frisbee the "Hippy Preacher" who was instrumental in the foundation of both the Calvary Chapel and Vineyard church movements as well as the "Signs and Wonders" theology used by the Vineyard. He was a gay Christian and eventually died of Aids in 1993. To his credit even though he was gay he always believed homosexuality was a sin in the eyes of God and never condoned his own actions, even though it was a struggle.)

Can the man or woman who has a lifelong struggle with pornography, even after salvation, go to heaven?

Can the Alcoholic go to heaven? (Even if they still drink after meeting Christ? We had this situation come up at our church. A man who was an alcoholic re committed his life to the Lord yet continued to struggle with drink. A couple months later he was drunk and walked out into the street where he was hit by a car and killed. He died in his drunken sinful state)

Can the person who lives for their (job, family, possessions...all idols) go to heaven? (Even if after salvation he still has not surrendered it all?)

Can the person who lies go to heaven? How about the one who eats too much? How about the thief?

All of these, and more, are encompassed by Paul's statement in 1 Cor 6.9-10. If we leave it there, we are all in the same boat. Each one of us continues to sin, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1.8). Is it just that these sins are worse than the others? Or is there more to the story? Thank God that Paul does not leave it there, "Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. [Catch this next part] And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor 6.9-11)

Did you catch that? "And that is what some of you were..." Some of us were sexually immoral, homosexuals, alcoholics, liars, thieves etc. But that is not who we are any more, even if we still deal with these issues. I may still struggle with pornography but I am not sexually immoral because "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me". I may not experience the fullness of this yet, but one day I will, because He is faithful, even when I'm not. And what is my responsibility in all of this? Only one thing, "though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again" (Pro 24.16). When I sin, get back up, other than that, He will do the rest, even if I never experience it in this life.

2008-10-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well after taking a year off from the Blogging world I am now going to make an attempt to re start "Klao Before Him". My first task was to clear out nearly five years of archived posts. It's a funny thing...I havn't given my blog a second thought over this last year yet as I began to delete past entries it was almost like losing a part of myself. I guess to some extent it was. The past five years have held many experiences for me, many of which I blogged about here...meeting my future wife, getting engaged and then married; heading to Northern Ireland for the first time; situations that arose in my family, both the good and the bad; and not the least of which my own spiritual journey that God has taken me on. It was a bitter sweet thing to go back through these memories, many of which have long since faded into the sands of time. I thank God for those times and experiences, however this is a new day and I feel it is time to move forward, with a clean slate and a new direction

"Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Paul (Letter to the Phillipians)