Who You Serve I'll Serve

Famine had forced Naomi and her husband to leave their home and live as foreigners in Moab. When her husband died, Naomi was left with her two sons and their new wives. When they'd been there about 10 years, her sons died as well - leaving her nearly alone in a foreign land. It's easy to see why she wanted to change her name to a word that meant bitter. She'd lost just about everything important to her and was forced to head home to Israel, to live out the rest of her life as a begging, bitter widow.

But there was one friend she'd gained in all the suffering. Her daughter in law, Ruth.

As Naomi left for Israel, her sons' widows went with her, as part of her household. But they were young and Naomi had no hope of being able to provide for them, so she sent them home to their own families. Ruth wouldn't go. Despite the difficulty she knew she'd face in aligning herself with Naomi this way, her words reveal a commitment to a relationship that ran deeper than any desire for self-preservation.

"Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay.  Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

There's a Chris Tomlin song (I Will Follow) that I've been singing with my students lately that echoes this same thought and reflects our commitment to Jesus. May our desire to go with Jesus, wherever He's going, reflect Ruth's love and devotion to Naomi. I pray that we will truly love those who He so deeply loves and that we'd humbly serve those He desires to serve. He draws a pretty wide circle... find someone you can serve today.

The Landing After I Leaped Before I Looked

First a little disclaimer: Do not read into this post anything that I did not explicitly write. Don't jump to conclusions and try to assign blame. The adventure began like this and it's about to end with a fully shingled roof and some valuable lessons. That's a good trip. It's been discouraging and frustrating at times, but satisfying and even a little fun at others. The whole experience has highlighted some problems to me during the last month. I write this to propose some solutions, not to place blame or lay on the guilt.

I write this with tongue in cheek (and possibly foot in mouth), so please take it lightly. I harbor no ill will toward anyone who couldn't help, and only a little toward whoever made me think this was a good idea in the first place (just kidding, that was me).
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I have a lot of friends on facebook... but I don't have a lot of friends on my roof.

This has been frustrating for me lately. I've needed help. Roofing's one of those jobs that's kind of tough to tackle on your own.

Black Friday for me was tar paper black. My birthday was Saturday and a lot of people stopped by my wall to wish me a good day. I would have felt pretty good about that except for one thing - Zero of them stopped by my roof to help me finish the shingling. This was my first weekend at home since August and I got to spend it roofing. My 11 year old daughter and 8 & 7 year old sons have learned where shingles need to be and when. My mom lugged tarps full of shingle scraps to the roll off dumpster for her Thanksgiving vacation and my dad spent 2 days up there with me stripping off the old and laying down the new. They may still be in recovery. They may never come to visit again! My wife has made lots of trips out of the house to bring me stuff I forgot to take up with me. A couple of my 16 year old students have helped out a lot (except when both of them could come and distract each other). A few of my friends have spent several hours helping out, but most just couldn't make it.

Now, before this starts sounding as bitter as Marshall's coffee (hopefully, not too late) I need to say that I don't think this is an indictment of my friends. I sort of want to feel sorry for myself and be mad at them, but I'm not. I sort of want to moan about how my hour of need found me alone, but I know I'm not alone. I sort of want to be hurt by serving in a church full of people who watched the Huskers and Broncos, and "decked their halls", and took family holiday pictures, and played around for the long weekend while I sent nail after nail into tar and asphalt and wood... but the truth is, I'd have much rather been doing those things, too. Roofing's not nearly as fun as those things, or others... like pulling out your fingernails, or eating fried wombat hair.

I've identified a few possible reasons I've had less help than hoped for:
1. Maybe I suck at asking for help. Apparently, "I've never done this before and I'd love it if you could come help me put shingles on my house." doesn't mean what I thought it means. I've never thought of myself as someone who appeared to have everything under control, but maybe I do because if my friends knew the true level of need, I can't believe they wouldn't have helped. I know this because we've helped others together in similar endeavors. I think I need to communicate my need more accurately. But I don't want to use guilt to motivate, so I always leave an open door for people to say no. Maybe that open door makes my friends think I don't really need their help.
2. Maybe we live with no margins. We are a busy people. I mentioned earlier that this was the first weekend I'd been able to spend at home since August. Soccer, funerals, weddings, work trips, anniversary celebrations, family emergencies... all of these things keep us running from one thing to the next with no buffer zones... no empty spaces to simply be, and to breathe, and to be available. I wonder if we're just too busy.
3. Maybe we're just afraid to try. I realize that most of my friends are not roofing experts, or maybe even all that savvy regarding nails and hammers and construction type stuff. Neither am I (which is why I say construction type stuff, I don't know what most of it's really called). Once, when I was a kid, I hauled a few shingles onto a roof my dad was shingling for some lady that needed help, but that's the extent of my roofing experience. I'm not a handy guy. I usually can only fix the things that I've broken and seen exactly how I broke it. It's a whole different ball game to deconstruct a time honored method of getting the wet off the top of a house, and then to actually successfully do the work necessary to secure the shingles where they need to be. But guess what? I learned. Why do we let what we don't know stop us from trying?

So here's what I propose, friends:
-Let's stop mitigating our speech and say what we really mean.
-Let's stop filling every moment with something and create some margin in our lives (not just for our friends, but especially for our Father).
-Let's never let what we don't know scare us away from trying.

Curious? or Ignorant.

"But they didn't understand what he was saying, and they were afraid to ask him what he meant."

When Jesus told his closest disciples that he was about to be killed and resurrected, this was the confusion that ensued.  They weren't getting it.  They'd missed his point, but the more discouraging thing is that they let their fear keep them from understanding.  How many times had they had to ask Jesus to clarify?

Coldwater Apps

Last summer, our youth ministry did a mission trip called coldwater. Basically, we packed up a van, truck, and camper and headed to an unknown destination to do whatever work we could find - small acts of relief for people who matter to God. We won't be making that trip quite the same way this summer, but we will be incorporating the concept this year through 'coldwaters apps'.

We're applying the same attitude of service, and showing people they matter.

Tomorrow will be our first official coldwater app. We'll be fixing up a yard that needs mowed and weeded at 9:30. If you want to help, meet me at the church building a little before 9:30. Bring some work gloves or rakes or just yourself! Don't get bent out of shape if you can't make it this time; there will be more. Call me if you need some details. (But remember, this is still coldwater, so there aren't many details to go around!)

Kingdom Work Cards

One of the more meaningful moments at CIY Move this year was the last group time together. I appreciate how CIY doesn't just want to cram a bunch of content into students' lives, but they want to spur students to action. We each were given an envelope with an 'assignment' that would could either take or leave. Everyone in our group was asked to commit to doing whatever was on the card before they opened it.

"How do I know I'll want to do what it says?" You don't. You have to trust that CIY didn't just put a bunch of dumb ideas on the cards. You have to trust that whatever it is, God can use your efforts. Will you serve, 'no matter what'?

"What if it's hard?" It probably will be. When did anyone make a lasting impact by doing something easy?

"What if I can't possibly do it?" We'll help. God has pulled the church together, made up of people He's uniquely crafted to work with each other. Our group will need to support each other and help each other in every possible way to do the work He calls us to do. This stuff will not be easy but it is all possible:
     -Start or join a book reading program for other kids
     -Take a foreign language class and go on a mission trip to a country that speaks that language
     -Put together a 5K run to benefit ActiveWater
     -Visit a nursing home for an hour each week for the upcoming year
     -Adopt a single mom and include her family in your family's special events/holidays
     -Send an encouraging message to a different person each day for a year
     -Build new relationships by joining a new club at school
     -Find someone to mentor and find someone to be your mentor
     -Read through the Bible in a year

I'm excited to see my students doing the Kingdom work these cards have brought to mind, and to see what else their actions will spark. Already, some of them have been laying the groundwork for what is to be done. The students are excitedly sharing what they're up to and drawing other people into Kingdom work with them.
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If you know the students who went, check in with them on how they're doing. Ask them how you can help. Also check out WeAmplify to read more stories of students all over the country and how they're being Kingdom workers no matter what.

Help Haiti

I haven't said a whole lot about the earthquake in Haiti, and haven't posted at all about it up to this point because I didn't feel like I should advocate action until I'd taken some. Honestly, it feels like there is little I can do. I can write a check (and have), but I can't be there doing something useful. Lots of money has been sent to Haiti, and more will continue to be sent, but it's only a first step.

What do you really know about Haiti? Despite the fact that my church sends teams to work there several times each year and I do actually know exactly 1 Haitian... I have to confess mostly ignorance beyond the basic fact that it's the "poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere". But I'm learning. Check out the World Factbook for a quick snapshot of the nation. Dig around and learn of some of the history of the island nation (natives driven out by Spain, replaced by Africans as slave labor, the nation ceded to France, revolt, independence, political unrest...). Learn. Give. Pray.

Northwest Haitian Christian Mission is the organization with which our church works closely. They are located a pretty good distance from the quake's epicenter (the nation is not quite as large as the state of Maryland though, so relatively speaking it's not far away). Port-au-Prince is the hub of the nation, so they will be deeply affected in the coming months as 'normal' supplies will be scarce and difficult to transport. No one in the nation will be untouched by the earthquake. Despite the difficulty to come for them, they are sending their own people and supplies into the wreckage to help in every way possible. This is the church at it's best in the worst imaginable circumstances. They are set up to take donations which will be immediately put to use on the ground in Haiti through this link. That link is specifically for this Earthquake Relief effort, not their regular operating expenses (though you can find links to that giving as well).  Mike Grant is one of the directors at NWHCM who is giving some of their perspective on his blog (when local electricity allows). Jody Castillo is also with the mission and shares her perspective as she tries to keep in contact with her husband, Jose who is in PAP doing whatever he can to help.

In addition to the link to NWHCM's giving page, Samaritan's Purse is another organization that is already in Haiti at work (focusing right now on clean water and temporary housing) through which you can donate, as is Compassion. CNN has compiled a list of a number of other organizations as well if you're looking for something specific. When I give, I want it to be as direct as possible, so the 3 I've listed are agencies that have proven themselves, and were already at work in Haiti before the quake - they already have relationships established that will be necessary to get the assistance where it needs to go quickly.

I don't want to just sit in my comfort and cry about this devastation... Learn. Pray. Give.

Crying over Dirty Water?

A few weeks ago, Josiah was crying at bedtime because I wouldn't let him drink some juice he wanted. He'd had some water and I told him that was enough. The truth is, he was way beyond tired and the water-only moment was more of a spur that popped the tear-balloon than anything else. But as I was trying to get him to stop wailing he made the comment that's always in the running for the "most likely to push Dad over the edge" title: "It's not fair!"

No, son, it's not fair that you've been born into a family where water is readily available, cool for your refreshment (or warmed for those cold days), and free of diseases that will kill you. I said something to the fact that millions of kids will go to bed tonight without any water, and millions more will have to drink dirty water that will kill them. "If you want to cry about something, cry about that."

I'm sure his dreams were less than pleasant that night. To be honest, I was tired, too, and was probably kind of a jerk about it. But the fact remains that millions of kids will die this year from lack of clean water. Living Water International is doing something more than just "cry about it." They are providing "a cup of water in Jesus' name" in places where such a "cup" is needed most desperately.

Last week, I registered for a half marathon in May in Colorado. I wanted to add a little extra purpose to my running, so I have also signed on to use the race to raise money for LWI. (That link will take you directly to a page where you can donate.) Maybe you want to do something more than "cry about it." Every dollar raised will provide roughly enough clean water for 1 person for a year. Thanks for your help.

Life's a Trip

I like it when something significant comes out of my mouth without my first formulating the thought into words. My thought editing process can distill my intended message so much that it's castrated, robbed of any potency the message may have had. I don't want to be a jerk about things, but sometimes, I try too hard to say things politely (thanks, mom!).

During our staff meeting today, I had one of those moments where things came out right. I was talking about the way we went around during the coldwater mission, looking for some way to serve and open to just about anything. Why don't we do that normally? Why don't we go to our jobs and schools and homes and hangouts... looking for any possible way to be of service?

Willie commented on how we don't have that mindset because we get too busy 'at home'... too caught up in our own lives. We can set all that aside for a week long "mission trip" but often fail to do so in our normal day to day living.

Before I knew what was coming out of my mouth, I heard myself saying "But, my whole life is supposed to be a mission trip!" (or something close to that) We have, too often, bought into a screwed up idea of 'home'. If you are in Christ, YOU ARE NOT HOME! (unless you've already died and Heaven has some sweet wi-fi hot spots, that for some reason you're using to check this blog) You're not supposed to be 'too busy' to notice the needs of the people you share air with. You're not supposed to be so wrapped up in your own life that you don't see the dead people walking all around you. You're supposed to be on a 'mission trip' - seeking out those who are merely 'breathing to death' and taking them to Jesus to be resuscitated!

Stop complaining about your job and how you don't make enough money - go there to make disciples, instead! Quit whining about having to go back to school and make the most of that opportunity to connect with people that don't know Jesus and show them they matter to Him! Stop moaning and groaning about how boring church is and realize YOU ARE THE CHURCH... so don't be boring!

[My filter is telling me to tone down that last paragraph, but honestly...]

I see a lot of people right now who are diving into the 'mission life' mentality. It's exciting to see so many friends taking seriously the example of Jesus as He picked up a towel and started washing feet. Today, we are picking up garbage and sandpaper, paintbrushes and shovels, Bibles and moving carts. We are watching for places to paint and people to love - begging God to show us how and whom we can help next. We are looking for ways to let people see the Kingdom that is unseen - because that is our home. HE IS OUR HOME! We're learning that our lives are a mission trip - His mission trip into His creation to reveal His Kingdom and win back the hearts of His people...

Hope wherever you are, you join the trip...

Another One Bites the Dust

Just got a call from another student who is dropping out of the coldwater mission next week. Ironically, the call came while I was in the middle of a discussion about students dropping out of the mission. I know this will be an experience like no other. I know this trip will stretch us in ways that are uncomfortable, but which will bring us to a deeper reliance on God.

That's why Satan is using so many sneaky ways to convince my kids not to come. He fears what God can do. He hates the idea of young people putting themselves aside in order to serve someone else. He can't stand the thought of someone getting a glimpse of the love of God for them, through the efforts of a bunch of students. So he's doing whatever he can to snuff out the initial excitement that was raised months ago when we first starting working toward this mission. And one by one, they drop.

Please pray for our students - both those who are going and those who are not. Pray for my attitude toward the students who choose not to go. Many have great, legitimate reasons for not going. Some have the most pathetic excuses I've ever heard (seriously, I can't write some out without laughing out loud - maybe later). Some students are not ready or called to go and serve on this mission - others are willfully ignoring the good they can do. Pray that I reflect Christ in my approach to each individual.

The way this is shaping up, I know God is working on something awesome. I wish some of the students who will be missing could experience it, but I'm very thankful for those who will and looking forward to working together to reveal God. I'm excited for coldwater. Excited to serve together and spend some great time being the church.

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If you're one of my students who's dropped from the trip or the parent of one, please don't make this post cause you to feel guilty about your choice. That is not my intent - I don't ever want to use guilt to motivate you. I understand that you have other things to take care of. Please be praying for those of us who are going - and feel free to join us for the local road cleanup Sunday night at 7:00 starting here at our building, also talk to Marshall and see if you can help serve food Thursday night while we're gone. God still loves you and so do I - don't let Satan win in your life.

Time to Work

After two weeks of camp, I'm back in the office today. I enjoyed both weeks, but I'm tired. Honestly, I could use a break, but the mission trip is coming in two weeks and there are still some loose ends to tie up before then - plus all the wrap up from camp (reports and gathering up the last of the late payments, etc.).

This last week, I took some good time to reflect on where I'm at and where my ministry is headed. There's some stuff there that I don't really like. Not sure what to do about it, but could definitely use your prayers for wisdom, the humility to recognize it as wisdom, and the courage to do something about it when wisdom has been made known...

Meanwhile... there is some awesome stuff happening that is really exciting. People are tired of sitting 'in church' and are trying to figure out how to 'be the church'. I love that - I pray that more people would stop 'going to' church! It's awesome to see God moving in His people, stirring them to service through things like the soup kitchen (which has seen more people volunteer in the last 3 or 4 months than I remember seeing in the last 3 years), Habitat for Humanity (we had a group putting up a roof, installing insulation, and painting a home last weekend), and stocking our community food pantry.

Also, I'm really excited about the Coldwater mission. This trip is going to stretch our group like nothing we've done before now. Faith is not mindlessly assenting to the evidence at hand - it is being certain of what we do not see. I am certain that God is at work in this world. It is time for us to exercise our faith and join Him in His work.

Guerilla love in action

Vince Antonucci is a church planter who recently moved from Virginia Beach to Vegas. (Yes, that Vegas.) He has a book coming out called Guerilla Lovers about surprising people with the love of God. Apparently, his wife got an advance copy...

She loaned their car to a total stranger!

Check out the link to his wife's post about the incident and his response.

This is the kind of love that will shock and awe a world that is looking for the real thing.

Random? or not so much?

"What we might think of as a random outreach is anything but random when God is guiding it." - Dino Rizzo

This quote from Servolution is perfect for our upcoming coldwater mission. We are going to draw a direction or maybe spin a compass or something to "randomly" choose a direction. Then we'll pull a number out of a hat to "randomly" choose a distance. We'll drive. We'll pray. We'll serve. We are going to have to trust God to guide us to the people and places that need us. And that is where the randomness is anything but random. God is already at work in each of the places we'll go. Like a matching set of magnets, He is already working to draw together the capacity of our group and the needs of the people and communities we'll visit.

There was pretty good feedback from the meeting last night and I'm really looking forward to the group taking shape. I want to make sure that God is putting this team together and praying that He will convince each person He wants to come. No coercion, no manipulation - just an invitation to join God in His mission to restore humanity to His Kingdom.

Student ministry always has had an air of flexibility for me. There's always been an extent to which I've just had to roll with the tide and change plans quickly when needed. Honestly, that's one of the most attractive aspects of youth ministry for me. But nothing I've ever done in youth ministry has ever felt or seemed as "random" as this. Nothing has had more potential to allow us to see beauty birthed from chaos so immediately and tangibly.

I hope you'll join us in praying for coldwater - above all, that God is guiding and that we are following. May we see Him in whatever random chaos we jump into!

A Coldwater Mission

Exciting things are happening in our student ministry. God is motivating leaders and students alike to reveal His kingdom to those around us. Reading through Matthew 10 this morning (thanks Jimmy), I noticed something that really got me thinking. Jesus was sending His disciples away from Him on a mission. He gave them some pretty amazing authority to back up the message they were carrying: that "the kingdom of heaven has come near."

The thing that sparks my curiosity this morning is how he sent them out with no provisions aside from the mission itself and the ability to carry it out. They weren't supposed to just go shout on the street corners - they were actually to do useful things to benefit the people of the region: things like getting rid of demons and illnesses and bringing people back to life (pretty useful if you're dead, I'd say!).  They were not to take extra money or clothes or shoes, etc. because "workers are worth their keep." They were to rely on the hospitality of the strangers they'd be serving!

I wonder today... There are those of us who are still tasked with the mission of proclaiming that the kingdom has come near. (Just in case you're a little unclear, that's you church!) How are we benefiting the people we've been sent to? What are we doing to reveal the kingdom of God here on earth? What are we doing to deserve the hospitality of our communities?

Imagine... Obstacles Pt. 2

"One of the great dangers of leadership is this: we stop doing ministry out of imagination and we start doing ministry out of memory. We learn how and forget why. We stop creating the future and start repeating the past." -Mark Batterson

Being Tired is another obvious obstacle to doing ministry out of imagination rather than memory. Sometimes, it's just easier to brush off an old message or lesson than to wrestle with a new one. There are definitely going to be times in ministry when the energy level is lower than what would be best. Creativity/Imagination takes more energy than repetition, so during the 'tired' times it's easy to fall into memory mode.

But worse than being tired is Being Lazy. It's not just a temporary resting on the past, but a willful decision to repeat yesterday even when tomorrow is crying for our attention. It's knowing that a new approach is needed, but being unwilling to invest the energy to create or discover that new approach.

But a world that never stops moving requires our ministries to continually adapt. We can't afford to to just repeat last year's program. Though it may have been exactly what last year needed, last year is not today. And today is not tomorrow. We can't be lazy about ministry. If we're tired, perhaps we need to make room for rest.

I have to confess that I do not do this well. Coming to the end of the December, I'm sitting on more leftover vacation days than I've used the entire rest of the year. Dumb. Have I accomplished more by not taking more breaks? I don't think so. But I sure have made myself tired. I'm worn down - and I know that I'm not able to offer my best because of that. I need rest.

To stop the gears that grind the heart,
the mind, the soul, the you who lives,
Be still.
And know...
"He is."

First Act Of Service

We had a good time of prayer last night with a handful of high school students. We've just finished going through the book of Titus, where Paul concludes with the need for the church to be devoted to "doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives". I wanted to do something tangible together as an expression of our desire to do what is good.

The typical raking, cleaning, physical service projects came to mind, but I wanted to start somewhere less traveled. I think prayer is an often overlooked mode of service, so I decided to spend the time we had together doing just that. I put several topics in a hat - each of our staff members, our leadership team of staff and elders, friends, outreach to our community & schools, White Water Christian Church, national leaders, parents, etc. One of us would pull a topic out of the hat, we'd discuss how we could be praying for that particular issue or person, then that student would pray.

My hope is that they would continue to think about and pray for these matters as kind of a 'first act of service'. As we seek to meet needs, may we be reminded that there is really only One who can meet the most important.