What If?

I found this post on another blog that really struck a chord. I've often found myself in similar situations with strangers. I know that I could be (and have been) taken advantage of, maybe even in danger and not known about it. But I always wonder, "What if I don't help? What if I'm the last straw for this person? What if the roles were reversed?"

I'm glad to see someone else thinks that way too. Check out the post at reflections of me.

You've Done it Unto Me...

Seeing the devastation in the wake of the hurricane... I feel so sheltered. So privileged to live in this country where we can take so much for granted. And so obliged to NOT take anything for granted.

As I watch the news, I want to help in some way. There are so many options. Red Cross is taking donations... pretty much everywhere. Our local volunteer firemen have been standing at the main intersection in town taking donations. A church planting group called Stadia which has recently helped to birth a church in New Orleans (Journey Christian Church) is taking donations to help. (They have also produced a short video that can be downloaded from their site and used in your church's services.) Our church just set up a hurricane relief fund that will be used to funnel relief money to IDES (International Disaster Emergency Service).

I know that throwing money at this is not the end-game solution to this problem. But it is something that we all can do. Now. Find a way to help. Make a sacrifice so that you can help. As we hear news reports of frustration at the slow turning wheels of government, let's make stories of the Body of Christ swiftly rising up to assist the orphans and widows.

God, let the people who've suffered most in this devastation see Your love as Your people help them.

Wisdom???

"I know what I would obtain; it is ease from my heavy burden."

"But why wilt thou seek for ease this way, seeing so many dangers attend it? Especially since (hadst thou but patience to hear me) I could direct thee to the obtaining of what thou desirest, without the dangers that thou in this way wilt run thyself into? Yea, and the rememdy is at hand. Besides, I will add that instead of those dangers, thou shalt meet with much safety, friendship, and content."

Doesn't that sound great? To be rid of our burden... And the answer is found in a promise. This traveller, Christian (of Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress") is carrying a burden he can hardly bear, when he is offered this promise by Mr. Worldy Wiseman. And he, too, is wooed by the promise. He listened to the man's directions and followed them into the town of Morality to see a man and his son called Legality and Civility. Fortunately, he was rescued by a messenger of the King and placed back on the right path before Legality and Civility were able to enslave him. Legality, you see, is a cheat, and his son, Civility is nothing but a hypocrite - they can't deliver what is promised.

As I read this portion of Bunyan's classic, I couldn't help but hear a 300 year echo in Erwin McManus' "Barbarian Way". The church is too often turned aside by what seems Wise. We are content in our Legality and Civility - the only problem is, they cannot save us! All that can save us is to take up our burden, our cross, and barbarically follow the Christ. He alone can lead us to the Eternal. But the path is full of dangers - not comforts. Harsh stone pillows and bitter cold, not padded pews and climate control.

I heard a quote today from C.S. Lewis where he said many preachers seem like "mild-mannered people exhorting mild-mannered people to be more mild-mannered." That doesn't sound like Jesus to me. It sounds like Worldly Wiseman.

May we heed the Truth of God's Word - and follow Him passionately and foolishly enough to resist the wisdom found in the village of Morality. It's just not enough...

Silly quiz. Books are for... rabbits!???

Haven't really gotten into a lot of online quizzes, but just messing around and did this one...


You're Watership Down!

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Dang! I haven't even read that book! I feel like I need to go jump in a hole 'til I know myself... Oh, and sorry if I've told you where to build your house!

College Football

OK, just for fun...

A friend of mine started a little bantering on his blog about favorite college football teams. I made a statement of my loyalties there, and now have been called out to the field, so to speak! So here it is...

Living in Nebraska, a certain level of caution is prudent, so I will say first that, yes, I do like the Huskers. However - I will not paint my house red or fly big N's from my car antannae or dress my kids up as Herbie Husker or wear a giant corn cob on my head or anything else like that. I like them, but they're not my favorite.

That distinction goes to my homeland university. The University of Wyoming Cowboys. Coming of the best season they've had in... a really long time (which included a bowl game crackdown on UCLA) they were ranked 25 in Sports Illustrated's pre-season rankings. SI may be offering a very "optomistic" projection there, but we'll take it.

Joe Glenn has done a good job turning around the program, and it'll be great to watch him continue to win with Wyoming...

ok, let the bashing begin... but be nice!

Back To School

Back to School time is always a shift in youth ministry, but this year is different for me. Not only are my kids no longer hanging out at the church building a lot of afternoons because they've now got homework to do - my oldest daughter started Kindergarten this year.

She was really excited when we dropped her off this morning. She'll do great, I'm sure. She's too smart for her own good sometimes, and chatters maybe a little too much, but she'll adjust and do great. She's got a couple kids from our church and from pre-school in her class and she's excited to make new friends.

I just hope I don't forget to pick her up after school!

Choices

Sweet bites are offered
by God and man
and some by Satan's hand. They land
upon this plate of mine
and I must choose
on which to dine.

Are You A Minister?

Larry's a great guy. He has a pony tail, bad knees, and a Honda Gold Wing (that's not what makes him a great guy - just some interesting stuff). He works hard and would do just about anything to help someone else. He's got a good sense of humor and enjoys life. He's also an elder in our church. He recently had just been through a week where he'd had a number of opportunities to show the love of Christ by helping somebody else - and as usual, he took those opportunities.

One guy he was helping stopped and asked him, "Are you a minister?" Larry said at that moment, the light went on deep inside and the reality of ministry in the body of Christ sunk in more deeply than it ever had before. "Yes, I am. I'm not ordained as clergy, but yes, I am a minister of Christ." In the light of service, he'd come to a deeper understanding of ministry.

Now I know for many of you who read this blog, the reality that every follower of Christ has a ministry is evident in your communities. Every believer is truly seen as a part of the priesthood of the Body of Christ. It's part of your ethos. (I love the way Mosaic people talk about 'coming on staff' as opposed to getting your name on the membership list.)

But that is not the case in many churches. And it's not always the case where I live. But I see that block of our spiritual genetics changing. I see more and more individuals coming to the realization that they are ministers of Christ. I see increasing numbers of students realizing the service they do in the name of Christ is ministry.

The heart of Christ beats within His people, and ministry is the cadence of its rhythm.

So, are you a minister?

Reading...

I love books. I'm a little odd about it. I really like to read - I think it's my dad's fault! I remember as a kid sitting in stacks and boxes full of Louis L'Amour western paperbacks. I always liked sneaking my dad's books into my room to read - I couldn't let him know that I liked the same books, so I was sneaky (or maybe I just liked thinking I was being sneaky).

Just thought I'd post a list of some really good books I've read lately that might interest you.

Barbarian Way and An Unstoppable Force - both by Erwin McManus. Both of these books are really a challenge to the church to lay aside the conventional in order to take hold of whatever Christ is calling us toward. Awesome books.

Hurt by Chap Clark takes a look at the pain of youth culture - feelings of abondonment that pervade young people today. This book raises an issue that is really huge for me... the separation of old from young in the church. There is so much damage being done...

Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What from Donald Miller. Everyone talks about his edgy way of writing... I guess I can really appreciate his stripping off all the complications of "Christianity" and just splashing around in the simple truth that we are made to be loved by God.

The Relevent Church from Relevant Books has some really interesting stories of various faith communities. God is doing some awesome stuff through creative efforts of His people to follow Him.

The Radical Reformission from Mark Driscoll. I really liked how this book drives home the insanity of some of the church's typical responses to the world and offers real hope for the future of the church. Some of the stories shared are just hilarious - until you realize the painful truth that he's pointing out.

Hosea from the Bible. You do remember the prophet who married a whore to make a point don't you. (I'll just preach a sermon or post something in a blog, thanks!) This whole story of how God and Hosea love their unfaithful brides just makes me so grateful in so many ways. The faithfulness of my wife - and the undying love of God that is offered to the least worthy people...people like you and me.

Whatever Happened to Worship from A.W. Tozer. A really strong reminder of just what worship is all about, and an urging to pay close attention to avoid worshipping anything other than our creator (like our selves, our favorite kind of music or instruments, our comfortable orders of services...)

The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci ... Hey, I told you I'm a little odd.

Umm... I just realized this post got pretty long, and there are no nice little pictures to distract you, so I think I better shut up! If you read this far, you apparently like to read, too, so check out these books - they're good. If you don't like to read, you probably haven't made it this far, so you won't mind when I say, "Expand you brain, already. Read something!"

GREAT NEWS!!!

I just got some awesome news from my best friend that I thought I'd share with you all...

Then I remembered... I can't share it.

Sorry...

hehehe

CAUTION: God at Work

Yesterday went really well. During the worship service, we had the students and adults who went on the CIY and mission trips a couple weeks ago talk about our experience. It was awesome to see and hear again descriptions of what God did in everyone's lives. 2nd service we had a great time with the music and started off the service with Pam getting baptized... the look on Jeni and Joni's faces was priceless! Pam's on the left here with her new friend Emily... it was really an honor to be able to watch God working in her life and recreating her right in front of our eyes!

After services, LuAnn and I took the boys up to Omaha for lunch at Carlos O'Kelly's and really hot afternoon outside. We went to the groundbreaking ceremony for Nebraska Christian College. It was great to see old friends from the college family...and tons of people in the family that I don't know at all. I was really struck with the diversity within the group. People from so many places and generations, all pulling together because of this one educational body in God's Kingdom. I'll miss the visits to Norfolk, but I love NCC and can't wait to see things really get going in the new location.

"a little boy that I don't even know..."

"I feel a love for a little boy that I don't even know." That phrase from the letter I shared a few days ago keeps bouncing around in my head.

It's just awesome to have God loving someone through you. I'm so glad to be able to watch Him do that in kids I also didn't even know, but have grown to love.

His love keeps spreading...

No Excuses...

I just ran across this quote on the blog of a guy named Octavio that I thought is a great one for our situation here: "The Devil says: “keep on posing problems and you will escape the necessity of obedience” (Bonhoeffer – The Cost of Discipleship)."

How often Satan uses our questions and lack of trust to keep us from walking forward in faith! "We don't have all the answers, so let's just wait and see... How will we pay for that... Let's get all our t's crossed and i's dotted, then we can... You'll make someone mad... You'll split the church... So-and-so will stop giving..."

What if we stopped being so concerned with HOW we will do something, and figure out WHAT God wants us to be and WHY He's placed us right here, right now in the midst of the particular needs that surround us? What if we stopped listenning to the lie of Satan that tells us to keep bringing up problems that will let us off the hook? What would simple obedience really look like?

Connection...

According to an article in Time Magazine back in March, over 20,000 people die every single day due to extreme poverty. With natural disasters and terrorist strikes and wars, we always have headlining accounts of the dozens or hundreds or thousands who've died in those tragedies. But can you imagine waking up to your morning news show or paper to this headline: "LACK OF BASIC NECESSITIES LEAVES TWENTY THOUSAND DEAD"? We could wake up to that every day...

As this reality was shared with our students at CIY a couple weeks ago, they were given the opportunity to respond by sponsoring a child through the ministry of Compassion. The ministry of Compassion is "releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name."

In the past, our students have sponsored children as a group, but that takes little real commitment and develops very little connection, so I told our kids if they wanted to do this, it was up to them individually. Instead of our group supporting one child, about half a dozen students each are now sacrificing $32 a month from their part-time jobs or allowances to sponsor children.

Here are some comments from one of the girls, who now sponsors a little boy in Bangladesh (she wrote this for our gruop devotions one of the nights of our trip in AZ)...

...my spiritually moving story is about the boy I decided to sponsor. Out of the few I scanned on the table, he was the only one I felt I needed to sponsor. I felt a connection with him, as in a special bond. I feel I need to support him. I feel a love for a little boy that I don’t even know.

I don’t want this boy to grow up in poverty and without food. I can’t give him everything. I can only give him what he needs and tell him about God.

We can’t be tempted into thinking we can do it all. God will show us what to do, how to do it, and when it needs to be done. God wants us to follow Him.

That is why I do what I do. Students loving outside of themselves becuase the love of God compels them to do so... The "love for a little boy that I don't even know"... The desire to do something, anything, to help someone else...

She's right. We can't do everything. My sponsorship of a child or two is not going to end world hunger. But it'll make a difference to a few.

Go make a difference.
(the link to Compassion might be a good place for you to start)

Back from the Desert...

Well, we have been back from Arizona for a few days, and I've almost unpiled everything to be caught up on. The trip went very well. The week of CIY was awesome and the week of work with ARM topped it off!

God really worked in our hearts and is definitely moving in his body. This is one of my favorite pictures so far that Tory took. These kids are so hungry to be cared for. It was awesome to see our students reaching out to them with a love that can only be motivated by God.

Working Hard

We had our first experience yesterday with the bus ministry here at ARM. We went to one of the neighborhoods with the bus and Kirby. We got to see some of the Apache kids and get a better feel for the ministry of ARM. It was great to see our kids interacting with the Apache kids and just trying to show the love of Jesus to them.

This morning, we went to a worksite and did what you do at work sites...we worked. ARM is building a house for a Apache minister and his family who pretty much turned his own house into a church building. His story is amazing, but the short version is that He came to follow God in prison, went home after his sentence and became a pastor to his people, with a willingness to sacrifice anything in service. Dustin headed up a crew that put up walls, which will soon be two stories of Sunday school classes. Dave and Emily's crew hauled out enough brush and debri from the area behind the house to fill several truckloads...big truckloads. And they did it one wheelbarrow at a time. Several of the girls were working inside the house, spraying texture and sanding. Tomorrow, we'll paint.

They all stink and they're back at the hotel cleaning up a bit... and Suzie's trying really hard to make me take a ride in her Mustang, so I better go.

Keep praying for the Apache people.