Things You Should Know.

What you do matters !!!

Your job is important, your life's undertakings are improtant and when you spend time with people that is important !!!
People on church staffs do not tell the people of the church this enough.
The paid staff all to often, wether implicitly or explicitly, tell the congregation that only "ministry" is important. By ministry they mean things done in the institution of the church or with the institutional church. Serving, missions, whatever is the latest need or program that is what makes you important and valuable in Gods kingdom.... This is not true, you are more important than the church could ever make you feel.

We are called to live a life with God and when we remember that we find that God uses us and makes even the seemingly un wholly and mundane realities of life wholly.

Is evangelism just something we do ?

Do you have the right to speak?

This may seem like an odd question to ask, some would say that the mere fact that I know somthing to be true means that I have the right to share that information regardless. With evangelism Christians often apply this attitude to those that we know to be not followers of Jesus, mostly other people from other religions or obvious sinners. I do not think that just because you know something to be true does not me nessicarly that you should feel obligated to share always all the time. My wife can tell me that I I smell she feels no hesitation to relay that truth to me at any moment that it becomes evedent. She can do this because I kow that it comes out of a place of love. She has yearned the right to tell me things of this nature, sometimes I think as Christians we need to care enough to yearn the right to speak. I do think we should do so with some urgency as well.

What do you think ?

Saying No.

I am currently enjoying some skittles. I do not usually eat candy like this, mostly cause it has so much bad processed whatever in it, but I do enjoy candy. I have found that the other reason I need to not have this candy even though I enjoy it is because I largely eat candy out of impulsiveness, and when I say yes to my a impulse like candy even when I know it is bad for me and I may feel less than awesome after, I am even more likely to act on other unhealthy impulses in my life and even temptations. so while candy is not the most evil of all evils I find that I need to say no. (well maybe next time anyway : )

Wanting More

It is frustrating to live in a world that needs you to want more. I feel like I have been so trained to want more that even when I find myself in a place of contentment I have to create a reason to have a need for more; I seek out a new hobby or a new vision for my life that would necessitate some more things. It is most entertaining and sad to me when i realize that my new vision is that of "trying to lead a more simple life" but in order to get there i have to get some things to facilitate that, I would get rid of some things of coarse but the new stuff is more characteristic of the new simple me...
It is frustrating and it seems unescapable. This is one of those areas that the realization of my need for Jesus is most clear. A transformation that goes against everything else being communicated to me surly cannot be done without Gods restoring work. I guess we can just be grateful that God cares enough to enter our world and begin the work in our lives.

Seasons

This is a time of year when change is felt. The seasonal change is matched by the change of music and decorations leading into the holidays. People have to plan, prepare and get ready for the holidays; change is in the air...

Living in California we do not experience much change as far as the weather goes, most of the year you could wear shorts if you wanted, as well you could wear jeans all year if you so desired, you may want a jacket on some nights in the winter but mostly it is preference. Living in a moderate climate as I do the weather is rarely if ever a sole determinate in how I spend my time; I may opt to let the weather inform my decisions but it is more often related to a feeling than of actual confrontation with the elements.

Change is a natural part life; however most people seem to resist change. I think this is especially true for people that live in mild climates, and even more so for people that live in wealthy areas with mild climates such as Orange County. With a mild climate and money one can pretty well insulate themselves from change and create an illusion of control over the change that is experienced.

It saddens me when I see Christians being the people that are most resistant to change. As a group of people who knows the creator of the world we should know that change is natural; And even more we should be a people that long for change because we see a world that we know is as it should not be. Christians should move towards the change that God is doing in all placeless; We are a people that are defined by what God has done, is doing and are the constant anticipation of the change that Christ is going to bring. In a way to resist change is to deny Gods work, even when change is confusing Christians should have a great peace because of their knowledge of and relationship with the one that created it all.

"To know God is to change

letting go of stuff

Stuff is dangerous.
Here is a question, is it wrong to want stuff? Jesus us promises the desires
of our hearts, Jesus wants to bless his children, I have excepted Jesus and
therefore am a child of God, God must want to bless me and give me stuff...
Right? Here is the thing the stuff I want is most often filling a space, whether it
is a type of success at my job or a stand up paddle board, the reality is,
whether I admit it or not,
I am trying to fill a void

I am seeking definition I am seeking a remedy for a longing or I am trying
to prove worth and achieve status.

These things become solutions and answers, they become Gods...
God does not want us to replace him. God wants us to be be made whole. God
wants us to be set free, and holding on to position and stuff only enslave
us to other Gods that are not good or loving. That sounds dramatic I know
but I think this is a question that matters to my heart and soul.

a particular kind of community

As I was preparing to enter into discussion with a group of leaders about energy and excitement for our regular gathering, I found myself needing to talk about more than just specifics and best practices, probably for my own soul more than anything, I wanted need to create a discussion that would remind us about what we are about. A large value for us is community; this is expressed in our program and budget as we seek to create a space for people to spend time around food and fun to connect. This value is true for most organizations that are geared around college students, so what is the difference between them and us? Does their need to be a difference? Clearly I think that there should be a difference but it is more than that we don't drink or swear, it has to be... we are a community that is being transformed by the creator of all things we are a community that believes this and seeks to celebrate it every week. Yet it has to be more than that as well, we cannot just gather and talk about how God is changing us or wants to change us, we have to be changed. This means that our community is one that has been transformed and is being transformed a community that has engaged something larger than themselves and is apart of a work in the world around them that is to big to go it alone. Because what God is up to is more than I or you can handle we go as a community, a particular kind of community that has encountered something more and engages the rest of the world in new ways as a result.

Religion

Here is my reflection based out of our new series "why Jesus hates religion"

It is easier for me to do the right thing then to be the Right person, easier to define the boundaries of morality and goodness the to let God tell me what is required of me?
What requires more from me? A set of rules (ie. traffic laws, which i encounter every day) Or a relationship, that of a friend or wife.
God has free us from rules and has called us beyond them, he loves me to much. Rules would be easy and safe, a real encounter with the creator God is scary and wonderful!

Happy?

"what makes you happy or unhappy is not the world and the people around you, but the thinking in your head."

Not my surroundings not the things that I have, but the beliefs that I hold. Here Anthony gives a great peace of advice, to look at all my wants an one by one say to them deep down that if I have you you will not make me happy.

Love less

I recently posted this quote on facebook from Alan and Debra Hirsch book untamed in which they are quoting C.S. Lewis "we must actively train ourselves to love God more than the people and things in our world" after posting I realized that it would be easy to read this quote and decide to start working on loving the people in things input world less. This would however miss the point, God is pretty clear that we should love people and the gifts and things of this world that God has given and created for us. The problem is not loving them it's loving them more than God. We are people who should be actively working on increasing our love. An even more so increasing our love of God and his kingdom.

who do you learn from?

I have just finished my masters degree from fuller theological seminary. i have spent the last three years taking classes and reading books written by those who very well may be the smartest people on the given subjects, and i am grateful for that opportunity. however i can not help but be struck by the reality that sometimes, all of the most brilliant discussions and thoughts about a theological or ministry topic often falls short to an individual that has decided to follow jesus in faith and has a simple understanding of the way that jesus is at work in their life. A room full of theologians and pastors can learn a lot from being in a group of christians that has learned to care for and love one another, even and especially those that take more time to let be apart of their community. Sometimes its the ones that we have to wait for that can teach us the most.

Back from camp

returned from our weekend camp yesterday and i am tiered. the camp was great, i really felt like God spoke, i know that God began speaking to me about some things. watching God work in others has away of breaking my own heart anew and in such away that God seems to be able to speak more clearly to me. i am Glad to be back with my family but it was good to see God work and i am looking forward to see how God continues what was started at camp.

Almost finished

i am one paper away from completing my MA in theology from fuller theological seminary. it has been a great process, i have learned and grown a lot in past couple years. however i am very much looking forward to finishing, it seems so close and so far, it is hard to see past this last paper.

i phone photo of the "Ladera Ranch Valley" taken on my run the other day.

Time

it is more often then not the the time in-between that is hard,
it is the time not quiet here or there that is difficult.
when we are there, we tell ourselves, it will be easy
when we are there, we tell ourselves, i will know what to do.
but it is not easier
the answers are not there and the time has passed.
if we never lean into the time between we will never know what to do when we arrive.

every man is a dragon slayer inside his own mind, but if he does not practice, if he does not live outside his head, there will be no dragon, no battle, just more of the same and a loss of time.

Brilliant !

currently listening to David Wilcox streaming from his website in the "musical medicine" section. i think he is brilliant! i encourage all to check out his website, also brilliant. http://www.davidwilcox.com/index.php?page=cds&category=01--MUSICAL_MEDICINE

finished

just finished book resident aliens, i am now studying the Hebrew alphabet, i slipped out of the sunday night service for a bit last night to catch some of Donald Millers talk, purchased his book on CD and began listening to it last night. as well i have began reading a Great book on preaching by thomas long and now all thoughts are mixing together and my head is spinning with all sorts of good ideas that i can not seem to place together into a coherent thought, But if i Could i am sure that it would be REally Very Great thought indeed.

???

i wonder if i will ever be able to figure this out?

Sh!@#$!

as a parent you deal with a lot of crap, literal and figurative.
today i am dealing with the literal, loads of it.

Heschel

i started reading the first chapter of abraham joshua Heschel's book God in search of man today and found this quote "When religion speaks only in the name of authority rather than with the voice of compassion its message becomes meaningless." Heschel blames not secular science for religion loosing its voice but rather blames religion itself.