Making a Difference

I just finished watching one of my favorite movies "Amazing Grace", the story of William Wilberforce. This is a man who not only received a calling from God, but one who also allowed that calling to become the passion that drove his life. The movie itself really focused on Wilberforce's crusade to abolish slavery, but his passion went beyond that to many of the social issues of the day. What really excites me about this movie is not Wilberforce's calling, though I am very much intrigued with the issues of social justice and the social Gospel, rather I am moved by how William listened to God's call and then acted on it.

I have blogged about both these topics in the past and invite you to look back over past posting to see what I have said, but what I want to do today is once again invite you to recline your ear, still your heart and listen for that still small voice calling you to action, what ever that action may be for you. For each one of us this call will be different, in the broad sense it will be about serving God and/or serving others, but what that will look like in your life or mine could be very different.

Tonight I am struggling to hear, I am confused, I am overwhelmed. At times I seem to have great clarity in my call, at other times I feel quite lost. Now is a time of being lost. There seem to be to many paths, some leading in different directions other moving parallel to each other, separate yet together if that can be. Perhaps it is my Möbius band and sometimes I am on the inside and other times I am on the outside but always moving in the same direction. I need to be still, I need to listen, as William did I need to sit in the wet grass (ok its winter here so I would sit in the cold snow and look at spider webs) and wait upon the Lord.

What about you? What passion has God ignited in you? Have you reacted to it?

Thoughts on Community

I have reached a nice two week break from work with the Christmas holiday to celebrate. My thoughts will turn to a further study of 1 Peter and my doctoral studies. As the new year approaches I will be looking at the way to use different Web 2.0 technologies to engage people in the area of spiritual formation.

Part of this research will revolve around the idea of community in on the online or virtual world. I am currently conducting a research study to gather some data and thoughts about this think we call community. I would appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to complete a survey on "community." Just follow the link below to complete the survey. Thanks for your input into this study.

http://CTLSilhouette.wsu.edu/surveys/ZS86859

Where our HOPE lies

Times are tough right now. The economy is in a tailspin, unemployment, job cuts, recession, war, environmental issues, social issues. It is no wonder that a lot of people may have a sense of hopelessness. As Christ-followers we are not immune to these problems, we may even be swept up by them. Contrary to what some may claim, following Jesus does not guarantee a trouble free life.

Peter, in his first letter to the scattered tribes talks about standing firm in times of trials. It is not that we won't suffer, but the suffering will help refine or purify our faith. What we need to do is set our hope on what Peter calls "the goal of our faith, the salvation of our soul" (1 Peter 1:9). Ultimately it is not about the here and now, but rather it is about eternity.

So what can you do now to prepare for the trails that will come your way? The solution is not to bury your head in the sand or run away from them. No, Peter tells us to "prepare our minds, be self-controlled, set your hope fully on the grace to be give you when Jesus Christ is revealed" (1 Peter 1:13). Preparing your mind may mean having the proper attitude about the situation. When we were in Colombia adopting our daughter, there was a couple there who was just miserable. They grumbled and complained as the went through their "trial" of having to spend five weeks in Bogota while the adoption went through the Colombian courts. Their problem was they had the wrong attitude. The didn't leave the hostel where we were staying, they didn't take advantage of exploring the country, they simply chose to suffer. The time to begin to prepare for trials is not when you are in the mist of them, rather start right now. Spend time in prayer, spend time in God's word, spend time taking the action you need to do to be ready.

We need to focus on our inheritance in heaven, the grace that Jesus Christ provided though his death on the cross and his resurrection, we are called to be holy just as God is holy. What are you going to do to prepare for your trials?

Bloggers Block

Writers get writers block so I guess bloggers get bloggers block. I haven't written for a while because I haven't had a lot to blog about. The business of life has intruded upon by pondering time. It's not that I don't take the time, but I am tired so sometimes I sleep or sometimes my mind just wonders away from what I thought I should be doing or thinking about.

My focus of late has been upon my doctoral studies and the idea of community. I read an article by Steve Sandage about community and I have been thinking about how to incorporate some of his ideas about community into the online world. His article focuses on community with regards to councilors. I am putting together a survey I will be sending out to get input about my thoughts and see how the virtual world and the face-to-face world compare. That is, what is ones perception in the virtual world vs. their perception in the F2F world. This seems to be a key factor in my studies and looking forward to how the church will reach and minister to the digital culture.

1 Peter

I have spent the last couple of weeks reading and rereading 1 Peter. Its not that I am a slow learner, I simply want to get a feel for the book before I settle in for a more in depth examination. I chose this book as my next study because Peter seems to be writing the the same groups of people James addressed some time earlier. Peter and James seem to also be addressing many of the same concerns.

I invite you to read and study along with me as I begin to explore this letter written to the "exiles scattered to the four winds" (1 Peter 1:1, The Message).

Reflecting Back - 10 Years Since I left Grand Rapids

This morning I woke up with the notion that I was back in my church of 10 years ago sharing with the people there what I have learned in the last ten years.

Let me back up. Ten years ago my family and I left Northern Minnesota so that I could go to seminary. We lived on 10 acres just north of Grand Rapids, a small town not much larger than the town we live in now (of course being in the twin cities we are surrounded by a lot more people). We spent our ten years in Grand Rapids helping to build the Grand Rapids Alliance church there. Building in the sense of pounding nails to build the building and also helping to build the church community. When we left we had a great send off with cake and well wishes. But what have I learned in these last 10 years?

This question is both hard and yet easy. What have I learned, a lot. I have gotten a Master's in Theological Studies, a certificate in Post-Secondary Education, and have stared on a Doctorate in Spiritual Formation. Outside the formal educational process I have developed a personal life platform, a personal life mandate, and spent a whole lot of time hanging out in James. In all these endeavor I have amassed a lot of knowledge, but did I learn anything? For me to learn is to be transformed. If I take in a lot of facts, but don't apply them to my life in a way that shows that I have been changed, transformed, have I really learned anything.

So what have I learned? I have learned that if we say we have certain operational beliefs, there should be actions or some other evidence to prove that we believe it. I have learned that we can not simple cram our heads full of knowledge, we have to allow this knowledge to transform our life. I have learned that as James says "Faith without works is dead." I have learned that I need to love God and love my neighbor; I need to care for the marginalized and voiceless people I encounter while keeping from being polluted by the world. I have learned that God is faithful, He is there for me when life seems to be going against me.

I am sure that there are other things that I have learned, but those listed above I think are the key thing I have learned in the last ten years or so. Did I need to go to seminary to learn these things, no - most of these things were learned by simply by going through life with my heart and mind tuned to what God has in store for me.

So what has God been teaching you over the last ten years or so?

A New Begining

I have has the privilege of hanging out with a bunch of guys at a state prison for the last year or so. I along with 5 others have been working with them to understand the relationship between their beliefs, values, motives, and behaviors. It was great fun when on our last night when I saw the guys really start to connect the dots.

Yesterday, I met with 21 new guys from the same prison to introduce them to and invite them along on this same journey. They were all excited about the possibility of developing a life platform that they can then stand on as they finish out their sentence, but more importantly that will help them to make wiser choice on the outside so that they don't end up back behind bars.

I have given them two weeks to pray about and ponder upon whether they want to engage this journey. I am excited to learn their stories, to see where they have come from and to help them see were God can use them on the future. Each one of us has a unique story, a unique set of skills and relationships that God can use to reach others.

I will share with you parts of our journey together as it begins to unfold.

Final Reflection from James

Well, it has been a little over three months since I began reading in James. It started as a family reading and reflection as we shared once a week what God had been teaching us through His Word. After that was done (a month or so) I couldn't stop. I kept reading and rereading the lessons and principles God wanted me to learn and ponder upon. These ponderings can be found in prior posting.

I have spent the last part of my pondering on chapter 4. Here James is addressing the issues of self-centeredness and humility. Our goal in life is not to be filled with the "I want so I can do my thing" but rather our attitude should be "God with this resource I could do this for others." When we ask God for things, His response seems to be tied to the motive or reason why we are asking.

When it comes to our relationships to God and to others humility seems to be key. We are to humble ourselves before God so that He can lift us up. I think that this humility should carry over to our relationship with others also. How many conflicts could be avoided if we simple humbled ourselves to others. Now I am not talking about being a door mat, but there are times when our pride gets in the way of working through a problem.

As I reflect back the key idea that transformed me the most was found in James 1:26-27 where James addresses what "true religion" is. It is about serving others and tending to our spiritual well being (really loving God).

This is what I am taking away from my time in James. I have incorporated this into my personal life platform as an operational belief and working through the core value(s) this represents in my life. I am acting on if, because if we don't act on what we say has transformed us, then I would question if we truly have been transformed.

Polyponderingism

Ok, I am living a life of polyponderingism. I know that is not a word, but this is the randomness with which my brain is working. I am stuck in James as my last posting indicates (humbling ourselves before God), work related ponderings (this is another blog/wiki area), my doctoral studies (now that I have the go ahead with my project), and my newest pondering point, my personal life platform.

Now the components of this platform are not new, but tying them together in a way that make sense to me is. I have posted about parts of this in the past, review my posting about beliefs a while back. I have been involved with a ministry call Heart of a Warrior for awhile now. One piece of this ministry is to look at our beliefs, values, worldview, motives, and behaviors. In the past this has always been presented as a liner progression. However, lately I have been pondering the idea that this is not as liner as I once thought. For that matter it is much more complex that I once thought. To this end I have started to work on the idea of a personal life platform. This platform is used to ground us in that things we believe and live them out.

I believe that everyone already has a personal life platform, but they may not be able to articulate it. The things we say we believe, the way we live our life, how we treat others, and how we respond to the circumstances around us all reflect on our personal life platform. Now some will say that this is our worldview, and in part they are correct because our worldview is part of our personal life platform. What I want to be able to do is explore the foundational beliefs that inform our worldview, look at the operational beliefs that flow out of our worldview, identify the values that are a result of our operational beliefs, and then examine the motives and behaviors that arise from our values. As a Christ-follower I want to make sure that all aspects of my personal life platform are grounded in scripture and help me to live a life that is honoring to God and the people I interact with.

Stuck in James

I can't believe that I have been "stuck" in James since the beginning of August. We started reading it as a family then and I have not been able to tear myself away. Now I have to admit that I have not been doing an in depth word by word, verse by verse analysis (I know of at least one hermeneutic prof who would be glad to hear this), rather I have been trying to understand the stories that James is trying to convey.

It seems that James is telling his audience "Don't worry about the struggles and hardships you are facing, God can use them to build character in you and help you develop Godly wisdom. Rather than worry be about the task of taking care of the forgotten, the marginalized, the voiceless; and while you are at it don't forget to take care of your own spiritual well being. Live out your faith in such a way that people will see that you are different. If you say you believe something do you have a concrete example of how that is being lived out in your life? Finally, remember it is not about you. Guard your tongue, keep your own want and desires in check, humble yourself before God so that He is the one who can life you up."

This is my summary of James, the key story themes that James develops. What I need to do now is to figure out how I can apply them and integrate them into my life. Is there one of these themes that jumped out at you? If so grab onto it and see how God want you to transform you life based on the theme.

Too Many Random Thoughts

It seems that my ponderings of late seem to be jumping all over the place. I know that if I were to step back far enough that things would make sense and all come together, but for now I am up close and personal with the idea of "belief." How does one define belief? My simplistic working definition is that belief is something that you know to be true. This then raises questions about "knowing" and "truth" but I am not ready to head down those roads yet. This is how one pondering turns into a lot of ponderings. Anyways back to "belief."

It seems to me that our beliefs can be broken down into a least 3 different categories. I define these categories as doctrinal beliefs (those that form our worldview, life philosophy), functional beliefs (those that are informed by our doctrinal beliefs, but are the beliefs we live out each day), and natural beliefs (those beliefs that govern our natural world).

Over the next few days I will be looking deeper into each of these categories of beliefs. As you think about the different categories what are some of your beliefs that make up your worldview, that you function our of, that inform you about the natural world?

Do and Be

As I prepare to preach this weekend an idea has been bouncing around in my head. This idea is "Do and Be." As Christ-followers we are called to "be", "be holy, because I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16), be in the world but not of the world, "be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within you.." (1 Peter 3:15). The doing part is how we live out our faith. It is about loving our neighbor, taking care of orphans and widows, making disciples, and engaging the world.

As Christ-followers we are called to live a duel life. One life calls us to reflect on who we are, keeping a close check on our relationship with God. In Matthew 22 Jesus tells His followers that all the other laws hang on this command to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" and James tells his readers to "...keep oneself from being polluted by the world." This is the "BE." It has to do with who you are.

The second life is "DO." This is the living our of our faith. James in his letter tells us to show our faith by our deeds. Going back to Matthew 22 the second part to Jesus' conversation with the Sadducees was to "love your neighbor as yourself." You see we were not meant to live in a vacuum. We are called to live in community. We have all be blessed with different gifts and talents. We need community in order for these skills to be expressed.

Our challenge is to "be" and "do." What spiritual disciplines can you practice to draw yourself closer to God? How do you love God with all that you are? How do you "Do?" What gifts and talents can you share with the community where you live? This can be within the church, but it also must flow our into the larger community. As you move through the next week thing about "being" and "doing."

I vote Pro-Humnity

OK, here we go my political commentary for the year. I vote pro-humanity. I see this as the platform or policy that God would choose. As we read the Bible we have the creation narrative and the entering of sin into the world in the first few chapters of Genesis. The rest of the Bible is about a restoration process between God and man. I know one person who dubbed it "Project Humanity."

If you read my Facebook page you will see that I am apathetic towards politics. This year has been a really drain on me because of the flood of negative campaigning going on. I want to know what a candidate is going to do rather than what another candidate may or may not have done.

So what is the pro-humanity platform? I wish I had all the details. We need to protect human life, human dignity, and human rights. Our laws, policies, and actions must value humanity. This is not a job only for government. Our communities of faith must be involved. Local non-profits also play a role. Finally, you and I must do our part.

As a Christ-follower I try and live our Matthew 22 by loving God with all I am and loving my neighbor. The first is my private faith and the second is my public expression of my private faith.

To vote pro-humanity does not begin and end on November 4th. To be part of the pro-humanity part is to vote via your actions everyday. Get involved, mentor a child, volunteer with a non-profit, donate your money to a worthy cause, write you elected officials, fulfill the command to love God and love your neighbor.

Looking Back

The spent this last weekend at an advance for a group of men, but to be honest I spent most of my time reflecting back to things I have written in the past and writing for the future. I want to share with you one of my old journal moments. This is from a retreat I took back in November 2002.

The Prairie

For prairies to remain health, to remain prairies they need to occasionally be burned. This burning helps rid the grasslands of unwanted woody shrubs and trees. It also releases back into the soil nutrients of long dead plants for the new growth. After being burned the prairie will come back lush and green revitalized by the removal of "junk" and the replenishing of nutrients.

It seems to me that my life is like the prairie. It is God who needs to burn off the unwanted things in my life. The removal then allows me to flourish as I refocus my energy on God. We need to take the time to allow God to replenish and refresh us. To rekindle the fire within, to become who He wants us to be.

I am taking a week (more or less) off to do just that. The prairie fire was ignited this past weekend and now through this week I will allow it to burn off the old and see what new growth sprouts up.

The is the condition of your "prairie?" What does God need to burn our of your life? How are you going to allow God to transform you, refresh you, revitalize you? Take some time this week to ask God to ignite a prairie fire in you.

An Aha Moment

An aha moment, you know those times when something just click and you have a new thought to ponder and explore. As a teacher, these are the moments when your student gets the idea or concept that you are exploring.

I had an aha moment the other day. I was having lunch with a friend and we were talking social justice and the idea of living out our faith. I was sharing with him from the end of James chapter one where he talks about true religion is taking care of the orphans and widows and keeping yourself uncorrupted by the world. My mind then wondered over to Matthew 22 where Jesus is confronted by the religious leaders and is ask what is the greatest commandment. Jesus responded with loving God and loving others. I've preached on the last and will be preaching on the first in a couple of weeks, but what struck me, my aha moment was the linking of serving other and tending to our own spiritual well being. In these two passages they seem linked.

The idea I need to spend more time pondering this linking of service to others and tending to our own formation, of loving God and loving others. What does this mean as a Christ-follower? How are my beliefs and values shaped by this perspective? What should my life look like?

James - A message for today

As my sermon is coming together I was struck by the idea of how relevant this book is for us today. In the first verse we see that James is writing to those who have been dispersed thought the middle east, Asia Minor, Rome, etc. These christian enclaves were set into places where pagan religious practices and idol worship were prevalent. They were not set into a Christian nation.

In reality, isn't that where the church is today? We say that we are a Christian nation, but to be honest, I don't really know what the means. As I look around I see signs of idol worship, maybe its the car some one drives or the house they live in or the job they hold or the lifestyle the choose to live. Not that any of these things are bad in and of themselves, it is when they begin to control us rather than allowing God to guide us. I know at times I am guilty of this. So like the audience that James is writing to, this conflict between following Jesus and being in/of the world causes trials and struggles. This is one of the themes of this book.

We are told not to run away from these trials and struggle, but rather we are to endure through them so that God can mold us and shape us into the Christ-followers that He wants us to be. Is this easy? No. Is this painful? Maybe. Is this part of our spiritual formation? Definitely.

James does not leave us without hope. We are told to ask God for wisdom as to how to work through these trials. Later on in Chapter 3 James talks about the wisdom that we should apply. It is not worldly wisdom, rather it is the wisdom that comes down from heaven. It is the wisdom that produces peacemakers.

My question is this: What trials or struggles are you going through right now? Have you asked God for wisdom, His wisdom to handle the situation or are you relying on worldly wisdom?

Overview of James

I have been pondering my way through the book of James (along with my family) and in October I am going to be preaching a three part series on the book. I have titled the series “Patience, Practice, and Position: A brief overview of the Book of James.” Reading through the book I have picked out three themes that I will be focusing on.

The first theme is patience. We see this idea pop up in the first verse as this letter is written to the twelve tribes that have been scattered. James then begins to address the issue of trials and temptation and in chapter five he looks at suffering. Wisdom seems to be a key point in handling these issues.

The second them is practice. This letter is full of things that we can practice. Listening before speaking, treating everyone fairly, living out your faith, and asking for help when you need it.

The final theme is position. James looks at who we are and how we should be around others and around God.

I will be writing more on each of these themes as I develop my sermons. In the mean time read through James and then read it a couple of more times. See if you can find these themes and how if applied in your life you might live differently.

The Adopted Child

The idea of adoption is something I am passionate about. You see both my kids are adopted. While reading in Romans 8:12-17, Paul writes these words:

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, Abba! Father! The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (ESV)

Here Paul wraps up our salvation by saying we are God's adopted children with all the rights and responsibilities that go along with this.

As I think about adoption there are three points I want to highlight. First, there are costs associated with adoption. In our case, the mothers of our kids had to give them up, I am sure this was not an easy thing to do. For one we know the reason was the the mother wanted a better life for her child. In God's case, He had to send His Son to earth to pay the penalty for our sins. The cost, Jesus died on the cross. The second point is that we have a new identity as a result of adoption. The birth parents of our kids lost all rights, responsibilities and obligation to their kids when they signed the adoption papers. Conversely, my wife and I took on these same rights and obligations. In the same way since we are now God's children we are heir with Christ. We need to live our life in such a way as to reflect this. Neil T. Anderson in his book Victory over the Darkness does a great job of spelling out who we are in Christ. The last point I want to make is that adoption leads to a greater sense of intimacy. My son shared at an open mic about how happy he was that we came and got him and made him part of our family. Needless to say there as not a dry eye in the church after that. But it got me thinking, when was the last time I really thanked God for sending His Son to die for me? Next time you take communion think about that.

So what does it mean to you to be a child of God? Should you be living your life any differently if you took to heart the idea that you are an heir with Christ?

Picking up on James

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27 (NASB)

I talked about the first part of this passage a couple of postings ago. Now I want to come back to the last part of the verse, keeping oneself pure or unstained by the world. As I read this my thoughts keeping drifting back to Matthew 22 and the passage where Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment, he replies love God and love your neighbor. The first part of this passage is about loving your neighbor and the second part seems to fit "loving God." You see if we love God with all we have, we won't have time for things of the world. I know, this is easier said than done. Then again, who ever said being a Christ-follower is easy? James is writing about trials in the first section of chapter 1. This entire letter is written to the twelve tribes who have been scattered due to persecution.

So how do you stay unstained? Do we do it by loving God (Mat 22), focusing on God (Col 3), serving others John 13). I would answer yes to all of these. We also need to align our belief and values with what the Bible teaches. We need to live out a Biblically informed faith.

Here is a challenge that I was given and that I pass along to you. Take a passage of scripture, the Beatitudes, this passage in James, Col 3 or Matthew 22 and live them out. Ask yourself what would my life look like serving widows and orphans, setting my heart on things above, loving God with every fiber of my being? Then apply what you have learned for a week and see how God can use you and transform you into His likeness.

Lost in James

I am blogging this on Thursday Aug 7th, from a state park in South Dakota, but I don’t know when it will get posted. I have access via my iPhone, but I really don’t want to us it for blogging.

I am stuck in the last section of chapter 1 in the book of James. I am not stuck intellectually, rather I am stuck practically. James lays out two things that define pure and undefiled religion, serving orphans and children and keeping from being polluted by the world. I blogged about the first part the other day it you want to look back.

This section begins with the author telling us to be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry. We are then told to not only listen to the word, but to do it. Our faith, our religion, our relationship is not static, rather it should be active and alive. My question is how have you shown your faith lately?

Pure and Undefiled Religion

Don't blame me if you don't like the title, but it comes right out of the epistle of James (1:27).

When I read this yesterday I don't know why I hadn't noticed this verse before. Perhaps I was reflecting on the beginning of the section were we are told to "be doers of the word, and not hearer only..."(James 1:22 [NKJ]). James 1:27 says this:

Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. (NASB)

There were Old Testament laws to help protect the widows and orphans of the day, but they were not always followed. This class of people were often oppressed or neglected.

Who in our society today may be classified as oppressed or neglected? This is where the ideas of social justice and liberation theology come into play. We who call ourselves Christ-follower need to be ready to give voice the voiceless. We must stand with the oppressed. The question I as is how can I do this? How does the community of believers I am a part of do this? How does the Church do this?

Here are two things that I am currently involved with. One, is my work with Habitat for Humanity. Not only do I help pound nails but I help educate high school and college age student in the areas of poverty, homelessness, and affordable housing. Second I spend most of my Wednesday evenings with a group of men at the state prison in Lino Lakes. We are working through materials from Heart of a Warrior ministry.

I would love to hear from you about how this can be accomplished in your life.

I will touch on the second part of this verse in the coming days.

I leave you with this translation of this passage from The Message:

Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

What to read?

I was recently asked by someone for three books that I would recommend that he reads. The Bible was a default answer so I could not use it. The three books that I chose were: Uprising: A Revolution of the Soul by Erwin McManus (there are a number of McManus books that I could recommend [We has already read The Barbarian Way]), We Drink From Our Own Well by Gustavo Gutierrez, and Celebration of Disciplines by Richard Foster. So why these books?

I picked Uprising because it is a book that really touched me. In this book McManus unpacks the reason "Why?". Ultimately, he concludes that we are here to serve others. This reason for being is part of who I am.

The second book We Drink from Our Own Wells is one that I recently read for one of my classes. This book is about the topic of liberation theology that was written over 20 years ago. Social justice and liberation theology has been a topic that i have been pondering about and doing something about for the last couple of years now. As Christ-followers we need to come along side the oppressed and give a voice to the voiceless.

The final book Celebration of Disciplines is a classic book about various spiritual disciplines. To develop ourselves into the person God wants us to be, we need to be intentional about our spiritual formation process. This book can be used to help guide you in picking those disciplines that you can use to draw you closer to God.

My question to you is what books would you recommend?

In or Of?

We have been having a discussion around our house involving these two little words "in" or "of". They seem harmless enough, I mean how can two letters make a difference. They can make a difference when they are used in the context of our life on this earth.

You see as Christ-followers we are called to be "in the world" not "of the world". So what does this mean? Take a look at Col 3. Here you will find a description of two types of people, those who are "of" (vs 5-9)and those who are only "in" (vs 12-17). We are called to be aliens and strangers in the world. We need to stand out as different (not always an easy thing).

Take a look at the two lists, I know I can find characteristics in the first one that I need to put to death. I also know that there are qualities in the second list that I need to bring to life in my life. This is not an easy task, but with the help of the Holy Spirit God can make it happen.

Tired

It has been a grueling two weeks as I have been in class. Last week the class focused on the technical aspects of the program I am in and this week the class I have been taking is focusing on transformation. As a family crisis and you have a reason to be tired. What I have forgotten to do again is rest in the Lord. I am amazed at how quickly I forget this.

I am looking forward to having the next three weeks off, my mornings will be focused on reading, writing and research. The afternoons will focus on getting the siding on the house. Squeezed in there will be an extended Black Hills adventure with the family.

In the next few days I will be posting reflections on some of the books I have read and how they might help me in my spiritual formation process. Some of them are a bit heavy in the area of psychology, but have been quite interesting. That is the one thing that has really surprised my about this weeks class and how the are of psychology can help to inform the area of spiritual formation. I guess that is what integration is all about.

Making a Difference

This posting is more random than usual. I have been following the adventure of a 14 from Minnesota who wants to make a difference in the world. As part of a class project she did a lot of research on electric cars. However, she did not just stop with gathering knowledge, but rather she took the next step and applied what she has learned and put it into action. You see she created an online petition to ask congress to put in place tax breaks/incentives for companies that develop and manufacture electric cars. She didn't stop there. She is hand delivering the petition to her Minnesota's congressional delegation after riding to Washington DC on her bike from Minnesota. Now that is putting your passion into action. If yo want to follow her and her families adventure you can check out her blog at Ride For Renewal (www.rideforrenewal.org).

So what does this have to do with me? It has to do with "doing." As Christ-followers we are called to engage, we are called to do, we are call to make a difference. Sara Groves describes this action orientation by describing us as God's hands and feet here on earth.

This then ties in to my first Doctoral class on integral research. Doctoral research is not just about gathering and analyzing data. It is about taking those results and analysis, making sure you are not missing something, and then applying what you have learned so as to effect a change in the world.

You see that is what we should be about. When we teach, preach, interact or engage the world we need to be doing it in a transformative way.

Listening For God Sermon Outling

Here is the basic outline for my sermon last Sunday

Why Do we listen for God?
-comfort
-direction
-to know God (Psalm 46:10)
-to develop our relationship

How do we hear/How does God speak?
-to us directly
-Scripture
-music
-books
-other people

How do we/should we respond to God's voice
-with a hard heart/doing things our own way
-with obedience
-active waiting/active listening (see my post a couple of weeks ago)
-with action

This is the outline. I was able to fill in my own story to highlight parts. I also look at the prophet Elijah and his story from 1 Kings 19.

The key points of the sermon are that God does speak to us in a variety of ways, we need to be listening, and that we must respond with obedience to what we hear.

Listening for God

I am preaching this weekend in Wisconsin, and the title of my sermon is "Listening for God." As I reflect back over the last 6-8 months this is spiritual discipline that has been drawing me closer into an intimate relationship with the creator God of the universe. What an wonderful thing.

As I began to think about this topic I was drawn to the story of Elijah as Jezebel was moving to have him killed (the story can be found in 1 Kings 18,19). As I read and pondered I came up with three questions: Why should listen to God?, How do we hear God's voice?, and How should we respond to what we hear? As I began "preaching" the sermon in my head, a lot of the thoughts that were forming sounded familiar. I then looked back through my blog and found that I have been reflection on answers to these questions in a number of my postings. I hope to record the message and get it posted so if you are interested you can listen to the sermon. I would post my sermon notes, but they wouldn't do you much good, I don't preach with more than a outline on paper and my Bible. I then just share what God has placed on my heart. How do I know what that is? As I prepare I am "Listening for God."

Waiting on God

What I'm going to describe next my sound like an oxymoron, but such is the way this posting goes. Over the last couple of days I have had opportunities to talk about work, life, and my new educational adventure. As I reflect back on the content and nature of these conversations I find myself actively waiting on God. Did you catch the oxymoron, "actively waiting"?

So what do I mean by the phrase "actively waiting"? I have know Christians who sit, almost paralyzed, as they wait for direction or guidance from God. They are afraid to step in one direction fearing that God really wanted them to go another. There are those who live a stagnant, seemingly meaningless life because they are unable, unwilling, or simply afraid to step out actively wait on God. Take a look back at my posting about The Barbarian Sheep. This group of people I would refer to as passively waiting on God. Is this good or bad, I don't know, I would have to ask about their degree of passiveness. So what is "actively waiting?"

As I actively wait on God, I engage the world in a way the servers others and honors God. I am beginning my 3rd post-graduate degree this summer, do I know where it will lead, no, but I am actively waiting on God for the answer. God has stirred in my heart a variety of questions that I relate to on a personal growth level as well as in my current job. I am not going to wait around waiting on God for all the answers, but I am going to engage the world with what I know and actively wait on God for my future adventure(s).

The key to actively waiting is to simple take a look around you and see where God is at work and join Him (Henry Blackaby). Don't get caught on the sidelines sitting on your hand, get in the game of life, serve others and honor God by what you do.

Oops, I did it again

No, I am not a Brittney fan, but the reality is that I did do it again. What did I do? Well, actually it's what I haven't been doing. I have been doing a lot, reading through Genesis, reading for my up coming classes, working on the house, working at work, coaching, etc.. What I haven't been doing is listening. More specifically, I haven't been listening to/for God.

The first four months of this year were great times of intimate connection with God. I was taking the time, sometimes a lot of time simply to listening to God. Letting Him drift through my thoughts, guiding my studies, showing me direction. Once I got my marching orders off I ran, forgetting to stay in communication with my God. Its not that I feel lost, I know the direction God wants me to move, the shape my new course of study, and my current ministry. What I miss is the close relationship, my connection with the God of the universe. This all seeing, all knowing, all everything God who cares about me, who knows me, who wants to connect with me. What an awesome God we serve.

Take some time this week, put down your papers, your books (yes even your Bible), set aside the business of life and as the psalmist wrote "Be still and know the I am God." Take the time and reconnect.

Why do I do what I do?

On Wednesdays I work with a group of men and was asked the question last night, "Why do I do what I do (with regards to working with them)?" Why do I get involved in the lives of others? It is in community where faith is strengthened, passions deepened, gifts used, and blessings received.

I love to hear the stories of others, their life's journey, their ah-ha moments, their struggles. You see as we all share we all are blessed, we all can grow, we all can experience those ah-ha moments. Look at the Bible, it is now a dull dry list of do this, don't do that. No, rather it is a collection of stories meant to draw us into a closer relationship with God, to shape and mold us, to make us the person God wants us to be.

Why do I do what I do, because I am called to love God and love others so that is what I do.

Randomness

Is God in control of all things? Yes! Does God control all things? I don’t know. What is the difference in these two questions? The first states that God is in control, but the second asks whether God chooses to control everything. When a tornado strikes a community did God control its movements for what ever reason or was the path the tornado took simply a random path. Stepping back one step was the storm itself ordained by God or was it the result of the random mixing of the proper atmospheric conditions.

Randomness or God’s will? Wrong place, wrong time or trials and testing?

The world it seems is seeing its share of disasters, typhoons in Southeast Asia, earthquakes in China, wild fires in the Western US, drought, floods, tornados, tsunamis. The list goes on and on and on. Are these disasters a result of the randomness of various climatic, tectonic, or human factors? The question that arises is where is God in this? Maybe a better question is what are we as Christ-followers doing to relieve the suffering that is going on around us? Perhaps the reason “why” is not as important as the question “How are we (am I) going to respond.

It’s all right to say I don’t know why, but it’s not all right to say I don’t care or I don’t want to be bothered with it.

Remember also that when disaster strikes it may take a long time to get back to ”normal.“ So after the initial trauma is over don’t forget about the people affected by the disaster.

Am I a Christ-Follower?

What does it mean to be a Christ-follower? This past weekend a tornado ripped through the city of Hugo. One person was killed, a number injured, and 100's left homeless. What should my response be, pray, donate money, donate time to help clean up? Yes, yes, and yes. But what about my plans, my own projects, my own life? Where is the balance? Should there be balance? Will I respond to the call of my church and my community to come along side those who are hurting?

Community

Hey, no I have not fallen off the face of the earth, but rather I am reworking my daily routine. In the past, my mornings were reading the Bible, pondering on the readings and then posting some thoughts. Now it is reading the Bible (still working slowly through Genesis), pondering a bit, and then reading books for my DMin courses.

The readings have been very good. Thus far I have been doing readings for my spiritual formation class. The emphasis has been on the importance of community in the spiritual formation process. I will be posting my thoughts on each book as I complete the writings.

I have been thinking a lot about community and its role in our life. I have never been one to place great emphasis on community, I don't/didn't see the value of it. However, in review some hermeneutic material I am reminded of the importance of story in our life. Not just our story, but the story of others. Together we shape and are shaped by these stories.

What catches your eye?

I have been rereading the first three chapters of Genesis looking at the creation narrative and the events that occurred in the garden of Eden. When Eve ate the fruit she didn’t just grab it and eat, no the story tells us of how it was good, pleasant and desirable.

That’s the way sin is. We seldom imply jump in, but rather we are enticed, prodded (remember the serpent) and then we give in (see James 1). Remember to be careful as to what catches your eye and to not let temptation develop into sin.

New Adventure

Well, my life long learner has kicked in again and I will be starting a new adventure this summer. I have been accepted into the Doctor of Ministry program at Bethel Seminary. I will be in the spiritual formation tract. My main focus will be looking at the use of Web 2.0 technology (ie this blog) to foster spiritual formation for both digital natives (those who have grown up with personal computers, etc) and digital immigrants (those of us who grew up with slide rules and $100 calculators that only did basic math).

The focus of my studies is something I am calling The Barbarian's Call. It is an outflow of the barbarian sheep/ stupid sheep blog postings back in January. The web site is up, but there isn't a lot there yet.

There are at least 4 components that I will be exploring in relation to the The Barbarian's Call: love, community, courage & strength, and engagement.

I haven't decided if I will lead a duel bloggers life or simply move all my blogging to the new site. We will have to wait and see about that.

Music

One of the ways God stirs my soul is through the music of others. I love to listen to songs that make me think for a moment or maybe even longer. I am in the process of putting together a couple of iTunes iMixs. These are songs that make me stop and thing or spur me to action. To view them you will need iTunes on your computer.

Life's Distractions

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God

Be still, to rest, to ponder, to KNOW God. In these last few weeks I have not been very still, and I have not known God as well as I would like. I have not blogged much simply because I have not had much to say. I would not say that God has been silent, I simply haven't had the time to process that things He is saying. There are a variety of reasons why, work, life, family, physical, etc.

I am still working with the words Peter spoke in John 13:1-17. I will keep you posted.

The "Blessed" Life

It is always fun when you read and reread passages of scripture and something new catches your eye. This happened to me recently when I was on a retreat. I was rereading John 13, a passage about Jesus washing the disciples feet. What caught my attention this time was the last verse of this section of scripture, John 13:7. Here we have a statement from Jesus on how to be blessed. The answer seems quite simple yet complex. We are to do what we know. In The Message it says "If you understand what I am telling you, act like it - and live a blessed life."

So what did Jesus do? He gave Himself for the sake of others. In this passage He humbled Himself and washed the feet of His disciples. A few chapters later we read about Jesus giving His life as payment for our sins. But what about Peter's reaction?

More to come...

What is a "True" Christian?

This past week I was part of a great discussion about living out our faith. We were discussion a couple of examples out of Chuck Colson's book The Faith (see my posting on Doing Common Things in Uncommon Ways). A friend in our group took the side that the Amish in this story were example of "True" Christians. At the time, this seemed like a reasonable statement, but I have been pondering it for the last couple of days, and I have come to the conclusion that I think the word "true" is the wrong word to describe the actions that the people in the two stories took. Perhaps a better word to describe them would be mature. It is not that they are truer Christians, they are simply a little or a lot farther down the transformation process.

As I look through scripture, being a true Christ-follower is not about doing, rather it is about believing and accepting the free gift that Jesus supplied by dieing on the cross as payments for our sins. That is what Easter is all about. Once we have made this decision a transformation begins to take place. The replacement of our corrupted beliefs and values with Biblical grounded ones. As our old beliefs and values are replaced there will be a change in our world view, motives, and behaviors.

The Christians in Colson's book were acting on their Biblically grounded beliefs and values, they were "taking up their cross" and following Jesus. These Christians should be looked at as examples of what living out our Christian walk should look like. What it means to take up our cross.

What is the cross you have been called to carry? How can you give your life to be apart of carrying out God's will here on earth? What corrupted beliefs and values do you need to replace with Biblically grounded ones? How are you daily renewing your mind though the reading of scripture? How could someone identify you as a Christ-follower by your actions?

A New Perspective

I was away for a 48 hour retreat recently and God showed me a new perspective, while maybe not new but a fresh perspective on the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. I had been reading John 13 and the first verse talks about how Jesus knew that His time was up. I laid down thinking about this and, I know this may sound morbid, but starting thinking about how I would feel if my own son were to die. The emotions I felt must have been like those God was feeling at this time in the life of His Son. It wasn't until I was in church Saturday that I was struck that this is the beginning of Holy week and that though Jesus died, God knew also that He would rise again. I then thought how I would rejoice knowing that even if my son were to die I would also see him again some day. As I took communion that day, it had a whole different feeling for me.

Doing Common Things in Uncommon Ways

Ah, vacation, a time to wander and ponder. My family and I are in Chicago for a few days and are enjoying the areas museums and attractions. Yesterday, we spent 5-6 wandering around the Field Museum of Chicago. What a place. What really caught my attention was an exhibit about George Washington Carver. A former slave who over came a variety of barriers to make a great impact in the world in the areas of science and humanity in general. In the museum store was a t-shirt which either a quote or summary of Carver's beliefs. The shirt read "When you do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." A simple thought, but quite profound.

As Christ followers, this is the attitude we need to have. We should be doing the common things in life, loving, serving, respecting, etc in such uncommon ways that the world pays attention. This attention should not be about you and me, rather we should then direct it to the glorify God. This line of thought brings me back to a discussion I was a part of a few weeks back with a young man who is part of a group of offenders I (and 5 others) are working with at a state prison. The assignment was given to study a passage about the branch and vine and barring fruit. He made the statement the even non-Christians do good things. The point that was made to help understand this was where is the attention that is gain directed, at ones self or back to the Creator? Then there is the idea of "uncommon" way.

In his book The Faith, Chuck Colson was talking about this very things. He gave two example of doing common things in uncommon ways (and the world did notice). He first described and incident that happened in an Amish community in which a number of school age girls were killed by a troubled man. This community not only forgave but reached out the killers family to support them as well. A common thing done in an uncommon way. The second example were a group of Christians who cared for plague victims in ancient times. Giving of themselves to serve others. Colson concludes the chapter with these stories in this way:
The early Christians who treated plague victims certainly weren't embracing the pagan culture. Nor were they trying to make Christianity more relevant and win over the hearts of an empire; they were simply carrying out the truth of their faith -- that every person is made in the image of God and therefore possess dignity.Again, doing common things in uncommon ways.

What common things do you do, that you can do in uncommon ways to bring glory to God?

Giving Voice to the Voiceless

I am off to the the Wind City, Chicago. Took the train down, what a relaxing way to travel, no lines at the station, no fighting with traffic, having time to read, sleep, and ponder life as we went along. One of the things I did was watch again the movie Amazing Grace. It is the story of William Wilberforce, an Englishman in the House of Lords who work to abolish the English slave trade.

Two things that struck me as I watched. First, was the fact that Wilberforce did not "find God" but rather that God found him. Relating to a sermon by Erwin McManus (listened to that on the train ride down also), God was putting His finger prints on Wilberforce. God was stirring a passion in his soul so strong he could not escape it. William then spent the next 10-11 years giving voice to the voiceless, speaking for the slaves who had no voice. He was in fact putting his finger prints all over them. Second, Wilberforce stood firm against astronomical odds. He leaned into fears, stood in the center of God's will and fought for what he knew to be right.

Has God been stirring a passion in you? Have you taken the time to listen to God to see how he is speaking to you? Have you asked God to stir something within you? Are you willing to allow God to put His fingerprints all over you and then in turn be God's hands and feet by putting your fingerprints all over someone else? Are you willing to engage the world, to make one small part better so that the whole can become a little better? It could be dangerous, it will be exciting. You might even call it barbaric!

I know that God is stirring something in my, but I can't put my finger on it quite yet. I know the components, love, courage, community, and engagement. I know it has to do will to with being a barbarian. Stay tuned for more related to this...

New Direction

I am looking forward to next week. My family and I are going to be spending a few days in Chicago and then I get to go on a three day personal retreat at a place called Pacem In Terris which is a place where one can get away and spend time with God.

I look forward to how I will encounter God. Of late I have been excited and very much wrapped up in a lot of what at first seemed to be random thoughts, ideas, verses, and quotes that have filled by white board at work. Things are getting a little clearer and I hope spending 3 days alone with God will bring more clarity to the matter. The best way I can describe it now is how can we best respond to God's will, being His hands and feet on earth to accomplish it.

How does God speak to us today?

Have you ever had an experience where your random thoughts coalesce around a bigger thought or idea? Well, that is what I am ruminating on right now. My 4 X 10 white board in my office at work (I do this on breaks and at lunch)is full of what appear to be random ideas, concepts, verses, and such. My task now is to decipher the larger meanings. What is it that ties them all together? Here are a few of the components on my white board: The Barbarian Sheep (see prior posting), Serving Him by Serving You, the chorus form Lifesong by Casting Crowns, Joshua 1, Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Peter 3, a meta-narrative for the entire Bible (similar to the Why God? postings).

The reason I share this is in part to ask "How is God talking to you?" These thoughts come from Scripture, music, books, studies, and other people. You see God talks to us in a variety of ways. Now don't misunderstand me, I am not say that all these are divine revelation, this I reserve only for Scripture, however, I am saying that God more specifically the Holy Spirit can use a variety of ways to teach us more about who God is and how we should live our lives in a way that honors and glorifies Him.

In Lifesong the chorus has this line: "I want to sign Your name at the end of this day Knowing that my heart was true..." This is how I want to live. I want to know that at the end of day God would be proud of who I lived it.

Why God? pt 3

To continue thinking about the restoration process...

Through people like Noah, Abraham and David God's plan flowed. Though the Law and the prophets we can see the restoration process unfold. Though out the Old Testament we see restoration and redemption through the sacrifices and the keeping of the Law. When the people drew near to God, there were blessings, when the people fell away there were consequences. The prophets foretold of the Messiah, the one who was coming as the fulfillment of the the law. We see the restoration process completed in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is through Christ that our sins are washed away. It is through Christ that our relationship with God is restored. It is through Christ that we are set free.

Why God? Because He cared enough that He sent His Son to die on the cross so that you I and might have a restored relationship with the creator of universe.

Stupid Sheep or Barbarian Sheep?

I responded to a post from the blog by Eagle Brook Church Men's Pastor Josh Kesler with regards to a stupid sheep he saw. He ask me to follow up so here with go with my first thoughts.

In his illustration Josh talked about this poor stupid sheep whose head got stuck in a fence trying to reach something better. Great illustration and 100% right. It goes along with the current sermon series at the church also. I looked at it from a slightly different perspective. As you may or may not know we can all look at an event and come away with sightly or even vastly different perceptions of the event (what a great movie theme, oh wait it is coming out in a week or two).

My vantage point is influenced by my recent rereading and discussion around the book The Barbarian Way by Erwin McManus. You see in Josh's illustration I didn't see a stupid sheep looking for something better, no what I saw as a barbarian sheep looking to break out the conformity of the pen and do something greater. You see we can be that barbarian sheep, we can step out of the confines and safety of the "our pen" (what every your pen is) and serve God in a great an mighty way. You see it is not about us, rather it is about doing the will of God regardless of the danger, regardless of the sacrifice, regardless of the cost. What did Jesus say, come and follow me when it is convenient, after the big game, when you have a spare moment? No Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow. Don't ask questions, don't make excuses, simple follow me. I would love to say that this is who I am, 100% on board, but that would be a lie. It is something I am working towards, something that I believe in. You see I would rather be know for how I serve God and others, that for what I know.

Why God pt 2

Picking up from the last post, Why God?, because He made the effort for restorations...

You see after creation came a life of communion with God. In Eden, Adam and Eve, had a close intimate relationship with God, their creator. This, I believe, is why God created us, for an intimate, personal relationship. However, Satan, one of God's other created being, stepped in and disrupted the relationship. In Eden, there weren't many rules but one clearly stated boundary was to not eat of the fruit from the tree. We failed sin was introduced into God's perfect creation. Sin resulted in a separation between God the creator and his creation, you and I. God could have walk away at that point and said enough, be gone from me. However, that is not what God did, rather, we see from Genesis on through the rest of the Bible, that God has in fact a plan to restore the lost relationship.

Why God? Because He is concerned about our relationship with Him.

More on this later...

Why God pt 1

Why God? This is a question with a multitude of layers. So here is my attempt at one of the layers.

The Bible begin "In the beginning God..." This is a great answer, Why God? because God was at the beginning. This then raises a question I don't have an answer for, where did God come from? But then again this is a question that needs to be raised regardless of how you believe things came into being. Can something be created from nothing? There has to be a beginning and I trust in what the Bible says, "In the beginning God..." So what did God do in the beginning, He created. I am a product of a God who was from the beginning Creator of all things. We see this unfold thought out the first couple of chapters of Genesis. He created the sky and the earth, plants and animals, sun, moon and stars, and then he created us. Why God? Because he is our creator.

More to come.....

A nagging question "Why God?"

Have you ever had a question that just kind of nags at you? The question that I have is "Why God?" Now I wish I could tell you what exactly this question means, but I haven't unpacked it enough yet. I began to ruminate on this question a couple of days ago and this morning as I awoke it was the first thing I started to ponder. It is odd to have to unpack the meaning of a question before you can answer it. I would enjoy to hear from other about this question. It could be addressed on a variety of levels. I can see that it will take a bit of pondering, so this is where I will be heading in this blog and my times of pondering for the next little while.

The Barbarian Way

This is a book I have been rereading by Erwin McManus. In this book he talks about the Christianity of the early church as being raw, untamed, willing to follow Christ where ever he leads. Today, we have been tamed, civilized in our faith. We aren't willing to step out and take the risks we need to for our beliefs. I know I fall into the category.

I'm spending my Wednesday evenings with a group of men who seem to really resonate with what Erwin is sharing. Men who are willing to take risks, they are innovators, they are mushroom eaters (see chapter 2 of the book).

Our call is to step out, to live out our faith with passion, with vigor, with love to restore the relationship between humanity and God.

1 Peter 4 - Serving Others

I am currently reading through 1 and 2 Peter as I prepare to lead a discussion with a group of men who are looking at theses to books with a couple of questions in mind. What does it mean to be a man after God's own heart and How are we to live in the world? Thus far they have come up with some great insight and I look forward to the continued discussions.

I was struck by a part of the text as I was rereading 1 Peter yesterday. It is 1 Peter 4 beginning with verse 10. Peter is encouraging the Christ-followers scattered around "the world" to use what ever gift they have been given to serve others. You see the gifts and talents God has given us and not to make us great, but rather so that we can serve others and thus them up and glorify God in the process. In another blog I was recently reading the author asked the question what gives us joy. My response was serving other, what a joy this is.

My challenge this week is to use the gifts that God has given me to serve others.