Gearing up for another week away

I have a confession. I am poor at scheduling. Friday I leave again for a 9 day trek across the country. Back when our youth calendar was finalized, Jen and I both had planned on her going with us to Ohio. But her being almost 9 months pregnant sure has changed things.

So, this summer I am gone a lot. It is taking its toll on our family. I am looking forward to our upcoming mission trip, but am looking forward to being home and getting to catch up with my wife and daughter before the arrival of our new addition to the family.

Hopefully this next year I will plan my away time a little better than I have thus far.

Borrowed from Wade…

I saw this survey over at Wade’s blog, and I gave it shot, and here at the results of that survey…

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don’t think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 96% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 93% Neo orthodox 75% Charismatic/Pentecostal 50% Reformed Evangelical 43% Fundamentalist 43% Roman Catholic 39% Classical Liberal 36% Modern Liberal 32%

What's your theological worldview?
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I’m back

With two weeks of camp behind me. I can rest for a week, and then on Friday, I’m off again. My marathon summer will slow down in July, until VBS, and the arrival of our new little girl.

Camp was awesome. It was tough being away from my wife and daughter, but they live close enough to come and visit. I did get to see them a couple of times both weeks. That always makes being away a little easier.

Two special kids in our youth group were immersed into Christ during the first session of camp. Both baptisms were exciting to watch. For the first, she was baptized by her grandfather, in the same place where he father, uncle, and two older siblings were baptized as well.

The second teens baptism was typical of this young man’s life. It is the eleventh hour for this young man. A recent high school graduate, had been straying for some time from youth group and church life in general. I bugged and pleaded for this young man to come to camp, just one more time. He came. The group of guys he hung with, and his teachers/counselors are a great group of tight nit brothers. Their reassuring and love for this young man, pushed him over the edge. I was awakened at 3am on Friday morning with the news, __________ is going to be baptized. I have to confess. In my 2 years here at my congregation. I was certain that this young man would go to college, and continue to drift away from the church. God reminded me of how faithful He is, and that His timing is right. God from the beginning of the world was alinging events and people so that this young man would be in contact with his camp brothers at just the right time to aid in his accepting of the Gospel. Wow! I know many, including his family, and his church family have been praying for 18 years for this day. God answers prayer. I am still in awe of God and his timing.

The second week was high energy, and deeply enriching. I got to work with a younger group of guys, but all from my church. They taught me alot about patience, and how important relationships are. Being there in the sense of going to each of these kids’ activites opened the door for many conversations. I was a jungle gym, pillow fight absorber, friend, confidant, teacher, mentor, and buddy. It was a great week. One young man, during worship Friday night, let me into his world for a few minutes. He talked about many mistakes in his life, and that he wanted to a brand new start, and new that God was the only place he could turn for a new start. We studied, he was hungry for God, and he accepted Christ’s invitation to become new, and was baptized late Friday night. God is good.

I’m glad to be home, and glad to have been a part of what God has done in the lives of young people once again.

Last post for two weeks

I am leaving for camp this afternoon, and I will be pulling a double. So, this is my last post for two weeks.

In the mean time, blog away.

Blessings and peace to any who read this entry.

Thoughts on worship

Warning: this is not meant to be a comprehensive post on worship!

Psalm 33 opens with these words, “sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him” (Psalm 33:1). Indeed, it is fitting for God’s people to praise Him. We have so much to be thankful for. But, shouldn’t worship stir the heart of the worshipper as well as the heart of God? I think so. Sometimes, we worship hindered by distractions, defeats and tradition. What would worship look like if we weren’t afraid to raise our hands? What would our worship look like, be like, if we didn’t care whether the songs were old or contemporary, but intune with the Spirit.

I confess, I haven’t always been a good worshipper. I don’t sing out. Sometimes, I have even complained about worship. But, I have to ask myself, who is worship for?

I am totally convinced that worship isn’t about my tastes, and what music I like. Worship is not about me, but Christ.

I wish, no, I pray that those that share in the family inheritance assured us by Christ can learn worship isn’t about doing church the same way every Sunday just for the sake of saying, “that’s the way we’ve always done it.” I pray, that the family of God will also learn that when we worship, we are joining with the universal Church in something mystical, something that transcends our congregations. When we come together to worship we are joining the angelic chorus of “holy, holy, holy.”

My prayer for all of us, is that we learn how to slow down and plug into the Spirit, and let all the worries and distractions stay at the door, and that when we approach our places of worship we come expectantly and hungry for an encounter with the Living and Reigning Christ.

love and compassion change things

I am supposed to give the devotional message tonight at church. I am jumping on the Star Wars band wagon, and incorporating this epic saga into my talk tonight.

By now, many of you have seen the final installment of the Star Wars saga. I’ll have to admit, I haven’t always been a fan of science fiction thrillers. But, things have changed.

Over the last two weeks, I have re-watched episodes 1 and 2, Jen took me to see episode 3 on my birthday, and my in-laws brought over the original three movies this past weekend.

I am officially a Star Wars fan. Things are bad, I even got Rachel to pretend she is a light saber wielding Jedi princess-warrior. I am in over my head.

But, with all the fanfare and science fiction. The Star Wars saga is a tale of good vs. evil.

If you have seen the original movies, you know how powerful the dark side is, how it corrupted a young man (Anakin Skywalker). Fear, anger, ambition, pride, lust for greatness all contributed to young Anakin’s demise and transformation into the evil Darth Vader.

But, love and compassion win out. By episode 6, you are left on the edge of your seats as father and son duel. Young Luke must face his worse fears and confront his father. Against all odds, young Skywalker is optimistic that there is still good in his father’s dark heart.

If you’ve seen this movie, you know that love and compassion win out.

I think this is illustrative of our situation in the world today. We live in a world marred by sin.

Hate, pride, ambition, fear, anger, rage are realities that we all must master, but that we all have seen.

Love and compassion are our greatest weapons. When we love and serve others, we are demonstrating the amazing power of God’s transforming love.

God’s transforming love is contagious. When one life is inflamed with passion for God and for others, this soul’s love is contagious and can cause a world wide Jesus revolution.

You see, Star Wars reminds me a little of another young man, an apprentice to the Jewish Sanhedrin, if you will, who started out ambitious, and full of hate towards those that had turned from several thousand years of Jewish history to follow a crucified carpenter from Galilee. Paul was to Judaism what Young Anakin was to the Jedi order (before his turn from good to evil).
Paul shortly recollects his credentials in Philippians 3:4-6

“…If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.�

Paul certainly had quite an impressive list of credentials.

You know the story of his transformation, how he was shown grace and mercy and how from the legalistic approach to God he turned.

Acts 9:1-19

I love the story in Acts 9, how Saul was sent by the high priest to Damascus to weed out the church there.

Along the way, Saul would be forever changed by his encounter with the Living Christ, and since then the world has never been the same.

The grace of God can change the darkest of hearts. It did Saul/Paul and it has for countless others as well.

Later on in Paul’s life in a letter to Titus he reflects on God’s amazing grace and his transforming love and compassion: Titus 3:3-8
“3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

I also want to direct your attention to what Paul his young apprentice Timothy about God’s radical, unfair, life altering, to good to be true, real, amazing grace:
“12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.�

This same Paul who earlier in Philippians 3 listed his credentials, has this to say about those things that he used to value after Jesus turned his world upside down: Philippians 3:7-11
“7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

I don’t know where you are this evening spiritually, but I do know that God’s love and compassion changes things.

It changes us from the inside out. We no longer are full of bitterness, rage, hate, and lust. God gives us a new outlook on life, gives us a new heart, and resides with us, indwelling those that will come to Him and turn from the dark side, and embrace his love.

A Jedi you will not be, but eternally forgiven with a home in heaven you’ll be given. God makes all things new, and promises to give humanity a brand new start. And to think he does in the watery grave of baptsim.