"Everything You Do Teaches"

"Everything you do teaches." This phrase totally changed my life. I don't say that with any expectation that you will have the same experience but I hope it will encourage you to think about how your actions an inactions affect those around you.

I was in college in one of the Christian Education courses with a wise professor that I never appreciated until it was all said and done. She told the class early on that "everything you do teaches." At the time, I didn't think much of it, but as God pulled me into ministry and made me more aware of how my actions effected other people, I realized that everything we do teaches.

Everything we do or don't do tells someone else about who we are from the way we speak, the way that we respond to situations, the way we choose to spend our time, etc. What we do in secret effects who we are and what we teach as well. How much time we spend in prayer and in the word, how much we give, how much we hide in our personal relationships, what we do with our free time, etc. also teaches because it effects who we are in the world.

As a youth director, I'm often presented with these teaching moments. If a youth comes to me and shares something that is on their heart, I have a many decisions to make. Am I looking them in the eye and giving them my full attention. How do I respond to what they are sharing? Do I brush it off or do I take the time to pray with them and help them find the tools to best handle their situation. Do they feel valued and loved? Sometimes I do well and other times I drop the ball, but my decision in those moments will teach that youth something about how much their life is valued to someone else. We all are faced with these teaching moments, whether we are aware of it or not.

We are given specific instruction as to what our lives should teach through God's word. In Phillipians 2:6-8 Paul tells us our attitudes should be like Christ:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

In Matthew 5:48, he tells us to be perfect, or in some translations holy, just as our Father in Heaven.  We are called to love him with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbors and enemies. Everything we speak, do, and don't do should come from a heart and an attitude that bears the light of Christ to the world. We will fail, but every failure is an opportunity to share the meaning of grace.

How is your life teaching those around you who God is in your life? What are some areas you could work on?

More of You

I hate money. I hate talking about it. I hate spending it. I hate how much it costs to maintain cars and apartments. Mostly I hate how much of it I spend on things that just won't last, food, vehicle, rent, etc. It's my least favorite thing to talk about, so needless to say when I hear it from the pulpit on Sunday morning, I think "here we go again." It was a troubling especially for me in college when I had a small income and I was attending a church that gave very willingly. It was the topic of many sermons and God always provided without my help. The idea of tithing never struck me so deeply as it has recently.

I attended my first congregational meeting at the church I am currently working at this past week and it was a real eye opener. The topic of discussion was the proposed budget for 2011 and the cost of the new building. Members of the church had differing opinions about how much we are spending and how well the church is being a steward of the money given.

Two things struck me at this meeting. The first was the comments from our head pastor. He told the congregation that it's not how much we're spending (as long as we are spending within the places God has placed on our heart and not flippantly), it's about our heart to give.  The second thing that struck me was a question raised by one of the members of the church. First, I have no beef with this question. It just made me think. This member probably gives more than ten percent and I have served beside this member and they have a strong heart for the Lord. The member asked something along the lines "How much will you ask us to give?" in reference to fund raisers and the building campaign, but at this moment, I thought about if we asked God that question?

As much as I complain about money and spending it. I keep an awful lot and spend an awful lot and give very little to causes other than myself. The first time I thought about tithing after entering this new position, I thought that it was a ludicrous amount to give when I am paying rent, insurance, student loans, groceries, etc. Then I looked at my spending over the last few months. I'll open up a bit with you. I gave about $70 to charity and spent more than double that at restaurants when I didn't feel like cooking. If I just didn't eat out and gave that money to God. I would be pretty close to ten percent.

My conviction wasn't just about money. When the church member asked how much more we should give, the answer that God dropped almost immediately in my heart was - more. Jesus asks for our lives. The money that we are given, the roof over our heads, the love that we receive from our friends and family, the very breath you just took in are all gifts from our Creator. Acts 17:24-25 (emphasis added) says:

 'The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else"

Nothing that we have is our own from the moment we are born. We have made the decision to try and take it from God's hands. Our culture tells us to look after ourselves. Make sure you have the best house and car and a lot of money so we can buy nice things and go on nice vacations, but Jesus lived radically different. Jesus says: 

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. ~ Luke 14:26-27

I don't believe he is saying to absolutely hate your family, but in order to follow me you must give up everything, wealth, family, fear, pride, independence, the world. He wants your life, not because he wants to take it away from you, but because it's already his. He wants you to have the fullness of the life you are given. Jesus knows how we are meant to live, but we are trying to run the show. It's like we are trying to drive down the road from the passenger seat without the keys to the car. We won't get anywhere.

Jesus wants our entire being. He wants us to give up everything to follow him. One of my favorite scriptures is Matthew 5:49 - "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Some translations say be holy. To be perfect means to be made complete in Christ, lacking nothing. This is only obtained through a relationship with Christ and it will never be reached while we remain in our earthly bodies. How much should you give? The answer will always be more. There will always be something that you haven't given fully to God. It might be letting go of a certain sin, of fear, of a desire to be a part of the crowd, of money, but ultimately he wants your entire life, because it belongs to Him. Our money belongs to Him. Our relationships belong to Him. Our sin he already carried on his back. Christ offers us the chance to be made complete and to live out the life he has created us for. Jesus says:

 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~ Matt. 6:19-21

 God dwells within our hearts and provides a treasure that is eternal. Nothing on this earth will last. I challenge you this week to think about the areas in your life that you haven't given fully to God and pray for Him to take it away from so that you may more fully embrace the life he has for you. For me it's money and probably a bunch of other things, but I will start there. If your comfortable sharing, comment on the link on facebook or below about what you need to give up and we can encourage one another. I talked about a similar concept in The Cost if you want to check that out. Have a blessed day!

Living as a Temple

Normally I preface my thoughts with a story from the last few days or something that has always been on my mind but what I have to share today is a new revelation or maybe an old one that never came to the surface. This is something God placed on my heart last week and I shared it with the youth, but I think it could have meaning for all of us.

First I want you to consider what "church" means to you. I don't mean just the church building or what you do on Sunday mornings, but church as a whole, what does it mean to you? When I was growing up church often felt like school. There was a teacher and I was in a classroom listening to them lecture to me about something I would forget as soon as the test was over. Some people are great students in school and of the Word, but I wasn't in the category and still struggle a bit to engage in church. This had me wondering what the purpose of church (being a part of the body of Christ, attending church, reading the Bible, etc)  really was.

When I presented this question before God, He took me back to what I will call the "first church." The church today is a sacred structure built to be a place where we can glorify God with our praise and worship. The first structure built to honor God was the ark of the covenant and it was housed in a tent. Only leaders were allowed to enter the tent because the glory of the Lord was too much for anyone else to experience. They presented their sacrifices to the Lord and trusted their leaders to guide them. This is how the Lord dwelt among His people and this is the way things were until David and Solomon.

During David's reign it was customary for king's to live in temples. David has this revelation during of his reign as King: “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent” (2 Samuel 7:2). Nathan initially tells him to go ahead and why not. David wants to thank the Lord and glorify him for what he has done for David, but the Lord says:

 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’

“Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

“‘The LORD declares to you that the LORD himself will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever’”(2 Samuel 7:5-16).

David accepted this and scripture goes on to tell us that Solomon builds a temple for the Lord, but I believe God is talking about the eternal in this passage. It is Jesus Christ who establishes "the throne of his kingdom forever." He was from the bloodline of David and he was punished for our sin by the hands of men because God loved us enough to send his son. The Lord desired to always be among his people. He wasn't meant to dwell in a tent forever, but he also didn't intend to be harnessed in a temple either. The temple of the living God was to be sent down in human form.

Jesus came to the earth as a living temple sent to Glorify his Father in heaven, but God didn't intend to stay forever in human form either. Jesus came to establish the throne of God's Kingdom on earth and to free us from our sin and to offer us eternal life, but his time on earth in the flesh was limited. He had to die, but he left something behind.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." (John 14:16-20)

When Christ death and resurrection are complete, he leaves his disciples with the Holy Spirit of God to dwell in them forever. When we are born again and are baptized by the spirit, we become temples of the Holy Spirit built to glorify God with our entire being. We have been given life everlasting. We are the body of Christ; we are the church built to Glorify the Lord in the sanctuaries and out in the world.  Let's do it.

"Take my life and let it be all for you and for your glory, Take my life and let it be yours" - Glory to God Forever by Steve Fee

"It's not called talking to God, It's just crazy...crazy"

"It's not called talking to God. It's just crazy...crazy. And if you are hearing voices, you need help." ~ library patron

As I was sitting at the library this morning I heard these words from one of the patrons after expressing here frustration about someone who asked a friend if they had prayed about a rough situation they were going through. I do believe it is talking to God, but I agree that it is often the craziest thing to do.

Admittedly, prayer was and still is one of the biggest struggles I have in my spiritual walk. When God met me on an island in the Adirondacks about six years ago, I wasn't even a lukewarm Christian. I went to church and was even a part of the praise team, but for me it was an opportunity to be a part of the show. I could say that I went to church and I participated, but my faith was non-existent. I didn't read scripture or pray except before meals (sometimes), and hardly paid attention in church. I wasn't experiencing God in any way. After Christ grabbed hold of me I had no support structure or mentor to nurture my faith. Although my life started to turn around, I still fell short often. It was prayer that saved me.

After I shared my story at camp during that trip, I was prayed for by my counselor and other campers. My life was rocked and spun around. When one of my best friends died in a car accident it was prayer that got me through. When I was able to share my story fully with the people I trusted, it was prayer that gave me the confidence to live in the light. Since then, I've been able to pray with and encourage others and watch God shape His ministry at the college I attended and in my current ministry as a youth director. God has guided me through His spirit towards people to pray for or talk to. Prayer is the opportunity to be in constant communion with God, but it's just crazy.

It's hard for us, especially without "proof", to believe that our prayers can change things, to believe that God can reshape our entire world through a conversation with Him. This conversation can feel like we are talking to ourselves and we may even hear a voice in our head and yes, that means we need help. We lift our hearts to God in prayer and worship because we can't do this on our own. He desires our hearts and our lives. He wants to be in communion with us. Prayer is our opportunity. Through communion with God there is healing and restoration and true joy.

Prayer is crazy because our world tells us we need to do something tangible to fix things. Prayer is not a passive form of action. If we listen, God will direct our actions and make His will known to us. Prayer takes a lot of patience and a lot of listening. It's a crazy thing to do when the world tries to keep us in motion. My hope and prayer for you today is that you would believe in the power of prayer and that God would bless you through your communion with Him. If you have any prayer requests, post them here, in a facebook message, or the phone is always a good option. I would love to pray with you.

Your Love Never Fails

A few weeks back a friend posted this video to his facebook. If you have never heard the song, it's worth a quick listen - Your Love Never Fails. Chris McClarney also shares the message behind the song here: Interview with Chris McClarney

I went for a run around the neighborhood yesterday and the live version of this song from Jesus Culture (about 7 min) was playing on my iPod and I was filled with a pure joy. You may have just listened to the song and though "it was ok," and that's alright because right now I probably wouldn't be filled with the same joy. God speaks to us where we are, but there is a timeless truth that I was reminded of after listening to this song: Christ has truly set us free.

Chris McClarney wrote this song mostly from Paul's message in Romans 8, that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ and that in all things God is working for the good of those who love him. There is no circumstance that God has not seen coming or that he has not prepared our hearts to get through. His love will never fail us. There is a glorious freedom that comes with the knowledge that Christ loves us regardless of our circumstance and that when we accept Him in our hearts, there is nothing that can take that away from us.

Chris sings in the second verse: "The chasm is far too wide. I never thought I'd reach the other side. But Your love never fails." On our own strength we could never close the gap between our brokenness and God's holiness, but God reached down through His son and took hold of our lives. This song reminded me that God is never letting go. We don't have to be afraid of ever being alone or overcome by the world around us because our God is with us. He has set us free.

We know these truths and it takes time for us to internalize them and react. It's easy to talk about the love that God has and to be full of joy from time spent in His presence, but it's not always easy to see in our day to day or to remember this as we walk through the storms in our lives. I pray that God would lead you to the altar today and that you would be reminded of the freedom that he offers through His son. No matter where you are in your walk with Him, Christ has set you free and given you a love that will never fail. Go and live in this freedom.

Why be a Christian?

I have been pondering this question the last few days as I have been thinking about what it means to follow Christ and what the gift of eternal life really means for us. I believe that scripture answers this question clearly, but our own answers may differ.

Many of us who grew up in the church may not know anything else but to be in church on Sunday morning and the share the good news of who Christ is. Some of us can point to an instance in our lives and say "that's where God captured my heart." Some of us are going through the motions of prayer and Bible study or show up at Christmas and Easter but have nothing more than a foundational level of understanding when it comes to the Gospel message. Still many of us have never heard the message. What draws us to the Gospel? What makes following Christ not only the right decision, but the most important decision of our lives?The Testimony and the life of Jesus Christ provide us with the answer like this passage from John 5:36-40:

"I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent. You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

The testimony of Jesus is a testimony that brings eternal life. He is the one who is prophesied about in the Old Testament , the one whom about Isaiah is speaking when he says,  

"Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan -- The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."(vv.9:1-2)

Jesus has come to bring eternal life, the Light of the world to all nations. We don't believe in Christ because we fear hell or death. We believe in Christ because he brings life to all who will kneel before Him. When you turn on the light in a dark room, it completely obliterates the darkness. It doesn't creep slowly out the door, the darkness disappears. When Christ shines his light into our life, the darkness is gone forever. The victory is won. Jesus says in John 17 that eternal life is simply "that [we] may know [God], the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom [God has] sent" (v. 3). This verse rings throughout me heart and my life.

I grew up in the church going through the motions. God didn't mean anything to me. It was just what I had to do on Sundays. God captured my heart as a junior in high school and he wrecked my life. He made me reevaluate my career choice, my relationships, my attitudes, and he continues to chisel away at the pieces of me that aren't pleasing to him so that he can reveal himself in me. It's painful sometimes, but this is why I believe.

God has created me to live forever in His presence, but our Holy Father can't be in the presence of our sin. He hates being apart from us so he sends Jesus to die for our sins and the sins of the world so that this great chasm can be closed. He frees us from our sin, our burdens, and the bondage that society places on us to be beautiful, wealthy, independent, strong, popular, or whatever pressures we place on ourselves to fit the mold. God has called us to completion and to a higher purpose through His son. He frees us from ourselves and then he gives us a mission and a purpose. He tells us to go. He says I have loved you and have freed you, now let me use you to help free others.

This isn't just my conviction, it's the truth of the Gospel. God is the only one who can save the world. We are just pawns on the chess board, but he guided the hearts of others to reach out to you, to teach you, to live out the example of the life of Christ, so that you may be drawn to his heart and be freed by the power of the Gospel, that you would know His heart. This is eternal life, that we would know our Father and His son and that through them we are free. This is why we follow: it is what we were created to do.

Conversation with the Philosopher

As a youth director, ministry fills most of my time and it's one of the greatest rewards of the job, but when I get some time off, I like to read relax or watch a movie that takes me away from the daily grind and the emotional ride that ministry can take us on. Part of being called to ministry (which I remind you that each of us are) is that God is always speaking to us regardless of whether we are "on the clock." This past weekend I had some comp time to take, so I used it to head up to Philadelphia to see my fiance. Overall it was a great trip, but similar to my last experience outside of my bubble (Spit and Freddy), God put an opportunity in my path.

I noticed as we traveled around Philadelphia on public transportation that people like their own space, especially in the midst of people they don't know. Every train and bus that I rode on that weekend, I was looking for the open seat. As I looked down each car, I saw one person in every seat until the seats were "full" and I had to sit next to someone I didn't know. There is nothing terribly wrong with this picture except that we seem to have lost the sense of community and relationship that Christ has called us into. Society is a major factor in the way we interact with others. Technology has made communication and relationships terribly superficial, but we are just as responsible.

God drove this lesson in on my way home that night. When I arrived back in D.C., I was walking back to the parking garage where I parked my car when i passed a homeless man who was asking for money. I decided to give him some money, but I also chose to sit down and talk with him. Watching so many people sit alone on the bus and put their heads down as we walked past each other on the sidewalk, I was frustrated that we have gotten so far from even saying "hi" to someone that we don't know. I sat down and he said "you are talking to a smart man, an intoxicated man, but a smart man." Then he asked me a question I still don't have the answer to, "why did you sit down here?" I told him that I had watched a lot of people ignoring each other today and I believe we shouldn't be afraid of people, just because we don't know them. We are created for relationship and I wanted to have a conversation with him. He told me I was making an academic statement that I hadn't internalized. I told him that he was right, I haven't completely internalized that attitude but I try to. He eventually told me that I was not smarter than him and asked me not so kindly to leave. He thought I had a motive in speaking to him. It was strange to him that anyone would want to have a conversation with him just for the sake of conversation. Why does this matter?

I have been convicted about many of my faults and I believe as we draw closer to God, we begin to realize how many ways we have fallen short, but the Holy Spirit doesn't convict us of our sin so that we will feel guilty, he requires our response. He is opening our eyes and our hearts to see more of who He is. I haven't done all the math, but I am convinced that Jesus didn't know personally most of the people He ministered to. You could argue, since he is God and God knows all, that he knew everyone intimately, but the people he ministered to didn't know him.  The disciples and Paul didn't know most the people they ministered to either.

Ministry begins with relationship, but we fear new relationship and rarely seek it out. I am a fairly outgoing  person if you put me in a social context that is designed to meet new people (college, church, family gatherings, a new school, etc). Why is it so hard to create those situations on the train or in the grocery store. Do we fear that they won't understand us or do we fear that we might not understand them or when we are uncomfortable that we may have to respond to our understanding of their situation? What will they think of us? What if they get angry and tell us to go away?

Most of these thoughts are rooted in our own pride and fears. There were many who were hard-hearted towards the message that Jesus was bringing. He was rejected on a daily basis, probably by the majority of those he talked to and some who followed even left when they felt uncomfortable (John 6). We have a desire to be accepted not just by our peers but by the world and everyone that we come in to contact with. The truth is that all of us have that desire. We want to be known and loved, but the way to be known and loved isn't to avoid situations where we might be rejected, but to start getting to know and love others. We know that this is a basic human need and essentially what we are created for, but instead of seeking it out we wait for it to come to us. What if we started getting to know and love others.

As I am typing this, I've gotten news of a third suicide within three weeks of a student in one of the local school districts. After these things happen, there isn't anything we can do, but pray for the families and we can't carry the weight on our shoulders for another's decision, but being in true relationship with one another is so important. When we are hurting and broken we need face-to-face communication, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen, but we walk by so many without eye contact or even to say "hi." We were created for relationship, true and intimate relationship with a God who loves us and cares about us unconditionally and he asks the same of us.

 ³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

 ³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
 ⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

The least of these may be the homeless man on the DC sidewalk, a stranger on the morning commute, someone in the grocery store, the "nerd" at school, or maybe just someone we never thought to talk to. Look into the eyes of the people you walk by and remember that God created them and Jesus is in them. They have a desire to be known and loved, just like you. Take the time to talk to people, to seek out relationship, to put aside your own schedule and ambitions for the sake of someone else. It's necessary for it is what Christ has called us to and the reward is eternal. Smile at someone you don't know today. If I don't know you here is a smile... : ).