This week is the first in our series about injustice in the world. The UnFair Series. Here is the prayer you were challenged to pray this week. Also, re-read Psalm 73 and see how Asaph handles this question of unfairness in the world.
Dear Lord, help me not to be a whiner. Help me, when I am tempted to complain and grumble about how life is not fair, to remember that to “follow you” means life will not be fair. It was not with you. May I respond to my difficulties and trials in life with your grace, knowing that you will sustain me just like you did your Son. I thank you that when all I have left is you, you are enough. Amen.
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Serve
We have been talking about our vision process for a while now. Two week ago we talked about Know.
This is the idea that we need to know God (informationally and experientially) more and more.
Then last week, we talked about Grow. After coming to know God more we will also want to seek to grow in our relationship to other followers of Christ. There is also the idea that as we do that, we will also grow closer to God as well.
Sunday, we talked about Serve. The text was from 1 Peter 4:7-11. In fact, you can listen to it here if you would like. : ]
The point I wanted all of us to remember is this:
Greatness fits like a glove when we serve God and others in love.
Catchy, right?
If you like that, then get this! Living the liturgy of life from a follower of Christ perspective is encompassed in a word: leitourgia. Sound familiar? It should. It is actually where we get the word liturgy. Originally, liturgy was considered a service or ministry to others in a community. Pretty cool, huh?
The idea of liturgy is that of serving others! Or at least, that is what it started out as being.
Back to greatness . . .
There are lots of things that we think of that might make us great. More money? More prestige? More authority? More _____???? Did you think of a few things? I thought of a statue. It just seems that we tend to make statues for people that were great. Hmmmm, wonder where Alexander's statue is?
Anyway, the Bible says that we are truly great when we are not great. It says that we can only be great when we serve others. When we leitourgia. That is counter cultural. So it would seem that we have to give up some things to actually be great in a Christ perspective. I guess we can't sit on the right hand of Jesus after all. (Mark 10:42-45)
So we are actually great when we lead others to greatness. So that means . . .
As followers and disciples of Christ we are most like Him when we serve and love others. If that is true, and I believe it is, when we share Jesus with them by telling them of this sacrifice for them, his love for them, his service to them, then we are serving them and loving them in the most powerful way! Sharing is an act of serving!
Telling others about Jesus is sharing his sacrifice with them. It is truly serving them because we are looking out for them from the most loving perspective we can. We love them so much that we care about their spirituality. And more specifically, which kingdom they will spend eternity.
For me personally, my "statue" will be getting to spend eternity praising God with as many people as I can share Jesus' sacrifice with.
This is the idea that we need to know God (informationally and experientially) more and more.
Then last week, we talked about Grow. After coming to know God more we will also want to seek to grow in our relationship to other followers of Christ. There is also the idea that as we do that, we will also grow closer to God as well.
Sunday, we talked about Serve. The text was from 1 Peter 4:7-11. In fact, you can listen to it here if you would like. : ]
The point I wanted all of us to remember is this:
Greatness fits like a glove when we serve God and others in love.
Catchy, right?
If you like that, then get this! Living the liturgy of life from a follower of Christ perspective is encompassed in a word: leitourgia. Sound familiar? It should. It is actually where we get the word liturgy. Originally, liturgy was considered a service or ministry to others in a community. Pretty cool, huh?
The idea of liturgy is that of serving others! Or at least, that is what it started out as being.
Back to greatness . . .
There are lots of things that we think of that might make us great. More money? More prestige? More authority? More _____???? Did you think of a few things? I thought of a statue. It just seems that we tend to make statues for people that were great. Hmmmm, wonder where Alexander's statue is?
Anyway, the Bible says that we are truly great when we are not great. It says that we can only be great when we serve others. When we leitourgia. That is counter cultural. So it would seem that we have to give up some things to actually be great in a Christ perspective. I guess we can't sit on the right hand of Jesus after all. (Mark 10:42-45)
So we are actually great when we lead others to greatness. So that means . . .
As followers and disciples of Christ we are most like Him when we serve and love others. If that is true, and I believe it is, when we share Jesus with them by telling them of this sacrifice for them, his love for them, his service to them, then we are serving them and loving them in the most powerful way! Sharing is an act of serving!
Telling others about Jesus is sharing his sacrifice with them. It is truly serving them because we are looking out for them from the most loving perspective we can. We love them so much that we care about their spirituality. And more specifically, which kingdom they will spend eternity.
For me personally, my "statue" will be getting to spend eternity praising God with as many people as I can share Jesus' sacrifice with.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Verses about Faith
Today the weather was great! I had asked God to make a time so that I could go hiking again today. I worked on the vision this morning and after lunch I was ready to go hike. I looked outside and the sky was clearing and the temperature was 63 degrees! Thank you God!
So I decided to head over to Frontenac State Park and go up the bluff. It was going to be a longer hike. With my boot rubbing a little on my heel I decided to push it anyway.
I ended up hiking 6.3 miles! It was wonderful. I talked to God and listened and praised him. I saw a squirrel and birds and then I saw two sets of deer.
Here are the links to see my walk yesterday and today also:
Yesterday: http://s3.amazonaws.com/accuterra/1334806372.kmz
Today: http://s3.amazonaws.com/accuterra/1334781767.kmz
Here are my stats, which was kind of fun to know:
Trip 1:
Adventure Statistics:
Time:
Start: 1:34:44 PMStop: 3:19:22 PMDuration: 1 hr 44 min 38 sec
Distance: 4.2 milesSpeed:
Average Speed: 2.4 miles/hrAverage Pace: 24:38 mm:ss/mile
Elevation:
Minimum: +662 feetMaximum: +823 feet
Trip 2:
Adventure Statistics:
Time:
Start: 1:17:45 PMStop: 3:45:23 PMDuration: 2 hr 27 min 38 sec
Distance: 6.3 milesSpeed:
Average Speed: 2.6 miles/hrAverage Pace: 23:26 mm:ss/mile
Elevation:
Minimum: +715 feetMaximum: +1131 feet
Panoramic from Bluff
I did end up getting a blister on the back of my heel. I'll live. : ]
Great day with God today. Tomorrow I head back in the afternoon. Although I video chatted with my family both nights, it wasn't the same and will be glad to get back to see them.
Have a great night all!
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Vision Meetings
We have been holding vision meetings every month. Well, almost every month, we took December off and then January had a small snow storm that night. Minnesota, who knew?
The purpose of the vision meetings is to cast a vision for this church and to begin to apply that vision to what we are doing for God's kingdom on this earth. The vision meeting is a hatching ground for a comprehensive vision to then give to the church board for complete gestation and implementation.
We started with dreaming what the church could be and talked about what we are now. We continued as we talked about goals for the next year and then goals for five years from now. We knew that we already agreed on Beliefs and Values. Mainly because we are a part of a denomination that has stated beliefs and values.
So, our next journey was to talk about Purpose. Purpose is answering the question of Why are we here? Why do we exist as a church? Some would mock and say that this is simple. However, things are seldom short nor are they seldom simple. In fact, I would argue that creating something simple takes more work than creating something complex. Because creating something simple doesn't mean that it actually simple, but rather that so much thought has gone into it that is simple to those experiencing it and is simple in application or praxis.
We did after a few meetings arrive at a Purpose. Our purpose is also our process. They are the same. We are using these words to communicate this: Know, Grow, Serve. Allow me to exegete a bit.
Know means to worship God. Our journey above all has to start with worshipping God. It is in the worshipping that we become aware of His great love for us.
Grow means to be a disciple of Jesus. This is twofold. First, we are to be discipled to grow in our application of Jesus' life to ours. Second, as we do this, we will become aware of the imperative to disciple others to do the same.
Serve means to think outside of ourselves. It means that we are to love others through acts of service. It might mean that we help those less fortunate than us with blankets and/or food. It might mean that we volunteer to minister to kids. It might mean that sponsor those activities in places that we cannot go.
After this, we have now moved to Core Values. Andy Stanley said that core values are "an organization's essential and enduring tenets - a small set of general guiding principles."
According to Audrey Malpuhars, 10 reasons Core Values are important are:
The purpose of the vision meetings is to cast a vision for this church and to begin to apply that vision to what we are doing for God's kingdom on this earth. The vision meeting is a hatching ground for a comprehensive vision to then give to the church board for complete gestation and implementation.
We started with dreaming what the church could be and talked about what we are now. We continued as we talked about goals for the next year and then goals for five years from now. We knew that we already agreed on Beliefs and Values. Mainly because we are a part of a denomination that has stated beliefs and values.
So, our next journey was to talk about Purpose. Purpose is answering the question of Why are we here? Why do we exist as a church? Some would mock and say that this is simple. However, things are seldom short nor are they seldom simple. In fact, I would argue that creating something simple takes more work than creating something complex. Because creating something simple doesn't mean that it actually simple, but rather that so much thought has gone into it that is simple to those experiencing it and is simple in application or praxis.
We did after a few meetings arrive at a Purpose. Our purpose is also our process. They are the same. We are using these words to communicate this: Know, Grow, Serve. Allow me to exegete a bit.
Know means to worship God. Our journey above all has to start with worshipping God. It is in the worshipping that we become aware of His great love for us.
Grow means to be a disciple of Jesus. This is twofold. First, we are to be discipled to grow in our application of Jesus' life to ours. Second, as we do this, we will become aware of the imperative to disciple others to do the same.
Serve means to think outside of ourselves. It means that we are to love others through acts of service. It might mean that we help those less fortunate than us with blankets and/or food. It might mean that we volunteer to minister to kids. It might mean that sponsor those activities in places that we cannot go.
After this, we have now moved to Core Values. Andy Stanley said that core values are "an organization's essential and enduring tenets - a small set of general guiding principles."
According to Audrey Malpuhars, 10 reasons Core Values are important are:
- Determine Ministry Distinctives
- Dictate Personal Involvement
- Communicate What is Important
- Embrace Positive Change
- Influence Overal Behavior
- Inspire People to Action
- Enhance Credible Leadership
- Shape Ministry Character
- Contribute to Ministry Success
- Determine the Ministry Vision
Core Values then feed into what strategies we use to accomplish our vision.
All of this to say these two thoughts I had this morning.
First, and this is a difficult one, what would the community be missing if we closed the doors of the church?
And second, what is our purpose?
My thoughts teem more with the second question first. Some would say that we are here to disciple others. Our goal centers around this. However, it goes to some sort of egg versus chicken attitude, doesn't it? I mean, if we are to center on discipleship then our definition of discipleship must indeed be broader. Most of us, I believe, think that discipleship is about edifying those of us that are already Christians (and I use this term knowing the cultural dubiousness of it). This cannot be so.
Making disciples must center around the initial act of having a disciple to disciple. Without a disciple to disciple our discipleship plan falls on ears that already "know" way more than enough to be a follower of Christ. I heard recently that the average Christian knows enough about God after the first year of discipleship to go and disciple others. Our purpose then has to be to larger and more grand than this. It has to include, but not limited to, actually going and making disciples! Making implies a level of creation. Not a level of maintenance. I think, perhaps, that we get bogged down in discipling and forget that the biblical text includes the word "make."
Ouch. Did I say that out loud? My own paltry experience over the years causes in my own level of following Christ.
We are to make disciples in all the nations. This carries with it a heavy charge to make disciples by leading people to the throne of Jesus but also to disciple them to maturity. Are we as a church doing that?
This is not my vision for this church. This is God's vision for all churches. My hope and prayer is that my vision is God's vision for our church. And by acknowledging that we aren't sharing the Gos Pel, the Good News of Jesus, then it is an acknowledgment that we are failing at our Commission.
These thoughts then lead me to the former of these two questions. If our ultimate purpose is not to make disciples and then disciple them, or rephrased, not pursuing our ultimate purpose, then this question answers itself.
If we are not loving people in the community (through service, through worship, through discipling), then I wonder if people would miss those things that we aren't doing?
Don't get me wrong. We are in the visioning process in order to center ourselves in God's purpose for this church. So we are on the road. We are moving forward. And it is better to spend time planning and storm the castle effectively and with intensity than it is to storm the castle and not know which castle. The vision casting process is critical!!
No. What I am hoping to communicate is that when the Bible says GO and MAKE disciples, it means that the activities of going and making are the purpose of the church and that we cannot lose sight of it. We cannot forget it. We cannot ignore it. We must pursue it!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Person of Interest
On Sunday we talked about and asked the question, Who is the person of interest in our lives? This question is essential when we think about our spiritual condition!
We are called to disciple others. We are called to be discipled by others. These two things are essential to our spiritual life having growth in it. So to ask who is the spiritual person of interest in our lives has to be done.
We can't sit back and not be interested in others and allow others to be interested, spiritually, in us. It is a mandate.
One of the questions that was asked is who are we discipling?
And I wonder. Have you answered that question yet? It is Thursday night and most of the week is gone. Have you thought about it some more?
Who is around you that you could disciple? What does that look like for you? My belief is that by the time we have been discipled intentionally for about a year, we know most of what we need to know to disciple someone else.
That means that most of us could have discipled about 20 people by now if we had only discipled one person a year!!
And think. Jesus had 12!
Have you considered this question then? Have you really thought it through? What is keeping you from discipling someone right now?
In small groups, the question is how do we define discipleship?
Here are some verses to help you out:
John 21:15-17
1 Peter 5:2-4
2 Timothy 2:1-2
John 6:45
1 Peter 1:15-16
John 13:15
Ephesians 4:20-5:1
Great Commandment - Mark 12:29-31
Great Commision - Matthew 28:19-20
See what you find in the Bible that defines discipleship.
See you Sunday!!
We are called to disciple others. We are called to be discipled by others. These two things are essential to our spiritual life having growth in it. So to ask who is the spiritual person of interest in our lives has to be done.
We can't sit back and not be interested in others and allow others to be interested, spiritually, in us. It is a mandate.
One of the questions that was asked is who are we discipling?
And I wonder. Have you answered that question yet? It is Thursday night and most of the week is gone. Have you thought about it some more?
Who is around you that you could disciple? What does that look like for you? My belief is that by the time we have been discipled intentionally for about a year, we know most of what we need to know to disciple someone else.
That means that most of us could have discipled about 20 people by now if we had only discipled one person a year!!
And think. Jesus had 12!
Have you considered this question then? Have you really thought it through? What is keeping you from discipling someone right now?
In small groups, the question is how do we define discipleship?
Here are some verses to help you out:
John 21:15-17
1 Peter 5:2-4
2 Timothy 2:1-2
John 6:45
1 Peter 1:15-16
John 13:15
Ephesians 4:20-5:1
Great Commandment - Mark 12:29-31
Great Commision - Matthew 28:19-20
And these are just to get you started!! The Bible has a LOT to say about discipleship!!
See what you find in the Bible that defines discipleship.
See you Sunday!!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Clay Feet
Two weeks ago, I titled the message "Clay Feet." This was my image. This a reference to a passage in Daniel that I wanted to expound upon slightly.
Daniel 2:31-45
36 “This was the dream; now we will tell the king its interpretation. 37 You, O king, the king of kings—to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the might, and the glory, 38 into whose hand he has given human beings, wherever they live, the wild animals of the field, and the birds of the air, and whom he has established as ruler over them all—you are the head of gold. 39 After you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours, and yet a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over the whole earth. 40 And there shall be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron; just as iron crushes and smashes everything, it shall crush and shatter all these. 41 As you saw the feet and toes partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, it shall be a divided kingdom; but some of the strength of iron shall be in it, as you saw the iron mixed with the clay. 42 As the toes of the feet were part iron and part clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly brittle. 43 As you saw the iron mixed with clay, so will they mix with one another in marriage, but they will not hold together, just as iron does not mix with clay. 44 And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall this kingdom be left to another people. It shall crush all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever; 45 just as you saw that a stone was cut from the mountain not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. The great God has informed the king what shall be hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation trustworthy.”
This is a great image! It is meant to illustrate a weakness or character flaw.
And it is this image that see Solomon. The great and wise Solomon, who has never had an equal before or after in regards to that wisdom, did not stay the course in his relationship with God. Instead, he listened to his 700 princesses (wives) and worshipped their gods. In doing so he broke the commandments in Deuteronomy 17. Go ahead. Read chapter 17 and then read about Solomon. He does everything that he is not supposed to do according to the Law.
In 1 Kings 9:6-9 we see the pronouncement of what will happen as a result of Solomon turning away from God.
Look at your feet. Are they clay? What character flaw have you been ignoring, are you blind to?
How is that keeping you from living the life of a conquerer? Read Revelation 2 below:
4 I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.
Shake the dust and clay off your feet. Come back to you first love. Repent and come back to God.
The Cali Experience 2013
It has been almost a month since we got back from our trip to Cali. I wanted to put into words some sort of wrap of concerning the trip in its totality.
A lot of what you hear when you get back is, "How was the trip?" And to be forthright, it is hard to answer that. How does one sum up an experience as full as a two week trip to another country.
I know my propensity to be verbose when I talk. I like to tell stories. I am aware of the problem so I tend to want to be sure that I am answering what is truly being asked.
So when I answered that question it was mostly to respond however I was feeling at that particular moment. You know. The short answer.
I had one person ask to meet with me over lunch and talk about the trip. Of course, I felt bad for them because I was still in the throws of being EXHAUSTED. So I don't even know if I can recall any part of that conversation. I hope I was coherent!
In short, I would say that the trip was incredible! I would say that it was eye-opening and heart-opening. I would say that it felt so good to be a part of a church, however briefly, that could teach me so much about prayer. So much! About what it is. About what it isn't. How to pray! Oh. Bless Nineje for being the prayer admiral she is!!
My expectations for this trip were to learn about the Master's Plan, help build a part of church (to bless them), and tell one person about Jesus Christ. If you have been reading this blog you know that all three of those were given to me in amazing ways. And there was so much more God had for us.
The hand of God was on me (us) the entire time. He moved in our hearts to refresh us (me) He rejuvenated me. Specifically, we got to be a part of a God movement that has been 30 years in the making. In some ways, it was like being brand new to the team and you get put in for the last quarter of the game. And yes! You get to be a part of the team that is winning the game.
I have felt in the past that I was sitting on the sidelines. Watching the game. Hoping to play. Hoping to make a difference in the goal of this team we call disciples. And to be in Cali for those two weeks was such a gift. We were just visiting, but we were in the game. God used me while we were there. He showed me and taught me.
And some of those things that God taught me, while it might edify others, are so personal that they won't be typed or listed here. My journal has daily entries about God's glory and his provision for me.
I will share this from a journal post on September 24th. I was reading our devotional book for the Cali trip and I started noticing some "themes" that God had been doing a work in me. Here are the themes that He gave me.
God is my Revealer.
God is my Redeemer.
I am to be a Life Builder.
He gave me these verses in Psalm 37:
Our steps are made firm by the LORD,
when he delights in our way;
24 though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
for the LORD holds us by the hand.
And this from Psalm 100:
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
And this from Luke 2:
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
I am God's child. And my primary purpose to be on this planet is build life into others. That is a Life Builder. That is my role in being a disciple of Jesus. In being a parent. In being a husband. In being.
In summary, I loved going on this trip. And if you ask me, "How was your trip?" I will answer that it was fulfilling. Because on it, God filled me up. Infused me. An experience that I wish for all of you.
Start saving now. Go on a Work and Witness trip. You will never be the same.
If you would like to see some of the results of what we did in a concrete, analytical view. Go here!
A lot of what you hear when you get back is, "How was the trip?" And to be forthright, it is hard to answer that. How does one sum up an experience as full as a two week trip to another country.
I know my propensity to be verbose when I talk. I like to tell stories. I am aware of the problem so I tend to want to be sure that I am answering what is truly being asked.
So when I answered that question it was mostly to respond however I was feeling at that particular moment. You know. The short answer.
I had one person ask to meet with me over lunch and talk about the trip. Of course, I felt bad for them because I was still in the throws of being EXHAUSTED. So I don't even know if I can recall any part of that conversation. I hope I was coherent!
In short, I would say that the trip was incredible! I would say that it was eye-opening and heart-opening. I would say that it felt so good to be a part of a church, however briefly, that could teach me so much about prayer. So much! About what it is. About what it isn't. How to pray! Oh. Bless Nineje for being the prayer admiral she is!!
My expectations for this trip were to learn about the Master's Plan, help build a part of church (to bless them), and tell one person about Jesus Christ. If you have been reading this blog you know that all three of those were given to me in amazing ways. And there was so much more God had for us.
The hand of God was on me (us) the entire time. He moved in our hearts to refresh us (me) He rejuvenated me. Specifically, we got to be a part of a God movement that has been 30 years in the making. In some ways, it was like being brand new to the team and you get put in for the last quarter of the game. And yes! You get to be a part of the team that is winning the game.
I have felt in the past that I was sitting on the sidelines. Watching the game. Hoping to play. Hoping to make a difference in the goal of this team we call disciples. And to be in Cali for those two weeks was such a gift. We were just visiting, but we were in the game. God used me while we were there. He showed me and taught me.
And some of those things that God taught me, while it might edify others, are so personal that they won't be typed or listed here. My journal has daily entries about God's glory and his provision for me.
I will share this from a journal post on September 24th. I was reading our devotional book for the Cali trip and I started noticing some "themes" that God had been doing a work in me. Here are the themes that He gave me.
God is my Revealer.
God is my Redeemer.
I am to be a Life Builder.
He gave me these verses in Psalm 37:
Our steps are made firm by the LORD,
when he delights in our way;
24 though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong,
for the LORD holds us by the hand.
And this from Psalm 100:
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
And this from Luke 2:
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
I am God's child. And my primary purpose to be on this planet is build life into others. That is a Life Builder. That is my role in being a disciple of Jesus. In being a parent. In being a husband. In being.
In summary, I loved going on this trip. And if you ask me, "How was your trip?" I will answer that it was fulfilling. Because on it, God filled me up. Infused me. An experience that I wish for all of you.
Start saving now. Go on a Work and Witness trip. You will never be the same.
If you would like to see some of the results of what we did in a concrete, analytical view. Go here!
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