Shooting at Deer Creek Middle

"To have something happen such as the Deer Creek incident opens wounds for many in this sleepy Colorado town."

Today, just down the road from Columbine High School, a man carried a gun o the campus of Deer Creek Middle School. He shot two kids before he was tackled by a brave 7th grade math teacher. Both children are expected to live and no one else was injured in the incident.

This was a sobering day in the life of Littleton residents. As the quote above indicates, many deep and life-changing wounds from the Columbine shooting were unexpectedly ripped open today. As a Littleton resident myself I wonder how this could happen in such a friendly and beautiful place. I wonder, "what could possibly be so bad about that person's life the he has to shoot at innocent kids?" Did that guy look West last night and see the sun set over the Rockies? Did he see the enourmouse snow flakes fall gracefully to the ground this past weekend? Did he see the kids playing and laughing on the school property before he went on his little rampage? Did he realize that his heart was beating and his chest rising and how miraculous those simple things are?

I wonder if what people are missing and longing for is right under their nose. Psalm 139:13 says that God created our inmost being and knit us together in our mother's wombs. I wonder if more people knew and believed that if things would be different. God knitted today's shooter together too, by the way. He was created and crafted as a part of God's ultimate and good plan. Had he known that, do you think he would have done what he did and caused this community such deep pain once again?

This has been both sobering and convicting for me. Events like this remind me that tomorrow is not promised but this one has served to challenge me as well. The Gospel has healing power like no counselor, psychologist, self-help book, or doctor ever will. The Gospel is the only source of true joy and contentment. I feel compelled to tell more people about after today. Maybe if more people know about Jesus' deep and everlasting love they will be less inclined to do the things we saw today at Deer Creek.

Spiritual Warfare (what to do about it)

I had an interesting conversation today about spiritual warfare and how to handle it. I'm still figuring it out but I'll take a stab at it from personal experience. SW is a funny thing isn't it? We read about it in Ephesians 6 and we hear about it every now and then from the pulpit but what are practical things we can do to engage in it and find victory in the end? First let's identify some of the ways it effects us: Dreams, Visions, Feelings, Emotions, Circumstances, Pain, Depression, Guilt, Physical Sensations, Confusion....

These are all common manifestations of SW and I have experienced the majority of them already in my lifetime. When I was in college I had huge problems with sleep. Not only did I suffer from sleep apnea but often times a mild form of insomnia. I eventually discovered that the root cause of all this was anxiety. I was living in a constant state of fear and that was making me terribly anxious. I was afraid of failure. I was afraid people would find out about my sin. I was afraid I wouldn't amount to anything or reach my full potential. I was afraid that God was disappointed in me. I was afraid of boredom. I was afraid of rest. I was afraid of anything less than perfection. Needless to say, I didn't sleep much throughout those four years.

SW had also manifested itself in the form of dreams and visions. Both times I was in China with the IMB I heard and saw things that I can only describe as horrific. These things were not real in the sense that they were physically present but they were as real and vivid as anything I have ever seen or heard. I've had dreams of spiritual things that would make any grown man cry. Once, when I was visiting my parents, I woke up in the middle of the night to what felt like someone sitting on my chest. I couldn't breathe. My mouth was open as wide as possible because something was trying to get in. I have no idea how to explain that experience other than to simply say what happened. It was terrifyingly unreal and yet more real than I care to remember.

SW is no walk in the park. It's real and should not be ignored. Praise God I do not suffer from the anxiety that I once did. Satan was clearly using that to make me his slave and torment me in my inadequacy. How did I get control over it? It would be better to say that I gave up control and that's where I found victory. You see I had a pretty limited perception of God's sovereignty. In a nut shell, I was stuck believing that God was only in control during the day when I was awake. I had essentially given over my nights to Satan. I did not recognize that God was still working and moving in the nights just as he was during the day. God does not rest. He does not take naps, coffee breaks, or bathroom breaks. He is constant and does not shift or change....even at night.

So, even though I still feel the attacks from the enemies battalions from time to time, my nights are relatively calm. My fear has subsided because I know that God knows my name. He knows everything there is to know about me. He knows me better than I know myself. He hand crafted my very being together in my mother's womb and that is a fact that I can rest in.

Tonight I will remember that God is not falling asleep along side me. Rather, He is fighting for me and pursuing me even as I dream.

What to do about Haiti?

A 7.0 earthquake rocks the tiny country of Haiti and all I can do is stare. I sifted through some pictures of the aftermath today in awe and thought to myself, "Now what?" Do you ever wonder that? As a follower of Jesus I feel like I should be more prepared and equipped to act than I actually am. I feel incredibly helpless, not because I'm so far away but because I literally cannot think of what I would do if I was there.

I guess I'd bandage wounds when I had the chance and try to find food and water for those that needed it. Maybe I'd start a pick up soccer game to help the kids get their mind of the horror they just experienced. I might even try to bring seperated families back together. But every time I think of what I would do I find myself shaking my head and saying, "that's not enough." We can send money, people, resources, helicopters and aid but that wont change the fact that the most violent earthquake in 200 years ransacked Haiti on January 12th, 2010.

Please forgive me if my words make you feel hopeless, helpless and out of control but the truth is, you are. We all are. Isaiah 40:8 says, "the grass withers and the flowers fade, but the Word of the Lord endures forever." This is all temporary and it's fading quickly. Compared with the infinitude of the Almighty God, our lives are like a breath. Sometimes it's OK to sink into the helplessness in situations like this. That is not to say that we shouldn't take action to help those in need. But take a second, let the dust settle. Allow this tragedy to sober you.

We are so busy running around chasing promotions, relationships, success, the American dream, degrees, ministry stuff, etc., that we often times miss priceless opportunities like these. Sometimes it takes a 7.0 earthquake to rip the blinders from your eyes so you can see what is really happening. Sometimes it is events like this one that allow us to see more clearly than ever before how little control we actually have. We are so small and yet so loved by Something so big.

So what do we do?

We pray expectantly. We pray that God would be glorified in this tragedy and that somehow the name of Jesus would become more famous. We do this without doubt because we trust and rest in the sovereignty of our Father.

We do what we can. If you text "HAITI" to 90999 you automatically donate $10 to the cause (the amount shows up on your phone bill). World Vision is taking donations and will surely make an impact with every dime given. Can you imagine the number of instant orphans after an event like this? What better time to adopt a Haitian child through World Vision or Compassion? Send clothes, food, money, yourself, letters, first aid supplies, whatever you can.

We keep on keeping on. This isn't an issue that will correct itself over night. Port-au-Prince will never be the same. It will take years to rebuild. Our attention spans are getting shorter and shorter and this will be old news in a week for a lot of people. Don't quit on those people! They need us to do what we can for as long as we can.

Remember, we aren't even capable of loving these people aside from the grace given to us by our Creator. Trust Him as you go and make a difference in Haiti.

Dallas Willard :: Day 5

Today was a fantastic wrap up to an amazing week with Dallas Willard. As I said in my first post about all this, I hardly knew who Willard until I met him this past Monday. Upon my arrival home today I told my wife that I will never lead or teach the same way again. I plan on being a pastor of some sort in the next year and a half and I can't imagine trying to do that without the stuff Willard crammed into my brain and heart this past week. Praise God for that man!

Today was simple. Willard walked us through the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). Per usual, I'll share a little bit and then just let you read my notes from the day if you really want to go that far. I'm pretty sure I got about 6 single spaced pages today to watch yourself.

It is so very important that we read through the Sermon on the Mount while keeping in mind that Jesus was not presenting a to-do list. The things listed there are things that we will do as we take on the character of Christ. Willard pointed out how important the order of the sermon was for the audience and even to us. Jesus spends a significant amount of time on sex and violence because those are both things that allow us to rule our own kingdom independently from His. Without learning to control those two things the following issues that Jesus discusses will be very difficult to understand and practice.

Willard also reiterated that "the Kingdom of the Heavens goes all the way to the ground." We have a very dangerous and impractical view of heaven. We assume that it is far away and a long time from now. In fact, the word "heaven" referred to three different places. From what I understand, there is the realm of the earth, the sky and solar system, and the place where the angels and God dwell. Willard posits that Jesus' references to the heavens includes the here and now. This is very significant for Christian living because it does not allow salvation to be in the future and far away. Instead, salvation is here and salvation is now. Willard challenged us to think about how we talk about salvation with people. We usually promote salvation as having the benefit of future salvation to heaven after death. But if heaven is both then and now shouldn't we help people enter the immediate heaven (God's present Kingdom)? That would change lives!

Willard presented three options for Christian progress:

1. Try hard to live up to the commandments
2. Live in defeat, call it brokenness and rest on forgiveness by grace
3. **Progress toward the character and power of Christ by indirection: discipleship, and active grace with disciplines, in the process of spiritual formation toward Christ-likeness

The third is clearly the most healthy and biblical. We will ourselves to do the "right thing" or ask ourselves "what would Jesus do?" when we should be focusing on being Jesus' apprentice and seeking out his character. The "doing" of the matter will take care of itself if we do that. It will be more difficult not to do what Jesus did if we begin to take on His character!

Willard talked a lot about knowledge today as well. Christians are known for their faith and not their knowledge. In fact, we are known for taking leaps of faith to believe in God. Willard reminded us that our faith is rather worthless without knowledge. I can believe that there is a diamond in my pocket all day long but if there is not diamond in there, my beliefs are incorrect. However, if what I believe is in fact true and can be understood with knowledge, my belief is correct. Furthermore, when our beliefs are based on knowledge we have the right and the responsibility to act on them. When a man or woman achieves his or her EMT certification it is their right and responsibility to use that cert to save lives. Once we obtain knowledge about God and our beliefs we are responsible to teach it to others.

This is significant for all those folks out there that think theology is a waste of time. Until your knowledge leads you to an understanding of God and His Word, you are hanging on a mere belief with nothing real to stand on. You want to love God and love others and that's it? How the heck are you going to love something you know nothing about? Let's not forget that our capacity to love others comes completely from the grace of God to begin with. So, we really can't love them very well either unless we know at least a little bit about the God that supplies that love to begin with. Knowledge should not scare us. It also shouldn't drive us. We are to be driven by love and gaining knowledge along the way. Learning, academia, theology, knowledge, intelligence, are not bad things. Yet, for some reason, some people are under the notion that they are unnecessary. False. Your belief isn't worth much at all without them

Here are my notes from today

Whattaya think?

Dallas Willard :: Day 4

I turned to my buddy towards the end of class today and asked him if there was anything coming out of my ears. I think my brain is melting....

On the syllabus this class is referred to as "intensive." I would like to edit that and insert "insane." God is so good and has allowed Willard to understand things in his lifetime that could forever the landscape of Christianity and spiritual formation.

We spent a lot of time today exploring the nature and substance of the will. We were talking through William Jame's work again so things got a little difficult. I have never studied much psychology but I think I'd like to after reading James' work. From what I gathered, James submits that the will is formed and compiled primarily from ideas. Based on our discussion from yesterday, we often times act impulsively from our ideas without thinking. A fiat, however, is when we allow a thought to change the idea and therefore potentially change the action. Disciplining ourselves to avoid sin means being conscious and aware of ideas from which we act impulsively and sinfully. Now, it is silly to expect ourselves to think a full and deliberative thought before every action. So it is important for us to evaluate ideas are fueling our sin issues and focus on those. Eve had an incorrect idea of God's character (that He could not be trusted) and acted impulsively from that idea without taking time to think through the absurdity of that idea.

Character plays into all of this too. Character is nothing more than habitual will; it is will that has sunken into habit. When Mike Tyson bit off a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear he said something like, "that was out of character for me." Actually, is was a direct reflection of his character. Tyson had been entertaining certain ideas long enough to form a will that, when sunken in, developed a character that enticed him to bit someone. He was acting out of who he really was, out of his character.

Can you imagine what disciples of Jesus would look like if they understood a little bit of this stuff? We should quit focusing on doing what Jesus did (which is naturally against our character and uncomfortable, by the way) and start focusing on shifting our character to be more like Him. This of course begins with changing individual ideas (with fiat-like thoughts) to correct our actions, and form a Jesus-like will which will in turn develop and sink into a Christ-like character. Sound tough? It will be. I know I've been going about this all wrong and it's going to take a long time to change my habits and perspective to even begin to change me character. Nonetheless this is what Willard calls The Great Omission from The Great Commission. We like the "make disciples" part and the "baptize" part but we ignore the "teaching them to do everything I've commanded you" part.

The things that Jesus teaches in Matthew 5 do not amount to a to-do list; rather, they compile to form a to-be list. Do you see it? Jesus was showing us what we would be like when we put on His character. Matthew 5 forms a to-be list when shorn of its legalism.

Willard continued by explaining some things about the Kingdom of Heaven. We always translate that to mean heaven or the place we go when we die. Yet, Jesus constantly said that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. That makes it a reality and means that it is here, right now. Granted, we are only seeing a glimpse of it but it's here nonetheless. When we realize that we have a kingdom of our own and that Jesus calls us to integrate our kingdom with His Kingdom we enter into salvation and begin to take on Jesus' character. The result of all this will be the things that Jesus commanded. Spiritual disciplines are ways that we can focus on specific areas of our character to make ourselves more like Christ. Going out and doing things for our neighbor is practically useless outside of the character of Christ.

One more thing and I'll quit and let you just read my notes at the bottom. Willard talked about poverty today. He touched on some stuff that has bothered me for a long time and for that I am very grateful. I'll write more about this later so please excuse the brevity. Willard posited that being poor is not virtuous in and of itself. For some reason we are beginning to envy the poor instead of pity them. Although poverty bears with it several imposed disciplines that may be helpful, it was never meant to be a desirable thing. Furthermore, Jesus was not the poor man that we like to make Him out to be. He wasn't rolling in cash either but He had everything He needed and more. Poverty is not dependant upon ownership but on accessibility. Willard reminded us that Mother Teresa was immediately flown to a fantastic hospital the second she was ill while a pregnant and single mother in LA had to take three buses and a taxi just to get across town to the free clinic. Mother Teresa was not poor because she had access to things. Does that diminish her ministry in Calcutta? I sure hope not.

This sheds light on some of the frustrations I experienced when I lived in a tent. I remember thinking on several occasions, "I've sold all my furniture, I live in a tent, I cook over a fire, but I'm not poor." Even in taking a temporary vow of poverty I couldn't get away from the fact that I had access to whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it. I could have had a roof over my head, real food, furniture, etc. at the snap of my fingers. Can I help that I have access to that stuff? Nope. Again, I'll write more about this later.

Thoughts?

Here are my notes from today

Dallas Willard :: Day 3

We're getting practical baby!

If you know me you know that, although I know the theoretical is necessary to achieve the practical, I LOVE being able answer the question, "so what?" Today we started answering that question. In fact, we are all practicing a certain spiritual discipline right now while we are taking the class! The topics for today were primarily disciplines and discipleship. Here are a few highlighted things I drew from the experience. There is a link to me complete notes below.

Willard began today with a little bit about identity. We are never ceasing spiritual beings with an eternal destiny in God's great universe. As spiritual beings in the Kingdom of God we have access to the riches of the King. This is where the beatitudes in Matthew 5 stem from. The poor in spirit are not blessed because they are poor in spirit. They are blessed because the Kingdom of heaven is theirs. Those who mourn are not blessed because they mourn but because they have wonderful access to comfort. Could it be that the things awarded to those listed in the beatitudes are available to all of us who are saved and Jesus was simply pointing how how certain benefits are more beneficial to certain people because of their need? He never says an impoverished spirit is a stipulation for receiving the Kingdom. We are blessed because we have access to the riches of the King through faith in Christ. Amen.

Perhaps the most practical statement Willard made all day was, "When engaging in the process of spiritual formation one must begin with the thoughts and body." In this section we discussed William James' work on habit. We talked about the psychological and physiological process our brain goes through as we develop habits. In short, a habit is an action that we take without going through the logical process we initially did to conclude that that action was in fact correct. The author of Deep Survival explained it with the issue of hunger. If you are watching TV and realize you are hungry you don't start chewing on the remote and after realizing it is not satisfying move to the couch cushion and then finally make it to the refrigerator where, after discovering the handle is not very delicious, you find that there is left over pizza in the fridge. No, you know that there is food in the fridge and that this food is satisfying to your hunger. So you skip the steps leading up to finding that food and move to your habitual response to hunger.

The spirit of the disciplines is developed similarly. Practicing Christ-likeness is not merely about doing what Jesus did but becoming the sort of person that would do what Jesus did. If we practice discipline in spiritual areas and develop habits in those areas using our thoughts and bodies, we will respond the ways Jesus did to the situations we encounter. It's like home owners insurance in a way. I hope and pray that our house never burns down and the likelihood is, it never will. However, if by chance it did burn down our insurance company would pay for it. Similarly, when I develop a healthy spiritual habit of praying about every decision I make, big or small, I will eventually go to God in prayer instinctively instead of having to think about it and make myself do it. When the fire comes, so to speak, I'll be ready with my spiritual insurance. Moreover, what you do without thinking is a direct reflection of your character. So what we do habitually and without thought or force is a reflection of who we really are. Habits are character forming. We must seek to be like Christ in character, not merely actions.

Among many other things Willard broke down the fruit of the spirit for us. He began five in particular:

Peace :: essentially rest in goodness
Joy :: a pervasive and firmly established sense of well-being
Hope :: confident anticipation of good
Faith :: readiness to act as if the goodness presupposed in hope is real and reliable
Love :: the engagement of the will for what is good

The rest are simply the result of these five. Furthermore, peace, joy and hope are where Willard recommended we direct people first. In a way, they are the goal of spiritual discipline. If we are not seeing peace, joy, hope and then the others as a result, the discipline we are practicing is not working and we need to reevaluate it.

Here are my notes from today

More

Thankful for: Practicality

Dallas Willard :: Day 2

Today was another phenomenal day with Dr. Willard. The topic for today: LOVE

I guess I kind of thought I understood love until today. I'm married to a woman I love. I'm studying a God that I love. I'm pursuing a life and goals that I love. I found today that love is far more vast and wonderfully complex than I ever could have imagined. Willard opened the class today with this statement: "You love something if your will is set to promote its good." This statement takes on far more significance when we consider what he said yesterday about the will. The will is something that can develop. It con develop with a good bent or a bad one. The will is more or less the compilation of the desires and intentions of our heart. So, poising our will to seek the good of those things that we love will take time, discipline, effort and perseverance. Fascinating.

Willard went on to discuss what it means for God to be love as is stated in 1 John 4. It is dangerous to say that love is God before having a healthy and solid grasp on the fact that God is love. I'm still processing this so bear with me. In short, we are the product of love (not just our parent's but more so our heavenly Father's ;) and as a products of love we are then equipped to love by His Spirit. I've heard people say many times that the world loves better than the church. We get frustrated because we equate good deeds with love when, in fact, love and deeds are not to be equated with one another. Good deeds may be a result of love but they are not one in the same. God is love. Those who have God have love in it's pure and complete form.

Moreover, only God is capable of unconditional love. We are limited in our love as a result of our finitude. God, in His infinitude, can love perfectly and unconditionally. Our ability and tendency to love is entirely dependant upon God graciously enabling us to love. Praise God for that!

Willard explained to us what it meant to love our neighbor. He writes, "The first major step in becoming one of those who love their neighbor as themselves is to decide to live compassion." This is only possible if we receive the person of compassion: Jesus Christ. "Your next major step is to decide on who your neighbors are." Willard informed us that this should not be a huge list. Granted, we are to help those in need and never avoid helping just because someone isn't on our list. However, there should be a small group of people that we love and care for on a regular basis. Bonus: the more people on that list that cannot reciprocate our love for them the better.

Both today and yesterday Willard emphasized the difference between our kingdom and God's Kingdom. As it develops in my brain and heart, I'm starting to like this display of the gospel more than any other. We have a kingdom and so does God. Salvation happens by our entering into God's Kingdom. It's that simple. We surrender that which we love, cherish and worship and exchange those things for the glory of God by grace through faith. Boom. Good news huh?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this

Here are my notes for today

Thankful for: LOVE

Help-Portrait

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Remember: the "Hope" part is Jesus. This kind of stuff is really empty without Him.

Relationship Status: Married

Today, Julie and I celebrate 1 year of marriage. We are so very thankful that the Lord has brought us together in His timing and by His methods. I've never waited for something so great in my life and now that I have it I'll never let it go.

I love you Julie!

The Cornerstone

"A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense"

As a Christian, I often times have difficulty understanding why non-believers aren't head-over-heals attracted to Jesus. What's not to like? He's humble, sacrificial, generous, kind, perfect, gracious, merciful, loving, holy, creative, relational, devoted, loyal, honest, redeeming, forgiving, rescuing, renewing, radical, scandalous, compassionate, and much much more. Why is it, then, that so many people want nothing to do with Him?

I was perusing through 1 Peter today and came across 2:6-8 which reads, "For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold , I lay in Zion a choice stone , a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed." This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, "The stone which the builders rejected, This became the very corner stone, ” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense ”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed" (NASB). This shed some light on my issue.

For non-believers, Jesus doesn't really make a whole lot of sense. In our broken world the things that Jesus stood for are equated with weakness, dependency and, ultimately, failure. Jesus was meek and mild. He was not super powerful political leader or a war hero. He didn't invent anything that would make 26 hours in a day instead of 24. He wasn't rich and He wasn't on TV. Many of the ways the world defines success were not characteristic that Jesus possessed. Why? Read the Beattitudes in Matthew 5 and you'll see what He values.

At first glance, non-believers often see a crucified homeless man with nothing but 12 young friends who continue to do stupid stuff and embarrass themselves. Today, Jesus followers are still doing stupid stuff and embarrassing themselves so not much has changed. So what's the missing link? What is it that makes Jesus corner stone instead of the stumbling block? I think it's His resurrection.

When Jesus rose He killed something that was taking the lives of millions all over the planet. He destroyed the worst pandemic the world has ever seen. Jesus conquered death itself and made eternal, vibrant life available to the mankind. Now that's a God I can surrender to. All of His other qualities are great but but they became irresistible when He showed death who's boss. In their disobedience to the risen Lord, non-believers ignore Jesus' most beautiful characteristic: Resurrected.

Which is it for you? Is He your cornerstone or your rock of offense?

Thankful for: Jesus, cold weather and a multitude of provisions

More on Church...

I just realized in my last post I said that we have a "skewed perception of what church is supposed to be" and yet I never really addressed what church is supposed to be. So, why don't we talk about SOME of the things church is supposed to be?

I say SOME because I am still figuring things out for myself and because I really don't feel like making a huge list of rules, guidelines and characteristics churches should follow. Let's just talk about a few, shall we?

1. Church should be a place for you to serve. It's really easy for us to assume that a church is a place for us to be ministered to. Although this is very true, it doesn't stop there. A local church is a group of people, big or small, who have recognized or are recognizing gifts and abilities that God has graciously given them and who are looking for ways to utilize those gifts. 1 Corinthians 12 addresses some of the different parts of the Body of Christ. As we work in unison together and with the Spirit we are a well-oiled machine.

2. Church should be a safe place to ask dangerous questions. No one has it all figured out. If anyone tells you they do you are completely entitled to tell them that they are wrong and that they are lying to themselves (also, you can kick them in the shin for lying to you). We are all on a journey and as we go along we are presented with dips, bumps, wrong turns and forks in the road. Church should be a place where we can come together and ask tough questions. These shouldn't scare us or embarrass us. They should simply be an opportunity for fellow Christians to rally around us for support, help and trust.

3. Church should be a place for refuge and refueling. We spend all week as lambs among wolves. It's a lot of work maintaining a health relationship with God when you are immersed in serious worldliness. Church should be a place where we can get "spiritually recharged" so to speak. It should be a place of encouragement, love, trust, hope, kindness and blessing. If we don't get that at church, where will we get it? We need a place to be re-energized. We need a place to refuel. Church needs to be that place.

4. Church should be a place for commissioning. There is a lot of talk going around about "seeker friendly" churches. I understand what people are getting at and I think it's a great effort but Jesus spent a ton of time deeply entrenched in the culture and that's where we see huge life-change in the New Testament. He didn't try to spice up the Temple and make it a hip place to be. No, He went out to where the people were and impacted them there. This is not to say that we can't have a culturally relevant church. I love churches like that for my sake but not necessarily so I can invite non-christian friends to go there. Church should equip, empower and encourage its members to impact people in their school, on their sports team, at the local pub, in the local Starbucks, anywhere, and everywhere. Churches should commission their people to GO and share the Good News.

5. Churches should be a place for fellowship. We are a culture consumed by structure. We NEED every minute to be planned and every second accounted for. Granted, it is important to plan and program well and with excellence but sometimes I wonder if we give people enough time to just BE with each other. I believe something spiritual happens when people hang out. Jesus and His disciples ate together all the time. Do you think they were speaking in proverbs and parables the whole time? I doubt it. I'm sure they simply enjoyed each other's company as they broke bread together. Churches should provide that sort of non-structured fellowship for its people.

What do you think a church should be?

Scum of the Earth

“To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.” (1 Corinthians 4:11-13)

On the corner of Kalamath and 11th in Denver Colorado sits an old, brick church. From the outside, the building is the quintessential "traditional church." From my experience, churches like this one aren't very culturally relevant or even inviting for that matter. If I would have aloud my previous experiences with old brick buildings affect my judgment tonight, I would have passed right by Scum of the Earth Church without even knowing it.

Walking into Scum felt more like entering a concert venue than a church. We were greeted by a merch table and some dudes with creative facial hair. The smell of cigarettes was palpable and the average person was.....on second thought, there were no average people there. Never in my life have I felt so white and middle class. I must have stuck out like a soar thumb. Every part of the interior was someone's canvas. Every wall maintained an entirely different and unique artistic mood from the next. Even the floor had been the artistic expression of some talented man or woman. It was if the building itself was a conglomeration of the spiritual acts of worship or many.

The music was incredibly simple yet spectacularly worshipful. Just a dude on a guitar, a chick on a microphone, and some words on a screen. After we sang a few songs we all at pizza together. There was no "Donation" cup at the front of the line and no one really seemed to care who came off the street to enjoy the meal. After everyone had eaten and talked for a while Dr. Craig Blomberg from Denver Seminary taught about the validity of the Bible. Now, I know Blomberg. I've sat under his teaching at the seminary. I've read his books. I've talked with him. I would never, in a million years, expect to see an intellectual like Blomberg teach regularly at a church like Scum. No offense to Blomberg or Scum, I just didn't see it coming. I must have formed a subconscious stereotype that I'm glad to say was shattered tonight.

Blomberg didn't mince words. He didn't 'dumb it down' for the crowd. He taught the same way he teaches his classes at the seminary. What a blessing it was to see people from all walks of life and all demographics come together under the common banner of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There were no racial barriers, gender barriers, economic barriers, or intellectual barriers. Everyone there had one thing in common and that was enough to hold them together. Everyone in there was the scum of the earth. Each and every one of us is unclean without Christ. Each of us is the downtrodden of this world because the world hates the hope of the Cross. Each one of us is the scum of the earth and it felt so good to realize that.

God is doing some wonderful things at Scum. Dare I say this is what the Body of Christ is supposed to look like?

Thankful for: Churches like Scum that love unconditionally.

Kivu Promo

Christian camping is changing. Camp Kivu (formerly Kanakuk Colorado) is pioneering a new, ground-breaking method for impact teenagers and college students for the Kingdom of God. This thing has potential to completely change what the world thinks of Christ and His followers. Check out this promo video that my talented bro in law put together to get the word out.

This is good news. Share it with everyone you know.

Live Blogging :: Wess Stafford #TLS09

Leveraging Your Past

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Bio

Compassion International

9:33
On that day I hope that as Jesus wipes away the tears from my eyes he also wipes the sweat from my brow because His coming so wonderfully interrupted the work I was doing for His kingdom.

9:31
a is coming when there will be no more tears. No more pain. No more sorrow. On that day the sky will split wide open and we will run into the arms of our Savior

9:30
Forgiveness means giving up our right to revenge

9:29
If you don't forgive the people that have hurt you you carry them around like a burdon on your back. Rent free.

9:28
Assignment: spend 30 min looking the mirror asking and answering questions about yourself

9:27
Climbing the ladder of success only gets us to a point where we are alone. That ladder is leaning up against a very pointless wall

9:25
Does what you lead bring you to tears? Does it move you?

9:24
He sees poor children as dying embers that need a little fanning. That's what Compassion does. Fans little embers back into flame. Amen.

9:15

Child psychologists are amazed at the amount of pain and suffering children will absorb in order to protect those that they love.

9:12
This man is truly broken. He feels pain, sorrow and compassion for abused and impoverish children like no one I have ever listened to. Amazing and yet dislodging

9:11
Terrible things can happen when children are a second rate mandate

9:10
How often to missionaries go to save souls and not to love people?

9:07
They don't care what you know until they know that you care

Lead Where You Are

"Lead where you are" is the main theme every year for the Leadership Summit hosted and organized by Willow Creek Community Church. Never before has that phrase meant as much to me as it does today.

I've been overwhelmed with the fact that God has placed me where I am. In fact, unless we are living in complete and intentional disobedience to Him, it is safe to say that we are always where He wants us to be because He never loses control. Obviously, He calls us out of that place for short times to go on mission trips, vacations, journeys, etc. But, in general, we are where are supposed to be if we are an active follower of Jesus Christ. Whether you realize it or not, understanding that you are where you are supposed to be has enormous significance!

I'm excited to say that I am where I'm supposed to be. I know with great certainty that I truly am where I'm supposed to be because I've spent a large part of my life trying to avoid where I am today. I was just telling my wife that a little house in the suburbs with a wife, a dog and a suitable income was not in the cards for me until I met her. Up until my Junior year of college I was all about bucking the system, pursuing poverty and martyrdom in a foreign country, and doing everything I could to avoid the American dream that I was raised in. I never really felt at home in the white middle class suburbs that I grew up in for the majority of my life. I always spoke very negatively about those areas as if the people who lived there hadn't seen real need because they were immersed in a bubble in which there were only concerns about landscaping and charter schools. Boy was I wrong.

I even went to great lengths to break myself of the suburbian way. I tried homelessness for a year in college but to no avail. Sure, I didn't have a house but I had everything I needed and much more. I spent two Christmas breaks in China with some of the poorest people I've ever seen. I went with the hopes that God would call me there permanently to live a life of poverty and perhaps even have the privilege of dying for the sake of the Gospel. That desire was stifled when I tried to take a trip to Nepal and do "dangerous" ministry in a dangerous place. The trip was canceled for reasons that I can only attribute to God's providence. I have done everything I can to avoid affluence and yet I cannot seem to get away from it.

As I write this I'm sitting in our little ranch home surrounded by even bigger, wealthier homes. I'm writing this post on a lap top that cost more than my first car. I'm going to eat yet another meal very soon and I'm not going to worry about anything happening to me and my wife tonight as we sleep because this is a really safe neighborhood. I'm living the very life that I vowed to avoid. Is this a failure on my part? Have I abandoned the very things that God had called me to? Have I given in to the comfortable life? As of today, I can honestly say no to all those questions.

I am here, in this house, in this neighborhood, with this income and this lifestyle because this is where God wants me to be. Sure, He could call me out of it and into a mud hut in Africa tomorrow. But today He has me here. I know that I can't help but be where I am because I have gone to great lengths to ensure that I wouldn't get here. And yet here I am, 24 years old, I own a home in the suburbs and have few financial worries if any. I can only attribute this to God's providence and control over my life

So now what? I'm here and it's the right place for me to be but what does that mean? I'll tell you what it doesn't mean. It doesn't mean that I refuse opportunities to do inner city, rural or over-seas ministry. That is still a very real and plausible possibility if God wills it. It also doesn't mean that I start living as though I'm a white middle class married man. By that I mean I don't need to have a nicer car, house and yard than my neighbor and I don't need to upgrade my possessions every three years just because I can. I can still live a generous, thoughtful and Christ-like lifestyle even though it will be drastically different from that of my neighbors.

As of today our neighborhood is our mission field. We haven't really thought of it that way until now but it's painfully clear that we need to make intentional efforts to maintain that perspective for the rest of our lives. We cannot help the fact that we are here because it is a result of God's will for our lives. However, we can help from becoming complacent and "normal" by reaching out to our community in love and being the hands and feet of Jesus here in Littleton, CO. the relationships we are building with our neighbors took on new meaning today. They are not just people that we wave to as we water our plants in the yard or pick up the paper in the driveway. They are meaningful hearts and souls that need hope and fulfillment just as badly as I do. We intend to show them Hope and Fulfillment in the coming years as we embrace our suburbanness and seek to expand and enhance the Kingdom of God.

Thankful for: a fresh understanding of my current situation.

Marriages Need More Than Love

I found this article here. It's a very interesting study. I think any people just assume that love is something that is impenetrable by other issues. Even things that seem unrelated to marriage can effect marriage very deeply.

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) – Living happily ever after needn't only be for fairy tales. Australian researchers have identified what it takes to keep a couple together, and it's a lot more than just being in love.

A couple's age, previous relationships and even whether they smoke or not are factors that influence whether their marriage is going to last, according to a study by researchers from the Australian National University.

The study, entitled "What's Love Got to Do With It," tracked nearly 2,500 couples -- married or living together -- from 2001 to 2007 to identify factors associated with those who remained together compared with those who divorced or separated.

It found that a husband who is nine or more years older than his wife is twice as likely to get divorced, as are husbands who get married before they turn 25.

Children also influence the longevity of a marriage or relationship, with one-fifth of couples who have kids before marriage -- either from a previous relationship or in the same relationship -- having separated compared to just nine percent of couples without children born before marriage.

Women who want children much more than their partners are also more likely to get a divorce.

A couple's parents also have a role to play in their own relationship, with the study showing some 16 percent of men and women whose parents ever separated or divorced experienced marital separation themselves compared to 10 percent for those whose parents did not separate.

Also, partners who are on their second or third marriage are 90 percent more likely to separate than spouses who are both in their first marriage.

Not surprisingly, money also plays a role, with up to 16 percent of respondents who indicated they were poor or where the husband -- not the wife -- was unemployed saying they had separated, compared with only nine percent of couples with healthy finances.

And couples where one partner, and not the other, smokes are also more likely to have a relationship that ends in failure.

Factors found to not significantly affect separation risk included the number and age of children born to a married couple, the wife's employment status and the number of years the couple had been employed.

The study was jointly written by Dr Rebecca Kippen and Professor Bruce Chapman from The Australian National University, and Dr Peng Yu from the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.

Thankful for: Parents who are together, a wife who doesn't smoke, a wife who is old than me, etc.

Community: A popular word that Christians know little about (2)

Photo courtesy of Nate Friend

Another mistake I think we make is in assuming that we experience community at church on Sundays. "But Nathan," you are thinking, "I do experience community at church on Sunday. My church is a Community church!" Really? you think that sitting in a room with a few hundred people with whom you have never spoken, drinking some free Folgers and hearing someone talk about Jesus is community? I'm sorry but your definition is still lacking. Church on Sunday is a wonderful opportunity for community to begin. It is a place where people can meet and begin community but not necessarily experience it. Community in a local church usually takes place in Sunday school classes and small groups. It takes place in the favorite lunch spot when the sermon is finished. community takes place in the relationships that grow from people meeting at church on Sunday. That's one of the many things I absolutely love about the local church, it provides a starting point for true, raw community. We must be careful, though, not to call something community when it is far from it.

Lastly, we are really good at seeking out and desiring the fun and easy parts of community. We all want to live in the hippie commune of Acts 2 because it's sounds like Disney Land. Please note that Luke did not write Acts 2 for us to use as a guide book. Acts 2 is simply telling us a story. Yes, we should glean many things from it as far as what God often does when people seek to follow Him. We should also note how those followers of Christ treat one another. However, none of that book was intended for instruction for how to live specifically. We should seek the Red Letters and the Epistles for that kind of instruction.

What Acts 2 leaves out is the conflict that took place amongst the early church. Keep reading and you'll see what I'm talking about. There are several conflicts recorded in the book of Acts that are just as much a part of community as the stuff we read about in Acts 2. When my wife and I experience conflict, we are still living in community. When we struggle to make our budget fit or our schedules match up someone or something often times gets the short stick. Still, we are experiencing true community. We must not be too hasty to remove community from the description of a living situation just because there is some difficulty there. If anything, conflict and struggle are signs of community in it's purest form.

I'm trying to honestly see community all around me. I know it's there and I know I'm living in it. I just need to take the blinders off and recognize the community that God has placed me in even if it's not the hippie commune version I have created in my mind over the years.

Community: A popular word that Christians know little about (1)

I don't think we (Christians) know anything about community. That statement might be offensive to some of you because you think you know all kinds of things about community. Moreover, that statement might strike a little bit of fear in some because many of us associate community with a core principle of Christianity. To many, if we don't get community, we don't get Christianity.

Now, notice that I said we don't know anything about community, not that we don't have community. I think community is all around us and, as they say in the south, "if it where a snake, it would have bit ya!" But, as close as it is, we don't have any idea that it's there or how to identify it. So, my plan is to walk through some biblical and observational elements of community so that you and I can both begin to identify it as it comes our way.

It is interesting to me to see how the term and concept of community seems to have grown over the past couple of years. Certainly it has always been a core issue but different concepts within Christianity tend to ebb and flow in and out of extreme importance as we all try and figure out what the best balance for our behavioral lifestyles is. So, for whatever reason, community has recently surfaced as a buzz word and a popular idea in Christianity today. I think this is because it is truly important to our faith and yet we are somehow dissatisfied with what we have.

Personally, I think we often times long for that which we already have. That is, we talk about community like it's some distant thing that Christians are not very good at when it's really right under our noses. For instance, I hear people talk about desiring community the way the early church experienced it in Acts 2. At the end of this chapter you will see a list of things that take place within that specific local community that seem pretty awesome. In fact, in many ways, the characteristics of that community can even seem a little like a hippie commune. Am I right or am I right? Interestingly, all the things listed there are things that many Christians not only experienced all through their childhood but are experiencing now and don't even realize it.

You might be thinking, "I can't remember anyone ever selling anything to help me get something I needed." How about your parents? Granted, not all of us have great parents. However, the majority of us have experienced sacrificial love from some family member at some point throughout our childhood. Moreover, if you are married and especially if you have kids, you are experiencing community every day. We rarely like to think about ourselves as the one who is doing the selling for someone else. We think about how our needs are not being met because we are doing all the meeting! Well, hate to break it to you, but meeting the needs of other is a part of community.

I live with my wife. Huge surprise, I know. We share everything and we sacrifice like crazy for one another. I sold my truck last winter because we were foreseeing problems with paying some bills. Julie is currently asking for some extra shifts at the hospital until I get a job so we can afford to use our wall air conditioner this summer. Is that community even though it's only the two of us? ABSOLUTELY! It doesn't have to be all the men on my block working together to raise a house frame that we all built while the woman cooked our meals for us. Community is not limited to numbers.

I also think we have incredibly high expectations for community. I used to work at a summer camp in Durango Colorado and had the privilege of living in community with a hodgepodge of college aged dudes from all over the country. Every summer I felt as though I was experiencing a miracle because somehow these dudes figured out how to live with one another day in and day out despite their differences. They overcame conflict with one another. They sacrificed for one another. They prayed for one another. They looked out for one another. Often times I would hear some of these guys say throughout the summer, "I wish I could have community like this at home." Chances are, they did and didn't even know it.

If you have roommates, you are living in some form of community. If you have close friends you are living in some form of community. If you are involved in a local church body you are living in some form of community. If you have family that you get to interact with regularly you live in some form of community. Lastly, if you are a follower of Christ you are constantly living in some form of community.

I think all of our complaining about not having community is a good example of our dissatisfaction with our Savior. Granted, He created us to need each other (Gen 2:18). However, He also offers us sustenance and communion in perfection that no human being could ever even pretend to offer. Jesus offers a kind of love, sacrifice and acceptance that your closest friends and family fall short of everyday. Furthermore, if we follow Christ we must submit ourselves to the fact that He is omnipresent. This is one of His defining characteristics. Therefore, we are never without community. Beyond that, Jesus is in community with His Father and Spirit. He is in community with Himself so to speak. The Trinity, as difficult as it is to understand, is the perfected definition of community in and of itself. A connection to that kind of community should never leave us wanting.

More on community in my next post.

Leave a comment and tell me what you think.

I can't think of a better way to die

I did the eulogy for my grandpa's funeral today. I've never done anything like that before in my entire life. I was nervous. For the first time in years I thought I was going to pass out during a public speaking gig. My heart was pounding. My palms were sweaty. Why was this so much different than speaking in any other occasion? Because in a matter of five minutes I was expected to honor my grandfather and glorify Christ. Five minutes just wouldn't do.

Although I'm certain I did neither party justice for their greatness, I did do my best. The message I really wanted to get across was that grandpa Phil had an understanding of joy as it comes from the Father that no one else I have ever met has. He simply understood the joy that only Christ can provide. Grandpa greatly anticipated the joy described in Psalm 30:5 which says, "Although the weeping may last for the night, joy cometh in the morning."

The night before grandpa died was tumultuous to say the least. He was up all night in constant pain and frustration. Grandma told me that they were both praying for the Lord to take his breath. Although the pain lasted for the night the joy came in the morning. Around 7 a.m. grandpa took a severe turn for the worst and was having difficulty breathing. Grandma knew his time was limited so she gathered her children, who had all come into town as soon as they could, and brought them into their bedroom. The five of them gathered around grandpa as he struggled to breath. They sang hymns and read Scripture aloud. The emotions must have been sky high. There couldn't have been a dry eye in that place.

It was during the singing and reading that grandpa breathed his last. When he stopped, his children and wife cheered for joy because the sorrow that had lasted throughout the night had turned to joy in the morning. Grandpa went from hearing the beautiful voices of his immediate family to the hearing the heavenly hosts in God's court room. He went from a small bed room where he had felt little rest and lots of pain and entered an eternally spectacular sanctuary. The sorrow lasted for the night but the joy came with the morning.

I cannot think of a better way to go. How sweet that joy must have tasted after a night like that. How incredibly awesome must grandpa's entry into heaven have been after a turbulent life on earth. Our Lord is good and His mercy endures forever. He has gone ahead and prepared a place for us so that we can dwell in direct fellowship with Him.

Tomorrow is father's day. 27 years ago grandpa Phil lost his son Doug to cancer. Today, grandpa was buried right next to his son in the ground. Tomorrow, grandpa will experience the single most amazing father's day he ever has. He will be with his heavenly Father and his perfected son whom he has not seen for decades. Our God is a God of redemption. He is a God of rescue and healing. He mends relationship and creates fellowship. Although the sorrow might last for the night, joy comes in the morning.

Thankful for: Grandpa Phil and the legacy that he left when he passed on

Wedding

I'm in Phoenix right now for the weeding of my brother-in-law, Steve and his beautiful fiance, Lindsey. At the rehearsal dinner last night I had the privilege to see two families express their love and hope for one another. It is so good to see the Lord bring families together in marriage and not just individuals. Both Steve and Lindsey's families love the Lord and love their children. They recognize that God has drawn Steve and Lindsey to Himself first and then to each other.

Today we will celebrate the blessed union of two souls under God's covenant and union of two families under God's perfect love. The Lord is good and His mercy endureth forever (Psalm 136). I am blessed to be a part of today.

Thankful for: The God-given institution of marriage.