Monthly Archives: March 2010

Collecting Experiences, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Life, My Jesus Month

Let The Journey Begin

A couple of years ago, I read a great book called The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs. I enjoyed reading about Jacobs’ adventures in trying to live out the biblical commandments as literally as possible. Jacobs focused mainly on the Old Testament rules and regulations while recently, Ed Dobson, a Christian minister, inspired by Jacob’s memoir, decided to spend an entire year living like Jesus. Dobson’s true life “In His Steps” really inspired me and refreshed my soul. Dobson talks extensively about the impact living like Jesus had on his day to day life. He focused on prayer, giving, teaching, and loving more deeply. After reading The Year of Living Like Jesus a wild and crazy idea entered my imagination.

I just could not shake the thought of truly, literally, living just like Jesus. 1John 2: 6 says that “whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus walked.” I began to ask myself what living like Jesus would look like in my life and in my context. I was transfixed. I knew I needed to do something. I desperately wanted to throw myself headlong into walking just as Jesus walked.

“Could I do that? Could I live like Jesus for a year?” Based on Ed’s account probably not. At least not to the extent that he did. Usually, that would have been the end of my wondering. Then I asked myself one more question: “Could I live like Jesus for a month?”

I don’t know… but we are going to find out.

Tomorrow, I will turn 30 years old.  According to the Gospels, Jesus began his ministry at the age of thirty. I have a tattoo on my wrist that says “disciple” and I struggle everyday to discern what being a disciple of Jesus means and looks like lived out to the fullest. In April, I want to get a firm grasp on what it means to literally walk as  Jesus walked.

The idea will be to live SIMPLY this month: SIMPLY live like Jesus. I already know that there will be some severe limitations but I’ll use Ed Dobson’s 3 rules as a basis for my Jesus month. Basically my goals will be “To live more ‘Jewishly,’ to read through all four Gospels every week and to obey the commands of Jesus.” As the month goes on I will be posting some of my thoughts and experiences but I will not post everyday.

This journey will be made up of external changes and internal changes. Tomorrow, I’ll post a bit about some of the visible, external changes I will be making in my routine, dress, and diet.

I ask that you pray for me as I embark on the fantastic journey. I have already been impacted greatly as I have prepared for this over the last two weeks and I have seen plainly that this call to walk as Jesus walked was laid on my heart and not just some harebrained experiment I cooked up.

I look forward to sharing what I learn and what I experience over the course of this month. If you have any suggestions or thoughts on how I can live more like Jesus this month leave a comment on this post.

Today is the last day of my Twenties. Tomorrow brings a whole new decade and a whole new, radically different way to live. Until then- Shalom!

2010, Life, Wrapup, Wrestling With Scripture

Weekend Review

  1. Had a fabulous time on the Men’s Retreat. This was our third annual retreat and we took it up a notch. I really connected to the theme this year which was Thirsty. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” This weekend God met us and we were filled. Great weekend!
  2. My son has croup. The little guy is coughing and wheezing like an fat, asthmatic kid (Hey, I resemble that remark). He sounds so helpless and we feel so helpless. Big prayers for my little boy.
  3. I’m elbow deep reading Doctrine by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. This is a concise and accessible theology book that is catching my attention and drying up my highlighter.
  4. I turn 30 this week. I am planning a month long project to mark the occasion and I spent a good deal of time preparing for it last week. Prep work has to be finished by this Wednesday. Better cut my hair before then.
  5. I am thankful to so many people who pour their lives into me that I can hardly stand it. I have a great support system in my family and friends. I am blessed beyond measure.
  6. I had to cancel our Sunday night teen service due to my son’s illness. Hopefully everything will be back to normal and we can have Tuesday night Bible study at the house on Tuesday. I missed being with the teens tonight.
  7. I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to live as Jesus lived. 1John 2″6 is punching me in the gut right now. “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” Right. In. The. Gut.
General

Revealed Part 4

So in the beginning God revealed Himself through CREATION and then through His WORD but the Apostle John tells us that something amazing happened. He tells us that God REVEALED Himself by becoming a man and living among us. John tells us this by using almost the exact same language as in Genesis.

The WORD became flesh and God REVEALED Himself through His Son, JESUS CHRIST.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5 TNIV)

Through Jesus Christ God REVEALS to us a number of things.

Jesus Reveals:

God’s Love & Blessings

Forgiveness

Faithfulness

Salvation

Grace

Redemption

Glory

New Life

“We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us—one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart; he has told us about him.” (John 1:16-18 NLT)

Through Jesus Christ we have hope for a new life. We are not burdened by sin anymore. The Creator of the Universe stepped down, lived as a man, died as an innocent, and was raised to life again. And this new life is offered to you and me.


Sermons

Reveal Part 3

Continue reading in Psalm 19 and you will see a second way that God REVEALS Himself to us- His WORD or His LAW.

“The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” (Psalms 19:7-11 NIV)

God REVEALS to us His plans, His love, & His way of living through His Word.

In Isaiah 55, God says that just as rain and snow have a purpose in watering the earth, His word too has a purpose. God says that His Word,

“goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 TNIV)

I read a book this week called, “My Year of Living Like Jesus” by Ed Dobson. In this great memoir, the author chronicles his year of trying to live just like Jesus. He eats kosher, wears the tallit katan, grows out his beard, and even attempts to retreat alone in the wilderness.

Early in the book, Ed describes a conversation his son had with a Rabbi while studying in Israel. The rabbi said “If you’re a Christian and aren’t reading through the Gospels every week, then you’re not a very good Christian. How can you claim to take Jesus’ teachings seriously when you spend so little time actually reading them?”

Ed said that this statement haunted him. It haunts me.

So often we want God to REVEAL Himself to us and yet we neglect reading His Word. This is God’s REVELATION. Don’t ignore it. Don’t neglect it.

The more I read God’s Word, the more I WANT to read God’s Word. Can you say the same?

Are you in love with His book? Do you read from it daily? How can you claim to take the teachings in this book seriously when you spend so little time actually reading it?

Sermons

Reveal Part 2

When you spend your week in the mountains you cannot help but marvel at how God REVEALS Himself through CREATION.

As we drove to Colorado last Saturday we experience so much of God’s creation- 14 hours worth! We saw the plains, the sky, foothills and plateaus, dormant volcanoes, and then finally the mountains! On one part of the trip, as the sun was setting, this rock formation in front of us looked like old, wrinkly skin. It was almost breathing. It was spectacular.

Then we get to the mountain. The first day God REVEALED to us his awesome and mighty power. It was the worst storm the mountain had seen in 30 years. The wind was blowing, the snow was falling. You had to pole down the mountain because the wind was so powerful.

However, on Monday and Tuesday God REVEALED to us the beauty of his creation. This picture is from the summit and so is the next one. You are looking out over the Continental Divide.  Absolutely beautiful huh? These pictures don’t even do it justice.

In Romans 1:20, Paul tells us that through creation God REVEALS to us His “invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature.”

Psalm 19:1-6 says this:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat.” (Psalms 19:1-6 NIV)

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” I can remember the first time I caught a glimpse at just how big and powerful God must be. We were somewhere in away from the city lights and I was looking up at the stars. Way up there I saw a tiny star moving at a pretty fast clip across the immense sky. It was a satellite. It was something that we- mankind- put in the sky. It was so small and insignificant against the backdrop of God’s creation. That satellite’s faint, yellow glow was nothing compared to some of those stars a million miles away.

God REVEALS Himself to us through the beauty and majesty of His creation.

Preaching, Resources, Sermons

Reveal Part 1

I had the opportunity to preach this week and since we spent the first part of the week skiing I got to prepare most of my sermon while on the mountain. As I was thinking and praying about what to share this week an overwhelming sense of thankfulness and gratitude filled my heart at the thought of how we serve a God who is not hidden. Our God has made himself known to the entire universe. He has REVEALED Himself throughout history and continues to REVEAL Himself everyday.

The word REVEAL comes from the Greek word we use for apocalypse meaning to “take off the cover, to disclose, to pull back the curtain.”

When I think about this idea of pulling back the curtain to REVEAL a mystery I think about the movie “The Wizard of OZ.” Remember, the great and powerful OZ appears to Dorothy, Tinman, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion as a massive face with a loud and booming voice. Fire and smoke fills the room. The Wizard instills fear and trembling into Dorothy and her friends… but not Toto.

Toto pulls back the curtain to REVEAL the true nature of the Wizard. He is not great and powerful but weak and sad. The Wizard was nothing more than a con-man with a laser light show and a fog machine. The Wizard wanted to remain hidden behind the smoke in order to boss people around. His power came from the mystery.

The REVELATION of God couldn’t be more different than that of the “great & powerful OZ.” While there is and always will be some element of mystery surrounding God, He has INTENTIONALLY revealed Himself to us. He pulls back the curtain and says, “Look, see this is my nature. These are my plans. This is WHO I AM.”

God is powerful not because He is hidden but because he has made Himself known.

We could talk about the millions of ways that God REVEALS Himself to us but we would be here until Kingdom Come. This week I want to talk about 4 Ways God REVEALS Himself to the world. Tomorrow, we’ll look at how God REVEALS Himself through His CREATION.

Experience, My Life, Youth Ministry, Youth Ministry Tips

Ski Trip & Tip

We’ve been in CO on a youth group ski trip this week. Our first day on the mountain also coincided with the worst weather Monarch has seen in thirty years! It was a near white out. No bueno.

However, day two & three were as close to perfect as you can get. It was absolutely gorgeous! The sun was out, the powder was fresh (an upside of the storm), and the company was awesome! We head home tomorrow but this was one of the best trips I’ve taken with the youth group. Very bueno!!!

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Youth Ministry Ski Trip Tip
This is the third ski trip I’ve taken with teens and if I could give one piece of advice to other leaders out there planning a trip for Spring Break ’11 it would be this:

REQUIRE that your first time skiers take ski school before they hit the slopes!

This is a must for any first timer traveling to ski with us. No if, ands, or buts.

The first time skiers that I have taken have benefitted tremendously from taking the morning lessons. After classes are over I take them up to run some greens. It cuts down on injuries and it helps build confidence in those first timers.

On the flip side, I can’t tell you how many students I see skiing out of control on the mountain only to see them later with their youth group. In fact today I was almost taken out as some student came careening down the mountain, arms flailing, and screaming. She bit it hard and rode the rest of the trail down on her face. I skied behind her and picked up her poles. When I got to her I saw a friend giving her tips.

He’s a tip: Take ski school.

If you’re a youth leader, save yourself some trouble and look out for your kids by requiring the first time skiers take ski school.

Awe, Collecting Experiences, Life, Parenting

I Love This Kid!!!!

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There are not a lot of things that come naturally to me. I’m not the smartest- I had to work for every B & C I got. I’m not the most athletic- just because I’m shaped like a ball doesn’t mean I can hit one. I’m not the most talented either.

But being a dad fits me like a glove right now. I never thought that I would love this kid as much as I do.

I find myself hovering over his bed almost every night while he sleeps. I think I’ve woken him up a few times. I pray that God will make him a better man than me, that Jesus will save him, and that the Spirit will guide him in everything he does.

I love this kid and I thank God for the gift of being his dad.

Leadership, Ministry, Resources, Youth Ministry, Youth Ministry Tips

Youth Ministry Tip #5: Relationships

This will be short and sweet.

Youth ministry (any ministry for that matter) is inherently based on relationships. If you are not intentionally building relationships from day one you will be fighting an uphill battle. When you have put the time and effort into relationships you experience fulfillment beyond explanation. Today was a great reminder of this for me.

Build Relationships With… Jesus. How’s your relationship with the author and perfecter of your faith? Your power as a minister comes from Jesus Christ. Jesus should be at the center of your life and every good thing you accomplish is by him, through him, and for him. What are some ways you can intentionally build relationships with Jesus? Work on your relationship with Jesus.

Build Relationships With… Your Loved Ones. How’s your relationship with your spouse? Your children? Your friends? I will not, will not, will not sacrifice my family on the alter of ministry. You must be building and intentionally work on your relationship with your family. Sandy and I keep a hedge around at least one night a week. It is ours to do with as we see fit. No events, no visitors, nobody but us (and the boy). Sometimes we hit the town. Sometimes we veg out on the couch. Sometimes we run errands. The point is- we set aside specific time for connecting with one another. As our son gets older and as seasons change the world will fight to squeeze more out of us and will throw up obstacles to keep us from building our relationship. We will fight against the tide. You should too. What are some ways you can intentionally build relationships with your family? Work on your relationships at home.

Build Relationships With… The People You Serve. How’s your relationship with your students? Today, I spent a good chunk of my time talking with and messaging students. I was consumed with thoughts about them today I was able to reach out and connect with a good deal of them today. This made all the difference for me. I have seen students grow and open up and reveal their passions and desire for lives that glorify God and impact the world around them. I never would have the chance to experience this if we didn’t have a relationship. As a youth minister, you MUST build relationships with your students. What are some ways you can intentionally build relationships with your students?