All posts by mjfelker1980

Discipleship, Ethos, Experience, Leadership, Ministry, My Life

Breaking Jars

I graduated from high school ten years ago this week. In May of 1998 I was an 18 year old kid who thought he knew everything there was to know. Now I’m a 28 year old (kid) and the only thing I know for certain is that I know very little. I am still trying to work it all out and I marvel at every time God gives me some tiny insight and I pray that his lessons will stick in my puny little brain.

As I look back over my (short) life I have been fortunate enough to break a few jars that were holding me back from maturing in one way or another. I spent too much time inside these jars allowing them to stunt my growth and causing me to become spiritually/emotionally deformed. Again, it is only by the grace of God that I was able to recognize these jars and it was only by his strength that I was able to crack open these jars and begin the slow, steady progress of being remolded in the image of Jesus.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

Probably the biggest jar I have had to escape from is The Jar of Anger.

to be continued…

Ethos, Leadership, Life, Ministry, Resources

Are You In A Jar?

I read a story that hasn’t been far from my mind since I encountered it last week. The reference escapes me and I can’t be sure of the actual-factuals of the story yet I have been constantly evaluating my self, my habits, and the people/systems that I come in contact with in light of this parable about growth. The story goes like this:

There was once a pumpkin farmer. The farmer worked all season long preparing is fields for his crop. He planted the seeds, watered when necessary, and walked the field everyday removing debris and anything that might cause harm to his precious pumpkins. One day, while the pumpkins were still very small he came across a mason jar out in the field. Curious as to what might happen, he placed one of the pumpkins inside the jar to continue growing. Time went on and the pumpkins were now ready for the harvest. What a harvest it was! This year the farmer had grown some of the largest and healthiest pumpkins ever. However, there was one problem. When the farmer reached the pumpkin he had placed into the jar he was shocked by what had happened. Rather than growing large and cracking/destroying the jar, the pumpkin conformed to the inside of the jar. While it had been receiving the same nutrients and nurturing the other pumpkins had, the jar had become a prison for this little pumpkin. It was 1/3 the size of the others and its shape was that of a mason jar. Rather than overcoming the challenge, the poor pumpkin’s growth was stunted.

I have been haunted by the idea of being trapped inside a jar all week.

What is the jar that is trapping you or your business/church/school? It could be a personal jar of bad habits or laziness that has trapped you. It could be poor leadership (on your part or on the part of others) that keeps your business/church/school from achieving all that it should. It could be any number of factors that are hindering you and your team. The question is, are you strong enough to name the jar?

Name the jar, call out what’s keeping you from growing, and then smash that sucker to pieces. Good luck and God speed.

Discipleship, Ethos, Experience, Film & Theology, Ministry, Popular Culture

Choose Wisely

1 Comment

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13:44-46 TNIV)

It is Indiana Jones Week at the Felkers. We watched Raiders last Saturday and we are trying to squeeze in Temple of Doom tonight (somehow). Tomorrow we will watch Crusade. I am not sure my wife has ever seen The Last Crusade so we will definitely have to watch that one before seeing Crystal Skull on Thursday. Whew! So much action, so little time!

I love watching Dr. Henry Jones run, swing, and punch his way through these adventures chasing after “priceless” pieces of antiquity. There isn’t a risk he isn’t willing to take and we, the audience, cheer him on every step of the way.

Scripture tells us that the kingdom of God can be compared to these great treasures. In fact, the kingdom of God is the greatest treasure of all. In the parables above, Jesus says that when we encounter the kingdom we should treat it like the world’s greatest treasure and that we should do whatever it takes to obtain it. The men in his stories sold all they had just to get their treasure.

Do you realize that we trade the glory and freedom of living in the kingdom for mere trinkets everyday? It should be the other way around!

Spend some time today and meditate on how great the kingdom of God is and what is standing in the way of you obtaining it.

LOST, Nosebleeds, Popular Culture, Theoretical Physics, Things That Are Beyond My Comprehension

The Light Doesn’t Scatter Right

2 Comments

*LOST SEASON FOUR DISCUSSION HAPPENING BELOW* PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!

For those of you who are Lost fans you know that this season has been dealing with a lot of nerd-friendly issues such as theoretical physics, the space time continuum, and the nature of reality. All good stuff to be sure but often times I feel like my puny little BA can’t match up with the likes of Dr. Faradey and his time traveling rat.

So to make up for Lost time (ha) I have been expanding my reading list to now include a handful of scientific books. I began last Christmas with The Fabric of the Cosmos. I liked that book so much that I have since picked up Greene’s first foray into explaining deep, difficult, theortical concepts to everyday joes, The Elegant Universe.

In The Elegant Universe Greene introduces the reader to superstring theory. While general relativity deals with the big things in the universe, quantum mechanics deals with the smallest particles. Einstein believed that there must be a unifying theory that explains the entire workings of the universe both large and small. Many believe that superstring theory could be that unifying theory. Greene argues that throughout the history of physics, conflicts have emerged that, once settled, rewrote our complete understanding of what we know about how the universe works. Yes, like Desmond, I sometimes get a nosebleed just reading this stuff.

As I began reading last night I immediately ran across something that jumped out at me as extremely important as we head into the (second) season finale for season 4.

We all know that there is something off about the island and that this season we have come to understand that time plays a big role in that. First a rocket payload landed later than expected. Then a dead doctor washed ashore hours before he died. What is going on here? Now as we move toward the big finale John Locke is on a mission to “move the island.” What does this mean for those left on the island? What about those now on the freighter? What about the rest of us living our lives unaware of the islands existence? For those of you who have been following closely this season get a load of this:

The first conflict concerns puzzling properties of the motion of light. Briefly put, according to Isaac Newton’s laws of motion, if you run fast enough you can catch up with a departing beam of light, whereas according to James Clerk Maxwell’s laws of electromagnetism, you can’t. Einstein resolved this conflict through his theory of special relativity, and in so doing completely overturned our understanding of space and time. Accoring to special reletivity, no longer can space and time be thought of as universal concepts set in stone, experienced identically by everyone. Rather space and time emerged from Einstein’s reworking as malleable constructs whose form and appearance depend on one’s state of motion.

I think that this is a pretty significant bit of information as it concerns our castaways. If the island can move (or is in a constant state of motion relative to…) then no wonder there is a hiccup in time as it concerns rockets and dead doctors and satellite phones.

Maybe I should send Grizzly Jack a copy of this book to help aid him in his quest to return. I’ll just have to tell the postman to stay on the bearing 305 lest he too get a nasty nosebleed.

I can’t believe we have to wait another two weeks to (not) get answers to the mysteries surrounding the island, the survivors of 815, the freighter people, Ben, and Charles Widmore.

If anything should happen to me during these next two weeks, Desmond Hume is my constant.

Youth Ministry

An Open Letter to Schools

3 Comments

Thanks to Youth Ministry Hilarity for this poignant, much needed open letter to our schools. I wish that I had written this. Schools please take heed and let our kids be kids!

Dear Public School System,

I am writing to you because of a crisis we are facing in our society. It is a crisis involving our teenagers, who you are trying to help us mold.

Unfortunately, I think you are creating the problem rather than helping it. Let me explain…
The public school system already complains (and rightly so) that our kids are “too tired” and that they “lack concentration.” There seems to be more apathy than ever towards schoolwork and school-related items.

But here’s the problem…
You complain that our kids are too tired, but then you make them stay after school for HOURS of extracurricular practice! They lack concentration, so you lengthen their school year. You make them work at camps from 9:00 to 5:00 IN THE SUMMERTIME!
I have teenagers in my church youth group who seem to be able to do NOTHING other than school! Does this produce well-rounded citizens? Why do we think that ALL their time needs to be occupied? Why can we not let them dream anymore? (They don’t have time to dream!) What ever happened to lazy summers?

First of all, it is COMPLETELY UNFAIR to take away their summer “vacation.” Teens in my church group are going to be BACK at Show Choir Camp just TWO WEEKS after they got out for summer vacation! EVERYONE needs time for rest and renewal, but you don’t seem to grasp this concept. Our children are overbooked and overworked. Please, let them have a vacation!

Secondly, this scheduling is detracting from family time…a much-needed (but quickly vanishing) pasttime. Even though many parents are working longer hours and some working through the summers, there are still parents who don’t see their kids til 9:00 PM because of schoolwork. Summers are decimated by camp schedules and other things. Families are passing each other by on their way to the next activity.

Third, overscheduling is unfair to other organizations. My youth ministry is trying to affect the same kind of results as you are. I would LOVE to work in conjunction with the schools, but the schools want ALL the time. While YOU are working on increasing the knowledge and athleticism of these kids, I would like to help work on their character, but my time to do so is increasingly taken away. It is very frustrating when schools tell kids (or give them the impression) that their GRADES depend on attendance of all ballgames, shows, etc. Even during the summer! I agree with the old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I certainly do not wish to do away with schooling, but I wish kids could experience more help from church, work, and non-profit organizations.

Lastly, overscheduling is not necessary. It seems that the schedules have been left up to the competitive minds of the local coaches. While I admire their tenacity, I would also question their motives. Are they trying to teach the kids something, or just put another trophy on their shelf? Many kids are working their tails off for those coaches, but they have NO collegiate or professional careers in sight. While hard work is a desired trait, it can also be a boon. Many families are being ripped apart because of dads who never come home. Could it be that we are overworking kids just like we are overworking their parents?

It used to be that we had the WHOLE summer off. Soon, August became “Back-to-school-camps” month with band, choir, etc. Now, the schools have taken June as well. ONE MONTH for summer vacation is not enough! PLEASE leave them alone until August!! Let them have a solid eight weeks of vacation. Let them rest. Let them dream. Let them be gone long enough to actually “miss” school!

Thank you for your thoughtful consideration.

Sincerely,
Franklin Wood
Omaha, NE

Adverts, Awesomenessness, Experience, Leadership, Shameless Self Promotion

I Ought To Be in Pictures

2 Comments

Although I have more of a radio face, a picture of yours truly made the cover image of the latest mail out for the Catalyst Conference. The Catalyst logo is covered with photos of past Catalyst participants and the one I submitted made the cut.

I’ll try and scan it tomorrow so you can all see it. If you get the mailer today, my wife and I are on the top left of the big C logo. It is a b&w picture of us. Pretty cool.

If you haven’t heard of the Catalyst conference it is worth every penny it will cost you to get to Atlanta. This October will be my fifth (one, two, three, four, fiiiiiifth) Catalyst conference and I am stoked!!! Seth Godin, Tim Collins, Matt Chandler, Craig Groescel, and some guy named Billy Graham are scheduled to speak this year along with Andy Stanley and Dave Ramsey.

If you want more info check out the website or drop me an email and I’ll talk you into registering for the conference.

Best. Conference. Ever.

Discipleship, Worship

Insomniac Challenge

1 Comment

When I am up for hours on end I try and find some things to do to pass the time. I found this passage last night and saw a big insomniac challenge for me.

What if, instead of flipping through the channels or playing video games, I spent my time in worship? What if I spent the time in praise and adoration? In “grateful reflection”?

“God—you’re my God! I can’t get enough of you! I’ve worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts.
 
So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory. In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains. I bless you every time I take a breath; My arms wave like banners of praise to you.  

I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy; I smack my lips. It’s time to shout praises!

If I’m sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection. Because you’ve always stood up for me, I’m free to run and play. I hold on to you for dear life, and you hold me steady as a post.” (Psalms 63:1-8 MESSAGE)

So there’s the challenge. In the midnight hour when everyone is asleep and I lie awake staring at the ceiling, I will worship. I will reflect on the goodness of the Lord.

Discipleship, Ethos, Experience, Faith in Action, Leadership, Ministry, Wrestling With Scripture

Curveball

Just when you think you’ve got everything together something flies in and obliterates the wall of security that you’ve fashioned around your self. It could be in your home life, business, relationships, church life- every area of your life is fair game for Satan to throw a curveball at you high and inside. It is in your reaction to the curveball that speaks to your innermost self and screams volumes as to who you put your faith into.

What curveball is life throwing at you right now?

What’s your reaction?

I have found comfort in some passages from Isaiah this weekend (44-46). They remind me that the things of this earth- blessing and curses, triumphs and disasters, good times and bad times- are all temporal whereas my God in now and forever. He is a constant guide and constant comfort. He alone is true and he alone is faithful.

With that I can take what ever is thrown at me- big or small, huge or insignificant- because I am not alone.

And guess what? Neither are you.

Discipleship, Faith in Action, Film & Theology, Leadership, Life, Ministry, Youth Ministry

GATM: Iron Man

gatmironman2.jpgLast night I kicked off a new series called (creatively) God @ the Movies and we started with the first big movie of the summer, Iron Man.

Until last week I knew virtually nothing about Iron Man. I spent about three hours in a crash course study of all things Tony Stark. I was extremely thankful for two books that helped me craft my lesson for last night. First, I learned a great deal from Iron Man: Beneath the Armor by Andy Mangels. This a brand new resource that I would define as the definitive tome on the Iron Knight. Mangels takes the reader from the jungles of Vietnam where Tony Stark was injured, captured, and forced to escape his captures in the first Iron Man suit through Stark’s battle with the bottle to the film and the current story lines found in the comic book pages. The book contains some great artwork and gives you all you’d ever need to know about Iron Man.

The other book that really helped me out was Who Needs a Superhero? by H. Michael Brewer. Brewer connected the life of Tony Stark with the life of King David. Both men had issues with their hearts. Tony Stark has a piece of shrapnel that inches closer and closer to his heart threatening to kill him at any moment but he struggles with the heart go deeper than mere flesh. He is unlucky at love (one girlfriend shot him) and business (he has made fortunes and lost each and everyone). All the pressures on his life drove him to battle with alcoholism. King David’s issues with the heart are also well documented. Bathsheba, Amnon and Tamar, Amnon and Absalom, Absalom and David. Heartbreak after heartbreak all because David began to trust in his armor over his God.

After his sin with Bathsheba, David penned this psalm:

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalms 51:1-12)

So what can we learn from this multi-million dollar summer blockbuster and what can we learn from this ancient shepherd-king of Israel? We can look for purpose and joy in the things of this world and trust in the strength of our hands but it won’t heal our broken hearts.

Our hearts can only be made whole again in the hands of our Creator. When we give him our hearts of stone he will give us hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). Only then will we find true purpose and lasting joy.

Yes Lord, create in me a pure heart!