Random Ramblings

Father to a Prodigal World

2010-07-05T09:02:00.000-04:00

I know it has been over a year since I’ve updated my blog. I’m really sorry for that. I promise I’m still alive and doing well. A year ago I moved from the beautiful state of North Carolina back to Oklahoma City to be closer to my family. The church in NC is wonderful. I think about them often and miss them greatly. A lot has happened over the last year and I will give a full update on that later. For now...I’d just like to share some thoughts and talk about what I am currently doing.

I just finished the book “The Return of the Prodigal Son” by Henri J. M. Nouwen and I highly recommend it. While reading this book, I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. As I’ve joined Nouwen in his journey through this story, I’ve been deeply challenged and even brought to tears by the power of God’s love displayed in this book. Often, when reading this story, we ask ourselves, “Which son am I? The older or younger?” With Nouwen I’ve come to realize that I am both, and I desperately need to feel the firm embrace of the Father. The person I never have realized I need to be in this story is the father.

The father is the one who runs out to the son and embraces him, puts a robe and ring on him, feeds him, and makes him feel like royalty. His compassionate love, displayed in the full embrace, is where I have focused my contemplation. God has called us to be the father in this story, to the world around us. We are called to be the loving embrace to the world around us that desperately needs it.

I am currently in Guyana, South America (not Africa) on a medical mission trip. I am not a medical person, as many of you know, so what is my purpose down here? I will be sharing the Gospel with 20+ people individually each day before they come into the clinic. I will have the opportunity to be God’s voice and loving embrace to Muslims and Hindus. I often overlook opportunities to share God’s loving embrace with people. I go on about my day to day life, looking past so many people who need God. I’m excited, and a little nervous, about this week. I pray, and ask you to pray with me, that I, and the rest of our team, will go back to our daily lives with a new found conviction of being the father to this prodigal world and running out to embrace it. Let us draw close to our Father so that our hearts beat with His for the people that He loves.

I will continue to update as the week progresses. Thanks for your prayers!

Turn the Page

2009-06-12T14:24:00.001-04:00

A page is turning. A chapter is closing. A new chapter is about to begin. I’ve always liked William Shakespeare’s quote: All the world’s a stage, and all men and women are merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts.” I like this quote because it really captures the Story that God is writing. We are merely players. Sometimes we like to think we are the Author of this Story but we’re merely players… and the reality is… we aren’t even the main characters. When the credits begin to roll we’ll fall somewhere between stunt double and boom operator.

When I moved out here, I had my whole story written out. My story was to be here a long while and them to move on to Scotland to do a church plant. I had the next 30 years of life written. Why are we so arrogant to think that we are the author of our own story? God has a way of reminding us that He is the Author of the Story and He will write our story within it...we just have to hand over our story board (Jim can hand over his flannel board).

I thank God that He has written the Family at Northview Church in Statesville, NC into my story as He writes my story into The Story. This major chapter in my life, though merely a sentence in The Story, has been a powerful chapter for me. I am thankful for each of them for the ways that you have helped me see God’s handwriting all around me. I look forward to see how God writes out the rest of the stories with The Story. Let Him be the Author of your life and follow Him wherever He takes you even when it isn’t where you thought you would ever go.

“The LORD bless you and keep you;

The LORD make his face shine up you and be gracious to you;

The LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

Stop Reading Your Bible

2009-03-27T06:45:00.002-04:00

I’ve studied a few textbooks in my day. I have dug deep into their information to understand what I need to know for tests. I have forgotten much of that information that I learned in Grade School. I remember that there are different layers of rocks but I honestly couldn’t tell you what they are even though I do find it fascinating.

I’ve soaked up a number of books by different authors. I could probably write out most of the thoughts of Mere Christianity or give you a detailed explanation of what N.T. Wright says about the world in his book, Evil and the Justice of God. I like to read these books so the information sticks with me as I pour over their pages.

While in school I was forced to read a lot of books that I remember a small bit about. I always enjoy a good “Big Brother” joke from George Orwell’s 1984, or a quote from Of Mice and Men. I hated having to read these books at the time but I am glad I did. I used to read a small section during commercials on T.V. or I would cram it all in right before the test and just skim over it and try to pick up the story line.

How do you read your Bible? Is it a textbook? A good book someone recommended and you like the thoughts in it? A novel that makes you feel good? Or a book you know you’re supposed to read so you do so out of obligation? Should the Bible be read in any of these ways? Take a look at the first Psalm:

Psalm 1

Blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked

or stand in the way of sinners

or sit in the seat of mockers.

But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.

He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.

Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.

There are a number of different approaches that one can take to reading the Bible that help you come into a deeper relationship with God. If you want to know some different ways please let me know and I’ll talk to you about them. I used to try and read God’s Word because I felt obligated. I never got much out of it. We were always told to read our Bibles growing up with the reason that when we need to know answers we would find them in the Scriptures. I think starting with obligation is an ok place to start but we need to get past that.

We’ve been called to a life transforming relationship with our Father. When we meditate on His Words we allow them to transform our lives. We have to listen to what He is saying to us each day through His Scripture. I’ve stopped reading my Bible for the big test at the end. I want to be transformed daily by the Words that God writes on my heart through His Holy Scripture. I want to be like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit each season, never withering.

The Shield of St. Patrick

2009-03-17T12:14:00.000-04:00

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through the belief in the threeness,
Through the confession of the oneness
Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,
Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,
Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,
Through the strength of his descent for the Judgment Day.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In the service of archangels,
In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In prayers of patriarchs,
In predictions of prophets,
In preaching of apostles,
In faith of confessors,
In innocence of holy virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven:
Light of sun,
Radiance of moon,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of wind,
Depth of sea,
Stability of earth,
Firmness of rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me:
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's host to save me
From snares of demons,
From temptations of vices,
From everyone who shall wish me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,
Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through belief in the threeness,
Through confession of the oneness,
Of the Creator of Creation.

Missed My Cue

2009-03-09T21:46:00.000-04:00

It was Wednesday night, March 8, 1994. Heavily distracted by the orange cushioned hard wood pew I was sitting on and the South African accent coming from the Youth Minister who was preaching I tried to focus on my cue, “Come now as we stand and sing.” This was the cue that scripturally comes at the end of every sermon. I am sure the sermon was good but somehow he failed to stick the dismount. He didn’t give me my cue very clearly. Mom looked at me and asked if I had changed my mind. To which I replied, “Did I miss it?” My Dad baptized me after services were over with the group surrounding me who didn’t rush off after the “amen” was said.

I had decided that evening that I didn’t want to go to Hell. I knew that I was a sinner. I wanted Jesus to keep me from eternal damnation…maybe that isn’t how I would have put it at the age of ten because I probably thought I would have gotten in trouble for using the word that came before “ation”. Nonetheless, I was a sinner needing saving. I came to Jesus for salvation and over the past 15 years He’s shown me so much more.

Many people have played major roles in my life as a Christian. My parents dedication to raising us in a Christian home and showing me what a Godly marriage looks like has and will always play one of the biggest roles in my life. Alvin Willson teaching me in Sunday School is when it clicked for me. Steve and Amy Martin, my Youth Minister and his wife were pillars in my early years as a Christian. Many different professors in college showed me what life is really about. And in the more recent chapter in my life, Jim Smith, Gerald Boan, Dan Waller, and many many more people at Northview have been used by God to continue to help me grow and be transformed as a Child.

As I learned to crawl I followed the rules as best as I could, for fear that I wouldn’t be good enough to get out of Hell. I began to make baby-steps as I got into Jr High and High School as my Youth Minister challenged me to lead. In college I began to shed the chains of legalism and began to walk with Christ as many mentors introduced me to what a Relationship with Him is all about. I still followed the rules but no longer to keep me out of Hell but to draw me deeper into a relationship with my Father.

What I have realized is, when I came to Jesus for salvation He embraced me and then called me to transformation. After reflecting on the past 15 years of my Life I am now looking to how God is transforming me into the Creation that He created me to be. I know perfection hasn’t come yet but we have been called to be transformed daily. As we walk with Jesus our feet harden, our muscles strengthen, and we start to be transformed into what God has called us to be. In what ways are you being transformed? What needs to be transformed in your? Where are you still crawling when you’ve been called to walk? You came to Jesus for Salvation…now He calls you to Transformation.

I Love Coffee!!

2009-02-28T23:38:00.002-05:00

I love coffee! I know that comes as a shock to many of you who know me…but I must confess it. I love coffee! I love the aroma, the way it is made, the work that goes into it. To me…coffee is a form of art. I might even be called a bit of a coffee snob. I love to find local coffee shops that serve locally roasted coffee so that I can partake in the art of the area. A favorite memory of mine is sitting in a little coffee shop with a little old lady on the side of a mountain in Costa Rica. Her coffee shop overlooked the communities coffee fields that all took part in harvesting. The cup I was drinking was the product and pride of the village of Monteverde, Costa Rica.

If you asked me, “Do you love coffee more than God?” the answer would be simple. There isn’t a chance that I love coffee more than God. A few weeks ago I was talking to my teens about making a sacrifice for a time and one of them asked if I could go without coffee. I felt challenged. I would never say that I love coffee more than God but could I give coffee up as a testimony for how much I love God?

I'm not say that you have to give up something as if it were required to prove to God how much you love Him but it can be healthy in a relationship from time to time to say, “I love you this much.” We do so many things in our lives that are not inherently bad but sometimes we put them above God without realizing it. What could you give up for a time? What is something that consumes you more than God? What is something that you could remove from your life that’ll bring you closer to the God who created you?

I am proud of my teens. This past weekend at Winterfest they were challenge with living “Elemental Lives.” Everything that happens in life comes down to two elements – L-1 and L-2…Love God and Love Others. When these elements come together powerful things happen. Many of the teens are taking this challenge of Loving God and making a sacrifice for a time to work on that major element in their lives. During this time they are also going through daily devotionals to help them focus on L-1 and L-2 and apply them to their lives. I look forward to seeing what kind of growth happens in their relationships with God and with others.

Shema

2009-02-20T13:00:00.002-05:00

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is ONE. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your strength.”
– Deut 6:4-5

From the 613 total commandments that complex the lives of the Jews, an expert in the law asked Jesus which one is the greatest commandment. I think Jesus answered the question like any good Jew would. The Jews have a practice that captures me. The Shema is recited every morning, during morning blessings, throughout prayer services, when the Torah is brought out, at holidays, as a bedtime prayer, as part of the deathbed confessional, and various other times. The first part of the Shema is the answer that Jesus gave as the greatest command, Deuteronomy 6:4-5.

To love God is not just to have good feelings about Him or to keep a list of prescribed rules. I’ve known many people who have lived out this view of love toward God. We discussed this in class this past Wednesday night and I really like how Dustin Deal put it. “When you love God with all that you are it simply pours out of you.” To love God is to give Him your all…everything you’ve got – your mind, spirit, body, time, service, allegiance, dedication, passion, stuff, money, time, and on and on and on.

The Jews repeat this passage over and over throughout the day and throughout their lives as a reminder of the very basis of their beliefs: “That the LORD our God, the LORD is one.” The theme of Winterfest this weekend is “Love God – Love Others” based on this passage. Our teens will be challenged to live out this command in their lives. I want to leave us with the question…and challenge…if we focused throughout the day on Deuteronomy 6:4-5, how would our lives change?

Quarter Century

2009-02-16T20:49:00.002-05:00

A quarter century passed on Feb 15. A lot has happened in the last 25 years. I’ve been to 16 different countries…some more than once. I’ve climbed mountains. Laughed hysterically. Cried vigorously. Met strangers. Shared love. Bonded. Became a Brother to people I had never met. Seen God in amazing ways. Shared Jesus. Found Jesus. Been angry with God. Laughed with God. Talked long talks with God. Walked with God. Regretted things I’ve done. Remembered. Forgotten. Forgiven. Preached a wedding…and a funeral. Lived in a different country. Moved out on my own. Experienced new adventures. Had my first spanking. Took my first breath.

I have seen and done a lot in the first 25 years of my life. I don’t say this to boast or to make you think more of me. I’ve done a lot in my short existence. Looking back on my list of stuff I’ve seen and done I get excited about the opportunities I’ve had. In 25 years I hope my list looks different…not that I don’t want anymore adventure because I really do. I hope that when I am 50 and I look back at the last quarter century…my next 25 years, I hope my list looks more like Paul’s in 2 Corinthians 11.

When I look back over my life I hope to see all of the times that I could do nothing more than to put my trust in God. I hope I see a life that was a life of dependence and not on independence. I hope that the next 25 years will be lived in a way that I find no strength in myself but only in God.

Now that I know what I want to look back on…how do I live it? What areas in my life do I depend on myself and not God? Where to I turn first when something happens…either good or bad? During time of crisis…economic, physical, mental…where do I find my strength? In all areas of my life, do I see God or myself?

Grace and Peace to You

2009-02-08T01:35:00.000-05:00

Grace and peace to you. Grace and peace to you from God our Father. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

I am constantly amazed at some of the things that Paul said to people in his letters. Sometimes he comes across as absolutely brutal. If he were a “hired minister” at a particular congregation he would most likely be fired for some of the things he said to those who are under the name of Christ. On a number of occasions he called individuals out, saying that they were under Satan’s influence. He used language and imagery to get his point across that isn’t even secularly accepted today in public. Most of all he was passionate about what he was saying…and he meant it.

No matter what Paul had to say, he said it under the banner of the grace and peace of God. I think back to things I’ve said and often I speak out of all kinds of wrong motives. The banner that is often flown with our lips is a banner of pride, anger, revenge, annoyance, etc. Everything Paul said in his letters was said in order to bring grace and peace.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Living in the Promise Land

2009-01-26T15:00:00.001-05:00

I’m not the biggest fan of Chinese Philosophy…not that there is a ton wrong with it…I’m just more of a Greek guy myself. Every once in a while I stumble over into the Chinese Philosophers and pay them a little bit of attention. There is a desire early in life to want to change the world…one of the reasons I love working with teens. Most people realize at some point that changing the world is a pretty overwhelming task so they settle for simply living life. What does this have to do with Chinese Philosophers? Nothing really except that I re-stumbled across a quote from Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC).

“To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.”

Gandhi said it in another way, “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” but I would like to focus on one area of what Confucius said. To get the family in order you must get yourself in order. To get yourself in order you must get your heart right. It seems as though that focusing on family helps change the world. Centering on family you find foundation for growing your heart and for developing yourself.

When Israel was about to enter the promise land, God saw the struggle of keep their hearts on Him standing in front of them. Deuteronomy 6:10-12 reads, “When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”

When you live in a land that doesn’t promote depending on Him, God warns them to be careful to not forget Him. How are we to not forget God living in the land that we live where we don’t have much dependence on Him for our daily life? God sets an order in place so that His people will stay faithful to Him in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”

What can change in your family this year that will help you change the world?

Epitaph

2009-01-15T09:51:00.000-05:00

If you had one last thing to say, what would it be? What would you want to stick with you in the minds of every person that speaks of your name? Every time you’re visited you repeat simple words for them to remember…what would they be? What would your epitaph say?

Living on the east coast there are a lot of cemeteries with some really old graves in them. I don’t do this often but I’ve walked through a graveyard looking at different headstones, imagining the life that they lived. Every once in a while you find someone with a meaningful story. Someone took the time to tell their story because their life had great meaning. I am amazed by this. Have you ever thought about what you would like your epitaph to say? If you looked at your life right now, what would it say? With the start of the New Year I contemplate this more and more.

I have a deep appreciation for Saint Patrick. He felt God’s calling, dropped everything, followed it, and died with a great epitaph on the breastplate on his tomb. It reads:

Christ be with me
Christ before me
Christ behind me
Christ in me
Christ beneath me
Christ above me
Christ on my right
Christ on my left
Christ where I lie
Christ where I sit
Christ where I arise
Christ in the heart of every man
who thinks of me
Christ in the mouth of every man
who speaks of me
Christ in every eye that sees me
Christ in every ear that hears me
Salvation is of the Lord.

When I die, I want everyone to understand that in all areas of my life, Christ was there. Now…I need to examine what needs to happen in order for Christ to be where He belongs.

Caught the Garter...Again

2008-12-29T17:09:00.000-05:00

I caught the garter…again. I’m two for two this year in my wedding to garter ratio. I know what a lot of you are thinking. I am supposed to get married within a year. Since I caught a second garter…does that buy me more time? I digress. The fact is I love going to weddings. This wedding was my best friend’s little sister. I have the deepest appreciation for their family and was delighted when it worked out that I got to be there to see this momentous event take place. She was glowing. He kept winking at her. Tears filled many of our eyes at the beautiful sight that was taking place before us. I hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, told her how beautiful she looked, and congratulated her. She was happy I could be there since I live so far away. I was happy I could be there.

I was sharing this event with a brother of mine who is a spiritual warrior that I respect so much. I was cracking jokes about catching the garter again when he said, “Ryan, I remember you saying a while ago that you’re the Bride of Christ.” He often exposes the spiritual side of the jokes that I am making. I appreciate him for that. Our conversation shifted directions. I’ve been pondering his comments. He’s helped me grow a little bit more.

I was at a wedding of two people that I care a lot about and I didn’t think I would be able to make it. Not only did I get to go to the wedding but I caught the garter. I got to participate in one of the great rituals of marriage with this wonderful couple. I wasn’t even supposed to be there because I live so far away.

I was reminded of the wedding banquet that we’ll have with Jesus. We aren’t worthy of being there. Not because of distance in miles but because of the distance of sin. Jesus doesn’t just invite us as guests but He invites us to be His Holy Bride. What an honor! What delight! He brought us such a great distance so we could take part in this wedding with Him.

If you we are the Bride of Christ, what does our dress look like? Does your life reflect what you want your dress to look like? By the Grace of God, He makes it white for us if we’ll let Him.

Open Their Eyes

2008-12-29T17:08:00.000-05:00

Have you ever sat in front of someone and they weren’t sitting in front of you? You’re talking to them; they are nodding their head, giving the occasional, “mmhmm,” but it is obvious they really aren’t with you. I’ve talked to people from New York City and they tell me about how lonely it can be. I find it hard to believe that in a city booming with so many people that you can stand alone in a crowd. They are right there next to you but you’re miles apart.

A lot of people have this view of God. You talk to Him but He just doesn’t seem to be there. You tell them that He’s standing right in front of them…all around them…but they see Him as a distant God. God created this whole shindig and then stepped away. Most people live out their lives with this view of a distant God. Why? I think it is because they have never really opened their eyes to His presence…or no one has opened their eyes to His presence.

I really love the story of Elisha and his servant in II Kings 6. Verse 17 grabs me…“And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” Elisha prayed this for his servant because he himself could see the Glory of God all around him. He then shared it.

We are the people who are in intimate relationship with God. We are the ones who see His face. We are the ones marked with His Holy Spirit. We are the temple He dwells in. We are the people who open the eyes of those around us to see God standing in front of them. How will you open someone’s eyes this week so they see that God is standing right there in front of them?

Life

2008-12-29T17:06:00.000-05:00

We’ve been studying the book of Acts on Sunday mornings in the Youth Ministry. Acts has been a fun study for me as I’ve taught it over the past few months. There are a number of different themes that you’ll find but one that comes back more than any other. “The Message of Life” is a theme found just about on every page as you thumb through this book. This has really spoken to me as I examine my own life. Every message preached was this Message of Life. Death is involved in this Life but it isn’t the focal point.

This is where I started to examine my life and the message that I present each person I encounter. Are they hearing the Message of Life or the Message of Death when they see my reactions to daily life? What do they see when they experience my life? Death? Life?

We are the people who are the Temple. The people where Heaven meets Earth. The people who are marked by the Holy Spirit. If Heaven is the reality of the presence of God, and we have Him inside of us, do our lives reflect this Message of Life? When people experience us, they need to catch a small glimpse of Heaven. The reality of God’s Presence needs to flow out of us into the people around us. We should look different from this world because of this mark we have, the Holy Spirit.

Paul spent a lot of his time going back to the churches he had visited or planted, encouraging them. I think his encouragement would have been centered on bringing the reality of Heaven into your daily life. To live Life. To live the Message of Life.

If you were to encourage someone today what would you encourage them to do? What would you encourage them to be? How would you encourage them? What would you say? What would you do?

God, What Do You Want?

2008-11-25T15:06:00.001-05:00

For the first time in my life I have had the ability to accumulate “stuff.” I’ve never had this ability before and I’ve been struggling with it. On one side of the stuff I see a Gospel being preached in Christendom that God blesses us with stuff when we are good followers of Him. On the other side of the stuff I’ve read a number of authors that more or less preach “God wants your stuff.” If you don’t give all of your stuff to Him then you are not really one of His disciples…you really aren’t following Him. I have some respect for this second group because I’ve actually seen many of them live it out in powerful ways…but I’m still not sure if that is what the Gospel really teaches…I’m not sure if that is what Jesus really says.

In Luke’s Gospel we find Jesus in conversation with a “Rich Young Ruler.” He asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds with a list from the Law but the Rich Guy had kept all of those since he was a boy. Jesus then says something that I have heard people throw around a lot in terms of “Stuff.” He says in 18:22, “Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me.” It is this verse along with, “You cannot serve both God and money” found in Matt 6:27, which have been used to say that it is wrong for followers of Jesus to have stuff.

I have been struggling with this teaching for some time, and I know how controversial it can be, so I want to share a conviction and a challenge to you. Take it or leave it…I won’t judge. I don’t think Jesus wants our stuff. Somewhere in the middle of these two extreme teachings of Poverty vs Plenty we find what Jesus was really saying. In I Sam 16:7, God tells Samuel, “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

All throughout Jesus’ teachings I feel like He is echoing what God told Samuel. If you can get past what Jesus said to the Rich Guy, He then says, “I tell you the truth…no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.” It isn’t just about the stuff. It is about anything that takes your heart away from God. Go read Luke 9:57-62. Jesus encounters different people who want to follow Him but first want to take care of their stuff. He tells them at the end to focus on what is important…He wants their hearts.

Here we ask the question in Luke 18:26, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus’ answer is basically this. “If you try and be saved on your own…you’re arrogant. Give it to God. It is only possible with Him.” Here is the challenge…examine your life on a regular basis. What can you give up for a time to make sure God has your heart? Make the practice of sacrifice and depend on God…be reminded the He is God and you are not. He wants nothing more than your heart. Find ways to make sure He has it!

Chocolate Pie

2008-11-22T14:29:00.001-05:00

I was thinking the other day about chocolate pie…not that it consumes my thoughts often…but this time of year I have to prepare myself for it. My Mother and Grandmother both make incredible chocolate pies. I have to eat a few slices of each holiday and I never reveal which chocolate pie is better…when the other is in the room. I always kiss Grandma on the cheek and tell her that hers is the best…then go and do the same thing to my mom. They get their lovin…I get my pie…we’re all happy.

Grandma still isn’t doing very well so I don’t guess I get to play my usual game with her and mom. It isn’t about the pie at all. I really look forward to seeing her but things are going to be different this year…again.

Over the past 5-6 years it seems as though my family has looked different at each Thanksgiving meal that has passed. Close family has passed on and others just cannot be with us anymore. Grandbabies have been born. I’ve moved away and everything seems to change a little bit each year. It can be hard at times and I can see where people have a hard time finding what there is to be thankful for. I know these probably aren’t the thoughts you were expecting right here before Thanksgiving but they are the thoughts I am having.

I believe life is about choices. I right now choose to be happy and thankful. My Grandmother is a Saint…a Woman of God. My brother is growing in his relationship with God. I am a Child of God which makes me part of an incredible Family that I love spending time with. I have a lot of people in my life that I am very thankful for. God has blessed me with amazing relationships.

I see where it can be hard to look at all the bad things going on in life but I am going to make the choice to look at the good. We are the people who know what is Good about everything going on in the world. We are the people who know Who is the Good that is going on in this world. Make the choice to be happy, to be thankful, and to share the Good with others so they can be happy and thankful too.

Letter From Paul

2008-11-17T14:30:00.001-05:00

As you look through the New Testament, you see a lot of letters written from Paul, Peter, John, or one of the other Apostles to some church or some individual. Most of the time they are helping them get back to what is important. They are helping them get back to Jesus. To get back to a relationship with God…and what that really means. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says He didn’t come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. That is because everyone was missing the point.

According to the Law…I’m doing pretty good…I haven’t killed anyone all day. Jesus brings everyone back to what is important. You say you haven’t killed anyone all day…how are you doing with your anger problem? There is something deeper that Jesus is calling us to in the Sermon on the Mount. There is something deeper that the Apostles tried to call the church to than simply “doing church.” They were encouraging when they needed to be encouraging. They were blunt when they needed to be blunt. They didn’t hold back if you needed to hear what they needed to say. And they did it all out of love for God’s people.

I’ve been asking myself a question that I want to challenge you to ask as well. If Paul were to write me a letter…what would he say? If a letter were written to Northview…what would it say? Would it look like a letter in Revelation? A letter to Corinth? Philippi? Berea? What would the letter say to you/us about how we need to get back to Jesus…to what is really important?

Eye for an Eye...Really?

2008-11-07T13:56:00.000-05:00

Good events happen in the world every day. Bad events take place in this world each day as well. Some events are good for one person and bad for another. Sporting events can be this way. Championships in particular. Elections. Vacations. Just about every kind of activity comes down to what your attitude is. I’ve been on a hiking trip where most of our time we were hiking in the rain. I loved it but one of the other guys thought it was the worst experience of his life. We react to everything that happens in life. That reaction often shows who we really are.

Whatever your reaction is to events in this world either makes this world sicker or healthier. This can either be a personal reaction to something someone says or a mass reaction to a major event that affects everyone. Sometimes a small group of loud obnoxious people react in very sick ways and poorly represent the rest of people who are also classified in their group. Many reactions in history have been done under the flag of Christianity that have made the world sicker.

There are things that Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount that annoy me at times…mostly because I know He’s right and I simply don’t want to do it. For instance in Matt 5:38-42, “You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

When the world says, “Hit!” Jesus says, “Don’t react maliciously!” When the world says, “Steal!” Jesus says, “Make a gift out of it!” I think Jesus would even go on to say that if someone says something bad to you, tell them thank you for your opinion. As Followers of Christ we have to be careful what kind of reaction we have to everything that happens in this world. I’ve watched many of my fellow Brothers and Sisters make this world a sicker place because they did not get what they wanted and I know I’ve been there with them from time to time. A challenge to all of us…let’s let the Light of Christ shine through each of us no matter what happens in this world and let’s make this world healthier each and every day.

Spunky Little Irishman

2008-11-02T01:53:00.001-04:00

I was walking through the streets of Dundee, Scotland one day, on my way to a Bible Study with a spunky Irishman named Arthur, when I realized that I was walking alone in one of the most dangerous parts of the city. Even though I stood out because I was an American I calmed myself because it was the middle of the day and surly bad things only happen at night right? I looked down a street as I trudged onward and saw a guy walking a few blocks away. It was at this point that I saw a mob of guys come out of the alley and beat him with bats, take his wallet and leave him for dead. I hurried my pace fearing for my life and eventually made it safely to my Bible Study with Arthur.

Studies with Arthur were always interesting. When I walked in he could tell I was troubled and asked if everything was ok. I simply told him I had a headache to which he offered me a beer. Like I said…meetings with Arthur were always interesting. We always studied what he wanted to study and this particular day he wanted to read Luke 10:25-37…The Parable of the Good Samaritan. I started to feel sick as we read through it in our group. My mind was racing. What could I have done for that guy? I even justified to myself while I walked on that I was late for a Bible Study with a spunky Irishman named Arthur. I’m thousands of miles away from my family. What if they jumped me and I died? I’ve got a long life to live. I just walked on hoping to make it to Arthurs soon.

This ate at me all day and still brings me to tears. For the first time in my life, one of Jesus’ parables played out in a very real way and I failed miserably. I remember hearing these stories in youth group and being asked which character I would be. I would always answer the correct answer because that is what an “expert in the law” does.

When Jesus said the things that He said, did He really mean them? The expert in the law in this passage answered Jesus correctly but did he walk away thinking, “I don’t think Jesus really meant that.” Jesus calls us to be the Samaritan who cared. He calls us to be the Prostitute who washes his feet. He calls us to pick up our cross and follow Him. He doesn’t really mean to make us uncomfortable does He? Does He really want our lives to be in danger in order to show Him in very real ways to the people of this world? God spoke to me through a spunky little Irishman named Arthur that day…and I think He said, “Yes!”

Who Are You?

2008-10-27T15:06:00.000-04:00

At a Youth Ministry conference I was at back in January, one of the speakers said something that has been very challenging for me. “You need to know who you are outside of being a minister,” is the comment that I’ve been struggling with for the past seven months. Ministry is my life. There isn’t much more to it than that. I began to have a better understanding when I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. When you’re on the trail you are just a hiker. No one asks you who you are or what your vocation is. It isn’t often that I get to set “who I am” aside and just be Ryan.

We consume ourselves with identity and live accordingly. We are…doctors, nurses, teachers, students, retired, salesmen, etc. We get to a point that we cannot really see ourselves as anything else. What we do becomes our identity. There is a great need in our lives to be recognized as Children of God…to find our identity as Children. I can only speculate what life would be like if we were to fully embrace our identity as Children as our full identity…and then find ourselves working our jobs within the realm of this identity.

One of my favorite stories in British history is the story of King Canute the Great. His Nobles and Officers often praised how great he was. They showered him with praise so much that Canute grew tired of their foolish speeches. One day he was by the seashore, and his officers and nobles were with him…continuing to shower him with praise. He had them bring his throne to the waters edge. As he sat down he asked them, “Am I the greatest man in the world?” They called out, “Yes! There is no one as mighty as you.” He did this for a while to the point where he looked out at the water and cried out, “Sea, I command you to come no farther! Waves, stop your rolling, and do not dare to touch my feet!"

The tide came in as it always did. Water rising higher and higher till it came up around King Canute’s throne…wetting not only his feet but his robe as well. He then stood up, taking off his crown, he walked over to the sanctuary and laid it at the feet of Jesus on the cross. He turned to his nobles and officers and said, “I will never wear this crown again. There is only one King who is all-powerful. He is who shall be praised above all others.”

In order to know who I am outside of being a minister, I must lay that crown down at the feet of Jesus. Jesus challenges us to take up our cross and die to ourselves. Ultimately we must remove the crown of our identity and be identified as Children of God. We then look to God and say, “Where do you need me in your Kingdom?” He will make you whatever He needs you to be.

Walk This Way

2008-10-24T18:23:00.002-04:00

Growing up I’m sure we’ve all looked at the Bible and said, “Why all the rules?” The reality is...a lot of us still ask this question. It is the basic question the world asks us. Does Jesus simply not want us to have any fun? Is the grumpy old man in the sky upset by us feeling good and enjoying life? The questions could get worse I guess…but we’ll leave it where it is. I feel like there is something more than just an exchange of Old Testament Rules for New Testament Rules.

In Matthew 5:17 Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” He then spends the next bit of time turning the world of Jewish thought on its head and calls us not to be rule followers but to be Salt and Light in this bland and broken world. He says, “Walk This Way.”

Before Jesus ever says anything about “Walk This Way” He gives a quick glimpse of what it looks like to be Children of God in this broken world. He gives us the Beatitudes. This past weekend, eight Youth Ministers and 250 teens from all over the Carolinas explored what it means to “Walk This Way” in terms of what Jesus calls us to through the Beatitudes. The weekend retreat at the beach was incredible…even if it was in the 60’s and rainy. One of the greatest things in youth ministry is to see this many teens get together to worship God. His Spirit filled the whole weekend. The teens were challenged to the deeper life that Jesus calls us to through the Beatitudes and the Sermon on the Mount…simply…they were challenged to “Walk This Way!”

Talk to someone who was there. Find out where they were encouraged to grow. Ask where God spurred them in their Walk. The challenge for you now is to pick up Matthew 5-7 and let Jesus’ Words mold you into a deeper way of living. Let Jesus teach you to be Salt and Light. Let Jesus show you how to “Walk This Way!”

Where Is Your Stone

2008-10-17T11:27:00.001-04:00

I am a fan of rocks…let’s face it…they rock! Ok…I know…really bad joke. Hear me out anyway. I never really like learning about them in school but I am fascinated by them. How can a huge bolder just sit there the way it is? How does it then become a tiny pebble? Some are jagged. Some are made for kids with short attention spans…they sparkle! Some are smooth…these are the ones that intrigue me the most. How does a coarse stone become pure smooth like that?

At our “Walk This Way” Beatitudes retreat this weekend I was given the topic “Blessed are the pure in heart” to speak about Saturday night. I started looking at the heart as if it were a stone that needed to be made smooth. What would it be like to try and smooth a rock with your hands? Would it be possible? Even if you were able to get one area smooth would you accomplish pure smoothness?

The Pharisees constantly tried to smooth themselves out through “Righteous Living” and completely missed the point of why the Law was put in place in the first place. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls His followers to a deeper way of living. The way of a transformed heart. When you might pat yourself on the back and say, “Look at how righteous I am…I haven’t killed anyone all day,” Jesus says, “How is your anger?” He makes you go deeper into your existence and look at the heart of the matter in all things. “You say don’t commit adultery. I say don’t look lustfully on a woman.” It isn’t just about your action but about the center of your being…your heart!

Time for reality…YOU CAN’T DO IT! That is hard to swallow but you can’t. Paul in Romans 7 talks about his struggle with the Law and cries out in verse 24, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?” Then answers in the next verse, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” It is Jesus who transforms our jagged hearts into the pure heart that we’ve been called to. But how does this happen? (Stop and read Roman 8:1-17…it’ll change your life)

Jesus promises the woman at the well, in John 4, “Living Water” and then a few chapters later in John 7:38 He says, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” And again in Revelation 7:17 “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water.”

Jesus calls us to take our stones and throw them in the river of Living Water to let His current run over them every day. He calls us to immerse our stones…to baptize our hearts in His Living Water and let His Word, His Spirit, His current smooth out and make pure our rough hearts. Where is your stone? In your hand or in the River?

GPS

2008-10-16T12:17:00.001-04:00

All throughout the Bible…especially in the Jewish mindset…God is never explained by who He is but by what He does or what He is like. From time to time we see something and it makes us think about God. We see a father throwing his kid in the air with joy. A mother consoling her child. In an old woman’s eyes. In nature. The stars. The ocean. His reminder is all around us.

One of my favorite things is when God reveals Himself in the oddest of places. I’ve had a GPS (Global Positioning System) in my car for almost a year now and it has been an interesting trip figuring it out. When you set your destination, the GPS provides you a map with a purple line that you simply follow. What happens often is that you get distracted and miss a turn. What the GPS then does is changes your course giving you new direction to get to your destination. Sometimes it simply tells you to turn around and get back on the right path.

What I love so much about God is that when you take a wrong turn in your life He says, “I can work with this” and then gives us new direction to get from where we are to our Destination. When you look through the story of Israel you see this happen over and over again. God has a destination for them but they always want to go another direction. Abraham and Sarah were promised a son but they were tired of waiting so Abraham had Ishmael with Hagar. God said He would work with it. All through the story of Israel you find mess up after mess up and God continued to work with them to bring them to their destination.

“Make a U-Turn as soon as possible…” my GPS will shout at me over and over and over again. There is simply no other way but to turn around and go back to the last turn you missed. Sometimes we make such a bad turn that God has to simply turn us around. Israel spent so much time in the wilderness learning a relationship with God and when they finally made it to the Promise Land…they made a wrong turn. God’s response? “Make a U-Turn as soon as possible!” They had to go back to the wilderness to find their direction again.

Listen to God and see where He is guiding you where you are right now. Follow Him. When you miss a turn…look for the next one He brings you to. He’ll take you to your destination…Heaven.

Jesus Be My Guide

2008-10-09T10:36:00.001-04:00

Every year we do a Family White Water Rafting Trip on the Nantahala River (this year being my third since I’ve been here). With my love for adventure and the outdoors, I look forward to this trip each year. It is a great weekend of family, fellowship, fun, adventure…and as always…“injuries make memories” which has more or less become an unspoken motto for the Nantahala Trip. This year we had a great time with record numbers and many visitors (110 total I believe with 86 rafting).

The two rafts I took down the river were two of the best rafts I have ever had the pleasure of guiding. I was thinking back as to why those rafts…at the average age of 13…did so well. Unity. Unity was key in those rafts doing well. Before ever getting in the water they were given one simple instruction…paddle together.

Every once in a while someone would ask, “Are we going right or left?” and the response from Philip Travis and I would be, “You paddle…we will guide.” I heard another guide talk about their group and he said that when he said that they were going to the right someone said they wanted to go left and started paddling against everyone else. Needless to say…they got stuck on a rock. Sunday morning we talked a lot about fellowship, unity, and Jerry challenged us to let Jesus be our River Guide.

The more I thought about that the more I thought about the boats I had the privilege to guide. Life is a lot easier when we just keep paddling with everyone else and let Jesus be our guide. We may not all look the same in the way we paddle but we can all paddle in the same direction.
Hebrews 10:23-25 says, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Why We Gather

2008-10-08T12:38:00.002-04:00

While at home, a good friend gave me the book, "Evil and the Justice of God" by N.T. Wright. He said I’d like it so he wanted me to have it. After a few weeks I finally picked it up and read it in about six days because I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend picking it up and reading it for yourself. There are a number of things I could share from this book but I want to focus on one thought that really has hit me this week while reading…

The Gospels do not offer any kind of philosophical explanation of evil, what it is or why it is there, nor do they give any suggestion for how we might change our lives so that evil might mysteriously disappear from the world. What the Gospels give us is the story of an event in which the Living God deals with evil. The cross is God’s eternal “no” to the problem of sin. Often we look at the world in terms of Good and Evil…us being “Good” and them being “Evil” but what one must realize is that the line between good and evil runs through the middle of me…of every one of us…and it is in this that the Gospels proclaim that the death of Jesus is “for me,” in my place and on my behalf. This is where the personal meaning of the cross becomes very clear…that there will be a time when I, the greatest of sinners, will be totally sinless, when God has completed the work of grace within me!

When we gather around the LORD’s Table we are reminded of this. At the supper the King shares His life with His friends, more particularly, solemnly makes them the beneficiaries of His kingdom-bringing death. What was accomplished in His death and resurrection, according to the early Christians, is the foundation, the model, and the guarantee of God’s ultimate purpose…which is to rid the world of evil altogether and to establish His new creation of justice, beauty, and peace. Every time we come together around the table we are reminded of what we are here for. That we are taking part in the death that must take place for us to stand sinless before God and that our purpose is to rid the world of sin through introducing them to the Creator who wants them back.

Focus on the Light

2008-10-06T08:57:00.000-04:00

I was sitting in a little office with my cute little blue hairnet on answering questions and cracking jokes about the possibility of my eyes getting bigger after my surgery when I was called into the next room. The nurse looked up at me, smiled and said, “Just look at the light” and handed me a little blue pill. Looking at a little light seemed like a simple thing to do so I went on with things.

After some tests I walked into a room filled with white-masked people whose eyes were smiling as they told me to lie down. The doctor kept repeating those same words to me as he informed me everything that was going on. “Just keep looking at the light” was all I had to do…what is this tape their putting on me…no just look at the light. This liquid feels funny…I can’t feel anything but I’m looking at the light…Is this sucking on my eye…its ok…focus on the light…that sure is an interesting brush touching my eye ball…then the light got dim…that’s when the lightning show started inside my eye…here comes the cold fluid and now I can see the light more clearly again…That wasn’t all that bad…Just kept looking at the light.

That was the first eye…then the valium kicked in and it was even harder to focus on the light. It really seemed like the light kept moving around on me the second time and I had to be reminded more often to keep focusing on the light. The reality is that the light stayed in the same place…I just kept getting distracted by all the little things coming into my view…and it didn’t help that I was a little more relaxed the second time.

The truth is that I find this to be true in my life on a regular basis. It seems so easy…Just look at the light. Nothing about getting distracted by all the things that come into view seem to have any benefit to my life at all yet distraction comes easily. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I AM the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” As distraction comes easily to each of us, let us encourage one another to “Just look at the Light” and everything will come out clear in the end.

Let's Be Conservative!

2008-07-26T23:51:00.001-04:00

One of the hottest topics in the Bible Department back in College was the topic of whom or which group was deemed “Liberal.” I didn’t like it…it irritated me. When asked, I’d give a smartelic response like, “I’m a conservative liberal” or “I’m liberally conservative.” I’ve never liked the game much…the finger pointing that is. I was once called a liberal because my hair was long and I’ve been called a conservative because I didn’t clap (mostly because I can’t ever find the beat). I could never figure out what the guidelines were for my Christianity. From what I could see through experiences with people in college, you were labeled one way or the other based on an individuals “centering view.”

I don’t know why but this topic has been on my mind a lot over the past month. The hot topic in American churches are whether or not you are liberal or conservative so I thought I’d try and define it for myself so I can better answer people when they ask. I decided to look up the definition of “Liberal” to give me a good starting point. The best definition I could find for being liberal means, “to give less emphasis on the literal interpretation of Scripture.”

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment in the Law was, He replied, “Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And the second greatest is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt 22:36-40). In a way…Jesus would define conservative and liberal based on this command. We’ve been called to Love God and Love Others. If you are fulfilling that…consider yourself a conservative. If you are not…you are a liberal.

Youth Groups are often slapped with a big “L” in the brotherhood. A close eye is kept on Youth Ministries and their liberal antics. In the last month I’ve seen the teens I’ve been blessed to work with, act more conservatively than many Christian groups I’ve encountered. In the last month these teens have: built three houses, distributed 10 soccer balls to kids who have nothing, give out enough food to feed 1800 people for 2-3 weeks in Honduras, sort clothes in Charlotte that will clothe families for years to come, organize food that will feed the starving in the Charlotte area, hug the lonely, play with needy children, and much much more. I am proud of how conservative your teens are. They have taught me a lot about what is means to Love God and Love others.

It is easy to be conservative when you are on a mission trip or at workcamp. My fear is that we will become liberals when we run into someone on the street, when one of our own gets pregnant out of wedlock, or do nothing but slander our brothers and sisters because they have a different ideal than we do. Let’s be conservative in whatever we do for the least of these brothers of mine.

Grin Like Jesus

2008-07-20T00:18:00.001-04:00

The bus took us as far as it could up the hill. We had to walk the rest of the way. Zigzagging between make shift huts we found ourselves in a small opening where a pile of lumber rested. There were many small huts built with scrap wood left over from logs being cut down into lumber. Almost every hut was accompanied by a small house (about 3 times bigger than the hut) of nicer wood that looked much like the lumber we had in the pile before us.

In this area of the little community of Mogote, almost every family had a new home built by teenagers like ours. The family standing before us had torn down part of their old house and were living in a very small space with a curtain for a door, anticipating the arrival of God’s Hands to build them a new home. We were warmly welcomed as if we were family. The kids wanted to do nothing but hug on us. All of these scenes on our first building day are etched in my memory very clearly.

Sylvia, from the Mogote Church of Christ, is a joy filled woman who was excited about us being there to build this family a house. She was excited because God’s Hands from Oklahoma built her house. God’s Hands from somewhere else built her neighbors house. And the house after that. And so on. She was joy filled that her friend was now finally going to get to experience the joy that they had been feeling for some time now.

Sylvia taught me something that day. I saw Jesus in her. I saw in her the excitement the Jesus gets when someone finally gets a new house. I don’t feel like I get excited enough when I find out that someone just got a New House from the Hand of God. These people were ready to celebrate with this family because of their new found joy. At some congregations all you find are some hearty amen’s and if the congregation is gutsy enough…clapping. I’ve been rethinking the whole baptism/giving your life to Jesus thing. Why not throw a party? Celebrate it every year as a bigger deal than your physical birth? Would it mean more to us later in life if we acted like it is as big of a deal as we believe it is? I want to be more excited like Sylvia. I want to grin like Jesus.

Minor Prophet in Major Ways

2008-06-28T01:23:00.000-04:00

From time to time Dan and I will have a recurring conversation. We’re both glad the God doesn’t have His prophets today do the things they used to do to get His message across to His people. It is nice being able to provide examples of what God is doing rather than have to live them out. Go back and read some of the things God had His prophets do and you’ll understand.

Prophets also weren’t terribly liked by too many people. Mostly they brought news of everything bad going to happen because of their corrupt lives. You never really heard anyone from ancient Israel say, “Hey Zephaniah! How about you join me and my family after Synagogue for a bite to eat…if we hurry we can beat the Pharisees to lunch.” Most of their time was spent alone.

I was reading through the book of Daniel and I ran across an event that I had never read before. According to Daniel 5:1-31, during a drunken feast, King Belshazzar of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar’s successor) takes sacred golden and silver vessels, which came from the Jewish Temple, and worshiped the gods of gold with them, blaspheming Yahweh. Suddenly the King became very frightened, and sobered I’m sure, by the sight of a human hand suddenly appearing and writing on the wall.

The phrase “Writing On the Wall” came from this story (I didn’t know that before). Daniel, being that he was a prophet, was called to explain the Writing On the Wall which basically said, “God has numbered your days…you don’t measure up…and your kingdom will be divided.” So much for the party.

The king could have asked Daniel earlier if there was something that he should know and Daniel could have told him these things before he made a drunken scene that finally put him over the edge a bit. The reality is…people don’t go to the prophet and ask for a synopsis of everything that is wrong with them.

We’re called, as a family, to spur one another on (Heb 10:24) but we often don’t want to play the role of the prophet. All of us can think back to sins of our childhood that we got caught doing. I am thankful for my parents stepping in on the things that could have been life altering and caused the Writing to be on the Wall in my life. We’re called to be prophets to one another from time to time, even if it makes us unpopular with those who are closest to us. “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” – Matthew 18:15

Big D little d

2008-06-28T01:21:00.000-04:00

We just got back from an amazing week at Senior IMPACT on Saturday. I wasn’t sure what to expect from a theme like “The Day of Reckoning” but lives were changed and I pray that our family will be blessed because of it. The worship was simply incredible this past week and I am blessed so much by getting to worship with young people. God did amazing things this week.

The Day of Reckoning is mentioned often through scripture. You will find days of Reckoning with a small “d” and then there is the Day of Reckoning with the BIG “D.” Jesus often challenges us with the small “d” days of Reckoning to prepare us for the BIG “D” Day. My views on Judgment Day have changed so much this past week as we were challenged to dig deep into its meaning. My understanding of different passages has changed as well.

In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus has a run in with the Pharisees (as He often does) and they claim that He is casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. Jesus goes on to preach to them about the words they use in regards to God’s work through the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:30-32, Jesus speaks about blaspheming against the Holy Spirit, that it is forgivable for them to speak against the Son of Man but not against the Holy Spirit. Jesus then challenges them to look deep within themselves, “…for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” How can a bad tree produce good fruit? Search deep within yourself and see if your roots are good for producing fruit for the Day of Judgment is coming. Out of the heart the mouth speaks Truth in this world.

The last speaker this week spoke about being a light in this dark world. He stood in a spotlight and kept sweeping the area where the light was to keep up his Christian cosmetics. His challenge to us, and my challenge to you, is to find the areas where you are simply maintaining your Christian cosmetics and see how you can become the light that illuminates this world and isn’t simply maintained. Hide it under a bushel? NO! I’m gonna let it shine! Go deep to your roots and take care of the deeper parts of the tree and become healthy and fruitful.

Clean House

2008-05-30T10:04:00.002-04:00

It isn’t any kind of rumor that I allow clutter to well…clutter. I have an amazing ability to set something down and not pick it up again till sometime closer to the Eschaton. I also have developed the ability, through rigorous training mind you, to look past the clutter and sit at my desk to get my work done. For those of you that have seen my office over the past month or so are probably wondering how I can ignore the calamity. I don’t like it. As much as I don’t want to admit it, the ability to clutter is one of my worst attributes (can I get an Amen from my Mom?).

I didn’t say all that to simply point out something that many of you have probably been pointing out for a while. I just wanted to come out and say that I do actually come to a point where I finally look up, see the clutter, and desire to do something about it. I’m at that point now and I think Haggai got me there this past week.

In my last post as we looked into the Minor Prophet Haggai, we found God was a bit upset that His house wasn’t built because everyone was too concerned with everything but Him. The challenge from this is that God wants to sit on the Throne of your Heart but often we try to put the wrong blocks in the wrong holes, things get all messed up and we’ve left Him have left no room to sit. The God’s House image carries on to my clutter problem. Most of you don’t share my clutter problem as far as stuff goes but do you share the problem that most of us have of a cluttered schedule? I would venture to say that we all have a few things that we could cut out to de-clutter our schedules. Think about some things that you could quit for this month in order to de-clutter the Throne Room and put God back in His place in your heart.

The few times I have watched T.V. in the last year I’ve watched the show “Clean House.” I think I enjoyed the show because it made me feel good. I’m not nearly as bad as the people they get to be on this show. Some of the things these people hold on to are unbelievable. They plead, beg, yell, scream, and even from time to time they bribe these people into getting rid of their junk. Five years from now you won’t be missing that bellybutton lint collection…just give it up! At the end…it all works out. The house looks amazing. The turning point in the show is when they make the people get out of the house so they can actually get their work done (insert spiritual metaphor here).

Sometimes we need someone to come in and convince us to get rid of the junk. Not just in our houses or offices but in our schedules. We need to de-clutter all areas of our lives so that God can move back into His house. Summer is a great time to make changes in schedules. Get up thirty minutes earlier and have a cup of beverage of choice with God. Cut out one of your TV shows and go for a walk with God. As a family, go off for quiet time and get together to talk about what you read. Do it for a month and see how your life changes. I wonder if we stepped out of our “house” for a time and let God do His thing…would He help us get rid of our clutter? Let’s clean house!

Whose House Is This?

2008-05-25T00:30:00.002-04:00

I had a cool little game as a kid that I remember playing at my Grandparent’s house. I’m sure they have some updated version of this game with flashing lights and sound effects but I guess I was on the cutting edge of awesome games since my blocks weren’t black and white. Anywho…this game was a simple one. The game consisted of a box with different shaped holes and inside the box there were shapes that would fit inside each hole. The object of the game was to be able to figure out which block went inside which hole. It was rather complicated. From time to time I’ll still drag it out and see if I can finish it.

I remember my old youth minister talking about how there is a “God shaped hole in your heart that can only be filled by God.” It always reminded me of that game I used to play with the blocks. Every once in a while I’d see if I could fit the round block into the star hole just to see if the tables had turned…you never know about those things…but it never worked. We spend so much time trying to fill ourselves with things that are not God and no matter how much we push, the blocks just don’t fit.

I think C.S. Lewis said it best in Mere Christianity, “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” We are constantly chasing desire after looking for things that do not measure up to God only to find out that He is what we need. God wants to be seated on the Throne of Your Heart but the problem is when He gets there He usually finds it already occupied.

I decided this week to pick a Minor Prophet and camp out there for a while. Haggai has been my focus in my reading this week and has spoken so loudly things I needed to hear. The LORD spoke in 1:5-6, “Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."

Israel has been trying to put the wrong blocks in the wrong holes for a while now. They can’t figure out why things won’t add up so God goes on to explain it to them in verses 7-9, “Give careful thought to your ways. Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored. You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why? Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.”

God used to meet His people in His house, the Temple. Now His house is inside of us through the Holy Spirit. The challenge question is when you break down your day to day activities, how much time is spent building God’s house?

Did God Get Bored?

2008-05-02T16:16:00.001-04:00

Did God get bored? This question has come up from time to time in regards to God creating us. If God is eternal…what was he doing before He created us? Did He get bored one day and decide to start a new project? There are a lot of things that are assumed when questions like this are asked. Last week I talked about God being the Creator…creating from nothing and how this sheds some light on the mystery of God. My hope is that through unpacking these questions (or mullinating on them as Dan would call it) we will catch another glimpse of the mystery of God.

What is eternity? Some would say that eternity is a limitless amount of time. With this definition there is a lot of room for boredom within the realms of eternity. This definition also opens the door for questions about our eternity. Another way of defining eternity is: Timelessness, without time, outside of time. I feel like this is a better definition because it is something that we cannot fully comprehend.

What would it be like to simply exist? To have no tomorrow? No yesterday? To live in the eternal now? Boredom couldn’t be defined because it would not exist. I don’t know if this helps explain why God created us but it helps us see that we weren’t created out of boredom. If God did create us because He was bored one day then He probably wouldn’t care much about what happened to us. We would just be another 2nd grade school project thrown together with colored tissue paper and some Elmer’s Glue and tossed after it started falling apart three and a half weeks after creation.

When the world started falling apart, because of us running away from our creator, God didn’t cast us off. He wrote His story all around us. He made things beautiful for us. He provided for us. He loved us. When we did everything we could to run from Him, He kept on loving us. He even went as far to make Himself as one of us to show us how to live. We repaid Him by killing Him in our deep refusal to have true life. He didn’t create us out of boredom…if He did we wouldn’t still be here.

I’m not sure if this opens up any windows into the mystery of God…maybe it makes Him more mysterious. I am not real sure why a God so amazing and powerful, who lives in the ever present now, would create time for us to live in, provide so much for us, when we’re going to turn around and throw it back in His face. That, to me, makes a mysterious God even more amazing…and I’m glad He did it all for me, not because He was bored but because He is love.

Dependence

2008-04-27T00:07:00.001-04:00

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1. This verse has been on my mind over this past week. Though the mystery of God is something that we’ll never fully understand, it is amazing how, through His Word, we are given glimpses of His face to better understand who He is…and in turn, better understand who we are and even why we are.

So…this verse has been on my mind a lot this week. I memorized Genesis 1:1 as a child. I’ve reverted back to it when asked if I had any scripture memorized. I’ve even used it as a joke to clarify that baseball is in the Bible because “In the Big Inning…God created.” As I was reading the Confessions of Augustine earlier in the week his musings about the mystery of God found in this verse stirred thoughts in me.

I can’t say I know much about building but I’m going to take a shot in the dark and assume that you probably start with a foundation. Maybe you need to even start before the foundation and pick out a good location for the foundation. Before doing that maybe there are other things to put in place first. What amazes me about the mystery of God is that Genesis didn’t say, “In the beginning God checked out the best universal real estate and then got to work.” What does that have to do with the mystery of God?

There are a number of questions that surround this verse: If God created from nothing, who created God? Did God get bored one day and then decided to create us…making us objects of His boredom rather than objects of His affection? These are questions often asked by those who are searching and should be treated carefully. I would like to go into these at a later time but not right now. What I would like to focus on is the mystery of God as THE Creator.

With no foundation, God laid the foundation of the heavens and the earth. All things were then created within the realms of that which was first created as a foundation. Nothing can be created that has not been created. God created me. God created you. The very air I breathe is because God created.

The first breath of God’s Word found in Genesis 1:1 paints the picture of dependence on God. From the very beginning, God has wanted us to understand that we were created in dependence on He who created. We find ourselves sprinting in the direction of deep independence...only going to God when we cannot do it ourselves. We try to create ourselves delving deeper into dependence on what our own hands bring to the table. The better we understand God as Creator the better understanding we’ll have of what God created us for…a relationship of dependence.

Little White Box

2008-04-18T16:12:00.002-04:00

This past Thursday Night was the kickoff of our Thursday Night for the Master. Great things are going to happen. Lives will be touched. People will grow. And the family at Northview will be changed. Jim started us off with a challenge from Isaiah 42:18, “Forget the former things” and followed it up with, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” – Ephesians 3:20-21. With these two passages, the mood for outreach was set at Thursday Night for the Master.

Have you ever gotten a song stuck in your head that simply drives you up a wall? I get one from time to time. There for a while I was walking around with arms up singing, “If I were a rich man.” Over the past day or so I’ve had an old Vacation Bible School song stuck in my head. You probably remember it. “If I had a little white box to put my Jesus in, I’d take Him out and *Kiss*Kiss*Kiss* and share Him with a friend.”

I used to love that song as a kid…I think because I got to say “Bash his face” when I talked about taking the Devil out of his box. As I’ve thought more and more about this song I’ve began to wonder how big my “Little White Box” is. Ten years ago, my box wasn’t as big as it was five years ago and my box has grown even larger since. As Brothers and Sisters around tables Thursday night, ideas started to flow concerning how we would reach those around us who do not know the Relationship with God that we cherish so much.

The Jesus I began to see wasn’t coming from any kind of box. The Jesus generating the thoughts of evangelism Thursday night couldn’t be contained in a box. The Jesus that was being talked about Thursday night was a Jesus that can do immeasurably more than all we can imagine. The “Little White Box” is beginning to disappear and we’re going to start seeing imaginable things.

Here’s the question. How big is your box right now? What will it take to get you out of it and experience the “power that is at work within us?” Plant your seed and let God’s power make it grow into something immeasurably more than all we imagine.

Intentional Potential

2008-04-11T16:34:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I had the awesome opportunity to walk among great people in our nation’s Capitol. Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Washington, the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Heroes of WWI, WWII, and Vietnam, and many others. What amazes me about these great people is their incredible potential lived out in amazing ways. How does one come to live out this kind of potential?

When in his late 20’s, Benjamin Franklin made a list of thirteen virtues that he would dedicate his life to live by. Franklin was a leading author and printer, comedian, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman and diplomat. It is quite evident that the acorn of Franklin’s potential developed him into an oak of a man. What we take from a man like him is not only did his define his potential through his list of virtues but he then lived them out. Some may say he was destined to do great things. Who am I that I’ll become like him?

That very question is what amazes me about The Greatest Generation (WWII Veterans). They were all simple people who saw what needed to be done and did it. They defined their potential was defined in different ways through their upbringing. What really gets me when I watch interviews of “Heroes of WWII” is that they do not see themselves as “Heroes.” They saw what needed to be done and they did it.

Jim Smith, glad he’s back in the office, keeps running around, talking about being intentional. He keeps trying to convince me, and anyone who will listen, that we have to be “Intentional Christians.” I think he might be on to something. Dan and I were talking about the idea of potential and I brought Jim up and almost simultaneously we came out with “Intentional Potential.” Not that we would give Jim any credit to a great idea, but we need to be intentional with the potential that is going to drive us as Christians.

How do we define it? A good list is found in Colossians 4:2-6: Devoted to Prayer, Watchful, Thankful, Be Wise in Action, Be Opportunists, and be Gracefully Salted Conversationalists. Let these be your Six Virtues for the Intentional Potential of a Christian. No matter what your age is, let’s define the greatness God has called us to and live up to this Intentional Potential.

Evangelistic Like a Dog

2008-04-07T12:57:00.003-04:00

It has been three weeks since I've posted anything...some of you have been asking where I've been. Well...I guess you could say that my blogging voice had gone mute for a time. I couldn't find the words to share some of the things on my mind so I simply went mute. I wouldn't say that my voice has fully come back but here it is.

- Ryan

I have a dog…his name is Zeus. There are speculations as to how I came to own him but he’s been with me for about seven months now. I have only lived in my house for about nine months so Zeus has been with me for most of my time there. From time to time I’ve let him run loose in the neighborhood because it seems to be the thing to do where I live…and he was chewing through everything I put around his neck and running loose anyway. In the past nine months, I’ve only been able to get to know my next door neighbors just a little bit. Relationships weren’t really coming along that quickly till Zeus joined my household.

As I’ve ran into people around the neighborhood I’ve come to find out that they had already met Zeus and had fallen in love with him. A lot of my neighbors even have nicknames for him. I was contemplating finding a new home for Zeus because of how little I am home but my neighbor talked me out of it because their family loves him so much. I’ve met more of my neighbors and they all seem to already have a good relationship with Zeus.

We’ve been talking about evangelism a lot around the office in preparation for the things Jim is going to be doing with the congregation here. One of the major aspects of evangelism is relationships…genuine relationships…with people. It seems to be a lot easier to travel around the world, across the country, or even across town to tell others about a relationship with God. We often find it difficult to walk across the lawn or street and build a relationship with our neighbor.

Though I don’t agree with many of his methods, Zeus has quickly gotten to know many of the families in my neighborhood. The good side off all of this is that he’s been my foot in the door to getting to know everyone. Last Sunday evening, Jim challenged us to be “intentional” with our lives…to be “Intentional Christians.”

Take a moment to sit down, think of all the good relationships you have. How many of them are Christians? What percentage of them are not Christians? The reality is we tend to stick close to the people that make us feel comfortable. Be intentional. When you go outside to get the paper and your neighbor is standing there doing the same…don’t simply say “morning” and then head back inside the house. Strike up conversation. Start walking your neighborhood with your spouse and meet people. If your kids play in the backyard…cast your nets on the other side…and go play with them in the front yard.

I may not do all the things that Zeus does when he meets people but it is completely obvious that he wants to meet people. Let’s start being Intentional Christians. Let’s build relationships. Let’s bring them home to meet our Master.

Make Like a Tree

2008-03-14T15:46:00.002-04:00

I love the theater! There is something about going to a play that ignites your imagination in a way that a movie simply cannot. When a play is done well…you find yourself in the middle of it…living it…becoming one with the characters. They capture you…almost like being a child again. This weekend has been full of plays for me. Thursday night I was taken into the Land of Oz by Amy Vannoy and the cast from the North Iredell Drama Department.

I am proud of my Amy. She had one of the most important parts in the play. When she first appeared on stage she was a tree…the best tree in the forest. Later the Land of Oz was brought to life with her dancing. I don’t know who the leads were…they did a good job…but you can’t have a forest without trees…you can’t have Oz without the dancers. Amy did a great job in her play…and was one of the most important parts.

To put on any kind of production is a lot of work. Everyone has to play their part. If there weren’t trees we might think the Cowardly Lion was in the desert. If no one made the props and there were no Oz Dancers…we might find Oz to be a boring place. Life is found, not in the main characters, but in the people and things surrounding the main characters. They give them setting. They bring them character. They provide them…life.

There is a Shakespeare quote I like from As You Like It, “All the world's a stage. And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances. And one man in his time plays many parts.” If this quote is true, I personally think we should have more special effects, theme music, and dance numbers but there is a good point to be made from this quote. In the Church, everyone must play his/her part. Everyone has different gifts…or roles…according to Romans 12:6-8.

Some people’s roles are more up front. Others are off to the side. There are people that are never seen but really are the ones that keep everything going. The important thing is that we all have to play the Role God has given us. In your church I am sure there are plenty of ministries for you to be a part of. If you are not sure what your role is find a ministry leader and they can help you find your role is this production of life. We need to be people of purpose. We need to do are part as best we can to bring life to this production. I guess I’ll end this with a quote from the great theologian, my Secratary, Liane Mullins, “Know your role!”

Transformers

2008-03-02T02:52:00.001-05:00

This past week I went on a Prayer Retreat at a Monastery outside of Charleston, where they allow ministers to get away for a time and get revived, refocused, and refilled. My prayer life has been lacking for some time so I wanted to put my major focus for the week on my communication with God. I came back with a number of things from my time there but I quickly want to share some thoughts about relationship with God.

We were created for a relationship with God. There is no denying that. The hard part…at times…is figuring out how that relationship is going to grow. Throughout the week I kept coming back to John 4:23 where the “…true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth.” As I sat around sitting and thinking on that verse I began to realize that I spend a lot of my time living in the “truth side of God.” What I mean by this is that, if you asked me to write a paper about “Who God is,” I could write a lot of great stuff for you. I’ve got the information side of God down.

I am setting out on the journey to figure out how to connect my head with my spirit…to where my spirit and the truth I possess both are in the relationship with God. I feel like Augustine captures this pretty well in his reflections on the Lord’s Supper. He talks about how Jesus is Bread that, no matter how much you eat, will never vanish. As you eat of this Bread, Augustine says, you continue to eat to the point where you are so filled with Jesus that you no longer exist but that Christ has transformed in you. I find these thoughts amazing since we are constantly being called to be like Christ.

So what does this have to do with the spirit side of the relationship with God? When you take the truth of God, i.e. “…your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36b), and apply it to your life, i.e. “Be merciful…” (Luke 6:36a), you are then transformed by the merciful nature of God…to where you are merciful. This causes the truth of God to then be lived out through your spirit. Here is my challenge for all of us: Make a list of the characteristics of God/Jesus. Look at the list and see where you need to be transformed (do not help your neighbor decipher this unless they ask for your help).

God will continue to call us to a deeper relationship with Him. As you grow with Him, you’ll grow to be more like Him. I’m not sure which comes first…will we understand God’s love first when we begin to love others like He loves or will we better love others when we find God’s love inside of us first? Let’s continue to be transformed by Him in this relationship so we can be better worshipers of Him in spirit and in truth…then we can tackle Luke 10:27, “Love the Lord your God with all your…heart…soul…strength…mind,” and go deeper and deeper into a transforming relationship with our Father.

Purpose?

2008-02-22T10:24:00.005-05:00

Winterfest was incredible this year! I encourage you to talk to our teens about The Mission. They were challenged to: Know, Be, See, and Share…Jesus. Sounds familiar really…and I’m ecstatic about the excitement that our teens will bring to The Mission here at Northview. I’ve even heard from one of our teens who has already talked to a neighbor about God. “It was easy…I just did it,” was a part of the phone call I got. I’ve also talked to Dudley and they are getting all kinds of stories from all over the country of teens doing the same thing!! What an incredible challenge for us who sometimes find ourselves calling them the “Church of tomorrow.”

An interesting thing happened this morning before I sat down to write this blog. I regularly have breakfast with a mentor of mine…almost every Friday morning. Today was about the same as always…we had a variety of discussion because that is what good friends do. Because most people end up talking about that they are passionate about…we found ourselves talking about the Church. We don’t bog ourselves down in debating…most of the time we’re just simply talking about ministry…about purpose of the Church.

While sitting and talking, I noticed a young girl slowly walk in. Very timid. Probably no older than 18. She got her cup of coffee. Never said anything. Then slowly walked out and on down the street. You’re probably thinking she stole the coffee but the reality is…this coffee shop has kind of taken her in. They will often hand her a bag of food which one of them will slip a $5 bill in the bag because of the compassion they have for her. Neither of us knew her story but found out later by the workers at the coffee shop.

Why is this so interesting? It didn’t hit me till later. At Northview, we do a lot of good for a lot of people. I am amazed at the workers we have in our family here. There are a ton of people who work so hard without being seen by others. I had to wonder though, how many times we…the Churches scattered around the World…sit around and debate, talk about ministry, dwelling on what the purpose is for the Church, and looking for God’s guidance for what we should be doing with our lives…when there are people in need all around us.

Not all of us get to sit in a coffee shop on a Friday morning and watch something like this take place. The reality is that there a lots of hurting people in our lives that all we have to do is open our eyes to see. Take some time to think of the people you come into contact with daily. Where are they hurting? Do you look at them and SEE Jesus? What could you do to BE Jesus to them?

For all of you who are already working so hard in this world to help the hurting…I applaud you. One of the reasons I love working with teens is because of the way I am challenged by them to get up and do something that has purpose. Though they can scare us sometimes…sometimes we don’t understand their thought processes…or their language…they are a group of people that are filled with passion and desire to have purpose. I hope to extend this challenge to you from the passion and purpose of our teens. Let’s stop letting the world lead the way in helping the hurting when we are the ones who are called to do “Whatever we do for the least of these.”

Spiritual Trekking

2008-02-15T10:36:00.001-05:00

Trekking. To trek. To hike. To trudge. To make a slow or arduous journey. As you have probably figured out by now…I like to hike. There is something about it that is freeing to me…and also rewarding. For me, it is one thing to see a beautiful view of the mountains from the side of the road, but another to get intimate with them and to see the mountain views from somewhere that I walked to.

Clint Ulmer and I continued our SB6K (South Beyond 6000) journey this past weekend. We started at the top of Mount Mitchell and ventured off along the Black Mountain Crest Trail in hopes of conquering six more peaks on our list. Apparently this 12 mile trek was going to be one of our hardest that we would have to do but we felt up to it.

I won’t lie that I was not adequately prepared for this trek. I could blame it on my age…but most of you would laugh at me. I’ve been in better shape in my life…but I’m not quite there anymore. No matter what the excuse may be…my legs just weren’t used to walking that far, especially with the uphill and downhill grades that we had to go over with 40lb packs on. When on a trek like this you might come to a point where you want to just quit but the reality is…you’re in the middle of nowhere and quitting would mean simply deciding to live where you are.

“The Spiritual Race is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” is something I heard often growing up and I’m sure you’ve heard it too. I’ve changed that slogan in my life to, “Our Spiritual Walk aint no walk in the park, it’s a Trek.” There are a lot of ups and downs. It is really hard at times. There are times where the view is breathtaking. Times where your next step is completely because of the power and grace of God. This Spiritual Trek is something that we have to constantly work at, prepare for, and encourage one another on…or we simply choose to settle where we are, in the middle of nowhere.

T.R.E.K. (True Religion for the Eternal Kingdom) Bible Study is starting up this Thursday Night for the teens. It is a Bible Study that is going to be focused on going deeper into the Spiritual Trek we call life. We’ll be focusing on habitual practices of Spirituality to prepare and encourage one another in this Trek. I look forward to this time during the weeks because of what our teens will teach me about spirituality. They have so much to tell with their lives and I can’t wait to see how God works through them in each other’s lives.

Cycle of Stupidity

2008-02-08T10:14:00.001-05:00

“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD…They forgot the LORD… The anger of the LORD burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of…they cried out to the LORD…He raised up for them a deliverer…So the land had peace for forty years…deliverer died…The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD…They forgot the LORD………” – Cycle of Judges

We (the youth group) are taking a break from the Old Testament for a time…but my favorite quote that came out in almost every class is “Israel is SOOOO STUPID!!!” I like this quote because we surely aren’t as bad as Israel was…right? I’m not going to go there but you can talk amongst yourselves about it. What I’ve been mulling over for the past few weeks is this “cycle of stupidity” that is found in Judges. Why would something like this ever happen? I think the answer is found in Joshua before the famous verse “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

“So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers…But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14-15

We’re called to be in a Relationship with God. With relationship comes dependence. In the Wilderness, Israel learned dependence on God. In the Promise Land, Israel “forgot the LORD.” Think hard about our lives. Where do we live? I live in a house I didn’t build. When I am hungry I go get something to eat. If I’m sick…I don’t call Dan…I call the doctor.

Where do I depend on God? This is a hard question…the first thing that comes to mind is…I depend on God when something bad happens…and most of the time I come to that point when I can fix it myself. Do you wrestle with this? I don’t want to fall into the “Stupid Cycle” with Israel. So…where do I find dependence on God in a country that provides for my every need?

We all have something that we struggle with…or people we struggle with…that we cannot handle on our own strength. Paul calls this his “Thorn in the Flesh.” I realized a long time ago that I have a sarcastic tongue. I have hurt people in my life because of it…never intending to. Though I have constantly struggled with it…and continue to struggle…I constantly have to ask God to help me be “slow to speak.” Though I don’t like it…I find hope in it…because I realize that I am not perfect. The only way I can find perfection is in Christ…and it’ll come sometime after I stop breathing. Let’s work as a family to find our dependence on God in a country that provides our every need.

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.” – II Cor 12:7-9

Let's Talk About Nothing

2008-01-28T14:27:00.000-05:00

I’d like to take a moment and talk to you about nothing. You’re probably saying to yourself that I normally talk about nothing…but I want you to consider the subject just for a few moments. When was the last time you did nothing? I don’t mean, “Tried to do something and ended up doing nothing.” What I am saying is…when was the last time you took time to do nothing? The next thing you are saying to yourself is…“Ryan, I don’t have time for nothing.” I am doing my best to add nothing to my schedule from time to time (you’re thinking that this is easy for me since I’m a youth minister and nothing is the majority of what I do.)

We live in a world that is constantly improving our electronics…causing life to become more and more hectic. You can check your e-mail and talk on the phone while watching two channels at the same time on the same TV. With each advance in technology life simply becomes more complex because we are expected to do more with our minute than our ancient forefathers of 10 years ago. So…before you throw away the idea of nothing I want you to try it on for a moment.

I am convinced that if we took a moment to do nothing before taking on major tasks, we would find ourselves working with more efficiency than one iota of technology can give us. Your mind becomes more focused. You will be opened to the direction you may need to go with what you are doing.

Here is how it works…Set aside a few minutes, sit in a relaxed position, close your eyes, breathe deep and allow everything to exit from your mind, then just simply sit there doing nothing. The idea is that you begin to silence the noise that is going on inside of you. The noise that our culture presses on us leads us into crazy ways of living. This noise also keeps us from hearing God speak into our lives. Allotting for times of nothing into your schedule will help keep you sane and help you listen more clearly to God.

I have heard a lot of people say, “When I do actually read my Bible, I often don’t get anything out of it.” I challenged the teens on Wednesday night to try this before entering into times of reading or times of prayer and to see how their experiences change. I’d like to extend this challenge on to you as well. Take time this week for nothing. Sit in the presence of God and be still.

I'm in, You're in, I'm in

2008-01-18T12:09:00.000-05:00

It was around 4 in the morning. I had just finished Morning Vigils with the Brothers at Mepkin Abbey and set out for some solitude. As I focused on scripture that early morning I began to notice how God seemed to work through people in the Bible…not people doing amazing things for God. That was mulling around in my head as I had another cup of coffee.

I walked in the dark for some time simply repeating the words of Jesus found in John 14:20, “I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” I kept repeating what Jesus said…letting them work on me as I prepared to meditate and to listen to God’s voice through these words. We are interwoven with God…the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What an amazing thing! But…what does this have to do with God working through people…not people doing amazing things for God?

As I sat in the middle of nowhere in this retreat center I did everything I could to empty all distractions from within me so that I might clearly listen to God. “You will never be a great Youth Minister” is what I felt God was pressing on my heart…among other things that I will never be great at. Some of you are probably agreeing with God at this point…but I still love you. “You only need to be concerned with being the best Child of Mine that you can be. I will make you what I need you to be.”

As I look back on the wisdom in scripture that had been poking at me all week, “He must become greater, I must become less,” and “whoever loses his life for me will find it,” I began to understand what God wanted me to hear. I shouldn’t be concerned about being and doing great things for God but be concerned with being the best Child of His I can be…He’ll make me exactly what He needs me to be.

When I start looking at people, seeing how God is already working in their lives, I will no longer be concerned about changing the world…but be concerned with working side by side with God as He changes it. I want to challenge you to find presence: Presence of God in your life and your presence in the lives of those around you…those whom God loves. Because, He is in the Father, He is in us, and we are in Him.

Inside...Out

2008-01-17T13:59:00.000-05:00

The National Conference on Youth Ministry was a great conference this year. It isn’t a week of a bunch of youth ministers getting together to compare shorts and sandal combinations and to talk about different approaches to wearing a new style of facial hair. It is an amazing week to get filled, see some old friends, and sit at the feet of veterans who have been in the trenches for 15 and 20+ years. The unbridled worship that takes place there, when hundreds and hundreds of youth ministers get together, is incredibly uplifting.

One of the greatest things about going to this conference is the reminder of why we do what we do. I feel like, at times, that I’ve done my ministry out of commitment to the church rather than something much deeper. Commitment is not a bad thing but it can be shallow. It is something that I have to keep in check from time to time. What I continue to strive for, and this week was a constant reminder of this, is to do my ministry from the inside out, to be so filled with God so that I am working from the overflow of God in my life, and not the outside in.

The world wants us to be crazy…Believe it or not, ministers even get crazy…We are called to step into the peace of Christ…where craziness ceases to be. Take a moment and look at your life. How often do you stop and sit in the presence of God? Would you consider your life to be crazy? We live in a world where we get frustrated when the microwave takes too long…or the fast food isn’t as fast as we would like. We live crazy kind of lives…and as a minister I find myself ministering out of this craziness. Something has to change and I have to keep this in check.

I know this is a little late but here is one of my New Years Resolutions for my ministry in 2008:

- Find my Song – that will drive this year
- Find my Passage – that will motivate this year
- Find my Literature – that will keep it all in perspective
- As I continue in my personal Bible study I want to look for how God is already working in people’s lives and see what He wants me to do

Like a Sweet Symphony

2007-12-21T10:05:00.000-05:00

Tuesday evening I had the privilege of going to Brittany Keller’s Christmas-Band Concert. I have always had a deep respect for musicians…especially composers. I often, at concerts like this one, find my mind exploring each slice of the band, searching out each part. The rumble of the percussion. The blare of the trumpets (my favorite). The relaxing saxophones. The conductor dancing his arms through the air, making it all come to life! I sure love the symphony!

The magic that is music enchants me. How these instruments come together to bring life to the pieces of paper in front of them excites me. All by itself, each instrument can be played…and can even sound good. Very rarely do multitudes gather for…an oboe solo. Not to offend the oboist, but there is only so much one can take of an unaccompanied oboe. The oboe though, plays a major part in many pieces and cannot be discredited.

Somewhere there are two people arguing whether or not Jesus’ birthday is actually December 25…or…as Christians who preach Christ Crucified, should we even recognize this “pagan holiday of consumerism.” Jesus…had to be born. Is it ok to recognize this fact? I think so. Do we worship baby Jesus? I see this in the same aspect as only talking about His death on the cross. There is a symphony that is the Life of Christ. Each part…birth, life, death, resurrection, return…melodically weaves together the music that makes our souls come to life and dance. It moves us!

When we are truly engulfed by this sweet symphony movement happens. Movement is short lived when only listening to the drum rumble of the birth of Jesus. The question has to be asked…where is your movement taking you? Does the dance of your soul reflect the symphony playing in your heart? Is your dance in harmony with the culture around you or is it in cadence with the cross? If you let the full symphony of Christ subdue you: What would be different? Would the world know the difference? Would they be attracted to it? Would they by moved to dance too?

I am ready for some movement…myself included. I long for the sweet symphony of Christ to really take hold of my soul and move me. There is noise going on inside that keeps each of us from harmonizing the melody in our lives. Shall we stop waiting for the Trumpet Solo of Christ’s return…and start playing with the melody that He is playing in the world already? After all, doesn’t the symphony always build up to the solo?

Go...baptize...teach

2007-12-16T19:59:00.000-05:00

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

It would be good for us to keep this at the focal point of our lives…profound statement I know. Keeping the Holiness of our Father in focus would do great lengths of good in our lives in the area of humility…but what about the second part? May God’s Will be done on earth as it is in heaven? How do we accomplish this?

Over the past month or so I’ve taken a deep interest in how the world views Christianity. I’ve been reading a few different books that are a bit depressing in the reality that is shown in the world view towards those who call themselves followers of Christ. In keeping “God’s Will being done on earth as it is in heaven” at the focal point of our lives, I have to ask how we are going about doing that.

From what I can tell, we as Christians (on the whole), have looked to politics in order to bring God’s Will to earth…as it is in heaven. There are some groups within Christianity that would banish all “sinners” from our country using the law if at all possible. I won’t list off a lot of the laws that would possibly be put in place because I don’t want to get too bogged down on this but I do want to make a quick point. I am not saying that those laws (whichever ones you might be thinking of) would be inherently bad to have around; I just want to get to a deeper issue.

Why do we have laws in this country? Isn’t it understood that it is wrong to murder, steal, commit adultery, etc.? At some point pride sets in and you begin to want what you want when you want it and take what is not yours: life, stuff, spouses, etc. Does imposing more laws changes someone’s pride/selfishness? I’ve yet to see it.

For centuries, in order to become a Christian, you had to be “Romanized,” meaning that you had to become civilized before encountering God’s Grace through Christ. It seems backwards to me…why are we still taking this approach? I think Jesus lays it out well for us in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

I think the approach Jesus would take to “God’s Will being done on earth” would be to change the heart of people. It doesn’t seem as though Jesus got offended much by the “sinners” surrounding Him. He felt compassion for them and went straight for their heart. Let’s start introducing people to Jesus, change their hearts, and then teach them His ways.

Pagan Banquets

2007-11-17T22:47:00.000-05:00

In the past year and a half, I figured something out. I don’t like telling people that I am a Minister. Odd as that sounds, I do have my reasons. Just about every time someone has found out that I am a Minister they quickly change their demeanor, apologize for whatever profanity they had just spoken, or just simply…treat me different. I’m not a fan of it. I don’t like people to be different just because they might offend the little minister guy who has never heard a “dirty word” ever in his life. It is almost like standing in a building and saying, “You can’t say that here…this is a Church.”

A week ago I went to a pagan banquet…no that wasn’t the theme. Basically…it was my first “non-Christian” event. Though the other people there we not Christians, let’s say that the spirits were flowing for them. One of the women at my table had informed her boyfriend that I am a Minister and wanted him to be on his best behavior. He was who he was, against her wishes, and I appreciated that. She kept apologizing for his actions and comments. I appreciated his realness. I’d rather him be who he is than to put on a fake self because of my “position.” Should he change who he is for an evening just because I am who I am?

This all started coming together in my mind as I looked back on my time working with the church in Dundee, Scotland. There were three lads I met outside of our meeting hall one day: Kyle, Peter, and Dillon. They had been opening our door and cursing God while we tried to have our Holiday Bible School (VBS). We ended up going and playing footy (soccer) with them in the park once a week for the whole summer. We never asked them to not curse around us, or to act proper around us, but by the end of the summer they had changed. Why did they change? Because they had seen how we could have a good time without all of that. Maybe they were seeing Jesus bleeding through us into their lives.

I hope that I am living my life in a way that as I get to know those who do not know Christ, they will change who they are to become more like Him, not because I have a “title” but because they see something different…something that they are missing. Maybe I need to be going out of my way a little more to build relationships with pagans…maybe a difference can be made. Maybe a relationship will be formed that might lead to talks about Jesus. Maybe…this is what we are supposed to be about?

Your First Love

2007-11-13T10:16:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while I flip through and read Revelation. I don’t do it too often because I don’t like taking pills for headaches but still…there are some things to be learned there. Revelation 2:4-5 has been plaguing me. “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.” There are a lot of different things to take from this exclamation made by Jesus, but I’d like to focus on the last part, “do the things you did at first.” What does this mean in our lives?

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,” – Matthew 28:18-19. Mark puts it as “Go into all the world,” both of which I really like. Simply…Jesus says, “Go!” I have to ask who this call is for. Just the Apostles? Evangelistic ministers? Ministers in general? Or…every knee that is bowed to Jesus Christ?

A few weeks ago I took my teens on their “Search and Rescue” Fall Retreat. They were reminded of, as Revelation puts it, their first love. They were reminded of what they were called to do. Our fifth and final session, “Search and Rescue is What We Do…it is What He Did,” with a major focus on, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.”

I love the first six chapters of Isaiah. As it builds up, God is standing up in front of us, the world falling apart behind Him, “I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"” – Isaiah 6:8.

Isaiah answered the call. I answered the call when I put Christ on in Baptism. You have answered the call. Much like Jesus calling on the church in Ephesus, we need to examine ourselves to see if we have forsaken our first love…to see if we are doing the things we were called to do at first…not just as a church but as individuals. We often hide under the umbrella of “church” and say, “we have answered the call” when in reality we are letting others do the work for us. Let us remember Jesus, our First Love, and do what He has called us to do. Let’s GO!

Drought

2007-10-30T09:52:00.000-04:00

Drought…something I didn’t think I’d find when I moved to North Carolina (I am really sorry if I brought it with me and this whole mess has been my fault). It has been a long time since it has rained. I talked to a woman the other day who was afraid she wouldn’t be able to take a bath if it didn’t rain. Droughts are painful. We are all affected by it. I remember when there was a huge fine if you got caught washing your car. We had to ration our water. Many of us would even look up at the sky, pumping our fists, “RAIN for crying out loud!!”

How often do we feel like we’re in a drought in our relationships with God? Is God lacking? Is He simply not there? Where is He? Why is He so far away when in such need of His refreshing reign? Is it healthy to wonder these things? Is it ok to pump your fist in the air and cry out?
I struggle with Psalms…there are times in my life where I feel like God walks away for a time…leaving me in a drought. Yes I know what you’re thinking. He didn’t walk away…I did. You’re probably right. Here is where I struggle with psalms…Psalm 13. Go read it…

Psalm 13
1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.

Many of us were thinking it but Billy came out and said it, “God we need the rain.” It had been a long time since any real water had touched our soil. Brothers and Sisters from Texas and Oklahoma…you remember these prayers? I don’t think any of us ever really thought that it would never rain again. We just wanted it…because we needed it.

Back to Psalm 13…and my drought. Verses five and six are where we need to make sure our focus needs to be. “But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.” Even though I feel like droughts happen often in my relationship with God, I will trust in His unfailing love. I will rejoice in His salvation. When the rains come…lets go outside, lift our hands up, and soak it all in. For we have an Almighty God! How beautiful is His Reign!

Mountain Top Experience

2007-10-23T23:18:00.000-04:00

There are 40 peaks in the Southeast that are above 6000 ft in elevation. As many of you have probably figured out, I am drawn to this. Climbing each peak, with certain regulations to your hikes, earns you a spot in the “South Beyond 6000” club. Basically you get a patch and a certificate of accomplishment. I felt up to the SB6K challenge and got started this past week. Since it isn’t safe to do these things alone, Clint Ulmer is joining me on this adventure.

We set out to hike in the Roan Mountains, covering 12 miles and knocking out three peaks. Each of these peaks had a different personality. Looking back I feel like there is something I was being reminded of from each of these. Part of the SB6K for me is a journey of spiritual renewal. We often use phrases in our lives like “Mountain Top Experience” to express our relationship with God after a major event.

We got a late start on Thursday and only made it the mile and a half we needed to make it to the shelter on the Appalachian Trail we planned on staying at. The next morning, while I made some oatmeal, Clint went for firewood and ran across the marking for our first peak, Roan High Knob (6285'), turns out that we were camping within 50 yards of our first Mountain Top Experience. It was covered in trees and we couldn’t see anything really…but still a Mountain Top Experience?

We set off for our second Mountain Top Experience, Roan High Bluff (6267'). We walked along the path as the trees greeted us with ice that rested upon them during the night. Finally reaching the summit overlook we were welcomed by the innards of a white cloud blowing icy wind in our face. Clint informed me that the view is actually quite breathtaking…we just couldn’t see it because we were in a cloud…so we headed on…but still a Mountain Top Experience?

After a decent hike back to our cars we made coffee, warmed up, and decided to tackle one last Mountain Top Experience before heading home. Tired and cold we decided that the five mile round trip hike was still worth it not to have to come all the way back just for that one peak. Our third peak, Grassy Ridge Bald (6160'), didn’t have much of a view either, so we took our picture and started to make our way back…but still a Mountain Top Experience? Right?

I am reminded of Psalm 125, “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people.” Often we only look for God to surround us during our Mountain Top Experiences. The mountains that surround Jerusalem surround the city, the hills, and the valleys…so the LORD surrounds His people. It would be easy for me to be upset about not seeing one good view from any of my Mountain Tops…but when the clouds opened up and I saw the rolling mountains of North Carolina, I was reminded that I don’t have to be on the peak to be surrounded by God. Everything I saw that day was beautiful…because I was surrounded by God. Look for God today…where you are.

Our Lifesaving Station

2007-10-16T14:09:00.000-04:00

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur there was a once a crude little life-saving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves, they went out day or night tirelessly searching for the lost. Many lives were saved by this wonderful little station, so that it became famous. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding areas, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and money and effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews were trained. The little life-saving station grew.

Some of the new members of the life-saving station were unhappy that the building was so crude and so poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. So they replaced the emergency cots with beds and put better furniture in an enlarged building. Now the life-saving station became a popular gathering place for its members, and they re-decorated it beautifully and furnished it as a sort of club.

Less of the members were now interested in going to sea on life-saving missions, so they hired life boat crews to do this work. The mission of life-saving was still given lip-service but most were too busy or lacked the necessary commitment to take part in the life-saving activities personally.

About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boat loads of cold, wet, and half-drowned people. They were dirty and sick. The beautiful new club was considerably messed up. So the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside.

At the next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club's life-saving activities as being unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal life pattern of the club. But some members insisted that life-saving was their primary purpose and pointed out that they were still called a life-saving station. But they were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the life of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own life-saving station down the coast. They did.

As the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that had occurred in the old. They evolved into a club and yet another life-saving station was founded. If you visit the seacoast today you will find a number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are still frequent in those waters, only now most of the people just drown.

Does this sound uncomfortably familiar?

Sometimes Dan and I plan things out and sometimes they just happen. A few Sundays ago, one of Dan’s points was something that I’ve been thinking about for a while now and it also went with my insert that Sunday, the story above. The third point, as we all know is the important one, was “The Mission is more important than your comfort.”

Not many of us would say that we are more important than the Mission of Christ…but how far are we willing to take this statement? It is easy to give lip service to an idea but hard to let it play out in our lives. I have to admit that I’m one that grows comfortable where I am. I am not a huge fan of someone imposing things on me that make me uncomfortable. Ever been in a place where you were the only one that was “different”? Worn a tux when everyone else was dressed down? Worn shorts to a play where everyone was in their best? Be the only kid at a punk show wearing a polo shirt?

I don’t want to go too far with this, but some things that make us comfortable we try to protect with scripture. I’m not looking at getting into debate about these things but we are to be about the Mission of Christ. We are to be about chasing after those whom Jesus misses. “The gospels record 132 contacts Jesus had with people. Six were in the temple, four in the synagogues, and 122 were out with the people in the mainstream of life.” – Missio Dei, by Fred Peatross.

Jesus spent most of His time talking to people in situation that would be “uncomfortable” for any good Jewish Rabbi. This also shows that He didn’t spend His time at “church” but out where the people are. That is uncomfortable. I wonder if Jesus would sit in the smoking section...anywho.
Inviting people to “church” is good, and we do a really good job at it. Will we advance the Gospel more if we took the church to where the people are? When we make the Mission of Christ the focus of our lives, whether we are minister, teachers, lawyers, accountants, etc., we start doing what seem to be uncomfortable things.

Continuing the thoughts from the story above…lets make sure that we aren’t getting comfortable in our life saving station but constantly finding ways to go out and save those whom Jesus misses.

What are you lifting up?

2007-09-25T17:36:00.000-04:00

Last week I talked about “The Messiah you have? Or the messiah you want?” As I looked into the life of Judas Iscariot I came to a conclusion that the Messiah standing before him wasn’t the messiah he was looking for. Often we want our crosses we’ve been called to bear altered to fit what we would like. The whole “dying to self” thing is a bit much…so we don’t live it because we convince ourselves that maybe that isn’t really what he meant by “carry your cross.” If you would like to read the rest of my thoughts, take a look at my last post.

So the question is…if we lift up a messiah that we have altered, what does the world see? Does the world see an accurate portrait of Jesus Christ, our Messiah? Jesus said that, “I am going to be lifted up from the earth. When I am, I will bring all people to myself” (John 12:32, TNIV). I heard this verse talked about in an evangelistic since and it has changed how I view life. The question was, if Christ will draw the world to Him when He is lifted up, are we drawing the world to Him by what we are lifting up?

We’ve been called to live a life that is drastically different from the world.
If you look at www.barna.org, you’ll find that there aren’t many differences between the world and Christians. I know I’ve talked about this before but I really wish that Christians would keep the 10 Commandments themselves before sticking a bumper sticker on their car saying that they need to be kept in the courthouse. What is the world seeing in us?

Jesus calls us to a life of peace. I’m not making a war protest because I believe He is talking about a different kind of peace. The kind of peace that David talks about in Psalm 23, “I will fear no evil, because You are with me.” Jesus calls us to the kind of peace that no matter what is going on in life, no matter how bad things get, you will have a life of peace. When the world looks at our lives, do they see craziness or peace? Does your life show the Messiah to the world or are we simply asking people to trade their life of craziness for our life of craziness with something else to do during the week?

John 14:26-27
“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”

The Messiah you have? Or the messiah you want?

2007-09-19T17:14:00.000-04:00

Let me tell you why I love the outdoors store R.E.I….If you buy a backpack and use it a few times and decide that it isn’t the backpack you need, you take it back and get what you want. I know that if I buy something there I will get what I want and if I end up not liking as much as I thought…I can just exchange it. It is almost like the Burger King of the outdoor world, “What you want is what you get.”

How often do we approach Jesus, accept our cross, carry it for a while, and then take it back for some adjusting. If you really think about it and look into it, the cross is kind of a fixed object. It isn’t that Jesus does not want to provide the customer service for us. He does…He says He’ll help us. You don’t even have to go back to the store…He’ll help you where you’re at. The problem we have though, is that we don’t want “help” with the cross…we want something different.

It is amazing how when you have something on your mind, you end up having three or four conversations about it in a week or so. That is how it has been with me and good ol’ Judas this week. Why did Judas betray Jesus? You’re thinking, “Ryan, the Devil entered him…duh.” I thought of that too, but how often does the Devil enter into me? Think on that for a minute, not the Devil entering into me, but how, when you sin, the Devil has entered into you.

The Jews of the day were looking for a “Son of David” to come back and be their messiah, their King, and kick Rome’s tail. As a Jewish leader you would end up being pretty high up in the ranks of Israel as a nation. As an Apostle of the messiah you would be even higher in the kingdom…hence the mother’s request in Matthew 20:20-28.

I am under the belief that Judas was so wrapped up in the earthly kingdom and Jesus, the messiah, the king, he turned away from Jesus when the “Messiah must die” conversations started happening. Judas had the messiah that he wanted and not the Messiah that he had in front of him.

Do we ever crucify the Messiah you have for a messiah we want? Look deep into what Jesus taught. Die to yourself? Give your stuff away? Love your enemies? Fast? Pray? Do not worry? Don’t judge? Etc? Our Messiah calls us to a different kind of living…and sometimes we find ourselves saying, “I don’t think He really meant all of that.” How is your cross? Are you saying, “Here Jesus, I’ll save you the trouble of adjusting my cross. I’ll do it myself.”

A whole other subject, “how do we present the Messiah to others?” Maybe we’ll talk about that next week. For now ask yourself, “Do you want the Messiah you have or do you want the messiah you want?”

You're an Oak

2007-08-31T09:32:00.001-04:00

He actually did it. Jim actually retired. He’s said he would before but I guess this time he did it the right way…he’s on vacation. Since he said he has retired and because he’s gone on vacation…I’ve moved into his office (insert your jokes here). Although Jim is not leaving Northview, I already miss having him around the office. He is an amazing mentor, brother, and friend.

Jim has taught me a lot over the past year. I know God has done so much through him in the lives of so many people over the years. This past year alone has been one of my biggest growing years because of the impact that God has had on my life through Jim. What I respect most about him is that he is a student of the Word. It is tempting at it age, I’m sure, to think you already know everything there is to know. I’ve even heard people say, “I know all of the important scriptures.”

Jim walked into my office one day with a certain look on his face holding his Bible. He asked me what the passage meant, to which I replied, “You’re the Elder. You tell me.” He reminded me that I was the Bible Major and I was supposed to have everything memorized (which I don’t). We joke a lot, but this one occasion will always stand out in my mind. He told me that he read that passage differently for the first time that day than he ever had in his life.
Have you ever looked at an old oak tree, strong and firm in the ground, and seen it grow? I saw Jim grow a little more that day. There are days, even years, when we all but refuse to grow. It is tempting to decide what we believe and never budge. Make sure you keep growing.

My professors were good about teaching us this. I often heard, “I am your professor but I am first and foremost a student of the Word.” I was blessed with humble teachers and mentors. I thank God for them and can only pray that I will continue to grow. Patsy Day, a spunky little old lady I met at one of my frequent coffee shops, reminded me of the verse in 1 Corinthians 8, “Knowledge puffs up.” Don’t ever think you cannot learn anymore. Keep growing.

“So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” – I Kings 3:9

“Teach me knowledge and good judgment, for I believe in your commands.” – Psalm 119:66

“The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out.” – Proverbs 18:15

“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” – Proverbs 12:1

end...beginning...whatever

2007-08-27T12:40:00.000-04:00

I’m having a different feeling than I really ever had before. We had an amazing weekend last weekend. We camped, hiked, and saw tons of God’s beautiful artwork all around us. He is a good artist…you should check His work out sometime. We got to look through really expensive telescopes seeing exploding ring nebulas, Jupiter and her moons, star clusters at the edge of the galaxy, and many other incredible things that most of our eyes have never gazed upon outside of a textbook. None of these are what have caused the different feelings within me. We’ve had a great summer…I hope everyone else has the same feelings.

I’ve never had this feeling of “end” at the end of a summer. Other youth ministers probably have a good feeling what I’m talking about. As much as I’ve enjoyed all the times I’ve had with the teens this summer, they are going back to school and my life gets to calm down for a little bit. Despite popular belief this does not mean that I have nothing to do. I do work on Sundays and Wednesdays (a joke…just incase you are wondering if I do work at other times…I do…it is Friday and I’m writing this insert).

This brings me to the start of a new school year for our teens. Most of them have a candle that has been burning strong this summer. Then school starts. Different influences set in. Satan attacks. This is the hardest time of the year for a teen. Camps are done. Youth events are more spread out. Busyness sets in and God time often seems to be squeezed out of each day. Struggles get harder and we often start floundering. If you grew up in a youth group then you know what I’m talking about.

I’m calling on you, as brothers and sisters of these teenagers, to simply pray for them, take interest in them, keep them accountable, and talk to them every once in a while. They are actually real people who are capable of holding conversation…just ask anyone who has worked with them. They are interesting as well and a part of this family who we need to edify and build up as they start their new school year.

Ryan

God! I'm scared of the dark!

2007-08-17T09:16:00.000-04:00

Do you remember being scared of the dark as a kid? Isn’t it funny how an ordinary room can dramatically change as soon as the lights go out? The coat on the door becomes a blood sucking ghost…The creaks of the bed are the voices of the monsters who are going to slurp your soul out of your body through your ears…The little chair in the corner quickly becomes a troll, with one eye bigger than the other, who is going to pluck ever hair out of your body one at a time…ok I think you get the point. When darkness happens…things come to life!

Needing to get away for some much needed alone time, I decided to do a “wee bit of hill walking” as they called it in Scotland. Starting atop Mount Mitchell I ventured deep into the black mountains along the Deep Gap Trail. I walked with a hurried pace, not neglecting the beautiful sun setting behind the mountains. You could see for miles…absolutely breathtaking! With the reality that the sun was setting, meaning that I would soon no longer have the brilliant light of the blazing sun I quickened my pace some more.

With my headlamp blazing the trail I reached what would become my campsite. I set up a little fire ring and built a fire…constantly looking around me to make sure nothing was nearby. After building the fire (not so much for warmth but more so to keep animals away) I strung up my backpack in a tree, set up my hammock, and climbed in. I won’t lie to you…I prayed that God would take my fears away. Every creak of a tree was a bear…the small tapping of my hammock on my arm was a wolf sniffing me to see if I was good for the eating…the forest was coming alive!

I think what God wanted me to learn that night was to be scared of the dark again. Sometimes we find ourselves in really dark places in this world but we’ve become so used to it that we don’t notice it anymore. The things in the dark are no longer real to us. I’ve been experiencing that in my life. I needed the reminder that even when everything seems so dark around us, there is a light within that burns with blazing fury to drive out all fear. I am calling all of us to raise one finger and repeat…“Hide it under a bushel? NO! I’m gonna let it SHINE!”

“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 men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.” – John 1:1-5

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” – John 3:19-21

Sorry God...I didn't hear you

2007-08-09T09:17:00.000-04:00

What is it inside of us men that cause us to look at a mountain and want to climb it, look at a forest and want to explore it, or look at a long trail and want to conquer it? I’m not saying that women don’t have these urges; I’m just saying that I’m not going to pretend to know what is going on inside their minds. I’ll just stick with what I know…or at least with what I have some experience with…23 or so years worth.

Why do we do these things? I don’t know if I can answer for all men but I’ll at least answer for me. A few months ago I was asked why God doesn’t speak to us anymore like He used to. I’ve had a few thoughts on this that were confirmed either by A Testament of Devotion by Thomas Kelly or another book…or possibly a lecture I listened to…anyway. I asked myself, “Does God not talk to us anymore, or do we just not take time to listen? And, do we allow the world around us to be so loud that we cannot hear the whisper of God?” Wrestling with these two questions brings me back to why I…climb that mountain, conquer that river, explore the depths of the forest, etc.

Inside of me, and possibly inside many of you, there is a longing to hear the voice of God. I’m not saying that you have to be on top of a mountain to hear God. What I am saying is, often we need to run away, find a place, and get away from all the “noise” and listen. When I do this, I frequently find noise within myself keeping me from hearing and listening. It is important to frequently take time to set everything aside and listen. I’m not saying that you will hear God audibly but that God keeps His promise that when you ask for wisdom, He will give it.

“The LORD said, Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by. Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, What are you doing here, Elijah? He replied, I have been very zealous for the LORD God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” – I Kings 19:11-14

“So God said to him, "Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be.” – I Kings 3:11-12

”If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” – James 1:5-6

God...show yourself

2007-08-06T14:35:00.000-04:00

I’ve been all over Scotland, throughout Germany, and down through Italy, with a few awe-inspiring places in between. The Highlands of Scotland was one of my favorite places to be. Words cannot describe the beauty that is found there. This weekend as I kayaked 15+ miles on the New River with the guys from the youth group and some men from the congregation, I strayed back a few times to be by myself and soak everything in around me. The breathtaking rolling hills filled with green grass and trees made me miss my time in Scotland. As I reminisced on the beauty that has flooded my two blessed eyes, I couldn’t help but sit in awe of a God who created all of it just for me to look at.

Sometimes I get my nose so down to the grind that I never take the opportunity to see where God is sharing Himself with me…like an artist painting for his love. God really cares about little ol’ me? Stars…I love to look at them, so much nothingness with little bursts of light ripping its way through space to these little eyes of mine. Why would God create these? I’ve come to believe that He’s done it for no other reason but to make me smile. It is hard for me to be out in God’s creation and not have a good time. I’m glad I was blessed to be with my brothers this weekend to share it with them…after all He created it for them too.

I love the section at the end of Isaiah 40 where it talks about God being the “everlasting God.” He calls out the starry host one by one because He can…He created them. I was standing on the ledge of a 200 ft cliff outside of Stonehaven, Scotland. It was about six foot wide between the fence and the cliff. I was standing there so that I could take a picture of Dunnattar Castle, which stands across the way on the same cliffs surrounding a beach. The scene is magnificent. This once mighty castle, sits in ruins with greenery all around, the sea behind it, and cliffs dropping below. This is the scene that reminds me of how mighty our God is. Sometimes we need to step away from the neat stuff that man has created, already laying in ruins, and admire how beautiful God has made things for us yesterday, today, and forever.

Sorry Jesus...I didn't realize that was you...

2007-07-16T16:30:00.000-04:00

A number of different things happened over this past week. I had my one year anniversary of doing full time youth ministry here at Northview on the 10th. A woman really close to me back home passed away this week as well. She was always so nice to me, always had a smile, and a kind word to share with me. She will be greatly missed. My Dad turned 53 and Brady White turned 13. Lots of things have happened this week.

The best thing I saw this week was your teens, as an arm of Northview and of God’s Kingdom, stretching out to touch families in Summerville, SC. They joined with other teens from all over the Carolinas to be the loving arms of Jesus to others in this world. One of the speakers at Carolina Workcamp spoke about how when we help others we are helping Jesus. Most of the time when we overlook helping someone in need, we overlook the fact that we are overlooking Jesus Himself. While on this scheduled week of helping others we were challenged to find ways in which this isn’t just a time we set aside in our schedules but that our lives become a life of service.

In Wichita Falls, the place of my birth, there has been major amounts of flooding. I never realized the Great Plains could flood but they did. What an amazing opportunity for Christians to not only be the loving arms of Jesus to others but to also show Christ the love they have for Him by helping Him when He is in need. Katrina was another time many Christians stepped up to the call.

Often we look to times of disaster as opportunity to help those in need, but reality is that there are always people around us that could use the loving touch of Jesus in their lives. Remember, when you extend the loving arm of Christ to another, not only do you touch them but you also show Jesus how much you really care about Him.

Ryan

Big...really big...you really couldn't imagine how big

2007-05-26T20:22:00.000-04:00

To me, a baby was born this last Monday. I remember laying my eyes on her for the first time. She just sat there looking up at me out of her blue wrapping when I realized I needed to go attach her car seat to the top of my little red CRV. Weighing in at 800 ounces and around 144 inches in length my new baby is bright yellow from head to toe. The only problem is I still haven’t found a name for her yet.

I took her out on the lake twice this last week before the reality set in that I needed somewhere to store her. She didn’t look that big on the water compared to the other boats that I saw…and she didn’t really look that big on top of my car either. After carrying my new baby girl up the stairs and after managing to slide her into my apartment I not only realized how big my little girl really was but I also realized how grateful I was to have a 14 foot vaulted ceiling in my living room.

As I sat on my couch looking at my kayak, being that it is now the main focal point in my apartment, I thought about how much we do the opposite with God. We often confine God to the smallness of our minds. Even with all that open space inside our heads, we rarely do God any justice for how big He really is. “My God is so BIG, so STRONG and so MIGHTY. There’s nothing my God cannot do” is a great song that we limit to the imaginations of our children. Take a moment to evaluate your life…think about the things that you’re struggling with…apply the song…make it real…stop confining God to the vaulted ceiling of your mind and just see how big He really is.

Jesus Fish and Dangling Cross

2007-05-03T10:02:00.000-04:00

A week ago, I went on a prayer retreat to a retreat center away from any kind of “real civilization.” There were large live oaks lining the main entrance. Deer ran wild through the open fields and sometimes the gardens. They had prayer walks you could go on, or you could just sit on a bench at the edge of a garden overlooking the river. Serenity. Tranquility. Calmness. Quietness. Peace. These are the things I found while away from the world for a few days.

I made a stop in Charlotte for some reason…but on my way back up I-77 I was stuck behind a Jesus Fish and a Dangling Cross. The Jesus Fish was emphatically riding on the tail of the Dangling Cross in front of him. It was apparent that he badly wanted to get by. Finally the Dangling Cross whipped his SUV over when given the chance to allow the truck of the Jesus Fish past. He even was nice enough to motion with his hand that he was allowing him past…then directing his fellow brother toward Heaven he pointed there…with much emphasis. They shared a few edifying words to lift one another up before going on along their way.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” – James 1:22-25

It troubles me that these two men were mirroring to the world, the Christ I follow. My challenge to myself and to all of you…don’t just put a decal on your car or hang a cross from your mirror…actually LIVE out the Christ the you follow.

Ryan

Spring, Flowers, Easter, Life

2007-04-05T09:01:00.000-04:00

Over the past week I’ve had the opportunity to drive past a median full of long stemmed flowers that are absolutely beautiful. It has been a great reminder of the new life that spring brings. Change is something that we don’t cope well with a lot of the time but it happens for the most part a few times a year. Change brings death to the things around us but also resurrects beautiful life. We possibly wouldn’t appreciate spring as much if we didn’t have the death that comes with winter.

I called my Dad the other day and was telling him about how cool these flowers are. At night they are pointed straight up and closed. In the morning they are pointed east and are wide open. When I drive past them later in the afternoon they are wide open and pointing to the west! “You didn’t know they did that?” my Dad asked. I remember learning about it in 5th Grade Science but in Texas we don’t have stuff that grows in the ground that actually does stuff like that. We don’t have the soil…and if the flowers do move it is to hide from the sun.

There is something about the rising of the sun that demands the attention of these flowers. Maybe there is something to learn from these beautiful bits of creation that God put there for us to marvel at. It is Spring Time…It is a time of change…It is a time of new life…It is Easter Sunday! Does the rising of The Son demand our attention? Do we open up and absorb life from Him every day? With the rising of The Son…let us open ourselves to Him and soak up the Life which is truly life!

“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised.” - Psalm 113:3

Grace:Peace/Gravity:Falling

2007-03-23T01:51:00.000-04:00

If Paul could sum up the Gospel in two words I think they would be “Grace” and “Peace.” That is what we discovered in our Sr. High Bible Study over Galatians this past Monday night. In Paul’s salutation to the churches in Galatia, he starts off by saying, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” That is why I think Paul would sum the Gospel up in these two words. You might even call them the “cause and effect” of the Gospel. Grace is given to us by God (Romans 5:8) and the outcome of grace in our lives is peace…peace that allows us to rejoice in our sufferings (Romans 5:1-5). After recognizing this simple cause and effect of the Gospel I ran across this quote.

“What are we to make of Christ?” C.S. Lewis asked, and then answered, “There is no question of what we can make of Him, it is entirely a question of what He intends to make of us. You must accept or reject the story. What are we to make of Jesus Christ?” – Lewis, God in the Doc

What it comes down to is…when the fact of grace is staring you in the face, are you going to allow it to make a difference in your life or are you going to simply do it all on your own? I feel like I so often do it all on my own and once I’ve really just botched it all up I then try to let Jesus work on me. It is almost if I would just let Jesus do what He has always planned on doing with my life I would have a lot less headaches and a lot more peace.

We’re called to live out this grace for others to see in our lives. As we start looking at how we can reach the world for Christ we must first look at ourselves and see if anyone is going to be seeing the Gospel. I leave you with another quote I found in my morning Bible reading this week.

“What we are shapes what we do and what we do is so noisy people hardly hear what we say except from a distance.”

Ryan

I love...lamp

2007-03-09T13:01:00.000-05:00

I love lamp! I love…lamp. Ryan, do you really love lamp or are you just adhering to today’s pop-culture? I’m really not sure what you are talking about. You’re just looking around the room and saying you love the first thing that you see. Maybe you should make a Napoleon Dynamite reference next. Your Mom makes Napoleon Dynamite references. Leave me alone, ahh!

Life has been interesting…I graduated from University, watched a number of friends get married, moved to the east coast, made a big backpacking trip before that, turned 23 a few weeks ago…I’ve got the rest of my life ahead of me. I realize that at some point during the last year I became a real boy. Pinocchio reference…good one. You’ll soon be running around with a high pitched voice proclaiming, “I’m a real boy,” and doing little jigs. Go away…I’m trying to tell a story.

Twelve years ago, this past Thursday, I was baptized into Christ and gave my life to Him. A good portion of that time I did what I could to be a “good Christian.” I spent a lot of my time doing religious things, wearing religious stuff, and talking religious talk, all the while I felt I was just looking around saying, “I love Jesus.” You mean you were just seeing Jesus and saying that you love Jesus. Yes…kinda…go away.

In my attempts at my Christian walk I have come to realize that I’ve spent a lot of my time merely saying, “I love Jesus,” in the same way that I love a good cup of coffee. The difference is…I talk about coffee a lot; I spend a good amount of time with coffee, I tell people about my coffee, and share my coffee with my friends. It seemed as though I was more obsessed with coffee then I was with Jesus. Think about some of the things you “love.” How does this compare with your love for Jesus?

My best friend was dating a girl that he thought he was in love with. I was pretty sure that he was because he talked about her all the time and spent all of his time with her. We took a road trip together to Colorado Springs and I’m pretty sure she was the topic of conversation for more than half of the trip. I could tell he kind of liked her.
They got married so I guess he liked her. Ok, ok, I know he liked her. He’s crazy about her! I can see how real their love is for each other in the way that they act, in how they talk, in the constant smile on their faces. God has given us an amazing institution in marriage. He even calls us the Bride of Christ.

I have played with this idea of being “Christ’s Bride” in my head a lot. I have always understood that I made the commitment with Christ when I got baptized but the relationship aspect of it wasn’t really explained to me very much. When I really started to see myself as the living Bride of the living Christ I began to realize the extent of how much it hurts Him when I continue to do the stupid things I do in my life.

If someone asked Kent, my friend from before, if he knew Leah, his wife, he wouldn’t beat around the bush with his answer or be quiet with it so that he wouldn’t draw attention to himself. He would openly express that not only does he know Leah but that he is crazy about her, that he loves her, that he’s committed to her for the rest of his life.

I often have to question my zeal for my engagement with Christ. We, as Brides, need to show off our rings so that others might share in such a great engagement.

Special K and Double R

2007-03-08T15:43:00.000-05:00

I was looking through some old CDs where I had saved a lesson plan I wrote back in college and ran across this story I wrote that more or less happened. It is about my friend and I one Saturday mornin....enjoy

Ryan

This is a story about a little guy who was born yesterday morning (9/10/05) around 5am. With the struggles of new life in front of him, he was born into a large family. Over the next few ours all of his brothers, sisters, cousins, and a distant chocolate covered aunt were sold to the likings of the highest bidder. After only seven hours of life our little fighter was about to be cast aside with the rest of the trash of this world…

This is the point in every story where one might be looking for a hero to appear!

This is one of those stories…but let’s back it up a bit shall we…

Two guys, charming and good looking (no those are not their names), woke up on a certain Saturday morning, ignoring the temptations of the world through Saturday morning cartoons, and set out on a journey that would change their lives…forever. Who are these heroes you might ask. I shant reveal their true identities so I’ll just give their super names, Special K and Double R. Their journey had a direct purpose…it was the kind of journey that only two college students, or little old ladies, could set out on. This was a journey of garage sailing.

As our two heroes ventured onward, sailing every garage they came across, Special K’s Super Nerd Senses went crazy! Special K looked at Double R and said, “Somewhere out there is a lost generation who was born early this morning! We must find them!” “But K,” Double R said. “It is high noon and it might be too late for us…wait!! I see Daylight down the street! We can check there.” “Good thinking! You’re such an awesome super hero…I just wish I could be as cool as you,” Special K exclaimed to Double R.

As K&R barge through the doors of Daylight, our heroes were just in time to save the lives of not just one of two little donuts, but 450 enslaved and neglected Daylight Donuts. Special K and Double provided joy for many tummies, gave these neglected donuts a proper home, and saved the world yet again.

Love...what it is?

2007-03-02T10:27:00.000-05:00

This last weekend was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I posed as an “unapproachable teenager” for the weekend at a retreat in Texas. We wanted to see how the teens of three youth groups would treat me. Overall…they treated me like we thought they would. They avoided me, talked bad about me, made up rumors about me, and for the most part kept their distance from me…all while talking about seeking and saving the lost.
What is it that makes us see the outside of the person before ever seeing the inside? Have we become so much like the world that we look at the quality of the person’s exterior before examining their heart? My first two years of college I grew my hair out for Locks of Love. Most people, after being told what I was doing, thought that donating my hair was a pretty cool thing. Before learning that…most people just cast me off as a bum or deadbeat. I got a lot of comments from people, after getting to know me, that they would have thought I was someone else. I learned a lot those 15 months about how we judge people by their exterior.
In Matthew 23:25-28, Jesus talks about how the Pharisees are more concerned about cleaning their outsides to put on a face so that others would think they were clean through and through. Often it seems as though we apply that to others when we see them. When we start seeing each person as a creation of our Creator we will look past what they show themselves as and start to look at their heart and accept them as God’s creation and even help them become the perfection which God intends for them to be.
Go back and read I John 4:7-20 carefully. God is love. God’s love is made perfect when we love others. The way I read it, God is made perfect in the eyes of this world when we show love to others no matter if we think they deserve it or not. God is perfect but the world does not see that unless we, His people, show it to them.

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” – Jesus, Matthew 22:37-39

Ryan

Tools

2007-02-12T17:08:00.000-05:00

I was walking past Chris Mitchell’s truck the other night and admiring his vast array of tools. I looked across the room at Billy Ellenburg and said to myself, “Self…I bet Billy has a lot of cool tools as well.” After a short conversation with myself I began to think about the tools of my trade…not that my tools make me any less of a man they are just different.

I’m still new to this stuff but I feel I’m equipped to do the job that has been set in front of me:

I have a pair of 10 year old brown loafers which are nothing like a fine wine…they have not gotten better with age. They are cracked and cannot be worn when it is wet out or they get waterlogged and begin to smell.

I pretty much have two pairs of pants and then some dress clothes…Jeans and khakis. These go well with the handful or polo (style not brand) shirts that I have to wear to meetings and class.
My accessories include a necklace that I have been wearing for about 4 years and 237 days, a bracelet that a Jamaican suckered me into buying in Paris, my graduation ring, an anklet that Jessica Mitchell made me months ago, a watch I hardly look at, and my beard that makes me look older than the teens I work with.

I have a man-bag (satchel, messenger bag, whatever you want to call it) that broke this past Thursday that typically holds my laptop, book I’m currently reading, backup book in case I get board with said book, and the Good Book…my Bible I was given when I graduated from High School.

Like my shoes, my Bible has seen many miles. Unlike my shoes, it has been rebound before and doesn’t smell bad. This is the Bible I used when sitting in my classes in college…so I have a lot of memories with it. I preached my first sermon here out of it. I teach out of it. I level projectors with it.

I guess I listed this stuff to say…we all have different tools but we can do ministry with our tools. I can get jealous of Chris and Billy’s tools but those are what they have to work with to reach this world. Use the tools you have to bring God’s Glory to the people around you.

Nothing....nothing....

2007-01-26T09:48:00.000-05:00

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I (Paul) am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners (Paul), Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. – I Timothy 1:15-17

There is nothing you can do to make God love you less…

This is a hard thing for us to grasp. Often we flee from God when we do wrong because we think He is incapable and unwilling to love a dirty sinner like myself (Ryan). As one of the teens put it Wednesday evening, “We cannot fathom the love of God so it is hard to accept.” It is true, Ephesians 3:14-19 tells us that God’s love transcends all knowledge. We are incapable of completely grasping how wide, long, high, and deep is the love that God showed us on the cross. I might not be able to completely grasp it but I am sure going to accept it. There is no distance that you can go away from God that you cannot turn back around and be in His arms again.
Often, so very often, I (Ryan) fail in my attempts to do what God would like for me to do. “Worst of sinners…” I’m not sure if I’m ready to admit to that just yet but there is something about Paul’s confession that says, “I understand that I need God’s grace as much or more than anyone else.” Am I (Ryan) ready to make a bold confession like this, admitting that there is nothing I can do on my own to earn God’s love? In my feeble attempts to be a perfect child I realize that there is one thing that I need to be reminded of every time I fail…

…There is nothing I can do to make God love me less.

Ryan

Texas Plains

2006-12-22T16:09:00.000-05:00

“Howdy,” from all the way out here in Texas! It’s been good being at home, being with family, and spending time with some old friends. I got off the plane in Dallas and we set off across the Great Planes toward Wichita Falls, home of your very own Youth Minister. Even though I lived in this part of the country for the first 22 years of my life, I was in awe at the beautiful flatness. Some of you are probably thinking, “I’ve been there and it aint perdy.” There is something about actually being able to see the sun touch the horizon that is beautiful to me.

As we drove home, I just gazed out the window at the great vastness of the planes and was reminded of how much we take for granted the thing that are around us so much. I did not appreciate the beauty of this area of the country till I was away from it for five months…not that I plan on moving back to it anytime soon. I realized something though. When we see something every day, we take for granted how amazing they are. Think about the stars…How often do you stand in amazement of them and think how much God cared about you that He put them up there for you to look at? We would appreciate them a lot more if they only came out once or twice a year.

How often do you sit in amazement of how Great God is? I often take Him for granted. I’m not saying that you need to leave Him for five months to appreciate Him. Don’t let yourself get so disconnected from Him that you have to look at Him from a distance. Sometimes in our lives we only allow Jesus to be beautiful to us on Christmas when He is just a baby. This is true for most of the people around us. We have a great opportunity to remind people that Jesus is always beautiful…not just as a baby but as a risen Savior! Do not miss the opportunity to help people realize that Jesus isn’t just beautiful when you visit Him once a year but that He is beautiful all the time!

GO!

2006-12-11T17:35:00.000-05:00

The other day one of the ministers I work with called me into his office to ask me a question. "You've been here for almost five months now. How do you see this congregation in terms of evangelism?" The answer was simple, I didn't. It isn't that we aren't an active congregation...we do tons of things so that the world will know that we are here...but in terms of evangelism (in my mind...going into the world) we aren't doing it. I went on to explain that this isn't just a problem at Northview but a problem in the church as a whole.

This conversation led to a much longer conversation at our next elders-minister's meeting. We've realized that, as the LORD's children, we are commanded to share Him with others. This is an amazing command that we have lost sight of. I personally blame Constantine because if the institutionalization of the church. Because of this we have started seeing the building at "the church." We "go to church." We "do church." All the while we have forgotten that we are the Church.
Also because of this I believe that we have made this our home...the world that is. We have grown accustom to the world around us and see it as our existence. We exist for somewhere else and this is all just temporary. "This world is not my home, I'm just..." you can finish it. We forget that so often. We also forget that we're supposed to bring people with us. We neglect the relationships we have with the people all around us because we think we live here and forget that we are made for something different. We don't take advantage of the many opportunities we have to tell those around us about Jesus.

I was reading my bible this morning and got hit really hard by the Mac Truck of Truth. Jesus says something in the Gospel of John that sounds like a nice verse but is something that should worry us a bit. Jesus says, "If I be lifted up, I will draw the world to me." - John 12:32 - Why am I not drawing the world to Jesus? Am I lifting up my wants? My desires? Often I/we focus on ourselves and our location and forget that we told Jesus that we were dying to ourselves (The whole baptism thing), and we forget that we were made for something different (The whole heaven thing). John the Baptist was a pretty smart guy and I think we should learn something from him. In reference to Jesus he said, "He must increase, I must decrease." - John 3:30
I know it has been a while since I've updated but God has really put this on my heart and I am very excited about where Northview is going. The leadership is excited about evangelism and we're set out to change the world...I hope. Find ways to be lifting Jesus up to people around you. During the Christmas holiday is a great time to talk to people about Jesus...He had to be born to live, die, and be raised didn't He? Why not start with His birth to tell people about his death and resurrection. Going into all the world starts here friends...GO!

To Own a Dragon...

2006-08-19T17:02:00.000-04:00

Even though it happened at such a late time in my life, I am glad I fell in love with reading. I just finished the book “To Own a Dragon,” by Donald Miller, this afternoon. It is a book about growing up without a father. You might be wondering why I read such a book since I grew up with a wonderful father who is complimented by a loving, kind, and generous mother. I figure that since our world today is filled with broken homes it would be a good idea to have some sort of preparation for dealing with guys in my youth group who have and are growing up without a father. I recommend this book to any man who feels like he might end up being a part of or having any influence on the life of a fatherless guy. I also recommend this book for any guy growing up without a father.

Out of all the things that I took from this book the biggest is that our role in this life is to help our children know who their real Father is. I don’t have a good grasp on this because I don’t have any kids…that I know of…just kidding…mom I can assure you that I do not have any kids. Anyway…I see that my role in the lives of my teens and the people around me is to help them see, know, and grow in their relationship with their real Father. We have a great gift in that we can call God our Father and there is no relationship that is as important as this one. I’d like to thank everyone in my life, too many to be listed, who have helped me see who my true Father is. I am thankful that I have grown up with both of my parents who have loved and supported me in my life and most of all…have helped me come to know my true Father.
Find a way to show someone this week who their real Father is.

Be Holy,

Ryan

2006-08-11T12:49:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! I’ve stated the next big chapter in my life. I now live in Statesville, NC working with the youth group at the Northview Church of Christ. God is doing amazing things with this congregation and I am happy that He has made me a part of these plans. I’ve been here for about a month now and I am getting settled in nicely.

I just wanted to start this blog to keep anyone who cares updated with what is going on in my life out east. I’ll try to keep this somewhat updated. Enjoy…