I have been tagged; I’m it. Here is my response to the “Meme.”
One book that changed my life: Born Crucified: the Cross in the Life of the Believer by L.E. Maxwell
One book that I’ve read more than once: The Church of Christ by Edward C. Wharton
One book that I want on a desert island: The Bible
One book that made me laugh: Dispensational Truth by Clarence Larkin
One book that made me cry: Broken by Fruitfulness by Cline R. Paden
One book I wish had been written: Why I am a Christian by the Pharisees and Scribes of Jesus’ day
One book I wish had never been written: Charting the End Times by Tim LaHaye
One book I’m currently reading: The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus by Gary Habermas and Michael Licona
One book I’ve been meaning to read: Celebration of Discipline: the Path to Spiritual Growth by Richard Foster
Now tag five people: Johnny, Clint, Justin, DC, Jason S
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Christmas Spirit
It is Christmas; or at least closing in on it. But I can’t seem to get into the Christmas spirit. Maybe it is because I am away from home right now and when I get there I will catch it. But I think it is something else, something deeper.
The older I get and the deeper my walk gets with God, the keener I am to the things that happen around me. And as I watch this holiday every year, the more grotesque it becomes to me. This holiday has evolved into this sinister entity that is immersed in consumerism and gross materialism.
It was not always this way. There was a time when this time of the year was about family and togetherness. It was about peace on earth and goodwill toward men. But most important, it was a time when we celebrated the birth of our Lord; not knowing the exact date of his birth, we used this time of the year to celebrate his birth. There was a spirit to it.
That has changed as man pushes God further to the margin of his life. When God is emarginated, it is a dangerous thing. It means something or someone has taken over a position that is rightfully God’s. What has taken the place of God? No. That is the wrong question. Who has taken the position of God? Self. And when self sits on the throne the focus of what this holiday is about is changed. It is no longer focused on God and His Son. Now it is focused on me. And at the root of the problem is gross materialism and consumerism.
We buy others “stuff.” We get “stuff.” It is a holiday of “stuff.” But it gets worse. We get each other “stuff” that is merely going to be cast out and thrown away, forgotten by the passing of time. Still worse, we will replace this “stuff” with yet more “stuff.” Every year the shopping season begins earlier and takes on new forms. Whether we have to go down to the store or shop online, it happens sooner and sooner.
People line up outside stores for hours in extreme temperatures just so they can get a good deal, all the while showing just how enslaved to their materialism they are. Tell me, oh bargain shopper, convince me you got a good deal when Jesus says “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? Or what will man a give in return for his soul?” Jesus asks, “convince me you got a good deal. And now that you have gotten you good deal, what will you give to get your soul back?”
We’ve got it mixed up and backwards. We totally miss the meaning and spirit of this time of year. And I think that is why I can’t get in the spirit of the holidays this season. It is because the spirit I am searching for I cannot find. Instead I find this perverted spirit I want nothing to do with.
The older I get and the deeper my walk gets with God, the keener I am to the things that happen around me. And as I watch this holiday every year, the more grotesque it becomes to me. This holiday has evolved into this sinister entity that is immersed in consumerism and gross materialism.
It was not always this way. There was a time when this time of the year was about family and togetherness. It was about peace on earth and goodwill toward men. But most important, it was a time when we celebrated the birth of our Lord; not knowing the exact date of his birth, we used this time of the year to celebrate his birth. There was a spirit to it.
That has changed as man pushes God further to the margin of his life. When God is emarginated, it is a dangerous thing. It means something or someone has taken over a position that is rightfully God’s. What has taken the place of God? No. That is the wrong question. Who has taken the position of God? Self. And when self sits on the throne the focus of what this holiday is about is changed. It is no longer focused on God and His Son. Now it is focused on me. And at the root of the problem is gross materialism and consumerism.
We buy others “stuff.” We get “stuff.” It is a holiday of “stuff.” But it gets worse. We get each other “stuff” that is merely going to be cast out and thrown away, forgotten by the passing of time. Still worse, we will replace this “stuff” with yet more “stuff.” Every year the shopping season begins earlier and takes on new forms. Whether we have to go down to the store or shop online, it happens sooner and sooner.
People line up outside stores for hours in extreme temperatures just so they can get a good deal, all the while showing just how enslaved to their materialism they are. Tell me, oh bargain shopper, convince me you got a good deal when Jesus says “what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world yet forfeits his soul? Or what will man a give in return for his soul?” Jesus asks, “convince me you got a good deal. And now that you have gotten you good deal, what will you give to get your soul back?”
We’ve got it mixed up and backwards. We totally miss the meaning and spirit of this time of year. And I think that is why I can’t get in the spirit of the holidays this season. It is because the spirit I am searching for I cannot find. Instead I find this perverted spirit I want nothing to do with.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
The Joys of Ministry
The concept of 2 Timothy 2.2 has always been a fascinating to me. I love what has divinely established as the means by which the faith is transmitted: faithful men entrusting faithful men who will entrust faithful men with the good word. But it was only recently that this passage became very personal to me.
The internship at Northside has taught me many things about preaching and people. The longer I am here, the more I realize how difficult it will be to leave. Kim and I form deeper and stronger bonds with people everyday. One couple in particular has become our very good friends. We spend a lot of time with them talking about this, that, and the church.
The husband has for some time been working on his Christian walk. He came to the conclusion that he wanted to do more for Jesus and therefore determined to do something about it. About the same time, Kim and I arrived in Wichita and began “feeling the pulse” of Northside; finding out who the leaders are and working on developing relationships with people. It truly is amazing the way God works: I was looking for people to mature and he was seeking maturity. We hit it off immediately.
It was not long until God sent the husband someone seeking Jesus. It was the perfect opportunity for growth: one to enter into Christ and the other to grow deeper into Christ. However, the husband, realizing his own weakness, could not on his own disciple this seeker. It had been so long since he had even been close to talking to someone about Jesus and his skills were atrophied. He turned to me for help.
I have had these evangelism tools in my possession for a long time (even before Sunset). To be quite honest, I had forgotten all about them until I opened a bible I had not picked up in a long time and rediscovered them. They were just what the doctor (or Great Physician) ordered. I put them in the husband’s hands and walked him through them step by step. Start here, then move to this, explain this like this, have your prospect read the verses himself out loud, etc. Then, prepared with the word, he went to work.
It did not take long at all. With fertile soil, the prospect received the word with a glad heart. And one week ago, Kyle was baptized into Christ. It was a day of rejoicing which Kim and I shared with our friends.
I believe God has built into equipping a joy that goes beyond words. Not only do I rejoice over the addition of the recent baptism, but also I rejoice with my friend. He sat me down one night and expressed his heart felt appreciation for me. He said that was the first adult bible study he had with anyone ever. He thanked me and told me that my coming to Northside has really helped to light a fire under him. My heart welled with joy that I could help my friend mature in his faith and I praise God for sending me to Northside.
At Sunset we talked about the pitfalls of ministry; and to be sure those things need to be addressed. But there was not much conversation about the joys of ministry (that I remember). I guess some things just have to be experienced.
The internship at Northside has taught me many things about preaching and people. The longer I am here, the more I realize how difficult it will be to leave. Kim and I form deeper and stronger bonds with people everyday. One couple in particular has become our very good friends. We spend a lot of time with them talking about this, that, and the church.
The husband has for some time been working on his Christian walk. He came to the conclusion that he wanted to do more for Jesus and therefore determined to do something about it. About the same time, Kim and I arrived in Wichita and began “feeling the pulse” of Northside; finding out who the leaders are and working on developing relationships with people. It truly is amazing the way God works: I was looking for people to mature and he was seeking maturity. We hit it off immediately.
It was not long until God sent the husband someone seeking Jesus. It was the perfect opportunity for growth: one to enter into Christ and the other to grow deeper into Christ. However, the husband, realizing his own weakness, could not on his own disciple this seeker. It had been so long since he had even been close to talking to someone about Jesus and his skills were atrophied. He turned to me for help.
I have had these evangelism tools in my possession for a long time (even before Sunset). To be quite honest, I had forgotten all about them until I opened a bible I had not picked up in a long time and rediscovered them. They were just what the doctor (or Great Physician) ordered. I put them in the husband’s hands and walked him through them step by step. Start here, then move to this, explain this like this, have your prospect read the verses himself out loud, etc. Then, prepared with the word, he went to work.
It did not take long at all. With fertile soil, the prospect received the word with a glad heart. And one week ago, Kyle was baptized into Christ. It was a day of rejoicing which Kim and I shared with our friends.
I believe God has built into equipping a joy that goes beyond words. Not only do I rejoice over the addition of the recent baptism, but also I rejoice with my friend. He sat me down one night and expressed his heart felt appreciation for me. He said that was the first adult bible study he had with anyone ever. He thanked me and told me that my coming to Northside has really helped to light a fire under him. My heart welled with joy that I could help my friend mature in his faith and I praise God for sending me to Northside.
At Sunset we talked about the pitfalls of ministry; and to be sure those things need to be addressed. But there was not much conversation about the joys of ministry (that I remember). I guess some things just have to be experienced.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
The Price Tag
When we go the store, we usually take the time to evaluate the price tag on the particular item we are looking to buy. This is especially true if we have children who bring us the box of cookies. We take coupons and look for the best bargain for our money. And often, price determines whether or not we get the things we want after purchasing the things we need. We cannot buy the brand new television if we have spent our last dime on groceries.
Certainly there are people who are willing to spend every last penny on the things they want and then purchase a bill (or two) of groceries on the credit card. Hopefully we see this as foolish and are not engaged in this kind of debt augmentation. When it comes to the price tag, we are sure to check to see if we have enough to cover the bill.
There is a price tag and a price to be paid with world evangelism. I think there are too many in the pews who did not first examine the price tag themselves before taking the commitment. And it is not that they ignored the price tag; perhaps they are just ignorant of the price tag that comes with world evangelism having never been shown the price tag. God has built into his marvelous plan of redemption a price that must be paid on our accounts.
Families will give up children to mission field. They will bury loved on alien soil, on hills of foreign countries, under palm trees on island nations, and under blistering suns of African nations. Children will be raised in the culture of the mission field and will grow up seeing the people of that place for what they are: lost souls.
When Gerald Paden went to Italy, his wife, Bobbie, and he stayed with Bobbie’s parents. The next morning, they were gone, unable to bear the heartache that came with saying goodbye. It was the last time Bobbie saw her mother. Gerald’s parents took them to them train station. That was the last time he saw his father. In Italy, Gerald and Bobbie made many friends and fellow workers. And upon returning to the states, they said goodbye for the last time to people they would not see until eternity. In this life, as Christians, we say goodbye only until eternity.
This is the built-in price of world evangelism. And if world evangelism is to be priority one in every congregation, every Christian home, and in every individual, we must weigh the cost to see if we are willing to pay the toll. If we are not going to pay the price of fruitfulness, then we doom ourselves for fruitlessness and ultimately being cut off by the gardener. And like the salt that loses it savor, we are no longer good for anything except to thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
Certainly there are people who are willing to spend every last penny on the things they want and then purchase a bill (or two) of groceries on the credit card. Hopefully we see this as foolish and are not engaged in this kind of debt augmentation. When it comes to the price tag, we are sure to check to see if we have enough to cover the bill.
There is a price tag and a price to be paid with world evangelism. I think there are too many in the pews who did not first examine the price tag themselves before taking the commitment. And it is not that they ignored the price tag; perhaps they are just ignorant of the price tag that comes with world evangelism having never been shown the price tag. God has built into his marvelous plan of redemption a price that must be paid on our accounts.
Families will give up children to mission field. They will bury loved on alien soil, on hills of foreign countries, under palm trees on island nations, and under blistering suns of African nations. Children will be raised in the culture of the mission field and will grow up seeing the people of that place for what they are: lost souls.
When Gerald Paden went to Italy, his wife, Bobbie, and he stayed with Bobbie’s parents. The next morning, they were gone, unable to bear the heartache that came with saying goodbye. It was the last time Bobbie saw her mother. Gerald’s parents took them to them train station. That was the last time he saw his father. In Italy, Gerald and Bobbie made many friends and fellow workers. And upon returning to the states, they said goodbye for the last time to people they would not see until eternity. In this life, as Christians, we say goodbye only until eternity.
This is the built-in price of world evangelism. And if world evangelism is to be priority one in every congregation, every Christian home, and in every individual, we must weigh the cost to see if we are willing to pay the toll. If we are not going to pay the price of fruitfulness, then we doom ourselves for fruitlessness and ultimately being cut off by the gardener. And like the salt that loses it savor, we are no longer good for anything except to thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
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