Commitment

part 3... the third C of ministry...

Commitment- continually acting on conviction that is greater than circumstances.

Daniel 6:10 ESV
"When Daniel knew that the document had been signed he went up to his house where he had windows in his upper changer open toward Jerusalem.  He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously."

Daniel set a pattern with his life that modeled a committed relationship to God from his youth.  Nothing was going to deter him from acting on this conviction- even the threat of a violent death (see context).  This should be our first priority of commitment- to be a committed follower of Christ.

Other things that a Christian is called to be committed to:

Marriage, family, a church, and community; prayer, worship, and reading God's word; purity, love, a job, and friendships; etc.

Courage

part 2...the second C of ministry...

Courage- experiencing genuine fear and pressing forward anyway.  Godly leadership requires courage.

Most fears are related to a desire to be comfortable, certain, or in control.  We run from physical and emotional pain to try to stay comfortable.  We always want to know everything so that we can be certain about a decision or the world around us.  We are not satisfied with contributing, but desire to control things so that they are just the way we like them.  Objective attention to advertising shows that most ads attempt to increase ones desire for these things so that people buy their product to help satisfy their desire.  This is our world.  To be courageous is not just for warriors on the battlefield.  It is for those who want to live a purposeful everyday life in modern western culture.

To be successful requires having courage in the face of failure, opposition, pain, and criticism.  Becoming a Christian does not alleviate these challenges, but enhances them.  Moreover, being a Christian provides purpose, meaning, and motivation for overcoming.  To top it off, God himself lives inside us to empower us to step forward in faith.  This takes place in everyday interaction and major life decisions. 

"Be on your guard;

stand firm in the faith;

be men of courage;

be strong.

Do everything in love."   (1Cor 16:13-14)

Confidence

This blog is the first of a 3-part series on the 3 C's of my calling in ministry.  Through my various ministry engagements, these things have proven to be the backbone of how I encourage youth.  I've found this simplification to be a helpful way to categorize the vast web of ministry.

Confidence- complete trust in what is true.  I am confident in my identity in Christ Jesus.

My inspiration for this C comes from Daniel 3:16-18.  These men are so confident in God that they trust God with their lives (literally) as they take a stand for truth in face of ultimate opposition.  Mature faith is marked by a confidence in Godly identity. 

My experience has been that most people really don't know who they are.  Thus, their life is devoted to jumping from one idea, philosophy, religion, job, sport, style of clothing, image, etc to another in hopes of discovering meaning.  God is the objective standard of truth.  We cannot hope to alter that with a whim of the moment or our best reasoning.  God's truth is found in the Bible.  It says of God's people,"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2Cor 5:17)  "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." (Phil 1:6)  Do you believe this?  If you don't know Christ, who are you?

Generation iY

There are good books, great books, and then there's the best book I've read to date on how to assess, lead, motivate, and minister to today's youth culture: Generation iY by Tim Elmore.  I put this book in the must read category for parents, educators, youth pastors, and employers.

theological confusion gone public- my comments

Key word- public.  As long there are people, there will be confusion.

I have been loosely following the 'Rob Bell debate' since it started.  For awhile it felt like speculative Bell bashing.  While many good points have been made, things have reached a new level of honesty now that his book, Love Wins, has actually been released.  Here is an adequate book review.  Between this review and Bell's statements in this interview it seems to me that Bell is making a lot of assumptions about the character of God that he hopes to be true based on past hurt and a shallow understanding of the Bible.  I do not recommend this book.

I'm thankful that God will always be bigger than whoever happens to be in the spotlight.  I've been blown away recently by reading through the gospels about how Jesus never feels the need to defend himself, even in the face of his biggest critiques.  He was not reactionary, but intentionally answered honest questions.  While He allowed other people to make assumptions, He only spoke the truth.

I'm also thankful that God Wins b/c God Won when Jesus rose from the dead.  Love is one of many attributes of God.  God is Love; he is also Just, Righteous, Holy, True, etc.  These are not in contradiction, but show us an all-powerful God.  He deserves our worship.

If you want to know the truth, READ THE BIBLE first before reading what other people say about it!!!

girls on the edge

I will not attempt to write a blog about girls, so perhaps I will focus more the 'on the edge' part, lol.  A couple months ago Dr. Sax published his book, girls on the edge, a sequel to his earlier publication of boys adrift.  Both books attempt to raise awareness of cultural issues that have influence on young people in gender specific ways.  I made mention of boys adrift in a previous blog, while this one will mention a few specifics jumped out to me from girls on the edge.

People ask important life questions such as: "Who am I?", "Who will love me?", and "What is my purpose?"  They typically form their identity based on their answers to questions like these.  The only way that anyone can be fully satisfied as a human is when their answers are founded upon Bible truth.  The people around us either help us discover these truths or help us create false ones.  Part of growing into adulthood is learning to form our own answers to these questions that are satisfying to us.  Girls on the Edge, explores many of the false identities that girls form in attempts to replace truth of God.  Some of these identity struggles from around a misunderstanding of sexuality, fake relationships and bullying through social networking, and obsessions including sports, body, and academics.

Throughout his cultural discussion, Sax raises many questions about the educational system in America suggesting that many young people would better thrive academically if they were in gender-specific classrooms, started school at a later age such as age 7, and received less pressure to learn.  He provides reasons for restructuring school subjects and curriculum so that students could grow interested in and explore topics rather than being force fed answers to questions that they haven't asked yet.  These suggestions are based on discoveries on how how boys and girls think differently at young ages.


Many people define their purpose based on things like their accomplishments, their job, their ability, what other people say they are, or say they are not.  The result is dissatisfaction and confusion.  For example if you define yourself as the start athlete and then you become injured it feels like you life is over.  Or if you find your purpose in impressing everyone and fail someone, then you become a failure rather than a person who made a mistake.

The only way to find true identity, love, and purpose is in Jesus Christ.  That way we find an identity that is outside of our ability.  We discover that we are God's chosen and they we are loved by Him.  We discover that the people in our lives who will truly love us are those that are willing to show us grace.  We are free to life now and for eternity.  We are free to love others and to show them Grace.

Sax does not definitively make the same conclusions that I have made.  He is simply commenting on his discoveries through his medial and social practice and research.  His intended audience is not conservative Christianity, but the common parent.  Nevertheless, I believe that his discoveries provide immense support for the Biblical Christian Worldview.

Experienced Grace

It is October.  Well, that's the obvious part, but there is some significance.  The first three things that come to mind with i think of October are my birthday, leaves falling off of the trees, and fresh apples/cider.  While in a week's time i will be a year older (i'll leave you to figure that one out), the leaves are turning, and i'm enjoying fresh cider as I write, there are other less annual things to share.  I have now been working on staff at Grove City College for over a month and am chronologically experiencing a new community and lifestyle in a place that i am actually returning to.  This month in Grove City has provided my with many opportunities to reflect on how grace is a part of everyday life.

"I hear and I forget.  I see and I remember.  I do and I understand."  This is a quote that recognizes the power of experiential education.  It might be a little brash.  Often i can hear and remember long enough to see what I've heard in action, and then go do myself.  However, I believe that one does not fully understand something until they have experienced it for themselves.

I have mentioned in previous blogs about how God has shown me the importance of showing His Grace to myself and to others.  The professional workplace, where everyone has their tasks do, can easily become a place lacking in grace.  Sometimes, this looks like people finding something insignificant, but somewhat offsetting, to complain about.  So they complain to someone who can't do anything about it, who then complains to someone else who can't do anything about, who complains to someone else who can't do anything about it, and so forth creating a nice big circle of complaints about something that is insignificant and can't be changed.  It is a challenge to step into the middle of such a cycle, receive the complain, and instead pass on a word of encouragement to the next person in the communication chain.  At other times grace vanishes from one on one communication through not accepting people when they make mistakes.

There are many situations that require us to respond with grace.  From my experience, I have found the hardest of these to be when I make a mistake and someone else refuses to show me grace for it.  This requires me to show grace to myself AND to show grace to the person who refuses to show grace to me.  A double measure of grace is required in these situations.

I have discovered that growing as a leader and manager of people requires that I grow in my understanding (experience) of God's Grace.  IE- God uses the people around me in my sanctification.  I am thankful for the ways that God is encouraging me.  Please pray that I will grow better at communication and discernment with those around me as I learn to live a more grace-filled life.