There is way too much truth here… March 23, 2009
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Thanks to ASBO Jesus.
What should we do? Part II March 22, 2009
Posted by questcollegeministry in Bible, christianity, faith, following God, Quest, spirituality.Tags: Bible, christian living, church, religion, spirituality
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At Quest, we have been looking at the question of “what should we do?” If we are really going to be followers of Jesus, what should we be doing? As we have looked at this question, we have noticed that there are two different aspects to the answer. There is a spiritual response to following Jesus that is largely internal and that affects the development of our character and our relationship with God. There is also an aspect of the answer that relates to the world around us. This is largely an external response that will affect our relationship with others and the actions we take in our life. We’ve started looking at these answers to the question “what should we do?” by looking at the book of James. Recently at Quest, we looked at James chapter 2. Here is some of what we talked about:
* In some ways, James 2 is a very easy chapter. It is very straightforward, which means that it doesn’t really invite much discussion. What James is saying is very clear. The hard part about James 2 (and much of the book of James, really) is the challenge of putting into practice. It is easy to internally respond with “yeah, but…” The key is to actually put it into practice.
* One of the two major topics of the chapter is sin. Sin comes down to one of two things: either doing things that we shouldn’t or not doing things that we should. A message that comes through loud and clear is that God doesn’t rank sins. People have the tendency to say that some things are worse than others. Murder is considered a “worse” sin than lying. Some sins seem to even become acceptable in churches. Gossip is a good example of this. While most Christians would tell you that gossip is wrong, it is still prevalent in the church because “it’s not that bad.” But while sins like these are tolerated, other sins are not. Some sins are considered to be so bad that someone who committed that sin would not be welcome in the church. James tells us that this type of thinking is flawed. James 2:10 makes it clear that a sin is a sin. Whoever breaks only one part of God’s law is guilty of breaking every part of God’s law. God sees every sin is the same. To him gossip is the same as lying, and they are both the same as murder.
* James also address the sin of partiality. In the first part of the chapter, James addresses an issue that had become a problem for his readers. They were treating some people who came to their gatherings as better than others. They were showing special favoritism to the rich and important people who came, and they were treating newcomers who were poor badly. While the specific issue was one of treating the rich better than the poor, the general rule James lays down applies in any situation where there are different types of people. James tells us that when we show partiality towards people, we are violating the command to “love our neighbor as our self,” and when we do that, we sin. (James 2:8-9). If we treat one group of people better than another group, we are not demonstrating to the group we are treating poorly. We are not loving them as we love ourselves.
* What we see is that one of our responses to having a relationship with Jesus is that we will love our neighbors as ourselves. When you think about it, most of the things that the Bible talks about as sins are violations of love toward God or people. In other words, the things that are sinful are the things where we demonstrate that we love ourselves more than God or more than others. If I am showing love toward someone, I won’t kill them or steal their things. If I am demonstrating love toward Cheryl, I won’t commit adultery. If we can get to the point where we are consistently showing love to everyone, the problem with sin should take care of itself. We won’t be committing sin because we won’t be violating the love we have toward people and God.
* The second major topic in this chapter is the balance between faith and works. James addresses the question of whether or not it is possible to have faith without works. This can be a tricky subject. Too much emphasis on works, or the things we do, leads to the place where we start thinking that we earn our relationship with God. This doesn’t match what we see in the Bible about our relationship coming through grace, which is a gift that can’t be earned. So the extreme response against the idea of a works-based relationship with God is to rely solely on faith, with no works at all. But James tells us that this kind of faith without works is dead. He says that the way show that we have faith is by the works that we do, or the actions we take.
* Faith and belief in God should result in action. We should live out the principles that we learn from Jesus. If we live them out, it should have an effect on the actions we take as we go around in the world we live in. We should be working to make the principles that Jesus taught come to life in the people and the situations around us. If we do that, we will demonstrate to others that our faith is alive, and that should help them to see Jesus.
That sould give you a feel for what we talked about in our discussion of James 2. In the next part of “What should we do?” we will take a look at James 3.
I’m not sure how this happens… March 20, 2009
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I came across this article about a woman who gave birth on an international flight from Samoa and New Zealand. Apparently, the woman initially abandoned the baby and then tried to come back for the baby. Both mom and baby are now together and are both doing well in the hospital.
The article states that the “New Zealand Press Association quoted an unnamed Auckland Airport staffer saying it was not known if other passengers and crew on the Pacific Blue flight from Samoa noticed the woman was in labor.”
Now, just a few weeks ago, I witnessed the labor and delivery process. It’s kind of loud and kind of messy. It’s something that you would notice if it were going on around you. How could the other passengers and crew not know that this lady was having a baby? One would think that somebody would have seen or heard something.
I’m also not sure how you can leave a baby behind on the plane. It’s not quite like forgetting your book in the seat pocket. Again, one would think that somebody would have said to the much-less-pregnant looking woman, “hey, ma’am, I think you’re forgetting something.”
What should we do? Part I March 19, 2009
Posted by questcollegeministry in Bible, christianity, faith, following God, Quest, spirituality.Tags: Bible, christian living, christianity, religion, spirituality
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At Quest, we recently started a series on the book of James. As we began the series, we started with the question of what we should be doing if we are really going to be followers of Jesus. There really are two aspects to this the answer to this question. There is an internal spiritual respons to following Jesus that will affect our character and our relationship with God. There is also an external response that will affect our relationships with others and actions we take in our lives.
In James chapter 1, we can begin to see both types of responses that should take place when we have a relationship with Jesus. James address both the internal spiritual response and the actions we should begin to take among others in the world around us. Here are some of the things that we discussed:
• We see the spiritual actions we should be taking when James says things like in verse 21, when he tells us that we should but away all filthiness and rampant wickedness. In verse 27 he tells us to remain unstained by the world. These are internal changes. Before we come to know Jesus, filthiness and wickedness are often parts of our lives. This is because the culture of the world teaches us to put ourselves first, and if doing things that make ourselves happy bothers or causes problems for other people, well that’s just too bad for them. These attitudes of the world have the tendency to stain us and to affect us, even if we are trying to be a good person. Once we decide to follow Jesus, we should have a change of character and attitude. We should put aside this selfishness and the filthy and wicked attitudes that culture teaches us are normal.
• We see the external actions we should be taking when James says things like in verse 27 when he says that “Religion that is undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit the widows and the orphans in their affliction. . .” Doing things for others, even when it is not in our best interests, is part of what it means to follow Jesus. In the society of the 1st Century, the man of the house was the principle (and usually the only) bread winner. If something happened to him, the family was left without a way to support itself until a son was able to provide for the rest of the family. This means that the “widow and the orphans” where people who were essentially helpless. James is telling us that, as followers of Jesus, we should be taking care of the people who are helpless. It is when we do this that we have a “religion that is undefiled before God.”
• This leads to some tension, however. In our culture there are widows and orphans and others who are helpless. At the same time, there are also people who aren’t helpless, but are lazy and are looking for others to take care of themselves. While James clearly says that we have the responsibility to take care of others, it is also clear from the New Testament that people do have a personal responsibility to try to avoid being a burden on others. This causes some tension because it leads to the question of how we help without enabling the lazy or the people who just want to take advantage of others. This is a particularly difficult line to draw in our culture where we don’t have the same time of easily identifiable classes that are literally helpless. This is a difficult area with no easy answers.
• James reminds us that we should be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Far too often followers of Jesus have the reputation for doing this exactly backwards. We have the reputation of being slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to anger, especially when it comes to people who don’t know Jesus. A week ago we talked about how the earliest followers of Jesus had the favor of all of the people. When you do these things, it is easy to see how this is the case. When you are quick to listen and slow to speak, you are going to develop relationships with people. Once those relationships develop, people will be willing to listen to what you have to say, even if they initially disagree. Far too often, followers of Jesus simply tell people what they should do or think, rather than building the kind of relationships that will make people truly listen to and care about what we have to say.
• James also tells us that we need to be doers of the word, not just hearers. In fact, he compares people who only hear the message of Jesus but don’t put it into action to a person who looks in the mirror then immediately forgets what they looked like. The words and actions of Jesus and the contents of the Bible should be a mirror. They show us what we look like (or at least what we should look like) when we choose to follow Jesus. They give the picture of how we should live and what our relationships with God and others should look like. However, if we only listen, even if we say we believe it, but don’t actually put it into action, then it is as if we forgot who we are. We have forgotten what a follower of Jesus should look like and what they should do. The fact that we have heard the message of Jesus, and even the fact that we have believed it, become meaningless if we don’t put it into action.
Youth Specialties Pittsburgh – Saturday November 2, 2008
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Today was a good day. I spent most of it in and around the various prayer spaces provided by YS. Andy and I are working as volunteers in the Labyrinth this weekend. I had two shifts today, and it was an amazing experience. My first shift was during the morning’s general session. Yesterday was not very busy. There was never any kind of a backlog. Since it was a general session, I figured most people would be in listening to Francis Chan speak, so I guess that it would be more of the same. Acutally, it was busier than either of the sessions I worked on Friday.
But that was nothing compared to my afternoon shift, which was during the time between the afternoon seminars and the evening general session. When I walked in, the labyrinth was full. There were two people at most of the stations and three at at least one or two. There were 6 people waiting to start, and there were 4 people on the sign up sheet to start in the next 15 minutes. It was crazy.
What I learned pretty quickly is that busy is better. And not just because it makes time go by faster. It is incredible to watch the people who go through the labyrinth. I don’t think that I have ever been a part of something where people have so consistently had incredible experiences with God. I get to watch people from the time they walk into the door, through the time they are at the prayer stations, up to the time that they leave. I get to see countenances lifted. I get to see people lift their hands in worship. I get to see them shed tears as they work with God. I get to watch as burdens are lifted. I literally get to watch as people are changed because of their experience with God. It’s just incredible. Thanks YS for the opportunity to be a part of it.
Between the my two shifts in the labyrinth, I spent some time on my own in the Prayer Chapel. One of the things I spent a lot of time praying about before coming to Pittsburgh is that God would provide some guidance for Quest for the coming year. I certainly don’t know everything yet, after after my time in prayer today, I feel like I have a lot more clarity. Keep watching here for details.
Phyllis Tickle was the general session speaker today. I was fortunate enough to see her in Atlanta last year and was blown away. I blogged about that session here, and I was part of a discussion of her talk here. I also read her book The Great Emergence. I think she’s fantastic, but I wasn’t quite as blown away this time around. However, let’s be honest, a big part of that is because it wasn’t a new idea to me this time. While there was a bunch that was new (or at least different) from her talk in Atlanta last year, it is very similar to her book. Still, it was good stuff to think about.
Tomorrow I don’t have any shifts in the labyrinth. I get to be a participant all day. I’m not sure I’m excited about that…
Youth Specialties Pittsburgh – Friday November 1, 2008
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I spent most of today in and around the Labyrinth. Those of us who are volunteering to work there got to be the first participants to go through it this morning before it officially opened. As always, it was great. I think it’s really cool how each time I pray the labyrinth something different sticks out to me. Today it was the station called “Outward Journey.” “Outward Journey” comes right after time that is dedicated to just spending time with God and taking communion. It discusses the importance of taking that experience with us as we go out into the world and using it to affect the world for God. It sort of matched up with things I’ve been thinking and questions I’ve been pondering about the direction for Quest in the next year. The actual convention hadn’t started yet, and God was already beginning to speak to me. That’s awesome.
After finishing the labyrinth myself, I started working. As a volunteer, my job is to make sure that everything in the labyrinth is running smoothly and to give participants some instructions and answer their questions. Because most people weren’t here yet, the morning session was very quiet. It is really cool to be involved in the “Soul Care” department of the convention. Youth Specialties puts an emphasis on giving people the time, space and opportunity to strengthen themselves spiritually.It’s awesome to be even a small part of that. The most fun is talking to participants after they are leaving. Many are completely blown away by the experience that they have just had with God. It’s great to see God at work in the lives of others. I am so thankful for the opportunity to volunteer and be a part of it.
I worked two shifts in the labyrinth. Between them was the first General Session. It was fantastic. Joe Castillo did some more of his sand art. This time, he used it to tell the story of the Prodigal Son. It was awesome. Check out the link. It’ll be 9:20 well spent. Then Starfield lead worship. I love Starfield. I’m glad there here for the first couple of days of the convention. The speaker for the session was Mike Pilavachi. He was great. To me at least, he is a very entertaining speaker. He’s British, and since I generally love the British sense of humor, I found him hilarious. He touched on a variety of topics, but the big one was about helping people to grow the way Jesus did. Jesus sent out the disciples and allowed them to make mistakes. Then he made sure they learned the lessons from the mistakes. The lesson for us is that we have to release people before they are ready. People learn to be good by being given the freedom to be bad. To often, we want people to be perfect before we give them the opportunity to try. Of course, then how can they ever be perfect, since they don’t have the opporunity to practice and try things out…
Youth Specialties – Thursday and Friday Pictures November 1, 2008
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Youth Specialties – Thursday November 1, 2008
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This is the first time that I’ve ever been at the National Youth Workers Convention on a Thursday. The main convention always starts on Friday afternoon, but there are early bird events on Thursday. I have to say, it’s a different place. Much quieter and more sedate.
Andy and I got here at about 9:00 a.m. this morning after driving through the night. We weren’t able to leave the Chicago area until 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday. We had to be here by 10:00 a.m. Thursday to work on the set up of the Prayer Chapel and Labyrinth. We were a little tired on the drive, but there were no problems or safety hazards. When we got to Pittsburgh, we parked the car across the street from our hotel. Then we walked into the lobby to ask when we would be able to check in. They told us that we could have our room right away, which was very cool. It was even cooler when we opened the door. The room is HUGE. It’s bigger than most studio apartments that I’ve ever been in.
After checking in, we walked the 3 or so blocks to the convention center and met the team that we are going to be working with. It’s a great group of people. We worked hard at the set up. Everything went up quickly, and it looks really good. There are a lot of cool areas and stations in the Prayer Chapel. I’ll post some pictures in my next entry. I think my favorite area is the one with the paralytic’s mat. We created a “hole” in the ceiling, and there is a mat on the floor with ropes running up to the “hole.” It’s a place that can encourage prayers for healing or faith, and contemplation about who you would go through the trouble of lowering through a roof or who would be willing to lower you through a roof. Very cool. I can’t wait to see everything tomorrow when everything is lit for ambiance and it is all in use.
Youth Specialties, Day -1 October 30, 2008
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It’s been a busy day today, and it will be a long night. Andy and I are volunteering to help in the Soul Care department, which includes the Prayer Labyrinth and the Prayer Chapel. We’re really excited about it. However, we need to be there at 10:00 a.m. Pittsburgh time on Thursday morning. That’s a little bit of a problem, because the earliest flight we could take would get to the Pittsburgh airport, which is a long way from down town, a little after 9:00. We aren’t sure that we would be there in time, especially if there were any kind of weather delay. But Andy can’t leave until after Frontline tonight, which means we won’t be on our way until 9:30 or 10:00 tonight, at the earliest. And that means lots of late night driving.
This is going to be a great weekend. We’re really excited. We’re excited to help out. We’re excited to be going to the convention. We’re excited to spend time with God and each other as we plan for the next year. Keep us in prayer this weekend. Pray for safety while travelling. Pray for our wives and babies (newborn or unborn). And pray that God will meet with us and help us plan for next year.
You can follow what’s going on all weekend. I’ll be blogging about it here. Andy will be blogging about it here. You can read the Frontline or Quest twitters, and you can follow the live blogs from the General Sessions at www.nywc.com/live.
Have a great weekend.
It starts small October 26, 2008
Posted by questcollegeministry in Bible, christianity, following God, Quest, spirituality.Tags: Bible, christian living, christianity, faith, following God, following Jesus, religion, spirituality
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Last week at Quest, we continued our discussion of the Kingdom of God, especially the parables from Matthew 13 that Jesus begins with the phrase “the Kingdom of Heaven is like…” This time we looked at two similar parables that Jesus told together. He compares the Kingdom of Heave to a mustard seed (Matt. 13:31-32) and to yeast (Matt. 13:33). These are similar parables, but the differences between the two help us to see some slightly different aspects of the Kingdom. Here is some of what we discussed about these parables:
- Both a mustard seed and yeast are very small. Mustard seeds were the smallest plant seeds known to First Century farmers. Similarly, you only need a few grains of yeast in order to make a large loaf of bread rise. So both of these start small but create something or have an impact this is much, much larger.
- The impact of the Kingdom of Heaven should be visible to others. While a mustard seed is the smallest garden seed, it creates a plant that can grow to be 10 feet tall. If you think of a garden being planted behind a house, you would be able to see the tops of the mustard plant from in front of the house. There would be no hiding that it was being grown. The Kingdom of Heaven should have that kind of impact in our lives. If we have a relationship with Jesus, the effects of the Kingdom should be apparent in our lives. Even if we wanted to try to hide it in the “back yard” of our lives, it should be visible to everyone.
- The Kingdom of Heaven should be useful and beneficial to others. Jesus tells us that once the mustard plant has grown, the birds of the air come and perch in its branches. (Matt. 13:32). Outsiders, who have no direct connection with the Kingdom of Heaven, can receive a benefit from it. And this impact should extend beyond simply other people who are themselves connected to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is interesting to note that Ezekiel uses the phrase “birds of the air” to refer to Gentiles, who would be people who did not know God. Therefore, when the Kingdom of Heaven is working is us, and when we are operating within it, it should have a positive impact on people who do not yet know God.
- Once the Kingdom of Heaven starts its work, you can’t stop it. Once you plant the seed, it is going to grow. Short of cutting the plant down, there is nothing that the gardener can do to keep the plant from growing, or to make sure that it only grows 3 feet high. This idea is even more evident in the Parable of the Yeast. Once a person starts mixing yeast into dough, the process can’t be stopped. That person can’t remove the yeast. They can’t contain it to only one part of the bread. The yeast works its way into the entire loaf. Similarly, the Kingdom of Heaven should work its way into all parts of our lives.
That should give you a feel for our discussion of the Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast. next week, we will continue to move through Matthew 13 by looking at the Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl.
Quest 