We have a guest minister coming to our church this upcoming week, so I've been listening to a lot of his stuff in anticipation of his visit. Rev. Tim Storey will be at Living Word in La Crosse, WI on Sunday morning (October 21) at 8:15 and 10:30, as well as a special Sunday night service at 6:30. As soon as I heard my Pastor invite Rev. Storey to La Crosse, back in June, I put in a plug to try and have him minister at a special youth service on Saturday night. Well, ask and you shall receive! Travel arrangements and schedules worked out so that Rev. Storey will be with us for "Saturday Night Alive" on Saturday, October 20 beginning at 7:00.
If you've never heard Rev. Storey, you're in for a treat. He is a solid minister and operates in the gifts of the Holy Spirit in a very real, very peculiar way. Spooky, right? Not at all. He has committed his life and ministry to following the example set by Jesus Christ. He calls it "The Jesus Style." And it's a blessing to be a part of his services and watch God move through him.
So, I've been listening to Rev. Storey to help set my expectation for these upcoming services. One of the many things I've picked up is the importance of priorities and motives. I can't be the minister I'm supposed to be if my priorities and motives are out of whack. We as the Body of Christ cannot fulfill our God-given destiny if we are not straight this simple truth:
God must be first. Others must be second. I can be third.
The world we live in has this flip-flopped...if God and others even come into the equation at all. And so much of our culture is driven to take our focus and attention off of God and the work He has for us to do, and put it on to ourselves. We are trained to be selfish, consuming as much for our own gain as we can get. Our own selves become our god. We lose sight of God and the fact that He must be #1. He must be our reason for living, our motiviation, our enthusiasm, our life itself. I have to get this priority set first.
But too often the message then becomes, "Well now that I'm submitted to God, let's get that grace, blessing, and prosperity business started!" But when I start thinking about what Rev. Storey teaches so much about, The Jesus Style, and what I see in my Bible I have to check myself. Did Jesus follow that example of greed, me first, and selfishness? Not even close. He solidified His priorities in Matthew 22. Jesus confirmed that the first commandment, the most important, was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Then He immediately followed it up with the second most important commandment: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Other people must be on our minds. Compassion for people compelled Jesus to help them when they hated Him. Instead of getting annoyed at their repeated mistakes, disobedience, and wrong living, He pushed on to bless them and help them. And it wasn't strictly out of blind obedience to God. The Bible says we are to be willing AND obedient. Jesus had his priorities in order. He was submitted to God above all, and because of that relationship He got ahold of God's love for people.
Jesus was at a wedding, enjoying time with family and friends. People needed help. He put his own comfort and desires on hold to help them.
Jesus was tired. Yet He waited to sleep until after His ministry to the multiltudes was complete. And even then He wakes up from a nap in order to help the disciples in the midst of a storm.
And ultimately, in the face of physical torture and death, He put you and I ahead of Himself so we could be saved.
My comfort, my wants, my life has to be about God first and loving people second. If I try to do it out of order, thinking I know a better way, I'll constantly find myself unsatisfied and wanting. It's so contrary to everything the world follows. But if I do it the right way, then I ensure that God is glorified, people are blessed, and my stuff gets taken care of too. Amazing.
Life is too short to spend it worthlessly trying to hoard everything for myself. Let's get out there and be the Body of Christ in our world. Let's change the atmosphere around us. Let's do God's work on the earth so that He can be glorified and people's lives can be changed.
I'm going to be alive, alert, and unashamed!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Friday, October 5, 2012
Good Enough Is Not
So I'm trying to become a better blogger. I truly enjoy jotting my thoughts down and sharing something that helped me this week. I've been thinking a lot about what to blog next, and how I can really make this meaningful and more consistent. And it occurred to me - just having something to say is not enough. In order to be a better blogger I'm going to have to try to be a better blogger. I have to want it. I have to pursue it.
And I don't want you to think I'd pursue it so I can hang my hat on a large number of views or followers. I believe God has given me things to share. My job is to get those things out there.
If you know me you know I can be kind of intense sometimes. I like to have fun and laugh and all that, but I tend to be a bit more, well, intense. Especially when it comes to God and ministry. I take it very seriously. I'm struggling to find a better word for it other than intense. I don't like it when people stumble; I don't like it when I stumble. I don't like it when I see people give up; I don't like it when I've given up. I'm reminded daily that I have an enemy that is out to seek, kill, and destroy. That's what makes me more intense than some. It's who I am, and that's who God made me.
I was reflecting the other day on my intense nature and was kind of asking God if He would rather I be someone else. Should I try to change my personality? Should I be more like this guy, that youth pastor, this other church member? I struggled with self-esteem for a long time, so sometimes that tries to creep in again and take me off course. But I know who God made me to be, and He's shown me over and over again how He's able to use me and my intense self.
It got me thinking about being a Christian. There are people, even churches, that have lost their intensity for The Almighty God. There are some who never had the intensity in the first place. There are even some, an increasing number it seems, that don't believe that intensity is really necessary when it comes to being a Christian.
But being a Christian is not about just allowing grace to save us from hell in order to "make it" into Heaven. Being a Christian is about pursuing the life that God has planned for us. And that plan is to do more than just barely enough to slide in to Heaven by the skin of our teeth and smelling like smoke. Think of some people that you consider to be truly strong Christians. Are they as relaxed about God, His Word, and His Church as popular church culture seems to be lately? Probably not! I know the people I think about are those people who see God moving on their behalf. They see results. And they pursure God more intensely than a lot of other people.
Going through the motions, getting our gold attendance stars, and just doing things because that's what we "supposed" to do - this is not what Christianity is about!
Here are a few things I set myself straight on this week when I took a gauge of my intensity for my God:
Reading my Bible - How am I going to get closer to Him if I don't listen to what He has already said? A day cannot go by that I don't read and study my Bible.
Church - I need to be there, consistently. And when I'm there, I need to be participating both by serving and by actively listening when the Word is being preached.
Enthusiasm - Enthusiasm is an attitude, and therefore a choice. How pathetic to think people blame their Pastor or the message for their inability to receive something at church? If I'm dialed in and ready to receive, I will. I make the choice. The excuse of "that just doesn't excite me" is a very poor and immature one.
Thoughts - My thoughts become my beliefs. And my beliefs become my words. And my words become my future. I need to spend time thinking about my God. He is my future. And He'll take me to that future that He has planned for me if I don't get in the way!
My encouragement to anyone reading this - pursue God like you never have before. The time is short. The days are evil. God is looking for those true Christians to arise and stand up, to live for Him with the same intensity that His Son died for them.
Let's do this!
And I don't want you to think I'd pursue it so I can hang my hat on a large number of views or followers. I believe God has given me things to share. My job is to get those things out there.
If you know me you know I can be kind of intense sometimes. I like to have fun and laugh and all that, but I tend to be a bit more, well, intense. Especially when it comes to God and ministry. I take it very seriously. I'm struggling to find a better word for it other than intense. I don't like it when people stumble; I don't like it when I stumble. I don't like it when I see people give up; I don't like it when I've given up. I'm reminded daily that I have an enemy that is out to seek, kill, and destroy. That's what makes me more intense than some. It's who I am, and that's who God made me.
I was reflecting the other day on my intense nature and was kind of asking God if He would rather I be someone else. Should I try to change my personality? Should I be more like this guy, that youth pastor, this other church member? I struggled with self-esteem for a long time, so sometimes that tries to creep in again and take me off course. But I know who God made me to be, and He's shown me over and over again how He's able to use me and my intense self.
It got me thinking about being a Christian. There are people, even churches, that have lost their intensity for The Almighty God. There are some who never had the intensity in the first place. There are even some, an increasing number it seems, that don't believe that intensity is really necessary when it comes to being a Christian.
But being a Christian is not about just allowing grace to save us from hell in order to "make it" into Heaven. Being a Christian is about pursuing the life that God has planned for us. And that plan is to do more than just barely enough to slide in to Heaven by the skin of our teeth and smelling like smoke. Think of some people that you consider to be truly strong Christians. Are they as relaxed about God, His Word, and His Church as popular church culture seems to be lately? Probably not! I know the people I think about are those people who see God moving on their behalf. They see results. And they pursure God more intensely than a lot of other people.
Going through the motions, getting our gold attendance stars, and just doing things because that's what we "supposed" to do - this is not what Christianity is about!
Here are a few things I set myself straight on this week when I took a gauge of my intensity for my God:
Reading my Bible - How am I going to get closer to Him if I don't listen to what He has already said? A day cannot go by that I don't read and study my Bible.
Church - I need to be there, consistently. And when I'm there, I need to be participating both by serving and by actively listening when the Word is being preached.
Enthusiasm - Enthusiasm is an attitude, and therefore a choice. How pathetic to think people blame their Pastor or the message for their inability to receive something at church? If I'm dialed in and ready to receive, I will. I make the choice. The excuse of "that just doesn't excite me" is a very poor and immature one.
Thoughts - My thoughts become my beliefs. And my beliefs become my words. And my words become my future. I need to spend time thinking about my God. He is my future. And He'll take me to that future that He has planned for me if I don't get in the way!
My encouragement to anyone reading this - pursue God like you never have before. The time is short. The days are evil. God is looking for those true Christians to arise and stand up, to live for Him with the same intensity that His Son died for them.
Let's do this!
Friday, August 10, 2012
A Vision For A Future Time
This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.
Hab 2:3 NLT
Once upon a time our youth group, Youth Alive, had attended an annual youth conference put on by another church in our state. And those conferences were good, full of water parks, games, competitions, and a lot more teenagers than we have in our youth group. They would bring in Christian musicians, entertainers, and some very well-known speakers. We looked forward to it every year, and it had become one of our biggest events each year. And we always came away built up and motivated to jump into the new school year on fire for God.
For years I had been observing, learning, and secretly planning for a day when we would be able to some sort of conference on our own. That seed, that idea, had been planted and was slowly growing inside. But with the average cost per person for the one conference we had been going to topping $250, I hadn't pursued anything as not to drop another expense on the youth (and their parents). How could we compete with such a large expense? How could we compete with such a large event? Then in 2008 we got word that there would be no youth conference that year. The church that had been putting these conferences on, at a huge cost to themselves, had decided they weren't going to be able to do it again. Could this really be happening?
After careful thought, prayer, and a lot of preparation we submitted a proposal to do our own youth camp. Our Pastor approved us to hold our first Youth Alive Summer Retreat to be held in August of 2008. We rallied as many staff people as we could to help. It was a far cry from the 100+ attendees, massive stage and lighting, and theme park activities that the youth conference had offered. We had a total of 14 youth attend in 2008. This year, 2012, was our fifth year holding our own retreat. We had a total of 23 youth attend. You may think that doesn't seem like much growth over 5 years, but you'd be wrong.
In 2008 we did praise and worship with 2-3 people and a keyboard. In 2012 we had 2 electric guitars, a bass, a keyboard, drums, and 2-4 singers each service. And even with all those people helping lead us in praise and worship we still had more people in the "audience." This year we even had one of the youth from our first year as our main speaker for one of our services. And this year our youth came even more prepared to receive whatever God had for them. They were open and ready for God to work on them.
And therein lies the real growth. It's not about numbers, although that's part of it. It's not about water parks, famous musicians, or big-name speakers. It's about God moving in the lives of everyone at the retreat. It's about people coming to meet with Him and surrender their will to His. God has been working in the hearts and minds of our youth, and they've made themselves available to be worked on. I've had many conversations over the week following our retreat with our teenagers that are deciding to commit their lives to Him, in all areas of their lives. Personal music libraries have been wiped clean, daily habits and routines have been adjusted, even some wrong relationships have been severed. Lives are being changed. And I'm constantly being challenged and inspired to increase my vision for what it will be - growth will continue!
God knows the end from the beginning. He knows what He has for us in the future. The ideas, visions, and plans that He has planted inside of you will come to pass. And you have no idea how He will use those things to bring others closer to Him. Write them down, think about them, and let God's timing play out. You will be glad you did!
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed.
Hab 2:3 NLT
Once upon a time our youth group, Youth Alive, had attended an annual youth conference put on by another church in our state. And those conferences were good, full of water parks, games, competitions, and a lot more teenagers than we have in our youth group. They would bring in Christian musicians, entertainers, and some very well-known speakers. We looked forward to it every year, and it had become one of our biggest events each year. And we always came away built up and motivated to jump into the new school year on fire for God.
For years I had been observing, learning, and secretly planning for a day when we would be able to some sort of conference on our own. That seed, that idea, had been planted and was slowly growing inside. But with the average cost per person for the one conference we had been going to topping $250, I hadn't pursued anything as not to drop another expense on the youth (and their parents). How could we compete with such a large expense? How could we compete with such a large event? Then in 2008 we got word that there would be no youth conference that year. The church that had been putting these conferences on, at a huge cost to themselves, had decided they weren't going to be able to do it again. Could this really be happening?
After careful thought, prayer, and a lot of preparation we submitted a proposal to do our own youth camp. Our Pastor approved us to hold our first Youth Alive Summer Retreat to be held in August of 2008. We rallied as many staff people as we could to help. It was a far cry from the 100+ attendees, massive stage and lighting, and theme park activities that the youth conference had offered. We had a total of 14 youth attend in 2008. This year, 2012, was our fifth year holding our own retreat. We had a total of 23 youth attend. You may think that doesn't seem like much growth over 5 years, but you'd be wrong.
In 2008 we did praise and worship with 2-3 people and a keyboard. In 2012 we had 2 electric guitars, a bass, a keyboard, drums, and 2-4 singers each service. And even with all those people helping lead us in praise and worship we still had more people in the "audience." This year we even had one of the youth from our first year as our main speaker for one of our services. And this year our youth came even more prepared to receive whatever God had for them. They were open and ready for God to work on them.
And therein lies the real growth. It's not about numbers, although that's part of it. It's not about water parks, famous musicians, or big-name speakers. It's about God moving in the lives of everyone at the retreat. It's about people coming to meet with Him and surrender their will to His. God has been working in the hearts and minds of our youth, and they've made themselves available to be worked on. I've had many conversations over the week following our retreat with our teenagers that are deciding to commit their lives to Him, in all areas of their lives. Personal music libraries have been wiped clean, daily habits and routines have been adjusted, even some wrong relationships have been severed. Lives are being changed. And I'm constantly being challenged and inspired to increase my vision for what it will be - growth will continue!
God knows the end from the beginning. He knows what He has for us in the future. The ideas, visions, and plans that He has planted inside of you will come to pass. And you have no idea how He will use those things to bring others closer to Him. Write them down, think about them, and let God's timing play out. You will be glad you did!
Friday, March 23, 2012
Remembering Mr. Yuk...
I don't remember exactly when it happened, but at some point in my life I didn't need a Mr. Yuk on something to know I shouldn't drink it, eat it, or spray it in my eyes. I don't think it took some ER visit to get to that point either. I just knew that if I put that stuff inside me, it wouldn't be good for me. It could hurt me, maybe even kill me. It's poisonous.
Funny how I never drank poison, but I willingly poured it into my ears for hours a day, every day. Not literally, but in the music I listened to. The music wasn't really the problem, but the lyrics were. It's amazing what messages I would willingly download into my brain just because I liked the music. Truth be told, I began really liking those messages. They became who I was. Or, more accurately, I became those messages. Messages to hurt myself, hurt others, be angry, stay angry, love wrong, live wrong, give up, lose hope, let go. And this is how I felt, every day.
Galatians 6:7-9 says "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
I definitely remember the night that I realized I was poisoning myself through the junk I was listening to. I had a dream, a vision, so real, so gripping, that I woke up shaking, scared to the point of tears. It wasn't even so much what I saw, but how it made me feel. I felt like this blackness, pure darkness, evil, was completely overtaking me, filling every cell of my body. And I was powerless, totally paralyzed and unable to resist as it consumed me. It felt like I was living death. Here I was: a senior in high school, 6'4" tall, 235 lbs, varsity football player, varsity wrestler - nothing scared me. But I was terrified. I went whimpering to my dad and asked him to pray for me. I knew this was spiritual, demonic, and there was only ONE that could help me.
That night saved my life. As I went back to bed I knew what it was all about. God revealed immediately that I needed to change what I was listening to. I slowly, more slowly than I should have, began tossing out CDs. It had begun. A collection of CDs and tapes (dating myself now) that I had accumulated over the course of 6 years was about to be replaced. I was taking my mind back. Darkness was not going to have me anymore.
I re-committed myself to God. I listened to things that supported my commitment. I wouldn't, couldn't let myself listen to those things my flesh so desperately wanted. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't instant, but I lost my desire to hear those things anymore. My mind had been renewed. I was sowing, planting the right messages inside my mind.
An interesting change happened. I wasn't angry all the time. I stopped feeling hopeless. I started seeing value in myself. I no longer wanted to give up, let go, or live a life apart from God. I felt stronger. I felt more like myself. I felt right.
Proverbs 6:5 - sometimes deliverance requires radical, extreme, "overboard" actions. Just like a deer escaping a hunter or a bird escaping from a trap. It's the fight of your life.
I'm not willing to go back. I'm not willing to let go of who I am. I'm not willing to trade in who God has created me to be for some trashy version of myself. I will never go back to that stuff. Not that the temptation isn't there. But He always gives me a way of escape when I'm tempted. And as I continue to surround myself with the right influences the temptation and desire disappears. Thank you, God, for not letting me destroy myself!
Music is so poweful. It's so easy to sneak messages that are opposite of God's Word into something that has the right beat or sound. And it's so easily absorbed into our memories that it's difficult to remove. All the more reason to be cautious and selective about what I allow in.
Extreme? You bet. Too much? Tell that to the angry, hopeless, miserable person I used to be.
No, I'll continue to stay completely and totally committed to my God and His cause.
Psalm 91 - He's got me covered. No longer afraid of the terror by night. It won't come near me again. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your protection, not only of my body but my mind!
Philippians 4:7-9 - Think on these things, allow these messages in, and He will bring peace to my mind and guard my heart!
#alivealertunashamed
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Here we go...
I've considered starting a blog for quite some time, but never thought myself of enough importance to require such a seemingly introverted communication medium. But I was wrong. Not about being important - I'm not. But wrong about this being all about me. I've been so inspired lately by the blogs of others that I felt compelled to finally get one out there. Not for my own self-glorification, but ultimately to put the attention and glorification on the One who truly deserves it, God Almighty.
I don't consider myself an expert or authority on anything, but if I've learned anything it's that His strength can truly show up when I'm weak, His greatness when I'm nothing. So I embark on this blogging thing (amazing how old that statement makes me sound). My intention is to try to encourage and maybe inspire people to live the life that God has called them to.
So, in this inaugural blogging event, I'd like to share something I've recently been seeking God about - Relevance. I'm a youth minister, and in my years of working in youth ministry this is one of the most over-used buzzwords I've heard. It's often used as an excuse to take God out of our services, events, and lives in an attempt to fit in or gain the approval of the lost world that we're trying to reach. I know that there is an appropriate level of adjustment that takes place to account for a particular audience. But is it really an adjustment to help the audience understand or is it simply just compromising the message and reality of who God is?
Being a Christian, living right, seeking God with everything, is not a decision to be taken lightly. It's not as easy as saying "I 'liked' God, so I'm good." It's a commitment, a life-changing event. And so, in a world that sends such blatantly opposing messages to people, that wrong is right, right is old-fashioned and therefore not relevant, I asked God "How can I be relevant?" It's easy to get caught up in pop culture, trying to follow the latest trends in music, fashion, etc... But is it necessary to be so informed on everything the world is doing in order to reach that world?
Romans 12:2 comes to mind. The Amplified Bible says it like this: "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]."
What a relief! I am not called to keep up with the "external, superficial customs" that are constantly pushed on me. Instead I take on new ideals, a new attitude, so that I can do what God determines to be worthwhile, right, and perfect. I could waste my time staying "relevant" or I can simply lay my life at His feet. He has a life designed specifically for me to live. Submitting my will to His, I find myself being transformed into His image, becoming a reflection of Him.
So stop trying to tell me that I'm supposed to spend my time pursuing what the infected world thinks is important. I'll spend my time pursuing what the Almighty God says is important. God has been relevant to every generation since the beginning. And by laying my life down, wholeheartedly seeking Him, and committing to "live a life worthy of the calling to which I have been called"(Ephesians 4:1), I am relevant.
#relevancethroughradicalrighteousness
I don't consider myself an expert or authority on anything, but if I've learned anything it's that His strength can truly show up when I'm weak, His greatness when I'm nothing. So I embark on this blogging thing (amazing how old that statement makes me sound). My intention is to try to encourage and maybe inspire people to live the life that God has called them to.
So, in this inaugural blogging event, I'd like to share something I've recently been seeking God about - Relevance. I'm a youth minister, and in my years of working in youth ministry this is one of the most over-used buzzwords I've heard. It's often used as an excuse to take God out of our services, events, and lives in an attempt to fit in or gain the approval of the lost world that we're trying to reach. I know that there is an appropriate level of adjustment that takes place to account for a particular audience. But is it really an adjustment to help the audience understand or is it simply just compromising the message and reality of who God is?
Being a Christian, living right, seeking God with everything, is not a decision to be taken lightly. It's not as easy as saying "I 'liked' God, so I'm good." It's a commitment, a life-changing event. And so, in a world that sends such blatantly opposing messages to people, that wrong is right, right is old-fashioned and therefore not relevant, I asked God "How can I be relevant?" It's easy to get caught up in pop culture, trying to follow the latest trends in music, fashion, etc... But is it necessary to be so informed on everything the world is doing in order to reach that world?
Romans 12:2 comes to mind. The Amplified Bible says it like this: "Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]."
What a relief! I am not called to keep up with the "external, superficial customs" that are constantly pushed on me. Instead I take on new ideals, a new attitude, so that I can do what God determines to be worthwhile, right, and perfect. I could waste my time staying "relevant" or I can simply lay my life at His feet. He has a life designed specifically for me to live. Submitting my will to His, I find myself being transformed into His image, becoming a reflection of Him.
So stop trying to tell me that I'm supposed to spend my time pursuing what the infected world thinks is important. I'll spend my time pursuing what the Almighty God says is important. God has been relevant to every generation since the beginning. And by laying my life down, wholeheartedly seeking Him, and committing to "live a life worthy of the calling to which I have been called"(Ephesians 4:1), I am relevant.
#relevancethroughradicalrighteousness
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