Overwhelmed

So it's been awhile since I've written. But something happened recently that is definitely worth sharing.

Our church recently did a 24-hour prayer vigil. We prayed for our church, our surrounding schools, our elders, the world, each other's prayer requests, and so much more. I've talked to several people who were a part of it and they were just overwhelmed. They said there was just something you could "feel" as you went in the room. The presence of God was almost tangible.

Now we know that the back room of our teen center has nothing special about it. It's just a room. But God's people met with him there. They bore their hearts for their family, for our church, for God's world. We cried out to him to heal us, and to make us one. And I can tell you, when I walked into the room after people had prayed for 22 hours before me, it was definitely a powerful experience. The prayers were all around. Some written in notebooks. Some on post it notes on the wall.

Almost everyone who went in said that the 30 minutes went by so fast and it wasn't long enough. What a powerful story to tell. When we truly decide to seek God, to make him a priority in our lives, the time flies by, and we just can't get enough. Many people hung around after their "slot" was through because they were still praying.

Over the next days and weeks, I'd like to post some of these prayers so our church family can hear what was lifted up to God on their behalf. It was a tremendous encouragement to me, and I hope it will be to you as well.

"O Lord, May you be the head of your church, and we be your hands, feet and tongue. Help us to love each other and be a light to others in this dark world. In Jesus name, Amen."

Keep on praying church, and may our Lord Jesus be our greatest desire.

You never know what you're going to get!

"What are we doing tonight?"

"Why are there no chairs set up?"

"Josh, you look funny!"

Student ministry is definitely interesting! I've been at it a year and a half, not real long by any means, but I still never know what I'm going to get. Sometimes students are drawing mustaches on each others faces in highlighter. Sometimes they are wearing clothes or glasses to get attention. Sometimes they're having a good day, and you can laugh and joke. Sometimes, they're having a bad day, and are totally different people. Anyway, I never seem to know what I'm going to get.

Last night was no exception. Youth group was filled with excitement, some good, some bad. Afterward, one more surprise was thrown my way.

A group of students were gathered in a circle and said, "Josh, come 'ere." "Okay." I said, not knowing what they were up to, or what to expect. I stepped into the circle, and they said, "We just want to pray for you." They proceeded to thank God for bringing me to CCC, saying they were lucky to have me. They prayed for me to have strength to deal with students, to run my half marathon, and just in general for me. It was truly a blessing.

Without even knowing it, they were fulfilling Hebrews 13.17, making my job a joy, not a burden.

You never know what you're going to get in student ministry! But not all of the surprises are bad, or weird. Some of them are tremendously encouraging, and refreshing, and for those surprises I'm thankful.

Press on to know him

Why does a new year bring up so much thought? Why does simply turning the page on a calendar (which is done 11 other times during the same year) make everything feel so different? It seems to though. The beginnings of New Years are always times for me to evaluate the year before, and look ahead toward the one upcoming.

Despite some of the negative stuff that happened economically or otherwise in 2009, I had some good memories too. I read several books, I read the Bible in 90 days, I got to travel all over the place-Seattle, Spokane, San Antonio, Mexico, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Joplin, and Topeka! One of my fondest memories was beginning and continuing a relationship with my girlfriend Sasha. Oh, and one last memory, I ran a 5k and got second!

All these were great accomplishments and tons of fun, but I still have to press on this year to go deeper and do more. I can't just stop saying, "I think that's good enough." If I thought, "I've read enough books in 2009, no more are needed in 2010" it wouldn't be too long before I wasn't learning anything new, or growing in any way at all. If I thought once through the Bible was good enough, it wouldn't be too long before my relationship with God was dry and stale. If I thought one race was good enough, and no exercise was needed, I would get out of shape pretty quickly. And the same goes for the rest. If I want to be a good boyfriend and continue my relationship with Sasha, I must keep it fresh, and press on to know her further. If I want to be a person of travel, I can't just stay where I am. That's no way to see the world, and experience different people and cultures!

If we can't do that with other areas in our lives, then we certainly can't do that with God. Whatever you do, do just settle on the amount of knowledge you had about God, or the depth of relationship you had with God in 2009. Don't ever get to a point where you say, "That's good enough." Press on to know him. Know him more. Know him better. Read, study, pray, serve. Press on to know him.

So how are you going to do it this year? It's up to you to keep it fresh, to press on. He is almighty God, the most worthy of all our pursuits! Don't miss him. You'll regret it!

What to render to God?

Just a simple thought this morning. Actually the Psalmist thought it first, and recorded it in Psalm 116.12. He says, "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me?" First reactions are: Well of course you give some money, most people call that the tithe. You give him some of your time, especially making church a priority. We read our Bibles and pray, and call that our rendered services to God (even though those are more gifts FROM God than gifts we give to him).

All of these are good, we should give God those. But the point I want to make, is how often do we think about what we could give? How often do we ponder it, get creative, think about how MUCH we can give God? I mean, really think about how big God is, and then how small you are. In this advent season, think about Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love that are given through Jesus, but even more, in Jesus as He embodies all four of those grand ideas. We have been given Grace! We have the Scriptures! How could we thank God enough? What can we render to God for all his benefits? He heals our diseases, forgives sin, renews us, comforts us, convicts us. What can we render to God?

Don't let the normal answers suffice. If we give him time, how can we give him more time, better time? If we give him money, how can we give more, make more of a sacrifice? If we give him praise, how can we make our God more famous?

Take two quick moments right now. First, just stop and think about the grandness of God. Ponder it. Mull it over. Dwell on it.

Now think about what you can give back to him because of that greatness-just simply because there is no other response that will work.

God has truly been great to us. He has given us so much, and when we don't deserve a single bit of it. What can you render to God today for all his benefits?

A good Christian life

So it's been awhile since I've written a blog post, but this morning got me thinking. Thanksgiving has come and gone, and amidst the busyness of the season hadn't read my Bible very much. I know, it's a lame excuse, but it's the truth. Anyway, I've been back in the word recently and today specifically reading in 1 Thessalonians, Paul urged that church to live lives worthy of God, who calls us to his kingdom and glory.

Not too often do we think in those terms about the Christian life-Kingdom and glory. Most of the time we think about being a good person, reading our Bible, praying, not stealing, just being an all-around good person. We like to think of ourselves as being clean, both physically and spiritually as Christians. Often the idea of being a good Christian has to do with wearing Sunday best-like a suit, or your nice dress. Going to church is also a big thing. Or "having a church." You might only go to it once or twice a year, but it's "your church" and you are suddenly a good Christian because you have a church and you wear some good looking clothes.

But is that really what living a good Christian life is all about? I mean Paul writes of Kingdom, and Glory. How often do we think in these terms for our lives?

We serve a King, who rules a Kingdom. He rules with an iron scepter, and he is the Lion of the tribe of Judah! He has conquered sin and death! He has been given the name above every name, and at his feet, every knee will bow. We serve a King! We serve a King who has began the process of rescue through his death and resurrection on the cross, and will one day complete the process of rescue by returning for his followers. He will return with eyes blazing and a sword coming out of his mouth! We are part of a Kingdom.

Our God also has glory. Angels bow before him, and multitudes scream out "holy, holy, holy!" Our God spoke this world into existence, and holds the world together by the power of his word. He has no beginning and no end. And he has called us to be a part of his life. He has offered this incredible life to us-eternal life-life with no end! And yet, so much of the time, we settle for the good Christian life that we're used to.

Today, think about those two words: Kingdom and Glory. God has called us to his Kingdom and to his Glory, and to live lives worthy of him. That is much more than a "Sunday best" kind of Christian life. This is a Christian life worth living!

A Guy named Rocky

So I'm sitting at the downstairs bar top after having take a shower in an 8ft by 4ft sauna/shower, sitting next to the pool table, with a poker table in the corner, in the same room as the 100+ inch t.v. screen, next to the workout room!

We're up here in Louisville, KY, at the home of Rocky. We got in last night, greeted with such a warm hospitality. Coffee, brownies, pumpkin cake, and so much more. The house tour was pretty cool, just because everything was so nice. This is seriously as multi-million dollar home. One Lexus, two BMW's, at least six bathrooms, and I don't know how many bedrooms.

As welcoming as the hospitality, what tops it all in Rocky's story. He became a Christian 2 years ago, was baptized one year ago, and is combusting in a ball of fire. He has definitely, as it's been said, "been ruined by Jesus." One of Rocky's friends told him, "Wow it must be nice being retired, you can play golf all the time." But Rocky doesn't play golf. He's so involved in church, he's leading Bible studies–one in particular of nine friends, all of whom weren't Christians! Talk about an influential person. Two of them were recently baptized, and I fully expect they won't be the last.

I said that Rocky doesn't play golf. That's not entirely true. A couple of months ago, he played a Pebble Beach with a friend. Yes Pebble Beach. Anyway, they got a caddie and started their game. Through conversation Rocky found out the caddie had a pretty troubled life–drugs, alcohol, pornography–a lot like many American men. He said, "Rocky, I have a problem." to which Rocky replied, "You don't have a problem, you just need God!" This began a long conversation that whole day, and the next when they played another round of golf. There are pictures of Rocky and this caddie, Tommy, walking with Rocky right up in his ear. He's just exploding with passion from Christ.

Well, even though Rocky is in the East Coast, and Tommy is on the West Coast, they kept in touch. Rocky told him he was going to mail him a package with a book to read, and other material to try to get Tommy to realize his need for God. It was a long time in getting their, way to long. It didn't make sense that a package would take three weeks to arrive, when 5-7 days was the limit. One day, Rocky called Tommy at 10am (7am California time) and he actually answered. When they spoke again, Rocky found out that Tommy had been on a five day binge on drugs and alcohol, and was looking up online how to kill himself. Right before Rocky had called, Tommy's son had called saying, "You have a package here (at his divorce's house) from Rocky." "Son, just keep that safe," Tommy replied, "that's from a special man!" It also came out in the conversation that it had to be God working through the timing and the phone calls. Tommy gave his life to Christ, and is now attending support groups at a local church and learning the Way of following Christ.

Rocky has a business background, a history of Catholocism, and 56 years of life without Christ. He may have had all the toys, maybe even more before Christ. But they all pale in comparison to his joy, excitement, and just straight up pure passion for Christ and his glory and fame. He has a sales background, so much of his philosophy is, "I have the best thing in the world, and you need it." While this may come across "pushy" to some people, he's right. He doesn't just say that he has the best thing either. He lives it, passionately. His eyes burn with fire whenever he tells you about anything, seriously, anything that has to do with God, or the work he is doing for God.

I heard it said recently, "Transformed lives transform lives." Rocky is just one example. His life has been turned upside down by Christ, and he's doing the same in the lives of others.

A new fashioned Tent Revival

They call it "the 99." 99 stands for the number of teenagers who die every day here in the states, many from poor decisions with drugs, alcohol, or self esteem issues, that play out in car accidents, overdoses, or taking their life into their own hands. It is a large dome (actually a tent supported by a continuous flow of air), which is termed a "walk-through theatre." After you enter the tent you enter many different rooms, each depicting one of these "scenes of reality" where a teenager has died. At the end, there is a very short gospel presentation of Jesus dying for the sins of the world (but interestingly they didn't show the resurrection.) They showed a short video of a man who had to make a decision at the train tracks, whether to save his son, or pull the lever, lower the bridge, and crush his son who had fallen in, so that the approaching train full of people could live. They read John 3.16, asked people to bow their heads, close their eyes, and say a prayer if they wanted to "be sure of their eternal destiny right then and there." Each person was then asked to go out and sit at a small table with a counselor to talk about their experience. At the table I went to, I was asked the question, "If you died tonight, would you be confident of your eternal destination?"

There is nothing inherently wrong with something like this, but just not my cup of tea I guess, for a couple reasons. Don't get me wrong, hell is scary, and no one should want to go, but there is a better reason to follow Jesus. Conversely, heaven is a wonderful, perfect place, but still there is a better motivation for following Jesus. That's just it. It's him. It's Jesus.

In college, my youth ministry professor had a phrase, "What you win them with is what you win them to." If we attract people with pizza, or games, or lock-ins, then we better be really careful to communicate to them the bigger, better reason for which we are really meeting. We must be very careful to never lower our purpose for meeting as God's holy people, his "called out ones" to declare his praises. We must continually go back to the truth that God IS the Gospel. Jesus Christ is the good news. We follow Jesus for Jesus. He is the reward. If all of heaven's perfection, peace, eternal life, etc. existed, but Jesus wasn't there, it would be worth it.

Recently in youth group we've been talking about the subject of following Jesus. One lesson was titled, "What following Jesus Is/Isn't." Let's make sure that we are first of all living, then teaching what it really is to follow Jesus. It's not a "get outta hell free" card. It's not just a decision we make so we may go to heaven. It's not being good for goodness sake. It loosing everything we have for the sake of him who gave it all. It's realizing just how far God went to love us and realizing that we just can't live for anything else. How could we?!

So back to "the 99." At the end, they told me that there would be people praying for specific requests the whole three weeks of this promotion. I took them up on their offer, and wrote simply: "That students would fall in love with Jesus, more than they are scared out of hell."

Hell is scary, probably far worse than we can imagine. Heaven is wonderful, probably far better than we can imagine. However, Jesus is best. He is our most worthy pursuit. To quote one of my favorite songs from the Passion conference of years past:

"Give us one pure and holy passion, give us one magnificent obsession, give me one glorious ambition: to know and follow hard after You."