Last week I read something that rubbed me the wrong way. I saw something on Facebook titled, "10 Films Every Man Should Have Seen". Out of curiosity I clicked on it, and when I got to the link I read two sentences that, even thinking about now, really upset me. "Think you're a true man? You are if you have seen all of these films, especially more than once!" According to this article, I'm not a man because of the 10 films listed I've seen two of them, and of those two, I've only seen them each once. It doesn't bother me that I don't meet their standard of masculinity, but that masculinity has been reduced to something as insignificant as the films you like. Unfortunately, this view isn't too far off of how society defines masculinity today, and it has done great damage.
There is a lot I could say, but I'm going to skip all of it and just go right to the Teddy Roosevelt quote, "It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." That is masculinity.
Masculinity is defined by action and experience, not vicarious living through action stars. Don't get me wrong, I love Gladiator, The Patriot, The Lord of the Rings, and Nolan's Batman Trilogy (none of which were on the above mentioned list). The men in these movies stir something in me that wants to be valiant and heroic, but I've spent too much time living in a fantasy world. I haven't been the critic pointing out where the strong man stumbles, but I haven't been in the arena. My face is clean, no dust, sweat or blood (other than the imaginary kind) on my face.
This past year I've started to really live. I've written about the white water trip our fellowship took, and on my own I did a vision quest. It didn't start out as a vision quest, but turned into one. Initially it was one of those things that I was called out on by a pastor friend. I've talked about being in a survival situation a lot, and he, who had pointed out the tendency I have towards the fantasy focus of life, challenged my ability. Normally I would have shied away from the challenge, making excuses for why I didn't have the time to do it, I tried that, but he wasn't letting up. And so on a weekend at the end of August I grabbed my hiking pack, and was dropped in the woods by my pastor friend with minimal equipment, simulating getting lost while hiking. I made a shelter in the woods, slept outside alone, and spent the following day wandering the woods. As I lay in my shelter that night God began to speak me, and it continued for the next day.
It was an incredible experience of God pointing things out in my life that He needed to work on. I've spent my life with the focus on "Some Day". I live for the future, preparing for it, hoping for it, expecting it, but at the end of my 24 hour fast/quest/adventure/ God showed me that I needed to surrender Some Day, and focus on the now. I have to get off of the side lines and get into the arena. I need some dust, sweat, and blood on my face, otherwise when I get to the end of this life my place will be counted with the timid souls who don't know victory or defeat. I've spent my first 30 years playing it safe for the most part. Timidity has ruled my life, and I hate it. I've admired those in the arena, and I've longed to join them, but my timidity has kept me on the sidelines, always with a valid excuse, but always a spectator.
That isn't how I want to spend the rest of my life. Be it another sixty minutes or another sixty years, I want to live differently. I want to strive valiantly. I want to spend myself in a worthy cause, because even if I fall short in that pursuit, it is still worth pursuing. I keep thinking about Jesus in Luke 9.51, "When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem". Other translations say that He resolutely set out for Jerusalem, or He set His face to go to Jerusalem.
My timidity comes from a fear of failure. It is rooted in a fear of not being enough. I look back over my life, and it is marked by limited risks, playing it safe, and avoiding real testing of any kind. I like to talk about certain things, but when the chance comes to do them, there's always a reason I can't. That's why this challenge at the end of the summer was such a big deal.
Jesus was facing a cross, the most painful and agonizing death that could be endured, and He was determined to go to Jerusalem. He was resolute to face it, and focused His full attention on embracing the mission He had to accomplish. He knew exactly what lay before Him. He had grown up in a time when criminals were crucified along the roads, so He knew what was involved. He knew that nails would be driven through His hands and feet. He knew the prophecies of Scripture. He knew about the beating He would take before the He ever touched the cross. He knew exactly what was waiting in Jerusalem, and He intentionally set out to go there.
Several years ago God gave me a word for the year. Off the top of my head I only remember two, 2010 was "Christlikeness" and 2011 was "Relationships". During that time most of what God was communicating to me focused primarily on that subject. It's something that I've lost sight of since then, but recently I've felt that God has something He's trying to communicate with me. As 2016 wraps up, God has given me a word for the new year. The word for 2017 is "Intentionality". The experiences of this past year have been preparing me for this, and I'm already seeing some areas where this theme is playing out for the upcoming year.
I want to be intentional about life. I don't want to live with timidity, never getting my face dirty by staying in the arena stands, talking a good game about how I could do this or that. I want to be the man in the arena, marred and dirty, but giving it everything I've got, achieving the goal or dying trying. The only way to get there is by intentionally getting up and entering the arena. I realize I'm using general and vague terms right now, but at the moment they're all I've got. Over the next year I know God is going to reveal things to me, giving clarity to my life as I begin to intentionally live life. Will I fall short with things, absolutely, and that's ok.
Jesus pursued the cross with determined intentionality, and it is that same resolution that I want to live with. I want to intentionally face what comes, living life to the fullest. I want to know that triumph of high achievement, and even if I don't attain it, I want to fail daring greatly. My pursuit of genuine masculinity is not found in the movies I'll watch in 2017, but by the intentional pursuit of God.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Untitled (Christmas Everyday), by TY
They told me He was the reason for the season, but He's the purpose of my life
My identity and everything I am is wrapped up in Christ (nice bow too)
So much so that when I am putting up the lights
I feel convicted that I don't embody one to a world in darkness w/o sight
Disclaimer: I have no beef with Santa and all his elves
But of all the gifts they can give me they could never give me themselves
Picture This: The fullness of God and all His glory trading in his eL train-long robe
To be humbled to the form of a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes
You want to talk about condescended?
No penthouse suite, just a manger
No mass text or tweet, literally just a manger
The One who made the tongue had to learn how to talk
The One who made legs to run had to learn how to walk
He went from the manger to the cross
And anything less than perfect would be just another life lost
You see I can talk about consumerism and commercialism
But that's low-hanging fruit and we all know it
But I dare to pull out my mirror and put it into focus
I have nothing against parties and decorations
I hope that put a rest to all your fears
I'm more concern about what we do with the other 300-something days of the year
Monday, December 19, 2016
Weeping, by Aaron
Have you ever been in the presence of the Lord, and the only thing you could do was cry? I was reading Luke chapter 7 starting at verse 37:
“A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.”
After reading this story I kept asking myself, what would my emotions be if I sat in the same room with Jesus our savior? I feel like I would be overcome by many emotions, including being scared (Proverbs 1:7), overcome with joy, peace, laughter, and a feeling of being loved just to name a few. I also know that I would be overcome with many tears as I stood at His feet. Some of the tears would be joyous; but mostly I would be thinking Lord, I am such a sinful man and I am not worthy to be in your presence.
The woman is “weeping” because she knows that she is a “sinful” woman, she is reaching out to the Lord for help. The woman knows that she is in the presence of the savior, and has nothing to offer the Lord to earn His trust. There are honestly some days when I feel the exact same way. I feel like sometimes I get into this busy funk, and begin to ignore my duties at home including spending time with my wife, son, and not spending enough time with the Father. When I finally “stop” to focus on Him, the first thing that happens is that I begin to weep. I begin to cry out to the father for all the sins I have committed, asking for forgiveness. All I want to do is wash my father’s feet and anoint my Father with perfume. He deserves so much more than that, but honestly that is all I can offer Him. Nothing I can do will “earn” His respect or love towards me. There is nothing I can do to gain my ticket to heaven. My initial feelings at times when I enter his presents is, “why do you love me, Lord?” “I do not deserve this love”.
As I stay in the presence of the Father, Revelation 21:4 so often comes to my mind: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes”. “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” Jesus will wipe my tears away, not just some of my tears, but “every” tear from my eye. My favorite part of Luke 7 is the last verse: Jesus said to the women “Your faith has saved you; go in peace”. Jesus is saying that it does not matter who you are, what you look like, what SINS you have committed, He still loves you. All you have to do is believe in Him, and you will be saved. So, just as quick as the tears comes out of my eyes because He reveals Himself to me, Jesus wipes those tears away and says “Aaron your faith has saved you; go in peace my son.
God Bless You!!
“A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.”
After reading this story I kept asking myself, what would my emotions be if I sat in the same room with Jesus our savior? I feel like I would be overcome by many emotions, including being scared (Proverbs 1:7), overcome with joy, peace, laughter, and a feeling of being loved just to name a few. I also know that I would be overcome with many tears as I stood at His feet. Some of the tears would be joyous; but mostly I would be thinking Lord, I am such a sinful man and I am not worthy to be in your presence.
The woman is “weeping” because she knows that she is a “sinful” woman, she is reaching out to the Lord for help. The woman knows that she is in the presence of the savior, and has nothing to offer the Lord to earn His trust. There are honestly some days when I feel the exact same way. I feel like sometimes I get into this busy funk, and begin to ignore my duties at home including spending time with my wife, son, and not spending enough time with the Father. When I finally “stop” to focus on Him, the first thing that happens is that I begin to weep. I begin to cry out to the father for all the sins I have committed, asking for forgiveness. All I want to do is wash my father’s feet and anoint my Father with perfume. He deserves so much more than that, but honestly that is all I can offer Him. Nothing I can do will “earn” His respect or love towards me. There is nothing I can do to gain my ticket to heaven. My initial feelings at times when I enter his presents is, “why do you love me, Lord?” “I do not deserve this love”.
As I stay in the presence of the Father, Revelation 21:4 so often comes to my mind: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes”. “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” Jesus will wipe my tears away, not just some of my tears, but “every” tear from my eye. My favorite part of Luke 7 is the last verse: Jesus said to the women “Your faith has saved you; go in peace”. Jesus is saying that it does not matter who you are, what you look like, what SINS you have committed, He still loves you. All you have to do is believe in Him, and you will be saved. So, just as quick as the tears comes out of my eyes because He reveals Himself to me, Jesus wipes those tears away and says “Aaron your faith has saved you; go in peace my son.
God Bless You!!
Sunday, December 18, 2016
Christmas: Part 3 The Meaning, by Will
What I'm about to say is nothing new. I've heard pastors say it for years. I've personally said it before on another blog I used to write. I've hinted at it in the previous two posts I've written on the subject of Christmas. The message of Christmas is to come and see what God has done. Christmas itself is a miracle because it celebrates God becoming man and living here with us. And when we look at the message and the miracle we arrive at the meaning of Christmas.
At Christmas, God did a miracle that would lead to the salvation and ultimate restoration of all of creation. Christmas is so much more than just a single day celebration, or an isolated event that we remember every December. Christmas is more than a once a year moment.
The Skit Guys have a video illustrating the meaning of Christmas. (https://skitguys.com/videos/item/the-christmas-connection)
The video opens with two friends decorating a Christmas tree, and the one comments "I wonder what it would be like to be born in a manger?" The other responds, "Yeah, I wonder what ever happened to baby Jesus." What commences is an explanation of how the Jesus born in the manger grew up, walked on water, went to the cross, and lives in our hearts. One guy did all of that, and this mind blowing revelation inspires this, "Maybe we stop just making Christmas just this once a year isolated thing, and we make it an ongoing story about the salvation in our hearts and lives."
It's funny to think about, but honestly, it's not that much of a stretch. We celebrate Christmas every December, in the Spring we celebrate Easter, and the rest of the year we ...? It seems like we've separated Jesus. We have baby Jesus born in a manger, adult Jesus who lived and taught, Savior Jesus who died on the cross, and Lord Jesus who rose from the dead. All of them are the same guy, and it all began at Christmas.
Christmas is so much more than a baby being born in a manger. Christmas is God becoming man to bring His plan of redemption to fulfillment. God became man, not just to die, but to live. If the point of Jesus was just to die on the cross we have over three decades of wasted time. If the point of Jesus was simply the sacrificial Savior, He didn't need to do everything else that He did. But because Jesus did so much more than simply die, His life was about more than that. Christmas is about God being here with us.
Jesus was born, grew up, and lived life. The difference between Jesus and the rest of us is that Jesus lived life as it was meant to be lived. Jesus lived with an eternal quality of life, and as He did, He set an example for us, modeling how God would live life. At the end, when everything He was sent to do was completed (John 17.4) He willingly laid down His life to pay the price for sin. He died for us, but that wasn't the end of the story. He didn't stay dead, but rose again, and as He conquered sin, death, and Hell, He empowered us to live as He did.
Jesus was born to live, He died to save, He rose to empower. Christmas is the beginning of the story, not just an isolated, once a year thing, but an ongoing story about the salvation in our hearts and lives. Christmas marks the beginning of life as it was intended to be lived. Christmas is so much more than a baby born in a manger, it's about God doing the most incredible thing that has ever happened. Christmas is about God becoming man and living among us. Christmas is about the final stages of the plan of salvation.
What if we really did stop viewing Christmas as a once a year, standalone event?
What if we began to see it as the starting point of salvation?
What if we took in the reality of God doing what only He could do?
What if we saw Christmas as the beginning of a model for life?
Not going to lie, writing this is a little difficult because this is something I need to do in my own life. If this was the focus I had I wouldn't feel the numbness towards the holiday as I do. I wouldn't be focused on the gifts I want to give to others, or how the radio station plays the same 6 songs (different variations don't count) for more than a month. If my life focused on Christmas as the start of salvation then I would be truly in awe of what this upcoming Sunday means.
I want to live my life that way, or rather, I want to want to live my life that way. I want to be truly amazed at the message, miracle, and meaning of Christmas (I hardly ever do the words that start with the same letter thing). If this was the view we have we wouldn't compartmentalize Christmas to the few weeks of December. Nothing will ever make me want to hear songs about snow in July, or see decorations at the beginning of September, but those aren't the things that matter with Christmas. The things that matter are the message, miracle, and meaning, and those are the things I want to dwell on all year, because those are the things that matter most.
God did something amazing in salvation, He made restoration possible and showed us what to do with it.
God became a man, living among us, so that we could better understand who He is.
God did all of this so that we could draw near to Him and experience Him in the deepest way.
That is Christmas, and that is where I want my focus to be.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
At Christmas, God did a miracle that would lead to the salvation and ultimate restoration of all of creation. Christmas is so much more than just a single day celebration, or an isolated event that we remember every December. Christmas is more than a once a year moment.
The Skit Guys have a video illustrating the meaning of Christmas. (https://skitguys.com/videos/item/the-christmas-connection)
The video opens with two friends decorating a Christmas tree, and the one comments "I wonder what it would be like to be born in a manger?" The other responds, "Yeah, I wonder what ever happened to baby Jesus." What commences is an explanation of how the Jesus born in the manger grew up, walked on water, went to the cross, and lives in our hearts. One guy did all of that, and this mind blowing revelation inspires this, "Maybe we stop just making Christmas just this once a year isolated thing, and we make it an ongoing story about the salvation in our hearts and lives."
It's funny to think about, but honestly, it's not that much of a stretch. We celebrate Christmas every December, in the Spring we celebrate Easter, and the rest of the year we ...? It seems like we've separated Jesus. We have baby Jesus born in a manger, adult Jesus who lived and taught, Savior Jesus who died on the cross, and Lord Jesus who rose from the dead. All of them are the same guy, and it all began at Christmas.
Christmas is so much more than a baby being born in a manger. Christmas is God becoming man to bring His plan of redemption to fulfillment. God became man, not just to die, but to live. If the point of Jesus was just to die on the cross we have over three decades of wasted time. If the point of Jesus was simply the sacrificial Savior, He didn't need to do everything else that He did. But because Jesus did so much more than simply die, His life was about more than that. Christmas is about God being here with us.
Jesus was born, grew up, and lived life. The difference between Jesus and the rest of us is that Jesus lived life as it was meant to be lived. Jesus lived with an eternal quality of life, and as He did, He set an example for us, modeling how God would live life. At the end, when everything He was sent to do was completed (John 17.4) He willingly laid down His life to pay the price for sin. He died for us, but that wasn't the end of the story. He didn't stay dead, but rose again, and as He conquered sin, death, and Hell, He empowered us to live as He did.
Jesus was born to live, He died to save, He rose to empower. Christmas is the beginning of the story, not just an isolated, once a year thing, but an ongoing story about the salvation in our hearts and lives. Christmas marks the beginning of life as it was intended to be lived. Christmas is so much more than a baby born in a manger, it's about God doing the most incredible thing that has ever happened. Christmas is about God becoming man and living among us. Christmas is about the final stages of the plan of salvation.
What if we really did stop viewing Christmas as a once a year, standalone event?
What if we began to see it as the starting point of salvation?
What if we took in the reality of God doing what only He could do?
What if we saw Christmas as the beginning of a model for life?
Not going to lie, writing this is a little difficult because this is something I need to do in my own life. If this was the focus I had I wouldn't feel the numbness towards the holiday as I do. I wouldn't be focused on the gifts I want to give to others, or how the radio station plays the same 6 songs (different variations don't count) for more than a month. If my life focused on Christmas as the start of salvation then I would be truly in awe of what this upcoming Sunday means.
I want to live my life that way, or rather, I want to want to live my life that way. I want to be truly amazed at the message, miracle, and meaning of Christmas (I hardly ever do the words that start with the same letter thing). If this was the view we have we wouldn't compartmentalize Christmas to the few weeks of December. Nothing will ever make me want to hear songs about snow in July, or see decorations at the beginning of September, but those aren't the things that matter with Christmas. The things that matter are the message, miracle, and meaning, and those are the things I want to dwell on all year, because those are the things that matter most.
God did something amazing in salvation, He made restoration possible and showed us what to do with it.
God became a man, living among us, so that we could better understand who He is.
God did all of this so that we could draw near to Him and experience Him in the deepest way.
That is Christmas, and that is where I want my focus to be.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Christmas: Part 2 The Miracle, by Will
The Message of Christmas is "Come and see what God has done." Everything fell apart when man originally disobeyed God in Eden, and God set about to bring creation to redemption. At Christmas God did something that initiated the final stage of the plan, and He did it by performing an amazing miracle.
In the last post I wrote I shared a song, and as I was thinking about that song another one came to mind, "Here with Us" by Joy Williams:
It's still a mystery to me
That the hands of God could be so small
How tiny fingers reaching in the night
Were the very hands that measured the sky
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah, son of God, servant King
Here with us, You're here with us
It's still a mystery to me
How His infant eyes have seen the dawn of time
How His ears have heard an angel's symphony
But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah, son of God, servant King
Here with us, You're here with us
You're here with us
Jesus, the Christ, born in Bethlehem
A baby born to save, to save the souls of man
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah, son of God, servant King
Here with us
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah, son of God, servant King
Here with us, You're here with us
You're here with us
In the 1970's NASA launched Voyager 1 and 2 to explore the outer planets. At one point they instructed one of the space probes to turn around and take a panoramic shot of the space that was behind. In the image sent back the earth is seen as a pale blue dot caught in a sun beam, roughly 3.7 billion miles away. God holds the Universe in His hand, and if you could see the entire Universe you wouldn't be able to pick out the Milky Way Galaxy, let alone a single planet revolving around one of 200 billion stars. And yet, this pale blue dot is where God decided to land.
Christianity is unique because it is the only faith where God becomes man, lives among men as one of us, and then dies to take the punishment man has earned. Christmas celebrates the God of the universe being born as a baby. The voice that spoke the universe into existence would cry and must learn to speak. The hands that formed man from the dust would now reach for a human mother. The one who breathed the breath of life into man would now take His first breath. The one who ruled over everything was born to die in order to save everything.
God became man, by becoming a baby. That is the miracle of Christmas, God was now here with us.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
In the last post I wrote I shared a song, and as I was thinking about that song another one came to mind, "Here with Us" by Joy Williams:
It's still a mystery to me
That the hands of God could be so small
How tiny fingers reaching in the night
Were the very hands that measured the sky
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah, son of God, servant King
Here with us, You're here with us
It's still a mystery to me
How His infant eyes have seen the dawn of time
How His ears have heard an angel's symphony
But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah, son of God, servant King
Here with us, You're here with us
You're here with us
Jesus, the Christ, born in Bethlehem
A baby born to save, to save the souls of man
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah, son of God, servant King
Here with us
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah, son of God, servant King
Here with us, You're here with us
You're here with us
In the 1970's NASA launched Voyager 1 and 2 to explore the outer planets. At one point they instructed one of the space probes to turn around and take a panoramic shot of the space that was behind. In the image sent back the earth is seen as a pale blue dot caught in a sun beam, roughly 3.7 billion miles away. God holds the Universe in His hand, and if you could see the entire Universe you wouldn't be able to pick out the Milky Way Galaxy, let alone a single planet revolving around one of 200 billion stars. And yet, this pale blue dot is where God decided to land.
Christianity is unique because it is the only faith where God becomes man, lives among men as one of us, and then dies to take the punishment man has earned. Christmas celebrates the God of the universe being born as a baby. The voice that spoke the universe into existence would cry and must learn to speak. The hands that formed man from the dust would now reach for a human mother. The one who breathed the breath of life into man would now take His first breath. The one who ruled over everything was born to die in order to save everything.
God became man, by becoming a baby. That is the miracle of Christmas, God was now here with us.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Hungry of Full? By Jeremy
All too often life happens. I mean, we get busy with work and family, obligations and expectations, the usual stuff that makes everything flow. We have a machine going called life and it requires oil and gas, time and money. I have been challenged over and over in my own heart with where I am before the Lord.
Psalm 27:7 "A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry."
I ran across this verse several years ago and it struck me as so very profound even though it is such a simple concept, such a simple thought. Those that are full are not interested in anything more no matter how sweet it is, but those that are hungry you could give them pickles and they would gladly devour them because it is something of substance. Yet, I feel like I have been in just this position in my own Christian life before.
When Jesus came He came for the sick, the hurting, the hungry. He did not come for those that thought they were ok, were good enough or had enough. In my own life Jesus often shows up in the unlikely places through unlikely people. He may even come through someone's correction for something I am doing wrong. So how full am I? Can I receive what is bitter? Can I receive something that even feels hard or difficult? Do I feel like I have enough of God already and so close myself off to more?
This has been a personal challenge and in many ways a prayer of mine over the last several years. I always want to be hungry for more of Jesus. I never want to get to the place where my own personal pride and arrogance make me feel like I have so much and I don't need any more. It is in that place that even the sweet things of God are refused. I always want to be open to anything the Lord has, either bitter or sweet, either hard or easy...I want to remain hungry.
Psalm 27:7 "A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry."
I ran across this verse several years ago and it struck me as so very profound even though it is such a simple concept, such a simple thought. Those that are full are not interested in anything more no matter how sweet it is, but those that are hungry you could give them pickles and they would gladly devour them because it is something of substance. Yet, I feel like I have been in just this position in my own Christian life before.
When Jesus came He came for the sick, the hurting, the hungry. He did not come for those that thought they were ok, were good enough or had enough. In my own life Jesus often shows up in the unlikely places through unlikely people. He may even come through someone's correction for something I am doing wrong. So how full am I? Can I receive what is bitter? Can I receive something that even feels hard or difficult? Do I feel like I have enough of God already and so close myself off to more?
This has been a personal challenge and in many ways a prayer of mine over the last several years. I always want to be hungry for more of Jesus. I never want to get to the place where my own personal pride and arrogance make me feel like I have so much and I don't need any more. It is in that place that even the sweet things of God are refused. I always want to be open to anything the Lord has, either bitter or sweet, either hard or easy...I want to remain hungry.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Christmas: Part 1 The Message, by Will
I won't say that I've bought into the commercialism, I haven't, but I feel like the commercialism has made me numb. I haven't been excited about Christmas for several years. I'm a very big believer in no Christmas decorations/music/movies until after Thanksgiving. Last year the local radio station started playing nothing but Christmas music on November 1; needless to say I found a different radio station. This year I've been listening to audio books while driving so my radio doesn't go on anymore. But it’s the middle of December, Christmas day is less than two weeks away, and something has been on my mind for about a week.
Music is something that draws me in. I'm not a singer or a musician, I sing to my girls but they are my only audience. A few years ago I started working on a book, looking at the messages in old hymns, I wrote the preface and one chapter, but the beauty of a message expressed through song stirs something in me that I wish I was able to communicate.
Last week I saw a video on YouTube, a Christmas song called "Noel" by Lauren Daigle.
Love incarnate, Love divine
Star and Angels gave the sign
Bow to babe on bended knee
The Savior of humanity
Unto us a child is born
He shall reign forevermore
Noel, Noel
Come and see what God has done
Noel, Noel
The story of amazing love
The light of the world
Given for us
Noel
Son of God and Son of Man
There before the world began
Born to suffer, born to save
Born to raise us from the grave
Christ the everlasting Lord
He shall reign forevermore
Noel, Noel
Come and see what God has done
Noel, Noel
The story of amazing love
The light of the world
Given for us
Noel
Noel, Noel
Come and see what God has done
Noel, Noel
The story of amazing love
The light of the world
Given for us
Noel
The part of this song that really stands out to me is "Come and see what God has done". Christmas is about what God has done. Man sinned, messing everything up. God immediately began His plan of restoration. Stage one involved Abraham, and the beginning of a nation. Stage two involved Christmas. God who was there before the world began was born to suffer and born to save. He was born to raise us from the grave and reign eternally as Lord. Christmas is the story of amazing love. A plan millennia in the making, unfolding for centuries, came closer to fulfillment on the first Noel (Christmas).
God showed His amazing love by giving us the light of the world. The star and angels announced His birth, and the world moved one step closer to redemption because of what God had done. That is the message of Christmas, come and see what God has done. That is Christmas, part 1.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Music is something that draws me in. I'm not a singer or a musician, I sing to my girls but they are my only audience. A few years ago I started working on a book, looking at the messages in old hymns, I wrote the preface and one chapter, but the beauty of a message expressed through song stirs something in me that I wish I was able to communicate.
Last week I saw a video on YouTube, a Christmas song called "Noel" by Lauren Daigle.
Love incarnate, Love divine
Star and Angels gave the sign
Bow to babe on bended knee
The Savior of humanity
Unto us a child is born
He shall reign forevermore
Noel, Noel
Come and see what God has done
Noel, Noel
The story of amazing love
The light of the world
Given for us
Noel
Son of God and Son of Man
There before the world began
Born to suffer, born to save
Born to raise us from the grave
Christ the everlasting Lord
He shall reign forevermore
Noel, Noel
Come and see what God has done
Noel, Noel
The story of amazing love
The light of the world
Given for us
Noel
Noel, Noel
Come and see what God has done
Noel, Noel
The story of amazing love
The light of the world
Given for us
Noel
The part of this song that really stands out to me is "Come and see what God has done". Christmas is about what God has done. Man sinned, messing everything up. God immediately began His plan of restoration. Stage one involved Abraham, and the beginning of a nation. Stage two involved Christmas. God who was there before the world began was born to suffer and born to save. He was born to raise us from the grave and reign eternally as Lord. Christmas is the story of amazing love. A plan millennia in the making, unfolding for centuries, came closer to fulfillment on the first Noel (Christmas).
God showed His amazing love by giving us the light of the world. The star and angels announced His birth, and the world moved one step closer to redemption because of what God had done. That is the message of Christmas, come and see what God has done. That is Christmas, part 1.
TO GOD ALONE BE THE GLORY!
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
You're not, neither are they, and no one has to be, by Will
I'm not sure exactly when it started, but at some point during college I began to feel like I had to take the weight of the world on my shoulders. I felt like I always had to have the answer and people expected me to be perfect. I felt like I couldn't need anyone because everyone needed me. After I graduated and entered full time ministry the weight got heavier. I expected so much from myself, and I felt like everyone else expected it too.
The Bible says in James 3 that many should not become teachers because there is a stricter judgment for those who teach. This does come from God, those who seek to lead and influence are held accountable to the Lord of all for how they use their position over His creation. However, this judgment is not limited just to God. Those who seek to lead incur stricter judgment from people as well.
Complete honesty speaking as a pastor, I'm amazed at the things people have said to me about why they don't want to offend me. They feel that pastors have a closer relationship with God to the point where they can influence Him to make the lives of others more difficult, or even keep them out of heaven. On the other hand you have people that see you as infallible and perfect. I had already put so much pressure on myself, trying to live up to a standard that I couldn't attain, and honestly I was lonely. When you have to carry the weight of the world, unable to share how your feel or communicate what you need, you're on an island alone. It's stressful and it's a horrible way to live. So let's just get this out there,
I'm not perfect. I'm not infallible. I make mistakes. I fall short. I sin.
I know how people view pastors because I have viewed pastors the same way. I have had the privilege to know and learn from some amazing men. I am blessed to know a Sage (the final stage Eldredge identifies in the masculine journey, and very rare in this day and age) and being able to sit at his feet and learn from his sixty plus years on earth. But in all honesty I've put him, as well as more than a few other men, on pedestals, seeing them as infallible with no flaws or faults.
They are not perfect. They are not infallible. They make mistakes. They fall short. They sin.
I'm not perfect, they aren't perfect, and that's ok because none of us has to be.
A few months ago I heard a quote, "They were great men with huge flaws, and you know what — those flaws almost made them greater." The Sage I know has constantly displayed humility. Once he spoke on sin, and in the program had listed one hundred different sins. He said that he decided to pick the seven he struggled with the most and pray about one each day of the week. What hit me was when he said, "I had trouble narrowing it down to seven." He is a great man with huge flaws, but his flaws make him greater because they draw him closer to Christ.
In my reading a few weeks ago I found this, "Christians are not a special group of people who can be proud; Christians are those who are redeemed - and that is all!"
I'm not perfect, the men I look up to aren't perfect, and none of us have to be because Christ is. I do not have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders because God holds it in His hand. I don't have to be perfect because I have been redeemed by Christ. It can own my flaws because they are opportunities to draw closer to Christ.
This realization has opened up so much. I've been able to build deeper relationships with the brothers who write this blog with me because I've realized it's ok to need them, and that they don't expect me to be perfect. I've been able to have more opportunities to minister because I don't have to have all the answers but simply point others to God. It's removed so much pressure from my life because I don't need to be perfect, or even act like I am.
God is perfect and I am not, and that's ok.
TO GOD ALONE THE GLORY!
The Bible says in James 3 that many should not become teachers because there is a stricter judgment for those who teach. This does come from God, those who seek to lead and influence are held accountable to the Lord of all for how they use their position over His creation. However, this judgment is not limited just to God. Those who seek to lead incur stricter judgment from people as well.
Complete honesty speaking as a pastor, I'm amazed at the things people have said to me about why they don't want to offend me. They feel that pastors have a closer relationship with God to the point where they can influence Him to make the lives of others more difficult, or even keep them out of heaven. On the other hand you have people that see you as infallible and perfect. I had already put so much pressure on myself, trying to live up to a standard that I couldn't attain, and honestly I was lonely. When you have to carry the weight of the world, unable to share how your feel or communicate what you need, you're on an island alone. It's stressful and it's a horrible way to live. So let's just get this out there,
I'm not perfect. I'm not infallible. I make mistakes. I fall short. I sin.
I know how people view pastors because I have viewed pastors the same way. I have had the privilege to know and learn from some amazing men. I am blessed to know a Sage (the final stage Eldredge identifies in the masculine journey, and very rare in this day and age) and being able to sit at his feet and learn from his sixty plus years on earth. But in all honesty I've put him, as well as more than a few other men, on pedestals, seeing them as infallible with no flaws or faults.
They are not perfect. They are not infallible. They make mistakes. They fall short. They sin.
I'm not perfect, they aren't perfect, and that's ok because none of us has to be.
A few months ago I heard a quote, "They were great men with huge flaws, and you know what — those flaws almost made them greater." The Sage I know has constantly displayed humility. Once he spoke on sin, and in the program had listed one hundred different sins. He said that he decided to pick the seven he struggled with the most and pray about one each day of the week. What hit me was when he said, "I had trouble narrowing it down to seven." He is a great man with huge flaws, but his flaws make him greater because they draw him closer to Christ.
In my reading a few weeks ago I found this, "Christians are not a special group of people who can be proud; Christians are those who are redeemed - and that is all!"
I'm not perfect, the men I look up to aren't perfect, and none of us have to be because Christ is. I do not have to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders because God holds it in His hand. I don't have to be perfect because I have been redeemed by Christ. It can own my flaws because they are opportunities to draw closer to Christ.
This realization has opened up so much. I've been able to build deeper relationships with the brothers who write this blog with me because I've realized it's ok to need them, and that they don't expect me to be perfect. I've been able to have more opportunities to minister because I don't have to have all the answers but simply point others to God. It's removed so much pressure from my life because I don't need to be perfect, or even act like I am.
God is perfect and I am not, and that's ok.
TO GOD ALONE THE GLORY!
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Series Finale, by Tyrome (TY)
Confession Time: So I have been married for about four months at this point, but I have a confession. Before I got married and for the previous 12 years of my life, I have pretended that I have been the main character of my very own TV show. It’s pretty immature, self-consumed, and self-centered, and to be honest, I didn’t really care, I actually enjoyed it.
Each school year was a new season of my life. It started with “The Tyrome Show” up until my senior year in high school, the “The Tyrome Show: College Years” when I was at MVNU (where I met these brothers who make up the writers of the various blogs). Those were the best years of my life! Since I was only there for three years, the series only lasted three seasons. Then I took my talents to Chicago for two back-to-back series, “The Rise of the Falcon” and “The Falcon Rises”. The former chronicled my four years as a seminary student at Moody, then the latter, my life since graduation, which centered around my 1st full-time job at Moody and my struggle to find community, post-academia. Though I struggled through the 1st year, the last three years have been a huge blessing finding community, which led to falling in love.
After 12 seasons and four series, it is time to call it quits. Thematically, I came to the point in which the narrative of my life no longer has me as the stand-alone protagonist, but I am now one with my wife. Theologically, I have come to realize that though “my story” is my story, it belongs to a greater metanarrative about God. He is the main character in every person’s story. Maturity-wise, let’s be real. I don’t have a show, no channel, and no live studio audience who laughs at my jokes. I woke up, did life, and went to sleep.
So it was time for a curtain call. It was a franchise finale and an imaginary acting retirement, but in so many ways, that is what marriage is. What I mean by that is, ‘yes’, my life becomes no longer centered around me and me being the titular character, but life united with someone else as one. In marriage, we forfeit the “right” to be selfish and seeking your own good. You surrender to honoring God in sacrificing for your spouse. Men must lay down their lives like Christ in humble servant leadership and women in humble submission.
Marriage within itself has character development, plot twists, and reoccurring themes. It is actually a new series, instead of a new season. You must change. You must die. You must mature. You go to an altar, and lay yourself there. You offer yourself as a sacrifice, a living one (Romans 12:1). But that’s what marriage is. That is completely different from the previous life. There’s a new storyline, new characters, and sometimes a new setting. The tone is different. The atmosphere is different. For all intents and purposes, it is a completely brand new series. Which means every wedding is a series finale. But series finales are hard and emotional. The cliffhanger is, ‘What happens next?’ Your show has been going on for several years, and in one day, the trajectory changes.
Marriage is hard, but it is beautiful. It is one of the greatest displays of the gospel, which is why the enemy would love nothing more than to “steal and kill and destroy” marriages (John 10:10). It is two people making the decision to give their all to each other out of a love for the other’s good above their own. That is what Jesus did in laying down His life for His bride, to save us from eternal judgment, and we lay down our lives in submission to His will, as an act of worship for His glory. Love is the motivation! No matter what we do, He does not walk out on us, and no matter what life throws at us, we do not walk out Him. No prenups, just faithfulness and love.
We should all be afraid of marriage to varying degrees because we must think outside of ourselves, and not to our own interests and conveniences. As I got ready for the “Falcon Finale”, the reality of death & surrender for life & freedom became the dominant themes.
Last May, I took on a risk with no concern for a payout. I put myself out there to find what I never imagined would come, and it only took 28 years to find her. We missed each other on several occasions: SonFest 2005 (a Christian concert on MVNU’s campus), the Ryan-Josi Seibert wedding in 2011, our friend’s move in 2013, the CRU Inner City fellowship dinner in 2014 and 2015, and six years of her volunteering on Moody’s campus, while I was a student and staff member. We were both from Cleveland, graduated high school the same year, and came to Chicago within a year of each other. We had been on a collision course for ten years and finally met … and kids, that’s How I Met Your Mother.
Each school year was a new season of my life. It started with “The Tyrome Show” up until my senior year in high school, the “The Tyrome Show: College Years” when I was at MVNU (where I met these brothers who make up the writers of the various blogs). Those were the best years of my life! Since I was only there for three years, the series only lasted three seasons. Then I took my talents to Chicago for two back-to-back series, “The Rise of the Falcon” and “The Falcon Rises”. The former chronicled my four years as a seminary student at Moody, then the latter, my life since graduation, which centered around my 1st full-time job at Moody and my struggle to find community, post-academia. Though I struggled through the 1st year, the last three years have been a huge blessing finding community, which led to falling in love.
After 12 seasons and four series, it is time to call it quits. Thematically, I came to the point in which the narrative of my life no longer has me as the stand-alone protagonist, but I am now one with my wife. Theologically, I have come to realize that though “my story” is my story, it belongs to a greater metanarrative about God. He is the main character in every person’s story. Maturity-wise, let’s be real. I don’t have a show, no channel, and no live studio audience who laughs at my jokes. I woke up, did life, and went to sleep.
So it was time for a curtain call. It was a franchise finale and an imaginary acting retirement, but in so many ways, that is what marriage is. What I mean by that is, ‘yes’, my life becomes no longer centered around me and me being the titular character, but life united with someone else as one. In marriage, we forfeit the “right” to be selfish and seeking your own good. You surrender to honoring God in sacrificing for your spouse. Men must lay down their lives like Christ in humble servant leadership and women in humble submission.
Marriage within itself has character development, plot twists, and reoccurring themes. It is actually a new series, instead of a new season. You must change. You must die. You must mature. You go to an altar, and lay yourself there. You offer yourself as a sacrifice, a living one (Romans 12:1). But that’s what marriage is. That is completely different from the previous life. There’s a new storyline, new characters, and sometimes a new setting. The tone is different. The atmosphere is different. For all intents and purposes, it is a completely brand new series. Which means every wedding is a series finale. But series finales are hard and emotional. The cliffhanger is, ‘What happens next?’ Your show has been going on for several years, and in one day, the trajectory changes.
Marriage is hard, but it is beautiful. It is one of the greatest displays of the gospel, which is why the enemy would love nothing more than to “steal and kill and destroy” marriages (John 10:10). It is two people making the decision to give their all to each other out of a love for the other’s good above their own. That is what Jesus did in laying down His life for His bride, to save us from eternal judgment, and we lay down our lives in submission to His will, as an act of worship for His glory. Love is the motivation! No matter what we do, He does not walk out on us, and no matter what life throws at us, we do not walk out Him. No prenups, just faithfulness and love.
We should all be afraid of marriage to varying degrees because we must think outside of ourselves, and not to our own interests and conveniences. As I got ready for the “Falcon Finale”, the reality of death & surrender for life & freedom became the dominant themes.
Last May, I took on a risk with no concern for a payout. I put myself out there to find what I never imagined would come, and it only took 28 years to find her. We missed each other on several occasions: SonFest 2005 (a Christian concert on MVNU’s campus), the Ryan-Josi Seibert wedding in 2011, our friend’s move in 2013, the CRU Inner City fellowship dinner in 2014 and 2015, and six years of her volunteering on Moody’s campus, while I was a student and staff member. We were both from Cleveland, graduated high school the same year, and came to Chicago within a year of each other. We had been on a collision course for ten years and finally met … and kids, that’s How I Met Your Mother.
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