I will be in lovely Colorado for the next 4 days visiting Cathy! (Who's the first to come visit you?)
If I can get to a PC, I will try my best to write some cool stories or encounters or some photos from Breckenridge…
Well actually its a sanding party! Susan will tell you about how much fun it is!
Next tuesday night (12/6) i am looking for 4-5 friends to come over and spend a few hours together sanding the last bits of the basement! I would love any time you can give. I will be working from 6-12, if you can stop by at any time, anything we don't accomplish will spill to wednesday night! My hopes are to paint and texture the ceiling by the weekend!
Also, there is something special in store for all of those who help me on this project. Upon completion there will be a big surprise!
Saturday I recieved a phone call alerting me that our position for the Young Life staff for our group has been accepted! I am so excited for the next leg of this journey to see God placing such a talented, passionate feller in our community of Young Life.
He will be starting in February I believe. It was a long-long interim time period of 3 years of trying to tread water and keep the ministry afloat and God has shaped me and grown me during this time. I am just excited to find new ways to use my energy with the kids. Excited to have a seasoned YL veteran to lead us into the next steps God has in store for His Kingdom. And mostly excited to know God still has his hand in this and always has…
Here's something to jot down in your notebooks about me…
Don't ever think about overpromising me and underdelivering! That's one of the hardest things for me to grasp about people.. Just be honest! If you can't do something, tell me. If you can't get it done on time, tell me. If you aren't sure, tell me you aren't sure and I won't rely on you!!!
But don't try to make me happy by saying what you think I want to hear… I actually want to hear the truth! I promise that you can never upset me off by telling me the truth from the get go!
BE HONEST!!!
The storm came and went.
I thought it was the storm that caused the delay.
I thought it was too rainy to run the race.
God has been parting the clouds for me to see.
He sent intense gusts of wind to clear most of the clouds last night.
He said there's nothing to seek shelter from, its a sunny day.
I showed up on the wrong day.
Not sure if that particular race will be run.
Trusting what happens will happen.
Need to prepare myself for the next race…
Getting out of the “I know the story and the facts� comfort zone that we so easily fall into with our theology and our ideas and opinions.
I just finished reading a book called “Chasing after God Knows What.� By Donald Miller.
A point in his stories struck a chord in my heart as of late. He talked about a class that he taught for students at seminary. He told them he was going to spend the class teaching the gospels and he was going to leave a big part of it out.
He said man was sinful, about how the wages of sin is death…talked about heaven and how great it would be to walk on the streets of gold.. How God will provide for them in relationships, finances and in comfort. He quoted many passages from the bible.
He asked the class what he left out and it was silence… After 10 minutes or so of silence he told the class he didn’t mention Jesus’ name…
The idea here is that in our society, people believe they go to Heaven based on whether they are morally pure or not, or that they understand the theological topics like those he discussed in his teachings to the class.. Or if they are very spiritual.. If they light candles and do spiritual things… To society a relationship with Jesus is completely unnecessary.
But if we are to believe the story of the cross and all the pain and suffering Jesus went through on his way to the cross and on the cross and through to all of the good news that is a result of the cross. I think He's kind of a big deal then?
I used to think knowledge was the key to faith. To eat up all the words I could about religion. Then in May, I met a man named Steve who explained some facts about sheep.
In Psalm 23,
"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul."
And then we are called to take care of Jesus’ sheep in John 21. Jesus' sheep is you and me.
Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?� He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.� Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.�
Sheep need to lie down to digest the food they have eaten, if they don’t, they will eat and eat and eat until they die…
This emphasized the importance of digesting information you know. Wrestle with the stories you have heard, the ones that bother you, excite you… Digest and only then will you be ready for more. So this part is to show the importance of knowing the stories and the gospels and the facts. But that isn't it.
I see the importance shifting this way… Miller asked his class this, so I will ask you this… If you like a girl.. or a guy, what is the first thing you would need to do to fall in love with them?
Get to know them… that would be a good start… Asking others questions about them doesn't do much, reading their blog doesn't do much, you'll never make any ground unless you spend time with them and passionately seek a relationship with them. I don't think love cannot happen without the last part.
Think about people who think they know you but they don’t. People know about how I played college golf at the U of M, but that doesn’t mean they know me right? People read my blog and hear my thoughts, but that doesn’t mean they know me right? That gives them information about me, a starting block to know me but its not the end. They need to have a relationship and spend time with me to get to know me. I know Jesus performed some amazing miracles, gave some amazing sermons… and that is all great to know.. But that doesn’t mean I “know him� it is a means for an attraction to get to know him.
What good is it to get a man to read a tract, clean up his act so 50 years later he will die a well behaved man who had some extra knowledge. But if he doesn't experience a relationship with Jesus, all you have is 1 more well behaved person, 1 more "good" person.
Can it be experienced? My high school friends disagree with me. They think Hell can be experienced on earth but only glimpses of Heaven can be experienced on earth…
My reaction to them, if you believe glimpses can be experiences, then you have to believe consistent Heaven can be experienced on earth, right now. I asked why a "Heaven Moment" couldn't be followed by another "Heaven Moment" and by another and another…
What is a "Heaven Moment" anyways? I found a spot where they are strong on their answers but weak in their reasoning. I am going to explore this more with them and ask why such a cup half empty viewpoint?
Do they want to experience Heaven now? Or are they content in waiting until after our time is done here?
I am not content in waiting, if I think it can be experienced now, right here… I want in and I want to chase after that…
I just finished 2 books… I rarely read, I am not a big fan of it and I get bored pretty easily when I read. So I only read things I am passionate about or have a deep interest in…
My bookshelf consists of quite a few books, but they cover 3 topics heavily and one pretty lightly. Golf, Government/Politics, and Technology are the 3 heavy hitters. Faith based books are growing in numbers but haven't made a big run in awhile. I feel some authors are trying to push their ideas on you rather than letting you hear them and make a decision for yourselves.
I have just read 2 books that made me feel welcome and feel as if I were in a conversation with the author about his life. I saw myself in his stories and I was able to relate to them more closely than I had ever imagined.
The first was Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. His style captivated me and I actually finished the book! For those who know me and are reading this, I am sure a look of amazement just traveled across your face! Reading his book wasn't like reading at all, it was like living. He didn't push an idea of how you should live, or why we are wrong, but more of how he lived/lives and how it has changed his life. How Jesus in his life has transformed his stories.
I eagerly bought his 2nd book called Chasing After God Knows What which I just finished this afternoon. Again, a very good lesson on things I can relate to right now, somethings in the book i didnt relate to but I didn't feel bad that I couldn't relate to them. Some others I feel guilty about not connecting with the thoughts… Like I am wrong or they wouldn't like me if they ever met me…
Now I am on to Running on Empty by Fil Anderson. I attended a retreat a few weekends ago where he was the speaker and in the same way Donald writes, he speaks… Also he was a Young Life staffer years ago so there is an automatic bond and interest there. Stay tuned for words on this book.
I guess reading can be fun!
LYRICS:
Someone falls to pieces
Sleeping all alone
Someone kills the pain
Spinning in the silence
To finally drifts away
Someone gets excited
In a chapel yard
And catches a bouquet
Another lays a dozen
White roses on a grave
Yeahhh…
And to be yourself is all that you can do
Heyyyy…
To be yourself is all that you can do
Someone finds salvation in everyone
Another only pain
Someone tries to hide himself
Down inside himself he prays
Someone swears his true love
Until the end of time
Another runs away
Separate or united
Healthy or insane
And to be yourself is all that you can do(all that you can do)
Yeahhh…
To be yourself is all that you can do(all that you can do)
To be yourself is all that you can do(all that you can do)
Heyyyy…
Be yourself is all that you can do
Even when you’ve paid enough
Been pulled apart or been held up
Every single memory of the good or bad
Faces of love
Don’t lose any sleep tonight
I’m sure everything will end up alright
You may win or lose
But to be yourself is all that you can do
Yeahhh…
To be yourself is all that you can do
Ohhhh…
To be yourself is all that you can do(all that you can do)
Heeey…
To be yourself is all that you can do(all that you can do)
To be yourself is all that you can–
Be yourself is all that you can–
Be yourself is all that you can do
Ever think about how light always beats darkness? I was thinking about this over the weekend… I was up at Young Life camp in Detroit Lakes, MN and very var removed from city lights and the glow of the Twin Cities. It was pretty dark. But as I walked around I noticed the even in that level of darknes, light always wins…
What happens if you take a flashlight to the darkest corner you can think of… Light reveals what is in that corner and takes over the dark.. This happens every time, no matter the corner or no matter how dark the corner is (ranging from only a little dark to pitch black)
That's probably why nobody has invented a "flashdark" it wouldnt work because you cant shine dark on light.. Light always wins! Dark only can exist when you neglect to allow light into those areas. But as soon as you want to expose that, light wins…
All of this ties back to Ephesians 5. About a year ago I started spending time in Ephesians 5. Verses 15-18 spoke out to me. As a follower of Jesus, and the idea that we are the body of Christ, and then reading these verses, really made me think about my actions. Just like the president of the country or your company, his/her actions reflect the image of the company/country. So mine reflect Jesus. Were my decisions wise or unwise? Was I making the most of every opportunity? Was I foolish? Was I listening to God's will or was my will louder? Was I getting drunk on wine or being filled with the Spirit instead?
Answers… Uniwse more than wise, sometimes, yes, mine, not only on wine but all sort of other booze, not as much as I would like to be…
I saw verse 18 and a picture of me next to it. I wasn't the animal I was in college… But I also wasn't the scared to get in trouble kid I was in high school either… So I started with alcohol, it would be the first thing I would expose to the light. This was a tough thing to do.. I mean drinking is so cool isn't it? I found out I was made to "believe" it was cool.
So for the past 336 days, I have been on a different journey than before. There has been days where it has started to cloud up, started to rain a little and grow a little darker.. But resting in the fact that light always wins and has won every day for the past 336 days gets me to the next day, hoping for it to clear up and eventually knowing that a little light sparks a little more light and soon things will be at their brightest again..
Light wins and is winning…
APPENDIX A: Vaccuum tubes dont count in the light/darkness analogy
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