First off, sorry it has been a couple days, but I am going to post reflecting on the last couple days.
During day two, I was kinda of bummed out because I had no great story of doing a love act, but through this struggle I realized that it is not about doing something everyday because then I fall into the trap of feeling guilty when all I really am called to do it love God with everything I've got and love my neighbor as myself.
Maybe sometimes it is not about doing but understanding. During my meditation, I realized that in order to really understand what this "love" looks like and how to live it out, we must understand God more fully.
Upon reflecting on this love, I really feel that love must involve sacrifice. So many times wee feel like we did a god deed when it was so easy for us to do, and probably didn't change our day or situation at all. This Love that God and Jesus are talking about is one of self-sacrifice. This means that you are willing to lay down your plans and time in order to help those who God puts in your life.
I think that when we, as Christians, really pick up on the fact that life is not about us, it is about laying down our life and picking up the cross of Christ. Luke 9:23
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Monday, January 14, 2008
Love Your Neighbor - Day 1
So, today was the first day of my new adventure described in the previous post.
I actually felt like I failed this new meditation by day one because I felt I had not done anything out of the ordinary. And prayed for God to show me what to do, and He brought a name to my mind, Cassie.
She is a new friend who has also recently moved to this town of Crossville, TN. Well to make a short story long, Cassie has been overwhelmed at her work for this past week, and this week looked to be heading the same direction. All of this was found out about yesterday, but today God brought her name back to my attention.
Not that I have great problem solving skills, and I certainly cannot help her with her job seeing as she does something I don't know enough about, but I thought back to this verse Mark 12:30-31, and what does it look like to love your neighbor as yourself.
Immediately I thought well, maybe I can call and figure out her favorite comfort food and run it over to her. Come to find out we share a desire for Reese's Cups, and that she literally live about 30 seconds down the street! Needless to say, I ran the cups over and gave her a break from her work (Exactly what I would want someone to do for me.)
I don't know if she appreciated it, but I pray that even this small gesture showed God's love to her. She is a great girl and solid in her faith, and I know that it is very easy to feel that we are alone in this pursuit, so I wanted her to know she is not alone.
I hope that this post does not sound like bragging about "How good I am" because it is not about that at all, it is about taking my scripture to the week, and trying to live it out.
I must say I am excited and a little scared to see what God has in store for me tomorrow!
I actually felt like I failed this new meditation by day one because I felt I had not done anything out of the ordinary. And prayed for God to show me what to do, and He brought a name to my mind, Cassie.
She is a new friend who has also recently moved to this town of Crossville, TN. Well to make a short story long, Cassie has been overwhelmed at her work for this past week, and this week looked to be heading the same direction. All of this was found out about yesterday, but today God brought her name back to my attention.
Not that I have great problem solving skills, and I certainly cannot help her with her job seeing as she does something I don't know enough about, but I thought back to this verse Mark 12:30-31, and what does it look like to love your neighbor as yourself.
Immediately I thought well, maybe I can call and figure out her favorite comfort food and run it over to her. Come to find out we share a desire for Reese's Cups, and that she literally live about 30 seconds down the street! Needless to say, I ran the cups over and gave her a break from her work (Exactly what I would want someone to do for me.)
I don't know if she appreciated it, but I pray that even this small gesture showed God's love to her. She is a great girl and solid in her faith, and I know that it is very easy to feel that we are alone in this pursuit, so I wanted her to know she is not alone.
I hope that this post does not sound like bragging about "How good I am" because it is not about that at all, it is about taking my scripture to the week, and trying to live it out.
I must say I am excited and a little scared to see what God has in store for me tomorrow!
New Adventure....
Last night I posed to the Youth Group, which I am the youth minister of, the idea maybe the reason why we feel that Scripture is out of date, doesn't relate to us, and is boring and pretty much worthless is that we are doing it wring. I know this sounds weird, but maybe we can try to even look at Scripture from the inside out.
Maybe the reason we feel this way about scripture is because we are making choices in our lives and then trying to see how scripture fits within it. Maybe we can turn this inside out and take scripture and try to live our lives out of it.
Here is an example:
Say you read Mark 12:28-31
" 28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
This is commonly referred to as the "greatest commandment." My struggle is that I have read this way over 100 times, but I don't think I have ever really sat down and tried to live out what this would look like. How can I love my neighbor as myself? Does it mean literally $1 for $1? I spend a dollar on myself I spend a dollar on someone else. Does it mean that ever minute I spend trying to get a head on life, I spend one minute trying to help someone else get a head?
And what about the first part? How can I love God with well basically "everything I've got?"
I don't know what this looks like? Can I really do this?
I think that the church would benefit greatly from looking at scripture in this way. As Christians, and I include myself in this, we sometimes get so caught up in reading the most scripture or having the longest devotional time, but my new goal is to get caught up in the effectiveness of my devotion. Does it change my life? Does it change how I interact with others? Does it change how I rely on God? Does it change me, so that I might change the world?
Within all of these struggles, I found that maybe concentrating on a verse for a longer period of time would help me focus on what it would look like to live out a verse.
My fiancee (I can't remember if the guy or girl has two "e"s) and I sat down and worked out a meditation for an entire week based on a verse. This is posted on our youth website at http://www.crossvillefumc.net/This%20Week/ThisWeek.htm
Feel free to check it out and even join us in trying this new adventure, trying to live out scripture in our live today.
I will keep you updated on how this goes...
Maybe the reason we feel this way about scripture is because we are making choices in our lives and then trying to see how scripture fits within it. Maybe we can turn this inside out and take scripture and try to live our lives out of it.
Here is an example:
Say you read Mark 12:28-31
" 28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
This is commonly referred to as the "greatest commandment." My struggle is that I have read this way over 100 times, but I don't think I have ever really sat down and tried to live out what this would look like. How can I love my neighbor as myself? Does it mean literally $1 for $1? I spend a dollar on myself I spend a dollar on someone else. Does it mean that ever minute I spend trying to get a head on life, I spend one minute trying to help someone else get a head?
And what about the first part? How can I love God with well basically "everything I've got?"
I don't know what this looks like? Can I really do this?
I think that the church would benefit greatly from looking at scripture in this way. As Christians, and I include myself in this, we sometimes get so caught up in reading the most scripture or having the longest devotional time, but my new goal is to get caught up in the effectiveness of my devotion. Does it change my life? Does it change how I interact with others? Does it change how I rely on God? Does it change me, so that I might change the world?
Within all of these struggles, I found that maybe concentrating on a verse for a longer period of time would help me focus on what it would look like to live out a verse.
My fiancee (I can't remember if the guy or girl has two "e"s) and I sat down and worked out a meditation for an entire week based on a verse. This is posted on our youth website at http://www.crossvillefumc.net/This%20Week/ThisWeek.htm
Feel free to check it out and even join us in trying this new adventure, trying to live out scripture in our live today.
I will keep you updated on how this goes...
Friday, November 23, 2007
Expectations out the window...
From the previous post "Preconceived beliefs about people..."
"I believe that one of the greatest problems with communication is that we each come into certain relationships with particular expectations and preconceived beliefs. I find that usually these expectations and preconceived beliefs about people are not shared or left at the door."
The biggest difference between my previous post and this one is that Preconceived Beliefs are put upon people who we do not know, and Expectations are put upon people we do.
Here are my thoughts on the latter:
I believe that so many times we feel that our friends in life let us down. We think that they know exactly what we are going through and they will just know to call or write, and well they don't know because we have not told them. ( I don't know about you but I have not learned to read minds yet.) Our friends are friends because they have been with us along our journey of life and faith and they probably really do care, they just need to know what is going. We cannot expect people to read minds or call when we are feeling bad, they might, but it won't happen every time.
I think the best thing is to just make time to talk, not just about the weather or the last game, but about real life. Talk about struggles, joys, and everything in between. If we do this our expectations will change because we will know our friends better and they will know each other better, and through this we will learn how each other work.
"I believe that one of the greatest problems with communication is that we each come into certain relationships with particular expectations and preconceived beliefs. I find that usually these expectations and preconceived beliefs about people are not shared or left at the door."
The biggest difference between my previous post and this one is that Preconceived Beliefs are put upon people who we do not know, and Expectations are put upon people we do.
Here are my thoughts on the latter:
I believe that so many times we feel that our friends in life let us down. We think that they know exactly what we are going through and they will just know to call or write, and well they don't know because we have not told them. ( I don't know about you but I have not learned to read minds yet.) Our friends are friends because they have been with us along our journey of life and faith and they probably really do care, they just need to know what is going. We cannot expect people to read minds or call when we are feeling bad, they might, but it won't happen every time.
I think the best thing is to just make time to talk, not just about the weather or the last game, but about real life. Talk about struggles, joys, and everything in between. If we do this our expectations will change because we will know our friends better and they will know each other better, and through this we will learn how each other work.
What if the reason you feel you have bad friends is because you don't let them know what you need?
What if the person you have put expectations on is God?
What if the reason God has disappointed you is because of your expectations and not because of Him?
Preconceived beliefs about people...
I believe that one of the greatest problems with communication is that we each come into certain relationships with particular expectations and preconceived beliefs. I find that usually these expectations and preconceived beliefs about people are not shared or left at the door.
First let us tackle the preconceived beliefs about people:
I know, personally, that due to my background and experiences that there are certain quick judgements that I make all the time about people I don't even know. I have also found that the quick judgements, right or wrong, make me approach new relationships with certain biases; and it is these biases that can hinder me from truly getting to know the individual person.
I really struggle with this because I truly believe that God has created each of us for a unique purpose and not only that no any two people have the same relationships and experiences. So why can't I, one who really believes this (I think), throw out all these biases?
Maybe because there is not one moment in life where you and I are not bombarded by different judgements and prejudices. I have found that the only way to attempt to avoid this problem is by knowing that we are doing it and make intentional steps to move beyond it. This could be done by make intentional point to get to know someone, everyone better, from the INSIDE OUT. By intentionally getting to know everyone better, we will find it easier to move beyond these biases.
Next to come, Expectations out the window...
First let us tackle the preconceived beliefs about people:
I know, personally, that due to my background and experiences that there are certain quick judgements that I make all the time about people I don't even know. I have also found that the quick judgements, right or wrong, make me approach new relationships with certain biases; and it is these biases that can hinder me from truly getting to know the individual person.
I really struggle with this because I truly believe that God has created each of us for a unique purpose and not only that no any two people have the same relationships and experiences. So why can't I, one who really believes this (I think), throw out all these biases?
Maybe because there is not one moment in life where you and I are not bombarded by different judgements and prejudices. I have found that the only way to attempt to avoid this problem is by knowing that we are doing it and make intentional steps to move beyond it. This could be done by make intentional point to get to know someone, everyone better, from the INSIDE OUT. By intentionally getting to know everyone better, we will find it easier to move beyond these biases.
Next to come, Expectations out the window...
Thursday, November 22, 2007
The Next 500 years...
Last weekend I was at the National Youth Workers Convention in Atlanta, GA. There were 5,500 youth ministers, and amazing speakers, bands, worship leaders, and so much more.
My title to this post refers to one of the main speakers of the weekend: Phillis Tickle. This older lady, her words not mine, came and gave a history lesson on the Church. She explained in many more words than this that every 500 years, the Church has had to undergo a huge "shift." One example was the Protestant reformation, an important part of Church history (kinda).
Anyway, she talked about all the examples at length and then she shared that we are now starting to go through a NEW shift. She explained that each of the divisions of the Church were now starting to talk, at "water coolers" or in my generation coffee shops, and share about beliefs and church practices and lifes answers and question, and even starting to come closer together.
Her ploy to us was that within this new shift of the Church, "we" the collective of church leaders, are setting the course of the Church for the next 500 years; whatever that might be. But she warned not to get so excited about this new change that we forget about where we have come from, our history and our traditions.
It made me think about what we; maybe just me; do as youth ministers. We typically will forget about traditions and history, in order to be "relevant." The problem is that when we forget where we came from, we can stray so far from the goal and purpose of the Church that we lose all credibility.
I think that struggle within all this is
HOW CAN WE HOLD ON AND EMBRACE TRADITION AND HISTORY, WITHOUT BEING HELD BACK BY IT?
I believe, maybe, that in embracing where we are and have been that we might find where we should go. . .
Where will we end up? What will this great shift be?
I don't know, but I am so excited about being a part of it!
My title to this post refers to one of the main speakers of the weekend: Phillis Tickle. This older lady, her words not mine, came and gave a history lesson on the Church. She explained in many more words than this that every 500 years, the Church has had to undergo a huge "shift." One example was the Protestant reformation, an important part of Church history (kinda).
Anyway, she talked about all the examples at length and then she shared that we are now starting to go through a NEW shift. She explained that each of the divisions of the Church were now starting to talk, at "water coolers" or in my generation coffee shops, and share about beliefs and church practices and lifes answers and question, and even starting to come closer together.
Her ploy to us was that within this new shift of the Church, "we" the collective of church leaders, are setting the course of the Church for the next 500 years; whatever that might be. But she warned not to get so excited about this new change that we forget about where we have come from, our history and our traditions.
It made me think about what we; maybe just me; do as youth ministers. We typically will forget about traditions and history, in order to be "relevant." The problem is that when we forget where we came from, we can stray so far from the goal and purpose of the Church that we lose all credibility.
I think that struggle within all this is
HOW CAN WE HOLD ON AND EMBRACE TRADITION AND HISTORY, WITHOUT BEING HELD BACK BY IT?
I believe, maybe, that in embracing where we are and have been that we might find where we should go. . .
Where will we end up? What will this great shift be?
I don't know, but I am so excited about being a part of it!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sorry....
Well, it has been forever since my last post.
I think that most of the reason is that I have had trouble putting into words my thoughts and what God was teaching me. Well, I still am but I at least have an idea of the topics to come:
WHO AM I?
Youth Ministry 3.o
This Next Year
Expectations out the window
The Next 500 Years
well, my head hurts from everything said at National Youth Ministry Convention in Atl. So I need to take a breather and I will be back (sooner then later) with thoughts, struggles, youth ministry etc...
May God bless you with LOVE, HOPE, DREAMS, PEACE, and great friendships
I think that most of the reason is that I have had trouble putting into words my thoughts and what God was teaching me. Well, I still am but I at least have an idea of the topics to come:
WHO AM I?
Youth Ministry 3.o
This Next Year
Expectations out the window
The Next 500 Years
well, my head hurts from everything said at National Youth Ministry Convention in Atl. So I need to take a breather and I will be back (sooner then later) with thoughts, struggles, youth ministry etc...
May God bless you with LOVE, HOPE, DREAMS, PEACE, and great friendships
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
