Mission: It's not just a trip...

So...
Our ASP trip was amazing! Making homes warmer, safer and drier. Making connections with new people. Making deeper connections with the people we already knew. Worship and connecting with God. Not being tied to our phones or computers. Spending time in God's creation. What could be better?

Now we are home...

Has anything changed for you? Our theme from ASP was Romans 12:2 and in this scripture, Paul is urging the Romans not to just "go along" with things around them but to let God change the way they think. I know that for me, sometimes it is easier to just go along... being different takes work... sometimes I just don't feel like working that hard. This year though God has been working on my attitude and I know that He is calling me to put in that extra time and effort to make some changes in my life.

I titled this entry... Mission:It's not just a trip. We get so hyped up for ASP (or any mission trip)and then what...? I was struck this year by how quickly everyone scattered in the parking lot on Sunday when we returned. Many with comments like... back to reality, or ok... now on to the next thing... I wonder, why? Why does mission end when the trip is over? Why do we separate our 'real lives' from a life lived in mission?

Matthew 28: 16-20 is our call to live a missional life- that is one thing that God really brought to my attention during ASP. Living a missional life does not mean going on more trips... it means taking the mindset that we have when we go on ASP- and making it our mindset EVERYDAY!! The desire to connect deeply with God and with others and the desire to see lives made better- those are things we can do here and now. That's what God is calling us to do...

Mission: it's not just a trip... how can you make missions part of your day today and everyday?

NOW is the acceptable time...

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and I had the privilege to be part of a joint worship service between our church and Wilson UMC. Pastor Will Butler, from Wilson UMC gave a powerful message based on 2Corinthians 6. There were so many awesome things that were revealed through the scripture last night...but I want to share one specific message that I heard loud and clear last night. I spend a lot of time with other people- church staff, church volunteers, church youth...- talking about the church (our church and the global church) and how many things need to be changed or fixed. Do you notice anything about what I just wrote? I spend time talking... as far as I know talking about a problem is only one part of the solution. In 2 Corinthians 6 Paul writes, "now is the acceptable time; see now is the day of salvation!" Sharing the gospel of Christ does involve words, but many times in order for us to be able to have the opportunity to share those words of hope and salvation with people, we have to DO something to be in relationship with those around us! The next verse in chapter 6 says "we are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found in our ministry..." How great would be to be able to say that? So, now is the acceptable time for us to stop always lamenting that fact that church is not perfect... instead follow the example of v. 11 and 12 and "speak frankly to people, open your hearts wide and do not restrict your affection for anyone..." Sounds like another way to say GET REAL...

How much does it matter?

hey!
Yes, I am writing from Florida... this class is really interesting but I am ready to come home! So... just a thought I wanted to share- something that came into my mind as I was trying to concentrate on church history from about the 5th century... yeah, I know....yawn...

Anyway, I am here studying how people from all of history approached worship. I joke and say, yawn, but in reality it has given me something to think about. In about 1,000 years what will people read in history about the church today? That includes you and me... what have we done to make Jesus 'famous'?

When people look back at our time in history and look for clues that will describe to them what we believed about God, what will they find? Will they only see the things that divided us and kept us apart or will they see that Christ, his death and resurrection was the thing that kept us united? Will they even know the Christ was the center of our church or have we pushed him so far out of our worship that people will not even know why we were meeting together?

'I waited patiently for God...He taught me how to sing the latest God-song a praise song to our God. More and more people are seeing this: they enter into the mystery, abandoning themselves to God. Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God, turn your backs on the world's sure-thing, ignore what the world worships; the world is a HUGE stock pile of God-wonders and God-thoughts. Nothing and no one comes close to you!' (from Psalm 40 the Message)

What do you want people to remember about God? How can you make that happen?



(sorry if the grammar is no good... my editor is back in MD ) :-)

Something to talk about...

So... anyone who knows me at all, knows that I like to have fun just as much as anyone, but sometimes enough is enough. In the last few months, I have noticed a disturbing trend in our Sunday morning youth small group time. After breakfast and some kind of activity, we split up into our small groups- middle school and high school. We have already been together about 30-45 minutes and all of the time has been sort of fun, fellowship time- when we get into small groups - it is for Bible study and discussion. The problem is every time we get close to approaching a serious topic or getting deeper into a truth that the Bible has for us, someone in the room makes a really random comment that distracts everyone from what we are talking about. If you were at church on Sunday, you heard me talk about this problem. You might be saying why is this a problem? I think it is a problem because we are constantly trying to keep the discussion on track and we never get to go beyond just a surface understanding of the scriptures. Believe it or not, some people come to church to get closer to God not just to catch up on the latest gossip... which is some of what keeps us from our deeper understanding...but anyway, is it because we do not want to go deeper with God that we are constantly trying to come up with distractions so we do not have to be responsible for what we know God want us do? Are we afraid that if we let God work in our lives that He will somehow mess it up? Are we afraid of what other people will say if we live our life for something other than the latest trend ? What exactly are we afraid of? And why can we not just be honest about it and say that we are afraid? That sometimes it is hard to be a Christian, that we do not want people to laugh at us or make fun of us for what we believe? Do you think that God would reject you for asking these questions or feeling this way? Do you think we, as youth leaders, would be mad at you? I know that I have asked these questions before and I still do sometimes... it is hard to follow Christ. I know that I don't always do a good job of following him- it takes work- hard work. Anything that is worth doing takes hard work- we just need to decide if we are going to commit to doing the hard work- even when it is not fun. For all of you track people out there... living the christian life is not a sprint... it is more like cross country running. It takes endurance, perseverance and practice. I am willing to bet that most of us (myself included) spend more time on facebook than we do working on our relationship with God. I, for one am going to do something about that... will you join me or will you continue to let distractions keep you from having a more meaningful relationship with the One who created you? Don't be afraid to respond... let me know what you think!

Evergreen Mocha

Yes, only a person with serious coffee addiction would name an entire article after their favorite flavor at a local coffee house. So... maybe I do drink too much coffee, but...that is a conversation for another day.

Getting past all the coffee drinking, something interesting takes place when people are in conversation together over coffee or during a meal. Sharing this kind of time together brings people together in a special way. If you look at the New Testament, Jesus spent time with people in their homes having dinner, some of the religious leaders of the day even accuse Jesus and his disciples of being party animals (that's my own translation) because they attended a lot of parties, dinners and banquets. Jesus was part of the culture, he was with the people, he went where the people needed Him. He had conversations with people that changed their lives. Now, I am not saying that one conversation over coffee is going to change someone's life, but I do think that the relationships that are formed by simply chatting while having a cup of coffee can allow people to feel comfortable to be who they are. We all need a place where we can share our deepest hurts and our greatest joys. A place where we can go for advice and to share new ideas without fear of judgment or rejection. We are all so technologically connected, but to have a face to face conversation with a friend or a group of friends where we can open up and be happy or sad or both is so much more meaningful.

So, although I have to admit that I do like coffee A LOT... I am overwhelmed by the friends that share that coffee with me. I know that at any time they will be there for me. So, when you find yourself wondering about life, or needing to just "let it all out", grab a friend and a cup of coffee (or tea, water, soda...) and spend some together, it is worth it!

Thursday at Midnight

So, guess where I was on Thursday night at midnight... the same place as some of you...you guessed it... SLEEPING!!! HA! HA! Did you think I was going to say watching Harry Potter? Nah. Don't get me wrong I am not hating on Harry Potter- I never really got into it, but if that is your thing, ok. I did notice a lot of facebook conversation revolving around the new movie, which got me thinking. I have been around Crofton for a little over three years now and I have seen people (teens and young adults, mostly) show great enthusiasm and devotion to many things. I have witnessed people who will sacrifice sleep to see a movie premier, people who travel hours to play in a sports tournament and even people who would show up at 2am in the morning to go on a mission trip. For some things, it seems that our desire to participate in an event, knows no bounds. Why then does our desire for the everyday work of maintaining our relationship with God spark so little enthusiasm? It is not as if we do not have it in us to be committed to things... we go to school or work everyday, we check facebook, emails and texts almost obsessively, we go to practice without fail... we go to church...IF WE GET AROUND TO IT. Does that bother you as much as it bothers me? I know that I could spend more time listening to God, I know that I could be more intentional about sharing my faith with others. I know that it is hard and that so many things demand our attention -

I heard this song on the radio today: "All In" by Lifehouse. When I first heard it in the car, the part that really struck me was part of the chorus I'm all in I'm all in for life

What does the mean to you? To be all in for life? To me that means when I say I am a follower of Christ- that is my life- all I do is because I am a follower of Christ. Since He gave his life for me, that is what He asks in return. In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 4, we see Jesus beginning his ministry. He sees James and John and invites them to follow Him. They drop their nets (they were fishermen) and follow Jesus. He offered them nothing other than the ability to "fish for people". No great music, no lock-ins, no ROCK retreats, no asking, "well, who else is going to be there?" Just Jesus. I want to be like James and John. I want to follow just Jesus. I want to say that He is enough. Do you?

Kids. TV. Shopping. Movies. Football. Coffee. facebook. I could go on and on... about things that take up my time and attention. We all fill our days with stuff. From school to work to family obligations to the things that entertain us when we are bored. Now, don't get me wrong the things we do are not all bad... but sometimes we let the things take over our days and before we know it a day, a week or maybe even a month has gone by and we have not spent any real time with God. Even as I write this, I know that I have not spent the time in prayer that I should have this week. Sometimes I get to Sunday and I realize that the only scripture I have read is what I intended to teach with... that is not spending time with God. So even my church stuff can sometimes keep me from God.

Last week I was reminded how much God wants us to come to Him to just "be" with Him. Why is this so hard? Everything around us says, "go,go,go" and God says "Be still and know..." I went to see Tenth Avenue North in concert... what an awesome show! I heard a song there that was part of what got me thinking about all the things that draw my attention away God. So take a listen: All the Pretty Things

What are the"pretty things" that are drawing you away from spending time with God? I am challenging myself to get back in habit of being still... what can you do?