youth ministry can be...

If you are the kind of person that has the patience to do youth ministry you are going to know my joys in the next few sentences. If you are a person who doesn’t you’ll at least appreciate my joy, maybe.

There is usually one thing that gets me really excited every week. That would be youth group night. I know that there are people who literally cringe at the thought of hanging out with teenagers and their slightly younger partners in crime, but I have to thank God so often that He has blessed me with a heart for this kind of thing.

Certainly there are some Wednesday nights that I want to scream into every pillow in my house (including the couch cushions) from the frustration that junior high school boys give off.

There are also times like tonight.

There are times when the kids are not kids anymore. They are like smaller – and sometimes not so smaller – people who are trying to believe and be in love with God as much as we “adult” leaders are, or think we are.

There are times when it is so obvious that in all the chaotic games of chase these young people are looking to love on those around them. Arguments get checked at the door, hugs replace handshakes, and an opportunity to be real lifts young, heavy burdens.

There are times when I can sit back, laugh, and say to God and to myself, “They get it.” There aren’t many things in this human world that can bring me more joy than to witness the young people that have been put under my influence looking like Jesus.

Tonight was one of those nights.

Tonight I am joyous.

Tonight I am thanking God again.

"Is that what they are preaching at that church of yours?"

I sat down for breakfast this morning when my mom asked me, "Is that what they are preaching at that church of yours?"

There was a hint of disdain in her tone.

When my mom asks that kind of question it's because she has yet again been insulted and hurt by the Christian church. Actually it's typically one family that is responsible for it, but that isn't really important.

Just a little history.

I am the only born again evangelical in my family.

Everyone else, Catholic.

Now it's not really a big deal to me. I don't follow Catholicism because I found more Jesus being done in the evangelical church. They do the Catholic thing because it works for them. At least it works for my parents. They profess pretty much everything that I believe in, with the only difference being the whole "saved by faith/works" thing.

This family of friends are your typical white born again evangelicals. Parents are oober conservative.

Back to the original topic.

It turns out last night that the Mr. of the house had asked my mom who she voted for. My mom is a democrat through and through, so of course Obama was the only candidate for her. He proceeded to ask her why she told him because, "He touched my heart." He followed with, "your heart is going to turn to stone."

It's a cruel comment. I can understand the original question my mom asked over breakfast now.

I know this guy very well and I have a lot of love for their family. I am sure that he didn't intend for his words to be so hurtful. He was probably saying that her heart was going to turn to stone because Obama is full of empty promises and let downs. (not that he is, just that this guy thinks so. He's a staunch conservative.)

When did Christians become so enchanted with this notion that God wants anything to do with our human politics? I guess I have to ask myself do I really think that God doesn't want something to do with our human politics first.

Here is what I am thinking. God decided what is right and wrong.

Right is anything that is of God.

Wrong is anything against God.

Right winged Christians and left winged Christians have taken it upon them selves to decide that one side is right and one side is wrong.

I mean how often have you experienced in any way something to effect of, liberals are heathens and conservatives just want to uphold their morals.

Who decided that liberals aren't moral people?

Who decided conservatives couldn't be heathens?

In this past election for the first time in history a black man became president of the United States.

A lot of right winged Christians, Catholic or Protestant, were upset. They were down right angry. I have even heard it said that this man might be the anti-Christ.

I recall Jesus saying something about not passing judgment.

Now this is not to say that left wing Christians are off the hook either.
I have run into people on the street who preach similar messages about the opposite party.

When did Jesus ever tell us to vote Republican or Democrat?

Jesus told us to be not of this world.

Our human politics. They're worldly.

We are entitled to our opinions yes, but there is something that we are not to be opinionated about.

That is loving.

Got faith, but no love? You're nothing then.

If your political standings are getting in the way of you loving those around you, it's time that you remember that God doesn't have a political agenda.

This isn't me telling you not to vote when you have the opportunity to. This is me saying that maybe we Christians need to reconsider why it is we are voting one way or the other.

Stop putting up walls that Jesus already tore down.

Playing for Change| "If music be the food of love, play on"

I was web surfing this morning and I stumbled upon this amazing organization called Playing For Change. Their initiative is to insight peace through music and in the process build up music programs around the world for those that might not otherwise have the opportunity.

There are a lot of these organizations out there today that are quite literally doing the work of the church. They aren't even Christian organizations. That speaks big numbers to me. God really will use anyone who is willing to serve His mission.

Be they believers or not.

So then my question to you, oh members of Christs body, is this.

What are you being called to do? Are you listening for Gods call?

I literally found my self on the edge of tears from the shear beauty in what these people are trying to do. It's a simple idea that addresses all people on a level they understand.

Music.

I am going to continue to stand on my Ephesians 2 belief here.

The wall is torn down.

All people.

United.

Reconciled to God and to each other.

You can check out their website that has a video demonstrating what they are doing here.

Frustration

I started this blog with the intent to encourage because God doesn't call us to sit. He calls us to be active members of his body. There are things to be done.

We are making arrangements for a holy city to come upon this world, you know.

I really wish that I was being encouraged by own words right now. School is getting the best of me. I am lacking inspiration and motivation to get these papers I am working on finished. I'm even writing about things I am passionate about.

That would of course be the big GOD and his bride.

I need some help Father. How about some motivation? Bring it on. All at once even.

You are desired...

Did you know you are wanted by Him? Our God is a jealous God. He wants all of your passions, your dreams, thoughts, love. There is untold promise in your hearts that God will surely use to His fullest desire for you. You are more than clay in His hands you are His desire. You are perfectly done in His eyes. Continue to seek the Lord in all that you do. If you ever need the encouragement surely He will lift you up. Nothing is too big for our Father. You and I are just starting our journey in God’s plan. You don’t walk alone. You don’t march in God’s battle alone. There are roads and narrow halls that are set before us. But don’t be afraid of the uncertainty. If you place your trust in Him, He will have your hand the whole way. You are God’s desire, and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for your story. If you stare at the light long enough you will be able to see it in the dark.

Buzz word...

Thanks to some outside influences, and maybe some inner ones too, I have adopted a new buzz word for the month. Or as long as it sticks with me. I'm hoping for a life time.

The word is reconciliation.

The concept is not new to me, but the way that I recently had it etched into my being is new and mind/heart altering. There is this idea floating in my head that more than anything else that I need to learn from the Bible I (and we) need to learn the capacities that Jesus speaks in the realm of reconciliation. I know it's not a new idea to other people out there, but it's shaking my life up well enough to warrant an inward self scan - and quite possibly an obsession. So onto the meaty stuff.

Here is why I am labeling reconciliation as my new "buzz word." I have been on a search for a while for a vision of what kind of role I am supposed to be playing in the body - the church. (not a church, the church... yes H Bonham a shout out for you) I found a vision and it kind of rocked me a little more than I was expecting. My heart, my soul, my everything is shouting at my self to get up and restore.

That's the beauty of reconciliation. It has this hint of, "at one time we were whole - good." Often times I feel that we overlook this little fact. Reconciliation finds its way into things like race, but we overlook this idea that in the past this is not the way it was. We are trying to move forward without looking to the past. This is particularly a problem concerning racial issues.

What did it used to look like?

We have lost something.

If it's restoring something then that means we are bringing it back to how it was, but even more than that. We are bringing it back to a state that it was good, whole, not broken.

When was there a time in history when we were not separated by the racial lines that stare us in the face everyday, even in diverse cities like Chicago?

What if we took this idea of repair and said that we are trying to restore the peace, harmony, community that God designed for us in Genesis?

Then what? Would it make sense then?

I think it does.

Reconciliation isn't just about forgiveness. It's about restoring things to the way they were. The way it was when God told us that we were created perfect.

WE| community is a messy process

I hate awkward situations. I make it worse, probably, being so awkward. Have you ever tried to take two groups of friends and have them hang out together? It almost always makes things awkward. I hate that I always try to do just that. I also hate when you’ve been “placed” in a new group of people who are more than comfortable with everyone currently around.

“Hello I’m the new guy.”
That could easily be translated into, “I’m waiting for someone to stop staring at me like I just walked off a circus wagon.”

Hello, instant target for stares and conversation. At least that’s what it feels like. There are also those other times you just want to go home.

For instance I wanted to try and get involved with Axis. I was thinking it might be a good idea to get involved with a community for people in my own age group. I went after church to this thing called the 247 Lounge where all the Axis folk gather and drink coffee. Now, I normally don’t go out after church after having been awake since 4AM but it was time to make an effort.

When I got there I was late. Not only was I late to the event that day; I was late to joining Axis period. I stood in a room of conversations, silent, and awkwardly drinking my cup of liquid.

Painful to say the least…

I began thinking to myself, “if I really start looking sad and awkward enough I’ll eventually get noticed, and someone will, out of pity, come introduce them self to me.”

Community is messy.

That’s just me though.

Let’s think about the community that Jesus, the guy who knows you better than you know you, who was teaching scripture to geezers 3 times his age at 12 years old. What kind of community did He get himself into?

Prostitutes.

Dept-collecting thieves.

Public enemies.

The poor.

These people are hanging out with the holiest-of-holy, the sinless man, the guy reading their minds, and walks on water.

If you have a bible turn to Luke 19. This is one of my favorite stories of Jesus just busting on the scene to create some great community.

How horribly awkward… It’s sitcom worthy.

On a more serious note…

Community cannot only be awkward. It can be risky.

Risky is messy.

We typically try to avoid risk.

It’s just one more way that community gets the big fat red MESSY stamp but community has this connotation around it that kind of glows gold. It screams safety and big bear hugs.
Why is this so not the truth?

Sure community can be safe and filled with hugs and laughs, but the truth is that there is a muddy trench that you have to crawl through to get there. Those BFF’s don’t come cheap. You need to make sure that they fit the material, right? No, you usually aren’t interviewing for open best friend positions. Best friends kind of just grow, but then what makes a best friend? What lets us get to laughs, bear hugs, and safety? I want to tell you about my friends a little. First I am incredibly blessed to have them in my life. No matter what junk or amazing-ness I am going through, they are there to listen in an instant. I have one friend who lives in Mary Land. He drives 13 hours by him self to Illinois just to celebrate Christmas with us. I have this other friend Tyler. He’s a marine. When he would call home we would all gather at one persons house just to pass the phone around. We would go out of our way even if it meant miles to make it.

Good community should just work, just like best friends. BFF’s are themselves a kind of community.

But there is this truth that sticks to the back of community like gum on your shoe.

People are risky.

We tell them our secrets. We let them into our lives. They are welcome in our house, our room. They eat our food. They get to share in our excitements and in our tears.

When we let people that close to us. It’s risky.

Sharing with our small groups wouldn’t be so hard if we weren’t afraid of giving people a glimpse inside of who we really are.

Guys telling a girl that you like them wouldn’t be so embarrassing, it wouldn’t give you that queasy feeling in your stomach if we didn’t have to lower our guard so much.

We put it all out there. (it’s a big enchilada…)

Our pride. Our secrets.

Our trust. Our faults.

That’s risk.

Have you ever heard the phrase, “breaking down walls?” When you break down the walls in a relationship, in community, you begin to trust that other person or group of people. You trust them with your belongings. You trust them with your confessions.

You break down walls when you begin trusting your community with those things that are personal.

So, what’s personal to you?

Would you share it with me, with us?

What about your facebook friends?

If you aren’t comfortable with me being in your personal life you’re not going to do anything of the sort. At least not willingly.

When that wall comes down, we call that trust.

Trust does not happen overnight. It takes time, and more often than not it’s going to be messy. Like it or not there are people who are going to be betray or test your trust. They are going to mess up and spill the beans.

Can anyone say gossip?

This hurts.

Sometimes to a point that there’s no way you would go back to that so-called friend. Sometimes it’s a kick in the mouth. When community becomes infected with things like betrayal and lies, it can hurt. It can hurt so bad that it’s heart breaking.

You know what happens when your heart breaks?

You cry.

Here’s the irony though.

When you’re crying your community, be it one person or ten, will be there to catch your tears.

Have you ever torn down a wall before? Let me tell you it’s messy.

There is this one other thing that I want to talk about. It’s called reconciliation. Who’s heard of this word before? It’s a typical church kind of word. Reconciliation is all about community. It’s about healing and restoring relationships.

Community. Reconciliation.

When relationships have conflict, they break like a chain breaks. They need to be restored. The links need to be fixed. That’s reconciliation

It’s the entire story of Jesus. It’s the entire story of the Bible. In Genesis we let go of our relationship, our community with God. In Exodus God watches his people, the Israelites, become enslaved and oppressed in Egypt. God hears their cry. (God hears the cry of the oppressed)

So He frees His people. He watched them fall away and become enslaved under Egypt, but God wants to reconcile them, so that they can enter into community with Him once more. Then God shows up as a voice at a mountain called Sinai.

He shows up and actually speaks to all them, and in a more global sense, to all of us. The Exodus is about reconciliation.

And reconciliation is about community, the community that God called humans to enter into originally. That is with Him and All.

Then we fall away again. We forget about the relationship that God reconciled with us. The enslaved thing happens all over again in Babylon. This place called Babylon is the new Egypt. And it’s in Babylon that God hears the cry of the oppressed once more. But this time the reconciliation is going to be different.

This time God is coming to us. He’s done sending Moses to lead an Exodus.

Jesus shows up. Jesus, who is all God and all human, comes with this new thing. You see, before reconciliation was for the Israelites. Jesus shows up and turns the table. He tells us that this new thing is for everyone, the whole world.

The original idea. Him and all living in community.

As a Christian, as a living testament to Jesus we are supposed to take this reconciliation to where?

All.

And this takes us back to Genesis. God says that it is not good for man to be alone.

We can start with those that are around us.

Taking the risk. Breaking down the walls. Fighting the Awkwardness.

There is all this mess. What on earth makes us think that community is so worth the effort? Is it worth it? I’ll answer that for you.

It is.

Trusting, growing, taking the time, gossip, betrayal, awkwardness, fights, chaos, reconciliation; it’s all worth it. There is so much that we benefit from when we enter into really good community. I’m not just telling you. God showed us. God created us so that we would need each other. It is the original plan.

We need people in our lives that are going to be there when we want to celebrate that incredible goal we scored for our team.

We need people in our lives that are going to catch our tears when we just had our heart broken.

Sometimes those people need to kick us back in the God-direction when we have lost our way.

And we need to be in peoples’ lives when a big bear hug makes all the difference in a day.

We need to be in peoples’ lives when they can’t do it on their own. Jesus calls us to be there for the less fortunate. We are called to be servants to the poor and friends to the lonely.

A friend of mine put it like this, “It’s how we learn to love like Jesus, being in messy community but demonstrating love through the mess.”

this is a lesson that I wrote and taught last night to our jr. high and high school ministry.