YAY! I am finally caught up to at least the same month that we are currently in. This is progress!
This time, instead of a narrative of what I said on Wednesday, this week will be an outline. For those of you who like outlines (like me) this will be great. If you don't then I would have to say sorry! tough cookies! But keep reading! They won't all be like this.
Three Truths about Living the Mission:
1) Living the Mission comes out of our love for God.
Proof: Read Ephesians 5:1-2, 8-20
and 1 John 4:19-21
Living the Mission isn't something we do because we have to or we know we should like brushing our teeth or cleaning our room. Living the mission is worship! It comes out of our love for God. When we see all the many incredible things God has done for us in our lives, not to mention the love He showed us on the cross, dying for our sins so that we might inherit eternal life, worship should be our immediate and almost involuntary response. You won't be able to stop yourself from living your mission as a way to thank God for His faithfulness, and the more we worship God, the more we will fall in love with Him, the more passionately we want to do His will in our lives.
2) Living the mission will increase your faith.
Don't believe me, huh? Well..
Proof: James 2: 21-24
and 1 John 3:16-20
Still don't believe me? Well then, LIVE IT! Go ahead! I double dog dare you! Live your mission and see if it doesn't make your faith grow like a weed! (A good weed, of course, that grows quickly!)
3) Living the mission is hard!
Proof: Colossians 3:23
This semester our guys and girls bible studies have been looking at a book by Alex and Brett Harris called "Do Hard Things". The book is fantastic and I would highly recommend reading it on your own or with a group of friends. We have gotten a lot out of this book and it's been a perfect addition to our pursuit of living the mission. If you just can't get enough info about living the mission and what it looks like, especially in your life individually as a high school or college student, READ THIS BOOK! It proves my point much better than I could and shows why it's so important to do the things that are sometimes hard and uncomfortable.
But just because the mission is hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. Maybe you're afraid of failure or of losing friends or of being different and standing out. 2 Timothy 2:17 addresses these very feelings: "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of sound mind. (NIV)" Don't be afraid! God is faithful and won't let you go!
Blessings,
PM
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Catching up...
OK, I'm trying to get caught up here. The goal is to be totally caught up by the end of the week. Cross your fingers!
Here's the word from March 11th.
Grounded in the Word:
Romans 12:6-8
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
1 Peter 4:7-11
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-12, 15-16
Have you ever played the alphabet game in the car? You say, "I'm going on a trip and I'm going to take...an alligator. Or whatever you want to take that starts with an 'a'. Then you go through the alphabet and you have to remember what everyone else is taking. OK, so it usually ends up being pretty silly. Most people wouldn't really take an alligator. I've heard they are unruly and snarly. But let's say you are going on a trip and you can only take three things. What would they be? Your teddy bear? A picture of your mom? Your favorite video game? OK, so realistically if you know your going to be stranded on your trip, what would you take? "Pastor Mara, that's a dumb question," you might ask. "You're very right," I respond. What you take depends directly on where you are going. If you are going to be stranded in the desert, you would want to take things that will help you survive in the desert (preferably a shade tree and a lemonade stand ;). But if you are going to Antarctica, the lemonade stand and shade would do you no good. Instead, you would want hot chocolate and every article of clothing in your closet.
What if I told you to get ready to play a game, but didn't tell you which game to get ready for? You might get ready to play soccer when we are actually playing football and you probably would get hurt. Or you might get ready to play football and we are actually playing duck-duck goose. Either way, you are unprepared for the game. Why? Because you didn't know what it was so you couldn't put on the necessary equipment.
Alright, PM, get to the point. OK, read scriptures at the top of the page. No really. Do it. I'll wait for you...still waiting...are you finished yet....maybe now. OK. So what's the common thread in those verses? We all have spiritual gifts. You probably already knew that. In fact, we all have different gifts. It's what makes us unique individuals. You probably already knew that too because you're smart. I don't know that for sure, but you're reading this blog, so you're definitely smarter than the average bear.
OK, back on track. So let's say that your mission is music. God has blessed you with an incredible talent to write music and play an instrument. Awesome! So maybe that's what you decide to do with your life because that's what God has called you to. BUT, let's say that you really like to do math too. So you decide to be a stock broker, but you still play and write music on the side. OK, let me make a bold statement. Your mission is going to suffer if you don't pursue it all the way. If God has called you to be a worship leader and a song writer and you're spending your days as a stock broker, your songs and your music are going to suffer, and so is your mission. What if Chris Tomlin decided that he wanted to be a professional soccer player and then write music on the side. I guarantee we wouldn't have many of the worship songs that God has given Chris if he had decided to pursue something else too.
Let me tie this all in together. Actually let God's Word do it for me. It always turns out better that way. Read Matthew 21:18-19.
We cannot live every mission. Most people I know these days are talented in a multitude of different ways. You, dear reader, are probably no exception. You probably played an instrument at some point because your mother made you. Your probably played a sport at some point, even if it was just the "I'm not touching you" game in the car to make your siblings angry. You probably have a hobby, like playing video games or collecting stamps or coins or something. Now, if you tried to be a professional at all of those things, you would look like a schizophrenic with A.D.D and ants in the your pants. God has given you a specific calling in your life. He doesn't expect you to cure AIDS and end world hunger and run the government and write worship music. Our mission is very specific and for us alone. Every other pursuit in our lives can get in our way.
When a tree is not bearing fruit, just like the one in the account in Matthew, it's no longer useful for anything. If there are things in your life that are not part of your mission, that are not bearing fruit for the Kingdom, they have to go! Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that hobbies are bad or that we should only do one thing all day every day. But we can't pursue every mission that comes along. If we are pursuing the mission with reckless abandon, that means that we don't let anything else get in our way. Are there things in your life getting in the way of your living your mission passionately and all out? If there are, there's something you can do about it, but it takes a lot of guts. If you're ready, then pray this prayer:
God, curse those things in my life that are not bearing fruit just like you did with the fig tree. Get rid of those things that are not part of the calling you've given me. Help me not to get distracted or waste time pursuing the wrong mission. I want to only pursue the mission you have for me. Continue to reveal your heart and your mission for my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Here's the word from March 11th.
Grounded in the Word:
Romans 12:6-8
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
1 Peter 4:7-11
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-12, 15-16
Have you ever played the alphabet game in the car? You say, "I'm going on a trip and I'm going to take...an alligator. Or whatever you want to take that starts with an 'a'. Then you go through the alphabet and you have to remember what everyone else is taking. OK, so it usually ends up being pretty silly. Most people wouldn't really take an alligator. I've heard they are unruly and snarly. But let's say you are going on a trip and you can only take three things. What would they be? Your teddy bear? A picture of your mom? Your favorite video game? OK, so realistically if you know your going to be stranded on your trip, what would you take? "Pastor Mara, that's a dumb question," you might ask. "You're very right," I respond. What you take depends directly on where you are going. If you are going to be stranded in the desert, you would want to take things that will help you survive in the desert (preferably a shade tree and a lemonade stand ;). But if you are going to Antarctica, the lemonade stand and shade would do you no good. Instead, you would want hot chocolate and every article of clothing in your closet.
What if I told you to get ready to play a game, but didn't tell you which game to get ready for? You might get ready to play soccer when we are actually playing football and you probably would get hurt. Or you might get ready to play football and we are actually playing duck-duck goose. Either way, you are unprepared for the game. Why? Because you didn't know what it was so you couldn't put on the necessary equipment.
Alright, PM, get to the point. OK, read scriptures at the top of the page. No really. Do it. I'll wait for you...still waiting...are you finished yet....maybe now. OK. So what's the common thread in those verses? We all have spiritual gifts. You probably already knew that. In fact, we all have different gifts. It's what makes us unique individuals. You probably already knew that too because you're smart. I don't know that for sure, but you're reading this blog, so you're definitely smarter than the average bear.
OK, back on track. So let's say that your mission is music. God has blessed you with an incredible talent to write music and play an instrument. Awesome! So maybe that's what you decide to do with your life because that's what God has called you to. BUT, let's say that you really like to do math too. So you decide to be a stock broker, but you still play and write music on the side. OK, let me make a bold statement. Your mission is going to suffer if you don't pursue it all the way. If God has called you to be a worship leader and a song writer and you're spending your days as a stock broker, your songs and your music are going to suffer, and so is your mission. What if Chris Tomlin decided that he wanted to be a professional soccer player and then write music on the side. I guarantee we wouldn't have many of the worship songs that God has given Chris if he had decided to pursue something else too.
Let me tie this all in together. Actually let God's Word do it for me. It always turns out better that way. Read Matthew 21:18-19.
We cannot live every mission. Most people I know these days are talented in a multitude of different ways. You, dear reader, are probably no exception. You probably played an instrument at some point because your mother made you. Your probably played a sport at some point, even if it was just the "I'm not touching you" game in the car to make your siblings angry. You probably have a hobby, like playing video games or collecting stamps or coins or something. Now, if you tried to be a professional at all of those things, you would look like a schizophrenic with A.D.D and ants in the your pants. God has given you a specific calling in your life. He doesn't expect you to cure AIDS and end world hunger and run the government and write worship music. Our mission is very specific and for us alone. Every other pursuit in our lives can get in our way.
When a tree is not bearing fruit, just like the one in the account in Matthew, it's no longer useful for anything. If there are things in your life that are not part of your mission, that are not bearing fruit for the Kingdom, they have to go! Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that hobbies are bad or that we should only do one thing all day every day. But we can't pursue every mission that comes along. If we are pursuing the mission with reckless abandon, that means that we don't let anything else get in our way. Are there things in your life getting in the way of your living your mission passionately and all out? If there are, there's something you can do about it, but it takes a lot of guts. If you're ready, then pray this prayer:
God, curse those things in my life that are not bearing fruit just like you did with the fig tree. Get rid of those things that are not part of the calling you've given me. Help me not to get distracted or waste time pursuing the wrong mission. I want to only pursue the mission you have for me. Continue to reveal your heart and your mission for my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Excuses, Excuses...
I can't even think of any good reasons why I haven't posted anything for the last month, so I'll just say I'm sorry! I'll try to keep more up to date on this!
So, the last post was the word for February 11th. There is no post for February 18th because youth group was cancelled due to a freak snow storm that caught us off guard. We were sitting having girls bible study at the Eby's house and all of a sudden it was a winter wonderland outside! Well Jesus, thanks for the reminder that your ways are mysterious and of the beauty of your nature, but I think your timing might have been better ;) Since February 25th was Crash and Bash week, we are up to date until March. (So I'm not as behind as you think ;)
We've been talking about what it means to live the mission. We've decided both as a group and as individuals to pursue this idea with reckless abandon (because that's our name, duh!) But we haven't done anything about it yet. We've started putting ourselves out there in little ways. Last week, a few of you told about the ways you started getting out of your comfort zones, and that is awesome! Doesn't it feel good to step outside of what you know and do something hard? You're gaining confidence and momentum. But we have got to keep pushing the envelope on this thing. "How do we do that?", you ask. Well, let God show you.
Read 1 Samuel 3: 1-11 and Acts 9:10-17.
There was a distinct call in both of these people's lives. God called them by name. He didn't call them and give them instructions all in one shot. He didn't give out general instructions. "Hey, will someone please take out the garbage?" God called these people by name! Why is it so important to call people by name? What does it show them?
Do you like it when someone says your name? Most people do. Why? Because it's personal. It's not just a "hey you" thrown out there to get someone's attention. If you know someone, you know their name, but if you don't you have to find ways to get around that. Sometimes you'll throw out a "buddy" or "pal" just to get by, but someone who knows you well doesn't need to do that. At least I hope that your friends don't forget your name. If they do, you might want to rethink who your real friends are.
So, here's a good example. When people get married, everyone knows the speech. "I, Mara Penelope Wilcox (Penelope is not my middle name, p.s.) do take you, Prince Charming Esquire to be my husband." We don't say, "I take you to be my spouse" because it could mean anyone in the room. 'I take you" doesn't require any previous knowledge of the person. It's not very intimate. And I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't marry someone who doesn't know my name!
In both of these passages, God calls these people by name. Samuel and Ananias knew God and God knew them, so it made sense that God called them by name.
Think of these last few weeks as God getting your attention. You know that God is calling you to live the mission, not just me, not just someone else, but you specifically. Now it's up to you to respond.
Read James 2:14-18.
Responding can be scary. Think about it this way. If you're the main character of a horror movie and you're hiding from the ax murderer and he calls your name, are you going to answer him? UH, no. Why? When you respond, you're letting that person in on 3 things.
First, you're letting that person know where you are. If it's God calling you, it's ok because He already knows where you are, physically, geographically, emotionally, spiritually, whatever. He knows. But sometimes we think we can hide from him and we don't want to let him know where we are. Sometimes it's because of shame or guilt, or maybe we just think we're not ready for Him. The point is revealing where you are is scary.
Second, You're making yourself available to them. If your mom calls you from the bottom of the stairs in a very angry, demanding voice, do you want to answer her? No usually. Because when you answer her, you're giving her the opportunity to yell at you, or tell you to do something, or maybe she just wanted to tell you she loves you. (in an angry voice) You don't know what she's going to say, but by responding to her, you're giving her the opportunity to do any of those things.
Third, how you respond reveals your feelings. Confidence, frustration, anger, annoyance, fear, anything you are feeling is going to come out in the way your respond. Are you ready to reveal that much of yourself?
There's a song called "Here I am" by the group Downhere. It's a great song that talks about the importance of responding to God and how we respond to him. Give it a listen. Respond to Him. Because while the responding might be scary, and the mission might be uncomfortable, God is no ax murderer looking to destroy you. He doesn't give you a mission or a calling that will cause you lots of pain and heartache for no reason. He doesn't delight in our suffering, but he's looking for us to step out in faith so he can grow our faith, so he can give us that abundant life he promises. I don't know of anyone who doesn't want that! So today, step out in faith and answer God. I promise that you won't regret it!
So, the last post was the word for February 11th. There is no post for February 18th because youth group was cancelled due to a freak snow storm that caught us off guard. We were sitting having girls bible study at the Eby's house and all of a sudden it was a winter wonderland outside! Well Jesus, thanks for the reminder that your ways are mysterious and of the beauty of your nature, but I think your timing might have been better ;) Since February 25th was Crash and Bash week, we are up to date until March. (So I'm not as behind as you think ;)
We've been talking about what it means to live the mission. We've decided both as a group and as individuals to pursue this idea with reckless abandon (because that's our name, duh!) But we haven't done anything about it yet. We've started putting ourselves out there in little ways. Last week, a few of you told about the ways you started getting out of your comfort zones, and that is awesome! Doesn't it feel good to step outside of what you know and do something hard? You're gaining confidence and momentum. But we have got to keep pushing the envelope on this thing. "How do we do that?", you ask. Well, let God show you.
Read 1 Samuel 3: 1-11 and Acts 9:10-17.
There was a distinct call in both of these people's lives. God called them by name. He didn't call them and give them instructions all in one shot. He didn't give out general instructions. "Hey, will someone please take out the garbage?" God called these people by name! Why is it so important to call people by name? What does it show them?
Do you like it when someone says your name? Most people do. Why? Because it's personal. It's not just a "hey you" thrown out there to get someone's attention. If you know someone, you know their name, but if you don't you have to find ways to get around that. Sometimes you'll throw out a "buddy" or "pal" just to get by, but someone who knows you well doesn't need to do that. At least I hope that your friends don't forget your name. If they do, you might want to rethink who your real friends are.
So, here's a good example. When people get married, everyone knows the speech. "I, Mara Penelope Wilcox (Penelope is not my middle name, p.s.) do take you, Prince Charming Esquire to be my husband." We don't say, "I take you to be my spouse" because it could mean anyone in the room. 'I take you" doesn't require any previous knowledge of the person. It's not very intimate. And I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't marry someone who doesn't know my name!
In both of these passages, God calls these people by name. Samuel and Ananias knew God and God knew them, so it made sense that God called them by name.
Think of these last few weeks as God getting your attention. You know that God is calling you to live the mission, not just me, not just someone else, but you specifically. Now it's up to you to respond.
Read James 2:14-18.
Responding can be scary. Think about it this way. If you're the main character of a horror movie and you're hiding from the ax murderer and he calls your name, are you going to answer him? UH, no. Why? When you respond, you're letting that person in on 3 things.
First, you're letting that person know where you are. If it's God calling you, it's ok because He already knows where you are, physically, geographically, emotionally, spiritually, whatever. He knows. But sometimes we think we can hide from him and we don't want to let him know where we are. Sometimes it's because of shame or guilt, or maybe we just think we're not ready for Him. The point is revealing where you are is scary.
Second, You're making yourself available to them. If your mom calls you from the bottom of the stairs in a very angry, demanding voice, do you want to answer her? No usually. Because when you answer her, you're giving her the opportunity to yell at you, or tell you to do something, or maybe she just wanted to tell you she loves you. (in an angry voice) You don't know what she's going to say, but by responding to her, you're giving her the opportunity to do any of those things.
Third, how you respond reveals your feelings. Confidence, frustration, anger, annoyance, fear, anything you are feeling is going to come out in the way your respond. Are you ready to reveal that much of yourself?
There's a song called "Here I am" by the group Downhere. It's a great song that talks about the importance of responding to God and how we respond to him. Give it a listen. Respond to Him. Because while the responding might be scary, and the mission might be uncomfortable, God is no ax murderer looking to destroy you. He doesn't give you a mission or a calling that will cause you lots of pain and heartache for no reason. He doesn't delight in our suffering, but he's looking for us to step out in faith so he can grow our faith, so he can give us that abundant life he promises. I don't know of anyone who doesn't want that! So today, step out in faith and answer God. I promise that you won't regret it!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
February 11, 2009
Yes, I know it's two weeks late, but give me a break people ;) Let it serve to restore your personal time with the Lord.
-P.M.
Let's be grounded in the Word:
Luke 10:38-42
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
Colossians 1:9-11
Galatians 5:22
1 Peter 5:6-8
OK, so start with the top scripture and we'll cover these in order.
Luke 10 is the story of Martha and Mary hosting dinner for Jesus and his disciples. Martha is furiously working and Mary is sitting listening to Jesus. How many of you have ever felt like Martha? You're doing all the work while someone else sits around and does nothing. Yeah, pretty much all of us have been in that situation. It's frustrating because you would really like to do nothing, but if you did nothing, nothing is exactly what would get done. Then you get irritated, and all these thoughts start racing through your head and festering.
As Martha focuses on Mary just sitting there, you can almost hear her thought process. "I can't believe she's sitting there falling all over Jesus while I do all the work! She's got some nerve! If she thinks she's getting out of all this work, she's got another thing coming!" Her anger starts to grow and grow until all of a sudden, she explodes. She probably interrupts Jesus in the middle of what he's trying to say and tries to get Jesus to make Mary help her.
But why did Jesus react the way He does? First of all, I'm pretty sure that Jesus is anti-slavery and Martha is definitely feeling like a slave right now. Secondly, God is just, right? Is it fair that Martha is doing all the work and Mary is sitting on her fat bum bum doing nothing? (OK, truthfully I cannot speak to the fatness or skinny-ness of Mart's bum bum, but this is the Mara-paraphrase.)
Here's what happened. Martha got so focused on the task at hand (making dinner) that she forgot what and who she was working for. You might say that Martha was mission focused. She got it in her head that she was going to serve the Lord by welcoming Him into her home and serving Him dinner. This was a great idea and one that I'm sure Jesus and the disciples appreciated since they'd been traveling. But what went wrong?
Martha had the right idea inviting Jesus in for a meal. But at some point she took her eyes off the fact that she was doing all this work for Jesus and got so focused on the task at hand that she forgot that the whole point was to serve Jesus. We know that because she practically yells at Jesus for not making Mary help her. Martha yelled at the guest of honor who was the purpose for her doing all this work. I would say someone needs to take a chill pill, and that someone is definitely Martha.
So the question is, was what Martha was doing bad or wrong? Read the verses in Ecclesiastes. I think the answer is no. Her heart was in the right place. She wanted to serve Jesus, but there is a time for everything. There's a time to work for God, and a time to sit at His feet and worship.
As people who are trying desperately to "live the mission", this is something we need to be careful about. We need to keep this balance between working for God and spending time with Him. We can't be "so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good." But we also can't forget the reason we labor, that in the end, it's all for the glory of God. And that's a beautiful and worthy cause. So how can we tell if we're striking the right balance?
Read the passages from Galatians and Colossians. The proof is in the pudding. Or maybe the jello since fruit in pudding sounds gross. The proof is in our fruit! Is your mission, is what you're doing for God bearing good fruit? Martha's mission (a.k.a. making dinner for Jesus) wasn't producing good fruit. It was producing bitterness and frustration. If you didn't read those passages or didn't catch it, bitterness and frustration are not a fruit of the spirit. If this is the kind of fruit that your mission is producing, then it's time to spend some time with Jesus, just you and Him.
When I was in college, I worked three jobs, part-time, went to school full time and in my "free-time" I was in leadership for 3 Christian organizations. I also spent a semester student teaching, which is stressful enough by itself. Needless to say, it was exhausting. I remember waking up early one Saturday morning (which of course is against the college student handbook rules for Saturdays) because I had a to-do list the length of my car. I dragged myself out of bed, sat down at my desk, and looked at my to-do list. It was overwhelming. Right then, it hit me. Out of exhaustion and frustration and the realization that I just couldn't do it anymore, I broke down right there at my desk and cried. I thought I was this strong person that could handle anything, and here I was crying in my room like a little girl because I was tired and frustrated and I wanted to go home. Then, I heard the Lord's voice, clearly, as though He was standing right next to me. "Come back to bed." I immediately accepted the invitation, realizing that my Martha tendencies had become so strong that I had been forgetting how to be like Mary, how to sit at the feet of Jesus and delight in Him.
Our theme for the year, "live the mission" is about going all out. It's about recklessly giving ourselves to the cause that Christ has laid before us and called us to. However, we have to keep our eyes on the prize. We're not serving the mission. We're serving God by fulfilling a mission that He's giving us, but the mission was never meant to replace Him. It's meant to honor Him.
In 1 Peter, we learn about the devil, and how he likes to get us off track. He's looking for that one person that just getting ready to fall off the wagon, in a sense, so he can grab them. Notice: the devil seeks who he MAY devour. He's got to get permission first. Don't give him permission. The devil likes to distract us and pervert our mission to the point where we are no longer focused on God. In fact, sometimes we don't even notice because we're still doing the mission, which is what we were doing when we were God focused and on the right track. Moral of the story: Don't get off track! Remember who and Who's you are!
Father God, help us to keep our eyes on you as we fulfill the mission You have set in front of us. May we never stop serving and glorifying you in our actions and our attitudes. We love you Jesus.
-P.M.
Let's be grounded in the Word:
Luke 10:38-42
Ecclesiastes 3:1-13
Colossians 1:9-11
Galatians 5:22
1 Peter 5:6-8
OK, so start with the top scripture and we'll cover these in order.
Luke 10 is the story of Martha and Mary hosting dinner for Jesus and his disciples. Martha is furiously working and Mary is sitting listening to Jesus. How many of you have ever felt like Martha? You're doing all the work while someone else sits around and does nothing. Yeah, pretty much all of us have been in that situation. It's frustrating because you would really like to do nothing, but if you did nothing, nothing is exactly what would get done. Then you get irritated, and all these thoughts start racing through your head and festering.
As Martha focuses on Mary just sitting there, you can almost hear her thought process. "I can't believe she's sitting there falling all over Jesus while I do all the work! She's got some nerve! If she thinks she's getting out of all this work, she's got another thing coming!" Her anger starts to grow and grow until all of a sudden, she explodes. She probably interrupts Jesus in the middle of what he's trying to say and tries to get Jesus to make Mary help her.
But why did Jesus react the way He does? First of all, I'm pretty sure that Jesus is anti-slavery and Martha is definitely feeling like a slave right now. Secondly, God is just, right? Is it fair that Martha is doing all the work and Mary is sitting on her fat bum bum doing nothing? (OK, truthfully I cannot speak to the fatness or skinny-ness of Mart's bum bum, but this is the Mara-paraphrase.)
Here's what happened. Martha got so focused on the task at hand (making dinner) that she forgot what and who she was working for. You might say that Martha was mission focused. She got it in her head that she was going to serve the Lord by welcoming Him into her home and serving Him dinner. This was a great idea and one that I'm sure Jesus and the disciples appreciated since they'd been traveling. But what went wrong?
Martha had the right idea inviting Jesus in for a meal. But at some point she took her eyes off the fact that she was doing all this work for Jesus and got so focused on the task at hand that she forgot that the whole point was to serve Jesus. We know that because she practically yells at Jesus for not making Mary help her. Martha yelled at the guest of honor who was the purpose for her doing all this work. I would say someone needs to take a chill pill, and that someone is definitely Martha.
So the question is, was what Martha was doing bad or wrong? Read the verses in Ecclesiastes. I think the answer is no. Her heart was in the right place. She wanted to serve Jesus, but there is a time for everything. There's a time to work for God, and a time to sit at His feet and worship.
As people who are trying desperately to "live the mission", this is something we need to be careful about. We need to keep this balance between working for God and spending time with Him. We can't be "so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good." But we also can't forget the reason we labor, that in the end, it's all for the glory of God. And that's a beautiful and worthy cause. So how can we tell if we're striking the right balance?
Read the passages from Galatians and Colossians. The proof is in the pudding. Or maybe the jello since fruit in pudding sounds gross. The proof is in our fruit! Is your mission, is what you're doing for God bearing good fruit? Martha's mission (a.k.a. making dinner for Jesus) wasn't producing good fruit. It was producing bitterness and frustration. If you didn't read those passages or didn't catch it, bitterness and frustration are not a fruit of the spirit. If this is the kind of fruit that your mission is producing, then it's time to spend some time with Jesus, just you and Him.
When I was in college, I worked three jobs, part-time, went to school full time and in my "free-time" I was in leadership for 3 Christian organizations. I also spent a semester student teaching, which is stressful enough by itself. Needless to say, it was exhausting. I remember waking up early one Saturday morning (which of course is against the college student handbook rules for Saturdays) because I had a to-do list the length of my car. I dragged myself out of bed, sat down at my desk, and looked at my to-do list. It was overwhelming. Right then, it hit me. Out of exhaustion and frustration and the realization that I just couldn't do it anymore, I broke down right there at my desk and cried. I thought I was this strong person that could handle anything, and here I was crying in my room like a little girl because I was tired and frustrated and I wanted to go home. Then, I heard the Lord's voice, clearly, as though He was standing right next to me. "Come back to bed." I immediately accepted the invitation, realizing that my Martha tendencies had become so strong that I had been forgetting how to be like Mary, how to sit at the feet of Jesus and delight in Him.
Our theme for the year, "live the mission" is about going all out. It's about recklessly giving ourselves to the cause that Christ has laid before us and called us to. However, we have to keep our eyes on the prize. We're not serving the mission. We're serving God by fulfilling a mission that He's giving us, but the mission was never meant to replace Him. It's meant to honor Him.
In 1 Peter, we learn about the devil, and how he likes to get us off track. He's looking for that one person that just getting ready to fall off the wagon, in a sense, so he can grab them. Notice: the devil seeks who he MAY devour. He's got to get permission first. Don't give him permission. The devil likes to distract us and pervert our mission to the point where we are no longer focused on God. In fact, sometimes we don't even notice because we're still doing the mission, which is what we were doing when we were God focused and on the right track. Moral of the story: Don't get off track! Remember who and Who's you are!
Father God, help us to keep our eyes on you as we fulfill the mission You have set in front of us. May we never stop serving and glorifying you in our actions and our attitudes. We love you Jesus.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Let it NOT snow!!
In the winter months, we Pennsylvanians have learned to expect a certain amount of snow fall every year. We have snow days built into the calendar, (as well as a day to celebrate presidents and two to celebrate deer season) and the occasional, or not so occasional canceled event due to severe weather. However, it is now February 19th, a mere 7 Wednesdays into the year, and already we have canceled youth group 3 times due to the weather. Ah, the joys of global warming, or cooling, or whatever. Needless to say, I was bummed last night when I found out yet again that we would have to cancel, however, the Lord's timing is always better than mine, so I'm sure He knows what He's doing.
OK, let me take this opportunity to remind all the faithful blog followers of our upcoming events.
March 7-GAIN Warehouse
We'll leave the church at 5 AM and get back somewhere around 9:30PM. (This P.M. adventure made possible by COFFEE!, the official caffeinated beverage of P.M. in the AM)
You'll need $5 for a fast food dinner on the way home.
March 14-Laser Tag at Ithaca
We'll leave the church at 1PM and return around 7PM. You'll need $5/game you'd like to play (we usually play 3) and then some cash for fast food on the way home.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENT!!
May 1-2 30 HOUR FAMINE!!!!
Yes, dear bloggers, it is time for 30 HOUR FAMINE. We will again be raising sponsors to support WorldVision. Last year, we raised $1300. This year, our goal is $2000!! With your help, we can do it!! If you're interested, see Pastor Mara for details!
Blessings,
P.M.
OK, let me take this opportunity to remind all the faithful blog followers of our upcoming events.
March 7-GAIN Warehouse
We'll leave the church at 5 AM and get back somewhere around 9:30PM. (This P.M. adventure made possible by COFFEE!, the official caffeinated beverage of P.M. in the AM)
You'll need $5 for a fast food dinner on the way home.
March 14-Laser Tag at Ithaca
We'll leave the church at 1PM and return around 7PM. You'll need $5/game you'd like to play (we usually play 3) and then some cash for fast food on the way home.
NEW ANNOUNCEMENT!!
May 1-2 30 HOUR FAMINE!!!!
Yes, dear bloggers, it is time for 30 HOUR FAMINE. We will again be raising sponsors to support WorldVision. Last year, we raised $1300. This year, our goal is $2000!! With your help, we can do it!! If you're interested, see Pastor Mara for details!
Blessings,
P.M.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
February 4, 2009
So, I'm getting a little behind on my blogging. Part of it is because the electricity went out on Thursday, deleting the partially finished message for Feb. 4, which also gave my computer the black screen of death. It's now at the computer hospital (a.k.a. pete's house) thanks pete ;) However, since I'm two weeks behind on the blog, this obviously is not my only excuse. But it'll due for now.
OK, let's start with the Word. A very good place to start.
Hebrews 11:1-6
Ephesians 2:8-9
Exodus 3:1-11
Luke 17:11-19
Take a minute to look up these verses. Let God's Word speak for itself. I can guarantee that when God speaks to your heart through His Word, it's much more articulate and to the point than anything I could say to you. But I'll give it a shot. ;)
Living the mission requires many things from us. Faith is probably the first and foremost. If we desire God to do anything in or through us, it requires some degree of faith that God will finish what He starts. Hebrews says "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." We have hope that when we set out the live the mission that God has placed in front of us, He doesn't just wave goodbye as we're heading out. He backs us up!
Take some time to read the rest of Hebrews 11 about ordinary people who did extraordinary things for God, not because they had superpowers, but because they allowed God to be strong for them.
Think about Moses. He was kind of big deal in the Old Testament. Actually, he's still kind of a big deal. You know, parting the Red Sea, turning staffs into snakes, the plagues, leading thousands upon thousands of people through the middle of the desert following a cloud and a pillar of fire, going up to Mount Sinai to get the 10 Commandments (twice), seeing the backside of the glory of the Lord, you get the idea. He's a big deal. Now read the passage in Exodus 3, which happens before all of the great things we remember Moses for. I love verse 11. "But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?'" Have you ever felt like Moses did that day? I think I do just about every day when I really think about what it is that I'm doing. God, are you really sure that you want ME to do this? Don't you know who I am? I'm no good for this! Isn't there someone else who would be better for this? I really don't think you know what you're getting into here.
When you're on the verge of living the mission, of throwing yourself headlong into whatever it is that God has laid out for you to do, these are the things that go through your head. You have a choice, just like Moses. Moses could have said (and probably almost did) "No way! I'm not doing that. I definitely can't handle that kind of pressure. I'll just stick to hanging out with the sheep. Less drama." But if Moses had said that, he wouldn't be in Hebrews 11. He wouldn't be a role model of faith, and only God knows how much longer the Israelites would have been in Egypt! We have the same dilemma in front of us. Rely on God to back us up on the mission he's laid out in front of us, or give into fear and let the mission slip through our hands.
Question of the day: do you have faith? It's a pretty simple question, but one that still requires some thought. If you say that you do, great! If you say that you don't, you're a liar. Everyone has faith in something. Do you believe in gravity? Are you worried that you're going to float up into the air and hit your head on the ceiling or that the computer monitor you're staring at right now is going to hit you in the face? If you are, you need more help than this blog can offer you. But you can see where this is going. Now, more specifically, do you have faith in God? (see Ephesians 2: 8-9) If you're a Christian, you have faith that God is who He says He is, that Christ died for your sins and that you have eternal life by accepting the sacrifice of Christ. So if you say you have faith in God, that's great! But saying you have faith is like saying you have a bicep. I have a bicep. So does the governor of California. The difference between my bicep and Arnold's is that I can't lift 20 times my body weight. (To be fair, I'm not sure Arnold can either, but he's definitely stronger than me) But it takes work to develop strong muscles. It also takes work to develop strong faith. It's not just going to be strong without any help from you. It's going to require you taking steps of faith to help you realize the faithfulness of God.
Take some time to read the account of the lepers in Luke 17. They came to Jesus desperate to be healed. Jesus told them how to be clean, so they did it. They had faith and trusted that Jesus wouldn't let them down. They took steps of faith to follow through what He said. When they were healed, only one remembered to go thank Him. Why? This wasn't a faith growing experience for those 9 lepers. They were healed, but didn't take time to praise God. They failed to recognize the hand of the Lord in their circumstance.
Try to remember the last time you had to rely on God for something. Try to think of something you couldn't control. Did you trust God for it, or did you find some other way around it? If you did trust God for it, did you thank Him for what He did? Did you recognize God's hand in the situation even if it didn't turn out the way you thought or hoped?
I believe there are many different levels of faith and that wherever we are, God is calling us to trust Him a little bit more, and then more still. But let me give you an analogy. Imagine that faith was like the flying trapeze at the circus. You're on one swing and God's at the other end. OK, the fact that you're sitting on the swing is something. But let's take levels of faith here. First, you swing across with a safety net underneath. You're trusting that God can catch you, but you've got plan B in place just in case He doesn't come through. I've done this a lot in my life. I say that I'm trusting God, but I'm already thinking of ways I can solve a problem so that I don't have to TOTALLY rely on God. Second level. OK, so we've taken away the safety net, we're really going to do this. But we're not going for do or die. There's no back up plan, but we're pretty sure we could survive the fall if we had to. It would obviously hurt, but probably the only thing that it would really damage is our relationship with God. We're trusting a little bit more than before, which is good, but the only thing we're putting on the line is a little personal comfort and probably our relationship with God. Third level. Now, we're doing this for real. We're swinging on the trapeze, no safety net, over a fire pit. This, ladies and gentlemen, is do or die. There is no survival tactic. There is nothing we are counting on except the fact that God will catch us. There is no "if he doesn't" scenario. We have all the cards down and we've gone all in.
Again, I would like to emphasize that I do believe there are more levels than this, but I wanted to give you something to process. How big is your faith? Is it safety net big or fire pit big? Our goal this year is to live the mission with reckless abandon. This is describing the third scenario. This is going all out. And the mission is definitely worth it.
Challenge for the week: Take up the mission. No just something that is hard for you to do, like asking that pretty girl across the room to date you. Take on the calling God has placed on your life. Ask God to give you the vision and the opportunity and then take it on with everything that's in you.
OK, let's start with the Word. A very good place to start.
Hebrews 11:1-6
Ephesians 2:8-9
Exodus 3:1-11
Luke 17:11-19
Take a minute to look up these verses. Let God's Word speak for itself. I can guarantee that when God speaks to your heart through His Word, it's much more articulate and to the point than anything I could say to you. But I'll give it a shot. ;)
Living the mission requires many things from us. Faith is probably the first and foremost. If we desire God to do anything in or through us, it requires some degree of faith that God will finish what He starts. Hebrews says "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." We have hope that when we set out the live the mission that God has placed in front of us, He doesn't just wave goodbye as we're heading out. He backs us up!
Take some time to read the rest of Hebrews 11 about ordinary people who did extraordinary things for God, not because they had superpowers, but because they allowed God to be strong for them.
Think about Moses. He was kind of big deal in the Old Testament. Actually, he's still kind of a big deal. You know, parting the Red Sea, turning staffs into snakes, the plagues, leading thousands upon thousands of people through the middle of the desert following a cloud and a pillar of fire, going up to Mount Sinai to get the 10 Commandments (twice), seeing the backside of the glory of the Lord, you get the idea. He's a big deal. Now read the passage in Exodus 3, which happens before all of the great things we remember Moses for. I love verse 11. "But Moses said to God, 'Who am I, that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?'" Have you ever felt like Moses did that day? I think I do just about every day when I really think about what it is that I'm doing. God, are you really sure that you want ME to do this? Don't you know who I am? I'm no good for this! Isn't there someone else who would be better for this? I really don't think you know what you're getting into here.
When you're on the verge of living the mission, of throwing yourself headlong into whatever it is that God has laid out for you to do, these are the things that go through your head. You have a choice, just like Moses. Moses could have said (and probably almost did) "No way! I'm not doing that. I definitely can't handle that kind of pressure. I'll just stick to hanging out with the sheep. Less drama." But if Moses had said that, he wouldn't be in Hebrews 11. He wouldn't be a role model of faith, and only God knows how much longer the Israelites would have been in Egypt! We have the same dilemma in front of us. Rely on God to back us up on the mission he's laid out in front of us, or give into fear and let the mission slip through our hands.
Question of the day: do you have faith? It's a pretty simple question, but one that still requires some thought. If you say that you do, great! If you say that you don't, you're a liar. Everyone has faith in something. Do you believe in gravity? Are you worried that you're going to float up into the air and hit your head on the ceiling or that the computer monitor you're staring at right now is going to hit you in the face? If you are, you need more help than this blog can offer you. But you can see where this is going. Now, more specifically, do you have faith in God? (see Ephesians 2: 8-9) If you're a Christian, you have faith that God is who He says He is, that Christ died for your sins and that you have eternal life by accepting the sacrifice of Christ. So if you say you have faith in God, that's great! But saying you have faith is like saying you have a bicep. I have a bicep. So does the governor of California. The difference between my bicep and Arnold's is that I can't lift 20 times my body weight. (To be fair, I'm not sure Arnold can either, but he's definitely stronger than me) But it takes work to develop strong muscles. It also takes work to develop strong faith. It's not just going to be strong without any help from you. It's going to require you taking steps of faith to help you realize the faithfulness of God.
Take some time to read the account of the lepers in Luke 17. They came to Jesus desperate to be healed. Jesus told them how to be clean, so they did it. They had faith and trusted that Jesus wouldn't let them down. They took steps of faith to follow through what He said. When they were healed, only one remembered to go thank Him. Why? This wasn't a faith growing experience for those 9 lepers. They were healed, but didn't take time to praise God. They failed to recognize the hand of the Lord in their circumstance.
Try to remember the last time you had to rely on God for something. Try to think of something you couldn't control. Did you trust God for it, or did you find some other way around it? If you did trust God for it, did you thank Him for what He did? Did you recognize God's hand in the situation even if it didn't turn out the way you thought or hoped?
I believe there are many different levels of faith and that wherever we are, God is calling us to trust Him a little bit more, and then more still. But let me give you an analogy. Imagine that faith was like the flying trapeze at the circus. You're on one swing and God's at the other end. OK, the fact that you're sitting on the swing is something. But let's take levels of faith here. First, you swing across with a safety net underneath. You're trusting that God can catch you, but you've got plan B in place just in case He doesn't come through. I've done this a lot in my life. I say that I'm trusting God, but I'm already thinking of ways I can solve a problem so that I don't have to TOTALLY rely on God. Second level. OK, so we've taken away the safety net, we're really going to do this. But we're not going for do or die. There's no back up plan, but we're pretty sure we could survive the fall if we had to. It would obviously hurt, but probably the only thing that it would really damage is our relationship with God. We're trusting a little bit more than before, which is good, but the only thing we're putting on the line is a little personal comfort and probably our relationship with God. Third level. Now, we're doing this for real. We're swinging on the trapeze, no safety net, over a fire pit. This, ladies and gentlemen, is do or die. There is no survival tactic. There is nothing we are counting on except the fact that God will catch us. There is no "if he doesn't" scenario. We have all the cards down and we've gone all in.
Again, I would like to emphasize that I do believe there are more levels than this, but I wanted to give you something to process. How big is your faith? Is it safety net big or fire pit big? Our goal this year is to live the mission with reckless abandon. This is describing the third scenario. This is going all out. And the mission is definitely worth it.
Challenge for the week: Take up the mission. No just something that is hard for you to do, like asking that pretty girl across the room to date you. Take on the calling God has placed on your life. Ask God to give you the vision and the opportunity and then take it on with everything that's in you.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Missions Trip Update!!
Three weeks ago, we sent out letters to our friends and families telling them about the missions trip we're planning in August and asking for prayer and financial support. God has truly blessed us and we've gotten a great response already! To date, $1,780 has been generously given to help get us on our way! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness! We are believing for a total of around $3700 from these letters. Thanks to everyone who gave! You have a claim to the great and mighty things God has for us to do in Mexico!
I just received a newsletter from Erin, who is our contact in Mexico and is a full-time missionary there. God is doing amazing things there, and I want to share a piece of Erin's newsletter with you.
"As I have informed y'all, our church is going through a revamping of its infrastructure. This process takes time, but the end result will produce disciples of Christ and not just church-goers. We have five groups now that meet in various parts of the city, and we hope to double them at the end of 1 year (we are in our 3rd month)...We are seeing people come to Christ, people being delivered and healed. These are people that would have never come to a church building. They are finding a relationship with Christ in an intimate setting of about 10-15 people in someone's home...I praise God for the growth I see in my own group of youth. The light in their eyes is priceless when they are actively serving in their relationships with God."
Please continue to pray with us for the body of Christ in Guanajuato, Mexico and that God would continue to have His hand upon Erin and those working to further the gospel. We are so excited to be part of what God is doing there!
I just received a newsletter from Erin, who is our contact in Mexico and is a full-time missionary there. God is doing amazing things there, and I want to share a piece of Erin's newsletter with you.
"As I have informed y'all, our church is going through a revamping of its infrastructure. This process takes time, but the end result will produce disciples of Christ and not just church-goers. We have five groups now that meet in various parts of the city, and we hope to double them at the end of 1 year (we are in our 3rd month)...We are seeing people come to Christ, people being delivered and healed. These are people that would have never come to a church building. They are finding a relationship with Christ in an intimate setting of about 10-15 people in someone's home...I praise God for the growth I see in my own group of youth. The light in their eyes is priceless when they are actively serving in their relationships with God."
Please continue to pray with us for the body of Christ in Guanajuato, Mexico and that God would continue to have His hand upon Erin and those working to further the gospel. We are so excited to be part of what God is doing there!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
PM's Book Club...
Yes, I know. It doesn't have the same ring to it as Oprah's Book Club, but hopefully my endorsement is good too. This year, my new year's resolution was to read one book a week in 2009. I do understand that this is not a typical resolution, but then again, I am not a typical "resoluter".
*Spoiler alert* For those of you who are planning on attending college, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. When you go to college, they make you read lots of stuff you don't want to read. It's a fact of the college existence and one that, depending on the college and your major, can sometimes be somewhat avoided. Being that I was a history major, I learned how to skim texts without fulling reading them, saving me at least 10 years of my life that would have been spent in the library. However, the consequences were that I no longer possessed a love for reading. This year, I decided I needed to give reading another chance.
The past two weeks I have read the books "Praise Habit" by David Crowder and "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris. *Confesssion* I was a little behind on my reading, so I finished reading both of these books on a bus ride to Juniata. Some of you might think that makes me some crazy speed reader. You obviously have never taken the bus to Juniata. Take my advice. Don't.
I won't use this blog to give you the Clifnotes so you don't have to read these books for yourself. Both were 100% worth the read. "Praise Habit" has changed the way I do my devotions and brought new life into the old Psalms I have read over and over. David Crowder's sense of humor makes the book flow fantastically. If your praise life needs a boost, go get this book. Right now. Seriously. Stop reading this blog and go get it.
For those of you who are still with me, the second book by the Harris twins is a call for our generation to stop living up to status quo and "Do Hard Things" It's a pretty simple concept, but one that deserves consideration and thought from a generation raised in a society that condones and even promotes the putting off of adult responsibilities until the ripe age of 32, or whenever you feel like it. It is a call to shatter the standard expectations of today's young adults by taking on responsibility, proving that we are capable and willing to step up and make a difference now, not just when we're 50. The book is written to students by students, but is worth reading for anyone who wants to be challenged to get out of their comfort zone and pursue Christ passionately.
Both of these books are well worth the time it takes to read them, but the value comes not in the reading, but in the real-life application. Be ready to let God speak to your heart through the reading of these books, and be prepared to have your world rocked.
*Spoiler alert* For those of you who are planning on attending college, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. When you go to college, they make you read lots of stuff you don't want to read. It's a fact of the college existence and one that, depending on the college and your major, can sometimes be somewhat avoided. Being that I was a history major, I learned how to skim texts without fulling reading them, saving me at least 10 years of my life that would have been spent in the library. However, the consequences were that I no longer possessed a love for reading. This year, I decided I needed to give reading another chance.
The past two weeks I have read the books "Praise Habit" by David Crowder and "Do Hard Things" by Alex and Brett Harris. *Confesssion* I was a little behind on my reading, so I finished reading both of these books on a bus ride to Juniata. Some of you might think that makes me some crazy speed reader. You obviously have never taken the bus to Juniata. Take my advice. Don't.
I won't use this blog to give you the Clifnotes so you don't have to read these books for yourself. Both were 100% worth the read. "Praise Habit" has changed the way I do my devotions and brought new life into the old Psalms I have read over and over. David Crowder's sense of humor makes the book flow fantastically. If your praise life needs a boost, go get this book. Right now. Seriously. Stop reading this blog and go get it.
For those of you who are still with me, the second book by the Harris twins is a call for our generation to stop living up to status quo and "Do Hard Things" It's a pretty simple concept, but one that deserves consideration and thought from a generation raised in a society that condones and even promotes the putting off of adult responsibilities until the ripe age of 32, or whenever you feel like it. It is a call to shatter the standard expectations of today's young adults by taking on responsibility, proving that we are capable and willing to step up and make a difference now, not just when we're 50. The book is written to students by students, but is worth reading for anyone who wants to be challenged to get out of their comfort zone and pursue Christ passionately.
Both of these books are well worth the time it takes to read them, but the value comes not in the reading, but in the real-life application. Be ready to let God speak to your heart through the reading of these books, and be prepared to have your world rocked.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Investing in the Mission...
So you've decided to Live the Mission! Great! Now what? Where do we start?
At the start of any journey, you have to make sure you're prepared. You have to collect what it's going to take to begin and also finish the journey. Some ventures are more costly than others. The one we are embarking on is especially costly. But I'm not just talking finances here. Let's look at two situations where people were getting ready to follow Christ and see what it costs them.
Read Mark 10:17-22, 28-31
AND Mark 1:16-18
What is the cost of living the mission? What is the cost of following Christ wholly, without reservation? Is it always selling all your possessions and moving away from everyone you know and love?
Being part of a mission is costly. Whether that mission is going as a soldier to fight for your country or as a missionary to preach the gospel, the mission is going to cost you something. If you're taking on a mission, you're showing everyone what is most important to you.
Let's look at the rich young ruler in Mark 10. He was desperate to see Jesus, to follow Him. When he sees Jesus, he runs up to him and falls on his knees in front of him. This guy was SERIOUS about eternal life! He knew what he wanted and he knew that Jesus was the Source. He knew the law, he knew what he was supposed to do. He told Jesus that he had followed the law since he was a child. However, the entrance fee for heaven isn't the law. This man was missing the point. The commandments aren't about the law, they are about love. When Jesus sums up the law in the two commandments he gives us, the first word in both of them is love. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength" and "love your neighbor as yourself". But Jesus knew where this man's heart was. He knew what the rich young ruler really loved and held onto. Yet in spite of that, verse 21 says "Jesus looked at him and LOVED him." He already knew before he posed the question what the rich young ruler's response would be, but Jesus loved him anyway. Knowing full well where this man's heart was Jesus tells him in verse 21 "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and then you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Verse 22 tells us the rich young ruler's response. "At this the man's face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth." He was sad because he didn't value following Jesus as much as his earthly possessions. We don't know for sure what became of the rich young ruler, but we assume that he went back to his life as it was.
Now let's look at the disciples response to Jesus in Mark 1. Verse 18 says that "At once, they left their nets and followed him (Jesus)". What is the difference between these two situations? The rich young ruler invested his time and effort into his wealth and possessions, even though he thought he was passionate about the Kingdom of God. Instead, when push came to shove, he chose riches over Christ. The disciples, on the other hand, left everything they owned to follow Christ.
Now, since most of you reading this probably still live at home, I'm going to assume that God hasn't called you to drop everything you know and go be a missionary somewhere completely foreign to you. Some of you might get a calling like that later in life, or maybe not. You might be called to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, CEOs or garbage truck drivers and in all of those professions you can be a missionary. But I don't want to talk about that part of your life. I'm talking about here and now. Living the mission doesn't start when you go to college or when you graduate or get married. Living the mission is about today and everyday.
What does it cost to live the mission? Mark 12: 30 lays it out plainly. It's gonna take all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind. It's going to take you putting others ahead of yourself.
With that said, let's make it personal. What is the price you are currently paying for Christ? Think about it for a minute. If the price you're currently paying is only the extra sleep you would be getting on Sunday morning, than it's not enough. If it's only the 10% of your pay check or allowance that you grudgingly set aside for a tithe, than maybe it's time for a change in perspective.
Let's look back at Mark 12:29. "'I tell you the truth,' Jesus replied, 'no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-and with them persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.'" Did you catch that? The interest rate for investing in the Kingdom of God is a hundred fold!
OK, let's plug in real numbers. Say this week you got paid $100 dollars.
$100 (Yay I'm rich!)
What if I told you that if you gave me $10 dollars from your allowance that I would give you $1000 in two weeks? Pretty sweet deal huh? In fact, I bet you wouldn't even think about it being a sacrifice. In fact, you'd probably offer me the whole $100! Because...
$100 x 100 fold=$10,000 (Yay, I'm really rich!)
Now that's an investment worth selling everything I have for! Read Matthew 13:44-46.
Now, I'm not saying that if you tithe you're going to be a multi-millionaire. But if you're faithful with tithing and giving generously to the Lord, then you're going to be blessed. That's not my promise. That's the Lord's.
But what if we had this attitude of giving? What if we wanted to give the Lord that whole hundred, not just because we knew what we would get out of it, but because we knew the Lord would bless it? What if we loved him enough to offer it to him, just because we wanted to honor him? It would totally change the way we give. We wouldn't call it sacrifice, we would call it investment.
Whether you know it or not, you are always making investments. The continual investment is love, shown by your time and the priorities in your life. God's commandment is that we invest love in Him and His Kingdom by loving those around us. If we're not investing in those things, we're investing love in other things: ourselves, money, our reputation, our X-box, among other things.
In his book, "The Four Loves", C.S. Lewis writes this about investing love. "There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give it to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket-safe, dark, motionless, airless- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."
Love is an investment and it is dangerous. But put it in the right place, and it will be totally worth it; a hundred fold what you paid for it!
DISCLAIMER: You can't make an investment in the stock market if you're living pay check to pay check. Unless you are taking care of your financial present, you can't take care of your financial future. It's the same in God's economy. If you haven't first accepted Christ, it won't do you any good to good good deals. First, make a choice to accept the Lord into your heart. If you haven't done that, pray this prayer:
Father God, I know that I am a sinner, and that I can't save myself.
I believe that You sent your Son to die on the cross for my sins.
Please come into my heart and be my Savior. Thank you for your
sacrifice and for loving me unconditionally. Help me to live like You.
In the Precious Name of Jesus, Amen
At the start of any journey, you have to make sure you're prepared. You have to collect what it's going to take to begin and also finish the journey. Some ventures are more costly than others. The one we are embarking on is especially costly. But I'm not just talking finances here. Let's look at two situations where people were getting ready to follow Christ and see what it costs them.
Read Mark 10:17-22, 28-31
AND Mark 1:16-18
What is the cost of living the mission? What is the cost of following Christ wholly, without reservation? Is it always selling all your possessions and moving away from everyone you know and love?
Being part of a mission is costly. Whether that mission is going as a soldier to fight for your country or as a missionary to preach the gospel, the mission is going to cost you something. If you're taking on a mission, you're showing everyone what is most important to you.
Let's look at the rich young ruler in Mark 10. He was desperate to see Jesus, to follow Him. When he sees Jesus, he runs up to him and falls on his knees in front of him. This guy was SERIOUS about eternal life! He knew what he wanted and he knew that Jesus was the Source. He knew the law, he knew what he was supposed to do. He told Jesus that he had followed the law since he was a child. However, the entrance fee for heaven isn't the law. This man was missing the point. The commandments aren't about the law, they are about love. When Jesus sums up the law in the two commandments he gives us, the first word in both of them is love. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength" and "love your neighbor as yourself". But Jesus knew where this man's heart was. He knew what the rich young ruler really loved and held onto. Yet in spite of that, verse 21 says "Jesus looked at him and LOVED him." He already knew before he posed the question what the rich young ruler's response would be, but Jesus loved him anyway. Knowing full well where this man's heart was Jesus tells him in verse 21 "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and then you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Verse 22 tells us the rich young ruler's response. "At this the man's face fell. He went away sad because he had great wealth." He was sad because he didn't value following Jesus as much as his earthly possessions. We don't know for sure what became of the rich young ruler, but we assume that he went back to his life as it was.
Now let's look at the disciples response to Jesus in Mark 1. Verse 18 says that "At once, they left their nets and followed him (Jesus)". What is the difference between these two situations? The rich young ruler invested his time and effort into his wealth and possessions, even though he thought he was passionate about the Kingdom of God. Instead, when push came to shove, he chose riches over Christ. The disciples, on the other hand, left everything they owned to follow Christ.
Now, since most of you reading this probably still live at home, I'm going to assume that God hasn't called you to drop everything you know and go be a missionary somewhere completely foreign to you. Some of you might get a calling like that later in life, or maybe not. You might be called to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, CEOs or garbage truck drivers and in all of those professions you can be a missionary. But I don't want to talk about that part of your life. I'm talking about here and now. Living the mission doesn't start when you go to college or when you graduate or get married. Living the mission is about today and everyday.
What does it cost to live the mission? Mark 12: 30 lays it out plainly. It's gonna take all your heart, all your soul, all your strength and all your mind. It's going to take you putting others ahead of yourself.
With that said, let's make it personal. What is the price you are currently paying for Christ? Think about it for a minute. If the price you're currently paying is only the extra sleep you would be getting on Sunday morning, than it's not enough. If it's only the 10% of your pay check or allowance that you grudgingly set aside for a tithe, than maybe it's time for a change in perspective.
Let's look back at Mark 12:29. "'I tell you the truth,' Jesus replied, 'no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-and with them persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.'" Did you catch that? The interest rate for investing in the Kingdom of God is a hundred fold!
OK, let's plug in real numbers. Say this week you got paid $100 dollars.
$100 (Yay I'm rich!)
What if I told you that if you gave me $10 dollars from your allowance that I would give you $1000 in two weeks? Pretty sweet deal huh? In fact, I bet you wouldn't even think about it being a sacrifice. In fact, you'd probably offer me the whole $100! Because...
$100 x 100 fold=$10,000 (Yay, I'm really rich!)
Now that's an investment worth selling everything I have for! Read Matthew 13:44-46.
Now, I'm not saying that if you tithe you're going to be a multi-millionaire. But if you're faithful with tithing and giving generously to the Lord, then you're going to be blessed. That's not my promise. That's the Lord's.
But what if we had this attitude of giving? What if we wanted to give the Lord that whole hundred, not just because we knew what we would get out of it, but because we knew the Lord would bless it? What if we loved him enough to offer it to him, just because we wanted to honor him? It would totally change the way we give. We wouldn't call it sacrifice, we would call it investment.
Whether you know it or not, you are always making investments. The continual investment is love, shown by your time and the priorities in your life. God's commandment is that we invest love in Him and His Kingdom by loving those around us. If we're not investing in those things, we're investing love in other things: ourselves, money, our reputation, our X-box, among other things.
In his book, "The Four Loves", C.S. Lewis writes this about investing love. "There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give it to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket-safe, dark, motionless, airless- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell."
Love is an investment and it is dangerous. But put it in the right place, and it will be totally worth it; a hundred fold what you paid for it!
DISCLAIMER: You can't make an investment in the stock market if you're living pay check to pay check. Unless you are taking care of your financial present, you can't take care of your financial future. It's the same in God's economy. If you haven't first accepted Christ, it won't do you any good to good good deals. First, make a choice to accept the Lord into your heart. If you haven't done that, pray this prayer:
Father God, I know that I am a sinner, and that I can't save myself.
I believe that You sent your Son to die on the cross for my sins.
Please come into my heart and be my Savior. Thank you for your
sacrifice and for loving me unconditionally. Help me to live like You.
In the Precious Name of Jesus, Amen
The unfinished official schedule...
Here are some of the cool things happening with Reckless Abandon in the next few months. This is by no means a complete schedule, and is subject to change, but this is where it stands right now.
Wednesday night, January 28th-Crash and Bash Night-Bring snow clothes (hats, mittens, gloves, warm coat and boots)
Saturday, February 7th 10 a.m. to 12-Prep for church dinner to raise money for Creation
Sunday, February 8th- Church dinner right after the service (please be there by 11:30 if you're not planning on attending the service)
Saturday, March 7th-GAIN Warehouse to help pack boxes of overseas aid. This was an awesome time of serving and fun! (and they feed you REALLY well!) More details to follow at a later post.
Saturday, March 14th- Laser Tag in Ithaca.
Thursday, March 26th-Friday, March 27th-WINTER RETREAT!!!! We will be going to an undisclosed location for our first ever Reckless Abandon Retreat. And here's the best part...it's free!! Bring a sleeping bag and your bible and get ready for a great time of worship and the Word.
Be sure to sign up for these events at youth group in the coming weeks!!
Wednesday night, January 28th-Crash and Bash Night-Bring snow clothes (hats, mittens, gloves, warm coat and boots)
Saturday, February 7th 10 a.m. to 12-Prep for church dinner to raise money for Creation
Sunday, February 8th- Church dinner right after the service (please be there by 11:30 if you're not planning on attending the service)
Saturday, March 7th-GAIN Warehouse to help pack boxes of overseas aid. This was an awesome time of serving and fun! (and they feed you REALLY well!) More details to follow at a later post.
Saturday, March 14th- Laser Tag in Ithaca.
Thursday, March 26th-Friday, March 27th-WINTER RETREAT!!!! We will be going to an undisclosed location for our first ever Reckless Abandon Retreat. And here's the best part...it's free!! Bring a sleeping bag and your bible and get ready for a great time of worship and the Word.
Be sure to sign up for these events at youth group in the coming weeks!!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
January 14, 2009
This summer, a few members of our youth group are going on a missions trip. We will be traveling to Mexico to share our faith and the love of Christ with the community there. We're going because we are called to, because it's what Jesus told us all to do. We're going because we want to see lives changed and hearts fall in love with Jesus.
Of the people in our youth group, only a small percentage are going on this trip. While I would love to take each and every one of you, this is not what God is calling all of us to. It also doesn't mean that you are not part of the mission. In fact, if you claim the name of Christ, that you are a Christ-like Christian, you are at the very center of the mission. Read 1 Samuel 30: 21-25.
David had some men who stayed behind to guard the supplies. They were just as important in his campaign as the people who fought with him, and therefore, received the same portion of the spoils. If you're not going on the missions trip, you're just as important to the mission as anyone who's getting on the plane in August, and you'll be blessed.
This year, our mission is not just going to Mexico and helping out for a week. Our mission is not accomplished by getting on a plane and flying to a remote place to share the gospel. Our mission as a youth group, as individuals and as the body of Christ is someplace completely unique. It's right here. It's at our schools, at home, on the basketball court, in the choral room. It's not just some week in August- it's now, every day, all year long. Every minute, every second we call ourselves Christians is our mission until Jesus comes back. Our ministry is not just to a bunch of people in Africa or Asia or Mexico, it's to our familites, our friends, that cashier at Wal-mart, our teachers.
In 2009, our focus is not going on a missions trip. It's not raising the finds or learning Spanish so that for one week we can make a difference. You are already making a difference. If you have ever told anyone you're a Christian, you are a living, walking, talking missionary to your specific field. Get this, NO ONE ELSE can reach your mission field in the way that you can. Each one of us has a unique life experience that no one else has. We have different circles of influence and different strengths and gifts. This year, our focus isn't about being a missionary for a week. This year our focus is to LIVE THE MISSION.
Read Matthew 28:17 and Mark 12:30 to find out what 'the mission' is.
The mission of our your group is simple, but it's going to take all the time and effort and gifts of everyone to make it happen. Our mission statement is TO PASSIONATELY PURSUE GOD AND REACH OTHERS FOR CHRIST WITH RECKLESS ABANDON. Simply put, love God and love others. But this mission can't be achieved by passively sitting on our bums hoping that somehow God is pleased by what we do and maybe some casual passerby will notice our lives and turn to God. We must LIVE the mission. That means we don't put it aside while we do what we want and pick it up when it's convenient or socially appropriate. It means that we live, breath, eat, sleep, walk, talk, shop, drink, play, sing, sit, stand, shout the mission.
I believe that there are not many things that are guaranteed in life. But here are two things that I can guarantee with absolute certainty. 1) This will not be easy. In fact, living the mission will be hands down the hardest thing you've ever done in your life. 2) It will be worth it.
This is a commitment we will make together, but that will be loved our individually. This year, and for the rest of our lives, we'll be gathering together pieces of how this works. It will be like trying to put a puzzle together without having the box to look at to see what it should look it. This year, we're trusting God to give us the pieces, but no one else can put the puzzle together for you. It's going to be up to each and every one of you to figure out how the puzzle fits together and where to put and use each piece.
This is your fair warning. If you don't want to be challenged to live the mission, if you don't want to grow spiritually, if all you want to do is the minimum and you're not about living a Christ-like life, then this is your chance to back out. I'll send you out with all the blessings of God and pray that He keeps tugging at your heart. But if this is a challenge that you're up for, if you're ready to throw yourself headlong into living the mission, to passionately pursue God and reach others for Christ with reckless abandon, then get ready. This is going to be one wild ride!
Challenge for the week: Keep an eye out for opportunities to "Live the Mission". Be prepared to share about it or better yet, write it down in a journal so you don't forget!
May God's word stir your heart.
Blessings,
PM
Of the people in our youth group, only a small percentage are going on this trip. While I would love to take each and every one of you, this is not what God is calling all of us to. It also doesn't mean that you are not part of the mission. In fact, if you claim the name of Christ, that you are a Christ-like Christian, you are at the very center of the mission. Read 1 Samuel 30: 21-25.
David had some men who stayed behind to guard the supplies. They were just as important in his campaign as the people who fought with him, and therefore, received the same portion of the spoils. If you're not going on the missions trip, you're just as important to the mission as anyone who's getting on the plane in August, and you'll be blessed.
This year, our mission is not just going to Mexico and helping out for a week. Our mission is not accomplished by getting on a plane and flying to a remote place to share the gospel. Our mission as a youth group, as individuals and as the body of Christ is someplace completely unique. It's right here. It's at our schools, at home, on the basketball court, in the choral room. It's not just some week in August- it's now, every day, all year long. Every minute, every second we call ourselves Christians is our mission until Jesus comes back. Our ministry is not just to a bunch of people in Africa or Asia or Mexico, it's to our familites, our friends, that cashier at Wal-mart, our teachers.
In 2009, our focus is not going on a missions trip. It's not raising the finds or learning Spanish so that for one week we can make a difference. You are already making a difference. If you have ever told anyone you're a Christian, you are a living, walking, talking missionary to your specific field. Get this, NO ONE ELSE can reach your mission field in the way that you can. Each one of us has a unique life experience that no one else has. We have different circles of influence and different strengths and gifts. This year, our focus isn't about being a missionary for a week. This year our focus is to LIVE THE MISSION.
Read Matthew 28:17 and Mark 12:30 to find out what 'the mission' is.
The mission of our your group is simple, but it's going to take all the time and effort and gifts of everyone to make it happen. Our mission statement is TO PASSIONATELY PURSUE GOD AND REACH OTHERS FOR CHRIST WITH RECKLESS ABANDON. Simply put, love God and love others. But this mission can't be achieved by passively sitting on our bums hoping that somehow God is pleased by what we do and maybe some casual passerby will notice our lives and turn to God. We must LIVE the mission. That means we don't put it aside while we do what we want and pick it up when it's convenient or socially appropriate. It means that we live, breath, eat, sleep, walk, talk, shop, drink, play, sing, sit, stand, shout the mission.
I believe that there are not many things that are guaranteed in life. But here are two things that I can guarantee with absolute certainty. 1) This will not be easy. In fact, living the mission will be hands down the hardest thing you've ever done in your life. 2) It will be worth it.
This is a commitment we will make together, but that will be loved our individually. This year, and for the rest of our lives, we'll be gathering together pieces of how this works. It will be like trying to put a puzzle together without having the box to look at to see what it should look it. This year, we're trusting God to give us the pieces, but no one else can put the puzzle together for you. It's going to be up to each and every one of you to figure out how the puzzle fits together and where to put and use each piece.
This is your fair warning. If you don't want to be challenged to live the mission, if you don't want to grow spiritually, if all you want to do is the minimum and you're not about living a Christ-like life, then this is your chance to back out. I'll send you out with all the blessings of God and pray that He keeps tugging at your heart. But if this is a challenge that you're up for, if you're ready to throw yourself headlong into living the mission, to passionately pursue God and reach others for Christ with reckless abandon, then get ready. This is going to be one wild ride!
Challenge for the week: Keep an eye out for opportunities to "Live the Mission". Be prepared to share about it or better yet, write it down in a journal so you don't forget!
May God's word stir your heart.
Blessings,
PM
2009...A New Start
So, after a terrible long break from blogging, this is my attempt at getting back in the swing of things.
Updates:
August 15-22, 2009- 15 of us will be going to Guanajuato, Mexico on a missions trip. Kind of a big deal. I'm so excited to see what God's going to do in us and through us.
Since the weather here has been less than spectacular, (unless you're a polar bear) I've decided to start to post lessons from Wednesday night on this site for those of you who couldn't make it Wednesday. I'll try to keep this up so that if you miss a week, you'll still be up to speed, or if you need a reminder of what God is telling us or some encouragement, you can get it here.
Updates:
August 15-22, 2009- 15 of us will be going to Guanajuato, Mexico on a missions trip. Kind of a big deal. I'm so excited to see what God's going to do in us and through us.
Since the weather here has been less than spectacular, (unless you're a polar bear) I've decided to start to post lessons from Wednesday night on this site for those of you who couldn't make it Wednesday. I'll try to keep this up so that if you miss a week, you'll still be up to speed, or if you need a reminder of what God is telling us or some encouragement, you can get it here.
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