Awesome Videos on Failure
I was reading the Forums at 3DayRespawn and found an interesting discussion on what one person precived as a failure. The brotheers at 3DR lifted him up and reminded him through 2 great videos of 2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Blizzard of 2010
I live about 30 min North of Pittsburgh and this past Friday we got dumped on by snow. When my family went to shovel out our cars and our driveway Saturday morning a neighbor went to the center of our cul-de-sac and measured 21.5″ of snow. A great experience came out of this snow storm, and it was all of the neighbors in our cul-de-sac helping each other clear our driveways, and helping to dig out the snow plows that got stuck. It was great watching everyone come together and lend a helping hand, to watch neighbor helping neighbor.
Some pictures form that can be found here
It took three hours to shovel everyone out, and then we got a reprise. An hour later we put the snow blower, and shovels into the back of my dad’s truck and went off to shovel out my brother. We got there and I manned the snow blower to take care of their alleyway and the area in front of their garage. While I was doing this Matt and Dad used the shovels to clear out the path form the garage to the house, and from the house to the front gate. I also used the snow blower to go down their sidewalk. When I got to the end I ran into my brother’s neighbor who thanked me for taking care of that part for him.
My small group has finished reading Forgotten God , we have just started to read through Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth
Challenged at a Resturant
Today was the first time I was able and motivated enough to make it to S.K.I.N. in a month or more. During this time I have worked most fo the Tuesday mornings at a school, and going for 20-30 min before leaving for the school just was not working. But i had 2 morning where I ended up without a subbing position, and had just gone back to sleep. Today we looked at Joel 1, and had some interesting disscussions, but where I was challenged more was at breakfast afterwards.
After S.K.I.N. I wanted to go to Azzeria for breakfast (a slice of red with pepperoni btw), one of the guys said he would meet me there and we left. The other gentleman never arrived, he had to run errands and texted me an apology. After I placed my order I began to talk to the gentleman who had taken my order about youth group, and the guy who was not going to be meeting me. As we continued to talk I shared that I had studied Youth ministry for a year out in Chicago, and he talked about having studied it at Geneva. He began sharing how he stopped doing Youth Ministry when he realized that he as a man at that point in his life he didn’t know how to be a husband, or a father, and the family should be the center of the youth ministry. How could he as a young man stand up and have credibility in a youth group that was focused on fun and games and did not prepare the students to be Godly men and women when they left. As he talked I saw his passion for pouring into the students he worked with, and the families he knows to build relationships and encourage families to grow together with a Biblical foundation. The man leading the family and loving his wife as Christ loved the church. Fathers showing sons how to live with integrity and humility. Listening to him, I was was struck to the quick. I feel as if I am a boy playing at being a young man. While I am in a mens group, and lead a study for 20 somethings, I do not feel like I am ready to be a husband, or a father any time soon. I trust God is building me up and preparing me, but how could I better prepare the students I work with to be ready not only for college, but to become someones husband, someones father? How can I prepare myself, but at the same time help to prepare the students I work with?
This is where I turn to you, the people who are reading this and ask you for your input. Are there any great books you have read? Are there any workshops you would recommend? How can I become a better youth group leader, but also how can I better prepare myself for these challenges, that I will hopefully face sometime in the not so distant future?
How Facebook might loose me friends
Today I had a friend post this comment as his status on facebook.
Hey Fundamentalist Conservative Idealogues, why all the crazy talk with no way to back it up? Obama’s the Anti-Christ? The Creation Museum? Intelligent Design? Gay people are going to destroy the moral fabric of this country? Are you SERIOUS? Wh…y don’t you just wait for the next comet to pass through the solar system and drink some cianide-laced punch? You’re now the occult.
Personally I have had a few too many stabs at my beliefs and faith on facebook this week, and have grown tired of it, so in response I had to use 4 comment boxes to reply to him, this is what I wrote what do you think about it?
If there were a dislike feature I would do that, since there is not I will answer for myself, and some of the other Christian fundamentalist conservatives who still believe in the constitution.
First Obama as the anti-Christ, well I do not agree with this. While fundamentally disagreeing with the man he has not yet done anything that would support this claim. I am against his widespread and excessive spending, just as I was against Bush’s overspending. As a country we are drowning in debt, and adding to it and selling our debt to the Chinese is not the way to fix that. Also Obama believes the constitution is “fundamentally flawed” his own words, and I cannot and do not agree with that. So Anti-Christ NO, someone I do not agree with YES.
I will lump the creation museum and intelligent design into one category. I think they are brilliant. I do not fully know where I stand on creationism v. young earth creationism, but I can say that I do believe in the Bible and in the creation of the earth and solar system as an act of God’s will. Watch “Expelled no intelligence allowed” some time, it is a brilliant film by Ben Stein that shows why there is little to no science to back up creationism or intelligent design, as soon as any scientist mentions it or suggests it as a possibility they are black balled, un published. The ironic thing is, as Ben Stein shows, the scientist who black ball and creation or ID scientist are completely open to the idea that Aliens could have had a hand in designing life on earth, but will not even consider the a higher power, such as the God of the Bible, could be involved. So a museum that looks at the history and artifacts that have been recovered and found through the ideology of Creationism is a huge advance and something I would love to see, and something I think everyone should have to look at to compare with the popular theory of evolution.
As for “Gay people are going to destroy the moral fabric of this country“, I understand where some people are coming from for this, but do not completely agree. As both of you know, I do not mind gay people, I have a few friends, and some relatives who are gay. I love and care for them the same as any friends or relatives I have. I follow the Biblical, and Christ demonstrated approach of loving the people regardless of sin. Much as I love my friends who drink in excess, swear, blaspheme, and have sex outside of marriage. I am a sinner myself and have no place judging anyone for their sin, I do not always agree with their actions but I love them regardless. I do not feel gay people threaten our moral fabric any more than the sexual revolution that encourages sex before marriage, television, the internet, strip clubs and the objectification of women and men, and a number of other items in our day and age. What truly threatens our moral fabric is the denial of God, and His absolute Truths (notice the capital T). There are things that are good and evil, right and wrong, and our disregard and chipping away at these Truths are what has and continues to chip away at the moral fabric of this country, nothing else.
Thoughts on God’s Will
As I have shared before I have been on a journey to find “God’s Will” for my life, and I have had an interesting response to this. For a while I felt that I was lost and just going through the motions, but I have recently been awakened and shaken from this thought, and some of that is due to the book Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God’s Will
Kevin talks about three unique aspects to God’s will that can cause us to get confused when talking about it. The first is God’s will of decree, as DeYoung says in his book “This refers to what God has ordained. Everything that comes to pass is according to God’s sovereign decree. And all that he decrees will ultimately come to pass.” The second aspect of God’s will is His will of desire, which refers to what God has commanded us to do. God’s will of desire is how He wants us to act and behave. Now many of you will ask how can God decree all that happens, and then hold US accountable for our actions. I don’t have a great answer for you, all I can say is that the Bible clearly affirms both aspects of God’s will, and he exists beyond my comprehension so I will trust Him. Finally if God’s will of direction, what most people refer to when saying they are looking for God’s will. What DeYoung has to share is that while God has a desire for our lives, and that he has a specific plan for us it is not something God expects us to figure out before we make a decision. Throughout the book DeYoung makes a well thought out, and Biblically documented argument that God’s will is for us to become more Christ like, it is not a corn maze, a tight-rope, a bulls-eye, or a chose your own adventure book. Biblically God will give us wisdom and insight into decisions, but we should not be stagnant sitting around for God to give us the perfect answer every time.
Overall I would strongly recommend Just Do Something
On a side note, I am sitting here in my house watching and listening to my parents Bible study meeting in our house. It is their first meeting after their summer break. It is an interesting situation for me to be in because I have been able to sit and chat with a founding couple of North Way, the church I go to, and to just have a dialog about our beliefs and theology while catching up on what has happened over the summer. They are meeting to discuss what they want to study this fall, how they can pray for each other, and just sharing what is happening in their lives and their children’s lives. It is just so neat to see these people coming together in community to share life in Christ with each other. It is literally bringing tears to my eyes as I am sitting here and observing their meeting.
This is what I want to be continually living in, when I look to my future I want to be married with at least two children, and have close friends living around me sharing our lives together in Christ, not just weekly, but daily. That is what I will be praying for, even more I am praying for God to prepare me to be the husband he wants me to be, to lead my future family centered in the Holy Spirit, and striving to serve God in all we do. BTW my parents group chose to study C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity
Totally Stoked!
I had breakfast with Craig this morning, I always love getting to spend time with one of the guys from S.K.I.N. it s always a great refreshment and encouragement. During this breakfast I committed to doing a Young Adult Bible study for guys 18-25. I have a passion for this age group, and really fell this is a place most churches are lacking a ministry.
A little later in the day I stopped to pick up some tools at Lowe’s and stopped by the Family Christian Bookstore and bought a new Men’s Devotional Bible, a newer book from Francis Chan, Forgotten God
A Reality Call in Time Managment
On Tuesday my Bible study/accountability group S.K.I.N. met with a majority of the members missing. But, in this instance that was a great thing, the members who were missing were in New Orleans leading groups of high school students on a missions trip. After S.K.I.N., I had a meeting with Kent, one of the pastors of my church; he wanted to talk with me about a desire I have to start a Bible study for young adults in the 18-25 year range. I feel it is an age group that for the most part our church and many churches miss. Mostly because it is one of the hardest age groups to reach, but also because many churches assume most of their college aged students are gone during the school year. I know of a number of young men and women who go right into the job force after high school, or go to local community colleges or commute to schools that still live at home or around the church.
What Kent had to say to me was very encouraging but challenging. He agreed that we don’t have anything at the church targeted at the 18-15 year old segment, except during the summer when Collin is leading an awesome group. He also said he thought that I would thrive under the challenge of leading a group and that I could connect and mentor the young adults who would be a part of a group like that. He also said that he wanted me to really think and pray about how much I am trying to do at the church and If I can/would be able to give 100% to each weeks study. What Kent knows, is that I am currently in S.K.I.N., I try to attend and help lead a student Bible study Tuesday nights, I help lead a chat room Sunday nights at our Senior High program, Blitz, and I have recently volunteered for two tech teams at the church, one in the Café area and the other in the main sanctuary. He also made it clear that if I was to start a group he would be there to support me, and to hold me accountable for my teaching and the lessons I would be preparing. He would expect me to make time for any guys who would join the group and to be up to date and involved in their lives.
My discussion with Kent reminded me of a book by Doug Fields I read called “What Matters Most when NO is better than YES“. This book talks about the fact that when you work at or volunteer at a church you will be asked to do many things, far too many to be able to say yes to them all, and the more you say yes to the less time you have for each item. Often while we would love to help someone or some ministry out, we need to prayerfully consider our response. Do we say yes and serve because of a servant’s heart, or do we say no to focus on the ministries that we have a God given passion for and give 100% or more of ourselves in these ministries.
I am currently reading “Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God” by Mark Batterson. The book is amazing so far, and in it I find many sentences and paragraphs that hit me like a stone flung from David’s sling, right between the eyes. One such passage that still has my head reeling with its implications comes after Batterson is talking about his introduction to ministry and his now almost laughable first few positions as a minister in retirement homes, homeless shelters, and in a church with only 7 pews. Batterson follows his remarks about these situations with this:
I know I’m making light of these opportunities now, but back in the day I took them as seriously as sin. I prepared for each message as if it were to be the most important one I’d ever preach. And I did it because I believed that if I was faithful in the little things, God would give me bigger things to do. If I made the most of the mustard seed opportunities, God would expand my sphere of influence.
What are my mustard seed opportunities? Am I willing to persue a passion regardless the cost? My meeting with Kent has encouraged me to pray through this, and the difficult thing to admit is that if I want to start a new group, one that is for young adults Iwill need to cut back my commitments to make time for it. If I have been given a passion for this age group by God, can I do anything other than find a way to make it happen? If I am going to make this happen, what other ministry/ministries do I need to remove myself from? I have a lot to prayerfully consider, and I am asking for wisdom and strength as I pray through this. Any ministry I would withdraw from would be affecting a friend. Each ministry I volunteer in is lead by a friend, and I hate to disappoint friends, but I feel that I might have to disappoint at least one, maybe more soon. Please keep me in your prayers as I am praying through this.
New Post Coming
I just spent the past week camping and attending the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. After this event I have some Ideas and I am working on a new post. However my mom also has a lot of work for me to do around the house, but I will post ASAP.
A Breif Hiatus
I have taken a little over a week off from posting to really think about what direction I want to take with this blog. It is fair to say that as someone who graduated with a teaching degree in December and as of yet has no leads on finding a teaching job, I do a lot of thinking about my future. What many would find strange is that I am not thinking about finding a teaching job, or any other type of job, but what is God’s calling and mandate on my life. While I am concerned about finding a job, I also KNOW that God will provide the right job in HIS time, which is not always when I want it.
While seeking God’s call, I have decided to implement some other disciplines into my life. I am finishing each day off in prayer, thanking God for the blessings in my life, the people he has put in my life, and asking for His wisdom to understand the lessons He wants me to learn from each day. I am also implementing more prayer in my daily activities, such as walking through the grocery store shopping and praying for the people that come to my mind. Today it was my friend Brenton that I haven’t seen in a while and his family. I am also going to commit to working out daily for at least half an hour. I am working on determining the exercises I will use, but anything is better than the nothing I have been doing. I am cutting out a lot of the TV I have watched in the past, and will only watch a few shows per week, and work on reading and focusing on God instead.
I am somewhat worried, and concerned that I might not make it as I plan, but I want to seriously make some changes and Clean out My Temple of the junk and filth that has been holding me up as I am looking to serve God. Earlier today I had breakfast with one of the men from S.K.I.N. and during the conversation he mentioned how it is great we have a summer college ministry going, but that during most of the year the 18-25 age group is left out, and it has been stirring me all day. I mentioned to him that I might be able to try and start something like that up, and a few hours later when we were parting he told me to seriously consider it.
Right now is a time of prayer, and counting the cost. In Luke 14:25-35 Jesus talks of counting the cost and being prepared before building a structure or going to war. Do I have the time and resources needed to start something like this? Can I do this if I get the full-time position at work? Is this what I am being called to now? Really that last question is the answer to all of the other questions. If I am being called to start a ministry for the 18-20 somethings, God will provide the rest. The other question that my friend Tony talked about here is, am I willing to follow the call, or as Mark Batterson would put it, “Am I willing to chase a Lion?”
Seeking God
Ok, lets start this off with a confession. I am a sinner, in truth we are all sinners if you doubt me (not a bad idea) then check Romans 3:23 and 1 John 5:17 for starters. But lately, I do not know of any conscious sins in my life. I know there are sins there, I just am not sure what they are so I will be praying about that.
However, my personal devotion still feels empty, I feel almost constantly tempted, and I find myself feeling lost and without direction. I am seeking the Lord, and asking for wisdom, strength, and guidance. Yet i feel ignored and alone right now. This is even sillier when you consider that besides having the omnipotent, omnipresent Lord of the Universe and personal savior at my side listening, I also have a great group of guys who will meet with me, talk over the phone, and do whatever they can to help me. When I texted them that I needed prayer and was going to write this then go for a ride on my bike, I had replies form them almost instantly. But, here I am feeling alone and lost.
I think this will be a continuing post series for a while as I explore my calling and giftedness, plus all my thoughts would take far to long to write/read and would be very jumbled and incoherent right now. But, I would like some input.
How do you know what it is you are called to do?
How do you read the Bible to have it come alive for you and renew your soul daily?
If you know me, what do you see that might be sin in my life?
Tedward's Ramblings 