All posts by mjfelker1980

General

Sabbath

According to Wikipedia, “Jewish law prohibits doing any form of meleachah on shabbat, with some exceptions Though melachah is commonly translated as work in English, a better definition is deliberate activity or skill and craftmanship. There are 39 categories of prohibited activities.”

Some of these 39 activities include:

  • Planting
  • Plowing
  • Baking
  • Selecting
  • Writing more than 2 letters
  • Erasing more than 2 letters
  • Igniting a fire
  • Applying the finishing touch
  • Tying
  • Untying

There seems to be a lot of debate about the use of modern electronics and appliances. Can you drive a car? What about watching a tv- even if it was on when Sabbath began?

Before I began this journey, I had to decide exactly how far I was going to take my Sabbath attempts. The laws aren’t just confusing they are overwhelming. For example, according to my study it was permissible for me to use the refrigerator but when you open the door the incandescent light bulb is triggered and thus violates the law prohibiting igniting a fire. I could drink my cold sweet tea but each trip to the fridge violated the law. The solution for some is to unscrew the bulb in the fridge before sundown on the Sabbath.

Some Rabbis have varying rules and teachings on the use of electronics. Some believe that typing and deleting text in on a computer doesn’t violate the writing laws. Also, many people see sitting at the computer a way to relax and rest. What would I choose? How could I observe the Sabbath appropriately?

I started by turning off the electronics all together. I turned off the tv. No iPod or XBOX. I handed the iPhone to my wife for safe keeping. For me to truly rest and connect with the spirit in which the Sabbath was intended I could not be tethered online or to mindless entertainment.

Second, I decided not to read any “ministry related” books or magazines during the Sabbath. I love to read and certainly reading does not violate the Sabbath. However, for me to read a ministry book would keep me connected to work. I can’t just passively enjoy a book about ministry. The point is rest and I can’t do that while taking notes.

Thirdly, my Sabbath would not infringe on my family in any way. Well, the first one at least didn’t get in the way. Part of the reason I decided to choose April for this experiment was that my wife is scheduled to be gone nearly every weekend. This way my experiment wouldn’t infringe on her too much. That first Sabbath was a great time of zero expectations and no agendas and we were able to share it together. Although, she didn’t appreciate the fact that I couldn’t help her move a table. It wasn’t that heavy anyway.

So, what does the Sabbath have in store for me this weekend? Since I’m home alone again I’m taking it up a notch by not turning the lights on or off. If the light is on at sundown, it stays on. If it is off at sundown, it stays off.

Oh, and I’m unscrewing the little light bulb in the fridge. Ya, I’m going there.

My Jesus Month

2 Weeks In

I am two weeks into my journey to spend a month living like Jesus. My beard is itchy, I miss eating meat with cheese, and (for the first time) I’m tired of wearing sandals.

Despite these minor setbacks, I’m sad to see that my month is already half over. Here is a peek at some of my journal entries from the past 15 days:

April 1, 2010
Blessed are you, LORD our God, king of the universe, who has given us life, and preserved us, and brought us to this day. Day one is in the books. I found myself more aware of the looks I often give drivers as I pass them when I feel they are driving too slow. Let’s just say it isn’t the look of Jesus.

April 3, 2010
For the Sabbath I have sworn off my cell phone, the computer, tv, and the radio. Every time I heard my iPhone notify me that I had a text message I felt compelled to run and check the screen. Why is that? Why do I feel the need to be connected at all times? I’m not dealing with separation anxiety I’m just struggling with habit. In reality, I feel a relief that I’m not having to be connected right now.

April 6, 2010
“Let the little children come to me.” I spent the day teaching the pre-K Bible class. So much fun. I asked each class what they thought Jesus looked like and what question they would ask Jesus. There were some wild, funny, and sweet answers.

April 9, 2010
Failed Sabbath. I had such high hopes for my second Sabbath. I had to take my wife and son to the airport across town and I found myself racing the sun to get back to the house. I really was looking forward to this Sabbath but life got in the way.

April 12, 2010
“Are you so dull?” he asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters you from the outside can defile you?For it doesn’t go into your heart but into your stomach, and then out of your body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.) (Mark 7:17-19 TNIV) Since I read this passage today I decided that I could skirt the kosher laws a little and eat a burrito from Freebirds with cheese and meat mixed together. So glad I did!

April 14, 2010
My favorite part of this month has been in learning a new approach to daily prayer. Learning to pray the brakhot (blessing) prayers seems to get at the heart of what it means to pray without ceasing. “Blessed are you, LORD our God, king of the universe, who…”

I can’t believe the month is already half over. Tomorrow will be my 3rd Sabbath weekend. To be honest, I cannot wait to unplug. Look for my post on the Sabbath and my approach to the day of rest tomorrow.

Until then… Shalom.

Leadership, Teaching, Youth Ministry

Don’t Write Off Your Teens

Seth Godin has a great post up today challenging leaders to do the hard work developing people to change the world rather than to simply follow instructions. As a youth minister it’s my desire to push teens to become dynamic, world changing, Spirit led disciples of Jesus Christ. That desire goes beyond the typical “become good citizens and be kind to everyone” mentalities that most people have when dealing with teens. This mentality sets the bar way too low and, quite frankly, is easier too. The tough work lies behind looking at where teens are today and where they can be tomorrow. Seth puts the challenge this way:

It’s absurd to look at a three year old toddler and say, “this kid can’t read or do math or even string together a coherent paragraph. He’s a dolt and he’s never going to amount to anything.” No, we don’t say that because we know we can teach and motivate and cajole the typical kid to be able to do all of these things.

Why is it okay, then, to look at a teenager and say, “this kid will never be a leader, never run a significant organization, never save a life, never inspire or create…”

Just because it’s difficult to grade doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taught.

The challenge for me today is to remember that my job is to encourage, lift up, model, serve, and lead in a way that leads to life change not merely compliant behavior. What’s your challenge?

via Seth Godin

Jesus, Jesus is the Christ, The Word, Things That Are Beyond My Comprehension, Wrestling With Scripture

New Day, New Beginning

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomband saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.If you forgive the sins of anyone, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.”

Simon Peter climbed aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.” (John 20:1-21:25 TNIV)

Good Friday, The Word, Things That Are Beyond My Comprehension, Wrestling With Scripture

It’s Friday…

“When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.

Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.

“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”

“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. They bound himand brought him first to Annas, who was the father–in–law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard, but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.

“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.

He replied, “I am not.”

It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.

“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”

When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.

“If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?”Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”

He denied it, saying, “I am not.”

One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”

“If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”

Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.

Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”

“Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

“What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”

They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robeand went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.

Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

The Jews insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”

Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”

From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king opposes Caesar.”

When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic is Gabbatha). It was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about noon.

“Here is your king,” Pilate said to the Jews.

But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”

“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.

“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.

Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.

So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). Here they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said, “They divided my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”

So this is what the soldiers did.

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,”and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”

Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders. With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy–five pounds.Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.” (John 18:1-19:42 TNIV)

Discipleship, My Jesus Month, Prayer

My Jesus Month Guidelines

2 Comments

Today I am embarking on an incredible journey where I am trying to truly, literally, fully live and walk as Jesus walked. It is my 30th birthday and the Bible tells us that Jesus began his ministry at the age of 30. In an effort to understand my Savior more fully I will be doing three things this month: I will attempt to live “Jewishly,” read the four Gospels weekly, and to live out the commands and teachings of Jesus as  literally as possible.

As I was trying to explain to my sister what I would be doing during my month of living like Jesus she had a hard time wrapping her mind around what I would actually be doing. She said, “I still don’t fully understand what some of the changes you’ll be making will mean for your day to day.” In an effort to clarify what I want to do here is a list of the guidelines I’m setting for my Jesus month:

Eating Kosher- I decided to keep my kosher laws as simple as possible. I have 2 rules:
1) Avoid “unclean” foods such as pork, shellfish, and bottom feeders. So… I can’t eat any catfish or shrimp or pork or camels this month. 2) Ed Dobson wrote extensively about keeping Meat and Dairy dishes separate. That will be my goal as well. Farewell Chicken Nachos. I’ll see you May 1.

Looking Like Jesus-One way to live more Jewishly will be to dress the part and to join with some of the traditions that are very foreign to this city boy living in 2010.

The Tallit Katan is an undershirt/underpancho that has the tassels attached to the four corners. There is no doubt in my mind that Jesus wore the fringe on his garments. The commands for wearing the fringes come from Numbers 15:37-41 and Deuteronomy 22:12. Before today I gave wearing the the tallit a trial run. Each time before I put it on, I recited the traditional blessing: “Blessed are you, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with his commands and has commanded us to wrap ourselves with the fringes.” Believe me, I am keenly aware that I am wearing the tallit katan. It isn’t uncomfortable but it is a bit stiff. Maybe over the course of the month it will relax and fit like a Hanes undershirt.

I am also growing out my beard. Not because every painting we see of Jesus shows him sporting a sweet beard but because of the command found in Leviticus 19:27. It says, “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.” I stopped shaving about a week ago so I am a little ahead already in the beard department.

When I told my wife my plans for this month she mandated that I wear sandals. So, I am wearing sandals too.

Observing the Sabbath- Each week I have a day off built into my schedule. Since my son’s arrival I have truly enjoyed the benefits of a day off from ministry. I have done little to no work- I rest and enjoy my son. I still check my email and occasionally I’ll have to finish a pwrpnt or work on something youth ministry related but nothing compared to the years before. I would work nearly as much as a regular work day. The Sabbath is different than just a day off. It is a day set aside for the glory and remembrance of our Lord. When I can I will observe the Sabbath (sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday) to the best of my ability. No phone, no computer, no tv. Just rest and time to spend with my family.

Eating with Sinners- Jesus was accused of being of the Devil because he associated with “sinners and tax collectors.” So, how can I, today in my community and context, eat with sinners?

As I was sitting at lunch the other day, I was asking myself this very question. Typically, I take a book with me and use my lunch hour to read. Sometimes I have my iPod with me. As I reflected on this I realized that my current lunch habits isolate me and close me off from the dozens of people sitting around me. Jesus withdrew to solitary places to pray and reflect but when he was in the marketplace- the community- he was engaging people in discussions, meeting with and reaching out to people. Jesus ate with people.

In order to “eat with sinners” this month my plan is this: whenever I am out at lunch during the day, I will look around the restaurant for a guy or a group of guys eating and I will ask if I can join them at their table. Not a perfect solution but definitely an interesting one. I feel like I’m on the right track because this proposition makes me really uncomfortable.

Other-
Get up before dawn and “retreat to a quiet place”
Give away “treasures”
Praying the prayers Jesus prayed
Celebrating a Passover seder (check)
Living simpler
Curtaining media intake

So this is just a short list of some of the external changes that I am making during this month. Some of them are minor but most are major. Of course, I understand the limitations of external changes. Walking like Jesus isn’t only about what I wear or what I eat. However, it is my hope that these external changes will act as a catalyst to shake up my routine to make dramatic internal changes.

I planning on posting about my Jesus month again next week. I want to make sure I have time to record and reflect on what I’m experiencing. Again, if you have any suggestions for my Jesus month, write them in the comment section.

Collecting Experiences, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Life, My Jesus Month

Let The Journey Begin

A couple of years ago, I read a great book called The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs. I enjoyed reading about Jacobs’ adventures in trying to live out the biblical commandments as literally as possible. Jacobs focused mainly on the Old Testament rules and regulations while recently, Ed Dobson, a Christian minister, inspired by Jacob’s memoir, decided to spend an entire year living like Jesus. Dobson’s true life “In His Steps” really inspired me and refreshed my soul. Dobson talks extensively about the impact living like Jesus had on his day to day life. He focused on prayer, giving, teaching, and loving more deeply. After reading The Year of Living Like Jesus a wild and crazy idea entered my imagination.

I just could not shake the thought of truly, literally, living just like Jesus. 1John 2: 6 says that “whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus walked.” I began to ask myself what living like Jesus would look like in my life and in my context. I was transfixed. I knew I needed to do something. I desperately wanted to throw myself headlong into walking just as Jesus walked.

“Could I do that? Could I live like Jesus for a year?” Based on Ed’s account probably not. At least not to the extent that he did. Usually, that would have been the end of my wondering. Then I asked myself one more question: “Could I live like Jesus for a month?”

I don’t know… but we are going to find out.

Tomorrow, I will turn 30 years old.  According to the Gospels, Jesus began his ministry at the age of thirty. I have a tattoo on my wrist that says “disciple” and I struggle everyday to discern what being a disciple of Jesus means and looks like lived out to the fullest. In April, I want to get a firm grasp on what it means to literally walk as  Jesus walked.

The idea will be to live SIMPLY this month: SIMPLY live like Jesus. I already know that there will be some severe limitations but I’ll use Ed Dobson’s 3 rules as a basis for my Jesus month. Basically my goals will be “To live more ‘Jewishly,’ to read through all four Gospels every week and to obey the commands of Jesus.” As the month goes on I will be posting some of my thoughts and experiences but I will not post everyday.

This journey will be made up of external changes and internal changes. Tomorrow, I’ll post a bit about some of the visible, external changes I will be making in my routine, dress, and diet.

I ask that you pray for me as I embark on the fantastic journey. I have already been impacted greatly as I have prepared for this over the last two weeks and I have seen plainly that this call to walk as Jesus walked was laid on my heart and not just some harebrained experiment I cooked up.

I look forward to sharing what I learn and what I experience over the course of this month. If you have any suggestions or thoughts on how I can live more like Jesus this month leave a comment on this post.

Today is the last day of my Twenties. Tomorrow brings a whole new decade and a whole new, radically different way to live. Until then- Shalom!

2010, Life, Wrapup, Wrestling With Scripture

Weekend Review

  1. Had a fabulous time on the Men’s Retreat. This was our third annual retreat and we took it up a notch. I really connected to the theme this year which was Thirsty. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” This weekend God met us and we were filled. Great weekend!
  2. My son has croup. The little guy is coughing and wheezing like an fat, asthmatic kid (Hey, I resemble that remark). He sounds so helpless and we feel so helpless. Big prayers for my little boy.
  3. I’m elbow deep reading Doctrine by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. This is a concise and accessible theology book that is catching my attention and drying up my highlighter.
  4. I turn 30 this week. I am planning a month long project to mark the occasion and I spent a good deal of time preparing for it last week. Prep work has to be finished by this Wednesday. Better cut my hair before then.
  5. I am thankful to so many people who pour their lives into me that I can hardly stand it. I have a great support system in my family and friends. I am blessed beyond measure.
  6. I had to cancel our Sunday night teen service due to my son’s illness. Hopefully everything will be back to normal and we can have Tuesday night Bible study at the house on Tuesday. I missed being with the teens tonight.
  7. I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to live as Jesus lived. 1John 2″6 is punching me in the gut right now. “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.” Right. In. The. Gut.
General

Revealed Part 4

So in the beginning God revealed Himself through CREATION and then through His WORD but the Apostle John tells us that something amazing happened. He tells us that God REVEALED Himself by becoming a man and living among us. John tells us this by using almost the exact same language as in Genesis.

The WORD became flesh and God REVEALED Himself through His Son, JESUS CHRIST.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5 TNIV)

Through Jesus Christ God REVEALS to us a number of things.

Jesus Reveals:

God’s Love & Blessings

Forgiveness

Faithfulness

Salvation

Grace

Redemption

Glory

New Life

“We have all benefited from the rich blessings he brought to us—one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart; he has told us about him.” (John 1:16-18 NLT)

Through Jesus Christ we have hope for a new life. We are not burdened by sin anymore. The Creator of the Universe stepped down, lived as a man, died as an innocent, and was raised to life again. And this new life is offered to you and me.