Category Archives: Discipleship

Discipleship, Wrestling With Scripture

Salt pt. 1

I’m trying to be a little more honest and vulnerable here so I think that I need to confess something to everyone. This is something I’ve struggled with my entire life and I am sick of hiding. Here it goes (please don’t judge)…

I’m a picky eater.

It’s true. I eat the most boring foods and I always special order at restaurants. I eat only cheese pizza and I don’t stray too far away from vanilla ice cream. I don’t eat candy bars. I don’t use condiments. I avoid fish at all costs. I don’t put syrup on my pancakes and I don’t butter my bread. I am convinced that this condition goes beyond pickyness and into something more like a psychological condition.

I have a video of me when I was about a year old. My grandmother is feeding me tiny pieces of a biscuit. As she gives me a piece she says (in a great grandmother voice), “Oh, Micheal. We’ll put some jelly on that and it will be so so good!” My mom tells her that she has tried to put jelly and butter on biscuits for me before but that I wouldn’t eat them. To this day, I cannot tell you the last time I ate a biscuit with jelly on it.

You can also add salt to the list of things I don’t put on food. Obviously, I eat food that has salt in it. I just don’t reach across the table for the salt shaker. I just never add salt to anything.

Maybe that’s is why I have always found Jesus call to be “salt of the earth” a bit confusing and disconcerting.

Like Alan’s comment from the last post, I too have always been taught the old “salt is a preservative schpeel”. However, that explanation has always left me wanting.

A key tenet of hermeneutics is that an interpretation should match up with the whole of scripture. I just cannot find a commandment or a teaching that calls Christ-followers to preserve the world around them. Let’s be honest, I would be out of a job and there would be no youth ministry if I were to challenge students to stay where they are in their faith.

I think we can do better than that. I think we owe it to the world to do better than that.

Salt does more than act as a preservative. It adds more than flavor.

Salt transforms whatever it touches.

Tomorrow: Moving from Checklist to Transformation

Discipleship, Faith in Action

Luke 10:25-37

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The situation in Burma has captured my heart over the last few weeks but I have been saddened and confused by the lack of media attention and the refusal of many within the Christian community to discuss the deteriorating conditions of the Burmese people. Tim Neufeld maintains a great Christ in Culture/U2 resource site called Occasio. Here is an excerpt from his article entitled “Can Christians Support Buddhist Monks?” The article was a great challenge to me and it helped reframe the way I think about and approach the situation and the monks. If you get a chance, click over to Tim’s blog and download the entire article.

“There is not only a need but a biblical mandate for such interaction. The parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 is often used to teach that we should help our neighbors. While this is true, such a trite moralism falls short of the story’s intended impact. The surprise of this parable is that the abused Jewish man is helped by his enemy, the Samaritan—a man of different social status, different ethnicity and different religion. A vile Samaritan helping a pious Jew would have been incomprehensible to the religious scholar Jesus was speaking with. Even so, “Go and do likewise” was the teacher’s instruction to his pupil.

Christians are called to help the poor, speak for justice and stand against tyrants regardless of whether the people suffering from oppression are Christian or non-Christian. This is a critical time for Christians to support the monks and Aung San Suu Kyi and her followers. Theirs is a way of peace and non-violent protest. Can Buddhist worshipers share the same values as followers of Christ? It appears so. Should Christians pray for and support Buddhist monks in Burma? Indeed.

Pray for the monks. Pray for Aung San Suu Kyi. Pray for peace in Burma.”

link

Discipleship, Ethos, Ministry

Refelctions

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“Disturb me, Lord, when my dreams come true, only because I dreamed too small. Disturb me when I arrive safely, only because I sailed too close to the shore. Disturb me when the things I have gained cause me to lose my thirst for more of You. Disturb me when I have acquired success, only to lose my desire for excellence. Disturb me when I give up too soon and settle too far short of the goals You have set for my life. Amen.” -Sir Francis Drake, 1577

The Catalyst Conference completely rocked my face off this year. I walked away from the arena with a great sense of purpose and mission.

Apparently I wasn’t the only one.

On Friday night I hooked up with some buddies from college who had also been a part of the conference. After an hour or so of small talk we began to open up more about our hopes, fears, and struggles. We kept finding ourselves driven to our knees in prayer.

In fact, we spent the entire night in prayer for the future of our ministries.

Not that our ministries would be big or be blessed but that God would be glorified and that Jesus would receive all power and honor and glory through our ministries.
We realized that if this were to happen through the people we minister to it must first happen through us.

We we humbled and broken that night.

At about 3am we remembered that Craig Groschel had kicked off his session by praying that God would disturb some of us so much that we wouldn’t be able to sleep.

There we were disturbed and unable to sleep.

I didn’t sleep the entire night I was so shaken and fired up and thirsty for God. You read about moments like this but I personally had never experienced something so tangible and so holy.

I have been rocked to the core. Not from a great session (although there were 9 of them) and not from a worship song (too many to count) but I have been rocked by the Almighty God, creator of the heavens and earth.

Lord, may this fire burn within me from today until the day you call me home. May you set a blaze in me a desire for the things that you desire. May my heart break for the things that break your heart. Forgive my pride. Forgive my arrogance. Forgive me when I am more concerned with the ways of the world than the ways of your Son. To you be all power and wisdom and strength and glory and honor. Amen.

Discipleship, Ethos, Ministry, Risk

You Get What You Ask For

When I posted my statement last week about taking risks for God and for my faith and for my ministry I had no clue that God was going to show up at the conference challenging me head on with this idea.

I feel a little like Neo tonight. I feel as though I’ve been offered a red or blue pill.

I can take the blue pill, enjoy the conference, sing the songs, jot some notes, board the plane home, and say “Well that was nice.” Of course, nothing will change. I’ll be just as effective as I am today. My faith will remain just as listless. My ministry be “good enough.”

or…

I can take the red pill and see how far the rabbit hole goes.

I think God is telling me something:

Yesterday Matt Chandler, pastor of The Village Church in Highland Village, TX, challenged me to take a risk by focusing on spiritual transformation and being honest with people that the Jesus way is a sloooooooow process. He likened spiritual growth to a baby taking its first steps. No parent watches as their child does the initial step, step, fall and then berates their baby for the poor job of running. No they celebrate because the child gets back up and keeps stepping. We go wild with joy when a baby tries and “fails” but we freak out (not in a good way) when a disciple takes two steps and falls. We write them off as hopeless. Shame on us. Transformation is life-long process. In ministry it is a risk to be that honest with people. People want transformation and growth instantly and too often we tell them that they can quickly “get right” by reading their Bible, praying, and reading their Bible. Risk challenging people to go deeper.

This morning Andy Stanley challenged me to risk my influence just as Jesus did by washing the disciples feet. All power was given to Jesus and he willingly laid that power down to serve. It is a risk to lead like Jesus.

Rick Warren challenged me to surrender my identity and my ministry to Him so that He can make it come alive. In essence, risk losing control. Rick also challenged me to pray the most dangerous prayer in the world, “Lord, Use me.”

Finally, Francis Chan challenged me to risk seeing my ministry as more than a job. It is a divine appointment. I need to risk seeing my life and ministry as the intentional way that God created me before I was born. I love my teens and their families. They are more than a job to me. I have been appointed to lead. Will I do it because of duty or out of a deep seated love? I know which one is a bigger risk.

I have so much to process right now but I keep seeing God’s hand holding out this red pill of risk to me.

Am I willing to risk it all for the sake of the Gospel? Am I willing to say “God, you are in control. I surrender it all to you. Success, failings, heart and soul. It’s yours.”? Am I risking it all to remain faithful to the things that God is calling me toward? Do I care more about my safety, my status, my reputation, my tradition than I do about seeking after the glory of God?

It all comes down to risk.

Discipleship, Leadership, Ministry

Catalyst Day 1

For the first time I attended the Catalyst Labs. Labs are basically breakout sessions with different teachers on different tracks to help supplement your time here at Catalyst. They are a little more informal and they are a little more intimate.

Due to a slight rain delay in Dallas I arrived later than I had planned but I was still able to take in 2 incredible sessions and the evening round table discussion on the new research book, unChristian.

I’ll try and unpack some of what I experienced tonight over the coming weeks but I wanted to say something about Catalyst tonight before I hit the hay.

I was reminded again tonight why I come to Catalyst over any other conference.

At Catalyst I am not told what to think but challenged just to think.

There is a huge difference. Most conferences or books or seminars give you the step by step, cookie cutter approach to leadership.

I don’t walk away from this conference with a new curriculum or a new game or even a new lesson to take back home. I leave here with more questions than when I arrived. I leave here with my heart full. I leave here empowered to go out and make a difference.

I ask that those of you who read this blog will sincerely pray for me this week. This week is my spiritual renewal retreat. Pray that I will hear what I need to hear, change what I need to change, and connect more fully with my Jesus.

Thanks.

peace,
micheal

Discipleship, Ethos, Ministry, Tragedy, Wrestling With Scripture

Frustrations

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In the current issue of the Christian Chronicle, there is a two-page advertisement concerning a cappella music. The ad is presented by a group who identifies themselves as “younger ministers under the age of 55” who are concerned about the growing threat of instrumental music in the Churches of Christ.

I have so much to say about this ad but I think Mike Cope says it best when he writes,

“The world is disoriented, hurting, and lost. God is seeking to restore and repair what’s been broken. And someone is paying for a two-page ad in the Chronicle for this?”

My thoughts exactly.

As a youth minister I’m dealing with students who are disoriented and confused about who they are and struggle with questions and doubts about whether or not God really cares about them. I meet students and families who are hurting because of loss or because of sin. Turn on the news and watch as students are harassed or monks are shot dead in the street or entire ethnic groups are obliterated and you don’t even get a glimpse at just how lost this world is.

We are desperate for God’s healing and grace and yet… this ad.

I am not saying that this issue shouldn’t be discussed. I’m not dismissing deeply held beliefs on either side of the aisle.

I just want us to put as much time and energy in promulgating the gospel message of Jesus Christ as we do in pointing our fingers at each other and devouring one another.

I am not ashamed of the gospel. However, I am more than a little ashamed of that ad.

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Discipleship, Ethos, Hope, Leadership, Ministry, Wrestling With Scripture

It All Comes Down To Risk

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Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the first Wrestling With Scripture post. Hopefully we can do this every week.

I think that the reason that I have spent so much time on this passage is because I marvel at the risks that Jesus took in his ministry. They pale in comparison to the risks that we take today.

In fact the only time I hear people discussing risk is when it comes to money. For shame!

Philippians 2 reminds us that Jesus risked leaving an exalted seat in heaven for the life of an itinerant preacher who was obedient to a criminal’s death even though he was innocent of any and every crime. Matthew tells us that Jesus risked leaving his ministry to fishermen and unskilled, ordinary men and women. the Gospels point out that Jesus risked giving glory to God and bringing life to the marginalized and broken even though his methods lay outside the box of tradition.

Part of me is just enamored and challenged that Jesus might have risked being labeled as an outcast by touching and healing the leper.

That is where I want my faith to be. Am I risking it all to remain faithful to the things that God is calling me toward? Do I care more about my safety, my status, my reputation, my tradition than I do about seeking after the glory of God?

It all comes down to risk.

Discipleship, Ministry, Wrestling With Scripture

Wrestling With Scripture

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Early Christians knew nothing of personal Bible studies. They wrestled with scripture together publicly in the context of synagogues and of the church body. In an effort to continue that tradition here at Kicking at the Darkness I want to begin a weekly discussion of passages in scripture that are difficult or that are thought-provoking. Hopefully the handful of you that read this site can benefit from healthy discussions and insights that we share with one another.

I’ll offer up the first passage for us to talk about.

I have been on Mark 1:38-45 for quite some time.

“Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons.

A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”

Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: “See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.”

Here is something I’ve been thinking about. For most of my life I assumed that the reason Jesus was unable to enter towns again was because the man blabbed and that the authorities were angry with Jesus for healing (as they often were). Obviously there is an element of “now the secret is out” but I wonder if my modern day understanding of celebrity has colored that way I envision people mobbing Jesus for attention. I think that there is another reason why Jesus was unable to enter public areas besides ruling authorities and rushing crowds.

I am now wondering if it was assumed that Jesus was now infected with leprosy because he touched the man in order to heal him and that is why he was relegated to “the lonely places.” Lepers were not able to live or even enter into cities.

It is the phrase “lonely places” that has driven me to this conclusion. The Greek word is “eremos” meaning solitary, desolate, lonely, wilderness, unpopulated. This would definitely describe the areas where lepers were forced to live.

If this is correct, what impact does it have on us in 2007? If Jesus was identified with the very people he rescued what does that mean for our reputations with the world?

Discuss.

Discipleship

Encourage It Up

Today is the National Day of Encouragement

“The Day of Encouragement was the idea of a few high school students attending the National Leadership Forum in Searcy, Ark in June of 2007. The students were challenged to think of a way to help their schools. They decided that at the root of most problems lies discouragement. So, as one way to help that, let’s have a day where we focus on encouraging one another. Get together with students from your church, school, other organizations or just yourself, and find ways to encourage people around you.”

I want to challenge everyone out there to take the Day of Encouragement to heart and brighten someones day. Tip big at Starbucks! Tell someone how special they are! Talk to the cashier!

To me, encouragement lies in the small things.

Make a difference today!

National Day of Encouragement

Discipleship, Lauds, The Word

Verse for Today

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He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. – Revelation 21:5-7

This was part of my reading today. I don’t know why but I just felt like posting it. We need to be reminded from time to time that Christ is the one who “makes all things new.” I love that his living water is without cost too.

Hope this helps you through the weekend.

Peace.