Category Archives: My Jesus Month

My Jesus Month

The World Hates Your Sabbath

Maybe “hate” is too strong of a word but the world does not get what Sabbath is and they certainly don’t understand why someone would want/need to take one. The world conspires to squelch and subvert the things that it does not understand. The world puts the Sabbath directly in its cross hairs.

Four weekends down. One great Sabbath attempt. Three Sabbath FAILS.

To be fair, I have had four spiritually challenging weekends this month. Looking back there are things that happened that I had no control over and there are things that I wouldn’t have missed out on. I had funerals to attend and a youth conference scheduled, family visits and things that had to take place between sundown Friday and sundown Saturday. I desperately tried to faithfully observe the Sabbath but I became overwhelmed and exhausted in much of my attempts. In fact, almost everything about the Sabbath seemed exhausting to me.

Getting ready for the Sabbath is exhausting. One weekend I was racing the sun as it set. I was in downtown Dallas and was rushing to get home before sundown… on a Friday! I was working twice as hard to prepare for a day of rest.

Keeping the Sabbath is exhausting. Rather than using the day to disconnect from the world in order to connect with family and God I found myself worrying about every action I was taking. “Did that violate the Sabbath?” was a constant question I asked. I focused on the ritual and not the spirit in which it was given.

I was frustrated that I could not observe the Sabbath completely but in the midst of my frustration the words of Jesus burned in my heart.

Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27 TNIV)

The Pharisees had accused Jesus and the apostles of breaking the Sabbath because they were hungry and had taken the grain, broke it up, and ate. They had violated at least one of the 39 activities forbidden on the Sabbath. Jesus tells the Pharisees that the Sabbath is a gift from the Almighty. The Sabbath is not to be our Task Master. The Sabbath works for us.

Despite failing in observing the Sabbath to the letter I did experience moments of great rest and great connection. These moments came when I took Jesus at his word and treated the Sabbath as a gift from God rather than a list of rules. I want to continue attempting to observe the Sabbath in my life after this month is over. As I have experienced it, studied it, and pondered the Sabbath this month the healthiest and holiest approach to the day of rest has to be this:

In observing the Sabbath you are not serving the day itself. You are serving the Creator. He gave you the Sabbath so that you could connect with The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to focus, strengthen, and change you. The Sabbath is for you. Enjoy it.

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.

Discipleship, My Jesus Month, Prayer

My Jesus Month Guidelines

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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!