Reflecting on a Day Away

It has been a bit of a crazy weekend. Today, Monday, I decided to take the day and recharge a bit and get ready to head into this next season of the year and the next set of challenges, lessons and divine appointments. While I noticed myself being quite lazy in the morning, I recognized a couple of things that need to become more regular in my life and probably lend themselves to this Wednesday's message.

1. Sometimes sleeping in, waking up to loud, extremely loud, worship music is exactly what I need to recharge my batteries. It was pretty nuts to wake up to Salvation is Here and remember the truth that today, everyday, Salvation has been offered to me because He poured out his life for mine.

2. Spiritual retreat days need to be better planned out. Not that every detail needs to be planned out, but waking up whenever I want, turning the TV on and watching Law & Order Reruns and eating nothing good for me, are clearly not ways to reconnect to Jesus. God has still revealed some things to me, but it may not be the best strategy to clear my mind to focus on him.

3. I need to be vigilant in making days like these realities in my routine. I don't want to be that guy that can't be flexible, but I am positive that I need to be able to spend an entire day, regularly, with My Lord. I mean come on, if I had a girlfriend/wife/significant other, they would probably get more than just a day a month. Seems pretty logical and smart to spend AT LEAST a day with Jesus pretty regularly.

All in all, today has been a good day. I'm off to spend some time with a great friend over dinner. It is going to be a great way to end the day.

Wow! What a day today!

So, while the preparation for this event was a little bit of a firestorm, the Kids in Need Hoops of Hope event in conjunction with Upward was a huge success! 150 Junior High and Senior High students volunteered over 719 hours to prepare and execute the event for a little over 200 Upward participants to shoot 44,114 shots and raise $14,000 for the 1.6 million HIV/AIDS Orphans that reside in Sub-Saharan Africa. Those 44,114 shots represent the number of kids who will lose one or both of their parents due to HIV/AIDS in a little over 7 days. It is so awesome to see what happens when everybody does a little and shows the world, or Nappanee, what can happen when people GIVE SACRIFICIALLY after they GAIN AWARENESS.
This is the coolest picture of a creative piece that students did to represent 2 days worth of orphans.

All in all, this was a pretty stellar event. More photos are below:

Stress. Sleep. Simplicity.

Today is probably going to give me a heart attack or a stroke. Probably both if my mind was the only thing that was running this ship. I have this funny thing that I do when I get stressed that doesn't even come close to helping the situation at all. I tend to take on the things that I should probably delegate and dump things on people that shouldn't be dumped. It is something that I'm working through and have definitely learned through this event. All in all, I know that I have done that leading up to this weekend and it isn't healthy, good, or anything I want to repeat.

I will say this planning for Hoops of Hope (or lack thereof, depending on who you are reading this) has been very challenging, very overwhelming, caused some deprivation of sleep, and has very much been a growth period for me. In the end, I'm going to have to beg for some grace from many people, learn from my dominating character and recognize that I'm working with people not pawns.

All that to say, somewhere in this ball of stress, I am quite excited for this weekend. Hoops of Hope has the potential to help thousands of orphans in Africa and it involves a ton of people for the cause. Upward participants get to be a part of something much bigger than themselves and we get to see students multiplying themselves in those participants.

I am also speaking at my first genuine retreat this weekend (Great planning on my part, I know.). I am excited to connect with the Effect and allow God to use me to bring truth in the next three days. It should prove to be a very good retreat and I am excited to see the ways that God moves.

In the end, everything is quite simple. Today and tomorrow will need much prayer from myself as well as all the people who ever read these comments. Pray for Leadership, Discernment, Obedience, but most of all, the willingness to do it God's way in this weekend.

Grace is the thing that drives us...and Tonight!

I am so excited because of some of the things that God is teaching me. As of late, and as a byproduct of the series that we are working through, God has been teaching me new and awesome things about the Grace that He offers and the freedom and empowerment that He freely offers through that Grace.

So often, I have put so many strings on my faith. I have created this misnomer that if I accept Christ, I have to be the pastor that He has called me to be. If I am going to be a true follower of Christ, I need to look like Francis Chan, Kory Lantz, Dave Engbrecht, Terry Bley, Derry Prenkert, John Piper, Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin and Matt Metzger in order to justify my faith in Him. Not that those aren't great examples of living out the calling on their lives and passionately pursuing Christ, but that's not what I was doing. The point of all this will get worked out tonight, but a glimpse looks like this: I am His workmanship.

I'm not saved because I look like a bunch of other people that have a different race to run. As a matter of fact, I am only saved because He chose to save me and offer that salvation to me if I choose to accept it. The point is that if I truly understand what this means, I recognize the urgency to which I need to complete the work that He has already set before me. It looks a lot like this:

God has saved me through Grace
Grace is offered to all people who accept Him as Lord and Savior
To call Him Lord and Savior means to complete the plans He lays before us
 God has already laid the plans for my life.

That is so cool when you consider that there is nothing that I have to try and "figure out" when it comes to what to do next. The plans are already laid. My Future is Secure! It is my desire, because of this Grace, to pursue the plans that He has for me and strain towards the goal which is Jesus.

Tonight, we will work through some of that and more. Needless to say, I'm getting pretty excited for tonight.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10

Just when you thought it was all about the game...

You should check out this story in the South Bend Tribune. It made front page and is the Glory of God fulfilled in some of His people. It just so happens that the guy who is on the front page is a great friend of mine. Anyway. Check it out.

Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
-Matthew 25:34-40

Like Water off a Duck's Back and Sunday Rundown

This weekend marked the halfway mark of the most unwisely planned two weeks of my life. About a month ago, planning ahead seemed like it was going to be a typical occurrence and that everything would fall in it's place really well and I wouldn't be very stressed because I would have done plenty of due diligence on the things that needed to happen ahead of time.

Needless to say, this week has revealed some of the stress that comes in when you have good intentions but don't allow for those good intentions to become realities. And as much as I would have desired to complain, I thrive on the drive of "having to make the time that I have, work." While this isn't a principle that I want to live my life by, it has worked for me before and seems to be part of my makeup in some cases.

All in all, there were some real bright spots that I wanted to highlight.

Pastor Don in the Box

I have had limited contact with this guy in comparison to some of the pastors on staff here at NMC, but man was he annointed on Sunday. We are in the midst of a series that focuses on Jeremiah 29:10b-14a, a passage that could easily get filed under the "Yep heard that one, filed it, feels good" message genre. But there was something about this weekend. Don really brought it. While focusing on Jeremiah 29:10-11, we are reminded that our Future is Secure. I don't think that I have totally grasped that entirely. I want to say that I do believe it and it is in my heart, but sometimes it is hard to truly assert that as I process through my life and try and bring some sane explanation for everything that I have been through and what God is taking me through. Thanks for your obedience, Pastor Don.

What is Justice? Class

Last week in this class we covered the topic of Oppression. It sparked many fires as we began to realize some of the realities that we live in a world that is rampant with oppression from many different oppressors. We even begin to see how maybe we are part of the oppressors genre of people in the world. It has made us consider how we live our lives. I know that I am personally convicted to live differently because of the truth that God has revealed to us in the moment of recognizing how important it is that we find ways to live and fight for Justice in this world. 

IMPACT:2010 Mexico Team

Sunday marked the first meeting for our team that will leave for Mexico in June to work with Kids in Need and the people of El Millon. I am so excited about what God is going to do with these 14 students. Not to mention, I get to lead with 3 of the finest leaders on the face of the planet. This meeting was inspiring to me. I was so pumped to see the level of opennes in even this first meeting. Be praying for this group as they continue to bond and be opened to the things that god has for them in this time.

Junior Guys Small Group
Sunday was rounded out by spending a couple hours with the small group that I am apart of with Junior Guys. We grilled Tim. He loved it. We loved it. I have been so blessed to see how this group has bonded and come together as a group. Even after adding a couple guys at the semester break, this group has continued to grow. This Sunday we were in Crazy Love chapter 4: Profile of the Lukewarm. This is a challenging chapter and Francis really brought it. This is the second time I have read through the book and I am so challenged even in this reading! I am very thankful for the faithfulness of Francis to obey the words that God has given him. 

All in all...
it was a great Sunday for me. I ended the night with some great friends and good discussion about life. God is really using each of these guys to change some of my perspectives and refine me in my view of many things. I can be so narrow sometimes, especially when I think I have things figured out. I'm excited for what this week holds!

What a week...

Met some New People 
I was so pumped this week to meet some new people! I saw some great guys from Wawasee that I had never seen at NMC before! Shout out to Justin and Keegan cause they are sweet and Justin can sing the roof off the place and I met Keegan when I was umpiring one of his baseball games last year or so.
 

Ministry Firsts
This was the first week that Derry has been out of the office and I had to coordinate all things Senior High. Ok, clearly not everything, because of the amazing Kristy Mikel, however, of the things that we usually do on Wednesday Night or Sunday morning, I was the only one doing those things. Needless to say, I think I have grown up so much in this week. I'm not really sure that I could pinpoint one thing that I have learned, but I am positive of one thing; I think I could make it. See, the biggest thing that I lack is confidence in being able to do things of excellence. I am always second guessing myself and trying to make excuses as to why I'm not good enough for something or someone. (This is not a pity party, just a recognition of growth in this week.) Whether it is the position that I have been graciously afforded at this church, or the place that I find myself intellectually, I have always found reasons why I'm not good enough.

Coming into this week, I had always had someone to defer to when it came to making decisions and working through tough situations. Whether it was Chris Lehane last year in Junior High, or Mark Lantz when I was at BC Athletics, or Derry since being here at NMC in the Senior High; someone else was always the responsible party. All that said, I am still not the desk where the buck stops, nor have I even moved into a broader range of responsibility when it comes to calls in our ministry, but I have felt the weight of being the only one here and having to make judgment calls on how we do things WITHOUT the counsel of a seasoned pastor across the hall.

Personal Revelation
This week has also been a huge moment of growth spiritually. I have had my definition of Grace defined, redefined and redefined again through my study of Grace and paying attention to Grace in my life. It is funny, I have preached in the past two weeks on the need for us to stop backing out of Hell and start running toward Heaven, but I'm not sure that this notion has transcended into my own life. Well, I think that I am going to be putting my foot down.



A Beautiful Collision
This all comes at a very opportune moment for me and my walk with Christ. In recognizing my insecurities and my doubts and second-guesses of myself and my abilities, I choose Grace. In understanding what it takes to be able to strain toward the prize which is promised for me in Heaven, I choose Grace. In continuing to learn what it means to holistically follow after Christ and to be more like Him in everything that I do, I choose Grace.

I choose Grace because it is freely offered to me.
I choose Grace because it erases my past and turns me toward Today.
I choose Grace because it is the only way that I will be able to be with Jesus.
I choose Grace because without it, I am nothing and capable of anything that pleases the Father.
I choose Grace because He chose me; on the cross; without hesitation; with determination and conquered Death so that my sin would be condemned, even before I was born.
I choose Grace because it is the single, most important piece of my effort to run the race that is set before me.

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 2:12-14

Tonight and a number of things...

Tonight we continue to venture into the depths of salvation and the aspect of GRACE. What does GRACE do in our lives? I'm really excited about tonight and the freedom that I feel God is calling us to experience.

Along the same lines, yesterday, I took a quick, informal poll of the people who happened to be in the Student Ministries Office at the time on how they would describe GRACE in one word or phrase. I was struck by one of the responses that came from a number of people; FREE. I think that it is interesting that we call it a free thing. I guess as I continue to study GRACE, I am struck by the cost that it took to make it free for me. As my former economics teacher used to say, "There's no such thing as a free lunch." Of course he was referencing the Law of Scarcity in Economics, however, I see a law of scarcity evident in the economics of grace. Grace isn't free. It's incredibly deep cost was paid for by a being that was completely and utterly perfect in character and nature. It was a debt that was covered by the One who had no debt. Have we forgotten that cost as we consider Grace? Have we forgotten the price that had to be paid, in order for us to recognize a true, redemptive relationship with Jesus Christ and God our Father that includes a connection with the Holy Spirit?

I realize that I am on a bit of a soapbox with that, but even the interchangeable words of "free" and "gift" completely change the context of Grace. Reasons for why we don't see a gift as something more profound can be explained in many ways, but I am convinced that we need to begin to see Grace as something that is given to us. Paul explained to Timothy that "the grace of our Lord was poured out on me..." and that it came from his faith and love in Jesus Christ. This grace is given to us because of a cost. I pray that I continue to see that revelation in my life.

In other news, a friend of mine just recently found out that her dad is going to be entering a battle for his life as he is going up against cancer. He went in today for biopsies to see how advanced the cancer is and where to go from here. As my mom marks one year of clean tests and no cancer, would you lift up my friend's dad? As we celebrate a year of victory over this dreaded disease, would you celebrate in prayer? Thanks.

See you tonight!

Today

Today (Tuesday) is the day that we, as a staff get together for staff meeting. Recently, we decided to move our Youth Pastors meetings to Tuesdays, for a time, as well. All in all, this means a long morning of meetings. I must say, while I enjoy being caught up on the latest news and notes and events that are taking place here at NMC, today feels like one of those days that I could really use some time to get going on the projects facing me and the things that I need to get done. (And to all the critics out there, I have 9 minutes till the first meeting.)

But, I'm reminded this morning that there are moments when there are things that I don't really want to do, but I need to do them if I want to be able to remain vigilant to complete the vision laid before me. Take it to a personal level. I don't wake up every morning and always desire, with everything in me, to read my Bible. I'm tired, still waking up, my eyes aren't adjusted, etc. But I do want to remain vigilant in knowing my God more each day and the best way to do that is to start my day in His Word.

I wonder what tasks are you going to have to complete today that you don't really want to do but you need to do?

What a crazy couple of days!

I have been so swamped lately! I am beginning to feel like I am right in the thick of things here at NMC. What's more is how God is teaching me in the midst of the craziness. My days in the office seem to fly by and yet God still teaches. Pretty sweet.

I am reminded this week that I have to be able to put priority on the more urgent matters that are pressing for my time. When it comes down to it, what is going to happen tomorrow is much more important than anything that is going to happen next week. I need to be diligent in making "tomorrow" things happen on time and "next week" things happen next week.

I have never been more busy with things in my life and yet, I find myself pressing further into His Love and Grace. It's only in those moments that I can find true peace in the hustle and bustle.

Just some thoughts for the dedicated readers! After this little rainstorm, I'll be back to more regular blogging. Until then, pray for strength and commitment to His cause. Woohoo! :)