God Sized Dreams

For the last few months I have been sharing my thoughts and ideas with you. Now I would like to hear back from you.

What dreams do you have? What are some of the things you want to happen more than anything else? What are somethings that only God could make happen?

We are truly loved!!

I just wanted to let the world know how warm and fuzzy it made Angie and I feel to see this


This was only the beginning of their expressions of love...


Once again. Thank you to all of you who helped out with this. It still brings a big smile to my face.

Reorganizing My Plate

I love the fact that God has called me to be in full-time vocational ministry. I love my job. I love my students. I was thrilled to see that they had "decorated" my house with toilet paper and forks while I was gone to Texas for a week. For the first time in my life I actually look forward to going to work. I love doing it so much that I have had a hard time keeping from being two busy. I have come to realize that I have bitten off a lot more than what God has wanted me to bite off.

This realization first came to the forefront of my mind during a conversation with Mark Lydecker of the North American Mission Board. He basically said that he focuses on about 5 keys things/areas and the rest of it will just have to wait or get done by someone else. From this conversation and others I have concluded that I have a lot more than 5 things on my plate and that I am in serious need to getting rid of those things that are keeping me from being able to focus on what matters most.

Over the next 2 weeks I will be prayerfully considering two major items. First, what are the five basic areas of my life that I need to concentrate on. Second, what 5 areas of student ministry do I need to focus on. Once, I have a clear understanding of these two items I will begin the pruning process. It is my hope that others will begin to step up and continue with those ministries that I will no longer be able to place energy into. As this process begins to unfold more and more I will post updates and keep you informed.

I would also like to challenge you take a long hard look at your own life and ministry. Are there areas that you need to prune? If so why haven't you done it?

Jesus' Sacrifice(s)

Do you know that Jesus continues to give sacrifices to God? I know this may seem like a bit of a stretch but hear me out on this thought.

Hebrews 8:1-3 describes Jesus as a minister and the High Priest of the true tabernacle of God. These passages go on to say that as the High Priest He must have an offering to give. Many people would say that He gave the ultimate offering (His life) and therefore He no others are necessary. I understand this point but I think there is more going on here in these verses.

The picture the writer of Hebrews gives us of Christ is that of a public servant who is currently serving in the true tabernacle. According to the Law as a High Priest He must be giving up sacrifices to God. The passage does not say exactly what sacrifices He must be giving. So may say that if we are following the pattern of sacrifice found in the Old Testament then there are a variety of different things He would be required to do. The text though seems to make it clear that there is a definite distinction between the earthly tabernacle and the Heavenly. This would then mean that the sacrificial system would be different. I personally believe that Jesus' public servanthood (Greek meaning of the word used for minister in verse 2) is His sacrifice. Think about it. He is God! He does not have to serve anyone or anything yet He choses to humble Himself, even in the realm of Heaven, to serve others. Wow! What an amazing thought!

Basics of the Faith

Have you ever considered what are supposed to be the most basic elements of the Christian Faith? I know for me I have always wondered where is the line between the basic course and the advanced course in Christianity. Today, I came across a list in Hebrews 6 that gives us some insight into what are some of the basic tenets of Christian Faith.

According to the author of Hebrews here are the starting points for developing a basic understanding of the Christian Faith:

1. Repentance from works that only lead to death (sin)
2. Faith in God
3. Ceremonial washings, baptism could be included in this
4. Laying on of Hands
5. Resurrection of the Dead
6. Eternal Judgment
   

For me I was surprised to see some of the items on this list included in the basic Christianity Course. To think that my understanding of laying on of hands and baptism should be a part my foundation level understanding of Christianity changes how I look at both my own faith and how I teach others. As a result over the next few weeks I will be taking a look at each one of these areas. It is my hope to to not only more fully develop my own understanding of these issues but to also help other Christians create a more solid foundation for their faith. As I work through some of these issues I would appreciate any thoughts or comments you have. Remember iron sharpens iron.

Changing WIU, Spoon and Macomb

A few weeks back I was asked by the Director of Next Gen Ministries at IBSA to look over some information regarding a possible new strategy of reaching campus. It is essentially, a church planting movement on the campus. Part of me was skeptical at first because I have seen too many college students become involved in a "college" church and then have problems finding a church after graduation.

Today I was reading some more about this idea and some of those who are leading the movement nationally. While I am still in the early stages of learning, I am nonetheless very intrigued. I have read a number of testimonies that have spoken to my heart. They talk about life changing gatherings of students all across the world. The things they testify are the things my dreams are made of. I do not know if this is the specific path God desires for the college ministry here in Macomb but part of me sure hopes it is.

If you have a few minutes take some time and check out this sites and let me know what you think.

http://campuschurch.net/
http://jaesonma.blogspot.com/

Spiritual Maturity

Do you think I sound spiritually mature? Are you spiritually mature?

This are some of the more difficult questions to ask within the church. They are difficult because they require us to make an honest evaluation of ourselves and those around us. So what is the standard for spiritual maturity? Is it Paul? Peter? Noah? Christ?

Simply put it is none of them. Yes, we are called to be like Christ but we can still be spiritually mature without obtaining Christ's spiritual maturity. Yes, we should see Paul, Peter and Noah as spiritually mature but once again we can be spiritualluy mature and not be like them. So how do we know? Believe it or not Scripture gives us some clues about what spiritual maturity looks like.

One such clue is found in Hebrews 5. Here we find that the ability to discern good and evil is a mark of maturity. In essence, the writer is saying to us that when we are able to consistently recognize the lies and deceptions of the Devil then we are showing signs of spiritual maturity. So can you consistently see his lies? If not why not? What is it that is keeping you from growing into maturity?

These same verse in Hebrews also tell us that our maturity is a result of training and practice. The word practice (in the original Greek) means a power or habit acquired through custom or use. To me this says that we need to work at seeing the work of the Devil. Even we do not want to do it we must be working on developing the habit. This same principle applies to other areas of spiritual growth. I know there are days when I do not necessarily want to be in God's word. I have so much that I feel like I have to do that I think "I just do not have the time to do it this morning and besides I have pretty good over the last few weeks, what is one missed day.." Well, if I allow myself to fall into this trap then one day becomes two and then three and then four.... While, I do not always follow my own advice I work hard at continuing in certain habits (i.e. reading God's word or praying for others) even when I do not want because I know that through these kinds of exercises I will be able to develop some spiritual maturity. What are some habits that you have that help you develop spiritual maturity? What safeguards do you have in your life to protect those habits?

And yes I would like for your to leave your answers to these questions in the comments section. :)