Monday Morning Preacher: June 30th

Revitalization

        "to impart new life or vigor to: restore to an active or fresh condition"

This week we had another guest speaker; it was Perry’s wife Andrea.  She gave an overview of the Elijah Project: a Bible-based program that she designed to help people address stress and exhaustion in their lives by learning how to rest.  I’ve personally gone through the Elijah Project and have found it to be extremely helpful and encouraging. 

I’ve heard about the importance of rest before both spiritually and physically.  Almost every resource I’ve looked at to help me train for the 100-mile bicycle ride I’ve committed to in September has said something to the effect of “REST as hard as you train”.  The simple truth is our bodies and spirits can only take so much without experiencing crippling fatigue. 

Andrea ended her message by talking about the Lord’s Prayer and how its something most Christians can drone through without much thought.  Like many other beautiful truths, its meaning had lost its vigor and effectiveness by being mindlessly repeated.   Andrea then talked about the reading the same text in a different translation of the Bible.  The “new” voice revealed truth and beauty that had always been there and it seemed to come alive and have new meaning.  It was this illustration that made me realize that the point of rest is to revitalize us, to give us new life and that it isn’t just for our benefit.

I don’t want to be dead and boring to my friends, family, co-workers, and customers like the Lord’s Prayer was to Andrea; I want to be a means by which God reveals His truth and beauty to others. The only way that I can ensure that will not happen is by taking time to rest and be revitalized.

God has some pretty specific and incredibly interesting things to say about how we as humans should find rest and revitalization.  He does not want to tire us out with endless lists of chores and rules, rather, He sent His Son so that we might have abundant life (see John 10:1-21).

The Elijah Project goes through many of these principles and iff you are interested in going through it for yourself all the resources are free online and can be found at

http://www.touchedtwiceunited.org/overview/the-elijah-project/

Monday Morning Preacher: June 23rd

Imago Dei 

This week at Fellowship was a little out of the ordinary.  My friend Jeremiah the “guest speaker” and he did a topical sermon on Baptism (usually Fellowship goes slowly through books as a church: the Book of Acts took us something like 5 years).  To me, Baptism was something that Jesus’ crazy cousin John started right before Jesus' ministry started and that it is now something that Christians just do as part of their faith.  Jeremiah spoke about how Baptism fits into the “Big Story” of God’s interaction with humankind.

That “Big Story” starts with God creating the world and the first humans to live in it.  The idea that stuck in my head throughout the sermon and even after I left the service comes from Genesis account of that creation:

So God created [humans] in his own image, in the image of God he created [them]; male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’

Genesis 1:27-28 ESV

The point is this: ALL humans are created in God’s own image.  I often glance over that phrase and contently think it implies that God looks like a more rotund version of Gandalf without the pointy grey hat or friendly eyes.

What does it actually mean that you and I are created in the image of God?

God’s first command to humans after creating them reveals the first attribute of His imprinted image on us that I’ve been thinking about: authority.  He tells them to fill the world and subdue it; He’s entrusting the world that He just finished creating to them.  Growing up in Catholic School I remember this idea being called “Stewardship” but is synonymous with the more trendy term “Creation Care” used in the circles I find myself in today.  God has given us the task of caring for the earth He created and His image within us helps us do that.

What Adam did in response to God’s command reveals the second attribute that I’ve been thinking about: creativity.  Adam’s first endeavor into bring order to the world around him was naming all of the animals God has created.  Again, this is one of those things I tend to just pass over when I’m reading the Creation Story in Genesis, like it was something that Adam crossed off his “To-Do List” before lunch on the eight day of Earth’s existence.  But think about it: Adam had to come up with original names for everything from baboons and mosquitoes to grasshoppers and aardvarks.  That must have taken A LOT of creative power. 

Adam's naming of the animals is a beautiful image that explains what it means that humankind is created in God’s image.  God has Adam create in response to His own creation: God created the animals and Adam comes up with the names.  There exists a beautiful interconnection between what God is doing on the Earth and what He has humans doing on Earth. He set it up that way from the beginning. Isn’t that awesome!!!

That’s about all I got, this by no means was extensive nor exhaustive, simply a summary of the thoughts that have been rolling around my thought life because of the sermon.

Blog: Resurrected

So, It's been a long time since I've last posted here.  I could give any number of excuses but that really doesn't seem to matter.  I am (once again) hoping to write on a consistent basis.  To  aid me in reaching that goal I've decided to introduce a few "series" into my writing.  Here they are (followed by a brief description of each one):

Monday Morning Preacher: I absolutely love my church! Check it out at fellowshipcf.org.  I'll try to post a link to the podcast early each week with a brief description of my "take away" from the sermon.  Not trying to rewrite or correct anything, just putting what I learned into words.

Spinning Thoughts: I own 6 bikes.  Needless to say I love cycling.  Most days I do all of my commuting on my fixed gear, but this summer I'm learning how to ride trails with my mountain bike and training to ride the Door County Century Ride; its 100 Miles Baby!!! http://www.doorcountycentury.com

I normally have a lot on my mind.  With the amount of riding I do I have plenty of time with my thoughts many of which are informed by the skills and principles I'm learning from cycling.  I hope that by sharing how I've sorted through my own personal quandaries I'll help others through their own.

Tales From Tobacco Outlet

I've worked at the same tobacco/liquor store for 4 years now.  Everyday seems to presents me with some great writing material, some of its serious and some of it is just hilarious, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

God's Story Has No Meaningless Scenes

The first time I watched The Matrix, I saw it at my friend Ben Gamoke’s house.  The people I was watching it with had already seen the movie (some several times), and in an effort to prevent boredom and to not waste time, we skipped forward to Neo’s release from the Matrix.

Although I wouldn’t have admitted it while it was happening, I’ve spent years seeing my life much as that of the first part of The Matrix: something boring to be gotten through in order to see to the good parts; and certainly I lived it that way.

This last week I volunteered to share my testimony at the men's group I attend on Wednesday nights.  However, I was asked to share it in a different way than I had ever shared it before: as a scene in God's story where He is the protagonist instead of myself.  My life then fit into God's story as a smaller anecdote that adds depth to the overall meaning of what is happening.  

As God would have it, during my quiet time on Tuesday, the day that I wrote my testimony, I read Genesis 22:20-24 which tells of the fact that Abraham's brothers started having kids.  At first, it seemed like a rather uneventful side note to what God was doing in the world through the life of Abraham.  Then it hit me: while the passage seemed to be inconsequential to me, God put it in the story for a specific purpose, which is still unknown to me.  GOD'S STORY HAS NO MEANINGLESS SCENES: He uses all things, the good, the bad, the indifferent, for the good of those who love Him and His glory.

As I wrote about memories from my childhood and traumatic experiences from later on in life I realized there is much of my life that I'd like to forget. 

Last Saturday was 5 years to the day since I witnessed a fatal shooting in Costa Rica.  Its a memory I've tried hard to forget.  As i processed through the memory itself and the emotions it brought up I realized that for 5 years I have been blaming myself for that man's death because I had been powerless to keep him from dying.  God then showed me that if it weren’t for that night and the powerlessness I felt in that moment, I would have never started on the path that I'm on of becoming a doctor and having healing be my vocation.

I'm starting to see that God has helped me dream again.  I no longer see myself as a powerless, unlovable, little boy but as a man who has the capacity and ability to be loved and love others.  He’s taking all my memories, even the ones I’d like to forget completely and showing me how they fit into the story of Him redeeming me, my character, and the world that surrounds me to the way He intended them to be.

God's story, including life, has no meaningless scenes.

I never thought I'd end up here

“I never thought I’d end up here”, it’s a phrase spoken by recovering addicts, game-show contestants, lost drivers, and Olympic athletes.  I’ve said it myself more than a few times, and the phrase has been on my mind quite a bit lately.

So, I’m 25 and single.  I just moved into an new apartment, which I’ll be sharing with an 18 and a 19 year old.  I have a Bachelor’s Degree but am back in school.  I’ve been working at a gas station/liquor and tobacco store for 3 years.  I’m applying to Med School for 2013.  I’m overweight.  I’ve fallen in love with cycling.  I wear skinny jeans.  I’m in the middle of the fight to break free of my unhealthy manners of living.  There are many more things I could say about my current state of being and like the things listed above, some would be positive and others negative.  

I've been thinking a lot about where I’d like to be in the future: in a week, in a year, and in a decade.  I certainly don’t want to be 30 and still be single, still working at Tobacco Outlet Plus, still dealing with the same crises of life and faith, still living in Eau Claire, and still just talking about my plans for the future.  Unfortunately, the only motivation to pursue change lately has been that I don’t want things to stay the way they are.

Thoughts of the future are both exciting and intimidating.  I want to get married, have kids, be a pediatrician, serve people with my time and abilities, go on adventures, and start a revolution.  The mere thought of these things put a burning in my chest that is like no other.   They also scare the hell out of me at times when I think about they will require: time, effort, emotion, and sacrifice.

I want to say, “I never thought I’d end up here” on the heels of success, fulfillment, victory, peace, and accomplishment.  To do that I need to dream bigger, catch a vision of my future that will enthrall me, consume my thoughts, set my soul on fire, and inspire my actions.  Dreaming itself is an act of faith: daring to envision the man I am meant to be and the things I'm able to accomplish.

Pursuing those dreams is an even riskier endeavor.  It will be a journey out of my current state of comfort and confidence into great unknown.  It will be fraught with failure and opportunities to give up, settle, and deny the dreams ever existed in the first place.  It’s a ultra-marathon, not a sprint.  It will at times feel like it’s killing me, and in fact it might.


Will I dream big enough to make the struggle worth fighting, the journey worth taking?

Will pursue my dreams with unrelenting passion and commitment, regardless of personal cost? 

Will success and getting “what I want” ultimately be what matters or will it be that I committed to striving for something better instead of resigning to the current state of things? 


This conversation came to mind while I was writing this:

Gandalf:   You’ll have a tale or two to tell when you get back.
Bilbo:        Can you promise that I will come back?
Gandalf:   No.  But if you do, you will not be the same.
--Trailer for the upcoming movie The Hobbit

Dialects

During my recent trip to Honduras I encountered different dialects of the two languages I speak: English and Spanish.  My difficulties, frustrations, and amusements in dealing with linguistic dialects paralleled my experience with the differences how faith in Christ was expressed by the people I met, lived with, and worked alongside of.

Linguistic differences were more entertaining than anything.  To be honest, it took me about a week to acclimate to the Spanish dialect of the area where I worked, and even then there were a few people I couldn’t understand at all.  Not understanding the slang used by locals led another interpreter to believe that there was someone going around one of the villages punching people in the head (“me pega la cabeza” is how they say that they have a headache).  Being from the Midwest adrift in a sea of Southern twang and parlance I felt the need to defend the way I said certain words in English, especially “bag”, “roof”, and “ice”.

The dialects of Christianity that existed in the locals and volunteers I met during my trip were as diverse as the dialects of English one would encounter in the International Terminal of Atlanta Airport.  I spent time with people who I would consider to be “ultra-conservative” (there was a point where I thought my head was going to explode if I had to sit through one more conversation about politics) and others who would be labeled “very liberal” (on one occasion the legalization of marijuana was being discussed over dinner).  While I am certainly more comfortable with the latter dialect of Christianity, as its closer to my own, I was able to understand and respect both ends of the spectrum.  

I need to remind myself that differences in faith, despite some of the frustrations they cause, don’t render others unintelligible or non-functional.  One of the many beauties of Christianity is the fact that we don’t have to vote the same way, read the same translation of the Bible, or agree on which substances are ok to use and which ones are not.  These are minor and unimportant issues that we devote too much of our time and emotions to.

What makes dialects mutually intelligible (and not separate languages) is that they share what’s ultimately important: not lexicons, grammar, or pronunciation, but an appreciation of the common ground shared and a commitment to understand one another.  The differences add variety, beauty, humor, and excitement.

As Christians we share the most important thing ever: Christ Himself.  Despite the differences in faith that I saw during my trip I saw God work in and through the volunteers uniting them in the common purpose of redeeming the world to what He intended it to be.

I’ll Always Be Leaving Somewhere Behind

I’ll always be leaving somewhere behind.  It’s a fact of life that I've yet to come to terms with despite my frequent travels both at home and abroad.

It’s been over two weeks since I’ve returned from a 20-day trip Honduras and I haven’t written a single word about it. 

It’s probably because the transition of returning “home” is always more difficult than leaving it.  It’s more exciting to leave the familiar than to come back to it.  While I can show people pictures and tell them stories of my time away, they can never really understand the experiences I had while we were apart.

In the same manner it’s hard to explain to people where I come from both geographically and historically, especially if there is a great disparity in location and experience.  How can a Sconnie really explain to a Southerner or a Honduran how when the weather is perfect all you need is a sweatshirt and jeans make you feel cozy, or the excitement of Friday night fish-fries, or what the experience of deer camp in the Northwoods is really about.

As hard as it is relating places and customs to those who haven’t experienced them it is even more difficult to explain other people to other people, translating one community to another.  I find myself constantly having to explain the characters in my anecdotes in order to have others understand why a bowl of raisin bran may bring me to tears or why a random movie quote causes minutes uncontrollable laughter.

I don’t know what I’m try to say but I guess I can sum things with quote a wise man who told a friend of mine, “Wherever you go, there you’ll be.”. 

I guess we need to the best we can with that.