And They Glorifed God Through You

Last weekend was a great weekend. We had a weekend long gathering at the church for students. We all hung out together from Friday at 6:00 until Sunday at noon. We slept on the floor (for a couple hours each night), worshiped together, ate together, prayed together, thought and talked about God together. It was pretty intense. Also, it was great to reunite with two former students, Michael and Mary Ashley!

When I was a youth pastor in Dallas, there was this kid named Michael in our student ministry. He was creative, artistic, very entertaining, but confident enough to be a little goofy at times. Another student in our church, Mary Ashley, was quite a unique individual as well. She had a spark. She was full of life and energy. You could almost feel the molecules pinging around her when she entered the room. She was also a wonderful dancer.

Well, these two kids got to know one another, fell in love, and married. After college they decided to take on the world. So they packed up all their things and moved to New York City.

It was so exciting to have them come to our retreat and minister to our students. This was my first opportunity to see them since they married.

Sunday morning we were having our final gathering and Michael, Mary Ashley, and I were in front of the students chatting about faith and the pressure our culture has on young people. Maybe because of the lack of sleep, but I had this verse in my brain I wanted to share but just couldn't upload it to my month. It's a very simple verse. Paul says, "And they glorified God in me." (Galatians 1:24)

God was glorified through Michael and Mary Ashley during our weekend with the students! With so many former students walking away from the faith, it was satisfying to see two who are as passionate as ever about God. Thanks guys! My He continue to glorify himself through you!

Would Jesus Recognize Himself Today?

Matthew 20:17-28

Confession time. Usually I'm very reluctant to tell people about my faith. It's not so much pride or embarrassment as it the feeling that I'm selling them a bill of goods. It's a lot like one time when I started selling this stuff called Juice Plus

Juice Plus was sold via multi-level marketing, so a person couldn't just walk into a store and purchase it. That made me suspicious. Juice Plus claims they can provide benefits such as reducing inoxidative stress and promoting cardiovascular health. I never fully believed the grandiose claims made by the manufacturer and was very reluctant to hit up my friends for $40.00 a month to get on this stuff. I've known distributors who were pulling in lots of money each month. But I couldn't bring myself to promote something I didn't believe in.

Over the month I've been spending a lot of time reading the book of Matthew (see last several posts). My religion doesn't look much like the Kingdom values Jesus shared with his disciples. This truth has been difficult for me to digest.

I like distance running. A piece of my "training" is to run intervals once a week. So most Wednesdays, early in the morning, I can be found running round and round at the local high school track. I hate running on the track. It's boring. I hate running in circles but it's just too convenient. The distances are clearly marked, there are lights, and the track is completely flat. I keep telling myself I'm going to go to the local park where I often run and mark off intervals . But I've put that off for years now.

I feel like I have been running in boring circles in my faith, with little desire to step outside my comfort zone and share Jesus with those who need him most. Maybe it's because I know I don't have complete faith in the Jesus I have to offer people. Will they come to my church and find people more selfish and indulgent them themselves? Will they see that I love my neighbors less than they do? Sure, we may have the story of the gospel correct. We believe Jesus' atonement for our sins. But is the "Jesus" who we have hanging on the cross for our sins also worth the sacrifice of following? Am I willing to lose myself for His sake?

I think the more literally I embrace the person and teachings of Jesus, the more confident I will be to share Him with others. Not because it will be more popular. No, quite the opposite. The real Jesus is not the Jesus of least resistance. Culture mocks Kingdom values. Culture persecutes Kingdom values. Culture abuses and runs over Kingdom values. Culture sees Kingdom values as vices to be disposed off. I must place my trust in Jesus' sacrifice AND in his Kingdom values, for there life to the fullest is found.

"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over their subjects, and their high officials throw their weight around. It's not going to be that way with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave-just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."