A living kingdom

I wanted to share with you a passage from The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer that I came across this past week:

One of the greatest hindrances to internal peace which the Christian encounters is the common habit of dividing our lives into two areas, the sacred and the secular.
…Our trouble springs from the fact that we who follow Christ inhabit at once two worlds, the spiritual and the natural.
This tends to divide our total life into two departments. We come unconsciously to recognize two sets of actions. The first are performed with a feeling of satisfaction and a firm assurance that they are pleasing to God. These are the sacred acts and they are usually thought to be prayer, Bible reading, hymn singing, church attendance and such other acts as spring directly from faith. They may be known by the fact that they have no direct relation to this world, and would have no meaning whatever except as faith shows us another world, “a house not made with human hands, eternal in the heavens.”
Over against these sacred acts are the secular ones. They include all of the ordinary activities of life which we share with the sons and daughters of Adam: eating, sleeping, working, looking after the needs of the boy and performing our dull and prosaic duties here on earth. These we often do reluctantly and with many misgivings, often apologizing to God for what we consider a waste of time and strength. The upshot of this is that we are uneasy most of the time. We go about our common tasks with a feeling of deep frustration, telling ourselves pensively that there’s a better day coming when we shall slough off this earthly shell and be bothered no more with the affairs of this world.
…Let us think of a Christian believer in whose life the twin wonders of repentance and the new birth have been wrought. He is now living according to the will of God as he understands it from the written Word. Of such a one it may be said that every act of life is or can be as truly sacred as prayer or baptism or the Lord’s Supper. To say this is not to bring all acts down to one level; it is rather to lift every act up into a living kingdom and turn the whole life into a sacrament.

May God challenge us with these words and may we find a deeper understanding of what it means to have faith and be a follower of Jesus in this world and at this time.

shine!
Jason

A new language

I had to share this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer:

“All Christian thinking, speaking, and organizing must be born anew… The day will surely come when humankind will once more be called to so utter the Word of God that the world will be changed and renewed by it. It will be a new language perhaps quite non-religious but liberating and redeeming as was Jesus’ language. It will shock people and yet overcome them by its power.”

The world will go on

Last week I took three days to spend at home with my family. For the most part, I avoided email, Facebook, texting, and all of my other distractions. It was nice to just take a break and “get away.”
I don’t do this enough, and if most of you are honest, neither do you. We are surrounded by a world that clamors for our attention.
Phone calls.
Text messages.
Emails.
Television shows.
Billboards.
Commercials.
The calls for our focus are endless, and in the end, we might end up focusing on nothing at all.
Even Jesus struggled with this. He always had someone who wanted to get healed, ask Him a question, or follow Him around. After the feeding of the 5,000, He managed to find a chance to rest.
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. (Matthew 14:22-23)
We would do well to follow Jesus’ example. What are some ways we can find rest?
Turn off your cell phone and/or stop texting, especially when it’s time to sleep.
Dedicate certain days or evenings to avoid the internet, television, or even listening to your iPod.
Find a day to go somewhere as a family without any distractions. In the summer, a water park could be a great option. You can’t take any technology with you in the water, so it is a natural way to get away from electronics. You could also find a park, leave your phone in the car, and go for a walk.
If the Son of God felt it was important to have time away, shouldn’t it be important for us? If the world can carry on while God is taking a break, I think it can survive without us for a few hours.

shine!
Jason

Simplify

Today at my retreat, I have been challenged to begin simplifying my life. I have already taken my first step.
I am an admitted iPhone addict (technology addict in general). My phone often distracts me in conversations and other contexts that require my full attention. At the break, I changed the setting on my phone so that when I switch to silent my phone will no longer vibrate. My phone was set to vibrate when it was in silent mode and that vibration would distract me.
In the words of Randy Harris, who is speaking to us today, I want to be "fully present to the people in front of me and to God." I believe this is a step towards realizing that in my life.

shine!
Jason

More than a feeling

Love. It is the topic of countless stories. It is the theme of many songs. There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of movies built around the idea of love.
So why is love such a significant part of the human experience?
Consider what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13. You may have read this or heard it hundreds of times. But take time to read it carefully and answer the questions I have inserted…
Love is patient and kind. Am I?
Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Am I?
It does not demand its own way. Do I?
It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. Am I?
It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Do I?
Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Do I?
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
Did you stop to consider the question at the end of each line? If not, stop, go back up there, and read each line. Then ask yourself each of those questions.
Because this passage is so familiar to us, we often glance over it and miss the power behind the words.
The same is true with our understanding and approach to love. We have been so immersed in a culture that tells us so many lies about love and redefines what the word means.
To our culture today, love means I get what I want if you love me. Love means that we have sex because we are attracted to each other, not to seal a life-long covenant between two individuals. It means that I set aside all reason and chase an emotion.
True love, the kind that Creator God embodies and envisions for each of us, has been pushed into a corner. Rather than love being an unconditional, unselfish commitment to others, it has become an excuse to follow our passions and pursue our own interests. It has been used to give us permission to follow our desires and often ignore what is best for others and in the long run. Maybe we would do well to seek out love from God’s perspective and make that the definition of love that we live by.

shine!
Jason

Cincinnati Recap

Wow! What a week!
Due to very limited internet access, I was not able to post a blog during our mission trip to Cincinnati, so here is a recap of our week...
Monday was primarily a day of travel as we loaded everyone up in the vans and drove to the camp where we would be staying for the week. After our arrival and unloading we went to downtown Cincinnati for Donatos pizza and a Cincinnati Reds game. The Reds, of course, lost. ;-)
Tuesday we awoke to the sounds of thunder and heavy rainfall. Our first stop was the CUMO (Cincinnati Urban Ministry Outreach) church, where we set up for our VBS. It rained most of the day and after handing out flyers in the rain and hanging out at the community center we headed back to the church. We were ready and waited to see who would show up. You could sense the disappointment when only around a dozen children showed up. However, our students keep their chins up and made it a great time for those who came.
Wednesday morning was spent seeing a movie and grabbing lunch at Johnny Rockets before another afternoon at the community center. With the nicer weather, there were many more children at the community center. We also decided to go out and hand out pamphlets again. We weren't sure what to expect after such a small turn out the night before. This time, we ended up having seventy-five children show up for our VBS. After a fairly easy and laid-back night on Tuesday, Wednesday provided a real challenge. In spite of the craziness of so many children, many of whom come from homes with little structure or discipline, our students adjusted and did a good job.
On Thursday, Pat took us to a park down by the Ohio River for a few hours to eat lunch. People engaged in a variety of activities, including football, volleyball, and renting bikes to ride around. Then we went back to the center for another afternoon with the children. By now you could see that our team and the children were really starting to bond. That night we had eighty-five people show up for VBS. Our students made a lot of adjustments and they did a fabulous job. It was really exciting to see the students learning and adapting. It was a great night!
Friday morning we went to the Creation Museum. It was an interesting day since there was a group of approximately 200 atheists visiting the museum. Some of our students had conversations with some of the atheists. While there were a few of the atheists who made snide comments, overall there were no real problems. After the museum, we went to the community center for our last afternoon there. It is always a joy to see our students interacting with the children. They laugh. They play. Piggyback rides. Basketball. Our students show them love in a way that many of these children may not see the rest of the year.
Friday night's VBS was our biggest of the week with ninety-one children in attendance. The team did a great job and they ended the week on a high note. God was certainly at work throughout the week and everyone did a great job leading groups and teaching classes.
Saturday was our reward for a week of hard work. We headed to King's Island for a day of roller coasters and fun. We got into the park and everyone went off in their groups. While we were at the park, seven students and I were in line for a ride when one of the riders experienced a serious health problem. At first, we weren't sure what was going on. We stood there for a few minutes until medics arrived and we were sent back through the line with everyone else waiting for the ride.
The experience had a significant impact on those who were in line with me as well as a few other students waiting for us by the exit. A little later, we gathered everyone and left the park to get dinner at Cici's. After dinner, we headed back to the camp to debrief. It was truly a blessing to have Dave Palmer as a part of our team. He helped walked our group through a time of processing. Dave met with me and the other students directly impacted by what happened. Other students who were affected indirectly spent time with our other adults. The other students who were not impacted had time to go to their cabins and begin packing. Following the debriefing time, we gathered everyone back together for a time of prayer before going to bed. I was so impressed with our entire team of chaperones and the way they responded to minister to students in need.
Sunday morning we woke up, cleaned up the camp, loaded our stuff up, and headed up to breakfast at Sonic. After enjoying a delicious breakfast, we headed off to CUMO for worship. Worship started around 11:30am and lasted until around 2:30pm. It never seemed like three hours and the Spirit was moving among us. Our time together included singing, praying, testimonies, and more. God is obviously working in Pat and the group that meets there. Following worship we enjoyed a final meal together and started the journey home.
We arrived at 250 West Avon to find a church full of parents waiting to see their children. We all gathered in the auditorium to thank the team and present awards to the students as well as a gift to the adults. The night ended with the baptisms of three of our students. Kylie Cohu, Kaitlyn Butka, and Emily Martinko dedicated their lives to God and were baptized into Christ. What a great ending to a great week of Kingdom work!!!

shine!
Jason

Every opportunity

When we think of teaching, we often think of classrooms, desks, and lectures. The reality is that all of life is filled with teaching. The things we say. The way we act. The attitudes we display. For anyone who is watching, we are serving as a teacher.
The apostle Paul wrote the following…
So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 5:15-20)
Paul was reminding us that every moment is a chance to learn, and a chance to teach. We must make the most of every opportunity not only for our benefit, but for those around us as well.
Paul also wrote the following to his “son in the faith” Timothy…
Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.
For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.
But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don’t be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at telling others the Good News, and fully carry out the ministry God has given you. (2 Timothy 4:2-5)
Every situation is an opportunity to teach others about God. Whether at school, at home, or at the mall, we must remember that our ministry is to share God’s message and love with the world. What are you teaching through your life?

shine!
Jason