Hey everyone... Just a quick note about holding fast to belief in Jesus as the only way to God. I saw this post on Mark Driscoll's profile and thought it was worthy of posting in a sustaining fashion, thus prompting me to write this as a "note" and not just a status update. Anyhoo, I told you it was short, and it is, so here you go:
Atheist Christopher Hitchens debating a Unitarian minister, “I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.”
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Prayer of Jabez???
Perhaps you've heard of the prayer of Jabez phenomenon that went on a few years ago. It seemed to take the "christian" world by storm! I think it started as a good thing, a prayer to increase your influence for Jesus, but I fear it began to take the form of the "prosperity gospel" crap that is still so prevalent today.
If we are going to pray about our situation(s) and so on, allow me to offer another perspective than that of what the "Prayer of Jabez" ended up as.
Consider David. Yeah, David. The King who danced around in his underwear in front of the entire congregation of Israel while his wife told him he was an idiot. The same guy who got mixed up with adultery and then murdered the woman's husband for fear of being caught (as luck would have it he got a son out of the deal anyway!). The same guy whom his predecessor, King Saul (the 1st King of Israel given by God... much to God's dismay...), chased through the wilderness and in and out of caves because Saul was apparently a little punch-drunk on his own self-righteousness and thought David was conspiring against him. And YES... the same David who, through all of this, God stills says that he is a man after God's own heart.
Though he failed throughout his life (repeatedly & admittedly), David still saw God as his greatest treasure and hope, and ultimately his strength, guide, and deliverer. Even though life was brutal for David at times, sometimes his doing & sometimes not, he truly, throughout his life, clung to Yaweh. And ultimately, when David prayed, his heart was revealed and we see that he loved God above all else. Sure, there were times in his life that he loved himself more, but ultimately he loved Yaweh God.
So, in light of his many prayers, and of his many persecutions, allow me to offer up the thought that we need not pray for a new BMW, a new house, a million bucks, faster internet, an amazing retirement, or even for life to magically just get better. Rather, we should pray for God to direct our paths so that we may be able to walk with him and bring glory to his Name and Kingdom. David illustrates how to pray, with the right spirit/heart, for deliverance from rough situations:
"To you O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!
Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For YOUR NAME'S SAKE, O LORD (Yaweh), pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you..."
Psalm 25:1-21
If we are going to pray about our situation(s) and so on, allow me to offer another perspective than that of what the "Prayer of Jabez" ended up as.
Consider David. Yeah, David. The King who danced around in his underwear in front of the entire congregation of Israel while his wife told him he was an idiot. The same guy who got mixed up with adultery and then murdered the woman's husband for fear of being caught (as luck would have it he got a son out of the deal anyway!). The same guy whom his predecessor, King Saul (the 1st King of Israel given by God... much to God's dismay...), chased through the wilderness and in and out of caves because Saul was apparently a little punch-drunk on his own self-righteousness and thought David was conspiring against him. And YES... the same David who, through all of this, God stills says that he is a man after God's own heart.
Though he failed throughout his life (repeatedly & admittedly), David still saw God as his greatest treasure and hope, and ultimately his strength, guide, and deliverer. Even though life was brutal for David at times, sometimes his doing & sometimes not, he truly, throughout his life, clung to Yaweh. And ultimately, when David prayed, his heart was revealed and we see that he loved God above all else. Sure, there were times in his life that he loved himself more, but ultimately he loved Yaweh God.
So, in light of his many prayers, and of his many persecutions, allow me to offer up the thought that we need not pray for a new BMW, a new house, a million bucks, faster internet, an amazing retirement, or even for life to magically just get better. Rather, we should pray for God to direct our paths so that we may be able to walk with him and bring glory to his Name and Kingdom. David illustrates how to pray, with the right spirit/heart, for deliverance from rough situations:
"To you O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!
Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
For YOUR NAME'S SAKE, O LORD (Yaweh), pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses. Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you..."
Psalm 25:1-21
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Perspective
"I'll bring the Perspective..."
I was watching one of my favorite animated movies the other day and a line from it stuck out to me in a spiritual way. This is not a normal occurrence, but I figured it was timely given that I had just watched/listened to a sermon out of Mars Hill Church in Seattle called "Humble Christians" (by Mark Driscoll). I can't remember the line from Ratatouille word for word, but it's the part where the food critic Ego comes into Gustav's restaurant for his "final" review. If you don't know the part that I'm talking about I'll explain a little.
The premise of the movie is that a young, out of luck, not good at much human kid is struggling to find his place in life. There is also a parallel storyline where a young rat (literally) is struggling to chase his passions for cooking rather than giving in to the "normal" rat way of just eating garbage. The human kid, and the rat kid, eventually meet up and team up through some random happenstance stuff. The rat is truly the great cook, and the kid just begins to get credit for the cooking because... well, let's face it, a rat cooking in a kitchen is not exactly the chef that humans expect and/or want. So, more funny and random events happen and the movie boils down to this food critic, named Ego, entering the restaurant and challenging the kid to make him something amazing (because, for the movie's sake, Ego's opinion is the only one that matters).
So, now we're at the crux of the movie and the waiter asks what Ego would like to order; Ego replies, "Perspective." Of course the waiter looks at him dumbfounded wondering what he wants (because obviously "perspective" isn't on the menu) and he fumbles all over himself. Ego then goes on to clarify, becoming somewhat miffed at the incompetent waiter, "Very well... if you can't provide the perspective then have the chef serve me something, if he dares, and I'll provide the perspective..." Again, this is loosely quoted, but this isn't my main point.
The main point I'm trying to make is this: "What is the perspective in our life? How do we view life?"
As believers, do we worry about what we're doing? About doing the right things? About doing the wrong things? Do we ask questions like: What do I need to do to get to heaven? OR Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?
I'm writing this message to make a point, and I promise I'm getting there. Are you ready for it? Are you ready, Christian, to know what point I'm wanting to make? Have you figured out my point yet? Ok... here goes... here it is... are you ready?
THIS LIFE IS NOT ABOUT YOU, OR ME, OR US; IT IS TOTALLY, SOLELY, COMPLETELY, ENTIRELY, AND ETERNALLY ABOUT GOD'S GLORY & HIS KINGDOM!
This is a concept that I usually sum up with two words: KINGDOM PURPOSE (or Kingdom Mindset).
How does this apply to our lives? How do we get there? Well, I’m a baseball player so I’ll start with a baseball analogy... When a baseball player goes up to the plate thinking “don’t strike out” or “make sure you hit the ball” or “hit a home run” or something to that effect, the plate appearance usually ends badly. Rather, when you get up to the plate thinking about how you can best facilitate your team gaining advantage things usually go better, and things tend to be simpler. The thoughts change to be more like “just punch the ball through on the right side” or “hit a ground ball to the right side” or “I should bunt because there are runners on 1st & 2nd with no outs, and that’ll move them around.” See, you start to think with a greater purpose than just your stat line. Instead of worrying about your batting average, or how many home-runs you do or don’t have, you start to think about what is best for your team gaining advantage. It’s all about how you perceive the situation and the game.
The game of life isn’t a lot different. In fact, I might even go as far as to say life is slightly more important that baseball (*sarcasm*), but we can certainly learn from our national pastime. In our lives we tend to focus so much on “me” or “us” and it suffocates what our perception should be. Rather than thinking about the steps we can take, or how to remedy a situation on/in our own power, we should begin with focusing on Jesus. Even more so, we should think with Kingdom purpose. How does this effect the team I’m on. Oh, and by the way, the “team” we’re on is Jesus’ team, and the goal isn’t to win the game per say (because He has already conquered sin & death) but to make His Name great and to work for His kingdom! Rather than asking the question “how do I fix my situation?” we MUST start with “how does/can/will God receive the most glory?”
Ultimately, it truly is a matter of perspective. I wish we would just get over ourselves, get off our high horse, and get real! God created us, we didn't create Him. God created the Earth and everything in/on it. Who are we to think that we matter MORE than He does? I'm not saying we completely ignore our situations or anything because, in fact, if we don't take care to watch what we do (and the way we live our lives) we don't bring God glory. We have been given one life, one body, one set of Earthly family, and the Bible clearly tells us to take care of those things. But how do we best "take care" of those things? What does God say about that? The answer is Himself! He is how our life finds fulfillment. HE is best for us. Jesus, God's plan of salvation, is best for us! God already knows hat we need and how we are most satisfied, and it's in close communion with Him, and by following Jesus' example and making much of Him! When we seek Jesus, when our life's decisions revolve around God's Kingdom first and foremost, He is most glorified and we are most satisfied.
So, what's our perspective? Does our thought pattern revolve around us (most likely), or does it revolve around making much of Jesus and His Kingdom?
I was watching one of my favorite animated movies the other day and a line from it stuck out to me in a spiritual way. This is not a normal occurrence, but I figured it was timely given that I had just watched/listened to a sermon out of Mars Hill Church in Seattle called "Humble Christians" (by Mark Driscoll). I can't remember the line from Ratatouille word for word, but it's the part where the food critic Ego comes into Gustav's restaurant for his "final" review. If you don't know the part that I'm talking about I'll explain a little.
The premise of the movie is that a young, out of luck, not good at much human kid is struggling to find his place in life. There is also a parallel storyline where a young rat (literally) is struggling to chase his passions for cooking rather than giving in to the "normal" rat way of just eating garbage. The human kid, and the rat kid, eventually meet up and team up through some random happenstance stuff. The rat is truly the great cook, and the kid just begins to get credit for the cooking because... well, let's face it, a rat cooking in a kitchen is not exactly the chef that humans expect and/or want. So, more funny and random events happen and the movie boils down to this food critic, named Ego, entering the restaurant and challenging the kid to make him something amazing (because, for the movie's sake, Ego's opinion is the only one that matters).
So, now we're at the crux of the movie and the waiter asks what Ego would like to order; Ego replies, "Perspective." Of course the waiter looks at him dumbfounded wondering what he wants (because obviously "perspective" isn't on the menu) and he fumbles all over himself. Ego then goes on to clarify, becoming somewhat miffed at the incompetent waiter, "Very well... if you can't provide the perspective then have the chef serve me something, if he dares, and I'll provide the perspective..." Again, this is loosely quoted, but this isn't my main point.
The main point I'm trying to make is this: "What is the perspective in our life? How do we view life?"
As believers, do we worry about what we're doing? About doing the right things? About doing the wrong things? Do we ask questions like: What do I need to do to get to heaven? OR Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?
I'm writing this message to make a point, and I promise I'm getting there. Are you ready for it? Are you ready, Christian, to know what point I'm wanting to make? Have you figured out my point yet? Ok... here goes... here it is... are you ready?
THIS LIFE IS NOT ABOUT YOU, OR ME, OR US; IT IS TOTALLY, SOLELY, COMPLETELY, ENTIRELY, AND ETERNALLY ABOUT GOD'S GLORY & HIS KINGDOM!
This is a concept that I usually sum up with two words: KINGDOM PURPOSE (or Kingdom Mindset).
How does this apply to our lives? How do we get there? Well, I’m a baseball player so I’ll start with a baseball analogy... When a baseball player goes up to the plate thinking “don’t strike out” or “make sure you hit the ball” or “hit a home run” or something to that effect, the plate appearance usually ends badly. Rather, when you get up to the plate thinking about how you can best facilitate your team gaining advantage things usually go better, and things tend to be simpler. The thoughts change to be more like “just punch the ball through on the right side” or “hit a ground ball to the right side” or “I should bunt because there are runners on 1st & 2nd with no outs, and that’ll move them around.” See, you start to think with a greater purpose than just your stat line. Instead of worrying about your batting average, or how many home-runs you do or don’t have, you start to think about what is best for your team gaining advantage. It’s all about how you perceive the situation and the game.
The game of life isn’t a lot different. In fact, I might even go as far as to say life is slightly more important that baseball (*sarcasm*), but we can certainly learn from our national pastime. In our lives we tend to focus so much on “me” or “us” and it suffocates what our perception should be. Rather than thinking about the steps we can take, or how to remedy a situation on/in our own power, we should begin with focusing on Jesus. Even more so, we should think with Kingdom purpose. How does this effect the team I’m on. Oh, and by the way, the “team” we’re on is Jesus’ team, and the goal isn’t to win the game per say (because He has already conquered sin & death) but to make His Name great and to work for His kingdom! Rather than asking the question “how do I fix my situation?” we MUST start with “how does/can/will God receive the most glory?”
Ultimately, it truly is a matter of perspective. I wish we would just get over ourselves, get off our high horse, and get real! God created us, we didn't create Him. God created the Earth and everything in/on it. Who are we to think that we matter MORE than He does? I'm not saying we completely ignore our situations or anything because, in fact, if we don't take care to watch what we do (and the way we live our lives) we don't bring God glory. We have been given one life, one body, one set of Earthly family, and the Bible clearly tells us to take care of those things. But how do we best "take care" of those things? What does God say about that? The answer is Himself! He is how our life finds fulfillment. HE is best for us. Jesus, God's plan of salvation, is best for us! God already knows hat we need and how we are most satisfied, and it's in close communion with Him, and by following Jesus' example and making much of Him! When we seek Jesus, when our life's decisions revolve around God's Kingdom first and foremost, He is most glorified and we are most satisfied.
So, what's our perspective? Does our thought pattern revolve around us (most likely), or does it revolve around making much of Jesus and His Kingdom?
Sunday, May 3, 2009
New Song
There is a new song (well, new to me) out there written by Kristian Stanfill. It's called "Lord of All" and it's awesome! Reverent, glorifying, and ultimately a great song to sing praises to the Lord of all! Enjoy!
My Jerusalem...
Coming off our Disciple Now weekend, themed Impacting My Space With God, I made a new discovery about what my “space” really is. There is a banner on our Youth room wall that displays Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my (Christ’s) witnesses is Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” We have been trying to embrace this as a major goal in each of our lives, as well as a unified group, thus creating the idea for this past D-Now weekend. When we consider being a witness for Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth, we must dial in exactly what and where those places are and how we (personally) can make an impact. Through talking with many of the Youth who attended D-Now God has brought me to the conclusion that everywhere we go is our Jerusalem. Let me break this down, and I’m going to start with the world-view.
“The end of the earth” is pretty self-explanatory, in that it lets us know, as Christ-followers, that we have a duty to spreading the Word of God for the sake of His kingdom. The Youth program at Quinault is heading to Haiti during late July and early August to make sure we’re meeting this call. Haiti, for us North-westerners, is considered to be part of this world-wide vision that Christ describes in the passage. We feel it is important to answer the call to take the message of Jesus to the ends of the earth, and Haiti is one way we are doing that.
“Samaria” would include a viewpoint that isn’t quite so broad as “to the end of the earth,” but it certainly does imply a rather large physical territory for us to reach. It describes a land mass (and people group) that is part of the United States and/or even North America. Another group of students (and adults) at Quinault is heading to Salt Lake City, Utah on July 3rd, 2009 for a mission trip organized by World Changers (WC). This trip may sound familiar to you as many of the Quinault Youth went of the same mission trip last summer. We are going down there to repair/build homes for the less fortunate. We felt very strongly the hand of God being present last summer, and we are excited to be getting back there to serve in this manner.
“Judea” would be an area consisting of the Northwest and its surroundings. Places like Seattle, Bozeman, Spokane, Portland, Boise, northern California, and even parts of Western Canada would be considered part of this geographical area. Certainly it is part of the world, and part of North America, but it has a much more localized focus. If you don’t already know, the Pacific Northwest, in conjunction with the North-eastern United States (which is a recent development), has the least evangelized communities and the least number of Christ-followers per capita than anywhere else in the nation. These are a couple of very tough eggs to crack as people become more and more secluded from human contact. People in these areas are truly becoming introverted with a few very close friends and very little human contact. The Youth of Quinault have been working on ways we can reach out to the people in our current day Judea.
Jerusalem for Jesus’ disciples was their immediate surroundings of the city they lived in. This would translate, for us, as the Tri-Cities and Columbia Basin area. I would put a 50-75 mile radius on this one to keep us pretty close. Specifically, this would include Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, Benton City, Finley, Burbank, and other “very close” communities.
What impacted me the most during our D-Now weekend was this:
~Wherever we are physically located at any given time, we are in Jerusalem. What I mean is, whether I’m in Kennewick, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Haiti, or China, my immediate surroundings are the “Jerusalem” that I am charged by Christ to witness to. This is huge! This means that no matter where I am in the world Jesus wants me, since I have received the Holy Spirit, to be His witness... right there... Not just when I get back to Kennewick; not just when I get to church on Sunday; not just when I’m with my friends. He wants me to be His witness no matter where I am! The impact I have on my immediate surroundings are what Jesus wants me to be concerned with! “My space” is right where I am whenever I’m there.
Whether I’m walking along a dirt trail in China, or a sidewalk in Richland, whoever I come into contact with is someone I can be a witness to... someone I can show the light and the love of God to with my words, attitude, and actions. God has sent the Holy Spirit to empower us, and keep us from fear, while we are telling His story. Shine the light that God has given you, and don’t be afraid to share His story, His love, and even your story to people you encounter in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world!
“The end of the earth” is pretty self-explanatory, in that it lets us know, as Christ-followers, that we have a duty to spreading the Word of God for the sake of His kingdom. The Youth program at Quinault is heading to Haiti during late July and early August to make sure we’re meeting this call. Haiti, for us North-westerners, is considered to be part of this world-wide vision that Christ describes in the passage. We feel it is important to answer the call to take the message of Jesus to the ends of the earth, and Haiti is one way we are doing that.
“Samaria” would include a viewpoint that isn’t quite so broad as “to the end of the earth,” but it certainly does imply a rather large physical territory for us to reach. It describes a land mass (and people group) that is part of the United States and/or even North America. Another group of students (and adults) at Quinault is heading to Salt Lake City, Utah on July 3rd, 2009 for a mission trip organized by World Changers (WC). This trip may sound familiar to you as many of the Quinault Youth went of the same mission trip last summer. We are going down there to repair/build homes for the less fortunate. We felt very strongly the hand of God being present last summer, and we are excited to be getting back there to serve in this manner.
“Judea” would be an area consisting of the Northwest and its surroundings. Places like Seattle, Bozeman, Spokane, Portland, Boise, northern California, and even parts of Western Canada would be considered part of this geographical area. Certainly it is part of the world, and part of North America, but it has a much more localized focus. If you don’t already know, the Pacific Northwest, in conjunction with the North-eastern United States (which is a recent development), has the least evangelized communities and the least number of Christ-followers per capita than anywhere else in the nation. These are a couple of very tough eggs to crack as people become more and more secluded from human contact. People in these areas are truly becoming introverted with a few very close friends and very little human contact. The Youth of Quinault have been working on ways we can reach out to the people in our current day Judea.
Jerusalem for Jesus’ disciples was their immediate surroundings of the city they lived in. This would translate, for us, as the Tri-Cities and Columbia Basin area. I would put a 50-75 mile radius on this one to keep us pretty close. Specifically, this would include Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, Benton City, Finley, Burbank, and other “very close” communities.
What impacted me the most during our D-Now weekend was this:
~Wherever we are physically located at any given time, we are in Jerusalem. What I mean is, whether I’m in Kennewick, Seattle, Salt Lake City, Haiti, or China, my immediate surroundings are the “Jerusalem” that I am charged by Christ to witness to. This is huge! This means that no matter where I am in the world Jesus wants me, since I have received the Holy Spirit, to be His witness... right there... Not just when I get back to Kennewick; not just when I get to church on Sunday; not just when I’m with my friends. He wants me to be His witness no matter where I am! The impact I have on my immediate surroundings are what Jesus wants me to be concerned with! “My space” is right where I am whenever I’m there.
Whether I’m walking along a dirt trail in China, or a sidewalk in Richland, whoever I come into contact with is someone I can be a witness to... someone I can show the light and the love of God to with my words, attitude, and actions. God has sent the Holy Spirit to empower us, and keep us from fear, while we are telling His story. Shine the light that God has given you, and don’t be afraid to share His story, His love, and even your story to people you encounter in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the rest of the world!
Friday, April 10, 2009
It's that time again!
Well, it's that time again. The time of the year where the weather starts to warm up, and I find some excuse to make my way onto a baseball field. In case you're wondering, it's spring! Spring has finally made it's way to the Tri-Cities! I say this because, over the past 3-4 years I've noticed that the warm weather is actually coming slower every year. Some say "global warming" and others (like me) say it's the natural cycle of the earth. Which is accurate is irrelevant. What's important is the warm(er) season has been hitting SE Washington later over the past few years.
When warmer weather hits I am naturally drawn to the great outdoors, namely the baseball field. As many of you know I have been a baseball player longer than anything else I've been (other than a homosapien of the male gender). Seriously though, I've played since I was 4 years old. One of the saddest, yet best, things to happen to me was for God to show me that baseball was not what I was going to do for the rest of my life. This can be truly devastating to someone who has worked so stinkin' hard at something since they were 4 years old. After college I played in a local men's league for a few years, but I haven't for the past two years. Heartbreaking...
Why is this so hard for me? Why can't I just let it go? Well, I see it like this:
When I'm on a baseball field I come alive. I feel at home. I know baseball better than I know myself. Baseball is always there, is always the same, and all I have to do is go out there and have fun doing what I do best. I know this sounds silly, but I haven't played for two years and I can still go out there and throw strikes from the pitcher's mound, field ground balls and make the throw from short-stop with ease, and I can still crush the ball with a baseball bat. It's like my body was created to play baseball. It's heartbreaking to have worked so hard, and for so long (22 years), only to have it taken away. This is an issue I deal with every spring, and I wrestle with God... STILL... over the fact that baseball is not what He wants me doing.
I played competitive ball through college, though God began showing me He wanted something different for my life than baseball. It really began when I became a believer in Christ back when I was a teenager. I use the term "believer" because that's about all it was until just a few years ago. During my high school years I began to really excel and stand above the crowd of baseball players in the TC's. At 16 I made the "Dusters" baseball team, which was (at the time) the best of the best. From there my desire to play baseball past high school (and even college) began to take root. It was nose to the grindstone time. I began to take TONS of batting practice, show up early, stay late, take more swings than anyone, and I also began to work on my pitching ability even more. I developed 4 solid pitches, and I gained control enough over them that I could throw them anywhere I wanted within an inch. This may sound far-fetched for those of you who don't know baseball, but this is what it takes to be really good as a pitcher... especially one who didn't throw super hard like me. The following to years I really began to enjoy my success in baseball, and my growing talent(s).
Looking back I can see when it all started to unravel, and God began to do His work in my life. I, of course, had no idea what was going on and kept fighting to keep baseball at the front of my life (a pseudo God, if you will). My freshman though junior years of baseball had been played at a local public school, and the competition was pretty stiff. I played baseball for the public school, but attended a local private school because the education was better at the private school. I enjoyed 3 basketball seasons at the private school, but they never had a baseball program. That is, of course, until my senior year. In order for me to continue to play at the higher level of competition of the public school, I would have to transfer for my final semester back to the public school. This made for a rather difficult decision for me; do I choose to further my education and stay/graduate with all my friends, or do I choose baseball over those things? Well, I chose to stay with my friends because I felt they were more important than baseball. This proved to be my first step away from baseball, though I didn't yet know it.
Playing for my private high school proved fun because it was with my friends, but going from a 3-4A level of play to a B league is awful. Oh sure, I hit almost .700, was able to play shortstop, and did really well on the mound, but it was so easy! The difference in the leagues, in case you don't know, is like going from playing Major League baseball back to a no-name community college... It's still the game, but the difference in the level of play is night and day. I was still able to play Legion ball that summer to stay competitive, but I was very frustrated the entire season and didn't enjoy the same success that I had previously.
After high school I was talking to three colleges about playing baseball: Univ. Southern Utah, Northwest Nazarene, and Western Baptist College. The University of Southern Utah's coach called and was working out a letter of intent for me, and we had several phone conversations. Everything was looking good for me to head down there to play, but I called after not hearing anything for a couple weeks and found out the coach had been fired. I was never able to get hold of the new coach, thus making this path fall through. Northwest Nazarene offered me a nearly full-ride scholarship to play for them, but my best friend and I visited the college and just got a weird feeling while we were there so I chose not to got there. So I called Western Baptist College's (now Corban College) coach about playing there, and he offered me a small scholarship to play my first year. I decided that WBC would be a good fit for me, so I went there.
Now, I've always been a better fielder and hitter than I was a pitcher, but for some reason pitching was the only thing the coach down there wanted me to do! This is something I will probably never understand, unless all I need to understand is that God was taking baseball out of my life and pulling me to Himself.
To wrap of this little novel, God did slowly, yet painfully for me still, pull baseball out of my life... at least competitive baseball. As I said before I played a couple years in an adult men's league here in the TC's after college, but it really wasn't good baseball. It was fun, but it wasn't competitive.
So here I am once again at the start of the baseball season, my beloved Minnesota Twins have started their season with a 2-2 record (.500), and I am sitting here wondering why I'm not playing for them. To tell you the complete story of my baseball career, and how God gently began taking it out of my life, I would truly need to write a small book. I don't even know if anyone reads this blog, but it's been good for me to be able to write stuff out. But if anyone does actually read this blog and would like to know more about this story, I'd love to chat with you about it.
Throughout my entire baseball career I was never appreciated by my coaches, nor given a chance to show how good I really was, and I still have some frustration there. But I have reached a point, finally, that I am ok with where I am. I realize now that God is enough, that I don't need baseball to have worth, and that all my worth is found in my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He has saved me from pursuing something that would never have fullfilled me the way He can, and I am forever thankful for that. Do I miss baseball? Yes... Absolutely. Is God big enough to fill that void? Yes... Absolutely. Do I feel like I have a different outlook on life now that baseball is not priority 1, or 2, or 3, or even 4? Yes... and it's truly wonderful to find that freedom! God has granted me freedom from baseball, and now, when I do get the chance to play, it's just fun!! I'm not letting my baseball knowledge go to waste though. You know that private Christian high school I attended? Well, I'm in my first year of tying my best to impart my knowledge and passion for baseball into the current attendees at LCS. But first and foremost, I'm letting them know that God is priority 1, and that He never fails, abandons, lets go, leaves, or disappoints you.
God is good... All the time...
When warmer weather hits I am naturally drawn to the great outdoors, namely the baseball field. As many of you know I have been a baseball player longer than anything else I've been (other than a homosapien of the male gender). Seriously though, I've played since I was 4 years old. One of the saddest, yet best, things to happen to me was for God to show me that baseball was not what I was going to do for the rest of my life. This can be truly devastating to someone who has worked so stinkin' hard at something since they were 4 years old. After college I played in a local men's league for a few years, but I haven't for the past two years. Heartbreaking...
Why is this so hard for me? Why can't I just let it go? Well, I see it like this:
When I'm on a baseball field I come alive. I feel at home. I know baseball better than I know myself. Baseball is always there, is always the same, and all I have to do is go out there and have fun doing what I do best. I know this sounds silly, but I haven't played for two years and I can still go out there and throw strikes from the pitcher's mound, field ground balls and make the throw from short-stop with ease, and I can still crush the ball with a baseball bat. It's like my body was created to play baseball. It's heartbreaking to have worked so hard, and for so long (22 years), only to have it taken away. This is an issue I deal with every spring, and I wrestle with God... STILL... over the fact that baseball is not what He wants me doing.
I played competitive ball through college, though God began showing me He wanted something different for my life than baseball. It really began when I became a believer in Christ back when I was a teenager. I use the term "believer" because that's about all it was until just a few years ago. During my high school years I began to really excel and stand above the crowd of baseball players in the TC's. At 16 I made the "Dusters" baseball team, which was (at the time) the best of the best. From there my desire to play baseball past high school (and even college) began to take root. It was nose to the grindstone time. I began to take TONS of batting practice, show up early, stay late, take more swings than anyone, and I also began to work on my pitching ability even more. I developed 4 solid pitches, and I gained control enough over them that I could throw them anywhere I wanted within an inch. This may sound far-fetched for those of you who don't know baseball, but this is what it takes to be really good as a pitcher... especially one who didn't throw super hard like me. The following to years I really began to enjoy my success in baseball, and my growing talent(s).
Looking back I can see when it all started to unravel, and God began to do His work in my life. I, of course, had no idea what was going on and kept fighting to keep baseball at the front of my life (a pseudo God, if you will). My freshman though junior years of baseball had been played at a local public school, and the competition was pretty stiff. I played baseball for the public school, but attended a local private school because the education was better at the private school. I enjoyed 3 basketball seasons at the private school, but they never had a baseball program. That is, of course, until my senior year. In order for me to continue to play at the higher level of competition of the public school, I would have to transfer for my final semester back to the public school. This made for a rather difficult decision for me; do I choose to further my education and stay/graduate with all my friends, or do I choose baseball over those things? Well, I chose to stay with my friends because I felt they were more important than baseball. This proved to be my first step away from baseball, though I didn't yet know it.
Playing for my private high school proved fun because it was with my friends, but going from a 3-4A level of play to a B league is awful. Oh sure, I hit almost .700, was able to play shortstop, and did really well on the mound, but it was so easy! The difference in the leagues, in case you don't know, is like going from playing Major League baseball back to a no-name community college... It's still the game, but the difference in the level of play is night and day. I was still able to play Legion ball that summer to stay competitive, but I was very frustrated the entire season and didn't enjoy the same success that I had previously.
After high school I was talking to three colleges about playing baseball: Univ. Southern Utah, Northwest Nazarene, and Western Baptist College. The University of Southern Utah's coach called and was working out a letter of intent for me, and we had several phone conversations. Everything was looking good for me to head down there to play, but I called after not hearing anything for a couple weeks and found out the coach had been fired. I was never able to get hold of the new coach, thus making this path fall through. Northwest Nazarene offered me a nearly full-ride scholarship to play for them, but my best friend and I visited the college and just got a weird feeling while we were there so I chose not to got there. So I called Western Baptist College's (now Corban College) coach about playing there, and he offered me a small scholarship to play my first year. I decided that WBC would be a good fit for me, so I went there.
Now, I've always been a better fielder and hitter than I was a pitcher, but for some reason pitching was the only thing the coach down there wanted me to do! This is something I will probably never understand, unless all I need to understand is that God was taking baseball out of my life and pulling me to Himself.
To wrap of this little novel, God did slowly, yet painfully for me still, pull baseball out of my life... at least competitive baseball. As I said before I played a couple years in an adult men's league here in the TC's after college, but it really wasn't good baseball. It was fun, but it wasn't competitive.
So here I am once again at the start of the baseball season, my beloved Minnesota Twins have started their season with a 2-2 record (.500), and I am sitting here wondering why I'm not playing for them. To tell you the complete story of my baseball career, and how God gently began taking it out of my life, I would truly need to write a small book. I don't even know if anyone reads this blog, but it's been good for me to be able to write stuff out. But if anyone does actually read this blog and would like to know more about this story, I'd love to chat with you about it.
Throughout my entire baseball career I was never appreciated by my coaches, nor given a chance to show how good I really was, and I still have some frustration there. But I have reached a point, finally, that I am ok with where I am. I realize now that God is enough, that I don't need baseball to have worth, and that all my worth is found in my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He has saved me from pursuing something that would never have fullfilled me the way He can, and I am forever thankful for that. Do I miss baseball? Yes... Absolutely. Is God big enough to fill that void? Yes... Absolutely. Do I feel like I have a different outlook on life now that baseball is not priority 1, or 2, or 3, or even 4? Yes... and it's truly wonderful to find that freedom! God has granted me freedom from baseball, and now, when I do get the chance to play, it's just fun!! I'm not letting my baseball knowledge go to waste though. You know that private Christian high school I attended? Well, I'm in my first year of tying my best to impart my knowledge and passion for baseball into the current attendees at LCS. But first and foremost, I'm letting them know that God is priority 1, and that He never fails, abandons, lets go, leaves, or disappoints you.
God is good... All the time...
Thursday, December 11, 2008
We need adults to step up!
We need adults to lead the youth of today. I, personally, cannot take each of them under my wing and shelter them from every little thing they don't like. It's a physical impossibility. Quite frankly, I want them to learn to step up and get stuff done whether they "like" it or not. They need to realize this world isn't about them, that it's all God's... it's all His. And the adults (you, me, whoever) need to step up and take an interest in teaching youth how to function in the world while they're here, but to not be like the world. Many of them are very mature in their faith, but they're also very immature as a result of the society they are growing up in.
What do I mean by that? Well, they know the Bible in their head, and some of it has even gotten into their heart, but for the most part it's just recited mantras that will turn people off to the gospel. It's up to us, the adults, to lead them to be leaders. There are natural born leaders out there, sure, but they still need to learn how to lead effectively. Again, this is where the adults have to step it up.
If we want the youth to lead, then we must help facilitate their growth in leadership. This is where the discipleship comes in... you could even call it mentoring. We can't just throw them to the wolves. We can't just say, "Hey you... Go lead!" I take that back... We can, but it will only be detrimental. We (adults) need to come up with a training program, of sorts, so these youth can truly grow not only in Christ, but as a people! Youth today are cliquey. Cliquey people tend to be that way because they don't have direction; they don't have direction because an option isn't supplied to them to do something different; and if it is they're not going to take the initiative to get off their butt and do it unless something, or someone, makes them. Today's youth are not a generation who is outgoing and paving their own way. They prefer to be safe, stick to things they are comfortable with, and bail on anything that is not that way. They operate behind the scenes, prefer to stick to themselves, trust VERY FEW people (and the ones they do trust only earn that trust sometimes after years of trying), and they are extremely unwilling to try something "new" if they're not sure of the outcome. This is the breaking point. This is where their mentors come in.
Mentors have to encourage them and keep pushing them to grow. I'm truly afraid that this generation, in the low-touch society we live in (see MySpace, Facebook, Plaxo, etc) is going to end up a bunch of hermits who live by themselves, who possibly "find love" on places like Match.com (or worse), and that they are not going to know how to interact with people. And the worst part? It's not their fault... it's ours. Look at the parents! Most youth today don't have a stable home life, they have multiple people who are supposed to be father/mother figures in their life but usually do a pretty crummy job, they don't have to work because their parents give them whatever they want (because when they were a child they didn't get everything they wanted so they now vow to give their spoiled brats whatever their little wanter wants), and then they come to church and hear about the things of God and they can't even imagine a love like that!
They need coaching in life because their parents are so stinkin' caught up in themselves that they have almost no time to think about their kids... except to buy them something. I'm not saying this is the case with every youth out there, but this is the culture and society that they are living in... whether we like it or not, that's the way it is.
So c'mon adults! Get over yourself and mentor someone younger than you! Who cares if you think you can't do it, or think you're not "mature" enough to do it. These kids don't need some deep spiritual philosophy shoved down their throat, but they do need to be shown the love of Christ. They do need to be shown what it means to live in the world while still living out their Christian faith. So many of them have such unstable family lives, or lack thereof, that they don't even know how they're supposed to interact with other people. The "father" figure comes home drunk, cussing and swearing up a storm, maybe even hits the wife or girlfriend, or worse, hits the child, and that's what the youth thinks is normal... this is what he/she knows, so it has to be normal. Right? Or what about the mother who has custody of the kids, speaks beyond poorly about their father, has a new boyfriend every month, might even be addicted to drugs or painkillers, and the youth begin to think that's normal too? These are real scenarios of people I know, and youth that I know, and it's heartbreaking... yes... but what are we going to do about it? Are we just going to sit here and do nothing? Allow these atrocities to continue?
How about get off your butt and see if that kid is looking for a friend? How about take that child under your wing and show them the love of Christ? How about get involved in their life and maybe even their parents' lives? Make a difference Christian! You're sitting there with the greatest gift that could ever be given to you, and it's available for everyone else too... FOR FREE!! Get out there and share this stuff!!!
What do I mean by that? Well, they know the Bible in their head, and some of it has even gotten into their heart, but for the most part it's just recited mantras that will turn people off to the gospel. It's up to us, the adults, to lead them to be leaders. There are natural born leaders out there, sure, but they still need to learn how to lead effectively. Again, this is where the adults have to step it up.
If we want the youth to lead, then we must help facilitate their growth in leadership. This is where the discipleship comes in... you could even call it mentoring. We can't just throw them to the wolves. We can't just say, "Hey you... Go lead!" I take that back... We can, but it will only be detrimental. We (adults) need to come up with a training program, of sorts, so these youth can truly grow not only in Christ, but as a people! Youth today are cliquey. Cliquey people tend to be that way because they don't have direction; they don't have direction because an option isn't supplied to them to do something different; and if it is they're not going to take the initiative to get off their butt and do it unless something, or someone, makes them. Today's youth are not a generation who is outgoing and paving their own way. They prefer to be safe, stick to things they are comfortable with, and bail on anything that is not that way. They operate behind the scenes, prefer to stick to themselves, trust VERY FEW people (and the ones they do trust only earn that trust sometimes after years of trying), and they are extremely unwilling to try something "new" if they're not sure of the outcome. This is the breaking point. This is where their mentors come in.
Mentors have to encourage them and keep pushing them to grow. I'm truly afraid that this generation, in the low-touch society we live in (see MySpace, Facebook, Plaxo, etc) is going to end up a bunch of hermits who live by themselves, who possibly "find love" on places like Match.com (or worse), and that they are not going to know how to interact with people. And the worst part? It's not their fault... it's ours. Look at the parents! Most youth today don't have a stable home life, they have multiple people who are supposed to be father/mother figures in their life but usually do a pretty crummy job, they don't have to work because their parents give them whatever they want (because when they were a child they didn't get everything they wanted so they now vow to give their spoiled brats whatever their little wanter wants), and then they come to church and hear about the things of God and they can't even imagine a love like that!
They need coaching in life because their parents are so stinkin' caught up in themselves that they have almost no time to think about their kids... except to buy them something. I'm not saying this is the case with every youth out there, but this is the culture and society that they are living in... whether we like it or not, that's the way it is.
So c'mon adults! Get over yourself and mentor someone younger than you! Who cares if you think you can't do it, or think you're not "mature" enough to do it. These kids don't need some deep spiritual philosophy shoved down their throat, but they do need to be shown the love of Christ. They do need to be shown what it means to live in the world while still living out their Christian faith. So many of them have such unstable family lives, or lack thereof, that they don't even know how they're supposed to interact with other people. The "father" figure comes home drunk, cussing and swearing up a storm, maybe even hits the wife or girlfriend, or worse, hits the child, and that's what the youth thinks is normal... this is what he/she knows, so it has to be normal. Right? Or what about the mother who has custody of the kids, speaks beyond poorly about their father, has a new boyfriend every month, might even be addicted to drugs or painkillers, and the youth begin to think that's normal too? These are real scenarios of people I know, and youth that I know, and it's heartbreaking... yes... but what are we going to do about it? Are we just going to sit here and do nothing? Allow these atrocities to continue?
How about get off your butt and see if that kid is looking for a friend? How about take that child under your wing and show them the love of Christ? How about get involved in their life and maybe even their parents' lives? Make a difference Christian! You're sitting there with the greatest gift that could ever be given to you, and it's available for everyone else too... FOR FREE!! Get out there and share this stuff!!!
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