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Please don’t get into a huge argument here. If you have major concerns with what I post, talk to me in person. Happy reading!
The parentheses designate people who’ve spurred me along this line of thinking. I don’t claim for these to be correct; only that we should ponder them
Our perception of our private life with God is not the litmus test on whether we’re growing; our love for one other is the ultimate test. However, our private life greatly affects our public life (Heather Eby and Joni Kirk)
What I think the difference is between conviction by the Holy Spirit and condemnation by Satan:
HS: “I’ve been rotten, there’s no way to fix it on my own”
This hangs our sins on the cross
Satan: “I am rotten, there’s no way to fix it”
This hangs our sins over our heads
(Hal Perkins)
Does the old adage “garbage in, garbage out” reduce us to mere robots of our environment? “For it is not what’s in a man that made us unclean, but what comes out of a man.” (Phil “Uncle Smashy” Baunach)
Why are we against outsourcing jobs? Purely selfish economic reasons. A American with a job is no better than an Indian with a job (Max Bartlett)
Words to live by when tempted to gossip, listen to gossip, or be judgmental: “It’s just not that simple” (Dan Eveleth)
This new generation doesn’t need help getting information; they need help processing it (Leonard Sweet)
Why should I be proud to be an American? I didn’t do anything to deserve, and neither did most of you. Maybe we should change the word “thankful.”
All of these were contributed by very flawed people.
Preached yesterday morning to a large crowd for the first time–and for the first time period in about 7 months. I didn’t get everything out that I wanted to say, but tag-team preaching is hard. But it’s good cuz when you’re done talking about a certain subject then you can just hand it to the next guy, and it was a good metaphor for what we were pushing. http://www.moscownaz.org/?cat=17 is where you can find the sermon. I’m kind of unpolished; if you have feedback, I’d love to hear it
I’m on crutches. Don’t like them. Apparently when you get injured you get tired all the time. Or at least that’s what’s happened to me.
Here’s some quotes and thoughts from me:
Our relationship w/ God is personal because it’s unique, not because it’s private.
We will show our love for God by how we love others
Do we obey God more because of what He can do to us, or because of what He has done (and continues to do) for us? Basically, do we obey God because we fear Him or because we love Him.
I saw a sad facebook status update the other day that made me sad. Someone determined the value of a church based on 1) the preaching of the pastor and 2) the worship music. That seems out of whack to me. I go to Moscow Naz cuz of my relationships there and that I know that’s where some godly people hang out. And because I think God wants me here.
Check out this video at http://vimeo.com/11432994 It was done by a guy I know named Ryan who lives up in CDA. I know there’s a lot of stereotypes about homeless people. And sadly, they are sometimes true—they are addicted to tobacco, alcohol, drugs, they don’t want to work, etc. I just want you (and me included) to keep a few things in mind.
I live in Moscow, where there aren’t many homeless people that I know of. I don’t know where to find them. I know there’s the Hope Center; that’s the only place I know to go find needy people. I’m tossing around the idea of just hanging out @ the food bank sometimes when it’s open and talking w/ people. What do you think? Would you be willing to join me or do something like that in your area?
Ecclesiastes is an amazing book. In my own words, the only thing that keeps me from being an existentialist is my belief in a sovereign, loving God. Some of its remarks are painful but true (7:21), others sum up truth very well (7:14) (5:2). It’s confusing and can be misinterpreted a lot of different ways, but it’s one of my new favorite books of the bible (along with James and John)
This is mostly from the mind of Bill Tozer on how to witness. One year, when he was teaching @ WSU, he won 12 people to Christ (having never won anyone in his life before.) Here are some tips from him that i found from late 2008
-We need to know our own testimony, our own story. Not just on how we got saved, but what God has done in our lives since and what He is doing now. Struggles we’ve had, ups and downs, influential people and scriptures…people can refute all sorts of things, but they can’t refute what happened to you. It’s your story about what you did and what happened to you.
-Memorize scripture so it is handy whenever you need it.
-Make sure your heart is pure, filled w/ love (and not trying to win brownie points w/ God)
-Pray. A lot–before the encounter, during it, after it, that you wouldn’t speak your words but God’s, that the Holy Spirit would prepare their hearts.
-Don’t try to condemn them or scare them into heaven. Let the Holy Spirit convict.
-Look for openings that they give–but be sensitive, don’t twist anything if the Spirit is not calling you to.
Have you ever considered how awesome prayer is? Through it, we affect people’s lives without them even knowing. They can be 5 inches or 5000 miles away, and prayer’s power is not diminished. Here’s a few thoughts I have:
1. When praying for others, we don’t need to know all their problems. God already does, and He knows what they need. A suggestion is to pray scripture over them–a practice I think we need more of. Some handy verses to pray for others:
Proverbs 3:5-6, Psalm 119: 9, 11, 105, the Beatitudes, the Lord’s prayer, Matthew 6:33, 22:37-39 Ephesians 3:17-9, 2 Corinthians 10:5, Romans 12: 2, 9-21, James 1:25, any of your favorite scriptures that can be easily turned into a prayer for another-there are a bunches of them.
2. Prayer is not just about praying for others. An important part of it is self-reflection and self-examination–searching your own heart and testing your own actions to determine where there is sin. Sometimes it’s hard to admit there’s something in your heart if it’s ugly or seems like something a Christian of your stature shouldn’t be struggling with this matter. But God already knows it’s there even if we refuse to admit it; no point in hiding it. This is a great barrier against pride in our lives, when we realize how rotten we are even after 18 kajillion years in the faith. Then again, if we write those things down, and come back later, we should notice we’re better at this or that. The things we struggle with get smaller (yet there are no small matters in the issue of holiness) I don’t journal my prayers every day, more like once or twice a week, but I love it.
3. When’s the last time you just played some worship music and just worshiped with it?
4. Lastly, the toughest (IMO) thing to do. Pray with others. About whatever. Just do it. I’m not very good at this apart from the pre-set times I have.
I think that sometimes we don’t understand the power of our words. Here’s a few thoughts:
When we repeatedly bash the church, we teach those around us, especially children and teens, to hate the body of Christ.
The body of Christ often can look mutilated and ugly, but it’s what we’ve got. And hey, somewhere in that ever-so-disfigured body of the church in America is me. And maybe you.
When we say something bad about someone to someone else, at least 3 (the first 3) and up to 6 relationships are damaged. I’ll refer to the people as the gossiper, gossipee, and listener.
The gosspier’s relationship with the gossipee is hurt (even if the gossipee never knows about it.) Strong relationships are built on trust, honesty and respect and if those are lacking, even to only 1 person, it hurts it.
The gossiper’s relationship with God is hurt, as they are sinning and not living according to his call to speak as Jesus would. And if they repeatedly talk in a bad manner, their relationship will become quite tainted, often w/o them even noticing until a lot of damage has been done.
The gossiper’s relationship with the listener is hurt. It may seem to draw them together if they agree, but what happens over time is that the listener begins to fear that they are being gossiped about to others, that they themselves can’t trust the gossiper, or that the gossiper is prideful or critical
The listener’s relationship with the gossipee may be hurt. This is because, unless the listener makes an effort to discount the gossip and look at the gossipee through the eyes of Christ, they are likely to take on just a little bit of the gossiper’s opinion, and the listener is tempted to judge or disrespect (not openly) the gossipee.
The listener’s relationship with God may be hurt. If they listen to the gossip, and especially if they turn around and judge, they are not doing as God wants and they are sinning (even though it may seem little, it still hurts)
Finally (you may say this connection is strained, but it can happen; not always), the gossipee’s relationship with God may be hurt. Even if they don’t notice it, the relationships between them and the gossiper and the listener will may deteriorate slowly over time. Not necessarily talking or being around each other less; but less openness, honesty, trust and respect. This loss of relationship leaves them more open to temptation and it will weaken the believer, especially if the gossiper or listener is a trusted friend.
Just think about that and the damage a few words can do. And if you’re the listener, make sure that the 4th and 5th one aren’t hurt. See people through Jesus’ eyes, not other people’s. This is incredibly hard to do sometimes, especially if you are tempted yourself to judge the gossipee.
I promise I’ll get to unintentional discipleship next!! This was just a thought that had been bouncing around in my head for a while, and during a study break for a test I wrote this (I’m such a weirdo.) I may work on it right now, since I just got done with a test and don’t have any more obligations tonight.
This is just a list of my favorite books. It will get updated as I read more books I like.
Walk With Me by Hal Perkins–Amazing book on discipleship and ministry. The first half is easy to skim over, but it’s very important to understand as well. Knowing him has enhanced my understanding of his books a lot. If you don’t know him, your benefits from his books may not be the same
If Jesus Were A Parent by Hal Perkins–It’s not just a parenting book, but is so much more about teaching, the human heart, and more.
Holiness, Truth, and the Presence of God by Francis Frangipane–very good and very convicting. It’s title is what it’s on–mainly Holiness and the Presence of God
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster–challenging. If you disagree with something, don’t just discount it. A word of advice: Don’t try to absorb all of it at once. Work one at a time.
Crazy Love by Francis Chan: For anyone who’s read the NT and feels like we’re missing something.
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren: It’s rather basic, simple truth. But put in plain, direct words and there’s some things we need to be reminded of sometimes.
The Shack by WM Paul Young: I know it’s controversial. No, I don’t think it’s theologically sound in every dialog between God and Mack. But it gets you thinking. Here’s a man (Mark Driscoll) who hates it http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/doctrine/trinity-god-is/the-shack. I think he’s rather unfair and doesn’t understand the book, he has one point I would agree with. When you read it, read it with a discerning AND open mind.
There are others I like or would like to read sometime. If you have suggestions or comments on any of these books, feel free to post them here
Disclaimer: You may not agree with me here. That’s ok. That’s what discussion is for. If you majorly disagree with me or think I’m being judgmental please talk to me in person or over the phone. I want to consider your point of view. Please don’t just read this, get mad, and then think I’m a legalist [which would be judging, right? 
] and never talk to me or read my blog again.
So I’ve noticed that a hot-button issue of sorts is media in today’s church. Is this movie OK to watch? How about this music to listen to? Does it depend on your age, maturity, or personal struggles with sin (i.e. someone who struggles with such and such watching something that glorifies it)? Does God have a giant list up in the sky with every movie and song ever made, and each one has a green check or a red x? We can’t simply ignore this issue and leave people to form their own opinions on it—we’ll end up with people following what they (not God) want to follow—either “anything goes” or “everything is EVIL”.
First off-this is not about rules. If you stop seeing movies or listening to evil music, you won’t become holy. Christian lives aren’t primarily called to follow rules and be free of sin—we are called to love God and obey His will (and His will is the exact opposite of sin.)
Second off, the primary arguments on each side are rather poor and easily refutable. The “cheap grace” guy quotes 1 Corinthians 10:25 “everything is permissible.” One thing I hate above all else is the Word of God being distorted. People ,Paul is refuting that argument in that passage! That is not a biblically-based argument! Galatians 5:13—You were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature. Serve one another in love. Our freedom was not given us to make it so we could do what we wanted. Our freedom from human regulations and the law was so that we might better love God and love others!
So now the main “legalistic” argument. They’ll cite some horror Grand Theft Auto story saying something like “this kid played GTA and then jacked cars and killed people like in the game” or something like that. Well that’s easy to refute. Anyone with half a brain can say “well I’m not gonna do that, so it’s OK!” Citing extreme examples where it’s likely the video game or movie or whatever was probably not the only cause won’t work. Give that argument up.
Let me ask another question though—how much time do you spend praying? Reading God’s word? How’s your movie or TV show quote to bible-verse (or even spiritual saying) ratio? Mine’s not that great, and I realize that its something I need to work on, (and not by beating my head against a wall to forget lines.) What could you be doing instead of watching this movie. Let me make this statement—if you go to a movie or watch TV, there is no excuse for not spending time with God that day.
Let me replace the legalistic argument with another, more valid one that we truly need to think about; that movies slowly can create unrealistic expectations about what life is like. Not that life is about killing people and jacking cars and stopping evil bad guys—Satan is much more subtle. I’m talking about guys/girls relationships. Flame me; I’m going there. What if movies filled with sexual stuff, with people randomly erupting in passion (I wont go further) every other minute? Does that create in guys just a teensy little bit of that’s what we can expect from girls? Or if not expect, look for? Or secretly want? Do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. And why is it that 80 percent of 15 to 17 year old guys have viewed porn online multiple times? Think of 10 teenage guys you know…8 of them have seen that garbage multiple times. 53% of men who go to promise keepers have seen pornography within the past week. This are CHRISTIAN MEN who have, whether quickly or slowly, become trapped in a horrible sin that destroys marriages, families, witnesses and ultimately souls! And it’s not just guys either…Over ¼ of visitors to porno sites are female. I will bet you that most of those guys didn’t one night randomly, after never seeing anything remotely bad for 20 years, look at porno; it’s a slow fade. Ephesians 4:19 “Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality, so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.” That’s just one aspect of repeated exposure to something creating a distorting God’s vision and call for sexuality. And girls don’t get off scot-free either. I don’t quite understand the female brain, and am glad I don’t but let me paraphrase someone who has one. She said “Movies like Twilight and that stuff can become like female pornography. Not in the sense that they are filled with lust like men, but that a false reality can slowly take over. This reality that’s created is along the lines of “ marriage and love is always and all about passionate love, passionate hate, then more passionate love, and if you don’t “feel” in love all the time then something’s wrong”. I probably butchered that, but I think I got the main idea.
There are a few questions to consider, and you may think I’m legalistic for asking these—but heart obedience is REQUIRED for the Christian—meaning there are some times where we simply need to do what we know is right even if we don’t feel like it. I know God has replaced many of my selfish nature desires with a desire to please and follow Him—but things like pride still creep up on me and threaten to damage my witness to others and my relationship with God. So here’s the question—would Jesus sit next to me and watch this (yes I know this is cliché and has been asked 80 million times.) Let me rephrase it—we are called to be like Jesus (whoever claims to be in Him must walk as He did.) If we were truly desired to honor Jesus with everything, that includes are media intake.
And on top of it all, we might be missing the bigger picture if we get down to yes-no. Even “good” media can take away from our relationship w/ God—or with our friends, families, work that we need to do. I’m persuaded that time management could be the bigger issue than content management—although Jesus cares about them both. There are no small matters in the issue of holiness.
I may follow this up with a note on “unintentional discipleship.” Stay tuned!
