What motivates YOU?

I have been reading a book called "Soul Searching." This book has been rocking my boat for some time now. I remember reading it in college and thinking that it simply wasn't the students that I worked with. The book suggests that students today are incredibly moral. They want to do the right thing. But, the reality is that they do this not because they are motivated to serve their Lord and Savior, but rather they are moral because being moral gets them farther in the American Dream.

The authors call this the creation of Theuraputic Moral Deism. According to the book, most American teens acknowledge that a God exists. In fact, most of them say that they even "Believe" in God. Most even go so far as to say that they "follow" or "listen" to God. The grim reality (According to the study) is that these students are not motivated by this belief in God. This belief in God doesn't resonate with any part of their lives, in fact they have this belief in God becuase it furthers their gain as citizens. Hmm. Is that the right motivation?

So as I read this book, I couldn't help but wonder if students that I work with are like this...I couldn't help but disagree a little bit, thinking that this is probably some sort of national average and that it would simply be different in the context that I find myself in.

And then I took a poll. And that is dangerous. Because we find out what people are like when we ask them anonymously. And students answered anonymously. The findings from this poll were revealing. My best conclusions basically say that publicly, our students are very moral. When they are around other people, they behave like a Christ follower. They know how to do this. But privately, there is a bit more of an undertone of not following Christ. They are not motivated by the fact that they follow Christ, rather they are motivated by people telling them how to behave.

Here's the danger in what I have discovered. We want to graduate students that head off to college understanding, comprehending, and able to defend their faith and their theology and yet, sometimes I think that it is a job well done if they are moral kids when they leave here. These are the kids that are leaving their "faith" in the dust. These are the moral kids that will survive well in the world that we are sending them to, but they will not be spiritually healthy.

So, what do I do with all of this? Psalm 127:1 points out that unless the Lord builds the house, the laborers labor in vain! I am going to pray and pray hard.

Amen.

Jesus You're more than a friend...

Often, I think of Jesus as a friend. And yet, God has this side to him that should make me tremble. In the Old testament we find people literally trembling with fear. Why do I not do that? Is it because I haven't experienced him in this way? And if I haven't, why haven't I? Does he not demonstrate the attributes that he did in the Old Testament? Oh no, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever! And when we realize that, we begin to understand various parts of who God is. Recently, I have been convicted that until I began to grasp theology firmly, I cannot be a great worshipper. When I grasp who God is and understand the characteristics that he demonstrates, this is when I can truly worship him for who he is!

Worship Wars...

Very interesting! Check it out!

No perfect people allowed.

Recently, we had a large youth event where kids were asked to invite friends and come hang out for the evening. It's interesting to see who comes to these events. I have been reading through a book called "No Perfect People Allowed" and it basically talks about how the church can be a dangerous place for someone who doesn't know Christ. It can be a place of hate and a place where people launch bombs of irritation at one another because there is an acceptable way to behave at church and as "church people" we think everyone should know it. Why should we be surprised when someone swears in our church when they don't know Christ? Why should we be surprised when someone tries to steal something and they are not part of the body of Christ. Paul writes that we are a "New creation, the old has gone and the new has come." Reality is, without Christ, we wouldn't be a part of a "holy huddle" where we set the cultural standard and think that those without Christ should follow these rules. Certainly there are laws that shouldn't be broken by anyone, but when there are nuances of sin, we must begin to be Jesus to the people around us that don't know him. The only way that they will know him is if we show him in the actions that we engage in. Sharing truth is something that Jesus did well. He wasn't wishy washy. He was confident in who he was. He did share truth, but he did it in extreme love with much grace. And when we begin to exhibit this grace with love that produces truth, people are drawn to that and that Holy Spirit works in amazing ways!

I saw alot of kids not fit the "Churchy mold" that we want them to fit. It's the messiness of bringing people that don't know Christ that scares us. But it shouldn't. Jesus Christ has the power to absolutely renovate lives in unbelievable ways. I'm excited to see what GOd will do in this.

God, open my eyes so that I can see the wonderful things that you. Open my heart up and make me like you to others that don't know you!

Amen.

"Born Again?"

John 3 fascinates me every time I read and study it. It has done that to me again tonight. Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, a "ruler of the Jews" about being "born again." And I admit, this concept is something that I have struggled with for many years and many hours and through many papers and conversations. Nicodemus appears to struggle with it also. In verse 3, we find that Jesus defines who gets to see the kingdom of God. It is those that are "born again." Huh.

What makes me born again? Nicodemus struggled to understand this concept. He wanted this concept to be very concrete and it was very vague and discreet. Sometimes I ask the same question the Nicodemus asked. And then I read in verse 11 Jesus' response. "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?" Jesus goes on to say that belief in these things is important and beginning to understand this idea of being born again is invaluable. When we believe in Jesus Christ it isn't just a blind belief...Rather it is an educated belief. In verse 16, which we often quote, we find what we can respond to, that God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will NOT perish but have everlasting life.

I do understand this simple verse and for me to live it out means that I love others and bring this message to them.

Father...Help me understand and believe each of your truths.
Amen.

New Look

I remember creating this blog right before I went to thailand so that I could have something to write through and communicate to people with while I was there. I don't know why I chose the template that I did, maybe it was because it was the default template and I thought it looked nice. But recently, I figured out I could change my template. I hate change. Change is hard. But something within me drives me to change things that I am discontent with. I became discontent with my blog, not because I dislike blogging, but because it was yellow. My worst favorite (is that even a description) color is yellow and so each time I would look at my blog, I would be somewhat irritable. But now that it is a blue type of blog, maybe that discontentment won't be there...

Realistically, I am a discontent human being. I never have what I really want and even when I do have it, I want something else. ONly my Lord and Savior truly fills the gap that I have in my heart and soul. I simply cannot fill it with anything else. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation...And he is my Jesus! I cannot fill my life with other things that satisfy, even with the redefinition of my blogspot.

Lord...I want to pursue only you.
Amen.

Surrender

Recently, we have been going through what it means to be a life worshipper and the word "Surrender" keeps coming up in my mind. I Keep asking the question week in and week out, "What does it look like to surrender my life to my Savior?" I keep asking the question because it keeps getting asked in my own life. Worship is such a subjective idea.

When we look at worship in our churches, we often label worship as the time of singing right before a message. We often label the time of worship that 20 minutes of songs that a worship team leads or is lead from a piano or an organ. Reality is, this is worship in a micro sense. It is only when we begin to think about worship in a Macro sense that we become "life worshippers" that are willing to surrender fully to the God of the universe. I have used the simple definition of worship as "responding to who God is." There are several parts of this "simple" definition. First, we have to know who God is if we are to respond to him. Then we must know how we best respond. Some people are feeling driven and so they will look best to respond to God with feelings. Other people are more concrete and need to do something to respond to God. Feeling something and doing something can both be responding to who God is in a Macro worship type of thinking. When I surrender all of who I am and say that all that I do needs to glorify and honor the God of the universe, this is a step towards responding to who God is with all that I am.

Micro thinking in the area of worship can lead to disillusionment with the idea of worshipping the God of the universe. I don't know exactly what to call the time that we sing songs in our church services but at this point we call that time "worship." Which is only part of the truth. I worship well through song and this is my means of responding to God. It is not my only means, and for some people it isn't any means at all. It doesn't work for them to respond to God that way. I wonder what would happen if we changed the name from "Worship time" to "song time" or something like that. I wonder if people would be allowed to have a much bigger broader view of not only worship, but of the God that they worship.

In the Old Testament, I am well aware of times that David cried out in song and with music and with harp and lyre and even some percussion instruments and I recognize that as worship, but in Malachi, I find a God that isn't happy with the worship that is happening. It had become "micro" worship. It had become something that a group of people were forced to do and their hearts were not in the worship. God is not happy with this, and unleashes his wrath and justice on a people group that chose to engage in this micro worship without heart instead of Macro life worship where they were engaged with their hearts and understanding who God was together.

I desire to be a life worshipper and to do so, I must be able to expand my view of worship beyond the four walls of the church. I am constantly asking myself the question, "What does it mean to worship God while I 'mow the lawn' or 'change Isaiah's diaper' or 'play a game of ultimate frisbee with students' or 'blog'?" And the reality is that the God of the universe really is the God of the universe and over ALL parts of my life and living and being and within all that I do, I have the privilege and the opportunity to surrender all that I am and have and are to him to worship him!

God, let me be a life worshipper. I surrender. My hands are up and my heart is open...