The Morning Fog | Finding Faith

On my way to New York yesterday morning and as we were driving through Kentucky & West Virginia, we drove through some pretty intense fog. These are a few thoughts I had as we were driving.


It’s a weird feeling when you can’t see through the fog to see what’s just ahead of you.

It’s so dark. And it makes you feel

Isolated.

Alone.

Lost.

But then, a light appears. Soft at first, then

brighter

and brighter

until you’re completely surrounded by its comfort and warmth.

And you realize that you were never alone, the sun was there the whole time. You simply did not see it! Oh what little faith we have! Oh how the cruel fog obscures, hiding the truth from you!

It was not until the fog cleared that you found Truth's radiant glow surrounding you,

warming you,

soothing your heart,

causing faith to leap forth from within your soul.

And you know that you are loved.

The morning sun’s a new husband

            leaping from his honeymoon bed,

The daybreaking sun an athlete

            racing to the tape.

That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies

            from sunrise to sunset,

Melting ice, scorching deserts,

            warming hearts to faith.

Psalm 19:4-6 // The Message

Back to Fishing

So, I’ve been married for a little under 2 months now to my beautiful wife Ashley. She is talented, smart, funny and knows me better than anyone else. Her heart and compassion for people is unbelievable – she always tries to approach every person and love them the way Jesus loved.

I’ve known Ashley since 2004, and I must say that I’m still learning so much about her now that we’re married. It’s funny how, before we got married, we thought we knew so much about each other and what it would be like to be married. Man, were we wrong!

I’m quickly finding that I really don’t know that much about being married and I’m constantly in need of forgiveness and grace. Our best intentions and plans going into marriage aren’t enough. We’re always seeing the need to seek the Truth so that God can bring us back to what He intends our marriage to be.

Last week, Ashley and I planned a day just to hang out and relax. We didn’t have any specific plans and didn’t have much money to spend, but set out to find something to do. We ended up going to the 21c Museum Hotel in Louisville, which I highly recommend checking out if you ever get a chance…plus it’s free.

After checking out the 21c and eating an early dinner, we got back in the car. As we got in, I mentioned to Ashley “Let’s just head home and hang out there the rest of the evening…maybe we could even play video games together?” Ashley must have heard the wishfulness (is that even a word) in my voice, as she agreed and said that sounded like fun.

Success!

After we had been in the car for about a minute or so, something happened. I’m sure many men before who have entered into marriage before me have experienced something similar to this, and I’m almost certain that all women know this tactic.

As we were driving along, I was overjoyed that we’d be spending an evening playing Modern Warfare 2 together. Then Ashley said, in her softest, sweetest voice

“You know what we could do? We could go to Home Goods and look for some artwork for our apartment! It wouldn’t take that long! Then we can go home and play video games.”

Now, as I said, I’m sure every man who has entered marriage before me has heard his wife speak the words “It wouldn’t take that long.” Being young in my married life, I didn’t realize the implications of this statement, but as the pastor I work for always tells me about home improvement projects, “It’s never as easy as it seems.”

Long story short, we spent the rest of the evening buying and hanging up artwork around our apartment. By the time we finished, we were exhausted and neither one of us felt like playing video games.

My best intentions and plans for the evening of playing video games had been replaced by doing something that my wife wanted to do instead. My ideas for an evening of doing something I wanted to do were replaced by something that put me in the position of serving my wife.

Which is exactly what I needed to be doing.

It’s interested how this story parallels so many other areas of my life. So often, I think I’ve come up with a great plan, and I have a great vision for my life, yet God sees something greater for which He wants to use me. And I think we can all find ourselves in this position.

We can have the best plans and all of the best intentions in mind, yet God has something else for us. When we’re in an honest pursuit of the Truth, He always seems to bring us back around to the plans He set us apart to carry out.

Peter is a great example of a person that, in his humanity, had all of the best plans and intentions in mind, yet God called Him to something greater. Jesus had called Peter to leave everything behind – his plans, hopes, wishes, dreams, intentions – and follow Him to fulfill a better purpose. And Peter did just that…

…for a while.

However, we find in Luke 5, Peter (who is referred to as Simon) has gone back to his original career of fishing. He had seen Jesus cast out demons, and heal the sick and broken. He had been present when Jesus turned water into wine. He had been a direct eyewitness to these unbelievable miracles, and had gotten a taste of God’s glory which had been revealed through Jesus.

And yet, Peter chose to go back to fishing, which raises a question. Why?

Maybe Peter was just hungry so he went fishing to get something to eat. Or perhaps he enjoyed fishing, so he went out for fun. Maybe he needed money and fishing was what he knew how to do to make a little dough. While Peter may have gone back to fishing for any one of these reasons, one thing is clear: Peter went back to relying on his own intentions and plans. He had become distracted from the life Jesus called Him to and went back to what he was doing before.

But then Jesus does something amazing.

After fishing all night, Peter came back empty handed. That’s right, they caught nothing. Then Jesus comes on the scene. Luke 5:4 tells us that Jesus instructed Peter to “Put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch.” When Peter follows Jesus and does as he instructs, he “caught such a large number of fish” that their nets couldn’t contain them and began to break! (Luke 5:6)

So here’s Peter, the professional fisherman–turned Christ follower–turned professional fisherman. He finds that his best intentions and plans have fallen short of the mark, and his efforts haven’t produced any fish. But when he honestly seeks the Truth, that is when he follows Jesus instruction to push back out and try again, even the nets of a professional fisherman couldn’t contain the reward.

Peter had found what so many of you may have found in your own lives. He found what I’ve found in my life. That is when your best plans and intentions fall short, as they inevitably do, you’re in need of forgiveness and grace. I know this truth becomes more and more evident to me daily, especially in my marriage.

So what is our response to this reliance upon grace?

Like Peter, we have to accept it. We have to honestly seek the Truth and allow Jesus to redefine our lives in a way that will exceed every expectation we ever had. We have to let Jesus show us how to push back out and let our nets down. When we do this, we will find that God has a far great purpose for us in life than our best intentions and plans could ever give.

So here’s the challenge: Honestly seek the Truth that is Jesus, being evermore reliant on forgiveness and grace, so that God can bring you back to what He intends your life to be.

A New Chapter

I'll start by filling you in on my life recently. I'm very excited about what the future holds, as I was recently offered and accepted a position at Southeast Christian Church's Indiana Campus working in Adult Ministries. I'll be assisting Jerry Naville, the Adult Minister, with connecting people to the church and different groups that are offered, recruiting and managing volunteers, as well as taking advantage of the opportunity to grow in ministry.

This is definitely a step in the right direction for me, as I've felt for a long time that I was being called to ministry, but not sure exactly what that looked like. After a lot of prayer and a lot of patience, I feel as through I'm finally starting to see just the beginning of what God has in store for me in ministry.

So to that end, I would like to share the last article I wrote for Y-CAP Monthly, our newsletter we do for the program I run at the Y. 

In this month’s Community Corner, I would like to open up by sharing with you that I have recently been offered and have accepted a full-time position at Southeast Christian Church’s Indiana Campus working in Adult Ministries. My last day as the Y-CAP Coordinator is April 12, 2011. 

This was a difficult decision for me, and was only made after much prayer, conversation and thought. So, as I write this, I have a bittersweet feeling regarding the community that I have experienced in my time at the YMCA of Southern Indiana. The community that has been built is amazing! However, I will miss experiencing it on a daily basis.

During my time here, I have experienced some of the most genuine relationships with some of the most caring people that I have ever encountered. I have also seen high school guys put aside their own needs in order to rise to the occasion and make a difference in the lives of others when they needed it the most. I have seen those guys develop spiritually, physically and mentally. I have watched them mature and grow from boys into young men. I have seen them say that they are not satisfied with the idea of a father not being involved in the lives of his kids – and then I’ve watched them make decisions today to ensure that they are fully present in the lives their own families in the future. 

Personally, I have been challenged to grow as well. As I heard the young men in Y-CAP share their stories and where they have come from, I have been challenged to have the same determination that they have had to show over the years. I was also challenged to share my story as well, with the hope that it could be as inspiring as their stories were to me. On another occasion, one Y-CAP member shared with the group that he is giving up TV and video games on Saturdays to read and study his Bible. Through this I was challenged to do better in the area of Bible study as well. 

More than once, Y-CAP guys have shared with me that they hope to do what I do when they “grow up.” They share that they hope to be the type of influence to someone else that they believe I have been to them. When I first heard someone say this to me, I was floored – absolutely blown away! The only thing running through my head as I heard this was “Are you sure you really want to be like me? I still have a lot to figure out! My life is far from perfect in a lot of ways!!”

However, I was challenged in this to strive to be more Christ-like, with the hope that those following me will in turn develop an undying hunger and desire to follow Christ. It became my prayer that my heart to follow the only example worth following would also become the desire of those who felt they should follow me. I hope my life has been such an outpouring of Christ’s love that it has been obvious that it is His example, not mine, that is worth following.

The examples and stories of how I have been encouraged, grown physically, mentally and spiritually, as well as experienced true community could go on and on and on…

However, I would like to leave you with three qualities or characteristics of true community that have really become evident to me in my time here at the Y and with the Y-CAP program.

1.    1. GOD FIRST – Community is truly built when God is first in our lives. In Luke 9:23, Jesus shares that “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”

When we die to ourselves and come alive in Christ, our passions become His passions, and our desires become His desires. Only through dying to our own desires and acknowledging that God is first can we ever come to experience true life in community with one another.

2.    2. DON’T RUN! – People who are devoted and committed to experiencing community with one another cannot run when times get hard. I can’t even begin to express how much this idea has changed my view of how to react to adversity. There have been so many times I’ve wanted to run or, at the very least, crawl under my desk and stay there!

However, by staying present in trials, I have gained a better understanding of what Paul meant when he wrote this in Romans 5:3-5 – “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”

3.    3. THE DIFFERENCE TODAY – The first Y-CAP t-shirts we ever designed had a very simple, yet powerful statement on the back. It read “I am the difference today.” Through this statement, we hoped to empower the young men in Y-CAP to take action now. To understand that no matter their circumstances or stage of life, they are incredibly capable of making an unbelievable difference in the lives of those around them. They have the ability to experience, build and shape community.

This idea is evident throughout Romans 12 (which I highly suggest checking out), as we are challenged to honor God in all we do, actively serve Him with the abilities we have been given, love others with genuine affection, and respond to those who would do us harm in a loving manner. This entire chapter sums up what it means to be the difference today through living out community the way it was intended.

Throughout all of my experiences here, I have grown and matured in what it means to truly serve others. I have been changed for the better through sharing life with you! I am thankful for the community experiences I have had with you thus far. Although I am leaving the Y, I am not leaving the Clark/Floyd County community. To that end, rather than saying goodbye and coming to the ending of our story together, I would like to think that through this change, we are simply beginning a new chapter. In this chapter, it is my hope and prayer that we will come to an even deeper understanding of what it is to experience community together.

I'm on a team...

It never fails that life gets crazy and I don't get to update my blog as often as I'd like! Anyway, this is the latest Community Corner editorial I wrote for the newsletter on the program I run at the Y.

The other day I was in the hallway at the Y and a maintenance staff member, whose name is also Adam, stopped me to show me a plaque he was carrying around. Now, before I tell you about the plaque, let me first tell you a little bit more about Adam. Adam initially came to the YMCA as part of Volunteers of America and volunteered to work at the Y. Since then, he has been brought on as a paid employee of the Y. A cool fact about Adam is that he won an award as athlete of the year through Special Olympics!

Adam is always coming up to other staff at the Y to talk, and he generally knows information about the programs they run. For instance, he’s always asking me about our Teen Night program, which is run by the Outreach Department. It never fails that when I see Adam, he asks me when the next Teen Night is going to be. To be honest, I’m not very good at remembering dates. So I usually tell Adam the date I think the next Teen Night is, which usually turns out to be wrong. 

How do I know it’s wrong? Because Adam tells me I’m wrong and then proceeds to tell me the correct date for the next Teen Night! In fact, instead of answering Adam about the date I think the next Teen Night is taking place, I turn the question around and have Adam tell me when the next Teen Night is taking place.

It never fails to amaze me how Adam is able to remember the dates of our programs. And it’s not just Outreach programs that he knows about and is interested in – he takes a genuine interest in just about every person he talks to and the job they do at the YMCA. Adam always wants to know who you are, what you do and why you do it. 

Even though he is a maintenance staff person, Adam understands that he plays a role that is bigger than just cleaning – he is part of a team. Adam not only takes an interest in the role that he plays on the team at the Y, but he also knows that the roles other members play are just as important. By showing interest in other people and what they do, Adam shows that it is vital to a team for everyone to understand that each person plays an important role.

This brings us back to the plaque that Adam was carrying in the hallway.

After telling me when the next Teen Night would be, Adam proudly held out the plaque he was carrying and told me how he had won it at the Polar Plunge the previous weekend. The plaque was for the best costume at the Polar Plunge – Adam proudly told me that he had dressed up like popcorn for the plunge and that the costume won first place.

I congratulated Adam on winning the plaque to which he replied, “I’m on a team.”  I was caught a little off guard, so I questioned, “On a team?”

“Yeah, I’m on a team. My team won this plaque. It wasn’t just me,” Adam responded.

This conversation was on my mind the rest of the afternoon, as Adam had just reminded me of something very important. See, a team consists of individuals. Individuals play different roles which advance the overall goal of the group. Being on a team means being part of something that takes on a meaning far greater than just the individuals – a team and its accomplishments cannot be attributed to just one particular individual.

Adam is well aware of this concept, as was seen in his response to my praise, as well as his approach to his work at the Y. The Bible also speaks about what it looks like to be part of a team in 1 Corinthians 12. Here Paul writes that followers of Christ, just like the human body, all have a different purpose or function. The fact that one part is different from another does not make it any less a part of the body; rather it allows each to play a unique role that contributes to the overall function and purpose of the body.

This concept of being on a team and being part of a bigger purpose in the body of Christ is essential to community. Community is best experienced when it is lived out with a collective of people who individually perform different functions, but all serve a greater purpose. For community to take place, it is absolutely necessary for us to recognize the roles others play and say “I’m on a team. It wasn’t just me.”

In recognizing the value of others, as well as the role that they play, we are able to fully understand the importance of what we do individually. We are able to elevate the condition of those around us. We are able find a more complete and Christ-centered view of what it means to experience community.

Don't Forget...(Updated)

For the most recent Community Corner article I wrote in the newsletter we publish for the program I run at the Y, I decided to update one of my previous blog posts titled "Don't Forget..." Within this article, I take a slightly different approach to the "Don't Forget..." concept and tie in community, as well as the 1 year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. 

My dad has always been a good source of unique trivia, weird quotes and advice with which I’m not quite sure what to do. Don’t get me wrong, he has passed on lots of fatherly wisdom and words of advice that continue to ring true in my life today. However, he also has a unique way of phrasing things and leaving me scratching my head wondering what he meant by what he just said.

For example, since the time I was in middle school, my dad would get this goofy grin on his face as he left me with one phrase before leaving for work every day: “Don’t forget...”

My answer was always “Don’t forget what?”

He would reply, as the grin grew bigger, “Just don’t forget...”

Huh?!?

For years this phrase has left me scratching my head. I’ve pondered and mused and engaged in deep thought over what I should not forget. In middle school, I would wonder what chore I had forgotten to do or what homework I had forgotten to turn in or if I had forgotten to zip the zipper on my pants!

While I did forget to do work around the house and turn in my homework on more occasions than I care to admit – and I would find I had forgotten to zip my zipper at the most embarrassing moments, like when I was trying to be smooth when talking to the girl I liked – I have found over time that those were not the things my dad was speaking about when he told me “Don’t forget…”

A little over a month ago was the one year anniversary of the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti. This was an event which the whole world watched thanks to around-the-clock broadcasts of the devastation, as well as the aid that was pouring into the country. This aid came from foreign governments, as well as from many church and humanitarian organizations. However, as with all things, the coverage of Haiti slowly faded…

…and we forgot.

For the rest of the world, life went back to normal, but not for the millions of Haitians who lost loved ones, had their homes destroyed or their way of life taken from them in a matter of seconds.

However, stories of hope are rising up in Haiti in the form of still-ongoing relief efforts, as well as a people who have found ways to be innovative in making new lives for themselves. The school system has seen a huge overhaul and is working to function better than before. New churches are springing up all around the country, and old ones are seeing higher attendance than ever before.

However, a general theme is found in what Haitian people are saying to the rest of the world. The words spoken by the people of Haiti are simple: “Don’t forget…”

After years of wondering what my dad meant when he had spoken that simple phrase to me, I finally asked him a few years into my college career. As he looked at me, a genuine, heartfelt smile spread across his face as he slowly said to me

“Don’t forget…I love you.”

The love my father has shown me over the course of my life has shaped my view of community and the way I show love to others. See community does not forget to love because community is built around the idea of love.

The reason Haiti is seeing hope is due to the fact that people have not forgotten to take time to love. Community is being built in Haiti the same way it is built anywhere else – by showing the love to others which Christ showed to us. When we were at our worst, He did not forget us, nor will he ever forsake us. In fact, as we are called to pick up our crosses and follow Him, we are shown how to love the same way He loved us.

It’s through this process that our ability to love and experience community is built. Community relies on a love so strong that it does not forget those who are hurting and broken and in need. Community needs people who follow in the example of Christ to speak the words “Don’t forget…”

In the light of Christ’s unfailing love, may we truly come to a more complete understanding of what it means to experience community.

Diary of a Wimpy Man

Ok, its time for me to come clean - I am a wimp!

When I was in first grade, I cried on the playground when two other boys told me I couldn't play Cops and Robbers with them.

I don't like pain - I can handle it, but I don't like it.

I'm not huge on change - I prefer to be comfortable rather than feeling like I'm constantly having to adapt to a changing environment.

I have an irrational fear of being thrown into a pool while wearing a sweater - strange I know, but its one of my nightmares!

And, to get to what sparked this thought process, I have a tendency to think that when I have a bad day at work that I am "suffering for Christ." When I read verses like this 1 Peter 4:12 - "Dear friends don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you" - I think I can identify with the suffering that Peter is writing about.

However, Peter was telling them not to be surprised that Christians were being killed everyday. He was telling them not to be surprised when the heads of the martyrs were placed on stakes outside the city walls.

What I don't think he was telling them was to not be surprised when they face fiery trials, such as an annoying meeting at work or leadership who, at times, just don't seem to understand the big picture. I'm not a Biblical scholar, but I do feel pretty confident in saying that I don't think that's what Peter was referring to. Don't get me wrong, I think God cares about us even through annoying meetings and being thrown in a pool with a sweater on, but neither of these compares with the suffering Peter was explaining.

After a rough meeting this morning, my day was really put into perspective when I read an article in Relevant Magazine that was written by the pastor of St. George's Church in Baghdad, Iraq. (I'm not sure if I could fit any more links into one sentence.)

In the past year, this church of 3,700 members has seen 93 of its brothers and sisters martyred. That's almost 3% of its congregation who is no longer attending because they have lost their lives for the name of Christ!

In the month of December alone, a total of around 100 Iraqi Christians were killed.

St. George's has bomb barricades and armed guards who surround the church to keep it from being destroyed, and to keep its congregation and pastor from being killed.

I think the Iraqi Christians can identify very strongly with what Paul writes in Romans 8:36 - "As it is written, 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.'" Yet, our brothers and sisters in Iraq are not shy about their faith. Many openly wear a cross around their neck. All of them are subject to a tax simply because they are not Muslim. All who wish to attend worship services must do so on a work day, as Sunday is not a traditional day off work in the Muslim world. Needless to say, it's very difficult for Christ-followers in Iraq to just "blend in."

The pastor of St. George's describes their willingness to stand for Christ this way: "In the midst of the difficulties we know without doubt our God is the only way..."

This sounds very familiar to what another writer said about facing very real, life threatening persecution for following Christ: "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed." (Romans 8:18 - 19)

In Iraq, the children of God are not only revealed, but they are taking a stand. They have taken up their crosses daily. They are not surprised at the fiery trials they are going through. Rather, they fully understand that their present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in them.

So as I read that article this morning, I decided it was time to come clean - I am a wimp! I am truly humbled by seeing what our brothers and sisters are facing.

Yet I am encouraged by the fact that the same promises that hold true for the Christ-followers who suffer in His name daily hold true for me as well. For whatever reason, God has called us among His prized possessions. Even in our weakness, strength becomes evident as we place our full trust in Him. Even at the core of who I am - the wimpy, sweater-in-pool-hating man - God sees the potential for greatness and has called me His child.

And that gives rise to a hope that does not disappoint!