This weekend I had the opportunity to attend a university wide gathering that welcomed all Christians to come out and worship together. There is a team of people from the different campus ministries that put their heads together to organize and advertise these events. These events have been going on every semester since the fall of my freshman year. They’ve been well attended and well done. There are a lot of people behind the scenes putting this together and it is easy to see how hard they work. I think the unique aspect of VT-One is that the idea to get all the campus ministries together to worship came from a student. God gave a student the idea to gather all the campus ministries to worship God together and repent of our sins.
What an idea.
I think that VT-One will make a direct impact on the campus of Virginia Tech because all the campus ministries are willing to put aside their differences. This is huge. Just like churches in the local community, there are similar differences and prejudices in the campus ministry community. We as campus ministries are just as competitive. I also think that the campus of Virginia Tech will also reap the harvest of Saturday night because the Christians humbled themselves and got ourselves together spiritually. VT-One is an attempt to refocus our efforts and open our eyes to the non Christian students around us.
My hope and prayer is that events like VT-One will show the greater church community that it is possible to work together. We’re all on the same team and we need to realize it. It would be neat to see that if the Christians of Virginia Tech will take the spirit of VT-One with them when they become full time members of their local churches. What a spirit to take. What a potential impact.
http://www.vt-one.org.vt.edu/?page_id=38
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
My first real preaching gig
I guess that this is my first official preaching gig. Last night I was given the opportunity to speak at the local church I attend here in Blacksburg. The pastor is a fun guy and also a brave guy for letting me do this. I think I will get a few more opportunities in the future to speak before I graduate and head out west. Apparently I was received well and I took a different view on the feeding of the four thousand. I'm posting my notes here for your reading pleasure. I will say that it was nice to see a piece of what my future looks like. I'm completely stoked because last night was awesome. Even though I know that I have a long way to go, I'm so excited for all the new experiences that lay ahead.
With that said, here are my notes:
Mark 8:1-10 (New Living Translation)
Focus on verse 7: A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to pass them out.
Here Jesus is telling the disciples to pass out what little food they had. I can just imagine the thoughts running through their heads. It didn’t add up. A few fish were not going to feed four thousand people. It seemed impossible and crazy. But Jesus told them to give out what little food they had and the disciples obeyed.
Simple obedience is what Jesus was asking the disciples in this story. He asked a very small task of them, just to pass out the food. They weren’t required to do anything dangerous or complicated, just a simple task. Sometimes it is the simple tasks that are the hardest for us, because they don’t always make sense. Passing out the food for four thousand people with just a few fish seemed like such a big task because it didn’t make sense. I think the reason why we as Christians have a hard time obeying God in the little tasks in our lives is because we see God as a big God, a God of big events and of more ‘important’ tasks. Surely God wouldn’t see the little things in life as something important enough to pay attention to.
Another reason why we have a hard time doing small menial tasks for Christ is that there is no recognition for it. When no other Christians see what we are doing then it takes out the personal pride and personal glory that we can receive from doing it. We like to feel important, relevant, and of vital importance to the church. Doing small tasks for God doesn’t make us feel important at all.
1 Timothy 5:25 says this:
In the same way, everyone knows how much good some people do, but there are others whose good deeds won’t be known until later.
This means that some good deeds are not to be seen by others and not recognized by others. This can make simple tasks even harder to fulfill because our pride can get in the way.
What we don’t realize is that little tasks that Jesus calls us to do can make all the difference in the world. He can use our simple obedience in the small things in life as a training ground for bigger problems and decisions. If we are not obedient in the smaller issues in life, then how are we going to respond to something bigger and more complex? He is also able to use our simple obedience in small tasks to affect others around us. People watch us more that we will ever know. He can use our simple obedience in bigger ways that we could ever imagine. That’s exactly what happened to Jesus’ disciples.
The result of their simple obedience is revealed in verse 8:
They ate until they were full, and when the scraps were picked up, there were seven large baskets of food left over.
Every person was fed and their hunger satisfied. The disciples and the other people were amazed. This story is not just about how four thousand were fed in the desert just from a few fish, it’s also about how the disciples obeyed Jesus even when it didn’t make any sense to them. The disciples were also training for other bigger things in life, when obedience could mean death. There are big implications in how we respond to the details of our lives. My prayer is that we will see God in the small things in our lives and recognize that God is still the God of small things. Even when we don’t realize all the implications of our actions.
With that said, here are my notes:
Mark 8:1-10 (New Living Translation)
Focus on verse 7: A few small fish were found, too, so Jesus also blessed these and told the disciples to pass them out.
Here Jesus is telling the disciples to pass out what little food they had. I can just imagine the thoughts running through their heads. It didn’t add up. A few fish were not going to feed four thousand people. It seemed impossible and crazy. But Jesus told them to give out what little food they had and the disciples obeyed.
Simple obedience is what Jesus was asking the disciples in this story. He asked a very small task of them, just to pass out the food. They weren’t required to do anything dangerous or complicated, just a simple task. Sometimes it is the simple tasks that are the hardest for us, because they don’t always make sense. Passing out the food for four thousand people with just a few fish seemed like such a big task because it didn’t make sense. I think the reason why we as Christians have a hard time obeying God in the little tasks in our lives is because we see God as a big God, a God of big events and of more ‘important’ tasks. Surely God wouldn’t see the little things in life as something important enough to pay attention to.
Another reason why we have a hard time doing small menial tasks for Christ is that there is no recognition for it. When no other Christians see what we are doing then it takes out the personal pride and personal glory that we can receive from doing it. We like to feel important, relevant, and of vital importance to the church. Doing small tasks for God doesn’t make us feel important at all.
1 Timothy 5:25 says this:
In the same way, everyone knows how much good some people do, but there are others whose good deeds won’t be known until later.
This means that some good deeds are not to be seen by others and not recognized by others. This can make simple tasks even harder to fulfill because our pride can get in the way.
What we don’t realize is that little tasks that Jesus calls us to do can make all the difference in the world. He can use our simple obedience in the small things in life as a training ground for bigger problems and decisions. If we are not obedient in the smaller issues in life, then how are we going to respond to something bigger and more complex? He is also able to use our simple obedience in small tasks to affect others around us. People watch us more that we will ever know. He can use our simple obedience in bigger ways that we could ever imagine. That’s exactly what happened to Jesus’ disciples.
The result of their simple obedience is revealed in verse 8:
They ate until they were full, and when the scraps were picked up, there were seven large baskets of food left over.
Every person was fed and their hunger satisfied. The disciples and the other people were amazed. This story is not just about how four thousand were fed in the desert just from a few fish, it’s also about how the disciples obeyed Jesus even when it didn’t make any sense to them. The disciples were also training for other bigger things in life, when obedience could mean death. There are big implications in how we respond to the details of our lives. My prayer is that we will see God in the small things in our lives and recognize that God is still the God of small things. Even when we don’t realize all the implications of our actions.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Why people with Bible flailing antics hurt the church
I read the Collegiate Times (The student-run Virginia Tech newspaper) today and saw an article on the opinion page titled, Looking at God in the Age of Terrorism, and was immediately intrigued. The main focus of the article was how the events of September affected how religion is perceived in this country. Many Americans turned to God post 9/11 because they were looking for answers and a hope they couldn’t find anywhere else. What bothered me about this article is how the author perceived Christianity. This particular author proclaimed themselves to be atheist and by the way they described Christianity I wouldn’t blame them:
“Ask any Christian or Muslim for the ultimate truth and they’ll tell you it is in the Bible or the Quran. Many use these texts as a source of morals and a model for how society should be run.” (Caporaletti)
There are two things in my mind that are wrong with this perception: the source of ultimate truth is a loving, amazing God that would sacrifice Himself for a lowly person such as I, and that the Bible is not a blueprint about how to run a society. I’m afraid that this particular person was wrongly informed about Christianity, but I don’t think that there was just one person involved. Unfortunately, the Bible has been elevated to a god-like status which is not something it deserves. The Bible cannot take the place of God Himself, and Jesus Christ is the Word of God. Period. The Bible also cannot become a blueprint for our society, because that is not its purpose. It seems that the author of this article was wrongly informed about the function of the Bible in the religion of Christianity and I’m afraid that there are many Christians at fault.
So what is the Bible then? It is an agent that God uses to reveal Himself to us. The books in the Bible were picked out very specifically because each book speaks to generations past the time they were actually written. There is a message in each book that can be seen and revealed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible’s purpose is to point to Christ and Him crucified:
“You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” –Jesus (John 5:39)
These words on the page cannot save us folks, only Jesus Christ can. The purpose of the Bible is clear in this passage: to point to Christ. Even though the Scriptures he’s referring to are the Old Testament, it still holds true throughout the New Testament. The Pharisees tried to live their religion with the use of a check list and rule book. It didn’t work for them and it won’t work now. So all you Christians waving your Bibles around, beware of what you are doing. You are hurting the cause of Christ, because Bible waving is pretty pointless. Jesus was not here to take over the government and society and make it his own. He was here to redeem us into His kingdom and bring us back to Him. That’s what Christianity is about: bringing broken people hope and grace. The Bible can’t do that, only Christ can.
Put the Bibles down. Please.
“Ask any Christian or Muslim for the ultimate truth and they’ll tell you it is in the Bible or the Quran. Many use these texts as a source of morals and a model for how society should be run.” (Caporaletti)
There are two things in my mind that are wrong with this perception: the source of ultimate truth is a loving, amazing God that would sacrifice Himself for a lowly person such as I, and that the Bible is not a blueprint about how to run a society. I’m afraid that this particular person was wrongly informed about Christianity, but I don’t think that there was just one person involved. Unfortunately, the Bible has been elevated to a god-like status which is not something it deserves. The Bible cannot take the place of God Himself, and Jesus Christ is the Word of God. Period. The Bible also cannot become a blueprint for our society, because that is not its purpose. It seems that the author of this article was wrongly informed about the function of the Bible in the religion of Christianity and I’m afraid that there are many Christians at fault.
So what is the Bible then? It is an agent that God uses to reveal Himself to us. The books in the Bible were picked out very specifically because each book speaks to generations past the time they were actually written. There is a message in each book that can be seen and revealed by the Holy Spirit. The Bible’s purpose is to point to Christ and Him crucified:
“You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me!” –Jesus (John 5:39)
These words on the page cannot save us folks, only Jesus Christ can. The purpose of the Bible is clear in this passage: to point to Christ. Even though the Scriptures he’s referring to are the Old Testament, it still holds true throughout the New Testament. The Pharisees tried to live their religion with the use of a check list and rule book. It didn’t work for them and it won’t work now. So all you Christians waving your Bibles around, beware of what you are doing. You are hurting the cause of Christ, because Bible waving is pretty pointless. Jesus was not here to take over the government and society and make it his own. He was here to redeem us into His kingdom and bring us back to Him. That’s what Christianity is about: bringing broken people hope and grace. The Bible can’t do that, only Christ can.
Put the Bibles down. Please.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
The Necessity of Preaching Christ and Him Crucified
This particular topic has been laid heavily on my heart by God in the last few weeks. Every couple of days I open my Bible and see yet another passage about this particular subject. I believe that it is time for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Southern Baptist Convention to end the war. I was born in 1984 when the heat of the fight began and I only know about it because of the books written. I have no first hand experience with the events that led to the breakup of the convention. For those of you college students of my age who have no idea what I’m talking about you need to read some books. They are out there. Most Baptist pastors and campus ministers avoid the subject of the breakup of the Southern Baptist Convention because it is a painful subject to discuss.
From reading other Baptist blogs, CBF and SBC alike, there seems to be an ongoing criticism between the two. Don’t we have other subjects and topics that are more pressing? Didn’t the CBF leave the SBC in 1989? That’s over ten years ago. Drop it people. I know that I am very guilty of criticizing the Southern Baptist Convention on this blog, because of some of my adventures and encounters. My goal with this blog is to express some opinions, but I need to keep them in perspective. This particular verse struck me when I was reading:
Mark 3:2-They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
This passage refers to an instance where Jesus healed a man’s hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath. These particular people were waiting for Jesus to make a mistake or cause a controversy so they could jump up and criticize them. They weren’t there to hear his teaching, they just wanted to frame him so they could maintain their power. This makes me so sick and apparently Jesus felt the same way:
Mark 3:5-He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart…
This should make us all feel sick. If the majority of what we are writing about is the failings of other Baptists, then what purpose is this serving? Maybe it will make us feel better to get those feelings down on paper, but that is not what we should be all about. I completely understand being frustrated and hurt, because I have felt both. I just think we need to stop criticizing each other so much and just preach what we’re supposed to: Jesus Christ and him crucified. There are reasons for different denominations and breakups, but there is no need to dwell on them if we can prevent it. I just don’t want to be the one waiting around for the Southern Baptist Convention to say something bad about women in the pulpit so I have more fodder for my blog. This just bugs me. If Al Mohler wants to criticize women in the pulpit, then by all means let him. As far as I’m concerned I’ve heard it all and I’m not impressed. What would be really impressive is that moderates wouldn’t react to him and Al Mohler would go back to what he’s supposed to be doing. Let’s keep this in perspective. We need to preach Jesus, not the current hot issue going on. Bitterness isn’t healthy for anyone, and I’m tired of lugging that around in my heart. It can be so heavy.
From reading other Baptist blogs, CBF and SBC alike, there seems to be an ongoing criticism between the two. Don’t we have other subjects and topics that are more pressing? Didn’t the CBF leave the SBC in 1989? That’s over ten years ago. Drop it people. I know that I am very guilty of criticizing the Southern Baptist Convention on this blog, because of some of my adventures and encounters. My goal with this blog is to express some opinions, but I need to keep them in perspective. This particular verse struck me when I was reading:
Mark 3:2-They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him.
This passage refers to an instance where Jesus healed a man’s hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath. These particular people were waiting for Jesus to make a mistake or cause a controversy so they could jump up and criticize them. They weren’t there to hear his teaching, they just wanted to frame him so they could maintain their power. This makes me so sick and apparently Jesus felt the same way:
Mark 3:5-He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart…
This should make us all feel sick. If the majority of what we are writing about is the failings of other Baptists, then what purpose is this serving? Maybe it will make us feel better to get those feelings down on paper, but that is not what we should be all about. I completely understand being frustrated and hurt, because I have felt both. I just think we need to stop criticizing each other so much and just preach what we’re supposed to: Jesus Christ and him crucified. There are reasons for different denominations and breakups, but there is no need to dwell on them if we can prevent it. I just don’t want to be the one waiting around for the Southern Baptist Convention to say something bad about women in the pulpit so I have more fodder for my blog. This just bugs me. If Al Mohler wants to criticize women in the pulpit, then by all means let him. As far as I’m concerned I’ve heard it all and I’m not impressed. What would be really impressive is that moderates wouldn’t react to him and Al Mohler would go back to what he’s supposed to be doing. Let’s keep this in perspective. We need to preach Jesus, not the current hot issue going on. Bitterness isn’t healthy for anyone, and I’m tired of lugging that around in my heart. It can be so heavy.
Friday, September 01, 2006
What Paul and I have in Common
One of the reasons I went home this summer was to rediscover who Paul is and to forgive him. I didn’t know this until after I started reading through the book of Acts and started to really see Paul for who he really was. Since I’ve heard my calling to ministry I’ve had some major problems with some of Paul’s letters. I think this resulted in the misinterpretation of his letters to the extreme. One example of this is 1 Timothy chapter 2. This particular passage has led to needless legalism and a lot of heartbreak. Many women have denied their calling to the pulpit in fear of this passage. Not reverence of the Bible, but because they were afraid. I was almost a victim to this kind of hurtful and wrongful theology.
However, no matter how controversial my comments may be in what I think about 1 Timothy 2, please read on. Paul and I have a lot more in common than I ever thought. For starters, Paul came from a very legalistic religion and was on the top. He was educated by the very best and he was one of the most Jewish of all the Jews. He fought to protect the legalistic, controlling Jewish religion of his time. Then Jesus came into his life and he suddenly had to abandon all of this. This probably did not happen overnight and was not an easy process. It isn’t written in the Bible, but I can only imagine what Paul had to go through when he turned his back on his religion that he had been a part of since childhood. He had to let go of all that he believed about God and rebuild his faith from the ground up. He had to say good bye to life long friends and probably some relatives. He was suddenly forced to give into Jesus’ teaching and take on a new approach of a more free thought and theology. No more legalism for Paul, he had found freedom in Christ. Only at a high price. Yes Paul sat in prison, was shipwrecked, and almost stoned to death, but I think the greatest moment in his life was when he abandoned all of his preconceived notions about God. It takes a lot of guts to let God completely redo a person’s faith. It is a long a painful process, and when I realized Paul had undergone this process I suddenly found a whole new respect for him. I could relate.
It’s not easy to give in and tell God to remake your faith. That’s what Paul and I both had to do. When I first admitted to myself that I was called to preach, my entire world was shaken and turned upside down. All the basics about my faith had to change: how I approach God, how I consider the purpose of the Bible in my life, to exercise the true freedom that Jesus gives, and even how to trust God more. Rebuilding your faith and even denying some elements of it that I had known since childhood is very hard and painful. I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint of heart. I do however, think that it was one of the greatest things that God has done in my life. Somehow Paul wasn’t the bad guy in my book anymore. After considering all of this, he seemed like an old friend.
However, no matter how controversial my comments may be in what I think about 1 Timothy 2, please read on. Paul and I have a lot more in common than I ever thought. For starters, Paul came from a very legalistic religion and was on the top. He was educated by the very best and he was one of the most Jewish of all the Jews. He fought to protect the legalistic, controlling Jewish religion of his time. Then Jesus came into his life and he suddenly had to abandon all of this. This probably did not happen overnight and was not an easy process. It isn’t written in the Bible, but I can only imagine what Paul had to go through when he turned his back on his religion that he had been a part of since childhood. He had to let go of all that he believed about God and rebuild his faith from the ground up. He had to say good bye to life long friends and probably some relatives. He was suddenly forced to give into Jesus’ teaching and take on a new approach of a more free thought and theology. No more legalism for Paul, he had found freedom in Christ. Only at a high price. Yes Paul sat in prison, was shipwrecked, and almost stoned to death, but I think the greatest moment in his life was when he abandoned all of his preconceived notions about God. It takes a lot of guts to let God completely redo a person’s faith. It is a long a painful process, and when I realized Paul had undergone this process I suddenly found a whole new respect for him. I could relate.
It’s not easy to give in and tell God to remake your faith. That’s what Paul and I both had to do. When I first admitted to myself that I was called to preach, my entire world was shaken and turned upside down. All the basics about my faith had to change: how I approach God, how I consider the purpose of the Bible in my life, to exercise the true freedom that Jesus gives, and even how to trust God more. Rebuilding your faith and even denying some elements of it that I had known since childhood is very hard and painful. I wouldn’t recommend it for the faint of heart. I do however, think that it was one of the greatest things that God has done in my life. Somehow Paul wasn’t the bad guy in my book anymore. After considering all of this, he seemed like an old friend.
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