Discipleship

Dress Up…Sharing the Joy of Knowing Christ!

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2016-01-27 23.36.53 1I like to dress up for Lutheran schools week.  My goal each year for this week is to dress up as much as possible. I am all about “going big or going home”.  My favorite part is watching peoples reactions when I walk in the building. I know I look like a nut. I know I should probably never go out in public like this but I do.  I do it all because I love to draw attention to myself….(ok that sounds really narcissistic when you write it that way but keep reading so you don’t think too poorly of me.)

The reason I dress this way is so you notice me.  I want you to notice me SO THAT I can share with you this guy who has made me nuts.  This guy who made me dress up in costumes, dye my hair pink and go all out for Lutheran Schools weeks each year.  I want you to know this Jesus guy who ruined my life SO THAT I can no longer miss opportunities to share with you Jesus. The one who loved me so much He gave Himself for me.  He loved me.  This awkward kid who was not the coolest kid in the world.  A guy who was bald and 26 and has very little filter when talking with others.  A guy who is trying to follow Jesus.

So tomorrow or the next day when you see me walking around its ok to stare.  I don’t mind if you laugh.  I don’t mind much of anything.  I just hope you know I really am not doing these crazy things for me. I am doing them SO THAT you might know Jesus and the joy he gives me every day.  So lets all think about ways we can share Jesus and the joy we have in Him.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV

 

What is your number? Taking a measurment of your family faith life.

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20160115_092811 So this week we I was part of a team trying to help our staff be more physically healthy. One of the ways we are doing this is through a biggest loser challenge. For those that wanted to participate we broke them into teams to help us all be accountable. The goal is to help the staff have some bonding time and also help everyone be a little healthier. The most fascinating part of this activity is people’s fascination with numbers. Some people are terrified to share their number. Others will tell you if you ask.

The scale is a terrifying thing for many people. This week we set up a scale in the office for people to use if they wanted for our biggest loser challenge. I can tell you a few of them left that room with very angry faces. In fact, one told me we shouldn’t speak to her for the rest of the day. That scale can be terrifying, hurtful, and down right painful. It doesn’t paint the whole picture of health. I can however give us a snapshot of how we are doing. It doesn’t really tell you if you are healthy but it can tell you which direction you are heading in terms of your health. I for one wanted to throw it out the window.

(One note if you are a member of St. John or any Church please look after your Church workers’ health. Bring in some healthy snacks and less cookies we need the help!)

Kicking off this program got me thinking about not just my physical health but also many families’ spiritual health. Weight gain doesn’t happen over night it happens over months and years. Weight loss is the same way. Your health spiritually is very similar. We have good years and bad years. We have ups and we have downs. This is a great time of year to get on your faith life scale. (disclaimer, I am not saying if you are not doing the following things you do not love Jesus or you do not have faith so don’t comment non-stop and tell me I am preaching moralism please)

Are you in prayer as a family? As an individual? Are you in worship? Do you come to receive God’s blessings in Communion? Have you spent time in God’s word this week? Have you cared for someone beyond yourself? Have you served your neighbor? These questions don’t tell us if we have saving faith. This is just meant to help us look at our faith lives and reassess where God can work in us to be more faithful. Let us take a look in the mirror. Let us as Jesus’s disciples get on the scale and see where we are at. Maybe it is time in your life as it is in mine to lose a few pounds and get back to work.

Snatching them from the fire…Letting God use us in family and ministry

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Fire is one of my favorite things. I love camping mostly because I get to build a fire and watch it.  It is mesmerizing.  It is amazing really. It is also a dangerous thing. When I was a young boy my dad and I were in the back of the property burning up some brush.  It was mostly a white pile of hot embers at the time and so I threw in a new stick.  My Dad was in the front of the house getting more wood and I grabed at that stick to move it again and BAM new flame burned my hand.  My dad came running and got me some ice to help my hand heal. I was in a lot of pain but it could have been a lot worse.  As a kid I didn’t understand the danger. I was in playing with fire.

Last week I had the privilege of sharing the staff devotion for the school teachers.  I know most school devotions take the form of reading something you find meaningful to share with others.  I read a text from Jude

 22 Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. Jude 22-23 NIV

These verses remind us of the our ministry among each other.  Every day my goal is to help my kids be snatched from the fire.  I pray every day God uses me to snatch other kids and families from the fire. Their is no greater calling as a parent, Dad, friend or minister.  This is serious business and God has called all of us to be a part of it.  The Holy Spirit does the work.  He changes hearts, He changes minds, we just get to be a part of it.

In the season of Christmas and the crazy times we are living remember to be merciful to those who are struggling.  Be merciful to those who don’t know Jesus.  Be merciful to all you meet. You just may be a part of snatching them from the fire.

Being a Family of Forgiveness

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20151125_063036So here is the thing.  I am not a perfect parent.  In fact I probably do more wrong than I do right. I fail to have patience. I fail to look up from my computer screen.  I fail to say the right things at the right times.  I miss the mark on so many occasions.  In fact today I was talking with another Dad and we both commented on how this parenting thing doesn’t have a manual to follow more of a play book.  You run certain plays and sometimes it works and more than often it fails.  My goal isn’t to be a perfect parent.  In fact I would say may goal has nothing to do with even being a good parent.

My goal is very simple.  I want my kids to know Jesus and his forgiveness.  In ministry my goal isn’t perfect kids. My goal in my family is not to have perfect kids either.  (Mostly this is because it isn’t possible) My goal is to show them forgiveness.  To show them when they screw up like I do Grace can come.  Sure we have consequences.  Sure we have struggles because of sin.  Grace is bigger than that.  Forgiveness is bigger than that.  My goal is for my kids to know forgiveness.  Whether it is from me or from each other we are a family of forgiveness.

This week as we gather together as families around a dinner table I would ask you to remember these words. To remember we are to be people of forgiveness.  Family time can be a challenge because we have failed each other.  We have hurt each other.  However we have a God who is bigger than that.  He is a God of forgiveness.  He forgave us, so let us also forgive one another.  May you experience that peace that comes through forgiveness Jesus has won for us. May God help you forgive as you have bee forgiven this week.

 

13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

Ask me any question and you will get an answer. Waiting for the question in order to teach the faith.

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Recently I have started telling Middle school students they can ask me any question they want and I will answer it. These students don’t know me very well so they think if they ask something like “How are babies born?” I won’t answer. Much to their surprise, and quite honestly disgust, I am more than willing to talk about that. Just ask any former student and they will tell you I talk about that a lot with students. I think many people are terrified to tell middle school kids or anyone for that matter, to ask them anything. I have found it to be most helpful in striking up conversations with young people. I even have this same policy with my own kids. I want them to ask questions and I want them to learn. I find when I allow questions it allows students to ask and to be willing to learn.

Many moons ago I went through a class in college by Dr. Steve Arnold that helped me to articulate something I understood but didn’t know how to explain to others. The idea is that in order to teach someone something they have to give you permission to teach them. Students, adults and just about everyone will only learn something from you if they give you permission. Most often it occurs in the form of a question they have asked. You see many people still teach in a way that says you are going to learn from me because I am the teacher. What I have found with kids today is they don’t care if you are the teacher, pastor, DCE, mom or Dad. They want to know you care first and then they will give you permission to really teach them something.

This waiting for permission is hard and sometimes I fail to remember my own lesson. I do know that students and most importantly my kids learn best when I get permission. I love to have my students and my kids ask questions. Those questions open them up to my answers. It opens them up to hearing about Jesus. It opens them up to hearing about life.

My encouragement for you as parents, fellow believer and fellow Church workers is to let your kids ask questions. Let the adults ask questions. Let them learn from you. Don’t answer questions they are not asking.  Develop a culture of questions. You may be surprised by the amount of sharing you can do if you wait for the question.

17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. Mark 7:17 NIV