To Follow You: part III

Saturday 2^nd break (Lunch/12:30ish)

The Journey through the thorns

1.   Have anyone been stuck by thorns?

2.   In what serious condition?

Luke 5:27-32, story cont…

Levi threw a party at his house. Lots of tax collectors and others came…Jesus brought his crew as well. Just thinking out loud, Levi being wealthy probably knew how to throw a nice shindig. His boys were just like him, outcasts who only hung with each other.  Partying was very good around his parts and was very easy to do.  Maybe Levi had another motive in this get together. Maybe he and Jesus chatted about “how they can reach his friends…or the out cast.” That sounds familiar doesn’t it (Student Ministry concept)?

So the party took place and was a hit, except for the party crashers (Pharisees and teacher of the law) who seem to be at every place like reverse groupies.  Can you imagine the stares? Imagine being “horrible” and now you come in the light…and people were now staring at you and giving you very dirty looks worst than before. It wasn’t just the “good people” (Jews and teachers), but now the people you use to hang with.  They call you a sell out and try to persuade you to join the ranks again.  It was a tough call for Levi. A tough situation with thorns now on every side of him…closing in quick.

I like how he handled the situation at the get together. Oops, he didn’t really handle it.  Jesus did the handling.  He told the opposition (even the disciples that were following) that he didn’t come to call the righteous but the sinners to repentance. In other words…THAT’S MY PEOPLE, THE ONES WHO CAN’T GET IT TOGETHER! Jesus wants those who are willing to trade their lives for something far greater (not easier).  Matthew knew his desires had to be let go and NEW desires had to be in its place.

1. In what ways are there thorns in your life that keeps you from reaching in the direction that Jesus is calling you? (Is it a certain group of friends, family, job, hobbies, etc?)

2. We need to stay focus…remember when HE called us, when HE chose us, and when HE defends us.  Jesus wanted us.  May we be spurred by that.

To Follow You: part II

Packing the bags

1.   Who likes packing?

2.   Why?

Luke 5:27-32, story cont…

The young man whom name is deprived from priest decedents and Levites is now indulging himself in a corrupted job…stealing money from people and then partying it away. Jesus steps unto to the scene and offers him the chance to leave everything behind to follow him.

I think Levi had been waiting for a long time for that voice. He is despised. He is hated. He has been ostracized from most of society. And Jesus cares enough about him to stop by when not required by law to do so. Jesus accepts him. Jesus loves him (the most unloved man in Capernaum). And, Jesus calls him personally-”Follow me.” Since he was a boy he hadn’t imagined himself a righteous man. Now he is being called to accompany a holy man on his purposed travels.

1. Matthew didn’t worry about packing up his bags. Why do you think? (FYI: He probably wanted to leave EVERYTHING behind…and it was a joy for him to do so, so that he could follow and join the Savior of the world.)

2. In what ways do we pack up our bags?

To Follow You: part 1

Well…we just came off our To Follow You wkd. It’s like a D-Now but VERY different. D-Now’s are good…but To Follow You is great!  Here is the material as it is laid out for the weekend, written by your truly.

Saturday AM (JAM time)

Calling

FYI: A province was often divided into tax districts. The locals would bid for the contract of collecting taxes in their desired district. The bid was the money they were contracted to pay the government (Rome); whatever they collected over that amount was theirs to keep. Rome collected three principal kinds of taxes, (1) a land tax, (2) a head tax, and (3) a customs tax. Tax collectors were widely regarded as thieves and robbers (IRS meets lawyers).

Luke 5:27-32

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, and Levi got up, left everything and followed him.

Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ’sinners’?”

Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

The calling in one’s life begins with a voice that will echo through someone’s heart and mind. Much like a mothers voice carries throughout a room until it lands on her child’s ear so does the calling on ones soul. In Levi’s (Matthew) case, it resonated in a result of leaving behind the comfortable lifestyle. The Saviors voice called for Levi… akoloutheo. The knock at his hearts door have just reverb down the halls of his soul. I bet that word was like music to his ears.

Jesus responds to the lonely tax collector with “join me” words.  Don’t we all like those words?  When that “great” person in our life or the person who holds weight in it calls out to us to join he or she in something. It makes you feel important doesn’t it? Joy has entered the room along with anticipation.  You forget what you were doing to follow after the call.

When Diana and I were dating or right before we were, I remember the first time she called my phone.  I was riding down the road in my pimp out Rodeo (sike!) headed to see a movie with my friend Tim. My phone rang and when I looked up I didn’t recognized the number. I waited for the voicemail and listened to Diana’s voice. Crazy! I saved that number…you betch ya. The next several days were crazy waiting…anticipating…for the call.

1. Remember when God called you?  Reflect on that.

You weren’t/aren’t a tax collector but nevertheless a corrupt (by sin) person with no calling. He calls you…God has called you to push back the darkness by the means of Jesus.

RESTORE: 40 days of restoration

Well, 40 days of restoration is Monday.  The 40 days will last until To Follow You weekend, which is March 5^th. So what is 40 days of restoration?  That seems to be the question that many people are asking…so here is my best explanation.

re·store (r-stôr, -str)

tr.v. re·stored, re·stor·ing, re·storation

1. To bring back into existence or use; reestablish.

2. To bring back to an original condition.

Back in August of last year, I was feeling as if I should give up on ministry.  Not that it was real hard, but my relationship with God wasn’t like it should be or what I felt it could be.  I began a journey of asking questions to which my heart felt that it needed answers.  Then it seemed like every time I heard a message or read a passage it always seem to be pointing me back to what was causing this stirring.

Our Fall Retreat rolled around and I was real excited.  For I knew that God was going to do something spectacular that only He could do, not only in the lives of teenagers, but in mine as well.  I left that FR 09 more exhausted than I came in. During that time, I asked my leadership team “how is their time with Jesus” from the scale of 1-10.  I heard more 3’s and 4’s than I expected.  Most of them said, “I don’t pray much” or “I just don’t pick up the Bible during the week.”  If that was happening to my leadership…then restoring has to happen. Questions still remain, and my heart was stirring again, not with emotion and wired feelings, but with a wanting of restoration. Then my Grandma past away…she went to be with my Jesus.  My life needed the cross more than anytime in my life.

So, I came up with a time of 40 days.  40 days in the Bible were times of cleansing (the flood), seeking {answers and guidance from God so that tough instances could be faced} (Moses w/the 10 Commandments), fasting (Elijah), and for God to show Himself (Jesus).  Many Churches do a 40 days or prayer or purpose.  This is definitely NOT that.  Not that isn’t good, but that isn’t what RESTORE is.  Restore is a time of YOU seeking for God to restore YOUR heart.

The above definitions of the word restore means “to bring back into existence” or “to bring back to original condition.”  That is exactly what we are asking God to do.  The Hebrew word is Shub, which means to turn back or return (Psalm 51:12).  The Greek word that we will use is Anapsuxis.  It means a recovery of breath or to be revived (Acts 3:19 or 2 timothy 1:16). I need to be revived, return to the feet of the Father.  He has lavished everything on us through His son Jesus and is pleading for His children to rest in Him.  His yoke is easy and His burden is light.  I need that.

So what does that look like?  Here below is my heart.

• Spending more time at His feet. Praying earnestly.  Getting up earlier and spending the first part of the day with Him.
• Hang with my Jesus.  Opening His Word and not just seeing pages, but living them out.
• Doing something risky for the Kingdom.  I don’t know what that looks like, but it might be my money…pride…image. I will look for ways to be Jesus at the well.
• Be pure.  In all ways…at home…how I treat my wife…friends…time…etc.

• Love my wife.  I should love her like Christ loves the Church.  In my actions, words, touch, and in my Jesus.
• Marinating on His promises for my life. Thinking feverishly about where He is leading me…nr ministries, Greenbrier, TreeHill, etc.
• Stepping up, stepping in, stepping out in this culture more. Haiti just got hit with a terrible earthquake. What can I do?  Costa Rica is close to my heart…what do I do? Inner City works and domestic violence has crippled the homes of many children…what can i do?  What WILL I do?

Your heart might need different things to happen than what mine needs. You need to seek God on that.  Will you join me? Not in a spam email or FB status way. Will you?  Do you need restoration? 40 Days of Restoration, January 25-March 5, 2010.

Haiti & Jesus

Well here we are again.  Something happens in the world and it shifts our thinking from ourselves.  I never like it to shift.  I wish that it just stayed in the same gear. At least for a bit.  What do I mean?  The shift of thinking about serving ourselves when there are people who need serving.  Here’s just a thought:

Haiti  just go hit hard. Things are troublesome for the haitian people.  I remember when hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast like Mark McGwire hit baseballs (while on steroids).  We sent teams and I was able to take a group to rebuild homes in the Gulfport area.  It was hard work…but the people were crazy excited to us show up and sweat our backs off.  The shift from ourselves went from “what can i get” to “what can I do.”  The Gospel is lived out with you hands and  feet not your body in a seat.  I wish the Church would be proactive rather than calling for proactive solutions while calluses form on the bottom of their butt. A buddy of my, Joey said once, “God didn’t give us hands for us to sit on…He gave us hands so we could serve.”  Truer words have never been spoken.

What does that look like?  Glad you asked…plug into what your local Church is doing for this cause and do something BIG.  Don’t just give money if you can go do something.  I find it disgusting when the Church decides to just send money because it is easier on the Church programs.  Since when does God call us to do something that is easy.  The Gospel wasn’t easy. The last time I read the Bible it said,

“I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing.”.2 Samuel 24:24.

Doing enough to get buy doesn’t cut it as a Christian. The fat needs to be cut.  Jesus reached out to hurting and distraught…we MUST do the same. So, what does that look like to you?  I don’t know, but I would first ask God,  then move to what “ever” He is calling you to do.

So where did it go wrong?

I came in my office hoping to get off the phone with Hank, which I did…45 minutes later.  Wanted to send some emails out and read a little, but it didn’t happen because I was distracted by the mess in my office.  I cleaned up the other day and it’s messy again.  Dang.  When did this happen?

Today I asked myself:  where did it go wrong?  Not that anything had happened or that I expected things to go wrong…but when did it?  I believe that is what the disciples asked themselves.  When did things get this bad?  Why did they have to take Him?  Where did everyone go? Wasn’t everyone just singing and shouting at His grand entrance, now they are shouting for his executing? Where did this thing go wrong?

Sometimes life happens.  Sometimes we watch for the mistakes of others and fail to see the mistakes we are making.  At times, we may focus too much on the future and not enough on the now.  Children grow up fast, ambitions fall at the sight of opposition, healthy bodies grow old in time, and financial struggles seem to cripple even the best of plans.  Life just happens.

I believe from a historical and Biblical perspective that the disciples were waiting on Jesus to do the impossible. Not like you and I are thinking, but in the way of cultural perspectives and Jewish religion.  They were there when He feed the thousands, they were there when Jesus raised the dead man, and they also saw His glory as He spoke with the words of Life.  He walked on water and calmed the storm, but I believe they asked themselves, “When did this go wrong?”  as their leader was taking away to be tried.  Jesus was tried as a criminal and faced death on a cross.

Some days have passed, and the disciples have all gone to what they know best…fishing.  For some, this was their previous occupation, for others maybe a getaway with friends after a horrible week, but they all have one thing in common:  the feeling of abandonment.

I do believe there are times when we ask ourselves when did this happen or better yet, how did this happen on our watch?  We feel the abandonment of normalness or the feeling that everything is going to be ok. If you have ever lost a loved one, you know this very clear, things happen so fast.  We can never be there right when things happen…we are not fast enough, we forget too easy, and we are human.   We tend to lean on our power of understanding, which is pretty limited.  We blink and things change.

My dad died when I was 13 and I often wonder if things would have been different if I would have been there when he took his life.  If I had cherished the good times with my Dad maybe I would think of good things whenever I think about him.  Things happen in our lives that we wish we knew were going to happen.  Parents think back to when their child hugged them, and now that same child is slamming the door in their face.  Those “I love you’s” have turned into “I hate you’s.”  When did this happen?  A wife who loves her husband has just found out that the feelings are not mutual.  His love for her has moved south.  Where did it go wrong?  When did income become as scarce as endangered animals?  The bottom fell out before I could grab it…ugh.

This blog is for anyone who has asked themselves “where did it go wrong?”  We often ask ourselves that question.  The disciples did too.  But even though the fragrance of despair lingered through the air, hope was on the horizon.  Jesus showed up and said, “Follow Me.” The rising sun is now above the tops of the mountain, and the orange and yellow are creeping between the trees. Hope has come.  We only need to follow now…where He is taking us might lead to more questions but at least we have company.

Know today that my Jesus loves you.  Like crazy He does.

Operation Christmas Gift

It turned out that we couldn’t go to Baltimore, MD over the Christmas holidays.  But what a snow storm couldn’t  contain was God’s call for our team to go to South Augusta to bless people.  We put our money in a pile on the table and said, “let’s go be Jesus to people.”  That is exactly what we did.  I printed off 2 pages of email from the local DFACS in regard of foster kids who would receive a Christmas gift.  The girls took the pages and made teams of the split names…off to Walmart.

After buying the gifts, we took a short lunch break and split into a couple of groups and split the money as well…man were we excited.  Off to find people who might need some Christmas cheer because we know the best way to spread Christmas cheer is sing loud for all to hear…LOL.

Many of the groups went to Walmart, Dollar stores, Goodwill, random people in lines, and grocery stores. The reason we went to South Augusta was not that it’s getto, but rather there are more opportunities to bless people.  When you live in a county that the average income per house hold is more than 100,000, it seems to be fitting to go somewhere where it is a need.  My group met this woman at Food lion.  Here is our story:

Saw woman in need, then went with her to buy food down the isles.  Left there, went to Walmart with her and picked out clothes and fun stuff for her kids. Loaded up her van in the rain…headed to DFCS for more toy drop offs.  Another day…another life…changed…because of the Gospel.

“The Gospel is lived out with your hands and feet, not your body in a seat.” -Shane

Mission Baltimore

Well..next week I lead a team to Baltimore, MD.  We are partnering with Charm City Church and Metro kidz for 6 days during Christmas break.  Here is a blog post from Colleen, a missonary/director of Metro Kidz.  Please pray for the area and for our team.  We leave December 18-23rd.

Doughnuts with Drug Dealers

by COLLEEN on NOVEMBER 24, 2009

Two weeks ago, I felt like I was supposed to do something for some of the young boys who push drugs on our street corners, at first what that something was, wasn’t exactly clear, and honestly I wanted to run from the idea, these boys know me, they respect me and they know my name isn’t that enough? Why Lord, do you need me to get involved in their lives? I thought to myself, why would I even ask that, of course He wants me involved in their lives, why WOULDN’T he should have been the question. I am not gonna lie, I was scared to death.

So I thought and prayed and prayed and was like Lord what? What is it you have planned for me and these boys, that’s when it was revealed I was having doughnuts with dealers. I got up early one morning, left for work at 7:15 instead of 8 and went and bought a couple of dozen doughnut and some milk, and off I went. I couldn’t help but wonder, what on earth would these boys think of me, would they laugh at me and not take the doughnuts, would they beat me up, because they thought I might be ridiculing them?

Boy, was I ever wrong about what might happen that morning, after they realized, that no, I am not 5-0 under cover, these boys were more welcoming than most people I know. They invited me to their stoops, where they devoured two dozen doughnuts and a gallon of milk in record time. They wanted to know why I would do this, and when I told them it was simply an act of love, they smiled, I didn’t want to turn them in, I didn’t want to buy or sell them anything, in fact that morning I didn’t even really want to tell them about Jesus, I just wanted to love them like Jesus loves me. I did tell them about MetroKidz and how it was a place of hope, and they were more than welcome to come if/when they felt ready.

As the morning ended and I walked back to my car relieved, I thought to myself well I have planted the seed, someone else will come along and hopefully sow it. Little did I know that person might be me…that night one of the boys came to MetroKidz, he was well behaved, and no one knew about his lifestyle. He hugged me on the way in the door and thanked me. I smiled and my heart got really excited.

I really thought in my mind this might be a one-time affair, however these boys have different motives, they chased me down last Tuesday evening and asked if I was coming tomorrow with doughnuts, I looked at them smiled and said, I wasn’t planning too, however since you’ve asked I’ll be there. That morning tears were cried, stories were shared and one little boy who we’ll call “J” looked me in the eyes, with tears welling up and said, Miss you know my story is almost like yours except for I am a boy and you’re a girl. He said to me “I have hope today, I am getting on the bus and going to school for the first time in three weeks,” and that is exactly what he did.

On Thursday morning I boarded a plane for Atlanta, with a text message in my inbox, that said, “Miss Colleen, day 2 of going to school, can you pray for me?” I smiled to myself and tears welled up in my eyes, and I heard this “little” boys words through his text, a little boy who just wanted hope, who just wanted and need(ed)s someone to believe in him, a little boy who found his acceptance pushing drugs on a corner instead of in a school community or church.

Imagine what we could do if we all had a “J” if we all took sometime to give someone a little hope, if we all listened when God called us to be uncomfortable. Imagine if you woke up to a text message from a drug dealer who wants to change, who’s reaching out to you.

While I am not encouraging you to go stand on a corner with a prostitute, or a drug dealer (okay maybe I am), I am encouraging you to listen when God calls you to be uncomfortable. Listen when God calls you on a mission, because you’ll never know whose life you might be changing.

Grandma going home

Everyone that knows me knows that i have been influenced by my Grandma.  She was my safe home.  She is my love.  I couldn’t thank God enough for placing her in my life.  One year and one week ago my Grandma accepted Jesus as Savior. She lived a good life…but the last year…she lived a great life.  We are telling her story today in my home town of Blythe.  At 3pm, the celebration of her life will begin. I was asked by her to do her remebrance…but I can’t…my heart will not allow me…so I will say a little something along with a cousin LJ to bring honor to her.  Here is what I will say…

Reflection:

The word “proud” is a powerful word. People are often proud of things…and people. Sometimes that proud is a mask that is hiding what is real. Sometimes it’s not.  If I could speak for ALL the grandkids, then I could say we are proud to have been influenced by grandma. Influence shapes a soul, and our souls have been shaped for the better.

My prayer today is that we would look at the clouds…they are breaking…the storm will always be there…but there IS a light shining through.  Its there to give you Hope.  We have a Hope.  Grandma had a Hope.  That Hope is the Christ…who is Jesus.  May we place our hope in Him today.

I know today is a funeral…a day of remembrance…a day of honoring.  It would not be complete if I didn’t tell you that God is near… In the past year when Grandma didn’t feel ok she would say, “ya know Shane I know God is going to take care of me…He hasn’t let be down yet…and I’ve been through a lot…shoot- we all have been through a lot.” And then, “Honey quit that!  You are worrying me.” (Grandaddy messing with something in front of her)

The Bible says, “He is near the broken hearted.” God mourns with you…meaning you’re not in this alone. Know that  God is still good.  And If He doesn’t do anything else for us in our lives, that doesn’t change God’s goodness.  He was good enough to let this great woman be apart of our lives…that is good.

There are reflections of my Grandma in many of you in this room.  That reflection will continue through the generations just as they reflected through the past.  Today her eyes no longer reflect pain, they reflect a Savior.

Over a year ago, She prayed to God and asked Him many things. One of those things was to make her well in the hospital so she could go home.  I can say…He did.

Unfailing love part II.

Unfailing love comes from selflessness. The picture of this is Jesus.  Obviously…but we need to checkout someone who displayed that selfless act. Drum roll……….(beating gets louder):  John the Baptist…do what?  John the Baptist?  Out of all people in the Bible that I think should have gotten something good, it was him.  In the end, he didn’t make out like a bandit, he was killed like one.  This story leaves us with little hope.  But I didn’t say no hope.

Mark 1 starts off with us seeing this guy name John who baptizes and looks like a manic depress guy.  He has long hair, eats bugs, and is very humble when he talks about the messiah coming back.  Yoda would say, “Mucho respect for the Savior he has.”  His most famous line is “I must decrease, He must increase.”  The word decrease in the original language means in the manner of influence.  Incase you didn’t know it or just didn’t notice it, John had tons of influence.  People even thought John was the messiah.  At the end of the day, when he was in prison, his words never ranged louder.  I must decrease.

This is never found in Mr. John’s story…the whole prosperity gospel thingy.  The fact that when you look at scripture, you can NEVER find someone in the new Testament with lots of money.  What you do find is lots of hardships.  Must we go to Paul’s life?  How about we play it safe with Peter…Crucifed upside down on a wooded beam  and left rotting for the birds of the air to gorge on…me think not.  Check it out…even those who were not disciples but rather elders in the Church still died.  Stephen anyone?  Stoned to death by rocks to the head…not a good day.  God’s plan is for you is to respond to the love that was lavished, by the means of the Cross.  We are to walk this earth for the inexpressible glory of the Lord.

Being on God’s side requires a lot, much like a lot was required to be by God’s side.  The only blessing that we need hangs by the means of the Cross.  The redemptive process in which God allowed His Son to die so that we don’t have to is the setting in which John looked at. The problem in living is that you have to die. John found that out by the hand of a stripper girl who wanted his head on a plate.  Dang.

Dying to oneself  is the only call God wants for our lives. In that process, we become less.    If your desire is to be rich by the means of PG (prosperity gospel), then you will be dumb, broke,  and blind.  Sometimes…less is more. In the case of the Gospel, less is ALWAYS more.

I think our problem is that we need to plead with God to be used…and abused for His namesake…He>u .  May you become all things to all people for His fame.