O Come All Ye Faithful

O come, let us adore Him.  This phrase is repeated several times throughout the song.  We sing it every year, but do we mean it or even know what it means?  It can take different meanings depending on its context.  I adore my wife Sarah.  You probably know that by now.  In this sense, I love and admire her, and I am devoted to her.  And while we can and should love, admire, and be devoted to Jesus, there is a separate meaning that is perhaps more appropriate for the way we ought to adore Him: to worship and honor as God.

So how do we go about doing that?  Worship might initially sound like the easier part of the equation.  Just show up at church and sing when it’s time to sing!  Although that is part of worship, that is not the whole of it.  Did you know that listening (or preaching) a message on God’s Word is worship?  Did you know that giving an offering is worship?  Did you know that reading your Bible is worship?  Did you know that living your life in a way that honors God on a daily basis is worship? Well, in case you didn’t know, each of those things is true.

Worship involves honoring, so the actual easiest way to answer this question is to figure out what it means to honor God. To honor someone is to give him proper respect due to who he is and/or due to the position he may hold.  So to honor God is to acknowledge His position in our lives.  God is supreme.  He is over all, because He was before all.  .  God is God, and we are not.  Therefore we ought to live in deference to His will.  When we honor God, we do so by living the life He created us to live, by behaving in the way He has called us to behave, by seeking Him first, by loving others before ourselves, and so forth.  We honor God by bringing Him glory, and we can only bring Him glory when we are following Him.

Romans 11:33-12:2:  “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!  “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We honor by praising, by seeking, by following, by obeying, by giving, by blessing, by serving, and by living.  Do you honor God?  In what ways do you best honor God?  In what areas of your life do you find honoring God to be most difficult?  How can you be more intentional about bringing honor God (at home, at work, at school, at church)?

the Mighty God

            You probably shouldn’t tell my mom this, but I really liked a lot of the music she listened to in the car, especially around Christmas time.  If she finds out, she’ll never let me tease her about it again.  But I really did enjoy a lot of it, including Steve Green’s Christmas music.  One song in particular stands in my memory, so much so that it has cost me points on a Bible verse test in Bible college.  He did a song called, “Messiah Medley,” and in it, he sang words to verses, including Isaiah 9:6.  He repeats the last two names the Messiah would be called, and so did I.  Here's the song:

            Isaiah is talking about the Jewish Messiah that would be coming, and he is listing what He should be called.  Today, I want to focus on His being called the Mighty God.  Here in the midst of a list of titles is perhaps one of the most significant terms in all of the Old Testament.  I would venture to say that this list is read as a whole, with little thought given to the individual titles, but they are distinctly separate roles, and each one is important for understanding who Jesus was, and who He was predicted to be.

            Deuteronomy 6:4 is the beginning of the Shema, a key Scripture to the Jewish faith, and it is often used to explain why Jesus just couldn’t be God.  ““Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”  God was defining Himself and distinguishing His true nature from the nature of the false gods in polytheistic societies.  He was one. He was the real deal, the end of the line, the one and only.  He didn’t outsource various jobs to other deities, because He was it.  And so God is one.  If God is one, how then could Jesus also be God?

            Well, there are various things we could discuss, including that the word for God in that text is “Elohim,” –im being the ending used for singular plurality in Hebrew.  It is one God, but contained within is some plurality (like the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit).  This is one God, yet He exists in 3 persons, as we know now.  In John 1, Jesus is identified as God (In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.)  To a Jewish person, this is heresy.  Jesus cannot be God, because God is one.  At best, He could be the Messiah, but that’s not the same as being God.  This is the pushback I have received from Jewish friends.

            But being the Messiah is the same as being God.  His name would be called the Mighty God!  In Isaiah 7, God would give us a sign when a virgin would conceive, and His name would mean God with us!  Isaiah wasn’t really being that mysterious with his prophecy.  He wasn’t beating around the bush.  He plainly states that when the Messiah comes, He would be God.  And Jesus did, and He was, and He still is.

Which name(s) from Isaiah 9:6 best describes who Jesus is to you right now?

 If you understand that He is the Mighty God, the Father from everlasting to everlasting, how does that change the way you celebrate Him, especially around Christmas?  Is there awe and reverence in your celebration?

Christmas is really about God coming to earth to rescue us.  How can you make that reality a better part of your Christmas celebration?

The Grinch: Gifts, Gifts, Gifts, and Maybe Christmas

We know the Grinch is the bad guy throughout most of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” but sometimes the bad guy is right in point he makes, if not in the way he goes about making it.  For some – and I would venture to say many – Christmas is becoming more and more about gifts.  I have to get the best gifts.  I have to be remembered for giving the best gifts.  I have to get the best deal on my gifts, so I can tweet that out and brag about it.  Gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts, gifts.  But it’s cool, because even though we spend an excessive amount of time on buying, giving, and swapping Christmas gifts, we take 5 minutes to read Luke 2 or let Linus do it when we watch the Peanuts Christmas Special.  So it’s not like we have totally written Jesus off; we’ve just marginalized Him.

Now, I’m not against gifts.  I, in fact, love to get gifts, and I love to give gifts.  Some would say that gift giving and receiving is my love language.  I believe that they are important and a valuable way to show love to each other.  I also think that if we’re not careful, gifts become an idol, knocking Jesus from His rightful place as the center of our Christmas attention.  An idol is anything that you place before God in such a way that it dictates the way you act.

I do think that presents take God’s place.  They become what we value.  Our attitude at the end of the Christmas day may hinge on what we did and did not get.  Our heart is stirred, either in joy or disappointment.  I’ve certainly been there, pouting because my gift(s) wasn’t what I expected or hoped for.  I’ve thought, “If you really knew me or cared about me, you wouldn’t have gotten me that.”  But no matter how bad that gift may have been (and it probably really wasn’t that bad), it really didn’t change anything.  My heart said the world was ending, when in reality, I had all I would ever need in that moment, and I do right now as I write this.

Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.”

So where’s your treasure?  What moves you?  Gifts?  Or the God of this world born as a little Jewish baby with one purpose: to hang on a cross to pay your penalty?  What do you think this season is about?

where is the love?

The norm in society is to be absolutely right, while considering those that disagree with you to be absolutely wrong/stupid/fake/heathen/whatever other demeaning insult you feel like using.  This trend is never more prevalent than during political elections, although our current congress has blessed many with the opportunity to keep up the caustic speech.  What is sad to me is that this sort of speaking has infiltrated the church, and it is on full display today, and it will stay there through the end of the year.

Holidays are a time of joy and laughter, decorations, celebrations, anger, and judgment.  Somehow they all get thrown in the same bag.  Today kicks off the holiday/argumentative season, with Christians disagreeing with what position to hold on Halloween.  We'll move into Christmas, and we'll be given the opportunity to be upset with how someone wishes us well.  Happy holidays (which means happy holy days, incidentally) seems to be the most offensive phrase in America today.  So that'll be setting people off soon, too.  And people will take to the safest venues for saying the most offensive things without fear of getting smacked: Facebook and Twitter.  Hard positions will be taken, back-and-forth jabbing will take place, friends will become enemies, and Christ will be ashamed.

But if you are right, and you are just refusing to bend on the truth, how could Christ ever be offended with you?  Well. I think we're doing the right things the wrong way a lot of times, and we use the wrong venues.  Facebook probably isn't the best place to try to convert people to your way of thinking, because it lacks context, tone of voice, and non-verbal cues that let people know you're not attacking them.  And when you speak the truth, but you do not speak the truth in love (as Ephesians 4:15 suggests), what you say is utterly useless.  You could be saying the greatest things on this earth, but without love, you're just making noise.  Want to have meaning and credibility?  Go love some people before you try to pick their decisions apart.  Look them in the eyes.  It will probably change the way you speak to them.

The Juggernaut is more than just a race

We've asked a couple of times for your help with the Juggernaut, and I'm going to ask that you allow me one more request with one more sharing of why this race is so important to not just us but to so many.  We are still in need of volunteers for this Saturday.  Volunteers who might help by directing racers through the course, handing out water, timing, taking pictures, or just encouraging racers as they pass by you.  But when you volunteer to work this Saturday, you aren't just volunteering for a race.  Your volunteering for so much more.

It's probably pretty obvious to you that when we do a race and partner with ActiveWater that part of what we're raising money for is clean drinking water.  That is definitely true.  But clean water has more implications than just the drink itself.  So what else about this cause should make you want to help? I think it's good to work towards clean water for people everywhere, but this Cambodian project is particularly moving. Cambodia borders Thailand. Many families send their children to retrieve water from a large river bordering Thailand, making them susceptible to human trafficking. The idea of young children being kidnapped and forced into sex slavery or other types of trafficking rips my heart.  It breaks God's heart.  I imagine it breaks your heart, too.  Although we can't necessarily be there protecting them, we can provide a safety net by establishing clean running water in the villages that would make going to the more dangerous locations obsolete.  Why risk your child on the Thai border when you can just get running water?  This is about more than a race on a Saturday in September.  It's worth more than just clean drinking water, which is a worthy cause in of itself.  It's about protecting people from a life we wouldn't wish on our worst enemy.

So I ask you one more time: would you volunteer to help?  If so, please contact the church office at 343-4522 or email me at jeff@mykcc.org.  We'll have a place for you.  Thank you.

happily ever after

Sarah and I just recently celebrated our 12th anniversary, and it turns out that we are still in love.  Why?  It's not because we're built to last, but because we're building to last.

I don't believe in a fairytale happily ever after in life.  I don't believe in the one or soul mates or whatever you would call it.  I think those notions do a disservice to the commitment and work it takes to make a marriage last, and they also provide an escape clause later on when things aren't always happy or the spark has disappeared or whatever.   They say marriage is work.  Who are they?  I don't know, but they exist, and they say this.  And while I know this is true, it doesn't feel like work.  Ever had a job that you loved so much it didn't feel so much like work, but more like getting paid to do what you love to do?  I have.  I have it right now.  And if my marriage is also work, then it also doesn't feel like it for a few reasons.  First, I love my wife, and she knows it, and she loves me, and I know it.  Second, we've been working all along.  We do consistent marital maintenance, never letting the projects get too big to be fixed.  And third, I believe we love each other in the way the Bible instructs us to love each other.

And I want to tell you briefly what I think that looks like from a husband's perspective, because I am a husband.  Ephesians 5 is a much abused and therefore much maligned portion of Scripture, because it uses that old dirty word: submission.  But submission in a Biblical sense isn't actually a bad thing, because God wrote about and defined it.  I think where things get off track is the focus on and misinterpreting the woman's responsibility while overlooking the man's, which is especially odd considering the man's responsibility is primary and the woman's responsive to that.  Wait, that sounds sexist!  Not really.  I'm putting the burden on men and giving women a break that they deserve.  So what do I mean?  Well, why do we love God?  Because He first loved us (1 John 4:19).  And in Ephesians 5, the wife is supposed to love the husband like we love God, and the man is supposed to love the wife like God loves His church.  Why should a wife love her husband?  Because he loves her first.

And what does that love look like?  Well, how did Jesus love His church?  He gave up everything, He became a servant, He put the needs of the church over His rights and position.  He loved His church so much that He was willing to die for her while simultaneously living for her benefit.  That's how a Godly husband ought to love his wife.  He should put her first - her wants, her needs, her emotions - and he should serve her, give up what it takes to meet her needs, and not just be willing to die for her, but also be willing to live in such a way that would benefit her.  And when you treat your wife that way, do you know what happens?  She tends to love you back.  She also trusts you.  And because she knows that the one thing you want more than anything is her well-being, she's willing to go to the end of the world with you and for you.  And because it's true, you don't abuse that.

I could go on, but only a few of you are still reading this.  I think you get the gist of it.  Love your wife.  Love your husband.  Put yourself aside for them.   You just might live happily ever after, because happily will ever come after love and work.

like father (and mother), like son

Jakob has musical tastes that are very reflective of his parents' musical tastes.  He loves hard rock like Red and Disciple, and he finds Jonny Lang soothing.  He loves the music from Star Wars, and the intro to The Office used to make him stop crying.  He likes what he's been around, which is pretty natural.  He also seems to dislike what we dislike, even though it'd never been discussed.

We had the awesome opportunity to work a week at Maranatha Bible Conference last week, running the youth program.  This means we also got to stay on their awesome grounds, enjoy outdoor activities together, and eat their wonderful food.  One thing you'll hear all over Maranatha is piano music.  There are a few pianos in different buildings, and anyone is welcome to play them, and play them they did.  It's primarily old hymns, and much of what I heard was played rather slowly (or perhaps I should say at original speed), although we did hear some Star Wars theme music mixed in there.  I didn't love hearing it all the time, as it gave me flashbacks to a darker time in life, but I didn't talk about that with anyone, because I wouldn't want to offend one of the people playing or anyone that enjoys it.  It's fine.  I just don't want to listen to it.

It turns out Jakob doesn't want to listen to it either.  See, I'm a nice dad, and I'll allow myself to be subjected to things I don't particularly care for if it'll make Jakob happy (I see you, Mickey Mouse).  So one day, as Jakob and I were heading towards his class, I asked him if he wanted to go in and listen to someone playing on the piano.  He said he didn't, and I thought it was because he wanted to get right to class.  I told him we had to waste some time first and asked him again, to which he emphatically replied: "No, I don't like the piano music.  It's making me annoyed!"

He's like us.  And just like us, he still had a great time, piano music not withstanding.

the entertainment value of Jesus

I love to be entertained.  I really do.  I can go from TV show to TV show, clear through entire seasons of shows on Netflix with binge watching, read entire novels in a week while still working and going to school, and fill the in between times with listening to sports radio as I come and go.  Now, I should probably clarify that this isn't my everyday lifestyle.  This happens, as entertainment gets its hooks in me, and I get sucked into all it has to offer me.  And entertainment in of itself is good.  It is not bad.  But too much entertainment can change our expectation, our attention spans, and our priorities.  It can shift the way we view very important aspects of our lives, including our families, our friends, and even God.  If entertainment becomes the number one thing you seek, you're not long for the Christian life.  Do you know why?  Jesus isn't an entertainer.

In John 6, people were totally into Jesus.  He fed them, which they liked, and even better, He fed thousands of them with one boy's lunch.  They're were thinking, "This Dude's for real.  He's the prophet we've been expecting.  Look what He did for us!"  This wasn't the first miracle He had done, not even in their presence.  He had amassed a following, because He was making wine, healing people, and casting out demons, plus He was really unnerving the religious leaders, who probably annoyed them all.  He was popular, and He was entertaining, and now that He had given them something tangible - food - He was absolutely the guy to follow, so they're fixing to force kingship on Him.  But He slips away.

The next day, they come looking for Him, surprised to have found Him on the other side of a lake, since the disciples had taken the only boat.  But here He is, so they ask Him to help them do miracles just like Him.  They found him entertaining and wanted to do some pretty cool stuff themselves, but He tells them that they just need to believe in Him.  So they ask for a sign, because they were a sign-seeking people.  And Jesus cuts to the chase: I didn't come to perform signs and miracles; I came from Heaven to save you.  That's it.  And the people were confused and frustrated, because He stopped being entertaining and went straight to teaching hard truths.  And they ultimately cannot understand or get down with what He's teaching, and they walk away.  They could understand a miracle: something that was not now is.  This is great!  But they couldn't understand the spiritual relevance or meaning of His teachings.  They were frustrated and confused, so they quit.

Jesus is awesome.  I mean, He is God, so this is a given.  And He does some really incredible things.  He's done them in my life.  Maybe He's done them in yours.  But that's not His purpose, and it's not always what He does.  But He is always Truth, and He always speaks the Truth, and that can frustrate and confuse us.  It can be unsettling to us when it differs from what we thought or hoped to be true.  Sometimes He leads us through refining fire, which is anything but fun entertainment.  Jesus is not an entertainer; He is God, and if we follow Him, waiting for the next big thing to happen, we may walk away just like those disciples did when His teaching got tough.  Don't be entertained by Him.  Be changed by Him.

we came back different

 

Every year, we leave for our mission trip on a bus.  We're a happy group.  We love each other.  And we're always excited to go have a lot of fun and serve complete strangers.  This year, we went to Philadelphia, PA, which I learned yesterday is the one city that has a higher death rate than rural counties.  So that's a comforting post trip fact to mull over.  But the city treated us well, despite some of the frightening sights and sounds we witnessed.

The mission trip this year was unlike any other I have experienced.  Last year kind of set things off, and we knew this year would be good, but I know I had no idea how good it would be.  Last year, most didn't really engage until Thursday, because they were still unhappy that we had switched who we did mission trips through, and the impact was still really high.  This year, everyone started out ready to go with a good attitude, and the outcome was unbelievable.  We came back different.  There has been a dynamic shift in youth group culture as a result.  I've always been pro-Bible reading, but that has sometimes fallen on deaf ears.  Now the high school guys want to study the Bible together as part of our small group.  Shift.  We had a few people place their faith in Jesus for the first time on this trip.  We had an outdoor baptism in a creek that ran throughout the campus.  A number of people surrendered to the call of ministry on the trip.  Other people surrendered to the call to follow God in their lives, every day, no matter what.  Shift.  We are different than we were when we left.

I cannot go too into detail about any of these things, because that would be a spoiler.  Instead, I will leave you with that faint glimpse and invite you to come hear for yourself how God moved.  On August 18, during the 11:00 AM service, we will recap the mission trip for you.  Yes, there will still be worship music.  There will still be a message.  But there will also be testimonies from people whose lives were changed.  I hope you can make it.

Celebrating Father's Day

How do you celebrate being a dad?  It's Father's Day on Sunday, so hopefully you have a good idea of what you're doing.  A lot of dads fire up the grill on Father's Day, which is kind of like asking a mom to prepare her favorite meal for Mother's Day, but it's okay.  I have yet to meet a man who doesn't love grilling.  I know I do, and I ask to grill on Father's Day sometimes.  But that is not what I'm doing this year.  This year I am celebrating Father's Day simply by being a dad.

I want to celebrate the fact that I get to be Jakob's dad more than I want to be celebrated for being his dad.  I want to celebrate, not be celebrated.  Although, to be completely honest, I love the new pair of Adidas I'm wearing while typing this, which Sarah bought for me for Father's Day.  So maybe I like being celebrated just a little.  But I want to celebrate Jakob, too!  I want him to know that Father's Day is special to me, because he is special to me.  So I wan to celebrate in a way he would love, not in a way that I hope he loves someday.  With me?  That means that although I want him to love the Detroit Tigers, and even though he has shown some interest in them, I'm not taking him at 3 years old to a game.  That's something I love, but he wouldn't enjoy that yet.  I don't want to be like the parents who take their 6-month old baby to Disney.  That kid doesn't love it.  It's really for the parents.  I don't want that.

This year, we're going to Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park in Grand Rapids, because that is something I can enjoy with him.  He will have more fun with the trampolines than me, and I will have more fun than he understands watching his joy.  That's really all I want (other than the shoes on my feet).  I want to celebrate by giving myself the best gift: joy in my son's heart and showing on his face.

I love my son.  I love being his dad.  I tell him and God that every single day.  Happy Father's Day to me.  And to you.

 

Kids are smart.

I love working with kids.  They are fun to be around, they are more innocent and less jaded than adults, and they are very smart.  I get the impression that some believe that teenagers and children cannot grasp deep concepts, and so everything should just be kept at the surface.  I could not disagree more, especially with older kids and teenagers.

Kids also have a lot of questions.  If you didn't know that, try driving in a car for a couple of hours with a kid (that you have the legal right and relationship to take away for a couple of hours).  Take away the cell phones and game systems and let the kid go to work.   He'll ask you questions about things you didn't even know were on his radar.  And so, every time I teach the 4th and 5th grade class at church, I always leave time to ask me any question they want to know about God or the Bible.

Two months ago, I was asked a question I get asked a lot.  How could Jesus be God and the Son of God?  It's really a question about the Trinity, which is a hard concept to grasp, and one that no adult on this earth fully understands.  So how do I answer the kid?  Well, I walked over to the chalkboard wall and began to explain it the best I could, drawing the picture above.  It seemed like a lot of them understood it, but it's always hard to tell.  And, even if they did get it, I knew I would be asked again soon enough, because it's a common question in there.

Two weeks ago, I ended up teaching JV Reach again, and at the end, I opened it for questions.  Sure enough, a young boy asked how Jesus could be God and the Son of God, so I turned to walk to the chalkboard wall to start all over again.  Just as I was picking up the chalk, I heard a girl named Megan say, "It's Elohim, right?"  I turned in awe and asked her to repeat it, just to make sure I had heard her right, and I had.  I asked her if she could continue explaining it, and she said, "Elohim is the Hebrew name for God, and because it ends in -im, we know it's a singular and plural.  He's one God, which is singular, but there are different parts to Him, which also makes Him plural.  It's like a herd.  It's one herd, which is singular, but there could be a lot of sheep in the herd, which also makes it plural."

She's 10, and she just repeated back to me what I had taught her several weeks ago, seemingly understanding a concept that is difficult for many adults.  She's smarter than someone who doesn't work with kids might expect.  But I expect it.  I know they're smart.  I know they think deeply and will ask me deep questions, so I have to be ready for them.

 

are you bitter?

Are you a bitter person?  Most would readily say that no, they are not a bitter person.  Do you harbor bitterness towards anyone?  Again, most would say that they do not.  But have you completely forgiven those that have wronged you, holding no ill feelings towards them?  This is a harder question, and it is a revealing question.  It's easy to say we have forgiven, but harder to get rid of ill feelings.  These negative emotions we associate with other people reveal that we have no truly forgiven the person.  And do you know what that is?  At the very least, it's a root of bitterness, which is a dangerous thing.

Hebrews 12:15 says, "Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many."  It doesn't warn against full blown bitterness, where someone walks around with a chip on their shoulder, mean mugging everyone as they go.  It warns against the poisonous root of it.  Just the kindling ambers that could grow into a raging inferno.  This is deep down in the heart, where it may not yet be visible to anyone else.  But it gets there.  In my own life, I have seen it get there.  And then it starts seeping out of your mouth, and others hear, and now your bitterness is no longer a personal issue.  It is corrupting anyone who has the misfortune of hearing you speak.

Who do you need to forgive fully?  I understand that someone may have seriously hurt or offended you.  I have been seriously hurt and offended, too.  But you know what?  Remaining unforgiving and holding onto bitterness doesn't hurt them.  It is just a way for you to allow them to continue hurting you, well after they have done anything.

our calm in the storm

As Sarah was laying on the bed upset, Jakob came to her and asked, "Are you okay, Mommy?  Are you sad?"  She answered honestly.  She wasn't okay, and she was very sad.  He said, "Here, take a drink of my apple juice, and you will be okay."  What a silly thought for a three-year old to have, right?  Not really.  He was sick a few months ago with a very sore throat, and he would cough himself awake.  He would cry, because the coughing hurt, and the crying hurt, so he would cry some more.  So every time he coughed himself awake and began to cry, we would say, "Here, take a sip of your apple juice.  You're okay."  He has since believed that drinking from a juice box is what brings comfort.

Did you know that he loves few things more than a juice box?  I think Sarah and me and our cat Simon might be the only things he loves more.  So for him to offer Sarah a drink of from his juice box while she was upset is a way of him saying, "I love you, Mommy, more than anything, and I want you to be happy more than I want this juice box."  He is a sweet child.  He is compassionate.  Seeing others, especially us, upset really messes with him.  Even his teacher noted that he cannot concentrate when others are upset, because he is a caring child.

The truth is that Jakob is our greatest comfort when we are sad.  Yes, we have a relationship with God, and we have a relationship with each other, but Jakob brings a joy and calm and in our storms that cannot be easily explained.  He is an unimaginable gift from God everyday, and it is especially evident on days when we are hurting.  When we are upset, he is very attentive.  He will quit whatever he is doing to hug us, often without being asked.  He will offer us anything he has to try to make us feel better.  He will rub his hands on our heads, imitating how we rub his hair when we're comforting him.  He evens assures us that it will be okay.  "You're okay.  Right, Mommy?"

I do not know Jakob's great purpose for the rest of his life, but I know how God uses him today.  He brings joy to us, to others that know him, and even to strangers that see him in public.  He is also a great entertainer.  I was at first envious of the joy he could bring Sarah when I was unable to at times.  But I get it now.  He brings calm to our hearts when storms of life rage around us.  I thank God for him every day.  I love him.

 

everybody hurts

Life brings pain.  It is a fact of life.  No matter how young or old you are, you will face it.  Some Christians are under the impression that pain is born out of sin or making God unhappy.  This was a prevailing theory in Jesus' time, as well.  In John 9, Jesus and His disciples come upon a blind man, and the disciples asked Him if it was because of his sin or his parents' sin that he was blind.  Jesus corrects them and informs them that it was for neither reason, but so that God could be glorified through him.

When you approach pain with the mindset that it is due to some grave mistake, you open yourself up for doubting God.  If pain is a result of wrongdoing, then why do bad things happen to good people?  It can lead you to doubting yourself.  What am I doing wrong?  Why can't I please God?  Am I just terrible and unforgivable?  It can be really defeating.

Pain is real, and it is a result of the fallen world in which we live.  It is true that sometimes our pain is brought on by our own mistakes, but other times, it is outside of our control.  Having a grasp on pain, why it exists, and how God can use it to make you flourish can be life changing.  So that is why we will spend the next 5 weeks in youth group discussing different types of pain, how to handle them, and how to lean on God, because I want our teenagers to flourish.  We will ask, "Does God still love me?  If so, why do I hurt?"  We will also look at how to deal with the pains of loss, rejection, suffering, and growing up.

1 Peter 1:6-7 says, "So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world."

5 things I'm excited about (in the near future)

I'm an excitable guy.  There are two arenas in which I find the most excitement: my family and my church.  I find so much joy and fulfillment at home and at church, and I always seem to be excited about at least one thing from each.  Here five things in the near future that have me excited, in no particular order (without all the details):

1.  The mission trip to Philadelphia.  I know it's not till the end of June, but the work that leads up to it has been going on for over a month now, and that makes it feel so close.  Plus, in terms of needing to get things done, it's always closer than it seems.  This Sunday we're putting up the Wall of Investment, which provides a way for you to financially support the trip.  I hope you will!

2.  I am working on some big events for children's ministry this Summer, the first of their kind.  I cannot say what, because I would hate to disappoint if it doesn't turn out exactly like I'm planning.

3.  RED will be in concert in Grand Rapids in April.  I'll see them at Winter Jam, but I'd love to see them as a headlining band.  If you're into hard rock and are interested in going, let me know.  We're working on getting a group together to go.

4.  I'm excited about our church in general, and all the new (and old) stuff we have going on around here.  I love that there's a new men's study, a new college group, I love the youth group and children's I'm involved with, my small group, the Comstock Campus Life group that meets on Mondays at our church, and on it could go.  If you aren't plugged in somewhere, it's not for lack of opportunity.  Don't sit idly by and miss out on what we're doing.

5.  We're going to Disney World this fall.  We is representing Sarah, Jakob, and me, and it will be Jakob's first visit to the Magic Kingdom.  It doesn't mean the whole church.  You certainly can go, but probably not with us.  We drive down to Florida, and we have a small car.

There's more, but that's all for now.  Enjoy your weekend.  Hope to see you Sunday.

who we are (and who we are)

I was just having a conversation with Pastor Dave and Pastor Todd about taking personality tests and spiritual gift inventories, and how I see great difference in the two.  I feel like if you were to blindly look at my MBTI results and my spiritual gift test results, you wouldn't know they came from the same person.  One describes an introvert who enjoys small groups of people.  The other describes a pastor who enjoys preaching God's Word to whatever crowd.  The two do not line up, which means who I naturally am and who I am in Christ are different people.

Moses may have been an introvert.  When God came to him and told him to lead His people out of Egypt, he was worried.  He wasn't good at talking.  People didn't know him or take him seriously.  He was afraid to do what God had asked of him because of who he was.  But God showed up in Moses and empowered him to do all that He asked of him. I feel like, to a lesser extent, God has shown up in me to help me accomplish what He's asked of me.  I say lesser extent not because I doubt God's work in my life, but rather because I'm not performing any miracles with water, blood, wood, snakes, parting seas, or whatever.  But I am standing up and stating God's truths, regardless of the unease I feel each time.

I don't want who I know I am and who others say I am stop me from doing what God's asked.  I want to be who God has called me to be, gifted me to be, and expects me to be.  Don't let anyone get in your way of doing what God wants from you.  That includes not letting yourself get in your way.  Who are you?  Who are you in Christ?  Who we are and who we are in Christ may be different.

we entered His courts

This past weekend, our church youth group combined with the youth groups of Connections Community Church and Oakwood Bible Church to put on our winter retreat.  It was an incredibly fun time, and we're planning to do it again next year.  Friday night took a fun break for a moment to be a little serious.  We extended the evening session a bit to address two things: a clear opportunity to follow Christ for the first time and an extended time to worship.  This was going to be big, and there were certainly roadblocks to get around.  I was teaching, and I was already worrying about Jakob (whose doctor thought had a staph infection) and then I was worrying about Zac (who had been concussed on the ice).  We dealt with emotional issues that day, as well, as things weighed heavy on some of the students.  Steve was also dealing with issues that day with his group, and Mike was continuing to come down sick.  The gauntlet was thrown at us, and it felt like it was a direct attack at what we were planning for that night.

The session finally rolled around, and it felt to me like it took forever getting there, and so we started.  The games went well, worship went well, and from what I'm told, my message went well.  Then came the opportunity and challenge to place one's faith in Christ.  I was nervous.  It had been a nerve-filled day, but that wasn't stopping what we were doing.  I asked those who had never placed their faith in Christ before to do so, and then I asked for those that did to raise their hands.  And several did, including some from our group.  What a feeling!

While I was finishing, Mike came up to play his guitar softly behind me.  When I ended, he immediately began leading the kids in worshiping God in song.  I walked away, went back to pray and thank God, and eventually joined up with the group again.  As I stood there worshiping, standing next to a girl I knew had just raised her hand saying she had placed her faith in Christ, something magnificent occurred to me: there were several people in that room who were entering God's courts with praise for the very first time.  And man, that felt special.  It's an unmatched feeling.

Psalm 100:4

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name."

it's better to get it right

I really do love Sarah, but what good is my loving her to her if I do not show her in a way that makes her feel loved?  You see, I like to think of myself as a world class husband.  It's more comfortable than thinking I'm an idiot.  I'll leave those thoughts and feelings to others that no doubt exist.  But I have been told that I am a good husband by more than just Sarah.  The thing is, though, it doesn't really matter if you or anyone else thinks I'm doing a good job as a husband.  It is only Sarah's perception that matters.  I would say that there have been times when others thought I was a good husband, but Sarah was hoping for something better out of me.  You know why?  Because she lives with me and experiences my best and worst.

So recently, feeling like I was slipping and not making Sarah as happy as I should be, I asked Sarah if I could be better.  She was hesitant at first, but she eventually told me the things I normally do that bother her.  I have been trying to be better in these areas over the last few months, and I periodically ask her how I'm doing with them.  It's a really uncomfortable question for me to ask, and I'm sure it is uncomfortable for her to answer when the answer won't be great, but to me, it's worth having the conversation.  I'd rather hear what's wrong with me from her, and try to get it right.  It makes things easier for me knowing that my wife truly loves me and isn't mean or spiteful.  I know she'll be honest, but she won't be intentionally hurtful about anything.

Marriage can be difficult.  It's designed to be a lifelong enterprise, but it takes upkeep, maintenance, and effort.  Often, when marriage feels difficult, we easily make lists in our heads of things our spouses could be doing better to make our marriage better.  It may be better to ask your spouse how you can make your marriage better.  Better to be told what you can do, so you can get it right, than to assume the problem is all theirs while you are completely right.