Experiencing Life Together

There's a great line towards the end of the movie, Hook after Peter Pan and the Lost Boys had defeated Captain Hook and the Pirates, and saved Peter's children. Peter is heading back to the real world and is flying up in the air as the Lost Boys are watching him leave likely for the last time, yet they smile as they watch their leader and friend leave and one boy simply says, "Now that was a great adventure." I'm sure the Lost Boys were sad to see him leave, but at the same time they weren't thinking about their loss, they were considering instead what they had just experienced together.

The past two weeks have been a bitter sweet time for my family and I. We are in the process of relocating to Dallas and leaving a church where I have been for over ten years. I've been the Youth Pastor for the last six years and have thoroughly enjoyed this time in our lives. People have asked if I was sad, I think some of the students may have been disappointed that I haven't cried about them, but certainly this doesn't mean that we haven't been sad to go. Some time ago, before I announced to the kids that we would be leaving I prayed that the Lord would allow me to enjoy the time I have with them, that instead of focusing on how difficult it would be to leave, we would be able to remember with fondness the great adventure we have just experienced together.

It would be impossible to mention every student or every memory that has made an impact in my life. The truth is in so many ways I have been effected, challenged, and encouraged by their testimony and by their ministry to me. I will always remember the times we witnessed God's marvelous creation on a ski trip, or served alongside each other on a mission trip. I will cherish the times we delved into the depths of God's Word to seek answers to some of life's most difficult questions or played volleyball well past our bed time (or at least mine!) Students often get a bad wrap, as if you just babysit them and can't deal with the meat of Scripture with them. In my experience our students were always open about their questions, and quick to look for answers. They visited us at the hospital for the birth of our sons, they wept with us when we lost Eliot. We have rejoiced with them as they won games, made homecoming, or graduated, and wept with them as they lost loved ones, or faced other disappointments in life.

My prayer for them as they move forward is much like what I've always wanted for them, that they would take ownership of their faith, not coming or believing simply because they feel they were expected, but because they are pursuing a relationship with the Lord on their own. Secondly, I've prayed for unity among the group. Unity stands in contrast to what we see throughout culture, I've always wanted the youth to be a united group of students who treated each other as family. Finally, I pray that they move forward in their faith and in their lives now that we have left to experience new and exciting adventures with the Lord as their guide, and others as their partners and leaders.

What's different about the Peter Pan/Lost Boy connection is that the only thing that united them was their friendship and the experiences they shared together. As time went by their experiences and friendship would wain because it had been so long since they had been united by their experiences. For us as Christians, we have far more in common, or in union with each other than just friendship and experiences. Jen and I will always be connected to those students who came through the "Youth House" between 2005-2011 because we are members of one body (1 Cor. 12), indwelt by one Spirit, following one Lord (Eph. 4:4-6). In God's sovereign plan He brought Jen and I to that place and has now led us away and it was a time we will never forget. We will always love those students and the time we shared with them because we experienced a great adventure together and that's something we'll never forget...

I'll share more about this move and God's great goodness manifested through His servants in the upcoming weeks, but for now I have to get back to getting ready!

Love does not seek its own

I'm planning to do some more posting on how the Lord has gone before us (as I had mentioned in my previous post) in about 2 weeks, I want to finish the move before I reflect in this format about God's blessings and answers to prayer during this time of transition. Until then I've got another reflection for you that is a late Mother's Day reflection...

Recently, as I've been reading through 1 Kings I stumbled across a familiar story. I can remember hearing a story of Solomon's great wisdom as a kid in Sunday School and even as a small child you recognize that he was extraordinarily wise. The story goes that two women shared a home, both had children days apart, but sadly one woman had rolled over on her baby in the night. She awoke and found her child dead, and in a moment of panic quietly switched her dead baby with the other woman's live child. The two women came before Solomon both claiming the live child as their own. Solomon asked for a sword and stated that each woman would get half. The true mother quickly cried out, "Give the son to the other woman," while the other woman swept away in grief liked that the living son would be divided for I'm sure she thought, "if I can't have my son, neither should she have hers." Solomon quickly identifies the woman who sought to preserve the child's life as the true mother.

Even a casual reader has to recognize wisdom in the young King Solomon, but as I read it this time I asked the question, why? What is so wise about Solomon's response? What does he recognize in the mother's response?

Solomon recognizes that a mother, the one who selflessly cares, provides, and nurtures their child will seek the best for their child even if the situation demands that the best is not with them. A mother's love was put to the test in Solomon's response, does the mother love her child enough to let the child go so that he can live, or will the mother demand that the child must stay with her even if its to the child's detriment?

Love does not seek its own (1 Cor. 13:5), but seeks the best for the object of its love. Solomon's response impresses us because he recognized that a mother's love is so great and selfless that she will want the very best for her child even when that's at great cost to herself.

I'm blessed to have both received such love as a son from my mother, and to witness such selflessness by my wife for my sons.

The Lord goes before us...

I apologize for the long silent period on this blog. We are in the process of moving which has taken a lot of my time as we searched for jobs, sold our house, found a temporary living arrangement, and then find a place to live in the Metroplex. I'm thinking limiting moves in life can probably increase one's life expectancy by a couple of months! I moved a lot as a child as my Dad took a job in Arkansas, or Oklahoma, or Mississippi. It became pretty common, but this move is the first one I've had in ten years!

I've been reading through 1 and 2 Samuel in my devotional time over the past several weeks. I came to 2 Sam. 5 where the Lord gives David directions concerning his battle strategy. The Lord tells David to wait to attack until he hears the sound of marching in the tops of the trees (5:24), that's the sign that the Lord has gone before him to strike down David's enemies. By this point David had distinguished himself as a great warrior, winning many victories over a host of different individuals and armies. Despite the status he had achieved, his faith will still resting on the Lord for the victory. Praise the Lord that in this time of change and uncertainty that the Lord has gone before us in this move. We can rest our trust and hope on Him to provide and meet the needs that we have. I'll explain in the upcoming days...

Distractions

I'm an honest enough OSU fan to realize that most of us as OSU fans have a serious complex about the other school in the state (I won't mention them here, but its not OBU). Its as if our version of success is always measured in comparison with how well they did that year. If we win 10 games but lose to them and they win 11 there's disappointment because we still didn't measure up to them. In sports rivalries thats normal and accepted, but within the church comparing ourselves to others is just a distraction from the focus we should keep upon Jesus alone.

In many cases I think we all could agree that often times we find ourselves comparing what we've done, etc. to someone else. It's as if we aren't comfortable allowing ourselves or our own growth or accomplishments to stand on their own. I can constantly compare myself to another, rather than simply serving Christ and remaining fixed upon Him.

As we walk by faith our attention should not be consumed with other traditions within Christianity, with other individuals, but our full attention and service should be done as we focus on Christ.

I'm often reminded of the last chapter of John's gospel as Jesus is commissioning Peter to shepherd the church (21:15-25). Peter begins to question and get concerned with John's life and ministry. Peter wants to know what John will be doing, and what Jesus' plans are for John, and Jesus' response is perfect, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!" You see Jesus is reminding Peter, "stop worrying about John and his ministry, focus on your own walk with me." Its not that Peter didn't have a right to know what Jesus would do through John, or that it wouldn't have been beneficial, but Peter's attention was divided and Jesus wants him to snap out of it.

Sometimes our attention can become divided, we get too interested in comparing our theology or ministry or faithfulness to someone else's. When we do this we are, like Peter, a divided person. Isn't it interesting that Peter is asking about a brother in Christ and their ministry and yet that even that takes his attention away from following Christ. We can't follow Jesus to the utmost if we have one eye focused on someone else.

The key as Christians is to remain fixated on Jesus, being changed into His image, not to begin to look around at others and where they are at, but to maintain focus upon Him.

Hymn of the Month of April-When I survey the Wondrous Cross

With Easter coming at the end of the month the hymn for April had to be one that looked to the death and resurrection of Christ. For Hudson to get it and begin singing it I think the tune has to be something that sticks with him and I love this song's message and the tune is catchy so I'm hopeful we can teach it to Hudson. I'll be sure and update though!

Here are the lyrics;

When I survey the wondrous cross

on which the Prince of Glory died;

my richest gain I count but loss,

and pour contempt on all my pride.

2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,

save in the death of Christ, my God;

all the vain things that charm me most,

I sacrifice them to his blood.

3. See, from his head, his hands, his feet,

sorrow and love flow mingled down.

Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

or thorns compose so rich a crown.

4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were an offering far too small;

love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my all.

Staying connected to the Lifegiver

I have this tree in my backyard that is essentially dead. Hudson picks at it, I could probably kick it over as its rotting out, and despite how bad its trunk looks there are a number of branches that have these beautiful pink blooms. I've often scratched my head about these branches and how its even possible that they are blooming when they are connected to a trunk that looks as if it died years ago.

What I've often had to remember is the blooms on those branches don't come from the connection to the base, but the connection to the roots. If the branches were connected just to the base they would rot just as it has. You see its the roots that provide the life and blooms of the branches. The branches are alive because they are connected to something that provides life.

That old tree is a wonderful picture of Jesus' point in John 15 and the idea of abiding in Christ.

Often times I may attempt to be good, or do things that are righteous, but the truth of the matter is that "apart from Him I can do nothing," on my own I'm like that old tree trunk that is slowly dying, but having come to Christ and being connected to Him, as I maintain that union and connection with Him fruit is produced in my life.

Some branches on that old tree have more blooms than others, because their connection to the root is stronger than others. In the same way sometimes I'm truly abiding in Christ, sometimes I kind of am, and at other times I'm not. Jesus' heart in that passage is that all of his followers would enjoy the sweetness of abiding in Him fully and bear the fruits that others may see.

Ski Trip Memories

Last week we went on my final ski trip as Youth Pastor here at Countryside. That's six I led along with a 7th I went on as a youth leader. For fun, I thought I would list my 5 favorite things about our ski trips. Some are specific while others are just broad. Hope you enjoy!

5. Dinner-I don't know how other groups do dinner on these sorts of trips, but it was essential to me that we do dinner all together as a big group. I don't like the idea of clicks within a youth group and felt that we needed to be together to avoid falling into those small clicks that are so easy to do. With a group of 25 that sometimes meant we were nearly sitting on top of each other in one condo. That was okay because it meant we developed unity and camaraderie. I think it was always enjoyable as a group cooked and served their friends and contemporaries. The next night another group did the same so that every student had the opportunity to serve everyone else. It was a time when I think we truly experienced fellowship.

4. Skiing with my wife-Its been three years since she was able to ski with me (pregnancy and kids did that to her), but it was one of my favorite things to do with her. She was an excellent skier and better yet she liked to go on blues and to go fast!

3. The Stories- Every year students return home with a host of stories to share with their parents, friends, and teachers. They talk about jumps they went on and landed, how out of control they were, or how they wiped out before hitting a tree. I could share stories about a student tackling a person because the student couldn't stop and the person skied out in front of them, stories about being "cheese-slapped", or a beginner thinking he could land a jump who ended up losing skis and poles. I always enjoy reflecting on those stories with students years later, thankful that the Lord allowed me to experience that trip with them.

2. Skiing with Hudson- I don't know when I'll go on a ski trip again, but next time I'm taking my family and we all four will ski together. Last year Hudson came out and I taught him to ski the final day. Skiing with students is fun, but skiing with your son is by far the best!

1. Fresh Perspective- It wouldn't matter how often I went on a ski trip, I think I would always come away with a fresh perspective about who I am, and about who God is. I can't help but feel small as I stand before these large mounts that God merely spoke into existence. I'm humbled and feel pretty insignificant. I also come away in awe that God spoke and these large mountains were formed. Back home I have a tendency to think I'm pretty special, to think I'm something or that I'm really important. When I spend time in the mountains I am reminded just how small I am before the Lord. I find comfort knowing that my problems are really pretty small in comparison with the God I worship. From that stand point, I love these trips because I need this reminder, especially during this time in our lives.

Oh and by the way I skied with Matt Anson, so cross that off the New Year's Resolution List!