Many years ago, I was blessed to have been able to run with some good guys on the Seaman Cross Country team. I stunk at it. I have since seen video's of myself running then that makes me question their friendship. If they were truly my friends, they would have told me to take up something that would fit my athletic ability a little bit better, like competitive cup stacking or something. To this day they are some of my best friends. On our long runs as a team, I remember getting so tired that throwing myself under an 18-wheeler looked appealing. We used to have discussions about the proper entry angle so as not to kill yourself, but at least limit the use of your legs so you wouldn't have to finish the six mile run.
Last weekend, I was able to go watch the MCC-Ozark Soccer game. Seeing a lot of those guys helped me to remember simpler days, where the theory of theology caused a lot less headaches than the practical theology that I face today. Relationships are difficult, and quite frankly more work than I had ever imagined. A couple of summers ago, I was faced with a difficult relationship as I worked with CIY. Nate Karnes taught me a lot about how to deal with it. That was 3 months of awkwardness and misunderstanding. But it was so much simpler knowing that relationship would come to an end...these now must go on indefinitely.
Relationships are hard work, needing constant maintenance. I am now starting to realize how much of your spiritual health affects the relationships you have and vice versa. When I am tired relationally...I notice that instead of running to scripture, it is easier to run away. When I am tired spiritually...I avoid relationships. Spiritual health is celebrated communally. It is shared communally.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Spagetti Dinner
I serve a church of about 300 people. There are 4 full time staff members and three part time. simply stated, a little over 1 percent of our congregation is full time staff and a little over 2 percent are any kind of staff at all.
Under these circumstances, it is simple to see that a church without the support and input from a volunteer contingent would suffocate itself to death.
Tonight, we celebrated our youth sponsors; the people who do all the little things to make this youth group go. The people who spend countless hours teaching, praying for, and leading our kids.
We cooked them spagetti and had a dinner in their honor. We talked about Acts 6 and the idea of those being set aside to do specific tasks. I find it no coincidence that one of the servants was the first to be killed for his faith. The Romans knew what subsists the church, the servants, the volunteers, is what keeps the Church afloat.
Tonight I hope they were honored.
Under these circumstances, it is simple to see that a church without the support and input from a volunteer contingent would suffocate itself to death.
Tonight, we celebrated our youth sponsors; the people who do all the little things to make this youth group go. The people who spend countless hours teaching, praying for, and leading our kids.
We cooked them spagetti and had a dinner in their honor. We talked about Acts 6 and the idea of those being set aside to do specific tasks. I find it no coincidence that one of the servants was the first to be killed for his faith. The Romans knew what subsists the church, the servants, the volunteers, is what keeps the Church afloat.
Tonight I hope they were honored.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
I am in love...
I went to the Carrie Underwood concert tonight. The emotions that are welling inside of me are hard to explain.
During All American Girl, she brought a little girl on stage and had her sing the last chorus with her. It was a cute picture. I love it when she is compassionate and reaching out to people...that is my favorite quality about her. She is so tender and loving...and I love that about her. Not to mention it was a really cute picture...I didn't get a good look at the little girl, but Carrie was very cute.
Fast forward in the show about 20 minutes when my leg started buzzing. It was Tyler Ward (good kid). He sent me a text message:
"Hey broseph. You still our youth pastor or you run off with Carrie and get married."
At that moment...she came out in a beautiful blue dress. Before All American Girl, she asked the audience if there were any "all American girl's" there tonight. Before the next song, she asked if there was any Prince Charming's in the crowd. I could feel the connection we had at that very moment. She then lamented that she was still looking, but at the age of 25 she was still single.
Coincidentally this is my age. At that very moment, I felt like the very Prince Charming she was talking about. According to the song, she is finding her companionship from a puppy that travels around with her. "The more boys I meet the more I love my dog." Apparently, she has been hurt in the past by guys. Carrie, those guys were idiots.I felt bad for her, mostly because here she was bearing her soul, and me, the very guy who could comfort and assuage her was setting a mere 29 rows from her. Someday, perhaps by happenstance, we shall meet face to face. I am holding on to the fact that in that moment, I will be overcome with my prince-charmingness and my tender heart will show through. And we will think back to this night and reminisce about the time we were so close emotionally yet so far away physically. I will be there to comfort her and we will ride off into the sunset like her song "Ever After" talks about.
Not to take anything away from this youth group, but rest assured Tyler, had I proposed and she said yes, I would guarantee that you would never see me again.I'm just kidding. Judging by our careers, mine seems to be going places faster than hers, so she could settle down, while I support our kids and her dog (jk).
I also caught some confetti tonight that now graces my desk here at work.
Friday, September 26, 2008
See You At The Pole
This Wednesday night, 20 of our kids went to Topeka Bible Church for the city-wide SEE YOU AT THE POLE RALLY.
Many of them met with their schools that morning before school.
Jardine
Seaman Middle School
Shawnee Heights Middle School
Heritage Christian School
Robinson
Washburn Rural Middle School
These are just the middle schools that Central Park has kids at. We had a pretty good turnout there at TBC. Hannah Johnson was interviewed by the Capitol Journal, so that was pretty cool.
Many of them met with their schools that morning before school.
Jardine
Seaman Middle School
Shawnee Heights Middle School
Heritage Christian School
Robinson
Washburn Rural Middle School
These are just the middle schools that Central Park has kids at. We had a pretty good turnout there at TBC. Hannah Johnson was interviewed by the Capitol Journal, so that was pretty cool.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Fantasy Sports at the High School level...
I coach soccer. It is something I love to do...and honestly I think I do a decent job of it.
I am also a youth pastor. I love doing this as well...I might not be real good at it, but I like it.
My dilemma lies in the understanding of how Christianity fits into the sports world.
I had a youth pastor growing up, who did not like the sport of hockey due to its retaliatory nature. I had acquaintances in college who were adamantly pacifistic, but were some of the most aggressive and physically dominating players (of which they were unable to see their own hypocrisy).
The other day during soccer practice, I taught our kids to body up and play aggressive. I showed them how a short tug on a jersey can give you an advantage and how putting your shoulder into a offender can bump him off the ball. Parents have called or emailed me concerning these teachings; upset with my desire for their kids to play aggressively.
Granted there is a major difference between playing aggresively and playing dirty. Swiping the knees, elbows to the head, and chopping ankles is not something I condone; however, aggresively is the only way to play the game.
We play high school soccer (we don't have enough high schoolers to play so we move some Jr. Highers up)! I treat them like high schoolers for this very reason: we play high school teams; at team will not ask you for your birth certificate prior to game and then decide to play easy on you.
Here in lies the fantasy aspect. In a perfect world everyone would get to play equal amounts; everyone would not have to work very hard; and everyone would have a good time. These are called rec leagues. This is high school soccer. The fantasy is over! Kids get run over in games. If you don't believe there is contact in soccer, why put shin guards on.
Society's mantra is this: "Comfort is our aim." Comfortable is believing that soccer is a non contact sport. Comfortable is telling your child that if he gets tired to set out. Comfortable is begging for playing time, when you aren't showing up to practice. Comfortable is telling yourself that you have no chance of winning just because you have Jr. Highers on the team. Comfortable is talking about how we at least did our best, when we weren't even close to trying our hardest.
Comfortable is an excuse to remain the same.
Christianity has missed the boat in the past concerning athletics. Phrases like "turn the other cheek" have become fodder for being a throw rug for opponents. I had a coach in college who wanted us to consider every opponent better than ourselves (even though the only one in our conference better than us was Manhattan) in lieu of Philippians.
It was obvious that Paul did not condemn sports...instead he used them as an example of work ethic and perseverance; aggressiveness and team work. You strive to take the uncomfortable out of sports and you cut the legs off of the very thing Paul was trying to say.
I am also a youth pastor. I love doing this as well...I might not be real good at it, but I like it.
My dilemma lies in the understanding of how Christianity fits into the sports world.
I had a youth pastor growing up, who did not like the sport of hockey due to its retaliatory nature. I had acquaintances in college who were adamantly pacifistic, but were some of the most aggressive and physically dominating players (of which they were unable to see their own hypocrisy).
The other day during soccer practice, I taught our kids to body up and play aggressive. I showed them how a short tug on a jersey can give you an advantage and how putting your shoulder into a offender can bump him off the ball. Parents have called or emailed me concerning these teachings; upset with my desire for their kids to play aggressively.
Granted there is a major difference between playing aggresively and playing dirty. Swiping the knees, elbows to the head, and chopping ankles is not something I condone; however, aggresively is the only way to play the game.
We play high school soccer (we don't have enough high schoolers to play so we move some Jr. Highers up)! I treat them like high schoolers for this very reason: we play high school teams; at team will not ask you for your birth certificate prior to game and then decide to play easy on you.
Here in lies the fantasy aspect. In a perfect world everyone would get to play equal amounts; everyone would not have to work very hard; and everyone would have a good time. These are called rec leagues. This is high school soccer. The fantasy is over! Kids get run over in games. If you don't believe there is contact in soccer, why put shin guards on.
Society's mantra is this: "Comfort is our aim." Comfortable is believing that soccer is a non contact sport. Comfortable is telling your child that if he gets tired to set out. Comfortable is begging for playing time, when you aren't showing up to practice. Comfortable is telling yourself that you have no chance of winning just because you have Jr. Highers on the team. Comfortable is talking about how we at least did our best, when we weren't even close to trying our hardest.
Comfortable is an excuse to remain the same.
Christianity has missed the boat in the past concerning athletics. Phrases like "turn the other cheek" have become fodder for being a throw rug for opponents. I had a coach in college who wanted us to consider every opponent better than ourselves (even though the only one in our conference better than us was Manhattan) in lieu of Philippians.
It was obvious that Paul did not condemn sports...instead he used them as an example of work ethic and perseverance; aggressiveness and team work. You strive to take the uncomfortable out of sports and you cut the legs off of the very thing Paul was trying to say.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Excuses are like armpits...
Everyone has them and they all stink.
Tonight we talked about excuses. The kids wrote down a couple that they would use if they had not finished a science project:
"my mom forgot to do it." -- Jordan
"My mom said she was going to die yesterday, so I spent the day with her, then she was miraculously healed." -- Jacob
"I was sucked into a space time continuem where my project was destroyed." -- Jason (a sponsor)
"I'm a cripple." -- Austin, who is recovering from a nasty cut on his wrist
"My little brother is teething." -- Hannah
"I got kidnapped, but now I'm back" -- Beetlejuice
The excuses we use can cause us to miss out on the great plan that God has for us. John Ortberg wrote a great book on Peter walking on the water called, If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat, that discussed the great life of adventure that awaits us if we trust in God. Moses, through his many excuses, attempted to miss all the great things that he was to experience.
His excuses:
"I'm a nobody. Who am I to go?" Sounds a lot like Gideon in Judges 6. A question Jr. High Schoolers face on a daily basis.
"What if they don't believe me? What if they don't care?" The message of Jesus often rolls off people's backs.
"I ain't got good speaking abilities. I don't know enough." A hurdle that many of Jesus current disciples let defeat them. David Ring, one of the greatest speakers of this generation, didn't allow earthly speaking abilities stand in the way of a heavenly message.
The excuses come to an end with an outright plea to pick someone else.
Excuses can stand in the way of a great adventure with God. The same excuses Moses used, are the same ones that stand in the way of our Middle School students. Jr. Highers have great power. Texting is a $50 billion dollar industry, because of teenagers. 50% of commercials on Television are specifically geared to this demographic. Excuses stand in the way of them realizing the world altering power they have...No excuses.
ON A SIDE NOTE:
Some of my high schoolers who set in on Jr. High youth group decided the Exodus 4 was cut short, so they adapted it and lengthened it in a manner that makes you really think about the future of this nation as well as humanity. This is exactly as they (Austin and CJ) have it written, blame our public school system for the misspelling.
Following verse 17 insert:
Then Moses said I would rather burn in hell than do this. The Lord said "I am who I am." Then using the powers of the Dragon, he schorced Moses face off. The Lord laughed and then watched the Office on NBC with Jesus. Moses spent the rest of eternity with no face. Until Chuck Norris put him out of his missory. Then the Lord stoped watching the Office and imediatly sent Chuck Norris and Moses to Star Wars times, where Chuck Norris became a master jedi and Moses became the leader of the Sith. Then 3 katillion years later, Moses and Chuch Norris were watching the Office and had a disagreement over who was funniest, Dwight or Micheal. Then they got into a huge light saber battle ending in a atomic force backhand by Chuck Norris ending time. Then the Lord said "I am who I am" again he reserected Moses because the Lord felt bad because he had no face. Then the Lord sent Moses, Chuck Norris (who can't die according to CJ), and Rambo to Lord of the Rings times where Moses was a hobbet and Chuck Norris and Rambo was a Dwarf. Chuck Norris and Rambo found the all powerful ring where they buit a huge continent called ChuckRamboland where everybody hated Moses. When ChuckRamboland had the pwoer to defeat Moses's crappy country of Nofaceland where Moses still didn't have a face. The people of ChuckRamboland invaded Nofaceland blowing it up off the face of the earth. So Chuck Norris and Rambo combined their powers and ended time where they contenued to make great shows and movies and watched the Office.
Sometimes there is no words to express the utter confusion that is found in the human mind.
Tonight we talked about excuses. The kids wrote down a couple that they would use if they had not finished a science project:
"my mom forgot to do it." -- Jordan
"My mom said she was going to die yesterday, so I spent the day with her, then she was miraculously healed." -- Jacob
"I was sucked into a space time continuem where my project was destroyed." -- Jason (a sponsor)
"I'm a cripple." -- Austin, who is recovering from a nasty cut on his wrist
"My little brother is teething." -- Hannah
"I got kidnapped, but now I'm back" -- Beetlejuice
The excuses we use can cause us to miss out on the great plan that God has for us. John Ortberg wrote a great book on Peter walking on the water called, If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat, that discussed the great life of adventure that awaits us if we trust in God. Moses, through his many excuses, attempted to miss all the great things that he was to experience.
His excuses:
"I'm a nobody. Who am I to go?" Sounds a lot like Gideon in Judges 6. A question Jr. High Schoolers face on a daily basis.
"What if they don't believe me? What if they don't care?" The message of Jesus often rolls off people's backs.
"I ain't got good speaking abilities. I don't know enough." A hurdle that many of Jesus current disciples let defeat them. David Ring, one of the greatest speakers of this generation, didn't allow earthly speaking abilities stand in the way of a heavenly message.
The excuses come to an end with an outright plea to pick someone else.
Excuses can stand in the way of a great adventure with God. The same excuses Moses used, are the same ones that stand in the way of our Middle School students. Jr. Highers have great power. Texting is a $50 billion dollar industry, because of teenagers. 50% of commercials on Television are specifically geared to this demographic. Excuses stand in the way of them realizing the world altering power they have...No excuses.
ON A SIDE NOTE:
Some of my high schoolers who set in on Jr. High youth group decided the Exodus 4 was cut short, so they adapted it and lengthened it in a manner that makes you really think about the future of this nation as well as humanity. This is exactly as they (Austin and CJ) have it written, blame our public school system for the misspelling.
Following verse 17 insert:
Then Moses said I would rather burn in hell than do this. The Lord said "I am who I am." Then using the powers of the Dragon, he schorced Moses face off. The Lord laughed and then watched the Office on NBC with Jesus. Moses spent the rest of eternity with no face. Until Chuck Norris put him out of his missory. Then the Lord stoped watching the Office and imediatly sent Chuck Norris and Moses to Star Wars times, where Chuck Norris became a master jedi and Moses became the leader of the Sith. Then 3 katillion years later, Moses and Chuch Norris were watching the Office and had a disagreement over who was funniest, Dwight or Micheal. Then they got into a huge light saber battle ending in a atomic force backhand by Chuck Norris ending time. Then the Lord said "I am who I am" again he reserected Moses because the Lord felt bad because he had no face. Then the Lord sent Moses, Chuck Norris (who can't die according to CJ), and Rambo to Lord of the Rings times where Moses was a hobbet and Chuck Norris and Rambo was a Dwarf. Chuck Norris and Rambo found the all powerful ring where they buit a huge continent called ChuckRamboland where everybody hated Moses. When ChuckRamboland had the pwoer to defeat Moses's crappy country of Nofaceland where Moses still didn't have a face. The people of ChuckRamboland invaded Nofaceland blowing it up off the face of the earth. So Chuck Norris and Rambo combined their powers and ended time where they contenued to make great shows and movies and watched the Office.
Sometimes there is no words to express the utter confusion that is found in the human mind.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Jesus saves us from worry...
The brutal end of summer has arrived. Not 20 seconds ago, I said good bye to one of our graduates, who is heading to MCC for the school year. A little over 20 minutes ago I finally got to tell kids to go home because it was a school night. CIY and VBS, composed the last push of the summer and my last a3 weeks of insanity.
Tonight, Aaron Jones taught us about worry. He asked the kids what they worried about. It was interesting to hear their answers. I originally thought worry was an adult problem. It is something that many adults struggle with, but you wouldn't think Jr. High students would have a problem with it. Then I thought back to my own days in Jr. High School. Worrying about: whether anyone would set beside me at lunch; who do I set with on the bus; can I actually fit in my locker; do I have to shower in gym class. These thoughts coursed through my mind as Jr. High school approached. I laugh on them now, but it was a scary ordeal in those days. You might not know it now (and I do a pretty good job of hiding it), I suffered from a crippling shyness during my prepubescent years, an insecurity that followed me around until college. Jr. High is an anxiety attack to many kids. Aaron challenged us from Philippians 4 and Romans 8.
Tonight, Aaron Jones taught us about worry. He asked the kids what they worried about. It was interesting to hear their answers. I originally thought worry was an adult problem. It is something that many adults struggle with, but you wouldn't think Jr. High students would have a problem with it. Then I thought back to my own days in Jr. High School. Worrying about: whether anyone would set beside me at lunch; who do I set with on the bus; can I actually fit in my locker; do I have to shower in gym class. These thoughts coursed through my mind as Jr. High school approached. I laugh on them now, but it was a scary ordeal in those days. You might not know it now (and I do a pretty good job of hiding it), I suffered from a crippling shyness during my prepubescent years, an insecurity that followed me around until college. Jr. High is an anxiety attack to many kids. Aaron challenged us from Philippians 4 and Romans 8.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Aaron showed us that through prayer and a relationship with Christ, we can be free of the worry that traps us in our lives. He then took us to Romans 8 and showed us how the very things that we worry about are the things that Paul says that will not separate us from God's love. School, making the team, death, grades, money; all these things Paul has addressed in Romans 8. They are all part of creation; or challenges; or our future.
It makes me think about the things that I worry about, for I am convinced that our lives our filled with much more worry than Jesus ever wanted for us.
It makes me think about the things that I worry about, for I am convinced that our lives our filled with much more worry than Jesus ever wanted for us.
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