Tag: Discipleship

Confessions of a Functional Deist

Sometimes we assume too much about how far we have traveled down the road of spiritual maturity.

Sometimes we assume too much about how far we have traveled down the road of spiritual maturity. We assume that we have gone farther than we actually have. We talk with too much confidence about what we know; pretend at having more insight than we actually possess; greater wisdom than we have actually attained. I know that has been a part of my story. I have learned a few lessons along the way, but I try and remind myself that if I am not careful I can slip back into bad patterns of living.
Continue reading “Confessions of a Functional Deist”

By a former Youth Student | “Redemption in Community”

This young lady is one of my (former) youth. She was the speaker for the youth Sunday on August 7, 2016 at Cordele First UMC. Continue reading “By a former Youth Student | “Redemption in Community””

Self, Schedule, and Stress

I would like to welcome Drew Anderson to the site. He will be contributing to Jeremiah’s Vow as time allows and when inspiration hits (which I hope is often). He is the Discipleship Pastor at Cordele First UMC in Cordele, GA. I hope you enjoy his thoughts and insights as I have. I am glad he will be expressing his writing talents here with you.

I’ve been reflecting a lot recently on the reasons why I don’t grow closer to God.

Mostly I’ve noticed that there are a few basic barriers in my life that keep me from looking and acting more like Christ. All of them are related to priorities. And they all stem from issues of brokenness deep inside my soul. They are self, schedule, and stress.

I divide my struggle into these three categories for a couple reasons. One is that I think many people will be able to relate to these three areas of the Christian life. Another is because I do believe that, while technically all of my struggles are related to sin, some of it is not blatant and intentional sin. In describing the everyday struggles of life, some would simply find sin in every action or a demon under every rock. I instead see much of my struggle as not related to direct disobedience to God, but indirect influence of the world around me. And I actually think that distinction helps attack the problem at its roots.

Self

Most of my life is about me. There, I said it. And don’t pretend as if yours is not the same.

I find myself constantly thinking about what I have to do. What I need. What’s important for me. What people think about the things I do. And while that is certainly a natural and sometimes necessary way of thinking, it should not consume my thoughts like it many times does.

I’ve found that the main reason I cannot break this habit of thinking about “me” is directly related to the influence of the world around me. And that influence is most evident within the use of social media. Social media by its very nature draws attention to me. Even in my best attempts to utilize it to draw attention to important things (God, problems in our world, my child, etc.), inevitably the desire that drives my social media use is directly related to….me. Not altruism. Not others. But me. My curiosity. My need for information. It ends up being about self…

And the only thing I’ve found to counteract this influence on my life is…worship. Focusing all of my attention on someone far more valuable than me—God. It sounds simple. But it’s extremely profound. That God designed us to worship, and that only my worship of Him will correct the tendency in my life to worship myself, is not simply a Biblical principle—but a practical reality.

Schedule

Is your calendar your task-master too? Because it is for me. There is nothing I can do nowadays, it seems, that cannot be done without first consulting my calendar.

Maybe this is a “necessary evil” of life. Or maybe its a result of our culture’s influence that simply goes unaddressed.

The real struggle is not whether or not to keep a calendar. I actually think a calendar is important to control the craziness…but just like thinking about self at times is a necessity. But, just because a calendar might be a necessity for certain reasons it should still not run our lives.

My schedule is constantly packed, and I am sure yours is too. I am constantly adding things that seem important at the time but that soon run me ragged and start to feel less important over time. My schedule has become a huge barrier in my life to growing in Christ. The world around me is constantly moving and is pulling me in tons of different directions. People need me over here, someone else needs me over there, and I need to be back there…my schedule quickly begins to drive my life.

The Bible prescribes one thing to fight against the tyranny of our schedules: Sabbath rest. Intentionally not “doing” work in order so I can acknowledge who actually accomplishes things in my life: God. The only thing that can truly free me from being controlled (and constantly stressed out) by my schedule is Sabbath rest. Not just a nap. Not simply a “day off.” Not an American vacation. But Sabbath rest. Resting, recreating, and relating with others and God in such a way that it reminds me of what’s truly important and who’s truly in control of my days.

Stress

If you are like me, then you have a love/hate relationship with stress. Some times stress causes me to “do my best work.” Many of us perform best under pressure…especially those of us who grew up playing sports…

However, while stress in and of itself is not particularly sinful, it typically causes me to react in such a way that creates distance from God. Stress overwhelms me, destroys my trust, makes me irritable, distracts me from the real purposes of life, and even at times can make me want to be lazy instead of doing my best.

When my life becomes stressful in a way that is hindering my relationship with God I know that I have forgotten a basic aspect of that relationship: prayer. Just like the issue of self actually has to do with worship and the issue of schedule actually has to do with rest, the issue of stress actually has to do with prayer.

I stress because God’s desires are no longer mine. I stress because my plans don’t line up with God’s plan. I stress because my relationship with God becomes based upon my performance for God and not upon my intimacy with God. I stress because in practice I am no longer trusting in God, but am rather trusting in myself.

As I spend time in prayer—listening to him, aware of his presence, talking to him—the less the stress of this world influences me. In prayer, I lay my concerns at his feet and know that he will do what’s best for me. In prayer, my desires become like his desires because I am reminded what his desires are and can trust him to conform mine to his. In prayer, I become once again a child trusting a Father and not a teenager trying to prove my independence.

So what now?

None of this is news to a Christian at the end of the day. These aren’t profound truths that no one has ever taught before. In fact, it’s actually just a basic version of a “rule of life”—something that has been around for centuries. However, it is the real truth of where we all typically struggle each and every day.

Do you find yourself in the same place? Do you find yourself making excuses for your own lack of spiritual growth because of these things too? Do you find yourself, like most of us do today, in the midst of the swirling influences of the culture around you without a sense of what to do to fight against them?

Then join me, as I am joining all of those who have gone before me and all of those who walk beside me, in re-instituting the basics of a relationship with God: worship, rest, and prayer. And as we commit ourselves to meet with God, with our families, and with other believers, on a consistent and daily basis in the practice of these things, God will transform us in the midst of our struggles of self, schedule, and stress to look more like Christ thru the power of his Spirit.

The Anchor of Truth amidst the Storms of Tragedy

As I was perusing my Facebook feed one of the ministers I know asked, what I believe, is an important question. He was wondering if any of his pastor friends would be saying/addressing the tragedy in Charleston in some way, if at all this coming up Sunday. This is an ongoing conversation so, there is not consensus yet, but it is worth noting that there is no right answer here. At least in my mind.

Each pastor and, by extension, each person who hears about and considers the events at the Emanuel AME Church will respond according to how the news affected them. The range of human emotions is as varied as the faces upon each persons head. The reality is that how we respond is the cumulative product of our experiences and our beliefs. If there is anything I have learned in life is how true this is.

The key to navigating the waters of life is having a means of charting your course. For sailors it was the stars. They learned to identify the formations above them and then correct their direction. The same is also true for us. When we are adrift and in search of our bearings we have to look up and set our minds on things above. We have to take our eyes off what is front of us and around us to catch our breath and regain our composure.

Tragedy has a way of throwing our lives off-kilter. The only way to regain our balance is to put our hands on something solid, something sure. For me that is the Word of God. The word of God is the anchor of truth I rely on when the storms begin to rage. Turning to the truth of who God is and what he has done in and through Jesus is what provides the ballast and stability required to weather the storm.

Tragedy has a way of bringing issues and problems into greater relief. We all have an opportunity to grow wiser, become more loving, and extend greater grace when we turn to God rather than our own wisdom. My prayer is that I do not miss the chance to increase my sensitivity to what God is saying about himself and his word. The promise we have is that every storm will pass. The question is this: Will we learn from the present one to better prepare and handle the next?

Reading as Conversation: Learning to Hear the Voice of God Today (Pt. 2)

In the first part of Reading as Conversation, we talked about the two pivotal events that propelled me into changing the way I read the Bible. I also talked about how the Bible is a game-changer. What that means is if we want to see the Bible do what God intended for it to do in our lives we have to stop “telling” the Bible what it is. We have to allow God’s word to work as God designed it to work in our lives. Too often we come to the Bible with all kinds of preconceptions and then are pleasantly surprised when we find what we were “looking for.”

Let’s take a moment and review the six basic realities we must understand and believe regarding the Bible. There may be more, however, I believe that if we are going to learn to read the Bible better we have to start with some ground rules about what we are dealing with.

  1. The Bible was written by God.
  2. The Bible’s author is not dead.
  3. The Bible is designed to point to who God is and not just tell me what to do.
  4. The Bible reveals God’s character.
  5. The Bible defines what sin is.
  6. The Bible proclaims the good news that Jesus has reconciled sinners to a holy God.

Do you believe these things to be true of God’s word? If you do not, you will have a difficult time hearing from God and discerning what he is trying to do in the world and, more importantly, in your life.

We will now discuss three principles that govern how I read the Bible. These principles are what transform the Bible from a reading exercise or a chore into a pleasure. If we can wrap our minds around these simple ideas, I believe, everyone’s reading of the Bible will be radically changed.

1. Engage as many of the senses as possible as you read

When we read books we generally engage several of our senses in the process. The reason for this is it enhances our reading and actually increases our investment in what we are reading. Books that leave an impression are those books that “get under our skin.” There is something about the characters or the setting; the twists and turns of the plot that causes us to want to keep reading. To get to the end and find out how the puzzle gets solved.

The Bible is no different. There are all kinds of characters, plot twists, settings and more to keep us engrossed. I find that what has happened is that we have characterized the Bible as a manual rather than what it is–God’s story played out through the human drama. I could have said along-side the human drama, but this is not correct. The Bible is the only religious text that reveals the main character through the lives, events, and circumstances of the other minor characters. We see God for who he is because we see how the other players respond and interact with God.

If we are going to maximize the impact of the Bible in our reading we have to do a better job of becoming engrossed in the reading of the Bible. We must allow our imagination to pull us into the stories and characters we encounter. We should be able to feel the dirt or road or grass beneath our feet. To smell the aromas wafting in around us, whether they be intoxicating or revolting. The sensation of a rock in our hands, the sling on our fingertips, the water over our heads. This and so much more must be experienced, not merely known as bits of data.

When you read about Lazarus dying, can you hear the wailing of his sisters and friends? When Peter faltered after walking on the water could you feel the weight of your body sinking into the sea? When Jesus fed the five thousand did you wonder how the fish would taste?

God has given to us the ability to imagine, not so we can conjure up any whim or fancy as we read the Bible. It is not a time to ask the “what if” questions that draw us away from the story rather than draw us in. Our holy imagination should help us to step into the world of the Bible. It should help us to better sense the human element of the story. We have to understand that the human element is what bridges us to the God of the Bible.

We must engage as many of our senses as possible when we read. This will get us closer to understanding what was truly taking place as we flip the pages from one chapter to the next.

2. Conversations last longer than lectures

The second principle for reading the Bible is thinking of the time we spend reading as a conversation with God. Many people have suggested this before, but I do not think we know how to follow through with this idea. So, let me explain what I mean. I get the feeling that we just don’t know how to do it anymore. We have become so inundated with tweets and soundbites that we no longer know how to sustain a conversation for more than a few minutes.

Conversations typically have at least two participants. However, how many times do we read with the idea that there is only one person involved in the process? When we do not enter into the reading event with the idea of God being present as we read, then there is no conversation. We have to change how we think about reading and who we think is present. When I read the Bible God is right there with me. He is there waiting for me to engage Him as I investigate, ponder, and meditate on what I find on each page.

The reality of this idea is that conversations are more stimulating and have longer lasting effects than we give them credit. How many times have we had a conversation with someone and could not stop thinking about the subject? How many times have we found ourselves without a response in the heat of the moment only to come with a comeback we promise ourselves we will use the next time? This is what we want to create when we read the Bible. We want to interact with God’s word as if God were right there speaking to us because He is.

Here is the most shocking realization I had about reading the Bible, the part of the conversation that is missing is my part. God’s part has already been put down on paper. God has already given us His half of the conversation. Our job is to come to the scriptures ready to ask questions, interact with the ideas, and to engage in the challenges that are issued to us. As we do this we will begin to see that what we are looking for will happen with far less effort.

You may be asking yourself, “What are we looking for?” That is the topic of our next principle.

3. Reading the Bible is Not about Information or Transformation

What needs to take place is a shift in our expectations when reading the Bible. What does this mean? Too often we read the Bible and we are looking for a windfall of revelation. We are hoping to find the one truth/idea/concept that will change our lives in an instant. The problem with coming to the Bible with this expectation is that that is not the way the Bible works.

Let me make this simple. When we read the bible for information we miss the author. When we read the Bible for transformation we miss the relationship. But when we read the Bible for conversation we get both.

The easiest way to describe what I am saying is this: spend more time looking for what God is saying to you than what he is said to them (the original hearers). Yes, the Bible needs to be understood within its original context. Yes, we have to know what the Bible meant to the original recipients. I do not deny any of these things. What I would like to encourage you to do is to do these things while consciously and intentionally thinking about what would it mean if I was an original hearer of the words I am reading.

This concept is so important to me I have written a short booklet that will help you read the Bible better. It’s short and is how I teach people to read the Bible as I disciple them.

Changing the way you read changes what you hear

The Bible is vitally important for the faith and life of every follower of Christ. We will not become who God has purposed if we jettison the Bible from our lives. The better we get at engaging with God in Scripture-centered conversation, the better prepared we will be to receive what God expects for us to do in our daily lives.

Start reading the Bible and thinking about the Bible as a way of having a conversation with God. If you don’t know where to start get my book. You will spend more on a cup a coffee but, reading the Bible in a new way will give you a longer-lasting jolt!

(UPDATE: This post has been edited for spelling, grammar, and ease of reading.)

1 John 1:1 | “Heard, Seen, Looked Upon, and Touched”

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life…” 1 John 1:1 ESV

John’s Unique Perspective

John’s perspective is very different from that of the other writers in the New Testament. His relationship with Jesus was far closer than many of us may even begin to understand. The fact that Jesus entrusted his mother, Mary, into John’s care is an indicator of how Jesus felt about John. John even uses the moniker of being the “disciple whom Jesus loved” throughout his gospel five different times. There was a closeness to this their relationship giving John’s insights and words a weightiness unique to him.

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John’s introduction also sets a distinct tone for the letter. John is not merely interested in arguing with his readers. He decides to speak from a more fundamental point of view. For better or for worse, the apostle understood that conviction must be based on more than reason. An experience has the power to affect us far deeper than shear force of will or thought.

Four Steps Toward Faith

In this opening verse we will see John makes four declarations of why he is convinced of Jesus’ work. He will say more in verse 2 (which we will get to next time), but for now he begins to set the stage of his own conviction for faith in the Word of Life. We will look at the four statements John offers to here.

First, that “which we have heard.” John begins with something that, at first appears to be simple, but when we consider what Paul said about faith, a bridge of ideas begins to take shape. Faith comes by…hearing. That Paul told the Romans (10:17). What we hear, many times, is our first introduction to is there to be known, to what we can experience in life. We can hear more initially than we see. That is why we get startled, we hear something we can’t see and therefore, respond in fear and surprise. John is pointing to both of these realities. We hear and are introduced to new things. But, we continue to hear and this causes our minds to wonder about what things caused the sounds. They may not yet exist in front of us, but the sounds provides us with our first evidence that there is something else out there.

Second, that “which we have seen with our eyes.” This second declaration shows how John was not merely talking about something someone else had told him about. John had been a witness of the person and ministry of Jesus. Seeing is the verification we look for when we hear things we struggle to believe. When John saw Jesus and what he was doing, what he had heard was confirmed and affirmed. Our minds are wired to bring together what we hear and what we see. It has to “make sense.” There has to be a correspondence between the sense in order for our minds to remain settled.

Third, that “which we looked upon.” I struggled with this declaration because it is so closely related to the second one. It involves the eyes, but there is something else intended here. The implication appears to be that what John heard and saw had to then be considered. John “looked upon” Jesus. John studied and contemplated all that was taking place in front of him because at the end of the process a decision needed to be made. John knew that if what he saw, heard, and considered was leading down a particular path, he would not be able to escape the decision that was waiting at the end of the road.

Fourth, that which we “have touched with our hands.” The final declaration John offers coincides with, what I believe, was John’s acceptance of what he had heard, seen, and contemplated. John had “touched” Jesus. And while there is a physical reality present in this declaration, John is taking us deeper. When the Bible describes touching, the idea is that of identification. For a Jewish person, touching unclean things made them unclean. So, for John to use this image as his final declaration is a strong indicator of the choice and commitment he made. The apostle was not merely paying lip service to Jesus and his work. John was proclaiming, in as clear and bold a manner as he could that his allegiance was with Jesus.

Application

John’s four declarations can serve as a way of discerning where we are in our own journey of faith. Each of these declarations speaks to a step we must take. Steps that bring us closer to the point of decision and deepening levels of commitment.

Until we are ready to touch Jesus, and then reach out our hands to do so, until then we have not reached the point of complete surrender to Jesus. We must all decide to identify with Jesus for ourselves. It is this commitment that will help us to serve Jesus as he deserves. But, this commitment will also help us to know that we can have confidence in the decision we have made in the Word of Life.

Reading as Conversation: Learning to Hear the Voice of God Today (Pt. 1)

If you believe in God, then you have asked yourself some variation of this question: How can I know what God wants for or from me?

Another way the question has been asked is, “Is it possible for me to hear God’s voice today?” The implication being that God no longer speaks with people like he seemingly did in the Bible. I think the short answer to the question is this, God does speak today. We are just don’t know how to hear him.

One of the issues we have when reading the Bible is that we lose the sense of time. The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years. God was not “talking” every day. This is one of the misconceptions we have to get rid of if we are going to hear from God in our own lives. God’s use of audible declarations were rare occurrences. The problem is not whether God speaks, it’s figuring out if we are tuning into the right station. Some of the assumptions we have about how God communicates have to change if we are going to gain clarity in discerning his presence and will for our lives.
Continue reading “Reading as Conversation: Learning to Hear the Voice of God Today (Pt. 1)”

You are a New Creation: In Search of a Stronger Theology of Spiritual Formation (Part 2)

In Part 1 of our search we discussed how spiritual formation should be holistic. What this means, at least for me, is that we talk about human nature and the human experience in a more biblical manner. The Bible assumes the physical and spiritual realities of humanity in a unified, indivisible way; seeing no contradiction between the two. What is even more interesting to me is that in the person of Jesus we are confronted with a divine person who took on flesh and became like created man. The mystery and profundity of this could take an eternity to explore.
Continue reading “You are a New Creation: In Search of a Stronger Theology of Spiritual Formation (Part 2)”

You are a New Creation: In Search of a Stronger Theology of Spiritual Formation (Part 1)

More than half of my life has been spent in some form of ministry. I have served a number of churches and have been responsible for a variety of ministry areas. For eight of those years I served as a youth pastor. I will not get into the pros and cons of youth ministry as a whole–that would take far too long. I would like to take a few moments and explore some of the lessons I learned during my time as a pastor to those who were still trying to discover what they believed. I can say without hesitation that my time in youth ministry greatly affected the way that I understand spiritual formation. Continue reading “You are a New Creation: In Search of a Stronger Theology of Spiritual Formation (Part 1)”

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