Wrecked Again!

Hey all you faithful blog readers. I am back after a few month hiatus. Sorry it has taken me a while to blog, but here we go again...
Well, it happened. I got wrecked by God. Again! In a good, wake up kind of way, though. I had the privilege of taking my Sr. High youth to LiFest a few weeks ago and it was awesome! LiFest is a huge Christian music festival held every year in Osh Kosh, Wi. We camp for 4 days and listen to some of the best artists in the Christian music industry. It is very uplifting and inspiring. In addition to being inspired, I got wrecked! You see, LiFest is much more than just the music. It includes great speakers, workshops, video presentations, and a strong presence by Compassion International. I have been to LiFest at least 5 times now, and have always had a wonderful experience, but this year God got me again. It wasn't that I didn't expect to hear God speak to me, or that I was blindsided by something new. Maybe it was just the right time in my life for listening, or hearing God call to me in a different way.
On Friday I went to hear Shaun Groves, national singer/songwriter and Compassion International Advocate, speak at one of the side stages. God used Him to pry open my heart and my ears. He taught from scripture in ways I had not heard before. He was teaching from Exodus 16, where God provided Manna for the Israelites. Every day, God provided enough for everyone. He clearly instructed His people to take only what they needed for their families for that day. Those who were greedy, or didn't trust God, and took more than instructed, had their leftovers turn to maggots. I was immediately challenged to think about the "leftovers" in my life, and how they can become "maggots" to me and my family.
After this teaching on Exodus, Shaun took us to the Apostle Paul in Galatians where he was remembering his commissioning from the Apostles who told him to "...always remember the poor, which I was already eager to do." From there we opened to II Corinthians 8:13-15, where Paul was talking about equality. Paul says that nobody is to leave themselves hard pressed, but that we all should strive for equality. "At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn, their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality. As it is written (Exodus 16), 'He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little'."
This was the beginning of my wreckage! Who am I that I live in such excess? Why do I have so much when others have so little? What do I really need? What is really important to me? Will the things I think are important turn to maggots? Maybe they already are, and I just keep filling myself with things that aren't truly satisfying. The word that stood out to me was "enough." Is God enough, and do I trust Him enough with my life?
The next day, the entire youth group went through the "Compassion Experience," an air-conditioned trailer run by Compassion International that sends participants through an audio guided journey which details the life of one of three Compassion "graduates." These are real success stories that show those on the guided journey the impact that Compassion has on thousands of lives across our world. This was the culmination of God wrecking me that weekend. The end of the journey in the experience places the participant in a room with sponsorship packs all over the walls. It is our opportunity to respond to the challenge we just received "to change their world" through Compassion. Now, this is not nearly my 1st experience with Compassion. In fact, Jen and I have sponsored Munga from Kenya since 2005. But this time I broke down in tears as the 1st packet I encountered was a little girl from India who was the same age as my daughter Allie. They are both 5 years old. I couldn't fathom Allie having to endure the hardships that Saraswati was enduring. I couldn't imagine Allie not feeling loved and not knowing Jesus. I could hardly breathe when I read that Saraswati lived in an area that is a high risk for human trafficking. That was it! I (Jen and I) was sponsoring another child. I left that trailer with a sponsorship packet in hand, wiping my face of the tears & snot, and holding a free T-shirt. Yeah, free T-shirt!
The final piece of the wreckage was when I called and told Jen that 1. We sponsored another child and 2. I was willing to cut out some of the "leftovers" in my life to do so.
 So God wrecked me enough to give up Direct TV. Considering my sports watching addiction, this is significant in my world. But I don't want maggots! I want to be the person that I challenge and encourage others to be. Mostly, I want to trust God with everything in my life, and be able to tell everyone that He truly is "enough."
Now pray for me as I muster the courage to make these changes!
To God be the glory! Amen.

Death and Resurrection

I Corinthians 15:54-55: When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

With this being Holy Week, I thought it was a good time to reflect on death and resurrection. Frankly, I have been thinking about that lately, anyway. We celebrate resurrection and new life this Sunday on Easter morning. But we must realize that their is no resurrection without death. It seems obvious to say that Jesus had to die before he could come back to life.  As Christians we should know that Jesus, through His death and resurrection, has conquered sin and death. Our faith tells us that His grace provides eternity for us. But death and resurrection isn't just an end of life proposition. What if we thought of death and resurrection in our everyday lives. I believe that Jesus is calling us to resurrection in the here and now.
2 Corinthians 5:17: "So if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come."
In Christ, we are made new. In Christ, we experience resurrection. But remember, there is no resurrection without death. This can be tough because we all want to experience newness and resurrection, but many of us fear the death part. Not only are many of us afraid to see people die, but we are also afraid to let habits, attitudes, rituals, programs, biases, and even traditions die as well. In many cases, we even struggle with letting our sinful ways die.
So as I ponder Christ's death and resurrection this week, I am asking myself, "what needs to die in my life so I can experience resurrection?" I want to have new life as a father and a husband. I want to feel new life in my ministry at Mamrelund Lutheran Church, in my relationships with others, and in my relationship to Jesus. Not that any of these areas are terrible, but I can't wait until death is at the doorstep. Jesus wants us to experience life abundantly! Now. So, in order to truly live an abundant life in Christ, I have to be willing to examine my life to see what needs to be put to death. I have to be willing to put to death the things that I think are important, in order that Christ can bring new life to the areas that are truly important. And I must trust that whatever dies will pale in comparison to what Jesus is waiting to resurrect.
This is not an easy process, but it is a worthwhile one. I believe that the church, both the body of believers and the individual members, should always be thinking about death and resurrection in this way. There is much new life to be lived, but the question is, "what are we willing to put to death?"
I pray this Easter season that we all would experience death in life-changing ways and resurrection in life-giving ways, to the Glory of God the Father. Amen!

Never Once

I have been meaning to blog this entry for a while, but this past Thanksgiving, I had a moving experience. As is tradition, I travel to Alpena every year for Thanksgiving. It is great to see family, friends, and play in the annual football phenomenon known as the "Turkey Bowl." Every year is a good time, even if my wife and kids go back to Sparta without me (she has a Black Friday shopping tradition). This year was one of the best years in a while as I was able to re-connect with some of my best H.S. friends that I haven't seen in quite a while, and my team even won the football game! When Sunday arrived, I decided that I could stay long enough to attend church with my Dad. It's usually a nice, but rare, occasion when I am able to worship at the church of my childhood. Sometimes, however, it can be difficult going back because you realize how much things have changed since you have been "home." We have a tendency, I believe, to want our childhood memories to be exactly as we remember them, and then get disappointed when we discover they are not. I have found myself in that mode of thinking as well. I am human. Nevertheless, I was happy to be going to church with Dad. Although there were many different, unrecognizable faces, I was able to find some familiar faces, and was even able to sit next to some old neighborhood family friends.  Then, before Mass began, they honored miss Sally, who was celebrating her 90th birthday. I was confirmed in this church over 20 years ago and I remember miss Sally who encouraged me in my confirmation, sent me birthday cards, and even sang in the choir with me. And here she was today, with that very familiar smile and encouraging presence. And then the Holy Spirit moved me. It reminded me that this place and these people were a big part of my faith journey. It reminded me that God was in this place years ago, and He is still here today. As I kneeled through communion, I couldn't hold back a few tears as I became emotionally grateful. I was grateful that God allowed me to be a part of this faithful body of believers and that He was, indeed, still there. After Mass I said my good-byes to Dad and immediately headed for home. I was listening to Matt Redman's new CD called "10,000 Reasons." (Amazing album by the way!) The song "Never Once" came on and the words struck me. Again, the Holy Spirit was stirring in me. I heard the words, "Never once did we ever walk alone. Never once did you leave us on our own. You are faithful. God, you are faithful." Yes, there was more emotion! It's a long drive between Alpena and Sparta, so I had a lot of time to reflect. This is what I realized. I was leaving the place and the people that set me on my faith journey and I was returning to the place where God has sent me to do ministry, meet my wife, and start my family. With every step of the journey, through every trial, tribulation, joy, and celebration, God was with me. He has been holding me up and guiding me through every phase of my life. When we talk about faith, we often talk about us having faith in God. But I was overwhelmed as I realized what tremendous faith God has in me. He is faithful to all His people. When he says "I will never leave you or forsake you" he means it!  Our roads may be bumpy and winding at times, but God is with us in every bump and every turn. Whether I am in Alpena, Sparta, or on the other side of the earth God is faithfully with me, because he loves me and believes in me. I am humbled, uplifted, and grateful at the thought of how faithful God is. This is the God I love and the God I try to serve with my life. This is the God I want all people to know. "Never once did we ever walk alone. Never once did you leave us on our own. You are faitful. God, you are faithful." Thanks God. Amen.

On the Road Again

After reviewing the last month of my life, I have realized....I've put on some miles!
Dec. 27-30: "The Gathering" -State wide Sr. High youth gathering in Lansing, MI(see previous blog)
Jan. 4-6: Jr. High "Youthquake" retreat in Lansing, MI
Jan. 24-28: ELCA Natinal Youth Ministry Network Extravaganza in Anaheim, CA
Jan. 31st: Youth Ministry Consultation with Bethlehem Lutheran in Traverse City, MI
Feb. 2nd: "The Gathering" planning team follow up meeting in Lansing, MI

So, over the course of 5 weeks I will have traveled around Michigan (Lansing 3 times) and out to California, all for the sake of Youth Ministry. Am I bragging? Am I complaining? I think I am really thanking God for all the opportunities I have had to work with our youth and with others in building His Kingdom. I have loved every minute of it, and I can't imagine doing anything else. I hope that through it all, our kids, their families, and I all have a greater sense of who Jesus is and how He wants to impact and influence our lives.
Keep me movin' Jesus! Amen!

P.S. More to come about the Extravaganza. It was awesome! Stay tuned!

Mountain Top Faith

I recently had the great fortune of taking our Sr. High youth to our 4 day, state wide youth gathering known as "The Gathering." 5 days later I took our Jr. High youth to a similar 3 day version for them known as "Youthquake." I am still a little tired. LOL! I still love it! I have been to countless retreats in my life, and I have enjoyed them all. I love that we get to leave the "real world" and enter a place where praising God and growing in faith is the goal and the norm.  I love that we can gather together, with other Christians from our state, and focus on Jesus. Of course these retreats are not perfect. We are human, after all, and we are surrounded by teenagers! Yes there will always be a hiccup or two, but mostly these retreats take us to the "mountain top," which is a good thing, and a great place to be. Time after time I have seen youth at these gatherings take down their masks and walls and open up their closely guarded hearts. Often times something happens within them where they experience Jesus and feel His Holy Spirit in new and exciting ways.
This year's theme at the Sr. High gathering was "Grace-Full." I believe all of my Sr. High youth, because of attending "The Gathering," have a better understanding of God's grace, in both the receiving and giving of His grace. The theme at the Jr. High Youthquake was "Thrive." It  centered on Jeremiah 29:11 which reads: "For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you; to give you a hope and a future." The speaker was inspiring and effective. He grabbed their attention and helped them consider what God's plans for them is about. The kids were challenged to look at "The Baggage" in their lives and then wrestle with the thought that God loves them no matter what!
Our youth were truly impacted while on the "mountain top." The problem, however, is the coming down from that mountain top experience. Sometimes we get wrapped up in the feelings of the experience and believe that if we don't have that same feeling when we come home, then something must be wrong. Other problems are that we come home, changed, to a home or a group of friends who aren't  "changed" and who didn't experience what we experienced. It can then be very easy to forget what we learned, thus falling us back into the same old same old lifestyle and longing for our next journey up that mountain. I do not believe that is what God intended for us in those retreats.  No, it is not realistic to believe that we can be on that mountain all the time, but we can take the experiences and let them transform our everyday lives. We can take what we learned and apply it to our families and our friends. I don't think God expects us to be on that high all the time, but He does call us to love Him and be faithful. What we experience at those retreats may not seem to be "the real world" but they can be. If we come down that mountain committed to seeking and loving God in our every day life, then "The Gathering" and "Youthquake" have done their job. At their best, spiritual retreats are a spark that keeps our fires of faith alive and keeps us longing for Jesus. My hope for our youth is when they come back, they would seek Jesus more and more so that the walk down the mountain would be less and less. Amen.