Big Thoughts

Every week here at South all those serving in some capacity join together worship to focus, talk through the day and pray. We call it the huddle. Each month a different elder handles the discussion, giving a scripture thought to challenge us for the day.

Today, Jim led. He shared with us the following lyrics from The Earth Falls Asleep by Abandon Kansas.:

I’m convinced that the world that we see is a curtain, behind which vast realms await us of uncharted marvels in oceans of mercy inside my father’s eyes and the mountains are grand stands that sheets of blue skies rest upon pealed back with ease by yours hands to reveal a glory I’ve never dreamed

He then said, “Today, I want you to think big thoughts.” He challenged us to see past the mundane, the tasks at hand that always have to be done. He encouraged us to see something bigger going on in the day, to be ready for something bigger. Then he prayed and we were done.

It was so simple, yet so beautiful and mind blowing. Think big thoughts…

We are a part or something bigger, something beyond what we see right here right now. We are a part of something beyond what we planned to eat today, or the coffee we stopped and got on the way to church. We are a part of something bigger than this week, our jobs, or our lives. We are a part of something that has been going on for generations and generations. Really, its been going on since man fell in the Garden and separated humanity from God via sin. God has been chasing us ever since with an unrelenting love. And, when we accept and embrace that love, we become a part of the pursuit.

That means it is not just about me. It is is not simply about the church that I serve, or even the churches of Christ/Christian churches here in Lansing. It is not even about all the churches here in Lansing. It is about all of us, one entity who are called brothers and sisters of Jesus because of the cross - the Church, the tribe, the Kingdom of God - whatever you want to call it so you can grasp the bigness of it. Actually, it is about us and beyond us. It is about the unrelenting love of God working through us to redeem the world.

It is about us here AND it is about our brothers and sisters in Mosul, Iraq. They are being persecuted by ISIS (an Islamic group). ISIS came through in the last few days, marked their houses with an Islamic symbol that means “Christian” and gave them three options.

1. Leave
2. Convert to Islam for the sum of one pound of gold
3. Die by the sword

To them, faith is real and in their face right now. Move on from your homes, confess Islam with payment, or die. How would I do in that situation? Think big thoughts…

Where does faith take hold in our lives? When will we pull away from the mundane and live lives that matter? Think big thoughts…

An Early Camp Morning

This was written last week in the midst of camp. I think it was on Tuesday, but it is all a blur now….enjoy!

Today I sit in a place of honor. I’m in David Joe’s spot by the fireplace here at Michiana Christian Service Camp. For as long as I’ve been serving here each summer, I can remember David Joe sitting in this place every morning, pouring over the Scriptures and listening to what God had to say to him each morning, allowing himself be filled so he could pour into the students that day.

A table away normally sits a woman named Day. Every morning you can hear her playing her lap dulcimer and singing in songs like Come Thou Fount to her Creator - a daily ritual in her life that feeds and fills her soul, a soul that loves God, life, and students. She calls our students children. If you were to meet her you would understand why. She has a deep motherly love for the students we get here at camp. She loves them like she loves her own children. She hurts for them because the world is harsh to them. She wants to wrap them up in God’s love, to help them change and see a bigger life that they could have, a life shaped by the Cross.

These are only two of the many people I am lucky enough to work with year after year here at camp. I could share story after story of people like David Joe and Day. Each would have its own uniqueness because of the individuals involved.

In their uniqueness, though, they have a unity about them. While each has their own story, there is a common thread that binds them together. It is not really fair to say that it is a thread. What binds them together is much bigger and stronger than a thread. What binds them together is thick and strong like a ship’s rope, compiled by thousands of small strands of cord and fiber. It is God’s story - a story of creation, failure, and redemption - where love overcomes everything.

It is that story, God’s story, that we share year after year here at camp. It is wrapped differently each summer, but at its core it is the same. God created the world and saw that it was good. He created man and saw that his creation was very good. He gave man free will to rule over the earth and bask in God’s glory. Unfortunately, man wanted more for himself. He wanted his own glory. So, through the fall of Adam and Eve, humanity separated itself from the Creator.

In all honesty, God could have walked away then. He could have given up on this rebellious creation who had life by His own breath. He could have given up on us. But He didn’t. He pursued us with His tenacious, constant love all the way to the cross.

The cross is why we exist as a living temple…a tribe devoted to proclaiming God’s glory, a tribe devoted to living out the story and helping others learn what the story is–how it feels, tastes, and smells. We are the present Kingdom of God here and now. May we live to our potential.

30 Days of Hustle - Day 2

Day Two’s challenge is about the Why. Why do I want to lose weight. I guess I answered that yesterday. I need to lose weight so that I can see my daughter grow up and grow old. I don’t feel healthy now. I don’t feel horrible, but I know that I need to lose weight. There is heart issues on both sides of my family. Its time to clean up my act.

I also mentioned yesterday that I am a temple of God, or part of it anyway. I am not treating the temple very good. I’m abusing it.

If I stop and think about it, I probably have some sort of a food addiction. Food is my comfort. It is what I go to when I get stressed. It brings me joy sometimes. I eat it and then feel guilty sometimes. I think that means I have a problem. Don’t you think?

I think God an my family are important reasons to lose weight, don’t you think?

So, if you are joining me in this challenge, answer the “Why?” question for yourself. Why are you doing it? Is it just because of me? That’s honorable and nice, but you need more. I’m not that important!

30 Days of Hustle - Day 1

I got an email the other day. I get a bunch of emails every day. Some are junk. Some are fun to read. The email I am talking about was from Jon Acuff. In that email he talked about offering a 30 Days of Hustle Challenge.

It sounded interesting to me. So I signed up. I am doing the 30 Days of Hustle Challenge. Each day for 30 days, I will get an email from the Acuff enterprise challenging me to do something…Below is the beginning. Read on at your own risk.

Day 1 –What do I want to do?

The list for this is long. I want to do a lot of things. I need/want to lose weight. I want to own a coffee shop. I want my wife to get through this dark spell of life she is having and I want to help her lose the weight that is part of the darkness. I want to be better at my ministry.

Thanks for bringing all of these struggles and wants up, Mr. Acuff.

His point in the first email is to choose one thing. What one thing do I want to do? Does Mr. Acuff realize that I am a high C in the DISC personality profile? As a high C (conscientious), want to do everything right. Because of this, I struggle to make decisions. So, not only did Mr. Acuff bring up all the things I feel I want to do in my life, he has cornered me with the challenging of picking one thing. What I if I choose the wrong thing? Will that wreck everything else I want to do? How do I even decide? Does he even know what his simple question does to me on the inside?

It sounds to me like I need some help. Or, I simply need to suck it up and choose something and go. So, I chose my goal.

I am overweight. I need to lose weight. A lot of it. I weighed in this morning. 304#. I was surprised it wasn’t more.

I WANT to weigh no more than 250#. I want to do this so I can be healthy enough to see my daughter grow up and live life. I want to be healthier for my wife. I need to be healthier because I am the temple of God…or a part of it, anyway.

My goal is to lose 54# by Christmas. I am putting it out here on the internet world to show that I am serious. Maybe throwing it out here will make me push more and actually do something rather than having good intentions with no follow through.

Do you want to join me? What is a weight loss goal you have? If you don’t have one, set one right now. How much do you want to lose by Christmas? We’ll call it the Skinny Christmas Challenge. What are we going to do? How are we going to get there. How can I challenge you and how can you challenge me?