The Search for Shepherds

Many people have asked (actually only two) why I have not been posting much lately. I have been busy doing a ton of reading for a new Bible class that I will begin teaching on Sunday. The congregation that I currently serve has not had elders in a few years. It has been a personal goal of mine and the congregation to have elders re-established in the congregation. I must admit that I have never been through this process before. I have been at congregations that already had elders and added more, but never have helped a congregation establish an eldership after not having any for several years. This is a great task, but I know that God will bless us through this process.

I have spent the past year teaching on the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts as a primer for this next class. I felt that the proper groundwork had to be laid in order to discuss a topic as important as spiritual leaders. I have spent countless hours reading the four texts above. Each presents valuable information on the heart, function, and qualities of spiritual leaders. I will spend the next 3-4 months teaching on the topic of spiritual leadership. The ideal end result is that we will be able to establish an eldership in our congregation in the Spring of 2008. Your prayers on this process are definitely sought.

Due to the all of the research I have been doing I want to use the information that I have acquired to bless as many people as possible. Over the next few months I will use my blog to discuss this important topic of spiritual leadership. I pray that you will enjoy what you read and give any feedback that you find helpful.

If you are interested in the class outlines that I will be presenting they will be available every Sunday evening on the church website http://www.lvcoc.org/ in the 'Media' section.

Content with God alone

I was sitting in my therapy session tonight (yes I am a therapist who gets counseling go figure) and my therapist asked me the weirdest question. He asked me could I be content in this life if all I had was God. I could not have family or friends. I could not be important or significant in any way. I could not be someone that others looked up to. It had to be just God and I. I must admit this question threw me for a loop because it had never been asked of me before. As I sat there and pondered this question for a bit I came to a scary conclusion. I am not at a place spiritually yet where I can be content with God alone.

Some would say that I should be ashamed to verbalize that thought much less write about it. I am just admitting to it so that I can be honest with myself and begin to know what part of my spiritual life needs to be strengthened. Many people will say that this part of spiritual formation is easy for them, but how many of us can truly say that we desire nothing else but to have God in our life. It would be difficult to be alone and not have the relationships that we have built on earth. I believe God calls us to this mindset, but it is a journey that takes some time to complete. It is my prayer that I will become more comfortable with God in a way that He provides all my needs. I want Him to solely provide the affirmation, praise, and support that
I need so that I will not seek it in a selfish manner.

So where are you in this journey? Are you content with God alone? Am I the only one who admittedly has this problem?

What You Do Best in the Body of Christ

About three weeks ago I began teaching a Bible class on spiritual gifts. This is a class I always enjoy doing due to the complexity and powerful nature of the topic. We have been looking at a book called "What You Do Best in the Body of Christ" by Bruce Bugbee. This is absolutely the most practical material I have used to teach this topic. Bruce Bugbee begins with the basics of what the spiritual gifts are and eventually leads the reader to understanding how they can use the spiritual gifts to enhance their ministry.

I feel that this class has been going well thus far. It is not one of the topics that was discussed much at the church that I grew up in. I would suggest this book and class to anyone who is serious about discovering how God has shaped them for ministry.

Discipline of God

I come from a family full of military people. My father and younger brother are Marines. My older brother is in the Army. Each of them has stories about boot camp that they love to tell. These stories describe hardship and pain that they volunteered for. This borders on masochism in my eyes but each of them felt that they matured because of their experiences. I have often wondered why they went through all that pain. Why did they march several miles a day regardless of the weather? Why would they practice the same drills over and over again? Why would they allow themselves to yield to a grueling schedule that they did not come up with? There must have been some motivation. My father informed me that everything was done so that they would be prepared. You have to be trained in order to be a soldier. You cannot expect to go into battle and automatically know what to do unless you have first disciplined yourself to react in a certain way. Every drill, routine, or exercise, regardless of its difficulty, is used to discipline the recruit. The recruit does not have the right to complain about the discipline because it is necessary if he plans on being a soldier. The process of discipline is vital to the military if it wants to be successful in the combat that it engages.

The Bible discusses the topic of spiritual warfare on several occasions. Ephesians 6:12 is a reminder that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This means that Christians are at war! Just like the military there is a need for preparation and discipline if we want to survive this conflict. Proverb 3:11 states that we should not “reject the Lord's discipline.” This discipline will result in our spiritual lives being more like Christ. Hebrews 12:1-13 shows the effect this has on spiritual formation.

“...Throw off everything that hinders…”
Athletes usually train with many weights on their body in order to become stronger. On the day of the game the weights are removed so that the athlete can perform at their best. If we want spiritual formation to take place then we must examine our lives and see what is holding us back from serving God. We are given some difficulties to go through in life to strengthen us. Many people fail under pressure because they have areas of their life that are hindering them. Career, family, homes, money, attitudes and many other things can keep one from progressing spiritually because of an unwillingness to get rid of the dead weight. It will be impossible to keep up with where God is leading you if some serious self evaluation is not completed.

“…Run with perseverance…”
If you want to run in a marathon you cannot stop after 15 miles and expect success. The runner must be motivated to endure even when their body does not want to go any further. This type of drive will benefit the runner every time. Spiritual formation cannot be attained by giving up easily. The disciplines have to be approached with the mindset of long term grown. I cannot pray for wisdom tonight and wake up the next day expecting it to be there. We must cultivate a faith is “steadfast and immovable” (1 Cor. 15:58). When this is accomplished then giving up because the discipline is hard will never be an option.

God is able to make this requirement of us because He is faithful and full of perseverance. Countless times in the Bible He redeems His people and did not give up on them. This model set by God must be responded to it with the same vigor in which it was given.

“…Consider Him…”
There can be a temptation to feel that the discipline commanded by God is too difficult. It can be easy to complain when we do not feel like going through with what He has asked of us. The comfort given is to remember that Christ died for our sake. Christ took following the will of His Father so serious that He gave up His life for it. Because of His dedication I cannot look at my discomfort and think that it is unbearable. The discipline that I personally go through can never be compared to what happened on the Cross. It is because of this “consideration” that we have the hope that things can and will get better because Christ has already traveled this path ahead of us.

“…it produces a harvest of righteousness… for those who have been trained by it..”
The discipline we receive from God has a purpose. It is God’s intention that we receive the blessing of righteousness if we have received the proper training. It is through this training that God shows us how we are to respond to this world. If I am successful in being discipline by God then I will not have to worry about anything. I will live an existence of peace because I will be ready for anything that comes my way. This is the exciting adventure of spiritual formation that God has called all His believers to partake in.

So how will you respond to God’s discipline? Will you continue to carry extra weight around or discard your extra baggage? Will you give up when things get hard or persevere till the end? Will you consider what Jesus has already done sacrificially or think about your rough experience? Will you produce a harvest of righteous that leads to peace or continue to worry because that is what you are accustomed to? Your answers to these questions will determine the outcome of your spiritual formation.

Marks of Maturity

Getting older and being mature are markedly different activities. There is a belief that maturity comes with age, but this is not always the case. In view of the church, the assumption is that if you are older then you must be spiritually mature. This sounds good in theory, but in reality it would mean that I would not be a mature servant of God until I got old. This also carries the thought that if you are young then spiritual maturity is not something that can be grasped. In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit are character qualities that God possesses and that the Holy Spirit imparts to us as we live in trusting obedience to Jesus Christ. It is in this manner that someone can begin the process of maturity in their spiritual lives. Paul mentions love, joy, and peace as three maturity markers in spiritual formation. These three markers describe how the believer is to relate to God and others.

Love

Tina Turner once asked the question “What’s love got to do with it?” I believe Jesus would say “Everything!” 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says that without love we are “nothing.” I can be the most talented, Spirit filled, Scripture reading, Bible toting, cross wearing believer, but if I do not love as Jesus commands then all of those activities really do not mean a thing. There really is no other way of explaining this passage. Those who are mature in the faith are able to love others regardless of race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or any other differences. How do you deal with someone who stole from you? How do you talk to someone you know will twist your words and try to use them against you? How do you pray for your enemies? The answer can only be found in love.

The next natural question is “What is the source of this love?” Romans 5:8 states that “while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” God loved us so much that He cancelled our sin debt because we could never pay for it ourselves. Since He is the source of everything that points to love then the natural reaction must be to freely give love as it has been given to us.

Joy

Joy is a deep sense of well-being that is not dependent upon favorable circumstances, but rooted in a fundamental acceptance of, and confidence in, the will of God. Joy does not come by pursuing joy. Joy comes as a result of pursuing God and the good of others. A spiritually mature person has the ability to experience joy regardless of the situation they are currently facing. You can be on the verge of losing your job and experience joy. You can find out that you have terminal cancer and experience joy. You can be the poorest person in the entire world and experience joy. James 1:2 is a reminder that we are to "count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” This statement can be only be lived out when one understands that God is in control of all things and because of this confidence they allow God to control their life instead of their situation controlling it.

Peace

Peace is the absence of anxiety and the presence of trusting assurance in the promises of God. If we have peace then we realize that the same God who created life in us can be trusted with the details of our life. Matthew 6:25 states “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” This means that worrying about the future hampers our efforts for today. It is impossible to gain peace when your mind is focused on worry. Worrying is more harmful than helpful because it keeps the mind focused on problems instead of praise. Those mature in the faith realize that God does not ignore those who depend on Him. He is a faithful and just Father who only wants what is best for His children. This understanding of God should wipe away any doubt or worry that we have about Him.

Spiritual maturity is more than just a great goal in life; it is required by God (Hebrews 5:12-14). As we become more mature we become better equipped to face this world that is plagued by sin. Many people want to grow spiritually and be mature, but it will not happen by itself. This process will happen only through the work of the Holy Spirit and the individual’s dedication toward following the will of God. This process is an excellent journey that God is eagerly waiting for everyone to begin.

Implications of Abraham's Footsteps of Faith

What do Abraham’s footsteps of faith have to do with spiritual formation today?

1) We must be open to the revelation of God. God is constantly calling us into fellowship with Him. It is His desire to reveal His will for our live to us. Generally the problem is that we are not expecting God to reveal anything to us. Without the expectation of revelation we are placed on a path of trying to figure out our life for ourselves. This can be messy. There have been times in my life where I truly wanted to follow God, but I was not doing anything to hear Him. I was not praying. I was not studying His word. My desire alone was not enough. It was not until I purposely sought Him that I became open to His revelation. I do not think we find God on accident. We don’t just wake up one day and just happen to be serving Him. There must be effort and openness on my behalf to have a relationship with Him.

2) We must obey the call of God. Just having knowledge of what God wants me to do will never be enough. When God called Noah to build the ark He had a particular plan in mind (Genesis 6). When God finished speaking to Noah there was no doubt in Noah’s mind about what he needed to do. The faith of Noah was shown when he began to do what God called him to do. I know of so many people who know God’s purpose for them, but choose not to follow God. I am sure we have all been there before. Bad experiences, trust issues, fear, and many other barriers have deterred some good people from following God, but His call remains the same. We know that prayer, Bible study, fasting, and other spiritual disciplines are ways to be in fellowship and communication with God, but there is a deep lack of obedience to this call. It is in our obedience that God is able to use us to spread His glory throughout this world.

3) We must allow God to grow our faith. Spiritual formation is a process. We will never do it perfectly. Our flesh will continue to fight our spirit as we seek growth (Romans 7:15-25). I believe that at times we will respond to God the same way Abraham did. We will seek shortcuts in our spiritual formation. We will try to get God to bless situations that do not need to be blessed. Thankfully God can use our weaknesses to help us to become stronger in our faith.

4) We must make God our top priority in life. Due to our lives being directed by school schedules, work, children, marriages, and many other distractions, we leave God little time to work in our life. It is going to take time and effort to practice any of the spiritual disciplines. We will have to make God our priority in order for transformation to take place. If I only give God five minutes a day to work on me He can still use that time to develop us, but we should not expect much. When I make His will and the disciplines priority one in my life my schedule and everything about me will point to God. This is not to say that I will spend 24 hours a day in prayer and fasting. The balanced spiritual life finds time to deal with all of its responsibilities, but God is given precedence in all things.

Spiritual formation is serious business. It cannot be approached lightly. God wants to see us changed, but it begins with us being open to His revelation, being obedient to His call, allowing Him to grow our faith, and making Him our top priority in life. I hope you are ready to begin this journey with Him.

Abiding in Christ

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. 3 You have already been pruned for greater fruitfulness by the message I have given you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful apart from me.
(John 15:1-4 NLT)

In John 15 a picture of true relationship with God is presented. John teaches the reader how to “abide” and stay connected to God. This process is the core of the Christian faith. It is my goal in life to practically understand what this passage means almost 2000 years after it was written. If abiding in Christ is possible then it can only be accomplished thorough the process of pruning, staying connected to the power of God, and having confidence in the stability of the vine.

First we must realize that pruning is essential for plants to grow healthy and properly. There are times when branches have to be cut off so that the entire organism can grow in the way it was intended. John 15:2 states that “He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes.” There have been times in my life where I was the branch that did not bear fruit. I was not growing in Christ and was not useful to God. I was not worthless to Him, but outside of the purpose that I was intended for God did not use me. It took me several years of struggling with sin before I came to the realization that I was not accomplishing anything with my life as it was. I did not feel God leading my life until I decided to allow Him into my life again. It was at this time that I began to see how God could use me. As I began to open my life up to Him He began to do some powerful things through me. I knew this was not my doing, but only God at work in me. This was an exciting time in my life, but things were still not perfect. I found myself trying to hold on to things that had nothing to with the Kingdom of God. There were relationships and priorities that I had that were keeping me from fully participating in the power of God. As I allowed God to “prune” me and take away the obstacles in my spiritual life the fruit steady came forth from my life. Without that pruning I would still be a useless stick today.

Next I had to stay connected to the power of God. John 15:4 reminds us that “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” I take this to simply mean that I am nothing without God. An appliance is only as good as the power source that it is connected to. If the source of power is gone then that tool is basically just another pretty piece of metal. It is in this context that I understand that I have to stay connected to God in order for my life to have purpose.

I remember well those days when I made plans for how my life was going to end up. By the time I was thirty years old I was supposed to have three children, a PhD, a big house, and be well into my career as a criminologist with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I have not accomplished those endeavors, but most importantly I never gave those ideas a chance of fruition because I attempted to do them all on my own. I never presented these issues to God. I never asked Him if this was part of His will. I simply told Him this was the way it was going to be. See I was disconnected from the power of God and the fruit did not come. I was the brand new power saw who had the potential to do just about anything, but I was not plugged into a source of power. I know experience God in a powerful way today because I am earnestly doing my best to stay connected to Him. I pray for His guidance, do my best to love other people, and seek His wisdom in my spiritual journey. These practices keep the power flowing and great things are happening because of this lifestyle that I have adopted.

Finally I have to have full confidence in the stability of the vine. John 15:7 declares “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” This passage speaks to the ability and stability of God. It describes how He is able to provide what the branches need. I do not have to worry about anything because my God is able to take care of me. He does not have so much going on that He forgets about my needs. He is personal to me and knows all about me because of our connectedness. This brings me comfort because I know that when the storms of life hit that I am connected to the one who is rooted deep and cannot be moved. If His stability is questionable then I will not be able to survive. It is with this confidence that I can boldly ask Him for what I need because I am not afraid of being rejected. When the fear of rejection is gone the only thing left is joy and it is in this joy that I serve my Father.

It thrills my soul to know that God is the one doing the pruning, supplying the power to my life and has the ability to meet my needs. In this relationship I look forward to being a part of His process because it always leads to success. I painfully realize that abiding takes patience. There are times when I am getting pruned and do not necessarily desire it. There are times when I want the fruit to come instantly, but it does not come. Thank God that He is the gardener and I am not!

Renewing the Mind

God has always been in the sacrifice business. Beginning with Noah in Gen. 8:20, a sacrifice is made in recognition of God delivering Noah’s family from the flood and providing for their needs. Repeatedly in the Old Testament God expected His people to praise and worship Him through their sacrifices. This plan worked for a long time, but Hebrews 10:11-12 reveals that “under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins. But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time.[1]” Jesus’ sacrifice ultimately bridged the gap between man and God. Those who follow God today are expected to be a “living and holy sacrifice.[2]” The purpose of this sacrifice is to help us to be “transformed into a new person.[3]” These words in the New Testament present a pressing, sincere request to all believers in Christ. In order to consider this text, three questions must be answered. What does it mean to be transformed? What is the goal of transformation? What does one do in order to experience transformation?

What does it mean to be transformed?
The Greek word metamorphoo[4] means to transform. This change can be seen in nature when viewing the metamorphosis of a tadpole to a full grown frog. The tadpole’s entire existence is focused solely on becoming a toad. The tadpole cannot be a bird, spider, or any other creature because it was not created for that purpose. Similarly those who belong to Christ are created to become more like Him.

The idea presented by Paul in Romans 12 is that transformation is something that an individual allows to happen to them. Christians are able to allow God to change their mindset from an earthly perspective to His perspective (2 Corinthians 5:16). This means that the Christian will respond as Christ would in everyday life situations. Therefore transformation is not something that anyone can do by their own power alone. It is a process that is only completed through the power of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:23). Rather the Christian should submit to God’s power and be a willing participant in this development. This development is not a one time occurrence but a life long process that only ends at death.

What is the goal of transformation?
According to 2 Corinthians 3:18, the goal of transformation is to become like Christ. This sounds easy enough, but death to self must occur before becoming like Christ can be a reality. Ephesians 4:17 describes people as being “hopelessly confused” before this death occurs. Those experiencing this type of life cannot live like Christ because “their minds are full of darkness[5].” Followers of Christ are to offer their bodies as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). Christians should be committed to being obedient to the teachings of Jesus Christ and live in a manner of life befitting to God’s saving grace. The faithful Christian obeys God because of what God has done for him in Christ. This is a proper response to God because He first showed His love to mankind (John 3:16).

What does on do in order to experience transformation?
First of all those who seek transformation must be baptized into Christ. Colossians 2:12 clearly states that “you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life.” Through this baptism sins are removed through the process of spiritual circumcision. This circumcision captures the sinful nature and destroys it. No longer does sin have control. No longer is the believer condemned to death. They are now able to live a free life with God as their guide. Because of this renewed spirit, the follower of Christ can now experience the mercy of God (Titus 3:5). This begins the believers’ walk in the newness of life (Romans 6:38).

This process continues as the believer experiences a renewing of their mind (Eph. 4:20-24). Renewing the mind is made possible when the believer sets their mind on things above (Col. 3:1-2). This means that their sights must be focused on putting God’s priorities before their own personal priorities. It means a lifestyle of having an eternal focus on life rather than a temporary earthly view of life. This life will be reflected by someone who has given total control of their life over to Christ. Decisions about family, work, and everyday tasks will be made differently because the realization that earthly matters are temporary will continually permeate every thought. The relationships that are forged will be approached differently because the follower will now seek those who will help them in their spiritual journey rather than those who will stifle their growth. This mind renewal process will be painful because it will be like nothing else that this world has to offer. Much personal risk is involved in choosing this path, but the rewards from it have excellent eternal benefits.

Followers of Christ have been called to be “transformed” into the image of Christ. The motivation for this is to show gratitude to God for His mercy and love. This opportunity for transformation is available to all through baptism into Christ. Those who seek this new life must allow themselves to have their mind renewed by focusing on Heaven and seeking God’s will in everything they do. This extreme makeover is provided by the blood of Jesus Christ because only it can cover the sin that mankind possesses. God provides the resources necessary for this change to happen. The only thing needed now is people who are willing to be used for the glory of God so that His name can be glorified throughout the Earth.

[1] New Living Translation
[2] Romans 12:1
[3] Romans 12:2
[4] Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek- Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.
[5] Ephesians 4:18

What is Spiritual Formation?

In January I read a book by John Westerhoff called Spiritual Life: The Foundation for Preaching and Teaching. Below are some of my thoughts about spiritual formation that I drew from reading his text.

“You need to be like Jesus!” This phrase is either uttered or implied each time someone enters a house of worship. The preacher or pastor has spent all week writing a lesson from the Bible with that conclusion in mind. The essential goal of the Christian should be to make sure that they live, talk, and make decisions in the same manner that Jesus would. A campaign in the 1990’s called “What Would Jesus Do?” was used as a personal motto for thousands of Christians. They used the phrase as a reminder of their belief that Jesus is the supreme model for morality, and to act in a manner which Jesus would. This is a lofty aspiration, but many believe this is the heart of spiritual formation. The problem is that practical steps toward becoming like Jesus are not easily defined. How does one live like someone who never sinned? How does one make decisions like someone who never made a bad choice? Outside of God this transformation is impossible. If spiritual formation is possible, it is only through God’s power and the Spirit’s leading by trusting God to show where growth is needed, seeking avenues of communication with God, and responding with action to the Spirit’s leading.

First we must come to the understanding that “[i]A right relationship with God is dependent on our commitment to abide in God’s reign.” It is in this context that one realizes that only God is able to point out areas in their life where growth is required. In Psalm 139:14 David proudly proclaims that he is “[ii]fearfully and wonderfully made”. He recognizes that God has made Him perfectly and in His image. This recognition of God’s work in his life leads David to wholly trust God. In respect of this knowledge David invites God to “[iii]search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” David accepted His brokenness as a human, but sought the counsel of God to help him grow spiritually. Anyone who seeks spiritual growth must first trust God to show them where their spiritual life is lacking because only He can bring about the growth that is needed.

Next, we must realize that “[iv]our relationship with God is directly related to the amount and quality of time we spend consciously with God daily.” This writer believes that most people seem to think that the only way to come in contact with God is through prayer and Bible study. Prayer is definitely important. Jesus spends time in Luke 11:1-4 teaching His disciples how to pray. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 discusses how the Bible is “[v]given by inspiration of God, and is profitable… for instruction in righteousness.” Prayer and Bible study are important faith building facets of spiritual growth, but God has provided other avenues of communicating with Him. The practice of spiritual disciplines is one of several ways of communicating with God. John Ortberg defines a spiritual discipline as “[vi]any activity that can help me gain power to live life as Jesus taught and modeled it.” One who is seeking to communicate with God can come in contact with Him through meditation, confession of sin, fasting, etc. The point of these exercises is to allow God to speak to the individual without the hindrance of any outside distractions. These practices are not meant to be mastered, but to be used as tools to stay connected with the Spirit of God.

Finally, we must live out these spiritual disciplines as a response to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual knowledge without application has the potential to “[vii]create magna cum laude atheists who know all about Christianity but do not intend to be Christians...” The essence of Christianity is to live a changed life. The Christian life should be signified by people who naturally react to situations in the manner that Jesus would. Matthew 5:44 instructs its readers to “[viii]Love your enemies.” It is not the natural human reaction to like, much less love, someone who is considered an enemy. This reaction is only made possible by the transformation made available through the Holy Spirit. The transformed life consists of actions that are not natural or comfortable, but which are necessary for spiritual growth. This response of faith is a commitment toward a Spirit-filled life. The development of this step is painful but leads to the desired spiritual growth.

Becoming like Jesus was never meant to be easy. This journey is time-consuming, frustrating, and even uncomfortable. Those who truly want to know God better will seek His wisdom in knowing where growth is needed. This new knowledge will encourage the seeker to stay in communion with God and respond appropriately as the Holy Spirit leads them. Spiritual formation is not optional. Anyone who considers themselves a follower of Christ should seek this growth and wait patiently for God to bring it about.

[i] John Westerhoff, Spiritual Life: The Foundation for Preaching and Teaching (Louisville: Westminster John
Knox Press, 1994), 6.
[ii] King James Version
[iii] Psalm 139:23-24, King James Version
[iv] John Westerhoff, Spiritual Life: The Foundation for Preaching and Teaching (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994), 6.
[v] King James Version
[vi] John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 48.
[vii] John Westerhoff, Spiritual Life: The Foundation for Preaching and Teaching (Louisville: Westminster
John Knox Press, 1994), 17.
[viii] King James Version

My Story

I am a second generation preacher. My father has been a minister for nearly 40 years now. He has been preaching at the same thirty-member congregation for over 30 years now. Growing up I witnessed the abuse and troubles that he went through because of working “for” the church. My father never encouraged my brothers or me to preach because he wanted us to make our own career decisions. I made up my mind at a very early age that preaching and “ministry” was not for me.

I accepted Christ and was baptized for the remission of sins at the age of 10. This was an exciting time for me, because I was beginning to understand my sin and how it separated me from God. My parents were excited about my decision, but did not pressure me into it. I knew that I was taking a big step by doing this, but was unaware of how strong the pull of sin would be in my life. I considered myself to be a good child. I always listened to my parents, was active in church, made good grades, and was not in trouble that much. I am not sure if I was “good” because of my desire to follow God or the fact that I did not want to make my father look bad since I was the preacher’s kid. I did my best to follow the Bible and my parents until I left for college.

I began college life at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. During my two years there I took it upon myself to experiment with sin. I knew what God’s Word said about my life, but I did not have a faith of my own. I had spent my entire life living through the faith of my parents. This was apparent to me because I truly could not fathom grace or the fact that God truly saved me. I was lost spiritually and did not care about my soul. My sins were overwhelming and many, if not all, of my life choices were headed for destruction. I was living a lifestyle that was heading me straight towards hell. It took me getting fired from my job to help me realize that I was not headed in the right direction.

What happened to the little boy who prayed every night? What happened to the young man who won an award for being the best Christian example in his youth group? The person I looked at it in the mirror was a far cry from what he used to be.

It took the prayers and encouragement of some close friends and family to help
me to repent of my sins and rededicate my life to Jesus Christ. This time though things were different. I found myself truly searching for God. I began asking questions that I had never asked before. I wanted to know why we worshipped every week. I wanted to know what grace really meant. Why was Christ’s death so important? Who is the Holy Spirit? These questions and many more flooded my mind. I seek these answers daily. I will not act like I have all the answer to all my questions, but the acquisition of this knowledge is why I remain a Christian today. The fact that God continues to answer me has helped me to strive to be like Jesus.
I eventually began college at Freed Hardeman University and began some relationships that have helped mold me into the Christian I am today. It was at FHU that I began to take my spiritual life serious and have the desire to help others in their walk. I was only able to do this because of the grace I received from God and others.

I believe today my life is different because of the mistakes I made. It was through these mistakes that I learned what the prodigal son went through. It was through these mistakes that I was able to return to my loving Father and realize that I was important to Him. It was in these experiences that I was able to enjoy the fellowship of believers because I was welcomed back lovingly. Spiritual formation actually means something to me today. It is more than words. It is an experience of coming to God and allowing Him to use you regardless of where you have been or what you have done.

Spiritual Cliffs Notes

I do not know who Cliffs is, but he used to be my best friend in high school. He read every important book known to man and then published his summary of knowledge in a small yellow paperback book for only $9.95. It did not make a difference how long or boring the book was because Cliffs was always there to lend me a helping hand. I sure do miss him.
The only problem with me Cliffs helping me out is that to this day I have missed out on reading some great literary classics. Sure I can tell you the main point of the story and possibly the plot, but do not ask me for specifics. I cannot give you specifics because I did not take the time to read for myself. I depended on Cliffs to give me the answer to every question I had.
I have noticed a trend in the church that is very scary. Members show up to hear the sermon or "spiritual cliffs note" for the week. They take what they hear and for the most part take it to be true as long as it does not make them uncomfortable or disturb any belief that they already have. The problem with this scenario is that the preacher become some sort of Bible quick fix for the week. Many people will not go back and check to see if the preacher is speaking the truth. This fact is frustrating because some of us preachers actually like the fact that people take what they say as the gospel truth. I do hope everything I say is the truth, but each of us have the responsibility of studying God's Word for ourself. I pray that each of us will come in contact with the Bible besides just during the Sunday sermon. God bless you this week and grow from His word.

Silence

Today my family visited the Sweetest Place on Earth: Chocolate World. We took the tour at Hershey Park and saw how chocolate was made. I must say that I was very impressed with the chocolate making process. Who knew that the cocoa beans came from all over the world just so that I could enjoy a Hershey Kiss. I feel so special. I also found out that they make over 20 million Hershey Kisses a day. Now that is a lot of love! We saw enough chocolate today to give all of Memphis, TN diabetes. I had to do my part and support the fine people of Hershey by purchasing several of their tiny pieces of heaven. I am sure that I will regret eating all of that candy later, but I think it was worth it.

This evening around 10:30 p.m. I was feeling overwhelmed. We are closing on our house tommorrow, Dana has a job interview in the morning, Mikayla has been having a hard time adjusting to this new move, all of my possessions are somewhere between Louisiana and Pennsylvania on a moving truck, I just moved away from all of my friends, and some other personal things are going on in my family. I knew that I needed to pray and so I laid on the bed and tried. I was not sure what to pray about because I feel like I have sounded like a broken record to God lately. I feel like I am always asking for something, but I have not been taking any time to listen. I forced myself to do something that I have NEVER done before. I kneeled beside the bed, bowed my head, and just listened. I tried to slow down my thoughts and hear God speak to me. It took about 10 minutes before the phrase "God is in control" popped in my mind. For the next couple of minutes I thought about several things I had been worrying about and just repeated to myself "God is in control". A few minutes later the phrase "These problems are temporary" popped into my mind. I sat there and smiled for a second and started to realize the truth in that saying. Nothing that I am dealing with is going to last forever. I don't need to worry about ANYTHING because eventually that situation will change. Finally I "heard" the phrase "choose joy". James 1 tells us to "count it all joy..." I have preached and taught that passage so many times, but have not been living it. I am in contol of my joy. It is my job to choose joyfulness and God job to be in control of this world.
Practicing silence was difficult, but I gained so much from it. I challenge you to pause your life for a few minutes and see what God is trying to tell you.