"Remember your Creator during your youth: when all possibilities lie open before you and you can offer all your strength intact for his service. The time to remember is not after you become senile and paralyzed! Then it is not too late for your salvation, but too late for you to serve as the presence of God in the midst of the world and the creation. You must take sides earlier--when you can actually make choices, when you have many paths opening at your feet, before the weight of necessity overwhelms you." --Jacques Ellul on Ecclesiastes 12
One of my personal assignments recently was to create a life mission statement. To facilitate this, I planned to spend a full day with God, looking over old journal entries and things that have really sparked something in my heart. Despite my excitement about doing it, it was still hard to schedule the time.
What struck me this quote from Jacques Ellul was the sense of urgency in deciding where to put our strength. There are a million little things that I could do this week. Many of them are very important and need to get done. But are they taking me in the right direction? Have I stepped back and spent time listening to God, asking what His purpose is for me? Or are my actions always a response to the expectations and demands of others?
Friday, May 8, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Holy Week
I love Easter. It's a really special time for me personally. That may seem like a given, considering that I'm a Christian, but for the first 21 years I spent going to church, Easter didn't really mean that much to me. In all honesty, it seemed like one of the more boring church services of the year because I thought the sermons covered material that I had moved beyond.
But my senior year of college, I screwed up more than I thought was possible and felt more conviction from the Holy Spirit than I ever had in my life. Through that God taught me about His grace and forgiveness, the message of the gospel that I had missed despite my attendance at thousands of church services. And as if the gift of experiencing the Cross wasn't enough, I learned these lessons leading up to the calendar celebration of when Jesus made His sacrifice for me. I like having that personal anniversary that I can celebrate within the community of faith.
The pastor I heard speak last night challenged us to give up something during Holy Week--something that's not necessarily wrong, but might dull our sensitivity to what God is saying. So I'm going to cut back on my television watching (sorry Gilmore Girls). I didn't do so well today because of a headache, but that's my goal for the week. Hopefully putting it on this blog will help me stick to it. I like the idea of intentionally pressing into God during Holy Week. That might not seem revolutionary to those who are used to following the church calendar, but it's something different for this low-church girl.
But my senior year of college, I screwed up more than I thought was possible and felt more conviction from the Holy Spirit than I ever had in my life. Through that God taught me about His grace and forgiveness, the message of the gospel that I had missed despite my attendance at thousands of church services. And as if the gift of experiencing the Cross wasn't enough, I learned these lessons leading up to the calendar celebration of when Jesus made His sacrifice for me. I like having that personal anniversary that I can celebrate within the community of faith.
The pastor I heard speak last night challenged us to give up something during Holy Week--something that's not necessarily wrong, but might dull our sensitivity to what God is saying. So I'm going to cut back on my television watching (sorry Gilmore Girls). I didn't do so well today because of a headache, but that's my goal for the week. Hopefully putting it on this blog will help me stick to it. I like the idea of intentionally pressing into God during Holy Week. That might not seem revolutionary to those who are used to following the church calendar, but it's something different for this low-church girl.
Books I'm Reading: Connecting
I am seriously excited about this book. There have been few things I've read where I felt every concept either affirmed the desires in my heart, resonated with my past experiences, or challenged me towards action in an area I'm passionate about. The book is Connecting: The Mentoring Relationships You Need to Succeed in Life by Paul D. Stanley and Dr. J. Robert Clinton.
The focus of the book is a breakdown of mentoring relationships: intensive, occasional, and passive (these are not mentors who don't seem to care, but rather, contemporary and historical figures who provide an example to follow instead of one-on-one time with a mentoree). There are eight types of mentors within the three categories. It was very helpful to see that mentoring can look different depending on people's needs and seasons of life. I hate cookie-cutter discipleship because it lacks authenticity and flexibility. God creates unique individuals who have vastly different experiences in life. Having different types of mentors is just one part of a framework that allows for individuality in the discipleship process.
The authors really made me think more about the relationships in my life. As part of my job, I have the privilege of mentoring others in various ways. But I think I need to examine my relationships with those mentoring me, as well as my close friendships. After graduating college and beginning full-time ministry, my proximity to and availability for these relationships shifted. I've had a harder time fitting them into the structure of my life.
The authors really emphasize that mentoring is critical for everyone, but especially those in ministry. I really appreciated that. I don't know if this is intentional or not, but sometimes it seems like there's a message that once you're in ministry, you can handle yourself or at least should be able to get it together. Stanley and Clinton blame this mindset for the number of leadership failures in the church:
"In our studies of leaders, we can clearly conclude with few exceptions that those who experienced anointed ministry and finished well had a significant network of meaningful relationships that inspired, challenged, listened, pursued, developed, and held one another accountable."
Becoming one of those leaders will take a consistent, intentional commitment to finding and maintaining these relationships. So grateful to these authors for the encouragement toward that goal.
(Random note: I also really like their use of the term "mentoree" instead of the more commonly used "mentee." Though spellcheck does not recognize either word, mentoree makes more sense.)
The focus of the book is a breakdown of mentoring relationships: intensive, occasional, and passive (these are not mentors who don't seem to care, but rather, contemporary and historical figures who provide an example to follow instead of one-on-one time with a mentoree). There are eight types of mentors within the three categories. It was very helpful to see that mentoring can look different depending on people's needs and seasons of life. I hate cookie-cutter discipleship because it lacks authenticity and flexibility. God creates unique individuals who have vastly different experiences in life. Having different types of mentors is just one part of a framework that allows for individuality in the discipleship process.
The authors really made me think more about the relationships in my life. As part of my job, I have the privilege of mentoring others in various ways. But I think I need to examine my relationships with those mentoring me, as well as my close friendships. After graduating college and beginning full-time ministry, my proximity to and availability for these relationships shifted. I've had a harder time fitting them into the structure of my life.
The authors really emphasize that mentoring is critical for everyone, but especially those in ministry. I really appreciated that. I don't know if this is intentional or not, but sometimes it seems like there's a message that once you're in ministry, you can handle yourself or at least should be able to get it together. Stanley and Clinton blame this mindset for the number of leadership failures in the church:
"In our studies of leaders, we can clearly conclude with few exceptions that those who experienced anointed ministry and finished well had a significant network of meaningful relationships that inspired, challenged, listened, pursued, developed, and held one another accountable."
Becoming one of those leaders will take a consistent, intentional commitment to finding and maintaining these relationships. So grateful to these authors for the encouragement toward that goal.
(Random note: I also really like their use of the term "mentoree" instead of the more commonly used "mentee." Though spellcheck does not recognize either word, mentoree makes more sense.)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Prayer
I pray better when I'm sitting on the floor of my room. I have no idea why, but it helps me focus and be more honest with God. Pacing used to help, but now I get distracted by things I need to clean, reorganize, put away, etc. Kind of random, but I thought I would share.
Task Mode
Mark Batterson referenced this passage on his blog and it really it me hard this week.
"How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it?" --Galatians 3, The Message
I know that Paul is talking about living by the law and earning salvation, which I know I can't do. But as I work in ministry, I think I start trying to earn salvation or spiritual growth for other people. I forget that other people need God to work in them just like he did in me, that those experiences can't be manufactured or worked up.
This has been the hardest lesson for me to learn in DC. When I get busy, I go into task mode and start making lists of everything I need to accomplish. The tasks become the only thing I can see. And I forget what Jesus says in John 15:5, "Apart from me you can do nothing." That's one of the hardest verses in the Bible for me to believe, but one of the most important. Everything always seems to come back to whether I'm connecting with God or trying to do things on my own.
"How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God's message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren't smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it?" --Galatians 3, The Message
I know that Paul is talking about living by the law and earning salvation, which I know I can't do. But as I work in ministry, I think I start trying to earn salvation or spiritual growth for other people. I forget that other people need God to work in them just like he did in me, that those experiences can't be manufactured or worked up.
This has been the hardest lesson for me to learn in DC. When I get busy, I go into task mode and start making lists of everything I need to accomplish. The tasks become the only thing I can see. And I forget what Jesus says in John 15:5, "Apart from me you can do nothing." That's one of the hardest verses in the Bible for me to believe, but one of the most important. Everything always seems to come back to whether I'm connecting with God or trying to do things on my own.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Life-Long Learning
"We have observed that most people cease learning by the age of forty. By that we mean they no longer actively pursue knowledge, understanding, and experience that will enhance their capacity to grow and contribute to others." --Paul D. Stanley and J. Robert Clinton
My grandparents on my mother's side are an exception to this statement. Despite being in their nineties, they have embraced the age of the Internet. They made a choice to learn something new, even if it meant stepping out of their comfort zone. I'm able to communicate with them more easily because they use email.
They also love to read. Whenever I visit them, I like to ask what they are reading because they have great recommendations. My grandma's eyes light up as she tells me about the story of a mountain climber who built schools all over Pakistan, or an American woman who married the king of Jordan. She's fascinated by their lives and I have many books on my shelf because of her enthusiasm for them.
But she and my grandpa seem just as fascinated by things that might seem normal or mundane. They've traveled all over the world--they even went white water rafting through the Grand Canyon in their eighties. But the stories they bring back aren't just about the incredible things they've seen. They always have something to say about the people they met on the cruise ship or at dinner, some friendship that was forged because they were interested in someone else's story.
My favorite memories with them are the times I got to listen to who they met or what they've been learning. They are definitely my role models for what it looks like to be a life-long learner.
My grandparents on my mother's side are an exception to this statement. Despite being in their nineties, they have embraced the age of the Internet. They made a choice to learn something new, even if it meant stepping out of their comfort zone. I'm able to communicate with them more easily because they use email.
They also love to read. Whenever I visit them, I like to ask what they are reading because they have great recommendations. My grandma's eyes light up as she tells me about the story of a mountain climber who built schools all over Pakistan, or an American woman who married the king of Jordan. She's fascinated by their lives and I have many books on my shelf because of her enthusiasm for them.
But she and my grandpa seem just as fascinated by things that might seem normal or mundane. They've traveled all over the world--they even went white water rafting through the Grand Canyon in their eighties. But the stories they bring back aren't just about the incredible things they've seen. They always have something to say about the people they met on the cruise ship or at dinner, some friendship that was forged because they were interested in someone else's story.
My favorite memories with them are the times I got to listen to who they met or what they've been learning. They are definitely my role models for what it looks like to be a life-long learner.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Longing for Something Better
I was at a conference last weekend and heard Alicia Chole speak on Anonymous, which I had read a mere five days before. While initially disappointed, I later realized the benefit of having an altar call in between the chapters. The experience made me process the material in a way that I hadn't just by reading it. The area that hit me most was that of self-control. When Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread, he had the self-control to obey the Father even though he had a legitimate need--hunger.
We often use our feelings and desires to justify why we should have something. Watching movies makes me happy, so there's no reason why I should give them up. This is my favorite kind of food, so the satisfaction I receive from eating it overrules it's unhealthiness. Surely I wouldn't naturally crave something that's bad for me.
Last week, I ate at Chick-fil-A for the first time in months and it made me ridiculously happy. I love the waffle fries and the chicken nuggets, and a smile came to my face as I once again experienced the glories of that particular fast food. Later I realized that my enjoyment of it, even my craving of it, had absolutely no impact on its nutritional value. Through continual intake of fast food, I have built up an appetite for it, but that doesn't mean satisfying that appetite is good for me.
Elisabeth Elliot takes this concept into a whole different arena--the desire to get married. In Passion and Purity, she writes, "My heart was saying, 'Lord, take away this longing, or give me that for which I long.' The Lord was answering, 'I must teach you to long for something better.'"
I must teach you to long for something better.
How do we change our appetites? Looking back at the food example, my only idea is self-control. If I start choosing to eat what I know if good for me, i.e., following truth instead of my feelings, I will eventually change what I crave. Perhaps the more we choose to look at Jesus, the more we'll realize that nothing else can possibly compare.
We often use our feelings and desires to justify why we should have something. Watching movies makes me happy, so there's no reason why I should give them up. This is my favorite kind of food, so the satisfaction I receive from eating it overrules it's unhealthiness. Surely I wouldn't naturally crave something that's bad for me.
Last week, I ate at Chick-fil-A for the first time in months and it made me ridiculously happy. I love the waffle fries and the chicken nuggets, and a smile came to my face as I once again experienced the glories of that particular fast food. Later I realized that my enjoyment of it, even my craving of it, had absolutely no impact on its nutritional value. Through continual intake of fast food, I have built up an appetite for it, but that doesn't mean satisfying that appetite is good for me.
Elisabeth Elliot takes this concept into a whole different arena--the desire to get married. In Passion and Purity, she writes, "My heart was saying, 'Lord, take away this longing, or give me that for which I long.' The Lord was answering, 'I must teach you to long for something better.'"
I must teach you to long for something better.
How do we change our appetites? Looking back at the food example, my only idea is self-control. If I start choosing to eat what I know if good for me, i.e., following truth instead of my feelings, I will eventually change what I crave. Perhaps the more we choose to look at Jesus, the more we'll realize that nothing else can possibly compare.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
