6 cousins. 2 tents. lots of jokes.

Got back Saturday in the early AM from Colorado. Specifically, RMNP (Rocky Mountain National Park) right near Estes Park, CO. This is probably my family's most visited travel location and it holds many dear memories.

This time we went parent-less and although we had to be a bit more responsible, it was simply incredible. Three sets of brothers together entailed many laughable moments. Highlights...

...bathing every afternoon in the mountain stream.
...eating like kings (we chowed and we ate like dudes should eat).
...sleeping in my $20 Swiss Army tent in the low temp. high altitude nights
...conquering Long's Peak (14,259 ft.) for the 2nd time in as many tries (left at 1:30 am to catch the trail)
...laughing around the fire
...Wally and Karen, our neighbors who gave us a 6x6, an axe, and a saw for firewood
...Mitchell farting and then asking the neighbors if they heard it
...hiking, taking pictures, and enjoying that which defines beauty...COLORADO

It's cool when a bunch of 2nd cousins hang out for a week. I realize this is rare, and I certainly appreciated it. Great guys, great times.

SALT 2008

I just got back from West Virginia. For the past 3 years, I've spent the first week of August with around 30 Bethel College athletes learning and growing in the area of Spiritual Leadership. The retreat is called SALT and was started by my dad 4 years ago. I spent the summer of 2006 interning for my dad at Bethel helping to plan for this retreat, so it has become very important to me. I actually posted about last year's retreat here.

I love this week. I love the students that I get to experience life with. This year, I got to serve alongside my entire family which was definitely a highlight. I got to see God use my dad as the athletic director at Bethel in a unique way in challenging these talented athletes to pursue Christ above all else.

Again, the vulnerability, honesty, and brokenness was so visible. There is something very unique about working with college athletes. First of all, any games that take place are all out wars. Secondly, there are unique walls and facades that often build up in the lives of athletes. These were moved and torn down this week. Third, it is so cool to watch a bunch of people who do not know each other well at all unite together and bond so strongly in 6 days. Fourth, my mom cooks so we eat like kings.

My experience could be summed up by the following sentence:

SALT 2008 encouraged me in ministry with college students (athletes in particular), with my family (so cool to do this together), and to my heart (a lot of things going on but I was encouraged).

This is something that I would love to see duplicated at Taylor and other Christian university athletic departments. We'll see if I'll ever have that opportunity. This is not just another retreat. It is a time where God has changed lives. I hope to share some of those stories later.

Restoration's Prequal: Brokenness

Like anything, there is no exact pattern or science to the way God works in our lives. But, the reality is that brokenness often precedes restoration. Like I said in this previous post, God desires to restore. He sent Jesus to this earth to restore us, as broken people, to himself. Jesus was a restorer in everything that he did.

Can we be restored before we are broken? Until we have given up control? Until our shell has been exposed? Maybe. But, I'm not so sure that God can restore until we allow ourselves to be broken or he breaks us nonetheless.

I've been witness to this brokenness more than normal recently. I was once told that the scariest request one could ever make of God is to be humbled and broken.

I saw two high school students who have experienced extreme brokenness over the past few weeks.

I asked one of them if I could share a bit. Here's a bit of the story:

After several conversations he came to me at a place of anger and brokenness with tears already starting. I could sense the Spirit working but it seemed like it was going to be long process. There was so much going on inside. After just listening for a while, I watched him fall to his knees and cry out to God from his innermost being to take this burden and hurt and pain and frustration and filth from him. The next hour was like watching a literal battle between a man and God and it was incredibly surreal to witness. It ended that night at the beginning of freedom. A long process ahead was acknowledged, but healing, restoration had started. I can honestly say that I've never seen someone so broken and in such a battle with the Almighty God, but it was healthy and good and God was obviously present through the Holy Spirit.

Scripture on brokenness:

Ps. 34:8
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Ps. 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

Ps. 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.

Question:

What do you think about brokenness? Are my thoughts anywhere right here? Is brokenness something we should seek?

p.s. I've been told I'm always serious on my blog. Sorry, this one is too. I'll try to be funnier. I'm truly a happy person. I guess this is just my outlet for thoughts like these.


photo © Darren Hester for openphoto.net CC:Attribution-NonCommercial

Cops and Intersections

Rolling through stop signs. One of my weaknesses. I have a $150 ticket to prove it.

Til today. I was flying up to a stop sign that I've driven past for 8 straight years. As I was about to zoom by the annoyingly pointless red octagon, I glanced up from my texting (horrible idea, I know. don't do it!) to see the not yet lit cherries and berries coming at me. I slammed on my brakes only to come to a halting stop, just in time.

Great story huh? I know, but there's a point.

How easy it is to do something I shouldn't be doing...for years...until the wake up call comes.

I honestly didn't even think about driving past that stop sign completely ignoring it. I basically forgot it was there. It became a habit to do something I shouldn't really be doing, and I didn't even realize it.

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.
2 Corinthians 13:5

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24.

Those are the verses of which this whole story reminded me.

Am I examining my life? Have I stopped long enough to test myself?

Am I allowing God to search me?

Am I allowing others to speak into my life...hard things?

Am I willing to be humbled and admit that I've been wrong for all these years...even if I had no idea?

people are different.

"People generally prefer to be with people like themselves." (from Divided by Faith)

Why?

I often ask this question in my mind. Sometimes unfortunately, I ask this question out loud (I'm realizing my questioning and playing devil's advocate can be annoying).

My "why's" are often left unanswered but they usually result in a search and more thinking and more questions.

I think the simple answer to the questioning of this statement is:
We like ourselves. Usually.

We think that the way we do things is probably the best way of doing things. It is, after all, the way we've chosen...to do things. So, we want to be around people who have chosen the "best way of doing things" just like we have.

Obviously, I'm inciting a problem here. Or is there? Is it really all that bad that we like to associate with people like ourselves? This can be argued sociologically from both sides fairly strongly.

Without getting too deep into that discussion (mostly because I don't understand it that well), I would argue that we are missing out when we act completely on our "inherent" desire to be with people just like us...or as close to that as we can find (we're all pretty uniquely weird, ya know?).

But, think about this (I know I need to): We are all different. Therefore, what "way of doing things" is really the best? I mean, we all do things at least a little differently. So, maybe I could be enriched by associating with people that do things differently. The fear (that often paralyzes us) is that we may actually start to think that the "other" person's way is better and that could make us change our mind about everything we've held so tightly for so long (If we let go that easily, then maybe we weren't holding it as tightly as we thought). This leaves exploration of another's culture, beliefs, faith, and preferences as an often taboo pursuit.

So, where am I really going with this? Not so sure, except I can say that I think it is okay to hold values closely and firmly. I even think that is a very good thing. But, I believe we are beings who don't have everything exactly right and we would be better served (as people and as Christians) if we would interact (and maybe even listen) to people who are "different" than us. You don't have to sell the farm and move to the other side of the world on an issue. You may often keep the very same belief on a matter, but your perspective has been widened.

It's not natural for us to associate with the "other" (I know it's not for me). But, I'm trying to explore the good in doing just that.

my friend, ben taylor. i'm proud.

I just found this video on YouTube. Can I just say that I live with him? Some of the comments on this video are pretty funny. Just to clarify: Ben Taylor (read his blog here)* is not the son of the James Taylor. He is actually the son of Bob and Karen Taylor and they are awesome.

*This is just a test to see if Ben ever reads my blog**.
**He will not be overly happy that I posted this***.
***The footnotes are inspired by Ben who was inspired by Danger Conn.

Book Review: The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan

I like to read. Like many people, I have more books than I have time to read, I wish I were a faster reader, and sometimes reading puts me to sleep. I've read a lot of good books, but it's always exciting to come across one of those books that is...well, amazing.

The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath is one of those amazing books, at least it was for the place I found myself while reading it.

I'm bad at resting. Dare I say that in America, we suck at resting. I've often found it odd that God created the earth in 6 "days" and then rested for a day. And why did the religious people in the Bible take the observation of the Sabbath so seriously? There's something to this sabbath idea that we're missing out on. When people gave Jesus a hard time for some of his actions on the Sabbath, I'm sure it's because they didn't know what God intended for the Sabbath. Because, for some reason, God intended us to take an occasional stoppage from the normal routine.

We hardly talk about it anymore. Our culture doesn't encourage taking time off as our days and weeks fill with all sorts of activities...and there's always something else we could be doing.

But are we missing out? Is it possible that God intended rest because it is what is best for us? Because it helps us better bring glory to him? Is it dangerous that something so important over the years has become largely non-existant?

Buchanan explores this idea in such a fresh way. This book has so many refreshing ideas and maybe even mandates that I had been missing. I cannot begin to recommend this book enough to anyone who senses unrest in their lives. For someone who has felt the stresses of life weighing them down (probably all of us) or who's first response to a friend's greeting has been: "I'm just really busy right now" this book is for you. Buchanan does not just tell everyone to take a nap on Sunday; he explores the idea of living with the sabbath mindset that God intends for his children.

Okay, time out...stop wasting time reading my blog (okay, maybe not a complete waste, especially if I get you to read this book) and take some time to read this book.

Slow down. Relax. Meditate on the words.

Allow yourself to be shaped by the important, yet often overlooked message of this book. Honestly, it might drastically affect the way you approach life...in a great way.

seek.

Relentless.

Powerful.
Terrifying.
Holy.
Alive.

These are words that come to mind as I think about the God I observed, experienced, and saw in the 5 days I just experienced. I returned last night from more time with high school students on the shores of Lake Erie near Sandusky, OH. I went as a counselor and I had great opportunities to invest in students, but I gained so much from this time. So, what did we do, you ask?

worship.
We flat out glorified the Almighty God. I don't know that I've ever been a part of more raw, vulnerable, crazy, undignified, sincere praise to our God through singing, prayer, and scripture. These kids allowed Christ to transform their hearts in worship as they surrendered all.

fellowship.
Our worship was also seen in the genuine fellowship with each other. I heard someone say that one of the best ways to get to know God is through getting to know his people. He created us in his image after all. We ate together, laughed together, prayed together (lots of prayer - kind of like the early church seemed to do it), sang together, talked together, etc.

fun.
I had more fun than a person should be allowed. Cedar Point has never seen a group of 170 people have so much uninhibited FUN. we chanted, played loud games, froze (see later post), sang, yelled, danced. Wow. Too much.

broke.
We let the God we often try to hide from BREAK US. We were broken. We were humbled. We admitted the things that we are scared to bring into the light to each other and to God. And when we came out of hiding we didn't even blow up (see this video for context).

sought.
We examined what it meant to seek God. Our inspiration was Jeremiah 29:13:

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

• What does it really mean to seek God? With all your heart?
• What would a true seeker of God look like?
• What would a church seeking after God with all of its heart look like?

I got to watch well over a hundred high school students ask these questions...and commit to seeking. They counted the costs and committed to seeking. This was not your normal camp where high schoolers come together and have an emotional and maybe spiritual high and go home slightly changed.

These kids were changed...and so was I.

So, I'm curious. What do you think a true seeker of Christ, one seeking with all of their heart, would look like? What would be some defining characteristics or words you would use to describe them? I'd love your thoughts.

fasting? really?

I was perusing a magazine today and noticed that it suggested fasting as a solid weight loss mechanism that included several other health benefits. What are the "rules" you ask?

1. a 36 hour fast, once a week
2. don't fast unless you're in good shape and eat right already
3. start off easy
4. bookend the fast with the right meals
   
5. pace yourself (how can i pace something I'm NOT doing)
   
6. mitochondria become more efficient (this is sweet)
   

Other benefits?

1. you'll enjoy the food you eat even more
2. you may also protect yourself against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and stroke

I might be crazy but this article reminded me about something that I have done some thinking about. It was a good reminder to me that Jesus thought it a good idea that we fast. In Matthew 6, Jesus says, "When you fast...don't yadayadayada. But when you fast, do yadayadayada." For some reason, Jesus thought we would just do it, and I have some ideas why it might be of value (purely my ideas):

1. It reminds us of our reliance on things beyond ourselves.
2. It helps us to focus and center ourselves on things beyond feeding our desires.
3. It can open up time to devote in worship of the Creator.
4. It can serve to provide a healthy view of the thing we are fasting from.
5. It can add discipline to our lives.
6. It can maybe even be healthy when done correctly (this is purely a physical gain, is that okay?)
7. It can be a sacrifice in order to focus more clearly on God's leading.

These may be way wrong. I encourage you to challenge them. These are just thoughts I quickly typed. I'm not telling you that you should go fast today, especially if you know it would be harmful to your body.

But, why don't we talk about it or do it like Jesus talked about it or did it? Has the pendulum swung so far away from this practice that we no longer consider it important? Is it even important?

All I know is that it took a random health magazine to remind me once again that fasting has value. Maybe Jesus wasn't joking around when he talked about it.

Restoration: Do you want it?

I'm sitting here working on a message for high school students about RESTORATION. I realize every time I sit down to think about what and how I'm going to share the Word of God with others that it is such a responsibility as well as an opportunity to dig in deeply to spend time getting to know God.

I love that and I've become to welcome that in my life even though it sometimes takes time to really sit down and get started.

Well, I started this post and the message has since come and gone. It felt like a jumbled mess at the time, but I believe the Holy Spirit used it powerfully in students' lives.

I shared about the reality that we are all screwed up and we all carry hurts, burdens, frustrations, pain, guilt, restlessness, or problems of some sort. We have to admit this...or we might be in denial.

I then shared about the ministry of restoration that Jesus came to show us here on earth. I also shared from Psalms 23 about God as restorer. Bottom line: God wants to restore us. While this may not be fully possible until Christ's return, we can participate in that now. We can allow God to restore us AND we can help to bring restoration to others. I believe this wholeheartedly.

An interesting point that I challenged the students with is the question that Jesus asks the crippled man at the well in John 5:6.

Do you want to get well?

Are you kidding me? This guy's been there 38 years, begging, hurting, lying there. Why wouldn't he want to get well? Jesus must have known something we don't readily admit. Maybe the fact that we learn to live with our pain sometimes. We might even bury it. It can become a crutch. Do we even want it to leave, knowing what that process might actually look like?

I asked them if they even wanted to get well. It is then, I believe, that Jesus can really restore us. Are you examining your life and honestly allowing God to restore areas that you have not acknowledged are hurting you and wearing you down? I am learning more about what it means to honestly evaluate my need for a powerful Savior.

My questions for you: Do you want to be restored? Where do you need restored? Are you letting the Restorer restore you?

This video is of a friend that is being restored, although the process will be long. His honesty and vulnerability are contagious and unbelievable at the same time. It's worth sharing and thinking about in your response to the inevitable pain and suffering you are facing or will soon face.