Adversity

We all face adversity…sometimes as inconsequential as on the playing field, sometimes it has to do with a relationship ending, or a parent, teacher or boss who you feel gives you a bit too much to do. The scale of adversity goes all the way up to sickness and when a friend or family member dies.

Adversity is tough or else we would call it a good time. 

But though it is tough it can be good, because it shows who we really are, it shows what we truly believe and it shows what is most important to us. We see who we are through our reactions. 

Take a look at what happens to these chocolate bunnies when they face adversity. 

HT Marko

When adversity came, they melted, fade away, showed themselves to be hollow, and even lost their head. 

But check out Job, a man faced with more adversity than many of us combined, He said that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away but blessed be the name of the Lord. Job understood that God is good and that He is in control. 

So when you face adversity what are you like? The melting bunnies? Or Job who praised God? 

A few things to remember when you face adversity: 

• Look beyond the now: James 1:2-4
  You are going to grow. No athlete became good if they always thought about how hard practice was. Athletes persevere through tough times because they see that they are getting better and that winning down the road is the goal. 
• Serve God: Matthew 6:33
  Don’t worry, keep on serving Jesus. Make it your first priority to be about what God is about and you won’t have to worry. 
• Obey God (Love Him!): John 14:15
  Not just when it’s easy. Not cheating is pretty easy to do when you’ve studied for the test. But not cheating when it’s the final and your grade will determine if you pass or fail…that’s tough, but we still must obey in adversity.

Remember to the truth of Romans 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Encouragement from iTunes

I'm sitting here working while listening to Starfield...my favorite NYWC conference worship band this year, and can't get the song Remain out of my head. The chorus rings so true in trials and when it seems like everything in life is changing all at once.

You are God with us
You're victorious
You are strong and mighty to save
For Your word stands true
There is none like you
And when all else fades, You remain

Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Surprised by God

Pastor Steve from our Church began a new series a couple weeks ago entitled Surprised by God. This meant-to-be-fun Summer series has quickly turned into a look at a God who seems to love surprising His people. From the way He saved Israel from Egypt and the way He sent Jesus to this earth, to the remarkable test He gave Abraham after surprising him with a child in old age, God still surprises people.

Steve shared of two surprises in our own church body: A changed cancer diagnosis in a 25 year old man from terminal to treatable, and a 5% chance of survival during heart surgery into leaving the hospital just a few days later. Wow! How incredible.

It made me reflect on times when I've been surprised by God, some medical, some financial, some spiritual. We have a God who delights in surprising us with outcomes and paths that we didn't even know to exist.

While at this time of morning, I'm usually trying to grab every last second of sleep, I'm getting ready to clean our apartment's laundry room. That was a surprise. Faced with part-time jobs that took full time, we wanted to pay off credit card & student debt much faster than we were able. God surprised us when our apartment manager told us that he was looking for someone or two to clean the laundry and rec rooms for a good chunk off our rent. Surprise!

We're not ready to call up Dave Ramsey yet for the Freedom chant, but working our way. Thank you God.

How have you been surprised by God?

Well Done

Janice Irene Darrow Geist: January 6th, 1952 - September 29th, 2007.

It's really not easy finding the words to express my thoughts right now. There are so many of them. There are many feelings. At times I think I'm doing alright and then something reminds me of another piece of my mom I won't see again this side of heaven.

It is okay. It is God's perfect timing. It is wonderful to be with family.

I am so excited for mom right now because she is hearing the words of God to her, "Well done my good and faithful servant." She lived life beautifully, placing God's will over hers, the benefit and growth of others over her personal time. There are many ways in which I want to be more like her.

I know I'll have more thoughts to share later. Thanks for listening.

Timely Lyrics

I'm not going to lie. Watching the ending stage of your mom's life is not easy. There are bad times. There are sad times, but there are also times of great joy.

Our Almighty God can work wonderful miracles, but sometimes, the process of life must continue. And don't get me wrong, many miracles—God working through my mom—happen all the time. There is much hope around our house. Hope in things we know are to come. Hope of a new body. Hope of an unending life lived with our Creator.

Though I pray for a quick, miraculous recovery, or a quick and painless end, the process continues slowly.

But if this process didn't take as long as it did, we would have missed out on some wonderful times together as a family. There are a many smiles, knowing sighs, and a joy that we are given this life to experience together.

My friend Justin & Jessica just had a baby yesterday! How incredible! They have walked the long road of waiting for little Brooklyn...and you can see in their faces that she was worth the wait. To see her, just click on Justin's name.

Jack Johnson wrote a song called If I Could. Its theology is not the greatest, but the description of new and an ending life are priceless in times like these.

Thanks for the words Jack.

A brand new baby was born yesterday,
Just in time
Papa cried, baby cried
Said, your tears are like mine
I heard some words
from a friend on the phone,
didn't sound so good
The doctor gave him two weeks to live
I'd give him more if I could

You know that I would now
If only I could
You know that I would now
If only I could

Down the middle drops one more
grain of sand
They say that
new life makes losing life easier to understand
Words are kind
they help ease the mind
I miss my old friend
And though you gotta go
we'll keep a piece of your soul
One goes out
One comes in

Real Life

I had the great privilage in participating in our group's 30 Hour Famine this past weekend. We spent 30 hours fasting with 45 students to raise money for the poorest of the poor in our world who don't know when their next meal will be.

As part of the weekend, we took the students to the Real. Life. exhibit presented by Medical Teams International (formerly Northwest Medical Teams). MTI responds to disaster areas within 72 hours to provide basic needs and medical attention.Throughout the Real. Life. exhibit, you experience what real life is for much of our world. From man-made disasters, natural disasters, famines, and extreme poverty, pictures drawn by kids and scripture, you get an overwhelming sense of God's heart for those in need. You stand underneath a 25ft. tsunami wall with a sign telling you that in some places the tsunami waves were 75-90ft. tall.

 

You also walk through a Mexico dump where whole generations live, scavenge for food scraps and plastic or metal to sell. You learn of child abduction in Africa where children are taken and forced to become soldiers. It goes on and on.

While there is much tragedy, the exhibit also presents the hope of what is being done, and what you can do to help. You get a sense of where God is moving, and you want to join in.

As a church, about 150 of us went through the exhibit that day, so on Sunday we had a debrief instead of a message. One of my favorite lines that I learned from a 6th grader is that we won the birth lotto. Did I choose to be born here in such great wealth? No. I sure am glad I was, but to whom much is given, much is required. If you want to hear our debrief and the rest of the service, Right Click here and select 'save as' to hear the mp3.

It's exciting being part of a church and group of students who are seeking out the heart of God, seeing needs asking how can we meet them.

If you live in the Portland area, please go to the exhibit. It's well worth your time.

Stranger Than Fiction and our story

Spoiler warning. Don't read this post if you plan to see Stranger Than Fiction.

Jessica, Justin, Ali and I saw Stranger Than Fiction a couple of weeks back. (Actually now a month ago, but I started this post and got distracted. Yeah, I know, distracted for a couple more weeks? Hey, it's my blog) What a movie. For those who read this blog and are not quite yet out of their parent's homes, please note the PG-13 rating and my unofficial recommendation.

We meet Harold Crick, a employee of the IRS, who goes about living a mundane life, not doing anything out on a limb and not really living as viewed by the writer of the movie. He begins hearing a woman narrate his life exactly as it happens and finds out that his eventual death is around the corner. As Harold begins to "truly live," he seeks out why he hears this voice, and if he is truly going to die soon.

After much work, Harold tracks down the famous author who is a drama novelist, currently working on the script of Harold's story. She has written the end but it has not been typed up yet, meaning that Harold hasn't lived it yet.

While the interaction between the author and the character is quite interesting, Harold struggles with wanting to read his own ending. After a time, Harold decides to read the ending. He returns the story to the author and says that it's a good ending, and that she has to type it up.

Harold faces his heroic ending well. I'll let you watch that part yourself. But the part that kept on shouting to me was that we can—as people who know the Creator—know the ending. Whether it be our end, just a turn in the road, or the end of the whole story itself, we know the one writing the story. And because we can trust the writer, we can trust the future of the story.

So, mind the rating, see the movie, and feel the sense of trust in the writer of our story that Harold has in his. Continue to bring about His story now.

Winter Youth - Day 2

Wow, I'm tired. I stayed up way too late.

Yesterday was a challenging day. I haven't processed it all yet. If I could try to summarize day one, it would be live your life for an audience of one. Day two is harder, but I think it would be don't trade the gospel for pleasure or performance.

Eric talked again about those people who after knowing Christ for a while (or grow up in the church) base their "How am God and I doing?" question by pointing to how they compare against other's live...and how much time they spend reading their Bible, going to church, etc.

He drew a picture with the heart of the gospel in the middle and two kinds of people, one on each side. The right side were those who have Jesus + pleasure and the other was Jesus + performance. On the pleasure side their sin is overt, obvious, their goal is happiness and they abuse grace, using it as a license to sin. The performance side's sin is covert, not usually seen as sin, their goal is worthiness, and they abuse grace by not using grace.

The point is that the gospel is offered to both. In fact, many (most?) of Jesus' teachings were such that those who were the obvious sinners always got the point, and were found forgiven. Yet those who 'had it all together' missed His message.

Eric's final point was great. If you don't realize, don't know that Jesus already won, already satisfied it all, then you will just be performing a cycle in your life. You will try to do a bunch of stuff to gain God's favor. When you sense that there is no hope in that, you will turn away, seeking pleasure. When you find that pleasure is empty, you come back to trying to read your Bible better and slip right back into performance mode.

I hope I've spoken well of what Eric shared. It was challenging and a great new way of sharing very old ideas. He's set us up for tonight's talk with this.

The start of the gospel is accepting His acceptance of you.

Hope you have a great day.

Winter Youth - Day 1

If days two, three, and four bring the same fight and strength of message that came from day one, I'm in for not only a real treat, but a lot to consider as I head back to real life.

For starters, we had a great time with our group, much of the day hanging in our room, Safeway and conversing about subjects from God to how bad the boy's room smelled. Leading us in worship this year is Future of Forestry (formerly Something like Silas...and don't ask me about their name!). So far, they are doing a great job energizing us, helping us spend time listening, and singing some of the greatest hymns to a bit more modern sound. (Think U2, Chris Tomlin) Dave the horn guy is the MC. He's pretty cool. I hope that he can continue to mix up his routine.

Our first session speaker was Craig Gross of the not so often together Craig & Jake, and of XXX Church—an organization that calls itself the "#1 Christian Porn site" with its goals being to be an aid to people struggling with pornography.

Anyway, Craig told a few stories about different people down the road of sin. His main point was that sin is fun, but that it is fun for a season, and when we don't end it now, we don't know how that season will end. His stories emphasized that well!

(Real quick here, the theme of the week is The Gospel with light and dark being painted at the different sessions—Craig painting darkness and the way out, Eric Knox painting for us the light.

Eric is great! He shared the story of a guy on Venice Beach who could keep 15 plates spinning on 15 sticks. He talked about how for many of us, the Christian life becomes plate spinning. We become a Christian (or grow up one) and begin to add things to our life to, well, be a good Christian; things such as Bible reading, praying, going to church and the like. Not that these things are bad, they're great, but many do theses things "not to experience God's grace, but to gain God's grace." And worse yet, we do these things so that others will know that we are good Christians.

He shared the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke 18. He told how the Pharisee's was a plate spinner, comparing his deeds to all the other people he was not like. However, the tax collector laid low and said "I am the sinner." He didn't even say that he was one of many sinners, just the sinner. He acknowledged his need for God.

Eric asked us what would reading your Bible look like if you didn't have to read it? What would going to church look like if you didn't have to go to church? What would praying look like if you didn't have to pray. Because the truth is that we don't have to do these things as Christians. And any feeling that we have to do these things comes from a sense of basing your Christian life on others and their view of you.

Wow, this them echo's our pastor's saying of "Live your life for an audience of one."

I'd share more, but I've got to go wake my guys up and get to the first session for the day!

Breakfast program.

Our youth group takes a collection for some Compassion children and a breakfast program in Mexico every week. While in Mexico, we got to visit that breakfast program. Out in a beautiful valley was a very poor community in which we played baseball with the kids. Their bat was cracked in two, taped together, and they only had one unrecognizable tennis ball. They didn't even have a soccer ball in the whole community. And soccer was their favorite sport!

At this breakfast program, the kids come together to hear Bible teaching led by a local pastor, and then receive breakfast from YUGO, with whom we partner. On TV you see the kids who are starving and have the flies all over their bodies but do not care or notice. As I watched these kids with many flies on their bodies, I realized that these kids were the same kids. It broke my heart. But my heart also felt joy, because these kids had hope. They heard the word of God, and their stomachs were fed. It is so amazing to see the gifts from our students each week being used to expand the Kingdom. I'm so glad that our students obey God's command to care for the needy, and to seek justice.

I have much more to say about Mexico. If you want to read what others are saying, check out Brian Eberly's blog and the 180 Mexico Team Report site.

Suffering

First of all, I got a new car yesterday. I'll post about that tomorrow with pictures and story. Thank you for your prayers!

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Last night at our High School 2W2 - Second Wednesday Worship - we spent the night reflecting on the suffering of Jesus. Good Friday is tomorrow, the day that Jesus was beaten and hung on a cross to give God glory and to pay for our rebellious ways.

We watched part of The Passion of the Christ, read scripture, and sang songs that reminded us of the suffering He endured for us.

After remebering and thanking Him for His suffering, we spent time seeking forgiveness, while listening to "Mighty is the Power of the Cross" by Chris Tomlin. Beautiful words. Our group then came together as a community to take communion, remembering His sacrifice again.

Then we looked at 1 Peter 3, where we are told to not worry if suffering comes to us, but to keep on doing good. We asked the question: What good could you begin doing that might result in suffering? If you're like me, sometimes we stay away from doing the good or right thing because of the suffering, ridicule, or pain it may cause.

I don't like suffering. Jesus doesn't call us seek suffering, but to not stop doing good because of suffering. He does, however, call us to die daily to ourselves...hmm...maybe He does call us to suffer.

It was a wonderful time...refreshing. It helped me take my eyes off myself and remember that it is all about Him.

I hope you have a great Easter, and remember why we celebrate!