Who are you?

Next we are looking at John 1:19-28...

When you meet someone, what's the normal question you ask? 'What do you do?' Instead the religious leaders ask John, Who are you? 

1. Why that question? Because the religious leaders notice what John says and does especially against them at risk to Johns life (take a few min to read Matt 3:1-10) Are we as Christians willing to declare Jesus and His truth no matter what the opinion of others around us?

2. Who are you? The next logical question which needs to be asked as it was of John the Baptist is... Who are you? John answered it in light of Jesus. How do we do the same? We must live our lives in light of Him. 

I spent a few days in DC with my family a month and a half ago staying with a family who had a dog. It was intriguing to watch the dog live his entire day in light of his master. When the master left, it was like the dog was confused and not sure what to do because his master was gone. 

That should be our life in light of Jesus. Is it? Can you say like John that your identity is so tied to Jesus (assuming you call yourself a Christian) that you are voice and only that pointing to Jesus - that's who you are?

Who is most important to you?

I am planning on posting two-three times a week out of the book of John and its application to life. 

Beginning with John 1:1-18...

How do you establish who is most important in your life? John in 1:1-18 is establishing very clearly and succinctly the argument that over and above all - Jesus must be most important being for any Christian.

A. Why?

1. He is God

2. He was creator

B. How do you know he is important?

1. His importance was visible to all who were on earth as witnessed by John the Baptist

2. Not that all recognized or honored Jesus as important, but they should have according to John

C.How should we respond to Jesus?

-When we recognize Jesus as most important and believe Him for who He claimed to be, we are considered GODs kid!

D. How is Jesus more important than Moses or any of the previous Jewish spiritual leaders?

The Jews had the biggest issue with Jesus because he seemingly erased 4000 years of law and tradition. Jesus more importantly completed Jewish law by best balancing law and grace.

E. What about us? Is Jesus most important for u and me???? How do we do a better job of prioritizing the most important being the universe??! Talking with Him every day? Reading His Word more regularly? Making time to spend with His other kids at church?

Handling difficulty

'Life is difficult' as M. Scott Peck opened his famous book - The Road Less Traveled. How do we handle the difficulty which comes?

1. Seek God desperately every day through prayer and Bible reading - he will then be a prayer away at those difficult times. 

2. Seek out lifelong friends through dedicating yourself to a local church who will be there for you through thick and thin.

3. Pour into your family because they will be your lifenet in those difficult times.

4. Take care of yourself physically so you can find nature ways to blow off the stress.

I know there are others but start with these and you can't go wrong!

Is experience or the bible your highest authority?

When's the last time you forgot to save your word document? When's the last time you lost most of what you were working on? I worked on two blog posts and left them where they were without saving them... And I lost them. I will never do that again! Experience is one of the best teachers in life; yet we can't allow that to be our authority because if we are Christians then the Bible should be our ultimate authority - is it? Do you submit to the commands found in the Bible? Maybe you need to start by reading it regularly - not to check off the box of 'doing my devotions' but counter culturally submitting to our higher authority - God and His Word. 

What does it mean to follow Jesus?

When I was in DC a few weeks ago with my family, we stayed in a bed and breakfast which had a dog who was incredibly loyal to its owner. One morning while we were there, the owner left on an errand, and the dog, whose job it was to follow the owner literally wherever he went, became immediately lonely and confused about what it was supposed to do in that moment that the owner wasn't around, because it knew that its life revolved around the orders and movement of the owner. 

What about me and God? How much does my day to day life revolve around Him - His direction for my life and His movement?

An update since its been a month!

I have been learning a lot about balancing my time and efforts as I want to make sure my time with God and family is in order. The challenge with the interconnectivity available due to new technologies has lead to both positives and negatives including the opportunity to stay connected with my wife on a regular basis as well as hearing from teens in almost real-time when they are really needing encouragement and support. YET there is the need to balance 24 hour access (not just texting but facebook and all) with the need to turn everything off for a time and have face-to-face time with JUST my family.

Ministry has been going well although not without its challenges. I have preached once (on I Timothy 1:12-17) as well as have enjoyed the Senior High ministry opportunities and leadership growth; yet Junior High ministry is a challenge with the small number of kids and difficulty trying to connect with parents. Please be praying for what this might look like and what God is doing which I have been blind to thus far.

Please be praying for the biggest challenge thus far which is educational. For numerous reasons, we aren't happy with the public school system thus far and we are seeking God's direction on what this might mean for next year.

Where do I begin?

Hey ALL! It's been over a week since my last posting so I thought I would jump back on and report what's been going on since I last posted.

1. Family update
After getting a new couch, chair and footstool, Lois is definitely feeling more 'at home' in our house. We still need to get a grill and probably one more utility shelf for the house; otherwise God has really provided for us. Last night a gracious gentleman and myself went up the hill to pick up that new couch (sleeper sofa), chair and footstool, which helped Lois feel more at home. Although she is worried about Ethan, because he is still telling us that he is playing by himself at the playground at the elementary school he attends. Ethan has started to attend CSB Treeclimbers at our church and he seemed to connect well (a ministry I attended when I was younger). Lucy seems to be adjusting well at her preschool as well as cubbies at a different church. Because the Stroudsburg/East Stroudsburg area is so different than Denver, it will take some time to adjust, but God has been faithful in providing friends, family and places to serve.

2. Ministry update
I am pouring my heart and soul into getting to know the youth adultleadership as well as getting to know the youth families; I am also working diligently on praying and rethinking the Junior High ministry. Because of my hiring as well as the concern of many, this is the time to work towards retooling the ministry with the intention of creating a family-friendly ministry (not dragging teens out on another night) which excites the young people AND challenges them out of God's Word.
The Senior High ministry is presently thriving due to the prayer and efforts of the leadership who have lead the charge this past year. I will be working towards challenging student leadership as well as organizing an calendar which challenges teens in their walk with Jesus in a fun way!
I also signed up for a vision trip with the church to Senegal which takes place the beginning of December. I am not leading the charge but I believe God is calling me to participate in order to vision the part the youth and young adults can play in a partnership with a village there in Senegal.
I have also been working on discovering with whom I can partner and network when it comes to area churches and youth ministries. I have so far found a kindred spirit with the worship/youth leader at the Berean Bible Fellowship church; although I still haven't connected with all the other youth pastor/associate staff in the area (seeking evangelical connections).

3. Personal
I have made sure I have made time with God; although I am finding the balance hard between the competing demands on my time (especially ministry). I have been able to get some one-on-one time with the kids, and I am usually able to carve out time for Lois; but I can see myself just getting busier as youth group has kicked off this past week. Please be praying that I would make my family the priority they need to be. I am working on building friendships with those in the area; as I have family connections, but Lois and I would also like to have friends too (primarily within the church).

Thanks for your prayers and your willingness to read this update!