Christian

General Tso’s Chicken

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I LOVE Chinese food.

I love everything about it.  It is wonderful for my belly in some of the best ways – taste and um…taste.  Delicious!

I find that there are usually two kinds of people when it comes to Chinese food:

  1. First are those like myself.  These kinds of people realize the delicious saucy goodness that it is.  They love the taste, the smell, the look, everything!  And just me mentioning it is driving those people crazy right now.  They want it!  They may even get some at some point today or tomorrow, just because it’s on their mind! (I’m sorry about that…no, I’m not.)
  2. Then there is the other type.  These people have preconceived perceptions of Chinese food.  It’s “different”. The smell is “odd”. The look is definitely not “right”. They’ll think things like – Who wants to eat all this rice?  Is it supposed to be gooey like that?  What is this meat that I’m actually eating?  These people ask too many questions!  Why does it matter if this place is “sanitary”?  The food is good!  And who really believes the rumor about “cats”?  Sure, those rumors started from probably true experiences… but how does that affect the deliciousness I’m about to eat right now?

Here are my key rules when eating Chinese food.  Follow these and you will be good to go!

  • Don’t ask questions!  Just enjoy.  I know this sounds like bad advice, but do you really want to know the answers to the questions you’re about to ask…
  • When at a Chinese restaurant, in almost all cases, don’t use the bathrooms!  Enough said.
  • Stick to the basics!  Don’t go off the beaten path.  If it sounds odd, it probably will be.  If you don’t expect that they have fresh seafood at this location, they definitely don’t – eat chicken or beef.  Stay with the meals that others order and that are guaranteed to be good.

Here is that most basic rule and #1 rule:  If you’ve never had Chinese food before, order General Tso’s Chicken.  And be ready for your life to be changed FOREVER!

This is easily the most popular Chinese food in America – General Tso’s Chicken.  It is so delicious and wonderful – for real!  The combination of crunchy and soft, sweet and spicy – perfection!

I like General Tso’s Chicken so much that the other day I watched a special on it.  I was curious – who is this wonderful general?  And why is his chicken so amazing?

You know what I found out?  Disappointment.  It’s not his chicken!  General Tso is apparently a popular general from Chinese history.  He was a general for his people.  Super loved.  But the thing he is most famous for (at least with me) – his chicken – is not even his.  It wasn’t invented in China.  It wasn’t around in his day.  Where he was from they didn’t even eat food that was sweet and spicy.  He never had chicken close to this!

MIND BLOWN!  We have been fed, literally fed, a lie!  All this time and it’s not even his chicken…

Okay, so I don’t really care.  The chicken is still delicious, and at least it doesn’t sound like General Tso was a bad guy!  But it raises the question – how long have I enjoyed something, partaken in something, and never really knew who or what it was about?  Many of us are Christians just like this.  We say we’re Christians, but we don’t truly know what that means, what we believe, let alone for why or for what reasons.  We like things about Christianity, but we don’t really know God or Jesus Christ for ourselves.

Because of this we often struggle to truly live the life we think we should as a Christian.  We often find purity, holiness, peace, joy, contentment, (the list goes on) out of reach, unattainable.  But how can we be or find those things in Christianity, when we don’t even know the God and Savior upon whom it was founded?

2 Peter 1:3 (NLT) says it simply:

By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.

What Peter says is very simple but so important and profound – you want to live a godly life?  Then know God.  It is that simple – KNOW GOD.

You want to grow, mature, further yourself, be useful, make a difference, find peace, live in joy and contentment, purify your heart, reach holiness – then get busy knowing God and Jesus Christ.  Get into God’s Word (the Bible) daily, find devotionals that connect you with God, pray often, listen to God in silence, fill your head with His praise and thanks.  Christianity is a relationship, with God and Jesus Christ.  Relationships take work.  Put in the work to know God.

As 2 Peter 1:3 tells us, God has given us everything we need, the opportunity and tools are in your hands.  Do you have a struggle, a decision, a stress, a pain?  The opportunity for help and guidance to handle this moment is within reach.  You can achieve it.  KNOW GOD.

My Hands Are Full

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I gave my son, Seth, three peanut M&M’s this week.   He’s two years old and he is starting to learn how the ‘system’ works.  So he ate one and then kept the other two in his hands.  He waited a few moments and then he came up to me asking for more.  The two M&M’s were still in his hands.  I shot him a look and was like, uhhh dude, what’s that in your hands, there?  At this point his fingers were turning colors from the M&M’s.  They say they melt in your mouth and not in your hand, apparently whoever tested this theory did not use two year olds in their research.   Seth smiled at me and made a very ‘knowing he was caught’ face.  That rascal.

I don’t know what his plans were exactly.  The M&M’s held an obvious value to him (and every person who likes to eat food in this world!) and he knew he wanted more, but he wasn’t willing to just eat those that he had and spoil the moment of chocolate bliss, until he was guaranteed more.  As I became worried about what he was planning to touch with those multi-colored hands of his, I told him to eat what he had and then we’ll talk about more.

That rascal.  I feel like I should have all kinds of thoughts about this, but mostly I have one very unfortunate thought – this is completely something I would have done!  And truthfully, it is something I do and on a larger scale.  In so many ways, I am that rascal.  I have a lot – time, potential, opportunities, resources, and incredible amounts of love and care to give.  Yet, with that said, so often I find myself wondering what difference I could make if God would only give me more.  I so easily forget, here I stand and my hands are full.

I know I am not alone.  It is so easy for us to stand before God, telling Him we will live for Him, do great things for Him, make a huge difference – just give us the chance, the opportunity, the blessing, the resources – and God, we’ll use it for you.  But our hands are already full.

Your hands are full!  Be encouraged!  There is nothing you need to make a difference in your world, the power is in your hands already!  Lift your head up, clear your focus, and look with fresh eyes – God has you where you’re at for a purpose, make the difference!  You don’t need more, you’ve got all you need.  God has you right where He needs you, use what is in your hands – love, care, provide, uplift, share, empower – shine brightly for Jesus Christ!

God has already filled your life with chances, opportunities, and blessings.  Your hands are full.  Have confidence in God, it’s time to step out with what you have.

And one last little note: you’re probably still a little bit like my son, I know I am, I still want those other M&M’s.  Maybe, just maybe, if you prove to God that you can use what you’ve been given, He’ll be excited to give you something more.  But until then, remember…

Your hands are full.

What We Need

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It happens almost every day around 7:00pm, just like clockwork!  Something changes in our children, and we have to be ready for it.  It is almost like a switch is flipped and they become incredibly needy.  Not needy in a real way.  Needy in a whiney way.  Not needy in an “I have a serious problem” way.  Needy in an “I am just a supreme turd ferguson” way.  There are things that they feel they need to be happy in that moment – a snack, a certain toy, a specific show on TV to watch, a book read to them, and the list goes on and on…

Here is the thing, if you fill that need you have bought yourself a total of five minutes, tops, and then another need arises, and another, and another.  As a parent you can weather the storm, from need to need, or you can realize that there is an actual need and you can fix the situation if you meet that real need.   The need called BEDTIME!

Now this is not the need they want answered.  And most likely, if you suggest that this is the need you’re planning to take care of, expect a fit.  Probably the real kind of fit marked by loss of body control, cries resembling that of a furious squirrel, and potentially comments of the dramatic type (“I’ll never be happy again!”).  This is only further proof that the true need is bedtime.

So as a parent what do you do?  You answer the need that you know is the root of all the problems.  You answer the real need, the one that has brought the unsettledness, discontent, unhappiness, dissatisfaction, and disagreeableness.  You know it’s not what they want necessarily, but you know it’s what they need.  So bedtime it is.

In Acts 3 of the New Testament, we see a quick but interesting moment with Peter and John.  On the way to the temple, they walk by a man who has been lame from birth, begging for money, and they decide to help.  This man had expectations on what Peter and John were going to give him.  Expectations on what he knew would be useful for his life – silver or gold.  Peter knew that he didn’t have that to give, but he didn’t allow it to stop him from giving the man what Peter knew he really needed, healing through Jesus Christ.

One of the issues facing Christians right now is the belief that the world doesn’t need Jesus.  While there is often a realization that there is a need in people’s lives, we have become so good at trying to fill that need with one thing or another – money, security, human relationships, pride, attention, prosperity – the list goes on and on.  These are the needs our culture desires filling, when in the end they are just symptoms of the real and true need we can never lose sight of – people need Jesus Christ.

Don’t ever doubt that people still need Jesus.  Maybe all the more because we’re in America.  All this ‘stuff’ we have just complicates matters.  There is still an awful lot of hurt and pain, broken relationships and marriages, misunderstandings and unhappiness, a strong lack of hope and belief in the future, dependence on drugs, money, things, and unhealthy relationships.  Our world right here, right now, needs Jesus, and every individual does.

You have people in your life right now.  They have needs.  Help them with those needs – provide love and care, money and time, friendship and encouragement.  But remember that there will be another need and another and another – until they connect with Jesus Christ.  Give them Jesus.

What is Love

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1 John 4:7-10 (NIV) – Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.  This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.  This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

When I first started dating my now wife, Julie, she didn’t exactly make things easy for me.  Maybe she had a plan, maybe she was playing hard to get, maybe she was messing with my mind (okay that’s probably guaranteed, haha), but probably it was just her nature.  One of the things I have always loved about her is how she never takes for granted the feelings of her heart.  And I wasn’t going to get her to share something that wasn’t true, even if it left me in an awkward moment (not that I’m not used to that!).

Before we ever knew each other we shared a class my freshman year, her sophomore year, at Houghton College.  She doesn’t remember me being in the class.  Classic.  That just lifts your ego!  We did share a class my junior year, her senior year, that she does remember.  I want to say she remembers me because I was extremely handsome by that point (I’m not ruling this out as the reason), but she probably more strongly remembers me because I stared at her during the class.  Not just a little staring, like a lot, an awkward lot, every single class.  But there she sat, and she just stared back.  Confident.  Secure.

I thought she looked perfectly beautiful, so when that semester ended, and I lost my chance to stare at her, I made sure to track her down and ask her out (first words – “So, you’re Julie right?” – I got skills…).  One moment of hanging out turned into another and then another.  She seemed pretty special.  The moment came where I thought this should be real.  I wanted her to know that I was committed to her.  So I asked her to be my girlfriend, you know, make this official.  Good idea, right?  This is what girls want, right?  Someone forgot to tell Julie that.  She told me no, but to ask again in two weeks.  There’s that awkward moment.  Thankfully she didn’t make me hold on for two weeks.  One week later she told me she couldn’t wait that long – ask her now (I told you I was good looking – stop doubting!).

As things progressed I knew this was right.  I had dated other girls before, but Julie was different, this was clearly right. And so I thought it only made sense for me to tell her that I loved her.  And so I did!  Once again – good idea, right?  This is what girls want to hear, right?  Lock the guy down, get him emotional, did she want it in writing or something? So I do this, tell her I love her, only for her to follow that up with silence.  Hey awkward moment, nice of you to come back.  Yeah, why don’t you just set up a tent, this could be a while.  Three days later.  Three days later, she tells me she loves me.  This is why I love her.  She had to make sure, if she was going to say it, then it was really how she felt.  Yeah, marrying her was a good decision.

This is all the more meaningful because love has gotten distorted over the past, I don’t know, 2000 years.  We see different definitions of love all over the place.   What love truly is has gotten bogged down by pressures of attraction, lust, butterflies, physical appeal, attention, desire, and the list goes on and on.  In so many ways the word, love, has lost all meaning and value.  What does it even mean any more?  If we think we have it, want to say it, want to share it, what really is it?

Love is what life is to be about if we are Christians.  This is what we’re supposed to stand for.  Jesus tells us the two most important things we can do are to love God and to love others.  So what are we to understand love as?  Where can we go to get a great look at love?

The answer is found very clearly in 1 John 4 – the greatest example of love comes from the One Who created it, Who perfected it, Who is it.  God is love and He is the supreme example of love.  He showed us what love truly looks like – unselfish, unconditional, undeserved.

He made a sacrifice. And as this passage says, not because we love Him.  He made the sacrifice because He loves us.

In a world confused at what love is – all we have to do is look to God.  If we want to know what love is, we look at what God did for us.  He is love and He brought love alive in our world; He showed us what it truly could become.  Sacrifice, care, trust, giving, and so much more – that is love, clearly shown from God above.

So match this up in your life.  Take a few days if you need to, leave someone in an awkward moment.  If you feel that there is love in a relationship then that love has to match what we know love to be from God.  Love means there are unselfish and undeserved actions of trust and care.  Following God’s example – if we think there is love, then there will be clear moments of sacrifice.  God’s love shows little of attraction and attention but a clear example of dependability and faith set by continual moments of care and sacrifice.  And take that further – if you have confessed love of someone – that means you have a true desire to be trustworthy, to be dependable, to place yourself on the line for them, deserved or not, and to sacrifice daily with all you have.  If your intention is to love, then these must be there.

Do you have love in your life?  I hope so, just make sure it is real.  I know I’m a pretty lucky guy.  Three days are clearly worth knowing she loves me and knowing this love is real.

When Life is Best

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(The following post was originally written as an essay for admissions to Wesley Seminary.  The point being to give a quick look into the testimony of my life.   A few changes have been made to make it blog-ready.  I hope you enjoy.)

One of my favorite things about being a father is the complete faith my children place in me.  They know I am their father, they know I love them, and they know how special they are to me.  I have demonstrated this to them through my words, my hugs, and my actions throughout their lives.  So moments come where they trustfully place their safety in my hands.  While my son has reckless desires, even my daughter, who is sometimes shy and all the time cautious, loves to find moments to fling herself off a high surface into my arms.  She knows her hope lies in me and her faith says that I’ll catch her.  And catch her I do.

From an early age, I learned that life was best when my faith and trust were placed in God.  I am the son of a Wesleyan pastor and grew up at the Port Ann Wesleyan Church in central Pennsylvania.  Like most kids growing up in church, I can remember multiple moments of decision in my relationship with Jesus Christ.  They happened as early as age five, were brought about through many experiences including camp meetings and movies about the rapture (there is this scene with a guillotine that still haunts me…), and came to maturity through my final years of youth camp.

While all of these moments hold value to me, the experience that truly cemented my faith and certainty in Jesus Christ came through the life and walk of my mother.  When I was around 10 years old my family was informed that my mother had breast cancer, and that it was severe.  In fact, we were told that she had little time to live – doctors were expecting three months.  As my mother began chemotherapy, with no where else to find help, we all turned to prayer.  I can still clearly remember lying in bed at night begging God to save my mom.  And He did.

To the amazement of the doctors, God saved my mother.  She won her first battle with cancer and then throughout the next 8-9 years she would do the impossible and win again and again, as the cancer would appear in new parts of her body only to be defeated.  I cannot tell you in words what an experience like this can do for the faith of a young Christian.  But I can say that I learned to again and again throw myself towards God’s arms knowing and believing that He would catch me.

My mother’s impact on my life doesn’t stop here.  See, it wasn’t just that she defeated cancer.  Her continual dependance on God, her strive to seek His will and follow Him, and her dedication to spiritual growth and development of character was incredible!  She was, and still is, everything I want to be as a Christian – loving, humble, and so filled with hope.  It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that I found out the depth of her love.  As I often prayed for God to save my mother, she prayed to simply live long enough to see her last child, me, raised and off to college.  It is almost too perfect that when she did go home to heaven it was after twice visiting me at Houghton College and seeing that her prayers were answered.

Matthew 18:3 (NIV) – And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

In Matthew 18, I believe Christ isn’t talking about simply believing like a child, but having the humility of a child.  Saying to God not only do I trust you, God, but my life is Yours, do with it as You will.  May Your will be done with my life.  That has been my goal, to continually throw myself into God’s arms and to allow Him to do with my life as He sees fit.  As is always the case with God, He has taken me to places that I never expected.  It is through God’s hand that I went to Houghton College debt free.  At Houghton and without my understanding, God gave me opportunities to serve that provided leadership and creative ministry experience that I would use in years to come (like dressing in a kilt and leading a team of young men in obnoxious cheers…seriously).

After Houghton, God guided me to the first job I applied to, being the Assistant/Youth Pastor at Pine Grove Wesleyan Church. At no point in my life had I felt a specific call to youth ministry, yet I quickly found that God had given me the gifts and graces to excel.  In one year’s time, feeling like I couldn’t possibly be the best candidate, I was asked to become the District Youth President for the Penn-Jersey District.  What a blessing this opportunity has been!  In 2008, God guided me to Bethany Wesleyan Church. Here at Bethany, I serve as the Pastor of Family Ministries, overseeing ministries from Nursery to Young Adults.  Children’s Ministry, Youth Ministry, Young Adult Ministry – of all my time at Houghton, I never once took a specific class in any of them.  But God has opened these doors for me to serve in life and as long as that is the case – His will be done.

I am 32 years old and I know that another step of faith is coming.  As has been the story of my life, I want to be prepared for whatever faith step God brings my way.  When that step comes, I don’t want to just be ready to take that step, I want to confidently leap forward into God’s arms and everything He has in store!  I know there will be moments of doubt and uncertainty ahead.  But if I have learned one thing from my life it is this – life is best when my faith and trust are placed in God.

When It Hurts – Finding Purpose in Pain

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In a lot of ways my daughter and son have developed into the stereotypical roles of girl and boy.  Stella, my daughter, loves all things pink and purple (and now light blue thanks to a certain Elsa).  Stella enjoys art, dancing, dressing up, accessorizing, painting her nails, and doing her hair.  She likes to snuggle, and when she gets hurt – it hurts!  And she’ll need quite a bit of time and attention, most often from yours truly, daddy (honestly this is the best – the very best).  Now Seth, my son, is not like this.  He likes to growl.  He enjoys trains, trucks, making a mess, and knocking stuff over.  If he can, he will throw something and probably at you (and he has incredible accuracy – so watch your head).  He handles pain differently.  I’ve seen him fall and come up bleeding, only to keep moving to where he wants to be.  Often he wants a boo-boo (yes, I said boo-boo, calm down) recognized, but then he is ready to move.  For him, whatever is happening is usually more important than the pain.

I am very curious as to why there is a difference.  Does the pain feel the same?  Does Seth have a naturally higher pain threshold?  Does Stella better appreciate the love and attention given?  Is Seth just more motivated to keep moving, at all times?  Is Stella more sensitive to when a situation isn’t perfectly in order?  Probably all those factors play a part and I expect there are many more.  But with all that in mind, I come up with one thought:  pain is what we make of it.

From physical to spiritual to emotional, I have faced some pain in my 32 years of life.  Definitely not more than many, but my share.  From broken bones (one little finger has been broken five times – it’s just a finger) to cuts requiring stitches, I’ve had a few normal pains.  A few years ago, I had a bout with diverticulitis.  That was some pain and the eventual surgery wasn’t fun either (I remember handing my wife the morphine clicker and asking her to keep clicking and clicking…and clicking. I don’t care if it hasn’t been seven minutes, try the button!).  Like everyone, I’ve had moments of spiritual doubts.  Times when I’ve been hurt by others, even those I respected or thought cared for me.  And emotionally, life hasn’t been all roses either, losing my mother was easily the toughest moment of my life.  Just like your life, pain has played a part in mine.

So what do I do with pain?  To some degree it is always going to be a part of my life and, like most things in life, I don’t think it has to be negative, must be controlling, or needs to make my life the worst.  Pain is what I make of it.  So what will that be?

1.  I use pain to move forward, never allowing it to hold me back.

Like Seth, I have realized that pain isn’t something that should hold me back.  In fact, some of the best moments come about because of pain.  My wife, Julie, does not love pain.  For most of our life together, I would say she doesn’t do well with it (see me choosing my words carefully – smart husband).  Having kids was a bit of a fear, there is no way around it, birth is going to be painful.  With our daughter Stella, labor meant 28 1/2 hours of uncomfortableness followed by pain.  A few years later Seth was a different experience, his labor came about so fast that Julie was unable to receive an epidural. Yep, birth with no pain meds.  I have never been so proud of Julie, she was so strong.

The fear of pain can hold us back, but if we’re willing to face it, many of the greatest moments and joys of life are found.  I know the pain means nothing to Julie compared to the joy two kids have brought.  I know she’ll face it again.  In many ways the pain makes the parental journey only more meaningful, it illustrates the depth of value she places in her role and life as mother.  The pain that Jesus Christ suffered for me makes my joy all the more valuable.  I appreciate the purpose and meaning my life has, all because of His pain.

In every important area of our life there is a chance for pain – physical, emotional, and spiritual.  Physical pains come and go (or come and stay).  All relationships of value deliver an opportunity to be hurt.  And a walk with God will bring seasons of pain through doubt and misunderstanding.  But in all of this, life is too important for the pain to hold you back.  Allow it to give your decisions further value and continue to move forward!

2.  I keep pain in perspective, and examine the world with a new look on life (and myself).

There are times when I love the opportunity pain creates.  See, every once in a while we are in the kind of pain that debilitates us – we are physically or emotionally zapped (in those moments scream, get alone, do what you need to do).  But, most of the time, pain does not control us and an opportunity arises.

The first opportunity is how we respond while in pain.  I can remember walking through the hospital with a recently broken finger, opening the door for doctors, nurses, and patients, all the while getting looks of ‘shouldn’t I be helping you?’ – I love that!  Even after surgery I tried to be the politest person possible, because pain kept in perspective never stops me from being who I am and remembering what I believe.  Pain gives us an opportunity to show the world what truly resides in our hearts.

There is another opportunity here as well, the opportunity to measure just what sort of person I’d like to be.  Many times we are hurt in relationships by people who misunderstand us or who want to change us.  Pain delivers us a clear view of how the world works, who these people hurting us are, and who we ourselves are.  With this new outlook on life we can move forward with a new change or with simply a better understanding of the world around us.  Pain so often provides incredible clarity.

3.  I allow pain to draw me closer to others.

There are a lot of ways that we connect with other people.  Things that draw us to each other – passions, interests, hobbies, and more.  Maybe we like the same sports teams (Chelsea FC, NY Jets, Philadelphia Phillies), enjoy the same food (Who doesn’t love General Tsos Chicken?  Don’t tell me if it’s you, or our relationship will never be the same.), or enjoy driving the same car (I miss my old Mazda Protege – for real).  But few things connect to all of us like pain does.

Pain makes us real to each other.  Few things catch people’s attention, their heart, their sympathy like pain does. And it unites us so strongly!  Having experienced fairly major surgery has made other people more real to me and I imagine the reverse is just as true.  Who doesn’t feel over a broken heart – we have all been there.  When we turn to heaven in anger from our grief, we find ourselves in a place so many others have been.

This is why Jesus Christ is so compelling.  To face the physical pain of torture and execution is one thing, but to face the pain of feeling the weight of the world’s sins and the distance of God His Father, this is a pain beyond our understanding.  And when we realize He did this for us, it is almost to much to believe. Yet, my heart cries out for what He did and I cling to Someone who would give so much.  His pain has brought me to His feet.

I will never say that I enjoy pain and I may never come to fully understand why we all respond to it differently.  But it is a part of my life and I’ll make of it what I decide.  Don’t allow pain to control your life.  Harness it, use it, and grow from it.  Become a better you because of it.  Above all remember the part pain played in the salvation of the world.  May your use of pain draw others to a better knowledge of the sacrifice Christ made for them.  For through the pain He shouldered, He opened the door for a day where we will finally be free from it.

My Pocket Knife

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Two Christmases ago I was met with a serious dilemma.  My family was unwrapping gifts and, as you can imagine, my daughter Stella (then four) was in a rush to enjoy her presents.  It wasn’t enough to just have each gift unwrapped, they had to be unboxed and enjoyed.  Here’s the issue: toy makers have conspired to seal their prizes behind ridiculous amounts of impenetrable plastic.  For real!  How much protection does a Disney Princess doll require exactly?  The answer – too much!  During that day, to keep things rolling and my daughter stabilized, I had to ask my dad on at least three occasions to borrow his pocket knife.

My ego had been hit.  I felt like my ‘man card’ was on the fritz.  This was unacceptable, I had been raised better than that.  I told my wife on that very same Christmas Day, I was getting a pocket knife and it was becoming a part of my life.

The past two years have seen a new me develop.  My pocket knives have come in handy on so many occasions (and yes I said knives – there are knives for all sorts of occasions).  It feels great when someone needs something cut or sliced and they ask if I have a knife and I can reply – “You bet – I’m a man!”  Boom – pocket knife saves the day!

My pocket knife goes with me wherever I go (well, except airports, government buildings, and certain church events).  My pocket knife doesn’t define me, but it’s there when I need it.  It’s the tool for me.

As a Christian, I’ve come to acquire a few tools that are pretty important to me as well.  One tool is so important I take it everywhere I go and employ it at every available opportunity.  It’s my smile.

I know what you’re thinking, I got suckered in with cool talk about knives and here we are talking about smiles – lame.  Don’t peace out.  My smile is the most important tool I’ve got.  It puts others at ease, it sets the tone, it offers forgiveness and hope, it states my intention, it opens a door, it peacefully brings moments to a close, and maybe, just maybe, it offers a glimpse of Jesus Christ.

There are some situations where it’s all I can offer and some where it’s all I can say.  For some people it may be all they see of me and hopefully for some it’s all they’ll remember.  A smile can lift a heart, heal a hurt, and brighten a day.

As Christians we need to smile more.  Our image hasn’t always been so great with the world.  You know this is true and in many cases that’s not going to be something we can change. Sure, I believe Jesus is the one way to salvation and that He’s the only way to the One True God.  And yes, I do disagree with the lifestyles of many people in this world.  But that doesn’t mean I have to be a jerk about it.

My God has asked me to love and to show love at every occasion.  Life is going to throw moments and opportunities for you to have an impact on someone.  When those moments present themselves, I hope you don’t find yourself scrambling for the tools to succeed.  So make sure your tools are ready and take them everywhere you go.  Smile.

Summer Pt.3 – Vacation Bible School

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Another summer comes to an end.  For most of my life summer has meant three things – Youth Camp, Family Camp, and Vacation Bible School.  Three things that have brought so much to my life.  Three ministries that many would say their ‘time’ or ‘value’ is fading.  As I finish another ‘summer’, I amazed at the impact and life-change these events have brought and I want to share a few thoughts as to the value I see.

Who really likes hosting Vacation Bible School?  I mean seriously – the noises, the whining, the germs, and the smells (don’t forget the smells – they can be potent).  Vacation Bible School (VBS) is a ton of work and at times it feels like glorified baby sitting.  What parent doesn’t want to have a week of having their children entertained most likely for free – that’s the best, but not if you’re the ones running it!  And then, as a leader you realize that your dreams of reaching to community kids is for the most part not happening – you’re just entertaining kids from your church and other churches in the community – for real!  So really – who likes hosting VBS?

Me!  I love Vacation Bible School and while some may refer to it as a ministry of the past, I say they’re just not doing it right! I work at a church that I believe is moving forward. We’re growing and trying to be as relevant to our community and time as possible. Even so, as the years have passed I have found VBS to be only getting more meaningful to us. Here are three awesome reasons why it works for us:

1. We make a statement! VBS is a great opportunity for your church and kid’s ministry to make a statement. First – that children and families are important to you.  Second – a statement about what your children’s ministry will focus on and prioritize.  Through this event we clearly communicate we are about being a fun and safe place where children will feel welcomed to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ.  We don’t focus on what VBS has been historically – we focus on what we want to be for children and family.

We are creative in the way we communicate the gospel, but we are steadfast in communicating the love of God and His Word.  It costs money because big, ridiculously cool things do, and we want this to be big and ridiculously cool.  Children have a lot of fun opportunities over the summer, but if they’d rather come to our VBS than something else, we’re doing something very right.

2. We recruit new leaders!  Children’s ministries need dedicated volunteers and often this is something that is hard to find.  Vacation Bible School gives you a great opportunity to get new people involved in children’s ministry.  Think about the pros:

  1. They only have to commit for one week.
  2. There are lots of opportunities to serve in low pressure roles (snacks, games, hayrides, inflatables, check-in, etc.).
  3. They get to be a part of the big cool thing happening that week.

VBS can be very attractive to volunteers and it is a great way to find new leaders who will often decide they like it and want to give even more time.  Don’t be afraid to ask people to volunteer, this is an easy commitment.  Always get background checks on everyone (ALWAYS).  Allow people to see the joy in volunteering, they may catch the bug!

3. We build relationships!  The biggest impact in ministry comes through relationships.  But when you only see a child one to three times a week for just a few hours (if that), then building those relationships can be tough.  VBS presents a huge opportunity to grow closer in just a short span of time.

Believe it or not, I have found that people like to check something out a few times, maybe even quite a few times, before they really commit to it – go figure!  (Did you catch the sarcasm?)  I have noticed that for many families that have connected to our church, it took multiple special events for them to “check us out” before they really committed.  VBS is a great opportunity to build that connection and even speed up the process as it gives you a lot of time with a family.  Build relationships with these new children and make sure to connect with their parents every time they pick-up/drop-off their kids.

We’ve created a Vacation Bible School that works for us.  For us that means no crafts, but fantastic snacks (think cotton candy, nachos, Italian ice).  We retired flannel-graphs and instead our Bible stories are shared through the use of costumes, videos, and mega-illustrations.  We like hayrides, making a mess, and renting large inflatables.  It’s not perfect but it’s pretty awesome.  Yes it still smells, it is tiring, and it does cost money.  But the statement, the new faces, and the relationships are well worth it.

Ten Years Later…

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My wife and I have never felt like we are each others ‘soul-mates’.   True story!   We’re officially 10 years in and as happy as you can possibly imagine.  Actually, probably happier than you can imagine, and very secure in our relationship.  We have our moments, our ups and downs.  Like all husbands I can have my idiot times (and like all wives, she is completely perfect at all moments – at least that is what I am allowed to say).  We’ve had some incredible victories:  a fun “how we met tale”, surviving a stretch of long-distance, a special proposal and a nice sized rock, a beautiful wedding to remember, saving our purity for the wedding night, making two different houses home, creating the two cutest kids in the world, building each others’ careers and potential, all the while finding time to snuggle almost every day (I know, barf – but it’s true and she’ll appreciate this).  With all this said, with this just being the tip of the iceberg in terms of the trust, devotion, love, and care we’ve experienced, yeah, we still won’t say we’re ‘soul-mates’.

Could we be a bit ridiculous in this?  Wikipedia says a ‘soul-mate’ is someone with whom you have a feeling of deep or natural affinity.  That doesn’t sound like a big deal – if that is all it takes then maybe Jimmy Fallon and I are soul-mates (and the person who created General Tso’s Chicken and the inventors of Mountain Dew).  I believe we usually think of soul-mates as something more.  They’re supposed to be that one person that so wonderfully matches with who we are and what we want to be that they just bring about perfection.  It drives us to start throwing up phrases like “You complete me!” and “I’m nothing without you!” or even “You make me happy!” – blah!  And this is where we have a problem with soul-mates.

The idea that I need someone else in this world in order to be completed is hilarious.  Let me be very clear – my wife doesn’t complete me, my God completes me.  And as ruggedly handsome as I am – Julie (that’s my wife) finds completion in God as well and definitely not in me.  It is almost sad to think that we have to find another person in this world to feel like life is complete, that we haven’t reached full value until we’ve found that someone. Julie adds so much to my life.  She has made me a better person in the best of ways – somehow she makes my strengths greater while helping my weaknesses disappear.  I am more because of her and I’ve gone further because of her, but I am complete because of God.

The problem is we are all lacking something in life.  We do have a hole to fill.  We want so badly to fill it. To put the pieces of life together, to give us purpose, to be appreciated and valued here on earth, and simply to not be lonely. But if we’re looking for a person to do all that, we’re going to get frustrated. What are the real chances of finding a soul-mate to make all that happen? Just ask Dwight Schrute: “Oh, not likely. Three billion women on the planet, most of them live in Asia, so the numbers just don’t add up.” (The Office, Season 5, Episode 18).

That hole can only be filled by the God we were created to seek after.  If we try to fill that hole with a person we not only give that person too much power, we set ourselves up for disappointment, and we clearly undervalue ourselves.

You’re never nothing without someone! In fact, Paul seems to feel in 1Corinthians 7 that as a single person you have more value! I have never known exactly what to do with these thoughts of his, as they seem not to work well in our culture. But they ring true to me: a single adult has the ability to much more openly give of their time to God’s service. And as a church we need to be willing to embrace single ministers and members who can give so much.

There is still the issue of happiness.  I gain a ton of happiness from my wife. In fact, if I could give any “single and looking” person advice on finding a good match, it would be to find someone who makes you smile and laugh a lot!  You can figure out how to make a lot of things work in a relationship, but laughter is often either there or it’s not, and you want it to be there.

With that said, happiness is a decision.  I choose to find happiness in my wife.  Without her it would have been up me to choose to find happiness in something else.  Hey, there are quite a few married people not choosing to find happiness in their spouse.  To those people I would say the opportunity to change your decision is yours to take.  Whatever your life is like, God has given you the opportunity to choose happiness.  That’s on you and no one else.

For my devotions I have recently read the book of Ecclesiastes (not high on my list of Bible books to just read for fun…).  A part of chapter 5 stuck out to me that I feel pertains here:

18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. 19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. (NLT)

It is up to you to enjoy what you have and that is indeed a gift from God.  I don’t think God specifically made Julie and I for each other.  We were given an opportunity and we found happiness there.  We made a marriage covenant and I do believe God will bless that as we hold firmly to it.

These have been the best 10 years of my life and I look forward to the next 10, they’re going to be even better.  And yours could be as well – find fulfillment and completion in God, not in something here on earth, know that you have incredible purpose and great opportunities to bring meaning to your life and the Kingdom of God, and lastly remember that you get to choose to be happy, don’t let what you have or may not have steal your joy in life.