Gradu... wha?!

So, I'm graduating tomorrow. From college. College. No grad school for me. I'm done. With school. Maybe forever. I am not attending classes anymore. I am no longer taking tests or writing papers. I may never do an MLA or APA-formatted works cited page ever again (and I'm oh-so grateful!). I'm done.

And that's weird. I've been in school for the last 19 years of my life. I don't completely know what living in the "real world" is like just yet. But the weirdest thing about graduating, I think, is that I don't feel like a big deal or anything. Maybe I should? Maybe I would if I got my doctorate? I don't know.

But it is a big deal, isn't it? I mean, I have been blessed with the opportunity to obtain a high-quality education in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. Statistics say that by simply holding this bachelor's degree I'm likely to double my life's earnings. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for providing this opportunity for me to be financially successful.

So much more important than gained knowledge and increased earning potential, however, was the spiritual growth that took place in me over the last seven semesters at Iowa State. Can you see how God has lavished his blessing upon me?! He has drawn me to Himself in such a masterful and beautiful way here in Ames, and all while I have been learning about His Creation (even in those Bio classes that teach godless evolution as fact, there is SO MUCH to be learned about our Creator!) and doubling my financial potential as a student. His blessing is extravagant and unearned. In fact, how much less do I deserve this blessing than His children who are hungry for their daily bread in Africa or for His sons and daughters in the Middle East who are running from their families to save their own lives?

I have never known such hardship or persecution, yet He has chosen to reveal Himself to me here, in the richest of places. Those of you who are reading this who still have some time in college left: eagerly search for God in everything you do. Even with classes that seem pointless and professors that make your blood boil, look for how God is bringing Himself glory through that class. And those of you who have completed college: understand what a gift you've been given (even if you're still paying off student loans!) to be able to live lavishly in an abundant land.

Finally, those of you who have not yet gone to college: don't make the mistake I did as a freshman. Don't look at college as an education that allows you to selfishly pursue money, status, or obsessions. Check your heart. On the other hand, realize the magnitude of the opportunity that is before you. Don't let apathy, laziness, or complacency rule your heart, but in everything you do, do it with all your might for the glory of our King.

College is where you solidify who you are and where you're trained to lived out your faith (or trained not to) for the rest of your life. Allow God to reign in your heart, not selfish ambition. Thankfully, God pursued me and dragged me through my selfishness (though it's still my tendency) and into His arms. He has used the Salt Company, Cornerstone, and now Grand Avenue to provide teaching and fellowship to spur my growth. He even chose this time of my life to provide me with a wonderful wife. ("He who finds a wife finds what is good, and receives favor from the Lord" -- Proverbs 18:22.)

The ways in which God has blessed me and revealed Himself to me during these years is indescribably more valuable than any course I could have taken or any degree I could have received.

And I couldn't be more excited to never do MLA citations again.

GABY Update: Christmas Party!

Last Sunday, we had a Christmas party for our youth group meeting. We had plenty of cider, cookies, and salsa con queso with nacho chips to go around (Feliz Navidad!). Our first game involved unwrapping a present, the roll of a dice, and some violence. Here's a picture of Evan punching his way through a box:

And Greg, realizing there is yet another package inside:

Fun game! In order to get a shot at opening the present you had to roll doubles as Sam walked around the circle with two dice and a platter to roll them on. After rolling doubles, it became your turn to try to open the present. The first catch was that you had to put on a Santa had and a big, thick pair of gloves before you started on the box. The second catch was that the box started huge and easy to open, but inside the first box were ten more boxes-- each successively smaller and more difficult to open. Because it's not easy to unwrap with bulky gloves on several new tactics were employed, including biting, punching, and body-slamming.

After that we had a white elephant gift exchange. I lucked out and got a sweet flying disc thing. I gave a yellow, light-up, smiley-face sphere lamp do-hickey. Yes, it was sweet. Some of the more memorable gifts were: a 10-year-old toothbrush holder and used toothbrush, a frozen t-bone steak, and a plastic bag filled with water and six live shrimp (bought for $0.06 each at Wal-Mart).

Finally, some of the girls decorated a ginger bread house. It actually turned out pretty good. See for yourself:

Praise God with me because we had 18 high school students show up for the party, including two new visitors.
Now that's a gift to get excited about!

Ephesians 5:25-27

As a husband, I feel like you're supposed to have chapter five of Ephesians pretty well figured out. It's the "marriage chapter", you know? In fact, it was the central passage for the message at my wedding, seven months ago.

But, I think I missed one of the biggest points Paul makes to husbands.

The chapter starts off by imploring us to imitate God: "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

Paul fleshes this out by differentiating between darkness and Light, foolish and Wise, secrecy and Truthfulness.

Then he continues by explaining that reverence for Christ is submission to one another. That's the starting point for his mini-sermon on marriage in verses 22-33. It is out of reverence for Christ (not because of any inferiority or lesser value) that wives are to submit to their husbands as they do to Christ. Likewise, it is out of reverence for Christ that husbands are to give themselves up for their wives and love them like their own body, as Christ loved and gave Himself up for the church.

But there was something I have always been confused about in Paul's nine-verse counsel to husbands. Verses 25-27: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless."

I read this and wondered, "How in the world am I supposed to present Sam to God as radiant, holy, and blameless?" I just took it to mean that I have a huge role in encouraging her, rebuking her, and training her so that God can use me to refine her into a better picture of His Image. Ok. This is true, but it isn't much different from the command given to all believers in 2 Timothy 4:2.

As I was reading this passage again last weekend, I realized that is is not my primary role to sanctify Sam (to make her holy and blameless) because that is Christ's alone to do. Sure, He can use me to encourage and rebuke her and lead her, but He alone is the one who can present her to God as pure and radiant.

So, then, what is this passage saying? It's pretty simple. My role in marriage is intended to be a replica (what a poor job I do) of Christ's role in the church. Christ presented the church to Himself as blameless. In the same way, I am to present Sam to myself as blameless. I have never done anything good enough for Christ to see me as pure, but He sees me as pure. It doesn't matter what Sam does or doesn't do, I am to present her to myself as without stain or blemish, but holy and blameless. I think husbands imitating Christ in this way makes marriages so much stronger, deeper, and loving and a more accurate picture of Christ's relationship to us-- which is what marriage is designed to be.

Once again, that is not to say I don't have the role of leading her spiritually, rebuking her sin, and encouraging her in triumphs. Christ also lead, encouraged, and rebuked His disciples.

But He always saw them as pure and radiant-- not because of how they lived, but because His blood made them so.

Beaches in China

I received an email from my mom earlier today. It made me extremely grateful for the beautiful beach environment Sam and I enjoyed on our honeymoon in Mexico. As a reminder, here's a photo we took of the beach scene in Acapulco (click here for a recap of our honeymoon):

Now, here's what a honeymoon on the beach could have looked like if we'd gone to China instead:

Not a square inch is left unused on this beach:

Notice the lifeguards in their stands (an impossible job?) and the smog:

...I like the guy who stored his inner tube on top of his umbrella.

Yep, I think our beach in Mexico was a little more comfortable than if we'd gone to China:

All that said, I love China. Some of my favorite memories are from that country, but the beaches don't look like a great place for a honeymoon.

Enchiladas for Thanksgiving Dinner?

Much to our delight, Sam and I took our honeymoon during our Thanksgiving break last week! We spent 11 days and 10 nights amongst the palm trees and crashing ocean waves in the hot (95 degrees) and tropical climate of Acapulco, Mexico. It was great because not only did we get to spend a week and a half enjoying each other, but we got to experience a new culture together. We spent a lot of our time swimming in the ocean, walking on the beach, bartering for souvenirs in the markets, watching movies in our hotel suite, and eating at little Mexican restaurants near our hotel. Our suite was beautiful and had three (yes THREE) balconies right on the ocean.

We also had some great Bible studies together. I think I learned the most, actually, from Jude. Verse 10 says about godless men, "Yet these men speak abusively against whatever they do not understand; and what things they do understand by instinct, like unreasoning animals—these are the very things that destroy them." God has allowed all men to understand at minute portion of His Nature simply by instinct, because we are made in His Image. However, being made in His Image is not enough to win our hearts from the slavery to sin that we have chosen. In fact, it is these instincts can be the the very things that destroy a someone who has not been freed from their sin. An example that came to mind was the homosexual "revolution" that is occurring in our culture today. I've heard people say things like "how can a good and loving God deny the happiness of two people who love each other?" Their instinct of love is right! They are right that God is a good and loving God and that love between two people is good. But it is this instinct, when not checked by Godly wisdom and Biblical Truth, that leads them astray.

Anyways, back to the honeymoon. Here are some pictures:

Our bedroom, right on the Pacific!

A picture from our balcony at night.

The Mexican culture LOVES hot dogs. This whole counter is selling hot dogs, and this is only the left half of the counter!

Can you find the six guys climbing/standing on the cliff?

We watched as these nuts-o performers dived from the top of the cliff into the canal 135 feet below!

P.S. They're diving into only 11 feet of water.

We went scuba diving, jet-skiing, and para-sailing!  It was awesome.

My wife and me at sunset, after scuba diving.

I think Sam likes her new name...

Storytime!

James & James have the best storytimes! They made this video for Salt last night and, for those of you familiar with Cornerstone, included some pretty great caricatures of the pastors. James & James are having a variety show and bakesale at Cornerstone on December 11th at 7:00pm to raise money for the Leatha Orphanage (completely supported by TSC and Mark and Leatha Arant) in Malawi, Africa.

G.A.B.Y. Update

Here's a description of what went down for our last two youth group meetings:

Sunday, November 8th: We mixed middle school and high school to do something called "Operation Christmas Child". Maybe you've have heard of the program. It sends shoe boxes filled with hygiene products, toys, school supplies, etc. as Christmas presents to children in third-world countries who are struggling to survive. If not for Operation Christmas Child, these impoverished children would never receive a Christmas gift and would likely never hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Not only is Operation Christmas Child providing these children with a reason to smile on Christmas, it more importantly points them toward the ever-satisfying love of their Creator and Savior! I encourage you to look into Operation Christmas Child if you've never done so before. It's too late to do it this year, but they'll do it again next Christmas and it is amazing to be a part of. If you're interested, check out the O.C.C. website: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/

To make our shoe boxes for GABY, we walked to Wal-Mart and divided into 10 groups-- five guys groups and five girls groups. We split up to get our gifts, with a $10 budget for each shoe box. We ended up spending $112 total, which isn't bad considering ten children will receive hygiene products, school supplies, and toys in their shoe boxes. We got them things like notebooks, markers, pens, pencils, soap, toothbrushes, games, puzzles, balls, dolls, and tons more. When we got back to Grand, we took time to write each child a personal letter.

Here's the group with our shoe boxes:

By the way, praise God for answered prayers for growth. We had 22 middle and high school students show up for this youth group!

Sunday, November 15: Sweet turnout again! 12 high schoolers came! I taught from Hebrews 11:1-8. This passage will change the way you think about EVERYTHING, if you let it. Here are a few of my teaching notes:

-On a scale of 0 to 10 (with 0 being completely evil and 10 being completely good), how good are people in general? (Answers in the group ranged from 1.5 to 6.5)

-Romans 3:23 says we are NOT a 10 (completely good), "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and Psalm 51:3 says, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me."

-So, then, are we neutral (somewhere between 0 and 10)?

-Hebrews 11:6 states, "without faith it is impossible to please God."

-Neutral actions do NOT exist! Anything not done by faith in Christ is wholly evil (i.e. displeasing to God). This means that "good" things like praying, helping orphans, or giving offering to church, if not done by faith, are evil actions because they do not please God.

-If neutral actions do not exist, neither do neutral people. We are either 100% evil, or 100% good. We are sinful from conception, and we need to be purified to meet God's standard.

-Only through trust in Christ (who was 100% good), can we be cleansed from our lack of faith (our displeasure to God). (Romans 3:22-26)

-Our goodness comes only through faith in Jesus. Only by faith in Him can we bring pleasure to God. We're unable to earn our way to #10 on the scale. In fact, we're unable to earn our way to #1 on the scale. (Romans 5:6 -- "...at just the right time, while we were still powerless,Christ died for the ungodly.")

-We have no power to earn our salvation. Earning salvation was done on the Cross and it was finished on the Cross (John 19:30).

Barbershop Chorus

If you've got a few minutes, this is worth your time. I've never heard so many voices sound like one before! (Maybe a small, small, small, small, small, small, small glimpse of what Heaven will be like? Though we won't be singing about trombones, I'm sure...) Not typically my choice of music flavor, but this performance is too cool not to appreciate:

Highlights of Launch09

Here are the video highlights from the middle school retreat we went to a couple weekends ago called "Launch09" at Hidden Acres. To read more about what God did in my heart and in the lives of 150 middle schoolers, read this post.

Advent Conspiracy

My pastor, Michael, introduced me to this idea today. It's called "Advent Conspiracy" and it's pretty sweet. Advent Conspiracy is an organization that was started in 2006 by five pastors who decided to make Christmas a revolutionary event by encouraging their faith communities to:
1) Worship Fully -- Christmas starts with Jesus and it ends with Jesus
2) Spend Less -- Gifts are great, but Americans spend $450,000,000,000 on Christmas every year
3) Give More -- Take time to make gifts and be with your family, rather than shopping
4) Love All -- Give to those who need the most help (widows, orphans, starving, homeless, etc of the world)

In a culture where such a sacred celebration has become overwhelmingly commercialized, it is easy to miss the point of Christmas. What if Christmas was once again a world-changing event? It's an appropriate time to talk about this, since the next two months will be the months we spend, spend, spend for the Holidays. Think of what could be done if we, as a church, took back Christmas for the glory of God. I don't think that necessarily means we need to remove the wreath, toss the tinsel, or cut the candy canes, but I do think that we need to re-examine where our dollars are going this time of year. Is each cent being used for the glory of the King, or are we trying to impress the family and keep up with the Jones'? If the church spent the same amount on Christmas this year as it did last year, but redirected 60% of that money towards reaching the lost with the gospel, providing life-saving services to the third world, and reaching out to the hurting in our communities, imagine what would be accomplished for the Name of our Lord!




www.AdventConspiracy.org
www.RethinkingChristmas.com

Finally, if you're a friend or family member, please don't feel any obligation to get me a gift this year. Instead, take what you might have spent on me and give it to someone who needs it, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Psshaa... PSSHAAAAAW!!!

Turn up the intensity! Psshaa... PSSHAAAAAW!!!

That's one of the expressions we learned at the middle school retreat at Hidden Acres last weekend. Evidently, that's what it sounds like to turn up the intensity (it's also required that you make a motion with your hand like you're turning a dial).

Sam and I led five students from Grand at the retreat which combined forces with Cornerstone, Ames E-Free, and West Wind in Des Moines to bring over 150 middle schoolers to Hidden Acres for a weekend of fun, chaos, and spiritual intensity. I had a blast getting to know the boys from GABC better and Sam led the girls in their small groups. The weekend was nothing short of incredible. Here's a timeline of how it went down:

Friday Evening:
Arrived at C-Stone at 5:15 to a chaotic hoard of pubescent adolescents. It took time to get everything sorted out but eventually all of our kids made it on to buses to head to the camp.
Due to weather problems Jeremy Kingsley, the speaker, couldn't fly in until late Friday night. So, rather than a message, we had an extended worship set and headed to small groups. (By the way, a HUGE thank you to Anthem for doing worship - that makes 3 retreats in 4 weekends for them. Keep rocking for the Lord!)
Small groups were a good "get to know each other session" and after that we had games in the gym.


Saturday Morning:
First teaching session led by Jeremy. Really good. I could tell he is passionate for the Lord. He talked about Jesus being more powerful than the wind and waves and the following story about the demon possessed man falling on his knees before Christ. I learned that "Legion" (which was the name of the demons in the man) likely meant that he was possessed by 3,000+ demons because legion was a common term in those days referring to groups of 3,000-6,000 soldiers. All 3,000 demons when they SAW Jesus ran to Him and fell on their knees before Him and begged for mercy. It's sad how I tend to have such a calm and feeble view of Jesus. The reality is that He is more powerful than we can conceive. He alone is worthy of us falling on our knees before Him, begging for mercy.

Saturday Afternoon:
Second teaching by Jeremy was about our reputation. He taught about how Solomon was known for three things (wisdom, wealth, and women). He pointed out how only one of these things pointed to God while one could go either way and the third one was downright evil. (I'm not saying women are evil, but that having 1,000 wives is evil.) The questions He left us with were:
1) What are you known for that you wish you were not?
2) What aren't you known for that you wish you were?
One thing that came to mind for me was my being known for not bein a decicive decision maker. Part of being a leader is being a decision maker. I feel like I've grown in this recently, but it isn't yet part of my reputation.
The teaching was followed by small groups, games, and then free time for the rest of the afternoon.

Saturday Evening:
Jeremy taught about persecution. He gave an excellent Gospel presentation and we witnessed the Grace of the Living God as 15 or so middle schoolers fell on their knees to give their life to Christ! Praise Him! After this, he called anyone who wants to live more boldly for their God to fall on their knees before God and ask His forgiveness and grace. I was definitley part of this group and so were about 120 or the students there. It was an incredible time of worship and prayer.
Jeremy's teaching was from Acts 5 where the disciples considered it joy to be beaten, imprisoned, and flogged because they were counted WORTHY by God of being persecuted. Jeremy told some stories about his father who was a preacher in a small Wisconsin town when Jeremy was growing up. He talked about times when his father was taken from the house by men in the town and beaten up in the front yard. Jeremy also told about his experience in middle school when he wore a shirt that simply said "Jesus" and was kicked, punched, and spit on in school because he wore it. These stories astounded me, but even more astounding was their family's response to the persecution. They stayed where they were and kept doing what they did. They did not move or seek lawsuits. They KEPT DOING WHAT THEY HAD BEEN DOING because what they were doing brought God glory. They considered it joy to be persecuted for His Name!
When I realized this I was brought to tears. I bawled and bawled because I realized that I do not have that kind of faith. Would I stay in my town if my sons were coming home from school with black eyes week after week because of their faith in Christ? I don't think I would. But I should.
It says in 2 Timothy 3:12, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a Godly life will be persecuted." A couple of key things Jeremy pointed out:
1) the verse starts with "IN FACT".
2) It's not "maybe", "might be", or "could be" persecuted, but it says Godly men and women WILL BE persecuted.
How much am I being persecuted for my faith? I don't think I necessarily will get beaten for it, but am I willing to be beaten for it? Am I willing to face verbal harrassment? Am I living my faith so boldly that, in fact, persecution will come? Will I flee from it if it does come?
This awesome message was followed by small groups in which we had great discussion about what it looks like to follow Christ at school and how God works through prayer (one of Jeremy's sayings was "When men and women work, men and women work. When men and women pray, God works." True dat.)
Finally, the night was capped off by a costume party where kids dressed up was what they want tobe when they grow up. We had music, games, and prizes. Good times.

Sunday Morning:
Jeremy's final session. The parents came out to have the session with the kids, which was a cool idea. It gave me a chance to talk to the parents about what God had done over the weekend in their children's lives. Jeremy preached on humility and following Christ's example in that. We must not think we're above certain jobs or tasks because the King of the Universe, Himself (the same one who a legion of demons bowed down to), joyfully got down on his knees to wash his disciples' feet.

God moved majestically at the retreat. Absolutely incredibly. He is an awesome God with awesome plans to use the students who dropped to their knees before Him this weekend. Please pray that those students would remain on the narrow path after returning to the temptations and pressures of life at school with Godless friends and/or families.

Psshaa... PSSHAAAAAW!!!

Really? (REMIX)

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. I haven't had much time to post, nor has anything occurred that has really been post-worthy.

That is, until last night. My previous post "Really?" (click here) and "Really? (Part 2)" (click here) are about how God has been using us to proclaim His Name to those living around us in our apartment complex. Well, we are full of praise because God used us again last night.

It actually started last week when we got a knock on our door around 8:00 pm. It was a college-age guy named Kevin who was hanging out with his girlfriend at Jerry's place (the floor below us). It was actually pretty funny. The guy at the door looked at me and said, "Hey. You're a male, and she's a female. Maybe you get this. I know it's weird, but I don't get paid 'til Friday and my girlfriend needs some... uh... tampons."

I laughed and said we'd be glad to help. He appreciated that and we didn't really think much more about it. Last night at 11:45 we heard a knock on the door again. It was the same guy as last week. He started, "Hey, man. I know it's late and I know you don't really know me, but I gotta get outta here. Man, I'm tryin' to leave Ames, cuz this ain't where I need to be right now, you know? I'm tryin' to get a bus ticket to go to my dad's in Chicago, and I put all my money together. I got $182, but I need $193. I just need your help, if you can."

Admittedly, I was hesitant at first. I asked Sam if she had any cash and we were only able to put $10 together for him. Then came the kicker, "Dude, you don't even know me and you guys are happy to give stuff to me. Thank you. What is so different about you guys?"

Praise God for this response! I invited him in and Sam and I had the opportunity to share with Kevin just what is so different about us. We shared that we have found true joy and satisfaction in the grace offered by God through Jesus Christ. I told him that I, just like him, am a failure. I am no better than him, but the difference is that my failures were washed away by the cleansing blood of the Perfect Lamb. Kevin explained to me that he'd been in and out of prison over the last year and that he was, in fact, drunk while we were talking.

It was probably the alcohol that opened him up so much, but he shared with me the futility of his lifestyle and that he has tried to live for God, but has failed every time. We talked for about half an hour about what it looks like to be surrendered to the Lord. He said he'd actually spent some time going to GABC before. "You know the Lovins?" he asked, "They my people, man!" I was encouraged to be able to see a small glimpse of how God is continually drawing Kevin back to him, with common themes. What are the "chances" that he would ask for help from the GABC youth pastor's apartment after having been invested in by that church (specifically the Lovin family) in the past? Our God is an awesome God! He is is drawing Kevin to himself continually. He has a presence in His life.

Before he left, Kevin got my number and email address and he said he would come say goodbye before he left for the bus station today. I hope he does. I'm praying that Kevin will not only remember the conversation we had last night, but that it will remain at the forefront of his mind eating at him until he finally surrenders to the One who created him. I hope that God continues to use His children to speak Truth into Kevin's life and open his heart to a relationship with the Savior.

How often am I so concerned over something I think I own (like $10) that I am not willing to give that to God to be used for His glory? Everything I "own" is yours, Lord. Don't let me hold so tightly to the treasures of this world that I'm blind to the immeasurably greater treasures You give in Your Kingdom. Finally, let Apartment #8 continue to be set as a "city on a hill" that stands out as a shining Light for Your glory!

Really? (Part 2)

If you haven't read my previous post about my friend, Frank, or if you need a refresher, click here.

This post is an update on my experience with Frank that happened two Sundays ago, September 27:

I stopped by Frank's place (just below our apartment) on Sunday morning around 10:00 to ask see if he was going to come to church with me. When I knocked on the door I heard a raspy, "Come in!" from inside. I entered to a living room filled with cigarette smoke. The only person there was the old guy who thought I was a cop the week before who was now sitting in a recliner watching TV. I asked him where Frank was and he said, "He's not here... you wanna call him?"

So, I got Frank's number and gave him a call. "Hey, Frank," I said, "I'm at your place wondering if you want to come to church with me this morning?"

Frank replied, "Yo, I don't live there, man. I just hang out there all the time. And, yeah, I was just thinkin' about how I was gonna go to church with you but I'm watchin' my kid this week so I can't come."

I told him that is understandable and that I hoped we could do it soon. I hung up the phone and introduced myself to the old guy in the recliner. He told me his name was Jerry and that he, in fact, was the one who lived there. He appeared to be in pretty tough shape. He said he'd fallen earlier that week and the entire right side of his face was bruised and swollen. I also noticed his swollen hands and feet which he told me was gout. As if that wasn't enough, he was having a lot of trouble breathing. He was wheezing terribly the whole time I was there. I asked if he'd like me to take him to the hospital, but he told me repeatedly that he was ok.

I asked him if he had a church home in Ames and he said that he went to a Methodist church on Main Street. I asked what he believed about God and he told me, "I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe that He died on the cross for my sins."

I was so excited by this!!! I asked Jerry if I could pray for him and he said he'd appreciate that. God blessed me with an amazing opportunity to pray for his health and his heart towards God.

Then, last Wednesday, Sam saw Jerry by our mailbox. He asked if he could talk to me so Sam got me for him. When I came outside he said to me, "When I'm feeling better and can get around a little easier, would you guys mind if I came to church with you?"

Wow.  I told him I would love it if he came with us. Hopefully Grand will work well for him because it's close and I think it's really hard for him to go very far from the house. Please pray for Frank that he would end up coming with us to church soon and that his heart would be softened to the Truth, and for Jerry that his health would improve and that God would be revealed in his life in astounding ways!

Retreat

Last weekend I took the high school youth group guys camping for a retreat. It was sweet. Sam's family blessed us by letting us stay on the 19 acres of land they own along the Des Moines River about 15 miles southeast of Fort Dodge. They're living in Kansas City right now, so they let us stay on their land for the weekend. It was a PERFECT place! (By the way, Sam took some girls on a retreat to Omaha, too. She'll post on that soon on her blog.)

We got there Saturday around 11:00am and did some exploring. The property is in the heavily-wooded river valley-- beautiful. Our goal for the day was to build a shelter that would last until next spring. We really were roughing it-- no tents, bonfire cooking, and 40's-50's temperatures. I can't praise God enough for how He did provide for the weather, though. It was supposed to be a nasty weekend, but there was almost no wind and we had a total of 10 minutes of rain (which stopped 5 minutes after we prayed as a group that the God of the universe would dry the clouds over our campsite).

The food was amazing. A big thanks to the Martens who put together menus for our four meals (including steak on Saturday night!). We ate well.

Our shelter was pretty hardcore, too. I meant to have pictures to show, but the batteries in my camera died. Bummer. Our campsite is on the side of a hill. We made our shelter by using twine to lash long logs together like an upside down "V"and leaning them up against a tree. We then added a third log in the middle for added support and lashed the whole thing to the tree with barbed wire-- it's not going anywhere (remember I said it is supposed to last until we come back next spring?). Then we took tarps and tied them over the logs with twine making a rainproof shelter. Throw a tarp on the ground to sleep on, and it's pretty darn homey! I got a little cold in the middle of the night, but everyone else said they slept good. We just had to take off the tarps when we left, and it's ready for when we come back in the spring when I'm shooting for having a paintball retreat and we'll come back and expand our campsite/shelter.

On Sunday afternoon we studied Titus. We looked at it specifically from a leadership perspective, since Paul has a lot to say about what makes a good leader. Some of the qualities of a Biblical leader that we came up with from the text were:

• they are held to a higher standard
  
• not addicted to alcohol
  
• only have 1 wife
  
• not overbearing
  
• wise
• not quick tempered
  
• not violent
• not dishonest
• self-controlled
  
• not rebellious
• not self-centered
  
• good role model
• sound speech (no gossip, no swearing, truthful)
• respectable
  
• submit to authority

We talked about the fact that all of us men are leaders. Even the high schoolers are to lead their sisters in Christ. How can the high school guys be leading more effectively? How can I help foster their growth as leaders in the youth group, in the church, and in the relationships? I've been challenged by this over the past few weeks. We also talked about which quality of Biblical leadership from Titus we are best at and which quality we are most challenged by. I think I'm best at being a good role model and I need the most improvement at not being self-centered... is that a contradiction?

The only mishap of the weekend was that our Suburban's battery went dead. We found out just before we left, so we were delayed over an hour before Sam's uncle from Fort Dodge came to give us a jump (thanks, Mr. Lowrey!). Can't complain, though. No serious injuries, nearly perfect weather, a hardcore shelter, time in the Word, and two days in God's Creation.

Not a bad weekend at all!

Here we are returning from our epic voyage: (Evan, Jared, Greg, Lance, me)

Do I Hafta Get a Job?

I don't wanna get a job...
(No, no, no, no!)
Do I hafta get a job?
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
But I won't worry about tomorrow...
(No, no, no, no!)
'Cause the Lord is over me.
(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!)
[It's a James & James song, for those of you who don't know: http://www.myspace.com/jamesnjames]

Yesterday afternoon I planned to go to the career fair for the Business/LAS College. Last week I went to the Social Services career fair, but it wasn't very fruitful. (It turns out that organizations who make no profit are having a difficult time creating jobs in this economy... who knew?) I'm a senior graduating in December at which point I'll be a prime candidate for a real-life, full-time job (along with the thousands of other unemployed workers and recent graduates).

At first, I was excited at the opportunity of talking to actual employers and expanding my horizons and such; but, after sitting at my computer yesterday for an hour-and-a-half scrolling through every business at the career fair, all of my excitement left. Most of the 300-or-so companies didn't have any open positions at the present time and I had already applied for the open job at the only corporation I thought would be worth talking to for me. Having a major like psychology is tough because it offers no specific direction, unless I head to grad school (which I'm not). Psych is cool, though, because it opens a broad range of opportunities and a 4-year degree is certainly valuable. My job search is further complicated by the fact that I'm heavily invested at GABC and Sam is in grad school in Ames, so we'll need to stick around here for awhile (unless God does something dramatic, which I'll try not to be opposed to). Jobs in towns surrounding Ames are definitely a possibility, but I don't like the idea of removing myself from the city where my ministry investment is high (it just isn't very logical).

After I mulled these things over yesterday, I lost a lot of faith that God could/would bless me with a full-time position that allows me to provide for my family. I even considered not going to the career fair because I felt as though it would again be fruitless (the last career fair I went to was humiliating because they are looking for people ready to join the workforce-- and obviously I wasn't one of those people as a freshman). It was about that time that Sam came home. She strongly encouraged me to go to the career fair in faith that God will open doors for me to get a job and that He will provide for our family.

I decided to go, even if it was just to talk to that one employer and build up that network (it's always good if they can meet you face to face rather than just seeing a resume). After getting to Hilton, where all the employers assemble their 5'x5' booths with their displays explaining why their the best company to work for, I had to take a few minutes to pray. I prayed that God would bless me with the confidence (in Christ) to put my best foot forward in faith that He will provide. He gave me just enough to go to that one employer. They asked some great questions and gave encouraging feedback. I'm excited to see what happens there. After that, though, I wanted to leave. I decided to sit up in the bleachers for awhile and "pray it out". That's when I overheard the girl behind me talking to her friend, "I hate this. It's pointless. It's like they see 'sophomore' on my name tag and write me off, just because I can't work full time yet. I went down to Wells Fargo and they were like, 'Sorry, we're looking for someone who is graduating to fill one of our open positions in the area.'"

Through some random girl in Hilton, God provided me with the words I needed to hear. Maybe I do stand a chance and getting a job after all. I went and talked to Wells Fargo, and they took my resume. Hopefully an interview will follow from there. After that, I got excited about the career fair and I talked to five or six more companies who took my resumes and who have open positions they are hiring for. One of the companies even gave me an interview this morning! I think it went well. The position isn't exactly ideal, because it's in downtown Des Moines, but if commuting = providing, I'll do it.

Why do I ever count God out? I've seen Him miraculously provide for me over and over and over again. I am confident that this will be no different. I don't know if He will directly use the career fair to bless me with a job, but I do know this: He is a King who blesses without end, and I am His child with whom He is well pleased because of the cleansing blood of His Son that  has washed every stain away.

Really?

So, there's this guy named Frank who lives in the apartment below us. Frank is pretty different from me-- he's a little rough around the edges, so to speak. In fact, I can't really think of any ways we're similar except that we're both humans and we live in the same apartment complex.

Here's how my story with Frank began, about 4 months ago:
When Sam and I got married and moved into this apartment, we asked God to allow us to make relationships with the people who live around us and for him to "put people in our path" who we could be a Light to. He blessed us with a cool relationship with a guy named Allen, but that's a story for another post. Other than that, we didn't really strike up any meaningful relationships with anyone. However, there were these neighbors who, quite honestly, annoyed us. They were always sitting on the stairs that lead up to our door. Almost every day they were out there swearing, drinking beer, making a mess, etc. Not to mention they were right in our way to get to our apartment. Wait... did I say they were right in our way? As in they were "in our path"? Isn't it funny how God answers prayers?

These folks weren't who we had envisioned ministering to. They weren't like the white, middle class, college-aged students we've spent hours ministering to on campus, nor were they Chinese or Indian internationals we have plenty of experience with. I didn't really know where to start, once I realized I needed to be a Light to them. I simply tried to be friendly and say hi every time they had to move to let me up the stairs.

Then, about a month ago, God presented the opportunity. Sam and I were returning from youth group at Grand Avenue Baptist Church where I had just taught about not regarding anyone from a worldly point of view (2 Cor. 5:16), when Frank (who was on our steps drinking with two of his bros) asked, "Where y'all comin' from, church?" I told him that we were just at a church down the street where I'm a part-time youth pastor. From that starting point, God allowed me to sit on the steps with them and gave me words to boldly proclaim the Gospel to Frank and his friends. It was sweet. By the end of the conversation, Frank promised me he would come to church with me and I hadn't even ask him to. "Not this week, or next week... 'cause I got stuff to do. But the week after that, I'll come," he told me.

Cool. I was really excited about that, plus the fact I was able to build a relationship with one of my neighbors. Still, though, I had my doubts about whether he'd come because I wasn't even sure if he was sober when we had our conversation. I said I'd hold him accountable to his decision to come and he told me, "You ain't gotta hold me accountable, I'll come." Over the next three weeks, my faith in that decision (and in God's ability/willingness to change his life) weakened.

I only reminded Frank once that he said he'd come to church with me on the 20th (yesterday), and he said he'd come. "You'll come get me at 10:00, right?" he asked. I told him I'd be there and we'd go together.

So, here's where it gets weird. I showed up yesterday at 10:15 (a little late, but we had a half hour of leeway) at Frank's door, admittedly with little faith that he would agree to come. When I knocked, some old guy who I'd seen around a little answered. When I asked if Frank was there he replied, "I don't know no Frank." I walked away bewildered. I wondered if he moved out of town, or if I had just imagined Frank, or if he gave me the wrong name, or if we were entertaining angels. Certainly isn't how I'd pictured angels...

Sam and I were confused about that until later that evening when Frank caught up with us as we were walking up to our door. He asked me what church I go to. I told him Grand Avenue Baptist and he said, "Aw man... I thought you went to Heartland Baptist! I woke up at 10:10 this morning and realized I was late. So, threw on a shirt and went to that church. Man, I must have spent two hours there lookin' for you. I was like, 'Anybody know Tim? He teaches Sunday school or somethin' here.' But nobody knew you. They took me to all the classrooms but I couldn't find you. And the guy who answered the door this morning... he thought you was the cops, so he said he didn't know me."

I couldn't believe it. I was touched, bummed, excited, and cracking up all at the same time! I was excited because Heartland is known for reaching out to people who are struggling to get by and I thought it might be a good fit for Frank. When I asked him how he liked it he said, "Sucked. Hated it. People always tryin' to give me coffee and stuff. I was like, 'Man, I don't drink no coffee!' Now if they give me a beer, I'll take that, you know what I'm sayin'?"

I laughed and explained that we go to Grand, so no one would know me at Heartland. He said he would go with us next week because he said he'd go with us and he would keep his word. Please pray for Frank, because now I'm convinced he will go. Pray that his eyes and heart would be open to Truth and that he would be convicted of sin and broken before Christ. Pray for me that I would be filled with the Spirit when I talk to Frank and that I would speak the words he needs to hear. Pray for the church that they would love him and that Frank would respond to that love.

How often do I sell God short? How often do I see the worst side of things when, in fact, He is moving the whole time? In what other areas of my life am I not submitting to Him because things aren't going according to my plan? I am sorry, Lord. Please forgive me, my King.

 Finally, what would a church look like that offered beer instead of coffee?

Infected?

This is my first-ever blog post. I'm wondering if it'll actually catch on and I'll get "infected" or if this blog will be like the thousands of other ones out there that just lay dormant for months after a couple of weeks of their master excitedly leaving posts (I completely forgot I had a blog called "Natural Blogarhythms" [it was a pun on natural logarithms] for the past 9 months... I never posted on it once, and when I found out today how terribly un-clever the name was, I deleted it immediately to start fresh with this one). We'll see. Hopefully I'll do better this time around.

The name for this blog, in case you're curious, comes from 1 Timothy 6:18-19. "Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." 1&2 Timothy are my favorite books, I think, because I like to read them as Paul's letters to me, his son in the faith.

This is my final semester at ISU (graduating in December in psych) and it's turning out to be more challenging than I anticipated-- in more ways than one. Between working two other part time jobs, I wanted to kind of coast through this last semester. It's not quite happening that way with several papers I'm being forced to write. The other challenge is that three out of my five classes challenge my faith. I've dealt with one class or so every semester that tries to prove to me that I'm putting my faith in a lie, a fraud, an out-dated god, an irrelevant god, or an oppressive system of beliefs. This semester, I have three of those classes all in a row-- every Tuesday and Thursday (History of Christianity, then Social Dimensions of Religion, then Sociology of Intimate Relationships). I'm 4 weeks through it and it's been awesome. God is using all of these instructors and students who are trying to prove me wrong and, instead, has been building up my faith more and more. More than ever before, I am able to see that man's wisdom is foolishness in the eyes of God. These poor people are hungry for Him, yet they refuse to yield their lives and be filled. It breaks my heart to see, but almost every bit of the University culture pressures students and professors to look somewhere other than the Truth for their answers.

In the History of Christianity class, the teacher has been explaining to us how the Bible is not a historical book and cannot be read as such since it is biased from a faith-based perspective. I see her point, so I've decided not to read anything historical that was written from a biased perspective. I guess I won't be reading anything historical. Ever.

One of the cool ways God allowed for me to be really encouraged through that course was through learning the following about the groups of Jews that existed in Jesus' time:
1. Sadduccees- followed the Law to the "t". Extremely religious and saw sacrifice as important for obtaining righteousness (but they were probably the ones in the temple who were charging unfair prices for animals; this is where Jesus started turning tables), but did not believe a messiah would come.
2. Pharisees- saw themselves as separated from everyone else, avoided "unclean" people and things to follow the law to the "t". Keeping the law was their "righteousness".
3. Zealots- revolutionaries who struggled for self-rule and longed for messiah.
4. Essenes- Jews who took refuge in the desert and longed for messiah.
The above 4 groups make up only 10% of Jews in Jesus' day. The other 90%:
5. "People of the Land"- Craftsmen (including carpenters!), peasants, farmers, and shepherds.

As I was learning this in class I started smiling to myself and thanking God for being the God He is. He didn't reveal His Son through the elite men who didn't care about the people, many of whom were "unclean". He humbled Himself and started from the ground up. The KING, Jesus, was step-son of a lowly craftsman, not a high-up pharisee. And how many of Jesus' stories and parables could the people understand and relate to because they were farmers of the land and shepherds of their flocks?

In fact, if the story of Jesus was a man-made story, it would have necessarily been written by the top 10% of the Jews because almost none of the people of the land could even read or write. And, if it was made up by those top 10%, then it most certainly would not have used illustrations that resonate so deeply with the common man and make the religious elite look like a "brood of vipers"!

A truly awesome God, indeed.