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Avalanches, Saunas, and Jesus

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My name is Luke Smith, and I am one of the three interns with the Outdoor Ministry Program here in Lakeside, MT.  Last weekend we had the opportunity to receive avalanche training in Hamilton, MT.  I was going into the weekend with expectations that there was not very many other people and that the people that were there might not be too receptive to the Gospel.  When everybody got up to the lodge, we had orientation and ice breakers for the group.  Of course, one of the first things that I was asked was “what is YWAM?”   So I explained that Youth with a Mission is a Global Christian Missions Organization that trains, equips and sends people out to proclaim the Gospel.  I have seen in the past that once I say that it is a Christian Missions Organization, it closes some doors to different people, but when I said this at the training, I could see that the instructor George was still trying to figure out what we did.  So back to the ice breakers.  One of the questions asked was, “What is your spirit animal?” The other members of our group answered this question pretty quickly, but when it came to Ryan, another intern,  he said that he was a Christian and didn’t really know what a spirit animal was.  So he said, “In the Bible it talks about the Lion of Judah so I guess I will be that.”  When it came to Benji, another one of the Outdoor Interns, he said, “In the Bible, it says that Benjamin is the ravenous wolf, so that’s what I am.” So pretty much right off the bat, the whole group knew that we were Christians.

The rest of the day was spent studying the snow pack, causes of avalanches, and how to use Personal Locater Beacons, in case you get buried, we can find you.  Around 5:00pm we headed back to the lodge for dinner and to relax for a little bit.  While we were relaxing, we had the opportunity to mingle around with the  some of the other members of the course.  I was challenged earlier in the week by my Internship Leader to listen more to the Holy Spirit and step out in faith to what the Spirit says.  After dinner, I went to one of the hot tubs with most of the group. While I was listening to anything that the Spirit might be telling me, I got nothing.  So after being in the hot tub for about 20 or 30 minutes, I decided to head to the sauna. When I was about to step into it, Ryan was coming out.  He stopped and told me that he felt like I needed to be in there and that he needed to leave.  I found out later that while Ryan was in there, George, the instructor, was asking questions about YWAM.  Ryan told him some stories about Loren Cunningham and how YWAM got started.  I went into the sauna with expectations that something was going to happen.  I could only take the heat for a few minutes, so I went outside with George for a couple of minutes.  While outside, I kept on praying in my head for the Holy Spirit to give me a way to share my faith and the Gospel with him and a girl sitting in the sauna, Jenny.

When I went back in, it was pitch black and silent for the first few minutes.  Then George started to ask more questions about YWAM and what we train for.  The conversation quickly turned into a questions and answers conversation, with them asking me questions like, “How can you believe in something so much, even though it is intangible and you are so young?”, “Why do Christians get hung up with how important Jesus is?”, “Is the Bible really true and how can you be so sure of it?”, and finally, “Do the people that have never heard of Jesus and the Gospel go to heaven or hell?”.  These questions were only a few that they asked me. Most of these I have tried to answer in the past, but have never been able to give a good answer.  This time, I felt the Holy Spirit guiding me. I told them answers that I truly believed and told my view on the questions.  I found out that if I explained why I believed certain views and spoke about my past, they would in turn open up to me and talk about personal things.  There was even times when I said something and in my head I was trying to figure why I said it because it really didn’t even make sense to me, but after, there was a quick pause, and someone would say that I had made a good point and more questions would follow. God was really with me as I was answering questions and sharing the Gospel with them. I could feel His presence. We talked about George as a youth, when he was growing up in a Southern Baptist church in Pennsylvania.  He was telling me problems that he had with the church growing up and how, when it came to high school, he decided that he didn’t need the church anymore.  He tried to think of all the questions he had a kid, so that he could ask them and I answered as many as I could.

Through the rest of the weekend there was only one more conversation ,which happened on Sunday morning as we were snowshoeing.  Ryan and I were in the rear with George and we started to talk to him about his childhood again.  What kept on getting my attention the whole time as I was talking with him was that he was so receptive to anything that we were sharing with him!  He never asked us to pray for him, how he could accept Jesus, or anything like that, but he was hungry for more!

THIS is the very reason that I am doing the Outdoor Ministry Program! I love going to trainings, meetings, or just doing what I love, being outdoors and having the chance to share my faith with other outdoor enthusiasts.  We are called to be the instruments that God uses, to share who He is, but it is up to Him to make the person believe the truth.

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”(2 Corinthians 5:20-21) I felt like I was the ambassador for God to spread His word through and at that moment it was awesome!

God’s Heart of Hospitality

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You and I are lucky.  We are saturated with the Gospel.  We hear it, read it and share it all the time.  That’s what our mission is about: To know God, be filled with His truth, and make Him known, so others will be filled with His truth too.

But how often do we see the Gospel as essential as hospitality?  Even more, how often do we consciously live out and share the gospel by practicing hospitality?

Hospitality.  What come to your mind when you hear the term “hospitality”?

If this thought came across your mind: “not for me!”, you wouldn’t be the first.  There is a common misconception that before practicing hospitality, one needs to be gifted in entertaining, cooking, home decoration and reproducing DIY projects found on Pinterest.  If this were true, the majority of us out there would not even qualify (stick figures and burnt cookies anyone?)  And gentlemen? I’m sorry, but unless you’re willing to wear frilled aprons you sewed out of recycled material and decorate cupcakes for your next book club meeting, you should leave hospitality to the ladies.  Now, this seems silly, I know, and slightly offensive, but how many of us have bought this lie that hospitality is beyond our capacity?

Webster’s 1826 dictionary defines hospitality as “The practice of receiving and entertaining strangers or guests without reward.”  And hospitality is for everyone.

Thanks to social media and an access to trends at our fingertips, it is easy to believe the world’s glamorous version of hospitality is all there is to it.  Only, as with most good things under the sun, hospitality finds it’s origin in the character and the creativity of God.  And his definition of hospitality is more than food, drinks and pretty spaces.  It is Webster’s definition, and it is so much more.

God himself has shown us what true hospitality is is in the story of the Gospel.  It begins with the Trinity looking for ways to extend their relationship to others.  So God creates mankind and gives it a beautiful place to live in, to steward and to make even better.  But the Fall estranges man from God; their friendship is no longer the same.  Even though man rejects Him, God relentlessly works throughout the next centuries to restore and bring mankind back into an unbroken communion with Him.  He finds a willing few, like Abraham, to whom he extends the invitation of being a friend of God and the promise that this friendship will be a blessing to all nations.  Just read Abraham’s story in Genesis to see how he was welcomed by God into His great Gospel plan and how Abraham showed hospitality to many, while himself being a nomad in strange lands.  It is fascinating!  And at some point in time, God himself comes down to be among his estranged creation.

Jesus, Trinity’s secret to the restoration of creation, not only demonstrated hospitality by dwelling with men, but throughout his time on earth, he also modeled genuine hospitality.  He invited strangers like Andrew, Nathaniel and Levi to follow him.  He purposefully shared meals with tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners.  He allowed himself to be interrupted by people who voiced out their need for him, giving them in return, not a cold shoulder nor a grumble, but all of his attention.  I’d say, from receiving invitations into people’s homes, to preparing breakfast for his closest friends, Jesus’ ministry was one unending display of hospitality!

And it all culminated at the cross.  Motivated by obedience and infinite love, Jesus pays the penalty of death for all sins accumulated, and yet to come, since the Fall by mankind.  He takes our place.  His stretched out hands on the wooden beam mirrored the stretched out hands of the Father, welcoming home all misfits and prodigals.  The invitation is out there: for all those who’ll acknowledge the son’s sacrifice.  God is extending his friendship, His very self, and he tells his now, not so stranger friends, that he’s preparing a place for them in heaven and that the party is on!  Will they, will we, accept or refuse this act of hospitality?

The really cool thing about the gospel is that it doesn’t end with reconciliation between God and men.  In Jesus, now all relationships are reconciled!  We “are no longer strangers and aliens but we are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…” Paul writes in Ephesians.   So although we may not know everyone on a familial basis, we have a responsibility to treat others as though we are family, not strangers.  This means more than just being polite to our pew neighbors in church.  It means showing hospitality in all sort of forms, just as we were shown hospitality by God.  The New Testament abounds with commands directed at us:

“Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality”  (Romans 12:13).

“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.”  (1 Peter 4:9)

“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7)

And hospitality, as hard and inconvenient at times, (But, but! I’m busy), to already show those we like or are more likely to agree with, is also required of us towards complete strangers.

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” (Hebrews 13:2)

Jesus knew that one of the greatest keys to a persons heart is by showing them kindness and hospitality. Not with strings attached, motivated by quid-pro quo.  Hospitality motivated by love. Think about it: how did you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus?  What makes home a home?  What person, aside from your immediate family, has had the greatest influence in your life?  Can you name your favorite primary school teacher?  What’s the best thing anyone ever did for you?  If you can tie back any of your answers to these questions to some form of hospitality displayed to you, there are high chances you were shown a biblical form of hospitality.  The kind that, just like God who draws the unlikely to him so he can bless them, moved your heart into a position ready to receive an unexpected kindness.  And my guess is that this act of hospitality wasn’t glamorous.  But it sure was born out of love. “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34-35).

We’re called to love and proclaim this gospel.  Let’s not just proclaim it, let’s act it out through gestures of unexpected, unrequited kindness and hospitality.  What will you do today to show hospitality?

Hospitality is at the heart of the Gospel.  It is in fact the very message of the Gospel.

G—Generosity. To show hospitality to anybody, whether it is to your best friend or to the mailman, is a conscious choice that requires an action from your part.

O—Open hearts open doors. The warmest of welcome into your home is also a welcome into your soul. It’s acknowledging the other persons need for comfort and

S—Selfless. Jesus warned about showing hospitality only to those we know will pay us back with affection, status, or another invitation.

P—People. People. People. Hospitality is more than creating pretty looking spaces and beautiful table settings. It’s only relevant if there is

E—Everyone. Why limit yourself to those you know? Jesus ate and hung out with people who did not always agree with him and who had different interests than him.

L—Love

Hospitality is also spiritual warfare.  It’s going in the opposite spirit as individualism. Loneliness and lack of true meaningful relationships are the fruits of individualism.

Here are some ideas to get you brainstorming:

Think of your colleagues, the people who work closest with you.  Why not give them room for their input and intentionally let them take the lead on certain projects?  Bring them coffee or treat them to lunch, either in or out.  Instead of talking about work, ask them to share about their spiritual life, their hobbies, etc.  On Friday, right before the end of the work day, call all of your co-workers together for a little break.  Pass the chips and salsa around while honoring those who’ve shown leadership, responsibility, generosity, patience, hard-work, etc, throughout the week.  Make sure to use specific events and to celebrate people.  Keep the criticism for another time.

What does it look like to be Jesus’ disciple?

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Most of us are familiar with the story of Saul and the road to Damascus, but if you aren’t, you will still be able to take away the heart of what I’m trying to communicate through this simple blog. My heart in writing this is to inspire growth in any Christian’s life who is currently pursuing a life after the heart of Jesus.  How do we get closer to Jesus? What does it look like to live as one of his Disciples?  Look at the life of – mainly the conversion of – Saul, the zealot, from a life in Judaism and legality, to Paul the apostle, the Christian, who is sold out for Jesus and his namesake.  Being a part of Youth with A Missions’ Discipleship training schools in Lakeside, Montana, I have seen what happened to Paul, take place in the life of many as well as my own.  There are three simple aspects I want to point out, that lead someone to a place that we all desire, in knowing Christ more and becoming someone who lives a life abandoned to Jesus.

Look up

No one I know has had as traumatic of a conversion and revelation as Paul did while traveling to Damascus.  Jesus reveals himself to Paul in a bright light from heaven (Acts 9:3) that knocks him to the ground.  Followed by a voice, which Paul immediately recognizes as his Lord.  Not the ‘Christianese Lord’, but one who is supreme over Paul, one who is in control over Paul.  Paul recognizes Jesus as this, it seems fitting if we place ourselves in the scenario.  Not only do we see this in the way Paul addresses him with his words, but also in his obedience following Jesus’ command. (Which, let’s be honest, if a voice coming from a light gave you a command and takes your sight, you’d probably do whatever it’s asking.)  Paul surrenders to Jesus.  He has a revelation, and he responds.

If we are truly looking to have our lives transformed, it must start here.  We MUST recognize Jesus as Lord, as God, as the one who is know over and in charge of your life.  This is how we look up. Looking up changes the way our minds work.  We become aligned with His will, disregarding our own.  That is how Jesus becomes Lord in our lives.  In this, we also see how God is faithful to Paul, in restoring his sight, and making his plan for Paul to be used as God’s instrument start to take place.

Look in

After Paul receives his sight back, he starts to have his entire foundation violently shaken.  All that he thought he knew, and the life of ‘righteousness’ he was living, now was being re-constructed. Paul spent a period of time re-learning all he thought he knew, as Jesus now had become a part of his life.  Things that Paul thought he understood, things he heard and studied his entire life, as all good little Jewish boys did.  How do I know this?  With there being a few years in between his conversion and his ministry time, as he talks about in Galatians 1, look at the life before and after.  Instead of seeing the Law as something to abide by, it became a way for Paul to know the heart of the Lord, that is, to live and dwell with his people.

In the same way Paul’s foundation was shaken, we too must submit all we have heard, read and studied at the feet of Jesus.  This would allow true change, not just in behavior, but also in the ‘roots’, or heart of our lives.  Instead of legalism being the face of Christianity, the relationship God has always desired for his people takes root. This is how we look in.  You allow Jesus to speak identity over you and, things you have always heard, start to make sense.  Your character and maturity move more toward Jesus. It may look like taking a few years, as did Paul, to submerge yourself in the Word and in time spent just with Jesus, develop character and discipline.  Which leads me to the final aspect we can see in the transformation of Saul to Paul.

Look out

After Paul’s time away, as he has come to know the Lord over his life, and God has made him into his instrument, he heads into the world of the Gentiles (non-believers) with a new purpose and mission.  After being submerged in the will of his Lord, his goal has changed dramatically.  Instead of looking to do harm to the church, his new mission is bringing as many as are willing into the church.

As we spend more and more time in the presence of Jesus, God changes our character and we become more discipling in the things that draw us closer to Him, what now?  Now we Look Out. When we truly know Jesus as Lord over our lives and we have submitted to His will above ours and we spent time allowing Him to shape our ‘foundation’, it is but a reaction to overflow with all we have been given.  This is Missions.  Missions are not an obligation or a duty as Christians.  Now hear my heart here, Missions can become just a sense of legality.  SUCCESSFUL Missions, however, come because we have started to grasp just a little bit of who Jesus really is!  Missions becomes an outflow because our hearts are now starting to resemble His!

I don’t claim to be a theologian or a scholar, but I do know things we see in Paul’s life have been a part of my life.  If you are truly hungry to see God work in your life and become the Lord of your life, if you are looking to pursue this relationship with Jesus, you will find that missions, or ministry, will become an overflow of life with Him.  These three aspects of Paul’s life, and what I hope to become a part of your life, won’t be a one-time occurrence.  Rather, I believe in it becoming a part of the Christian life.  We need Him to reveal Himself, to change us, to reach others, to see more of who He is, to change us, to reach others… etc.

It Is Worth It!

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Hello, Taiwan, it’s nice to finally meet. This plane touching down, this is a year and a half of praying and dreaming. This is seven months of raising support and fighting fidgeting nerves. This is three months of dedication, self-sacrifice, self-discovery, and preparation.

But, oh, wait. I’ve been here once before, haven’t I? That’s right, I’ve lived here for nine years.

Well then, Taiwan, it’s a pleasure to be back.

I am as giddy as a man embarking on a first date. There’s a smile etched on my face and I’m confident stars dance in my eyes. Being back in Taiwan, I am overwhelmed by love for this nation. A team member asks me what I love so much about it, but there’s really no concrete answer. I love it all: from the people to its culture, from the maddening, gritty city streets to its sheer marble mountain walls to its fine, snow white beaches. It’s my childhood. It’s memories. It’s home.

We bathe in the city’s scents struggling to navigate our luggage through narrow, bustling streets just inches away from a visit to the hospital due to vehicles barreling down the already crowded roads. I relish every moment of it. Memories in the backroom of my heart emerge knocking dust from their shoulders. Oh, look, there’s a piece of my childhood! Hey, I understood what they said! I totally want to go back and buy some of that! Déjà vu like a freight train.

Outreach is vastly different then my preceding life in Taiwan, I discover this quickly enough. In a way it’s just a shadow of what I’ve experienced. There is no safe haven of an American home brimming with American food and culture. There is no air-conditioned room for one to escape to when the noise of the city becomes deafening.

There’s no plush bed to rest my weary body as night blankets the city. There is my team and I and the pulse of a muggy, clamoring city. Indeed, outreach is a different animal entirely.

Four days in, immersed in a liquid warm coffee shop, I groan internally, my mind wards off the relentless lure of sleep. What’s the point? My thoughts murmur. There is a man before me, he tells me one story, but his eyes speak another. One of loneliness and wandering, seeking a pinprick of light that will blossom and become something worth living for. He’s worth it. A subtle prod throbs at my heart. The conversation lulls for a brief moment. “What does your father do?” An open door to share Christ? Simplicity at its finest. “Well, he’s a pastor?” The man poses questioningly, “so you’re a Christian.” It’s not a question, but a pointed statement. I nod knowingly, “Yes.” Where does the conversation go from here? He picks up the rope and tosses me an end. “So what do Christians believe?” My heart fractures with a realization that I’ve subtly known but never explicitly faced. This man has never had an opportunity to hear about Christ. And it dawns on me. This is why I am here. He’s worth it to sacrifice a few hours of sleep for.

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We take to the countryside; making our bed in a home so bizarre it would be difficult to paint a picture. Spiders spindle their webs as we shower below them. Fleas and mosquitos feast on my feet, lighting it up like a Christmas tree. A few days in, my knee blows out and that night I find myself fighting back tears and seething with the same question: What’s the point?

A few days later we do a kids ministry to a group of children coming from broken families. They are hilariously ecstatic. They engage in a game of “Duck, Duck, Goose” like it’s the finest thing they’ve ever had the privilege to partake in. They cling to us like monkeys as we leave. My heart swells when we say goodbye. A whisper prods at my heart. They’re worth it. They’re worth fighting through pain in my knee to demonstrate a glimpse of Christ’s vast love.

Days march on. Some days I find myself at wits end, dragging a bum leg around. Some days I’m on a couch dying with laughter with my YWAM family. Some days we’re traveling six hours just to minister to one group of children. Some days we’re traveling by subway, bus, train, and walking to make it to our next destination. Some days we’re dancing our hearts out with little children as they cling to us, grinning ear to ear. Some days I’m bent over a sink washing a seemingly endless line of dishes. Some days we’re eating the strangest foods in the midst of an Asian temple. Some days we’re interceding for God’s heart toward his children. Regardless the circumstance, he is faithful to remind me and to show me His love. He shows me in the tears in the women’s eyes. He shows me in the calculated interest to know more following a street performance. He shows me despite my ignorance. He shows me despite my impatience. He shows me along the damp, reeking streets with a backpack straining at my muscles. He shows me as I stand beneath the stabbing cold shower. He shows me through the sad eyes of a working class man. He shows me through the toothy grin of an elderly man. He shows me in the timid smile of a child. He shows me they’re worth it. He shows me their beauty. He shows me how he loves them. He gives me a taste, a sliver of the Kingdom. It makes the sweat and tears worth it; it makes the exhaustion and hours of preparation worth it. Because Jesus thought we were worth it. So why shouldn’t they be?

Pain in Ministry

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Note: nothing in this post is meant to be used as an excuse for us to avoid dealing with our pain; it is meant as an encouragement for those times when we just feel bad about stuff; when our emotions take over without rhyme or reason. Problems, when possible, should always be fixed, but sometimes we’re just bummed out as humans, and that’s what this is for, when people in ministry find themselves bummed out and feel it disqualifies them from participating in ministry. My goal is to show that, biblically, humans suffer a lot, and that it’s fine to have feelings, but God’s promises transcend our present experiences.

Pain in Ministry

For the last few years or so, and especially this last spring and summer, I have often found myself coming to a dilemma. During that time, I have done a few different biblical training courses and outreaches, all with the goal of sharing what I believe about God and the hope I have in Jesus with others. But so many times during that time, I found that I was in pain. A deep unhappiness, that I didn’t understand, and didn’t know how to reconcile it with what I was supposedly sharing with people, which essentially was a message of freedom. How could I feel so burdened and weak and cripplingly unhappy, when I’m supposed to be encouraging others in their freedom and strength and joy in Christ? What was I doing wrong? And more concerning still, what does this mean for who I am? Am I incapable of doing any truly good, lasting work because of this pain? As time went on, this is how I came to see myself, as a hypocrite who doesn’t deserve whatever opportunities were given to me to teach and share what I know. If I can’t see evidence of change in myself, how dare I convict others in their need to change? All of this was built on the idea that pain can’t be present, or at least shouldn’t (or shouldn’t be so burdensome at least), while one is in ministry. But I’ve recently come to a different understanding of myself, and how what I feel fits into what I feel God has called me to do. I don’t expect my experience to be that useful for many of you, but maybe it will, and the chance to help others is worth the risk of being vulnerable.

How I came to understand my experience was, as with most things, shaped by Scripture. I have long appreciated the emotional aspect of the Bible, and I more often identify with characters that lived lives of struggle. I had never really examined their lives before to see how they might understand their own struggles, and how that fit into their view of God. In Mark Masucci’s Biblical Seminar Courses we were encouraged to identify the ‘core’ theology of a given topic. If you’re in the Old Testament, what is the ‘core’ of what the authors are communicating about God? If you’re looking at Paul’s writings, what is at the ‘core’ of who he understood God to be? Once I started looking at some of my favorite biblical characters, I started to see that their lives, looking from the outside, should have been defined by their pain and suffering. So what was it about their belief in God that enabled them to become the heroes of our faith that we remember them to be? What is the ‘core’ of their theology that made life a little easier to swallow? And ultimately, what can that mean for me?

So what I will be doing here is looking at three of my favorite characters, trying to identify what the core of their theology ‘might’ be, and how that might relate to the lives of modern folk. I stress ‘might’ because these are just my interpretations, and I suspect I may be wrong about some things, to which I am sure the many excellent scholars on campus will happily call me out (and to which I welcome any corrections you might have). I also want to note that my friend Caleb Powers has been helping me process these things, and some of what I discuss is his input and not mine alone. The characters I will be examining are Peter, Jeremiah, and David. I will be looking at them in reverse chronological order, because my main point is made with David, and I want to ‘build the need’ as teachers say.

Peter, The Broken Apostle.

Out of all the people of the Bible (excluding the members of the godhead), I have thought about and appreciated Peter the most. He has, for me, always captured the struggle of what it means to be a human in relation to God, i.e. he screws everything up a lot. But aside from that, you almost always know what Peter is feeling any time he shows up in the text. He is passionate, he is bold, he is shortsighted, and in John 21, he is broken. After Peter had denied Jesus leading up to the crucifixion, and seeing the man he knew to be the Messiah, and also his friend, die up there on the cross for reasons he probably felt he could’ve helped to avoid, he left the ministry. When he says “I am going fishing,” he is basically walking away from what Jesus tells him in Matthew 16:13-20. He, I believe, no longer feels worthy of what Jesus has promised for him, because of his own guilt. But the rest of John 21 shows that Jesus doesn’t let Peter wallow in guilt, but instead seeks him out and confirms his role in ministry. Since Peter was human, I have a hard time believing he was absolved completely of what he felt. He still probably felt horrible about his actions, but as church history goes on to show, Peter was able to overcome whatever he may have felt about what he had done, and gave his life to building Christ’s church.

who am I that I could stand in His way?

How I believe he was able to do this, and what I see as the core of his theology, is found in Acts 11:17: “…who was I that I could stand in God’s way?” I believe this to be the core of how he saw himself, because no issue seems to come up more in his life. Going back to Matthew 16, in vss. 21-23, Jesus rebukes him in the famous “Get behind me Satan!” line. Peter then goes on to infamously deny Jesus three times. Paul’s rebuke of Peter in Galatians shows that at least in one other instance in his life, he appears to stand in the way of what God is doing. But I believe Peter’s remark in Acts 11 goes back to that day on the beach in John 21. I don’t know if Peter was ever emotionally or mentally the same after his denial of Jesus, but I believe Jesus’ pursuit of him on that beach showed him that if Jesus (God), pursues him in spite of his own denial of him, how could he possibly deny God (again)? In the case of Acts 10 and 11, if God gives him a ‘new’ theology, how could he deny it? Spiritually, he understood that he was God’s, and regardless of his mistakes, he knew that Jesus wasn’t going to let him go, because Jesus proved he would pursue him always, and “who am I that I could stand in His way?”

This is how I believe Peter was able to function in his ministry. I believe he endured great personal strife and, because of his humanity, was perhaps from time to time struck by his guilt. But Spiritually he knew where he was, which was beside Jesus’ side, because that’s where Jesus wanted him and Peter knew that he could not deny Him.

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Jeremiah, A Buttress of Hope

Jeremiah is often remembered as the Weeping Prophet, but I don’t particularly like that moniker. I realize that it is literally true, but I think it loses sight of part of who Jeremiah was. Even though he wept, it never clouded his sight of God. Even though he often cried out in confusion about the things God was doing in his life, he always held firm. He was unshaken by his own emotional nature, and even amidst great physical, emotional and probable mental anguish, he held on. How? Why?

I believe the core of Jeremiah’s belief system comes from Lamentations 3, verses 24 and 31-32. “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” “For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love;…” Incredible! Just a few verses before, in 3:16-18 he said: “He has made my teeth grind on gravel, and made me cower in ashes; my soul is bereft of peace; I have forgotten what happiness is; so I say, “My endurance has perished; so has my hope from the LORD.” How can Jeremiah make all of these statements so close to one another? Again, appealing to Jeremiah’s humanity, I believe the answer is found in the difference between his spiritual and emotional states. Emotionally, Jeremiah often seems to be a wreck, often totally distraught about what he is experiencing, which is understandable given what we see of his life. But I believe spiritually, he always comes back to what he says in vss 24 and 31-32. He knows who God is, and he knows that even in his suffering, surely he isn’t being cast off forever. He lives day to day in what appears to be utter heartbreak, but at the same time, with the spiritual fortitude to understand his soul has hope in the LORD. He may never see the compassion he speaks of in his life, at least not in a way that we would understand it, but he seems to know that his physical woe means nothing compared to the love of God, even if he has to take the long-view in his own life to see that, as he looks upon the rubble of Jerusalem.

David, Making Sense of Chaos

What does it mean to be in the valley of the shadow of death? What does it feel like to be sitting at a table with your enemies?

The whole basis of this little essay, and the process that God used to start healing me, started with David, and only a few weeks ago. It was in a meeting where Psalm 23 came up, and the focus was on the peace that David talks about that God gave him. But during that time, I was struggling, because I again found myself in a place of deep unhappiness and a sort of self-loathing for being so unhappy while I’m supposed to be ministering. I was hearing what everyone was staying about the Psalm, and the peace it gave them, and I just couldn’t relate, because I don’t think peace is the point of Psalm 23. Or at least not in the way it is often presented. This started me thinking on what David believed about his life, and how he could say the things he says in Psalm 23, about being led by still waters, even though his life was often non-stop chaos. Even Psalm 23 itself speaks of this chaos. What does it mean to be in the valley of the shadow of death? What does it feel like to be sitting at a table with your enemies? Are we really saying that David felt totally cool with both of those situations on a mental and emotional level? I have a hard time saying ‘yes’ to that last question, because David was human, and at the very least he would’ve been stressed if he was having salad with some Philistine generals while they casually discuss how they want to offer the Israelite army to their god Dagon (that isn’t biblical, it’s just what I imagine Philistine generals probably chatted about). Even Jesus felt stress and emotional turmoil in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36ff). Is David stronger than Jesus? Nope.

So what is going on here? Well, I believe Psalm 23 is critically important for explaining how David viewed his life. But I don’t believe it has much to do with verses 1-5. I believe 23:6 is the core of everything he believed, and how he was able to get by day to day with all the struggle and strife that filled his life. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” The key idea there being ‘forever.’ Everything in that Psalm that comes before that last line is all temporal imagery, of finding peace in the physical world. But dwelling in the house of the LORD forever is something different entirely. I think David is able to give us that delightful, peaceful imagery earlier in the Psalm, because he knows where he truly dwells. His body may be in these places of chaos and torment, but he knows who God is and how he relates to God, which is as his friend, destined to dwell in his house. Personally, I look to Psalm 25:16-18 for how I see David to generally understand his position, and that is probably the section I identify with the most currently in my life. And, for me, the only way I can reconcile all of these different Psalms where David presents a life totally contrary to the tranquility presented in Psalm 23 is by, like Jeremiah, seeing them split their lives into physical and eternal realities.

I believe David and Jeremiah, and probably most if not all Old Testament characters, were constantly looking beyond their present circumstance. Their lives, for all intents and purposes, really sucked. But they somehow carried on. Hebrews 11 speaks of Abraham being able to live out his life in tents because he was looking forward to a city with foundations. For Jeremiah, he knew the Lord wouldn’t cast him off forever; there had to be an end that resulted in compassion, because he knew who God was. And for David, the great sufferer and sinner, he knew he was ultimately always going to be coming back to the house of the LORD, and one day, forever.

Josh Miller, The Humbled Child

What I’ve been talking about is essentially just one of the hip Christianese topics of the day – “Eternal Perspective”. But for so long I understood that as a theology that sort of stood outside of day to day life. What I found when I went to Scripture and looked at the lives of my heroes, I saw that eternity was something that they applied to their daily lives to make sense of their realities. How else does Jeremiah endure without believing there has to be something beyond what he has spent his whole life seeing? How does David possibly ever recover from Nathan’s rebuke of his actions with Bathsheba and subsequent death of his child without believing he has a greater house than his own to come back to? Peter fits into this, because as humans we are sometimes tempted to believe that we can, or are, wandering away from God. But like Jesus in John 21, I believe he pursues us, pursues me, and if that is true, who am I to stand in his way? And if I am sometimes brutally unhappy, if my emotions say my reality is terrible and I am temporarily discouraged with this existence, I can return to the house of the Lord, where I know there is always room for me. Eternal perspective when understood as an applied theology, brings us to a place of looking past ourselves and onto the face of Jesus, who is making pie for us all to enjoy when he finally calls us all to come over to his house forever.

He found me on the beach, wallowing in my humanity and my failure, and has said ‘feed my sheep’

I again find myself humbled by God. I am still in pain and often unhappy, for reasons I am still trying to figure out, but believing that pain means I can’t serve God effectively no longer cripples me. He found me on the beach, wallowing in my humanity and my failure, and has said ‘feed my sheep’ (many of whom are themselves dealing with a lot of pain.) I don’t necessarily feel great doing that sometimes, but Jesus wants his sheep to hear his voice, and who am I to stand in his way? The joy of the Lord doesn’t necessarily mean we are completely happy with life, I know now; I find my hope and joy in the Lord right now, getting me through each day, because I know that soon, and eternally, my joy will be made complete as I dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

[promote_post title=”Blog Post: Emotions – A Biblical Perspective” post_id=”3618″ description=”Nearly sixty of the Psalms are the expression of difficult circumstances through lamentation. In fact, the book of Lamentations is devoted completely to the expression of difficulty in the life of the believer.”/]

The Surge From Taipei’s Point of View

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YWAM Montana is partnering with YWAM Taipei in an initiative called “The Surge”. We are partnering with YWAM Taipei’s vision to pioneer YWAM locations in 3 of the least-reached areas of Taiwan. We’re also working together towards three God-sized goals.

We want to see 500 Disciples. YWAM Taipei is defining this as “new believers who are receiving ongoing discipleship”. We want to see 50 Church Partnerships. These are church partnerships that will be active “giving and receiving relationships” between YWAM Taipei and the local churches around Taiwan. Finally, we want to see 50 Missionaries sent long term. We’re talking about people really leaving (in the Abrahamic sense) and moving to a location with the intention of being there for at least 5 years.

This summer we had the pleasure of having several YWAM Taipei staff join us for our summer quarter. While they were here they put together this video to share what The Surge has meant to them so far. We’re excited to see that The Surge is already having an impact and we look forward to the ways that God will use this partnership over the next two years.

[promote_post title=”Learn more about The Surge” post_id=”3578″ description=”Our first Surge location is our Target Nation Taiwan.  We are partnering with YWAM Taipei’s vision to pioneer YWAM ministries in 3 of the least-reached areas of Taiwan…”/]

Questions: Discipline and Discipleship

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What is the best question you’ve ever been asked?

How did it make you want to respond? Did it stir up something inside you?  

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve sin. They disobey God, turning their backs on him, they run head-long into rebellion. As they hide from God, He calls out to them “Where are you?”  (Genesis 3:9)

Did God really not know where Adam was? Of course He knew.

So then, why did he ask the question?  “Where are you?”

We often want to ask “WHY?”

Why, God, did this happen?
Why were they so stupid?
Why is all mankind cursed as a result?
Why God – WHY?

Maybe the more important questions we can ask are “WHAT” and “HOW”, instead of “WHY”.  These are questions that unlock the story for us – They help us to study God’s Word for ourselves.

What was God trying to get Adam to see?
He is trying to get Adam to see he is alone and lost without God.

How was God using this question to provoke communication?
God was getting Adam to take his eyes off his ‘surroundings’ (Eve, the Serpent), and getting him to take responsibility for his own actions.

What was God communicating in this question?
I still want a relationship with you Adam.  I know what you did, and I am here to talk.

As the story goes on, we see God using questions to help Adam unlock the reality of the situation.  “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” Genesis 3:11

God is using questions. What is God trying to get at? Genesis 3:13 – What is this that you have done? This is a fantastic question – “What is this that you have done?”  This question is full of implicational thinking. It is full of possibilities. It is full of consequences.

This is a question that communicates in a way that CONTINUES to communicate long after the question has been asked.

Adam will spend his life considering this question.  It has unlocked something in him. In one question, God has disciplined, and God has discipled. Questions are part of God’s communication. They are part of his discipline and discipleship.  

Ten years ago, God asked me a question – “How are you living, and How are you dying?  Is the way you’re living worth dying for?”  In that moment, God disciplined me (Son, your life right now is not a worthy life), and God disciple me (Son, let me give you a picture of what true life really is in Christ).

For us, How is our discipleship?  How do we discipline?  What can we learn from God’s own communication?

How can we incorporate God’s style of question asking into our own communication?

So that Jesus is Glorified

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During a Discipleship Training School students travel from all over the world to a particular location to learn that God speaks, that He wants to speak to them, that He has a call on their lives and a purpose for them. They learn about the character and nature of God through scripture and who God says that they are because of what Jesus did on the cross and through His resurrection. It is a time of strengthening identity and foundation in their faith; it is incredible! In every school we see God bring healing and transformation, and we see people gain a better understanding of God’s heart for them and for others. All of this is amazing to watch.

But it was never meant to stop there!

All of the healing and transformation and truth that is heard and believed throughout a DTS is for a purpose: so that Jesus would be glorified in our lives! Youth With a Mission is a missions organization and our mission is “to know God and to make Him known”. You could even say that our mission is to know God so that we can make Him known. As believers, disciples of Jesus, our mission comes from the Great Commission in Matt. 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age’”.

our mission is to know God so that we can make Him known

For this upcoming Fall DTS, we have been praying for God to highlight a theme for us to focus on. We have felt God reminding us of the purpose of our own personal growth in our relationship with Him: we are called to preach the gospel and make disciples in all the nations, pointing them to Jesus!

This Fall’s theme for DTS is “…so that Jesus is Glorified!” The verse that the Lord gave us is 2 Thess. 1:11-12

“To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (ESV)

Our prayer is that as God draws us into a deeper relationship with him during this season, we will see our personal growth as unto something greater. May the end result be that through that deeper relationship with God, we understand more of His heart to share with others and seek to pour out all that has been invested in us to the world around us…so that Jesus is glorified!

We want to invite you to be a part of what God is wanting to do both in – and through – all of us this Fall. We anticipate that God is going to do some very profound things and we are incredibly excited about what He continues to share with us. Maybe the Lord is leading you to consider joining us. Please pray about it. Perhaps God wants to meet you in a special way too, “so that…”

The Well – An Update on Our New Worship School

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We recently finished running a new course called “The Well.” The Well is a hands on, practical application course for those who want to gain more experience in worship leadership and ministry. During our 12 weeks together, we led worship 148 times, traveled thousands of miles to lead worship in churches around the country (some with congregations over 5,000), led two 24-hour worship experiences, filmed and recorded a live worship time with some original songs on the deck of our Student Center, and attempted to become more devoted followers of the Holy Spirit as He leads us to honor Him.

The whole point of The Well is to give students a wide variety of opportunities to step out in worship leadership while partnering the Holy Spirit.  We wanted to do more than talk about worship in theory, but learn by actually doing worship.  The basic format was to talk about some principles together, lead worship, discuss what happened and how the Holy Spirit was moving, and then do it all again with another group of people in another venue.

We spent over five hours a week learning music theory, sound reinforcement, Pro Tools and other technical skills that equip us to be more effective.  We rehearsed together 10-20 hours per week. We had voice lessons and studied hymns. We spent an hour each day in the Psalms. All this to say, it was a JAM PACKED 12 weeks, and we feel richer because of it.

Surprisingly, after all that, we only wanted to worship more.  You would think that this routine might get a little old, but being in God’s presence has a way of increasing our hunger for Him.  We found that after the 12 weeks, not only had our skills and experience increased, but so had our passion.

We’d love to have you join us for  The Well next Spring! It’s a growing school with limited space so apply early!

Check out the playlist below to see four live songs from The Well (three originals and a cover). We’ll be posting three more songs later this summer.