Can You See Me?

This week our students started a new series, The Invisibles.  This series examines the challenges that many of us have faced with feeling invisible at certain points of our lives, seeing others who may be invisible to us right now, and gaining an understanding that we have never been invisible to God.  Each week includes a discussion question/point that our parents and their students are encouraged to wrestle through together.  The first week’s discussion point reads as follows, “Describe a time when you felt invisible.”

Invisibility has often times been a power that superheroes possesses that has intrigued me.  I have thought about the possibilities of observing things without anyone knowing you are there, being able to remove yourself from a tense situation without anyone knowing, and several other interesting things.  However, I found in my life, the fact to be true that you don’t have to be a superhero to have the power of invisibility.  In fact, many people walking around today have this very power as they walk by us without really connecting to us or in fact to anyone.

I think if we examined our lives there have been times that we all have felt invisible.  There have been those times that we walked into a new place and desired a connection only to see others moving busily through their routines and completely ignoring us.  There are probably times when we have wished for someone to come up and talk to us but deep down were afraid that someone would because that would mean that we would actually have to talk to them.  Personally, I think that our culture has made us so accustomed to feeling invisible, overlooked, or left out that we are immune to really noticing it anymore.  But what happens to us when someone does reach out and connect with us?  What happens when someone notices that we are not invisible but rather that we have a unique and special story to tell?  What happens when someone looks at our heart rather than passes a quick glance our direction?

For me there is one story that I shared with our students this past week of an opportunity that presented itself for me to take notice of someone else and listen to his story.  A few years ago, I was serving with a group of students and adults at a homeless shelter in West Virginia as a part of a mission trip experience.  After our time of serving it was time for us to leave and head back to the church where we were staying, however I noticed a young man out of the corner of my eye who struck me as someone who needed something else.  I could have left with our group and missed out on his story but something (rather Someone, meaning God) made me stay.  I found myself wondering over to the bed beside him and sat down across from him.  Upon doing so we made small talk about his situation, family, and life.  I found myself almost in tears as he shared about an illness he had that caused his family to leave him, which include three beautiful children.  I listened to his story about how he was out of work, how he had served our country faithfully in the army, and so much more about his struggles.  Throughout the conversation, I found myself crying with him as he shared his hurt so openly and honestly.  This young man had been invisible for so long to so many people, that my heart just broke thinking about the hardships that he had endured.  Without really thinking about it, I started to share about my faith and asked Jeremy if he would like to know more about a God who loves him and wants a relationship with him?  He looked at me with tears in his eyes and said “YES!”  I grabbed a couple of other adults and we started praying for Jeremy right then and there.  After we finished he looked up at me with tears in his eyes and simply said “Thank you.”  We made several offers to him to reconnect with us while we were there and he said he would be alright.  As I went to bed that night I realized that God had seen Jeremy all along and he was never truly invisible to others even though he thought he was.  The next morning Jeremy showed up at the church we were staying at which proved to be a wonderful connection for him as he served alongside of us, began worshipping there, and eventually got a job helping him get back on his feet.  I lost touch with Jeremy after our time together but I often times find myself thinking of him and praying for him wherever he is.  I wonder how my life would have been different if I hadn’t stopped to listen to his story while seeking to connecting him to God’s Story.

When is a time in your life you have felt invisible?  I’m sure that many of us can share stories of our own personal hurt and pain when we were overlooked but what about the times we overlook others?  My challenge to you this week is to find someone who may be invisible to others, and simply take time to listen to their story.

 

 

 

You Expect Me To Do What!

          This past week our students finished up the Rhythm series that they have worked through this past month.  Each week includes a discussion question that our parents and their students are encouraged to wrestle through together.  The fourth week’s question read as follows, “No person can have a life in rhythm if they are not at peace with the people around them. In the final week of this series students will be challenged to be in rhythm with others, to be passionate about serving those they encounter and to seek forgiveness and reconciliation when needed. How can you work at making this a regular practice in your family?”

Tension is one of those things that we often feel uncomfortable with and try to remedy as quickly as possible.  However, have you ever stopped to think of tension as a good thing?  For me, the need to view tension in a new light started when I started searching the Scriptures, asking challenging questions, and seeking to make my faith my own in college.  I realized that the tension I was feeling wasn’t a negative thing but rather something that was positive because it was causing me to search out who God really is and how that directly affected my life.  Asking challenging questions sometimes actually deters us from spiritual growth, as we are too afraid to ask these questions for the fear that we may be met with ridicule or laughter or even worse a phrase that offers little closure, “I don’t know the answer to that question.”  What would happen if we started asking challenging questions that we may not have the answer to but would cause us to search the Bible, pray for answer, and seek the solution together?  Is all tension bad not at all, in fact it may be one of the largest sources of our spiritual growth.

With that being said, our youth ministry experienced a healthy dose of tension this past week, based on the following story.  I shared about the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school when I was dating a young lady who happened to be a pastor’s daughter.  Growing up in a small church I found myself going to a larger church for youth group as we only had a couple of students in our small church.  One of the other students who drew me into this other youth group was my girlfriend at the time.  Shortly after I started attending there, which led me to church camp for the first time where I accepted my call to ministry, I found our relationship slipping away which led to eventual heartache in my life as she broke-up with me.  While this was a challenging time for me several of my friends and especially my youth pastor reached out to me to stay involved in the program.  I decided to stick around knowing that I would probably see my ex-girlfriend weekly.  She actually stopped coming to youth group for a while and I remember feeling relief from the situation.  However, a few months later she came back and because of her amazing singing voice our youth pastor allowed her to lead our youth worship team!  I remember feeling so frustrated that he would allow her to lead after the way that she hurt me and then I stumbled across a powerful Scripture that made me take a second look at the situation.  

That Scripture was Matthew 5:21-24 which says, “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do Not Murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.  But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.  And whoever says to his brother, ‘Fool!’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin.  But whoever says, ‘You moron!’ will be subject to hellfire.  So if you are offering your gift on the alter and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your fit there in front of the alter.  First go and be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (HSCB)

As I thought about this passage I realized that the problem was not with her but with me.  I needed to seek to forgive her and move on with my life but this was a challenge.  However, with time things began to get better as we decided to seek “reconciliation” for the sake of our own spiritual journeys.

As you read this maybe there is someone that you need to seek reconciliation from.  Maybe there is something that you need to forgive for something that happened in your life, even if it was years ago.  If that is the case for you my prayer is that you will allow the healthy dose of tension in your life to be a reason to move you to reconciliation and/or forgiveness.

Fears, Faults, & Failures

            This past week our students continued looking at the series Rhythm that they will be working through over the next month.  Each week includes a discussion question that our parents and their students are encouraged to wrestle through together.  The third week’s question read as follows, “This week students will explore the things that create tension in their own self-perception and learn the ugly truth: Being in rhythm with ourselves and being in rhythm with God go hand in hand. How we view God our Creator affects how we view His creation, ourselves. They will consider the masks they wear and the faults they try to cover up, and they'll receive a challenge to begin to shed those masks and be at peace with who they really are. Talk openly and candidly with your student this week about the things both of you have a hard time accepting when it comes to the faults you see in yourself. How can you better accept yourselves as you are?”

            Honestly, when I first read this and thought about it, I just cringed at the thought on truly evaluating myself in an open and public manner.  Are there faults that I see in myself, yes.  Do I accept myself all the time as Christ does, not really.  As I thought through this I could think of no better example of accepting ourselves, faults and all, than the Scripture that we shared with the students this past week, from John 4:3-30.  Here is a modern day telling of this Scripture.

 

            As you can see from either this video of the Scripture itself, this woman was filled with insecurities and failures.  She was terrified to come to the well with the other women because of what they would say or think.  She was stunned that Jesus, a Jewish man, would talk to her in this context since it was prohibited in their day for men/women to talk as well as Jews/Samaritans.  However, the real shock was when Jesus saw through everything and went directly to the heart of the matter.  He dealt with her in a loving manner by extending grace to her, faults and all. 

I wonder how many times we miss getting to know someone because of their faults.  I wonder how many blessings we miss because we are so preoccupied with our own faults, fears, and failures rather than devoting our time to help someone in need.  My challenge to you today, is to embrace your fears, faults, and failures as they are a part of you.  Work to better yourself by relying on God’s grace and love to assist you in this process of “chiseling” your life to be more loving and accepting of both yourself and others.

Unsung Heroes

            Starting next month our students will hear a new series that touches a spot very dear to my heart.  We will be looking at a series entitled The Invisibles.  Here is a brief series synopsis about this wonderful series;

“We are surrounded by the invisibles. These are people who simply want to know someone cares, someone notices? People who want to know God cares. Some of us would even say we feel that way? Invisible to an entire world, daily passing us by. Whether that feeling is a familiar one or not, the reality is that each one of us has felt invisible at one point or another. But we didn't stay that way. God saw us. He sees the invisibles. And because God took notice of us, we are able to open our eyes to see those around us.”

As I have thought about this series and how to start the conversation I began thinking about “the invisibles” in my life?  Who are those people that are the unsung heroes, who have played a role in my faith journey?  As a youth director, there are several people that I could mention such as my youth pastor and FCA director who both invested in me during my teenage years to help me figure out God’s call on my life.  I could note a couple professors who helped me through college wrestling with the adventure that God has called me too.  There have also been pastors and volunteers who have supported, encouraged, and prayed for/with me during my faith journey as well.  But all of those people are not the unsung hero that I wanted to talk about today.  Sure they are wonderful people, blessed with amazing gifts that they are using for God and without them I would not be where I am today.

However, the unsung hero in my life is someone that I see every day.  It’s someone who embraces me, cries with me, listens to my stories, cares for me, and loves me unconditionally.  Many of you may be thinking I am referring to my personal relationship with God, which is exemplified by all of those traits, but my unsung hero, is my wife Mindy.  Without her by my side over the past eight years (seven of which has been our marriage) I don’t know where I would be.  She is always there supporting me, loving me, and caring for me.  However, how often have I stopped to thank her for the love and care that she freely gives every day?  How often have I truly thought about the sacrifices that she has made so I can pursue the God placed on my life?  How many nights has she stayed at home raising our kids, so I can go to the church, athletic event or concert of a student from the church?  How many sleepless nights has she endured because I was gone to a retreat, mission trip, or conference?

Mindy, truly is the unsung hero of my faith journey (not to mention the youth ministries that I have served in) because of the personal sacrifices that she has made to be loving wife, compassionate mother, youth ministry volunteer, or any of the several other roles that she has filled during our journey together.   She has helped me through so many challenges and celebrated the wonderful joys of ministry along the way as well.

After wrestling with this thought for the past week, I started thinking about the students, parents, and families that I have served during my ministry career.  I wondered how many students felt “invisible” to their parents and friends?  I wondered how many parents felt “invisible” to their spouses or children despite all of their hard work and sacrifice?  I wondered how many families felt “invisible” to the church or that they couldn’t share their hurt and pain for the fear they would be judged?

My challenge to you today is simply to start looking for the “unsung heroes” in your lives, families, and faith journey.  What can you do to say thank you to those people who have helped shaped who you are today?

Where is Your Wonder?

            This past week our students continued looking at the series Rhythm that they will be working through over the next month.  Each week includes a discussion question that our parents and their students are encouraged to wrestle through together.  The second week’s question read as follows, “This second week, students will be challenged to look at God in new ways. Many times we find that we are so familiar with “churchy” descriptions of God that we forget who He really is. And when we forget who God is, how awesome and surprising He can be, then we are tempted to turn our attention and affection to other things and our lives fall out of tune. In week two students will be challenged to discover a God who is bigger than our attempts to define Him. Discuss with your teen ways that God has surprised you and your family with how big He is.”

            This particular thought is something that I have often wrestled with throughout my faith journey.  As I was going through this lesson with our students this week, I began to find myself wrestling with this theme again.  As we read the familiar passage of Adam and Eve falling into temptation in the garden, we discussed how crazy it was that they traded their “wonder” of God for a measly piece of fruit?  But don’t we do the same thing so often?  We trade our wonder and sense of awe that should be directed at God for something as small as the latest Facebook post or tech gadget.  We surrender what should be an amazing sense of wonder towards our Creator for so much less.

            In my own life this is most evident in my love for the Boston Red Sox’s.  As a freshman in college I chose to start following this team, simply to spite my best friend who is a Yankee’s fan.  However, this passion quickly evolved into following a team that I grew to love.  It has become my passion which is evident by walking into my office or taking a glance in my closet.  I am proud to wear the various Red Sox attire that I have acquired over the years, even in challenging seasons like this one, and cheer them on no matter what.  I was thrilled a little over a year ago to go to Fenway Park for the first time and see a Red Sox’s game this year for the first time as well.  It has been an amazing journey that has demonstrated the joys and frustrations of life. 

 

However, as I thought about my passion for the Red Sox’s I began to think about my own passion for God.  Do I get as excited when I open my Bible, sing praises to God, or hear a message about His love for me, as I do when I watch the Red Sox play?  Do the words of the Bible impact my heart the same way I feel when one of my favorite players has an outstanding game?  Do I expect the same kind of miracles when I pray for those I love as when I “pray” the Sox’s get a win?  In all honesty, I find myself falling extremely short in this area.  If I really examined my heart and you too, I think we could admit that there are several things that steal our “wonder” of God.  We are quick to place the wonder that should be solely reserved for Him on other things, dreams, or wishes.

God desires to surprise us by demonstrating how big He actually is.  The problem to me seems to be that we fixate on things that are smaller, temporary, or have an expiration date rather than the vastness of God’s love for us.  What would your life look like if you truly embraced the wonder of God in your daily life?  What would your outlook be if every time you opened your Bible you were amazed at the stories in a new and fresh way?  What if you began to pray for miracles that seemed impossible to us, but were simple for God?  I challenge you this week, to truly start to celebrate the wonder of God and celebrate how big He truly is!

Finding Rhythm in the Song

          This past week our students started a new series entitled, Rhythm.  “The first week of the Rhythm series is designed to help students understand that in the beginning, God established a rhythm. They unpacked the story of creation and the harmony that existed between Adam and God, Adam and nature, and Adam and Eve. They entertained the idea that from the start, that everything worked together in perfect harmony like a beautiful song. But then Adam and Eve made a choice that destroyed the song and threw the rhythm off. They also looked at God’s response to Adam’s sin, and saw that God continues to seek a relationship with us even after things have fallen apart.

Parents, talk with your teen about how he or she sees the brokenness in the rhythm around them. Feel free to share your observations as well.” (Orange curriculum Parent Cue-Rhythm-Week One)

As I thought about this question of where I see brokenness in the rhythm around myself, several thoughts began to creep into my mind.  I recently have been thinking about several issues surrounding poverty, hunger, and other social justice issues.  I have wondered if in “dealing” with these issues if we are simply “throwing money at the problem” or really seeking a solution to the issue.  As we seek to combat the “evil” in the act are we doing so with grace and love in our hearts?  Are we trying to equip those affected with a process of rehabilitation or just get them out of the situation currently?  All of these thoughts have really challenged me lately.  However, the most obvious example of this came to me on Monday evening while watching a television show.

On Monday evening my wife and I were watching The Voice, as they started their competition with the blind auditions.  The second girl featured came out and sang an amazing song with her incredible voice that got the attention of the judges.  A couple turned around but when they started the conversation with her was when it got interesting.  They asked her about her story and she shared that her father was a pastor and when she started to question her identity, as all teenagers do, the church began to shun her because she was “different.”  She stated that her parents still loved her and supported her but that the church refused to allow her to sing within their building.  I felt my stomach start churning as I wondered how many other people had been “turned off” to Christianity because Christians told them they were to “different?”  What ever happened to grace, love, and mercy?  Shouldn’t we as Christians be seeking to embrace others in love, caring for them, and seeking to introduce them to a relationship with Jesus, rather than condemning/judging them? 

What would it look like if we as Christians sought to embrace the hurt and pain in our world while seeking to be like Jesus was with the woman at the well or the woman caught in adultery?  What would it look like for our lives to be in rhythm with God’s heart in this way?

Slacking in Service?

            This past week I have been thinking a great deal about people who are “servants” or “members in ministry” in the church.  As we approach the start of our fall programming at Faith UMC, I am encouraged by the great number of individuals who are Falling Into Faith and serving in their local church.  These individuals are willingly giving of their time, energy, and resources to be a blessing to someone else, for which they need to be commended.  Serving others is sometimes a challenging thing to do as it may make us uncomfortable, present challenges, or cause us to simply sacrifice our time.

            With that in mind I was thinking about a story I heard one time from a great speaker.  He shared a story about how an individual went into different levels of schools asking the same question.  They started their experiment by walking into a kindergarten classroom and asking the students “Who of you can draw?”  Every student in the classroom raised their hands.  “What can you draw?” was the next question.  Every student began shouting out their answers, excitedly claiming that they could create the largest masterpiece.  “How many of you like to sing?”  Again every student raised their hands and eagerly tried to outdo the other students with what they could sing.

            Next this individual traveled to a third grade classroom, asking the same questions.  When the question arose about who could draw, he noticed fewer hands were raised.  When asked what they could draw, specific answers were given, such as, “I can only draw horses.”  The question about singing rendered the same results, as students stated they could only sing a certain style of music.  This raised a level of curiosity in the individual asking the questions who then traveled to a high school classroom.

            He asked the students the same two questions, “Who can draw?” which seemed to fall on deaf ears as only a couple of students in the classroom raised their hands.  When asked about what they could draw their answers were extremely specific limiting their creativity.  The question about singing rendered the same results as only a couple of students acknowledged that they could sing. 

            After thinking about this for a great deal of time, the individual surveying asked the question, at what age did we stop believing we could do the impossible?  At what age did we lose our creativity?  At what age did we die?  Thinking about these questions causes us to question, why is it that the older we get the less we are creative and able to dream?  Thinking about this I think the same is true with where we serve.  As young children we believe that we can accomplish anything, serve anyone, and do anything.  However, the older we get the more limits we put on things based on our own level of comfort. 

            I know that I have been guilty of this throughout my life as a youth director/pastor.  I often times find myself thinking that I can only work with teenagers and their parents, however recently I was presented with an opportunity to work with the parents of younger children, which caused me a little discomfort at first, but then I thought of this story.   Why do I limit my area of service to one specific category?  Could I not be used in another avenue with more people?  When did I stop dreaming about the impact that I could have?  Am I willing to be stretched and used in this way?

            As you think about your own life and the ways that you are serving, I challenge you to dream “God-sized” dreams and think about the numerous ways that God desires for you to be utilized in serving His Kingdom!