"Oh Death, Where is your Sting?"

It's been over 8 years now since I surrendered my life to Christ and was born again. My eternal life began; living and walking in the Spirit was now part of my life on earth. John 3 speaks of being born again in some detail.

To get to the point, since beginning life in the Spirit, I have experienced the death of four significant people in my life. I think often my poise during a funeral or a burial can be mistaken for insensitivity or lack of heart. This might be true of many Christians even. To be clear, I'm definitely not saying that Christians are not allowed to be emotional or experience mourning during the death of a loved on. The reason I'm actually writing this is to share what I experience during the time of processing physical death.

During today and yesterday I have been attending the wake, visitation, funeral, and burial of my paternal Grandmother, Aretus. This time, as much as any other, I look around and see the sting of death: hurt, pain, remorse, guilt, shame, regret. But, the fruit of the Spirit is Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith, Gentleness, Self-Control. What a struggle to experience the fruit of the Spirit in the midst of death. T \o any man or woman, the sting of death is evident in our world, we can allow it to control us for days, weeks, or even months. Imagine if Christ had not overcome death -- the disciples would have been dumbstruck for months or even years after having following Christ in all his ministry. Paul even offers this thought to ponder in 1 Cor 15:12-19

"Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is without foundation, and so is your faith. In addition, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified about God that He raised up Christ—whom He did not raise up if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Therefore, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone."

 But thankfully, Paul points us to the resurrection of Christ as you read on in v20-24

"But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at His coming, those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when He abolishes all rule and all authority and power."

Because Paul pointed to Christs resurrection, we too should look to our Faith in Christ to hope and know of our resurrection. This resurrection is not of the flesh, but of the Spirit as noted in verse 44, our Spirit is sown in the natural body, and raised in the spiritual body. The Spirit directs us to experience it's fruit as we walk with and around those whom are experiencing the sting of death in the midst of it. I personally think that especially Joy and Peace should be demonstrated during these times because they offer much comfort to those who mourn, including ourselves. Now understanding the theology, I come back to the four people that I've experienced the death of. 

The first was several years ago, my maternal Grandma. I am thankful that 2 years before she passed, I was given the opportunity to meet with here for Breakfast and share the Gospel with her. From that day, her heart towards me was different. She understood that I loved her in a way that wasn't of this world, but because I cared about her eternity. She told me that he hope was in Christ. The second person was a freshman college student from Winona. Although I didn't know her well, I was a spiritual leader to her because of my role as a staff member on her campus where I shared messages from the Word and coached upperclassman students who led her Bible Study. She was one who set the example of full surrender to Christ. I had nothing but Joy and Peace in her death, even though she was young, the way that God was glorified by the way she lived will echo for generations and eternity in heaven. The third person was a young man from La Crosse who was an upperclassman leader in our Cru ministry. Similar to the girl from Winona, this young man's life echoed strongly for God and he left a legacy that was shared just two days ago with 1700 people at a conference. The ripple of his legacy and devotion to Christ will undoubted lead people to glorify God for all of eternity. 

And finally the most recent, my paternal Grandma. Over the last 10 years, cognitively she has been degenerating. It's been a hard, difficult process for my family to watch. When I was young I remember snippets of her life and the joy that she had, but very little. So as I attended this funeral, I was hungry to hear about my grandma from others who knew her well and how she lived for God. And hearing is just that, exactly what happened. I was unaccustomed to Catholic funerals, having little knowledge of their traditions how they conduct funerals. Their services left little to know room of personal remembrance; however, I am thankful to have been able to talk to people during the comings and goings of the different services and at a luncheon that was provided. I heard from many people about the vitality and fervor of my grandma for people and for God and it brought hope and joy to my heart. 

People gathered at the luncheon sharing stories of my Grandmother's life

Earlier I mentioned one of the stings of death to be regret, and admittedly this is one that hit me as I never took the chance to reiterate and affirm the Gospel with my grandma until after she had been experiencing the symptoms of alzheimers. However, because of the Spirit, and my faith in God's sovereignty, I trust that He knows what He's doing.

Although death is often a harrowing time in the life of many, my prayer is that Christ is displayed as the Victor over it in our lives and in the lives of others as we love them. 

 "When this corruptible is clothed
with incorruptibility,
and this mortal is clothed
with immortality,
then the saying that is written will take place:
Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Death, where is your victory?
Death, where is your sting?
Now the sting of death is sin,
and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ! 
Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
      - 1 Cor 15:54-58

Finally, please pray for my grandfather as he grieves. The next weeks and months will undoubtedly be hard for him. Thankfully I know that he has a relationship with God and that through dependance upon Him, my grandfather will gain and understand new purpose and meaning as he surrenders this to God.

Not Only Do Summers Fly By...

But so do missions opportunities! What an amazing summer I've had here at North Myrtle Beach, SC.  A quick 'bring you up to date' -- I've been on a summer mission project here in NMB, SC where 100 college students involved in Cru from the Upper Midwest region have traveled here to grow in their faith, to learn to share it, and to build community with fellow believers. Not only do the students get stretched in amazing ways, but so do staff members. Often we, as staff, are viewed as the mature ones here, but as many believers know, you never "arrive" at maturity until we reach eternity with Jesus in heaven! So, as the LORD continues to sanctify me in life, I continue to be stretched. It's hard, but I love it. I will certainly share more about that, but first I want to share some cool things about my guys I get to pour into this summer!

Their names are Alec, Brady, Brandon, Jared, and Ryan -- I've grown to enjoy my friendship with each one of these guys. Every single one of them is unique and full of quarks and gifts that the LORD has given them. Alec is a great musician and uses it for the LORD; he also is extremely easy going and fun to hang out with. Brady has a very friendly demeanor and it's impossible to get mad at him, where he walks, peace and joy follow. Brandon has the heart of a servant and works with passion behind the scenes to help build and edify the body for the sake of the Gospel. Jared is a very intentional relator and extremely intellectual; you can't leave a conversation with him feeling uncared for and like your life isn't interesting. Finally Ryan is a soft-spoken and passionate individual who's always seeking the LORD in every move and decision he makes, truly desiring what God wants for his life and the lives of those around him. Please be praying for them as they continue to grow through the rest of the summer!

Left to Right: Ryan, Brandon, Alec, Jared, me, Brady

Alec also keeps a blog you can read here!

Not only have I had the privilege to pour into these guys, but throughout the course of the summer I've been able to encourage, serve, and intercede for countless others that are around - students on project, and those who are living around us that are here for the summer to party to no end. God has been teaching me a lot about this all summer. Each day is full of opportunities to both bless believers and non-believers alike. Two verses have really spurred me on this summer:

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
 - Galatians 6:9-10

"Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the message, to speak the mystery of the Messiah, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it as I am required to speak. Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of every opportunity. Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person."
 - Colossians 4:2-6

Like never before, the LORD has been challenging me this summer to make the most of every opportunity that we have and to step out in faith and trust Him to move in all things as we are obedient to Him. It has been an extremely exciting experience.

The end of my time in NMB is fast approaching, I head back home at the end of the month with the other staff members. Meanwhile the students stay for another full 5 weeks and grow together apart from us. I'm excited to leave, but will miss this summer in ways like I've never missed a place. Seasons come and go, but the LORD remains the same. And in the sameness he is always faithful -- we can trust this as we take the next steps. Please be in prayer for me! When I return to the Upper Midwest, I'll be looking for housing in Mankato and in seemingly no time, colleges will be starting up and ministry will be in full-swing. This transition is quite possibly the biggest one I've ever been through and I absolutely am thrilled for the adventure God has been providing since it's begun and am looking forward to continuing to work it out and the LORD leads. Thank you for your prayers!

The Heavenly Man

Recently I finished the book "The Heavenly Man", a Biography on a man called 'Brother Yun' which was compiled, and edited by a close friend of his named Paul Hattaway.

The stories in this book were absolutely astounding to me from beginning to end. After reading this book, and accounting for the historical events, I don't think anyone could doubt God and His miracles in this age! What was specifically impacting about this book, is that the years mentioned in the book are from the early 80's through the early 2000's (My life span). So as I was reading about Yun's years in prison and the thousands of people being saved, I was remembering what I was doing in 6th grade. Or when I first became a Christian, Brother Yun started speaking globally about his testimony of God in his life in China.

One of the other bigger impacts about reading this book for me was that there are many things I think about and constantly try to debate in my head, and Biblically about whether or not I am right, such as how to combat evil, if you should combat evil, how to witness against those who mock you, how to both respect a government and still stand for what you believe. Throughout this entire book, the way Brother Yun lived his life is remarkably similar to how I would see myself wanting to endure through trials such as the ones he went through. -- While it's easy to know how I want persevere through trials, hearing a story of someone doing it, and seeing the fruit that was borne is amazingly powerful in my life. This is especially true when you see so much luke warmness throughout America and in the Church... more specifically, when I see so much luke warmness in my own life, and being convicted of it.

This book is a truly inspiring kick in the rear end away from the things of this world and towards the Kingdom. This is the best missionary biography I have read and would recommend it for anyone who desires to hear of God working in and through His people. This book addresses scripture memorization, prayer, church division, evangelism, generosity, salvation, and so much more in a non-evasive God-glorifying way. Please take the time to read it!

God Bless!

Different Lenses: Empathy by Brotherly Love

"Let brotherly love continue. Don't neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it. Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily."
- Hebrews 13:1-3

I am extremely challenged by these verses. Somewhat by verses 1 and 2, but especially by verse 3. As I consider the command of having brotherly love continue I can do nothing but agree! Who wouldn't? -- But how.. well, verses 2 and 3 (and continuing) offer a very practical and in-exhaustive list.

Hospitality -- not all people consider themselves hospitable. They don't have "the gift" of hospitality.. I have considered that before, especially in my younger years! These days I would boast in my hospitality (with an unhealthy hint of pride).. but who do I desire to show hospitality to? My friends, yes. My friends' friends, yes. A homeless man? ... possibly. What about the most repulsive and annoying person you know who needs brotherly love. What about them? This is not a challenge to say that you should start here, but let's aim for it. Luke 12:48 says, "Much will be required of everyone who has been given much, and more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more."
Have you been given a place to live? Does it have room to welcome others from time to time? Well, find someone who has the needs that you can supply! It's part of the Kingdom Economy. Hospitality leaks into many other contexts other than just places of residence, but I'll let you figure those out in your life as I continue to find them in mine!

Verse 3 "Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily."

Wow.. I live in America! How can I know, how can I feel this, how can I possibly empathize to these situations? I wake up every day in a house, I have food all sorts of food at my finger tips, and I can have coffee almost every day if I want. 80% of my furniture is comfortable; if I go outside I have clothes to keep me warm or sunscreen to protect me from the sun. I can shower each day (and night if I want to). Drinking water is readily dispensable from any location within a minute or less. My greatest discomforts are dry skin an occasional headache or sore muscle.
In relation to v3 of Hebrews 13, I consider all these things petty. But I'm not evaluating my position in life, but trying to learn how to empathize with those in seemingly impossible situations. Here is my attempt...

I've often speculated -- to the child in the 3rd world country, how horrible is it? This is the life they know, they haven't experienced my life, or another persons life. They don't have greater expectations. As I try to ask myself, what would it look like to wear the lenses that they see through, to empathize, I also have to ask myself could they empathize with me. They might not even desire the life I have (Which I think is the assumption that I think most American's assume about people from "lesser fortunate" areas.) -- My life is so easily desensitized from spiritual things. My focus is constantly drawn to things that are fleeting that were created for our pleasure and not God's Glory. Realistically, this is a partly a soapbox stemming from the Screwtape letters.

Honestly, to best empathize with a person who is imprisoned and suffering bodily, I find myself only desiring one thing for them. That same thing which we have been given hope for -- eternity in Heaven with Jesus our Savior, and God our Father. I don't desire my life for him -- America is full of snares for Christians, possibly even more so than a person who is imprisoned for their beliefs. My empathy for him is to pray for Him to desire Jesus more and to Trust in God more.

This is the best that I can come up with right now....

Please comment and share with your ideas and thoughts about hospitality and for sympathy in regards to continually showing brotherly love!

Integrity: True Gold in American Culture

"In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching. Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us."
- Titus 2:6-8 (HCSB)

As a wee lad, I went through a phase when I was fascinated with minerals, rocks, agate stones, precious metals, etc... why? Who knows, I have a collegiate degree in accounting, not geology. Anyway, in those days, I had a big rock known as "Pyrite" which is also called "fools gold". The reason being is that throughout history, Pyrite has been commonly mistaken for gold to the naked eye. Ironically enough, pyrite veins are typically located adjacent to real gold... however - one is real, and one is not. How do you tell the difference? Well, without chemical testing and scientific analysis, the easiest way is to scratch the mineral with something abrasive. If it is gold, it will mark/scratch, if it is pyrite, it will not. There's a metaphor to be drawn here regarding integrity and hypocrisy.

In today's culture, Gold would be viewed as that which has integrity, it is true to it's form all the way through, whereas Pyrite would be considered the hypocrite, that which is an imposter to another thing, or visually appeasing. When we look at Christianity today in America, a majority of American's identify as Christian, but which are hypocrites...? We see in the Bible, Jesus picked apart hypocrites like crazy (Matthew 23). And Paul did as well (Romans 12:9-21). So, we know they exist.

We can bring out the metaphor of "scratching the surface" to identify integrity as referenced in the Titus verses, by "being self-controlled in everything, making yourself an example of good works, and preaching a message that is sound beyond reproach". To break that down, we must first know the Gospel and be invested in it at a heart level, walking with Jesus. We must know God and be seeking Him first each day. And we must be living lives Spirit-filled and directed by the Holy Spirit. This is where soundness comes from. This will lead us to good works, not that save us, but those which are an overflow of the love of Christ towards us and others: Agape.

Now our surface has been scratched and we have been identified. Our surface is scratched each day, by circumstances, friends, enemies, Satan: What is the outcome? The desired outcome Paul states is "that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us."

"... Having nothing bad to say about us."

I cannot fathom achieving this no matter how good I think I am personally! This is not achieved by our power... in fact, in cannot be achieved through our power. Jesus Christ set this example for us, empowered by the Holy Spirit (John 1:32-34) for good works, and calling on God the Father continuously for intercession (John 17), and dependence on scriptures (John 4:1-11) as he walked on this earth. We are not Jesus, how much more should we seek these these things?

Philemon: Debt, Forgiveness, Redemption, ...Glory

"So if you consider me a partner, accept him as you would me. And if he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it -- not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self. Yes, brother, may I have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ."
- Philemon 17-20

In Philemon, we have Paul in a unique situation where he is the spiritual father of both a man, Philemon, and Philemon's slave, Onesimus. Through a series of events, Onesimus escaped slavehood, made contact with Paul and became a Christian as well, and therefore a brother to both Paul and Philemon. Onesimus fears returning to Philemon even though he knew it was the right thing to do. He was afraid of his punishment -- however, we see here that Paul, out of love for his brother, not only made an appeal on Onesimus' behalf, but even credited the punishment due to Onesimus from Philemon to Paul Himself! Then, in the midst of taking the "IOU" of punishment upon himself, he reminded Philemon of the debt to which he had to Paul for leading him to salvation in Christ. There is so much going on here as you think about substitution, forgiveness of sins, reconciliation, selflessness, and encouragement in the message of the Gospel. Though we do not know, we can assume that Philemon forgives Onesimus who is permitted to do ministry as a faithful servant of Christ, a brother of both Paul and Philemon, to God's glory!

I don't want to try to explain everything going on simply because of my inability to fully convey everything you might learn from reading the text yourself.

I encourage you to read Philemon today. Pay attention to these themes, and think about your own life -- where these might apply. Where debt is owed that forgiveness might be paid in it's place, and where you can make an appeal on behalf of others whose life has put them in a place that is viewed as less fortunate by the world.

Blessings!

Putting Those Things to Death

"So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand o God. Set your minds on what is above, no on what is on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. When the Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature.... "
- Colossians 3:1-5

Given today's culture, media, and even religions, it's easy to get our mind's set on the things on this earth, both figuratively and literally. Not just our minds, but our eyes, our hearts, our spirit, pulled straight off Christs heart and brought into selfishness and distractions. We get drawn directly into coveting, lying, anger, greed, jealously, lust, selfishness, sexual immorality, slander, cutting words, etc... We see it on TV, from sports, to sitcoms, to movies. We hear it in music from rock, to country, and hiphop, and we read it in the newspaper and magazines every day.
It's time to "put to death what belongs to the worldly nature..."

How do we do that? Well, it starts with "setting your minds on what is above, not what is on the earth." We do this by reading Scritpure, by praying to our Messiah who has raised us with Him and whom has hidden our life with Him for eternity. If we are setting our minds on things above, we are separating ourselves from sin, and fleeing the desires of the sinful nature. Additionally, we are humbly admitting our sin and asking forgiveness. We're being transparent, and not puffed up and prideful; we are puutting others before ourselves in order to love them as Christ did. We are seeking to walk in the Spirit! (Eph 5:18, Gal 5:20-22)

It starts each day with spending time with the LORD, asking for Him to use you and to intercede before our Father in Heaven for you, to surrender yourself as His each day. It's taking time in scripture and using it to test your mind, heart, and actions. It's spending time in fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ and spending time sharing and loving those who don't believe in our God. In Colossians 4:2-6 Paul says, "Devote yourselves to prayer; say alert in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the message, to speak the mystery of the Messiah, for which I am in prison, so that I may reveal it as I am required to speak. Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time. Your speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person." I couldn't say it better myself... who could!?

It was just today that I caught wind of a guy named Alex Eklund on facebook who coined the quote "I'd rather have a Proverbs 31 woman than a victoria's secret model.".. Now, to some men, this might seem like an easy thing to say, but to the majority population of males in this world, that is a very difficult thing to say. That is why I wanted to share this, it is the perfect example of setting your mind on the things above and not what is on the earth. This whole time the earth would point us in the opposite direction of Proverbs 31. Way to be Alex!

One of my favorite hymns is Before the Throne. It is powerfully integrated with scripture! As you reflect on these scriptures mentioned above, please take some time and listen to this song.