If I could...

If I could, I'd invent something that instantly told me what a person was passionate about and what their strengths were. Wouldn't that make life so much easier?

Right now I'm trying to figure out how I can identify a few people to step up into leadership positions in our High School ministry with a very limited understanding of what makes them excited every morning. I wish I had something to tell me "this person is outgoing and loves pouring into the lives of people" so I could plop them into a team leadership roll. Or find another who is "super organized and wanted to work behind the scenes" so they could help with all the planning leading up to events.

The point is, I want to find people who are passionate and plug into that. I don't know much but I do know that a ministry filled with leaders who are passionate about the areas they are in charge of has enormous potential.

One way....

Just about every really good evangelist or preacher that I've heard speak has at one point or another, invited us to test our Christianity. "God isn't scared of your questions" I remember hearing quite a few times throughout my earlier years as a Christian. I think this is a remarkably awesome concept! We should examine who we are in Christ, who Christ is, and why we believe it to be so. The problem I have, (of course I do....) is that the same people that tell you to question your faith get upset if you arrive at answers different than the ones they have.

For example, what if you were struggling with the concept that God was going to send your Muslim friend to Hell because they didn't believe in Jesus. Your friend is a phenomenal person, selfless, gives up their time and resources to help those around you, and frankly, is one of the best images of Christ in your life. You attend church one Sunday, and your (Baptist/Methodist/Lutheran/etc) preacher tells you God isn't afraid of your questions, so you start to question what really happens to your friend. Through that process, you become a sort of Universalist. You hear God tell you that He can and will reconcile your friend in His own way, a way beyond your understanding. You learn that He is in control in a way far more complex and beautiful than you had ever imagined, and you fall more in love with Him than you ever thought possible. Lets all postulate for a moment what you think would happen if you went back to that preacher and told him you were a borderline Universalist. Can you imagine that conversation in his office?! Talk about the hot seat!!

The point of all this is not to pick on Prodistant preachers (Jesus loves them and so do I!) but to illustrate that the Church is quick to tell us to explore our faith, but slow to allow us to stray beyond what is considered "acceptable Christianity".

The whole point of Christianity is to have a PERSONAL relationship with Jesus Christ. Imagine if I introduced you to a friend of mine, then scripted how you must act around him for the rest of your life. I told you what topics were OK to talk about, I told you how to dress around him, how to answer his questions, and what parts of your life you had to change so he would like you more. That isn't a personal relationship, it's a scripted play. To really engage with someone, YOU have to be the one writing the script. My personal relationship with Jesus is going to look different than yours. It has to by definition. I can no more teach you how to develop a grown up relationship with Jesus than I can script your friendships in your daily life.

So what does that look like to step out and explore? Well, for starters we need to start examining what we believe and why we believe it. We need to toss out our ideas of salvation, Hell, the trinity, Heaven, Angels, the devil, .... Jesus, all of it. We need to stop believing what the Church has taught us and start believing what God is teaching us. We need to connect with God and let Him rebuild our faith in a personal way that He and only He is capable of.

I seriously hope that anyone reading this right now is slightly offended or thinks I'm nuts. If you already agree with me than I haven't done a good enough job stating the fact that I CANT SCRIPT YOUR FAITH. This means that even what I'm saying you should question before God. With that out of the way, I hope you all see the danger in this.

What if I stop believing in Jesus?
What if I decide there is no God?
What if I find Christianity isn't right?

In short, what if this very act destroys your faith. Isn't what I'm talking about very dangerous? In truth, I can't think of anything more dangerous than questioning the very fabric of your faith and beliefs. If you desire to know God in this way, you must put your faith on the alter. We do it with our money, our relationships, our jobs, our life (salvation anyone?)...why have we never put our faith on the line for Jesus?

Please understand I don't type this lightly. I have witnessed firsthand what happens when someone questions everything and comes up short. I have seen a close friend fall from the church into a life of uncertainty and confusion. It would be so easy to encourage my friends to simply accept what is around them and blindly follow, but I just don't believe that God wants a bunch of blind sheep obeying the Church without question. I believe that God wants us to risk everything in His name and I believe that my God is sovereign enough to bless those that are willing to do so.

And now the disclaimer. (I can't tell you how much I hate doing these but words on a page are so easy to misinterpret) I think the Church is amazing and I think that Jesus loves it with all his heart!! I think that everyone needs to be taught Christianity just like a 5 year old needs to be taught lessons in school. But just like every child grows past the point of instantly believing everything an adult tells them, we too as Christians, must reach a point where the Church has carried us as far as it can and we need to step out and critically examine the world around us. At some point the Church stops being your "grown up" and starts becoming your partner in service and faith. Also, I am sure (and hope) that people reading this don't agree with me. Like I said, it is all about a personal relationship with Christ and if your path leads you to the conclusion that I'm totally bonkers, than I praise God for your journey and hope you are willing to spark those around you in a similar quest, and support then regardless of the outcome.

The sense of depth

Perspective is such a vital component in life. Without it, we become two dimensional. Our sense of urgency and duty can become so skewed and we can waste so many resources on such frivolous things.

I'm going to keep up the world focus theme of the blog that has arisen recently and shift focus to Africa today. I remember the first time I heard about the war in Uganda via Invisible Children but it is so easy to lose sight of anything beyond our shores. There are some new videos and such up that we all need to spend some time with today and remember to put things into perspective.

Don't lose sight of the great commission. Don't lose sight of our call to help the poor and suffering. Don't lose sight of our duty as Christians and human beings to wake up and fix the world around us in a real and meaningful way. Use your resources wisely and always seek to deepen your perspective.

Now please watch the human side.

More than a feeling....

Early in my walk I couldn't shake the feeling that something didn't line up with my view of God and what the church taught me, although I couldn't say specifically what. I think the feeling was really based on the fact that many things didn't line up from my life experience and what Christianity taught me. So I started asking questions...

As a human, I seek to understand the world by defining in words things around me. Explaining things in tangible, real ways. The problem with exploring God in this way is attempting to define an infinite being in a finite language. The more I asked questions and sought to understand God by defining things, the more my existing definitions started to disappear. In the end, God ended up replacing so much of my explainable definition of who/what He was with simple feelings.

That's what God really is when you get down to it. A sentence can't even begin to define God but a feeling is a passionately emotional thing. A feeling exists in every part of your body, evoking a reaction thought out each and every part of you.

On the other side of that particular journey, God reconciled all of my problems, but I can't explain a single one in a way that makes sense or fits really. All I can say is that God has left me with feelings. I feel what God has instructed me to do, what I know he can reconcile because of his greatness, and I feel who God is. It's so much better than being able to define it!!

Plus grand que vous.

Growing up has been a pretty amazing experience for me. I have been surrounded by the rich and elite, middle class, and less fortunate. I have lived in New England and the South East. I have experienced life on the West Coast, Europe, and Asia. My first memory was riding a donkey in Greece at the age of 1. I spent the first two years of grade school in Tokyo, Japan. I had my 7^th birthday in Hong Kong. (I had cake with whole strawberries in it…. Yuk!) I have walked on tropical beaches next to armed guards with Uzi’s. I have been to countries that you can no longer travel to safely. I have had friends growing up that were Jewish, Hindu, Muslim, gay, and every nationality you can think of.

What I really treasure from my childhood is the attitude that it afforded me. I feel so blessed to be where I am. Even at my poorest moments in life, I always knew I was so lucky compared to the cities I’ve been to in Thailand for example. Further more, I’ve always felt that Americans are so isolated geographically and it is so easy to become disconnected from the world around us. I’ve learned so much from all the different cultures, people, and experiences I’ve been around, and it has really shaped the person I am now.

As a Christian, I’ve evolved this cultural philosophy into my faith and view of God. I realized it was pretty vain to assume that the American Protestant Christianity was God’s intended purpose all along. When you realize that African Christianity is so different from South American Indian Christianity, and both are so different from our own, you have to ask yourself “which one is God in?” The obvious answer is all of them. I have learned that the more you get out into the world and the more you step outside of your sphere of influence, the more you learn how big God really is. I think it is vital to bring different styles and cultures into our knowledge base so that we never become victims of a limited vision of God and never fall into the trap of believing that our way is “the best and only way”.

Anathema

I've wanted to use this word for so long and I am stoked I finally get to do it.

Anathema:
1. to be formally set apart,
2. banished, exiled, excommunicated or
3. denounced, sometimes accursed.

But there is more to the word itself. The word we now translate as "anathema" in English comes from the Greek word ἀνάθεμα (ä-nä'-the-mä) as found in 1 Cor 12:3. Here it is used to say that no one shall call Jesus "accursed" however there is also a very different meaning for the word. ἀνάθημα (ä-nä'-thā-mä) also translates to "anathema" in English but is used in Luke 21:5 to describe a "gift" that is set apart or raised up to God. Something set aside and very positive.

In modern english, the positive version is never used. It always means "accursed" even though it once had a positive connotation. So who the heck cares?

Well, it occurred to me that the term "Christian" has become anathema to the world in recent times in both the direct translation, and as a metaphor for the transition. What once had a positive connotation has now become synonymous with being accursed. I think that's why so many people have tried to rename themselves.

I remember the first time I heard someone say they weren't a Christian but rather a "Christ Follower". At first, I really liked the term, but the more time I spent with it, the more it left a bad taste in my mouth. I understand the reason people try to distinguish themselves from the millions of other "Christians" around them, but why do we have to invent a new word for it?

Lets be honest, if I tried to sell you a silica-based crystal that facilitated the rapid consumption of delicious liquids, wouldn't you be a little bit disappointed when I handed you a plain glass cup? Wouldn't it be so much better if I offered you a glass and handed you something unexpected and beautiful? (I'm thinking a really awesome Scooby-Doo collectible!!)

A small part of me (very small) is grateful the world has a jaded view of Christianity because it makes it all the more amazing when they finally see a glimpse of who Jesus really is.

I don't want to focus on terminology anymore. I want to focus on how my life reflects Jesus, and let him do the rest. I'd rather show people how different I am from the world than tell them.

Inbreeding?

If I ever get the choice to surround myself with leaders, I think I will do my best to pick people I don't really like.

This may seem the exact opposite of what I should do, but too often I see a leadership team become a clique that is full of very similar people. While this allows them to spend very little effort functioning as a team, it can really bog down those they lead. This is even more evident in a team with many volunteers who are free to come and go as they please, yet are so vital to the success of the group. When a volunteer comes and feels "outside the clique", it is very hard to retain them. Likewise, when a volunteer has been around for a while and feels they are not as valuable because they aren't the right "type" of person, they will be more likely to leave.

Some of the most rewarding and challenging relationships I've had recently have been with people I never would have thought I'd be around. These people bring different life experiences, ideas, and opinions that combine to make the body a stronger element.

Now, this concept can create many problems as well. A team of very similar people doesn't have to work very hard to gel together. A diverse team needs to be reminded why they are there in the first place. They need to know the vision, know what is at stake, and have a mutual respect for each other and their differences. The rewards for this is a team that is stronger, more flexible, and more likely to connect to those they lead. Imagine if you always had someone in leadership that you felt comfortable with and would always listen to you and could voice your opinion to all the other leaders.

This is one thing I think my generation does really well. I have been hearing a lot about Generation Y recently. I guess a new study came out or something. Apparently, we're really good at working in teams and being in diverse environments. I guess my blog is just one example of that.

But yeah, I think if I ever get the chance to build a team of leaders, I will try to find people that may be against my "instinct" (read: people I instantly feel comfortable around because they are just like me).