Just follow the Recipe!

2 Timothy 3:14-17

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,  and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

             Working in the Church I can see that so many of us can relate to Paul’s description of Timothy.  My son’s first real song he sang was “Jesus Loves Me”.  He liked it so much he would walk up to people and say the “THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO!” They would ask him what the bible told him? I taught him to say, “Obey my mommy and daddy.”  Everyone was amazed at his wisdom.  Most of us in the church probably have similar stories about our kids and/ or can say the same thing about how we were raised.

            As I read this passage I am caught up with the simplicity of God’s plan.  Then I think about the complexity of ministry in the church.  All the things we do to build up and eventually get to the simple truth of learning God’s word, applying it to our lives, and teaching to others.  This week I was watching a youth promotional video, the youth in the video say, “I loved this conference because I could see that Christians can really have fun!”  This is a common way youth events and many other church events are promoted.  But, are all the complexities, the lights, music, and entertainment what it takes to convey God's simple truth?

            The Celebrity Chef, Emeril Lagasse’s catch phrase, “Bam! Kick it up a notch!” was used frequently to explain how he made simple recipes mouthwatering good.  We see this same idea applied just as freely to how we live out our Christian faith and shape our ministries.  Bam! We take God's simple truth wrap it in amazing new ingredients and now we have finally made God fun.  Like God actually needs us to help him rewrite his plan for humanity.  We traded the amazing message that the God, who made the universe, loves us and went to great lengths to win us back… with a flashy plan to make Christianity fun, and filled with counterfeit joy.   We trade cheep fun for the life changing message of Christ.

            I have had tons of “Christian fun” as Youth Pastor, I saw the best concerts, and I love whitewater rafting, it is about my favorite water sport.  But, in reality nothing is better than talking to a High School friend who gave his live to Christ as a teen and the joy of seeing God breathe new life into him.  Or speaking to a former student, who is trying to figure out how he can use his gifts and talents to reach homeless people! He is now teaching me!  We may laugh about the time he shot me in the back with a paintball, but the really joy that surrounds our relationship is result of God’s word thoroughly equipping him for every good work.

            As we look at our upcoming ministries this fall I wonder, what if we just focused on allowing God's word to breathe in us and equip us?  What would God call you to do this year?  Who has God laid on your heart to share his amazing message with?  What truths have you know from Childhood that God want to use to shape your life?
 Just following the Recipe sometime is all the “Bam!” we need!

Day One - My new Adventure

    After many months well maybe more like years at this point I have resisting the trend of blogging.  Today I finally decided to stop making excuses and jump on board.  I always used the excuse that I really do not enjoy writing, but as I get older maybe wiser, I really feel that I need to start taking the time to put my thoughts down somewhere.  It may also be interesting to get some feedback on these thoughts and ramblings. 
     I am a Pastor of Family Ministries so much of what I write about here will revolve around my thoughts about trying to do my best at this type of ministry.  Although some of what I write about will involve my thoughts on being a follower of Jesus, I will try to keep some variety to keep it interesting.  I also like to read, fish, play games, and be around friends and family, so I will also try to write about some of those things as well.  So some day I may just write about the joys of fishing with my dad and my son, because there is nothing more exciting then to see values enjoyed by these three generations together.  Please be patient with me because my thoughts on Christianity will probably also find its way into those blogs as well.  Because, seeing my life outside of the context of the Christian faith would be a little like being a chocolate chip cookie without the chocolate chips.  You know how when you eat these great cookies you always end up with bits of stray chocolate on your fingers and face.  I really see how Jesus gets into all parts of my life the same way. 
     The name of this Blog is "Try'n to Keep up".  As I thought about my life and what it means to be a Christian leader I know this idea of following Jesus is key.  But, also really know in my own life this is a day to day experience.   If I am not diligent in following much of the time I am really just trying to keep up. It is like getting distracted looking at the sugar cereal your parents won't let you by and by the time you look away you find that your parents have moved on to the next row.  As a parent and a leader in a church I am constantly wading through lots of distractions that life throws at me.  You know the kind every one face, Marriage conflicts, Child issues, relationship issues, and "job" frustrations like people with "real jobs" face, etc...   I love being in ministry but just like anything we love to do, we can get caught up in routine and miss the parts we enjoy. 
    So, as I live out my Christian faith I find that I need to spend a lot of time getting my bearing checking my map, the Bible.  It is learning thinking through God's word to find out where I really am and where I am going, that I realize that many times I am not following but really just try'n to keep up.  And Most of all as I struggle to understand what it means to leave a Legacy for my kids and help other do the same I hope to do more than just try'n to keep up.  If you find anything here worth reading, I just pray that you enjoy try'n to keep up, too.