More than a feeling

I usually update this on Thursday mornings, but tonight we had one of those classes that just won't wait.  We wrapped up our conversation of a big, big God by asking "What about when God feels far away?".  After all, this big, big God that is invisible but still wants to be our friend doesn't exactly always feel like He's around.  This is such an important question that many people struggle with throughout their lives.  But, before we unpacked the question, I needed to ask a couple more, just to set the tone for the evening.  The first question was "Is God ever far away?" to which they instantly replied "no" as they are well aware that God is omnipresent. It's part of what makes Him God.  So I followed that up with "Then what is the key word in the question of 'what about when God feels far away'?".  They thought about that a little longer but finally came to the conclusion that it was the word "feels".  Exactly.  With those two thoughts in place, we started our discussion.

The first two stops are directly related to one another and form the basis for the beginning of our discussion.  Acts 13:22 and Psalm 89:13-29 both paint a picture of David being a man that God has great affection for.  Their relationship is close and David finds great favor in God's eyes.  This is the David that we know and admire.  This is the giant-killing, harp-playing, street-dancing king that authored Psalm 23.  This is the guy whose family line would produce the final solution to the problem of sin.  This is the man after God's own heart.  This is our model for the relationship with God that all of us should strive for.

However, we also need to read Psalm 13.  We need to read Psalm 22.  We need to see David calling out to a God that he feels isn't close or even listening.  We need to hear him lamenting as he feels God is ignoring  and hiding from David.  The words pour out of David in such a way that we identify with his anguish and hurt along with him.  This does not sounds like the David we were just describing.  If David can feel this way about God, where does that leave us?

Just to be sure, I asked the kids if they thought God had actually been far from David as he wrote those words.  They said no.  But it is obvious that He felt far away to David.  And David is not the only one.  We turned to Matthew 27:45-50 as we see Jesus cry out, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani".  Surely God wouldn't turn His back on His own son in his greatest hour of need.  I asked the kids what they thought about it.  They talked it out and the outcome of their thoughts was that God had to turn His back on Jesus because of sin.  And even though God was still there, Jesus felt like He was far.

In both situations, the culprit is sin.

David's laments throughout the Psalms are a direct result of sin, both his and others.  Jesus, bearing our sins on the cross, felt the separation from his Father for the first time in eternity.  Sin makes God feel far away.  It is because He is holy and is set apart from sin.  I didn't have to go into much detail as this made complete sense to the kids.  So while God is near, He feels distant because of how He reacts to sin.  The problem isn't with God actually being distant, but rather, how we feel because of His reaction.  Whew!  I'm glad we figured that little problem out.  But there is a catch... we don't want Him to feel distant.  So what do we do?  Not sin?  That's easy to say, and certainly the goal to shoot for, but pulling it off is a little harder.  So how do we make God not feel far when we do sin?

We stepped back to use an example of a friend.  If we had a friend that wasn't talking to us, and we didn't know why, we would go through a process to fix it.  I asked the kids to walk me through that process.  They explained that first, you would think back through the last couple encounters to see if there was anything that stood out that might explain it.  If so, you would go apologize.  If not, you might have to go to them and ask what you did wrong.  If they told you, then you apologize.  Realization followed by apology which hopefully leads to forgiveness.  Once that has happened, you move forward.  The exact same thing is true of God.  Assuming we don't know which sin we have committed (yeah right) that keeps us from feeling God is near, we first examine our lives.  We search out to see where we have offended God.  And if we can figure it out, we ask for forgiveness.  If we can't figure it out, we ask Him.  Then we listen.  The Spirit will reveal the sin and then we ask for forgiveness.  It's the same with God as it is with any relationship.  The only difference is that we're the only ones that can offend and need to ask for forgiveness and He is eager to forgive.

Right then, as if on cue, one of them asks, "But what if it isn't sin that makes God feel far?  What if it is something else bad that is going on?"  It's so hard to keep a straight face when you're choked up and beaming with pride.  I love these kids!  Sorry... Focus... YES!  Great question!  What if it isn't sin that is causing God to feel distant?  What if it is just the pains of living in a fallen world and dealing with things like suffering, death and evil?  That happens.  We talked through the reality of bad things happening that cause us to question where God is in it all.  To answer, I had a little practical illustration in mind.  As I continued teaching, I dropped my voice to the smallest whisper I could produce and still keep talking.  At first they laughed and joked until it clicked and they begin to tell each other to be quiet.  Then they started catching bits and pieces.  If they were quiet, they could make out parts but it wasn't until one of them got the bright idea to stand up and walk over to me that they were able to hear it all.

There is a beautiful story in 1 Kings 19 where Elijah is facing a serious trial.  He is being chased by his enemies, God's people are worshipping idols and doing all types of evil, and Elijah is feeling distraught to the point of wishing for his death.  The prophet makes it to Mount Horeb after 40 days of traveling and ends up in a cave.  There the Lord comes to him and tells Elijah to go out and wait as He is about to pass by the mountain.  At first there was a mighty wind, but God was not in the wind.  Then there was a earthquake, but God was not in the earthquake.  Then there was a roaring fire, but God was not in the fire.  Then came a gentle whisper.  God was in the whisper.

A whisper seems so distant.  It seems so far away.  And when we seek to hear it, we tend to do two things: we quiet ourselves and lean toward it.  These are the things that God wants and part of why God feels so far away during certain trials.  He is in the whisper and is trying to get us to quiet ourselves and draw near to Him.  It is a part of the way He redeems the evil in the world.  It is why so many people come through ordeals closer to God.  It is part of why He allows them to happen.  It is what tilts us off balance when we become content with where we are in our process of sanctification.  God uses our flawed emotional perception of His location to betray us enough to reveal His true presence and strength which draws us in to Himself as a means of growing us to be more like Christ.  It is absolute genius.

Before we wrapped up, I had to ask the question "what makes us feel like God is far?".  While we've already unpacked the questions of "why" God feels distant, I wanted to at least address the "what" causes the feeling.  For the kids, it was when He doesn't answer our prayers or bad things keep happening.  Since we had already discussed the way God uses bad things to draw us near, I wanted to talk about the way God answers prayers.  We could spend an entire lesson on this topic but I just wanted to remind them that God hears our prayers, even if the answer is no, not yet or something else that doesn't line up with our instant-gratification expectations.  Just because He doesn't answer our prayers the way we want doesn't mean He isn't there.  And it doesn't always indicate sin.  Sometimes we just pray based on our limited, finite, selfish perspective and it doesn't compare to His limitless, infinite, perfect plans.  Being told no doesn't mean He isn't near.  It just means no.

So, where does all that leave us?  What do we do when God seems far?  The answer is simple, though not always easy.  Get up!  Go to Him!  Whether it is to ask for forgiveness for a sin we've committed against Him or if it is to draw near and quiet ourselves to hear the whisper, the result is the same.  He is always here.  If He feels distant then it is because we are not where we should be.  It could be our pride, our stubbornness, our ignorance, our contentment, or any number of other things that hold us fast to where we are.  But it isn't because He isn't there.  We should be seeking Him, drawing near to Him and relying on Him.  And, like both David and Jesus, if he feels far, then we can tell Him that He feels far.  We can tell Him when we are scared, frustrated and mad.  We can admit when we feel abandoned, ignored and forsakened.  We can be honest and tell Him what we feel, even if we are wrong or if our perception is just off.  He's can take it.  After all, He is a big, big God.

Freak!

With the mission trip under our belt, we dove back into our discussion of our big, big God by looking at the question of whether this invisible God that desires a relationship with us is going to make us be some sort of "Jesus Freak".  There are a lot of variables there, so before we can even get started with our question, we need to quantify things a bit.  So, the first item to address is the term "freak".  The kids did a very thorough job defining the term, though I'll spare you all the details, but ended up with “strange”, “crazy” and “unusual” as the best words to describe it.  Then we focused on figuring out just what a "Jesus Freak" is and whether or not it is even a negative term.  The consensus was that it is someone who is kind of an over-the-top Christian or extreme in their faith.  Fair enough.  And as to whether it was a good or bad thing, they sort of had mixed feelings.

So, as we began, I drew a line on the board with the two "extremes" of faith - one end being none, such as an atheist, and the other end being the "Jesus Freak".  At that point I had the kids identify where they felt that they currently fell on the chart between the extremes and where they felt like they should be.  They were all over the place, but the end result was about the same for all of them.  They were somewhere in the middle and felt like they should be further toward the "Jesus Freak" end, but not necessarily to the end.  One of them summed it up pretty well.  She said, "I know I should be closer to the “Jesus Freak”, but part of me just doesn't want to."  Yup, that pretty much sums it up for the vast majority of us.  But the question is why.

So, we started off by opening up and looking at 1 Corinthians 11:1.  Here we see Paul make a bold statement to the church in Corinth that they should "Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ".  Talk about being confident in your walk.  I asked the kids if any of them felt like they could make such a claim and they laughed.  I did too.  But imagine being so far along in your walk with God that you could tell people that aren't sure about how to be a Christian to simply copy what you're doing.  This brought up our dot/line conversation that we have talked about over the last couple months.  As Christians, we are moving along the line of sanctification, or becoming more Christ-like.  It is a process.  We all move at different paces and at different times, but the goal is the same for all: to be more like Jesus.

So, as a Christian in process, the end goal would appear to be the "Jesus Freak" end of the spectrum.  So what's the hold up?  We flipped back a few books to Romans 12:1-2 to see Paul talking to the church in Rome.  He says some pretty interesting stuff that I bet was probably just as hard for the Romans to hear as it is for us today.  Things like offering up our bodies as living sacrifices and not living the way the world lives make us a little uncomfortable.  After all, being a living sacrifice means that we have to die to ourselves.  We talked about that a little and basically explained that it is when we place more importance on what God wants for us than what we want for ourselves.  On paper that sounds good, but living it out is a little harder.  After all, there are lots of things out there to do that don’t exactly line up with being Christ-like.  Being in the world means we see a lot of things out there that we want to be a part of and dying to that part of life to do what God wants us to do doesn’t sound like all that much fun.  Wouldn’t it be easier if we didn’t have to see it?

People have tried to make that process easier and more realistic by withdrawing from society to become monks and hermits living on the fringe, having little or no human interaction to shield themselves from temptation and worldly things.  They take being "in the world but not of the world" to the extreme.  I asked the kids if anything is wrong with living that way and they instantly answered that isolating yourself means that you can't tell other people about Jesus.  Bingo!  They’re so smart.  The relationships that we have play such a huge role in the day-to-day evangelism of the gospel.  Without contact with the world, our role in the gospel is reduced to less than what God designed it to be.  So, if we can't withdraw from the world, how do we live in it without being affected by it?

The last scripture for the day finds us in 1 Peter 2:1-3.  Here we get practical instructions and advice that basically boils down to reducing sin and desiring God.  Again, it seems so simple on paper.  So why is it such a problem?  The kids knew without me cueing them.  It’s because we are sinful.  Our sin nature makes the process of sanctification slow because we get bogged down in the mess of the world, in our own sinful wiring, in our desire to be in control, in the addiction of experience and so many other things.  But despite the obstacles, our goal is to keep moving.  We should never be content with where we are in our walk.  We should constantly be in process.

Will that make us a "Jesus Freak"?  That depends.  Perspective is everything.  From the “faithless” end of the spectrum, following after an invisible God and putting hope in grace by faith probably does seem freakish.  It is not normal to die to oneself, especially when society tells you that you are the most important thing.  But, from the other end of the spectrum, the guy living for himself, in the moment, with no hope in anything beyond himself and his temporary life seems pretty crazy too.  And the guy straddling the fence trying to be "Christian" - but still trying to do everything the world does - probably thinks that both ends are goofy.  Other people are always going to judge based on where they are, what they want to see, and their perception of truth.  How much stock we put in their perspective can keep us from moving on toward our goal of being Christ-like.

While adults would probably be sitting back, nodding in agreement and unwilling to ask the hard questions… preteens don’t know any better.  So, one of them asked, “what if appearing to be too much of a “Jesus Freak” ends up making some people not want a relationship with me?”.  What a great and honest question!  Even if it is because of their distorted perception, what if it keeps them from wanting to have anything to do with us?  I have no clue.  It’s a real concern a lot of people have.  If they appear too “Christian”, they can’t slip under the radar and build relationships with non-believers.  My only response is that our part of the equation is to be obedient.  Part of that obedience is trusting that God is in control and knows best.  Part of what 1 Peter 2 told us was “Don't pretend to be something you are not”.  This not only means to not act holier or better than what you are, but not to act worse than you are.  Be yourself and let God be in control.  Let Him orchestrate how those relationships work themselves out.  And if someone doesn’t want to hang out with you because of who you are, then let God worry about it.

Let’s be honest.  Life in this world is hard and messy.  I think of God sending His only son to be a nasty, smelly human and what a hard thing that would have been for him.  Imagine begin a co-creator of the universe in one minute and relying on your creation to change your diaper the next.  Yet, Jesus put himself in the middle of that mess and was successfully able to live in the world and not be of it.  He did it because of the relationships and perspective that it afforded him. People thought he was a freak, too.  The religious leaders rejected him because of what he said and did.  And ultimately, he endured torture, death and separation so that all of humanity could have the choice of being reconciled with God.

So will God make me a "Jesus Freak"?  Nope.  God doesn't make me do anything.  He gives me the choice and freedom to do whatever I want, even at His own expense.  When I choose the things of the world, I suffer the consequences.  And when I choose to do what is right, it brings glory to Him.  But God lets me decide who I am.  The question is will I choose to live life for myself or in such a way that I am constantly moving closer to being Christ-like?  Will I be content with simply being justified or will I strive to work out my sanctification?  Is it my desire to be viewed as “normal” by the masses or to be so conformed to the image of Christ that I can tell others to emulate me as I emulate him?  And depending on what I choose, I just might be considered a freak by some.  But I might also be considered a role model by others.  And when it is all said and done, I might just be considered a "good and faithful servant" by the only One whose opinion really matters.

Church Under the Bridge

Sorry for the delay.  Apparently the hard drive on my laptop died during the trip.  But that's not going to stop me from telling you about our final day in Waco.  We woke up and loaded our stuff to head to the Rock for our last breakfast, some instructions and to gift Mission Waco with some supplies that we were able to provide them.  At that point, we loaded on the vans and headed down to I-35 for one of the most unique church experiences you can imagine.

Set across the service road from Baylor on a wide median directly under the I-35 overpass, Church Under the Bridge is as simple as church can get.  A trailer acts as a stage and metal folding chairs are set out for the hundreds of people who call themselves Trolls.  Every type of person can be seen there.  There were old and young, homeless and well-off and every color of the rainbow.  We saw several faces from the past few days as well as some from previous years.  After we met and greeted, church started.  Pigeons flew around and traffic roared overhead, but church was happening in the most authentic way.  Worship was amazing as two guitars, a bass, a mandolin and even a washboard praised God.  As usual, Patrick led worship in his own special way.  We sang a few songs before we sat and listened to the guest speaker of the day, Emily Mills with the ministry JesusSaidLove.  It is an organization she and her husband started to love on and build relationships with those in the margins.  You can visit their site at http://www.jesussaidlove.com/ for more information on their ministry.  Service concluded with communion where this assorted group of every type of person you can imagine all remembered Jesus and his sacrifice.  It was a very moving and humbling experience.  Afterward, we talked the similarities between our church and what they had experienced that morning.  This was definitely the first time they had ever seen people smoking in church, among other unique things that happens there.  Here are a few pictures from the morning:

Wrapping up our trip with a final prayer.



Church Under the Bridge

Meeting and visiting with the members of this church.

Service about to begin.

Talented musicians leading us in worship.

Patrick is a staple under the bridge.  While he is mentally handicapped, there is nothing wrong with his heart and the way he greets and loves people.  Having almost nothing of his own, Patrick gives away almost everything he has during church, especially hugs and handshakes.  And, equipped with his own guitar, he takes center stage to lead worship.

Another successful trip being the hands and feet of Christ to the homeless and poverty stricken community in Waco.

Saturday night

After 2 hours of fighting my computer, I'm giving up on it and just giving an afternoon report via phone. I apologize for the lack of pictures but will hopefully have more luck after the computer and I get some much needed sleep.

The girls had a productive afternoon helping to clean the World Cup Cafe, a coffee shop that not only specializes in free trade coffee, but also other free trade goods. Today they had their Green Eggs and Ham event and the girls were able to go in afterward and get their turn at scrubbing toilets, sweeping and mopping. We might need to challenge the boys and girls to an official "clean off" after we get home. And after getting their clean on at the cafe, they headed to Mission Waco's offices to do some cleaning there as well.  And, not to be outdone by the boys, they showed their skills at pulling weeks and doing yard work.

The boys were not ready to give up on clearing our assigned lots from the morning. And despite tall grass, problematic equipment and obstacles that would thwart the most seasoned landscaper, they not only knocked out one or two, but three lots and a little more. They were hard workers who showed patience and determination. Their hard work was so contagious, some neighbor boys even came over to lend a hand.

After dinner and a little time to clean up, we loaded up in vans and rewarded everyone with a trip to see The Lorax. We filled the theater that we rented out and had a lot of fun with the movie and experience. We ended with devotionals and instructions for our trip to Church Under the Bridge tomorrow morning.

I've had several conversations with them over the past few days and it is apparent that there is more going on than just projects and hard work. The kids are seeing how serving changes us. They are figuring out that they don't have to wait for ministry some day but are perfectly able at 9, 10 or 11 to change the world. And they are seeing how helping the least of these is no different than showing love to their Savior. I am exhausted but can't sleep with the excitement of experiencing church with them in the morning. The lines of age, income, residence and race will blur to one body worshipping one God in a way that they won't soon forget.

A little more welcoming without the weeds.

Mowing would have been impossible without picking up the huge pile of branches and debris.

Serving is contagious.

Big sticks call for big boys.

Ready for a little Lorax 3-D action!

Mid-Saturday Update

* UPDATED with pictures

A little more than halfway through our second and final day of the trip and the kids are hanging in there and working hard. The boys are spending the day doing some mowing, weed eating and lot clearing while the girls worked at the nursing home more. As I understand it, they got to participate in a good ol' fashion gospel experience before doing crafts with the residents. A couple more hours of work left before we wash up and go reward ourselves with a 3-D movie and our final night here in Waco.

Playing a few groups games in the morning before heading out to work.  Nothing builds teams like beating each other with pool noodles.

Mowing in grass almost up to their waists.

Picking up trash before the mowers make their way in.

Playing Bingo at the Crestview Nursing Home.

Meeting a few of the residents.

What a bunch of sweet girls.

Special Addition - Do Not Miss This!!!

One more special treat. Not only did the girls get to listen to Dylan sing, but they got to join in along with the individuals staying at the homeless shelter to sing praises to God.  This is just a tiny glimpse, but there was no way I was going to pass trying to share at least a portion of their experience.  I hope you all enjoy it!!!

* The story behind Dylan is that he is actually not even from around here. He is from Missouri and to prepare his heart for an upcoming mission trip he decided to live as if he was homeless for 40 days. Since he has been in Waco he actually was contacted by a record label to help him make a CD. He plans to use most of the proceeds to help Mission Waco. According to most of them he is the "next big thing"!  ~ Angela Platt

Friday!

Warning!  The stories and pictures you are about to read and view are real.  No identities have been hidden to protect the innocent.  These are actual 4th and 5th graders doing yard work, folding and hanging clothes, cleaning toilets and all types of behavior that may not be consistent with the experiences they parents have seen at home.  Parents with a history of heart problems, those with back or neck injuries and those who may be pregnant may want to avoid reading further.

What a day!  After a good night sleep, the kids headed to the Rock for breakfast and to get their introduction to a little history of Mission Waco.  The founder's son spoke to us, giving us a unique perspective to growing up the community and how it has changed, not only in terms of housing and people, but how God has used the ministry to change the world.  After that we received our morning instructions for our service projects.  Our kids got split up by gender.  The boys headed to a local clothing center run by Mission Waco where donated clothes are resold to the public.  There, they went through bins, tubs and bags of donated clothing to pull out the undesirables and hang and sort the clothes to be sold.  They folded and hung clothes like seasoned professionals.  The girls headed to a local nursing home where they visited with the residents, playing Bingo and listening to stories.  Make sure you ask them about Miss Kitty and her desire to make it to Church Under the Bridge to find hubby number 7!

Other groups spread out doing clearing lots, mowing, doing maintenance work around the Rock (including painting and cleaning) and passing out fliers throughout the neighborhood.  One group helped with lunch and did some shopping for the afternoon snacks and then spent their afternoon service time serving the rest of their peers.  Very little grumbling and a whole lot of encouraging words were common throughout the entire day.

From there we headed back to the Rock for some yummy burgers and a little down time.  After lunch and our break, everyone was ready to hit the afternoon service projects hard.  The girls headed to the Mission Waco training center where they cleaned the kitchen like professionals.  They also put together some crafts and did some other little jobs around setting up for future groups.  They also did some yard work and outdoor cleaning around the training center.  The guys went to the Jubilee Theater to fold some stage curtains, wipe down seats, swept and mop floors and clean bathrooms.  Yes, bathrooms.  And after becoming experts there, they moved over to the Mission Waco Youth Center to clean more bathrooms and knock out some more general cleaning.

From there we all gathered back at My Brother's Keeper for an explanation to how the shelter works and some history behind it.  Dinner followed with a massive pick up game of girls versus boys on the basketball court.  And, for the record, they held their own with the boys and tied them 5 to 5.  From there were split again as the boys headed to the hotel to unwind and swim a bit while the girls headed to the shelter for the evening devotion with the people staying there.  Unlike the experience the boys had last night, the girls had a larger crowd and even had someone there leading worship.  The girls totally engaged with the homeless people and joined them in worshipping the same God.  This summary won't do it justice.  It will truly be something they will have to share with you personally.  After that, they headed back to work off the last of their energy and dig into a little ice cream.

We worked hard and are very tired.  The energy and excitement from last night has been replaced with content, worn out bodies from a day of being servants to people that can't pay us back.  Here are some of the highlights from our day, but certainly only a small portion of the experience:

Breakfast line to start the day.

Folding, sorting and hanging clothes to be resold to help Mission Waco addiction recovery programs.

Taking a break to pose on the Clothesline.

Cleaning the Jubilee Theater.  It's not snowing, it's just crazy dusty.

Prepping some St. Patrick's Day crafts for the nursing home.

Maddi!

More craft prep.

My Brother's Keeper Homeless Shelter.

Cathy with Mission Waco giving us some background information and success stories of how My Brother's Keeper works.

Taking a break to smile for their mommies.

Devotional at My Brother's Keeper with the girls.

A super cool surprise.  Impromptu worship with musician, Dylan.

Listening to Dylan sing.

Group picture with the people staying at My Brother's Keeper.

Proof that we are feeding them and they are eating.

Business and pleasure makes for a great trip and bonding experiences.

Photo op number 7,295

The exterior of the Rock, where we stage most of our work and eat most of our meals.

Like father, like son...

Many, many more pictures but not enough time.  We will be making CDs of pictures of the entire trip once we get home.  We're winding down and getting ready to sleep hard.  Tomorrow is going to be long and hard but we're all going to bed knowing that we've not only helped to change a community, but ourselves as well.  Sleep well knowing that these kids showed God's love today.  Check back tomorrow for more pics and stories about what we're doing down here in Waco!

Rise and Shine

It's 6:30 in the morning on the first full day of our trip and the kids are slowly waking.  The adults too.  We'll be meeting for breakfast at 7:15 at the Rock which consists of cereals and fruit before getting our daily assignments and splitting up into smaller groups to tackle them.  It's gonna be a long day, but it should be a great one too!

Waco!!!

We safely made it and hit the ground running.  We met up at the Rock to get some dinner in our tummies, got some energy burnt off from the two-hour drive and split for the evening.  The ladies headed to the hotel to unpack and enjoy some swimming and fellowship while the boys headed to My Brother's Keeper, the homeless shelter that we are working with while we are here.  Pastor Trent led a small devotional and then we spent some time meeting and visiting some of the people currently staying there.  The boys asked several questions and learned about the people there with questions ranging from their favorite colors to their families and where they were from.  Then they went around and shared with the group the things that they learned.  We ended by heading back to the Rock and enjoying some ice cream and down down burning off the last of the energy.

Early to bed tonight to get ready for a long, hard day tomorrow.  Beautiful weather and lots of projects await.  Here are some pictures from our first day:

14 kids, ready to be the hands and feet of Christ.

Excited to get on the road!

Buckled in and ready to roll.  They were completely silent all the way there and never asked "are we there yet" once.  NOT!!!

Dinner time!  Yummy sandwiches and monster cookies.

Getting out some energy and making friends with kids from the Rockwall and Town East campuses.

Cheese!

First they're sour... then they're sweet.

Some see a slide and playground equipment... but we see a great place to eat and watch.

Thanks McAlisters!  Yum!!!

Apparently they didn't get enough time in the car on the way down.

Workin' off a little energy on the court.

Visiting with the homeless at My Brother's Keeper and putting a name and face to homelessness.

Check back tomorrow for more.  Pray for attitudes and energy as we serve the Waco community.

Mission Waco or Bust!

We're about an hour and a half away from loading up and heading out on our Mission Trip to Waco.  Check back in this evening for pictures and an update of our first evening.  Be praying for nerves and excitement.

More than friends

We kicked off our second week in the topic of a big, big God last night by talking through why God would want a relationship with us.  It's a great question, but before we jumped into it, I had the kids go through and list out the different qualities and characteristics that they have for a "perfect friend".  Their list consisted of things like loyalty, honesty, trustworthy, kind, loving, caring and numerous other traits that most everyone would have on such a list.  Even at such a young age, they know what is important in a friendship.

So we opened the Bible and looked at Psalm 8:3-4.  Here we see David addressing God and telling Him how he thinks about how awesome He is.  He talks about God's power and creativity and you can really sense how awe struck David is by God.  But then he asks God why such a powerful, creative, holy God would think or care about sinful, fallen humans.  As we unpack the idea of our relationship with God, it is easy to see where we would benefit from having God in our lives and the perks of that relationship.  But God kinda gets the short end of that stick.  He not only meets but exceeds the qualities that we listed for a perfect friend and yet we don't even come close.  So why would God want a relationship with us?

We then flipped over a few chapters to Psalm 37:23-24.  Here we see the care that God has for us, that even as we stumble, He is there to help catch us.  There are a couple of good things here.  The first is that David starts by saying, "If the Lord is pleased with the way a man lives" which we have talked about over the last couple weeks.  Following rules, being nice, tossing a few bucks in the offering plate and all the other "Christian" things we do are great, but God is only pleased by our faith.  And our faith is our part of the relationship we have with God.  So this is specifically addressing those who have a relationship with God because of their faith, which is what pleases Him.  Then David talks about the care that God shows us.  When I look at this, I can't help but think about walking with my kids when they were young.  They often tripped and stumbled.  So many times I would hold their hand and when they took a bad step, before they could hit the ground, I had pulled them up and kept them from falling.  But they had to hold my hand.  If they chose to walk without holding my hand, then often they would fall.  And while I would help them up, wipe away their tears and clean their wounds, I couldn't save them from the fall.  That is the kind of relationship David is talking about.  Reliance upon God is essential.

We looked a little more at this aspect of our relationship by turning to Jeremiah 29:11.  Here we see God say that He knows the plans He has for us and they are good and He wants to see us succeed.  Of course I asked the kids if this means that everything we do will work out and that all things in life will be perfect.  They knew better.  I pointed out that God says that He knows the plans HE has for us.  But those plan hinge upon something very important: our obedience.  When we put our plans ahead of God's plans, then we upset the plans that God designed that keep us upright and successful.  He allows us to choose for the same reasons we allows us the free will to make all the other choices, which is ultimately to bring glory to Himself when we choose to follow.  God allows us to fail in our relationship to show how unfailing He is.  But even when we do, we know that He is able to redeem even the worst things and work them out for those that love Him.

The last verse we hit really sums it up.  In Isaiah 49:1, we see the prophet telling everyone that God chose him before he was even born.  He appointed him by name.  I told the kids that this part of our relationship with God is unique as God has known us before we were born, before our parents were born and even before creation.  Omniscience is part of what makes God “God”.  I then went on to explain that when God says he knows us, it is not that he knows of us, but knows us completely.  This is where the English language fails us.  I used the example of a picture of Justin Bieber or President Obama.  If you held up a picture of either of them for me to see, I would say that I know who that is.  In much the same way, if someone held my picture up for them, they would admit that they don't know who I am.  This is the "know" of recognition.  And even though I might know facts and details about both of their lives, I can't say that I know them because I do not have a relationship with them.  But God knows us.  He doesn't just recognize us and have our names memorized, He knows every detail of our life.  He knows our every action, our every word and even our every thought.  From the moment of conception, through the last breathe we draw on earth, and to our infinite existence in heaven, God knows every aspect of each and every one of us.  And He still loves us and still wants a relationship with us.

Awesome!  God wants to be my best friend.  While that was the point of our discussion, it is not where we stopped because it is only partially true.  Yes, God wants a relationship with us that includes characteristics of what we think of as "friendship", but there are other things that He desires that go beyond being a friend.  We see that in the way Jesus related to Him on earth.  The religious officials put God's name at such a holy level that they wouldn't even include the vowels when they wrote out Yahweh.  When Jesus shows up and prays to God with the very intimate phrase "abba" or "daddy", they were completely livid.  But that is what God desires from us.  Not only that we would consider Him to be our father, but that He would be our daddy.  We talked through that a bit as we looked at the difference in how we address our earthly fathers.  Using the word daddy says a lot without really saying it.  It conveys intimacy, reliance, humility and disregard of what others think.  And God desires those things from us.  But daddy is a much different thing than friend.  However, there are aspects of both of those earthly models that God wants in the relationship He has with us.

But He is also God.  And while friendship and paternal characteristics line up with how we relate to God to a degree, there is also an aspect that those two things fail to address: the fact that He desires to be our Lord.  Being our God means that we submit to Him completely.  It isn't the same option we have with our friends or even the defiance we sometimes show to our parents.  As our Lord or King, God deserves our complete surrender.  Defiance of a king on earth is considered treason and a capital crime.  It’s that big of a deal.  There is simply a part of our relationship with God that demands reverence and submission because of who He is.  And while we often fall short of that, we rejoice in the fact that He is loving, gracious and merciful.

So where does that leave us?  Well, it gives me a tremendous amount of confidence that God knows me better than anyone, flaws and all, and still accepts me.  It brings me joy that I get to relate to Him as a friend, father and God.  But it also reminds me that in those three parts of our relationship, even though He loves me regardless, I want to also be the best friend, son and subject that I can be.  Not because of rules, reward or repercussion, but because of relationship.  He is worthy of my best, even though He accepts my worst.  And He doesn't have to be.  He could be an impersonal, indifferent God that set it all into motion and stepped away.  He could be a God full of wrath and vengeance for those who fail to follow His ways.  He could treat us like toys or pets or program us like robots.  But He chooses to love us, to let us choose to love Him and He wants a relationship with us individually, no matter what we do.  And because of that, He'll never be just a friend.

An Invisible God

Last Wednesday we started a new 4 week series on our Big, Big God.  We began by talking through the issues of believing and following a God that we can't see or hear.  I mean, let's face it, we're a pretty proof-driven society.  People go around claiming stuff all the time but unless they can back up their claims with facts, data or photographs, we have a hard time buying it.  So, what about a God that doesn't show up or speak to us?  How are we expected to buy in to a God that we can't directly interact with?

Before we unpacked that, we talked about some of the intangible things in life that exist but we can't see or hear.  They came up with great items from wind, light and the expanse of space to radio waves and germs.  There are so many things that our eyes simply cannot see.  And yet we know when we get sick, we see things because they are lit up and listen to music over the radio.  The evidence of the things that are unseen give proof to their existance, even when our senses don't offer us the same support.

So, the first question I wanted to talk about is why.  After all, God is able to do anything.  He is God.  So, if God doesn't appear to us or speak to us, there has to be a reason why.  So we went way back in the Bible to the book of Exodus and caught up with the Israelites right before they were to get the 10 Commandments.  God had some pretty direct instructions for the people in Exodus 19.  He told Moses to come up Mount Sinai, but to make sure the people knew that if they tried to sneak up and check things out, they would die.  Here we pick up two interesting deals.  First off, Moses does have direct contact with God, though we'll address that more in a second.  But there are some boundaries put in place by God to make sure others don't, with the severest of consequences.  So, it seems as though contact with God is more of  a choice of God than an actual ability on His part.

But before we think much further on that, we flip over a few chapters to Exodus 33:18-20 where we read about Moses requesting to see God's glory.  So, it would seem that even the interaction we see between God and Moses on the mountain is limited.  And God's response is that He will allow His goodness to pass in front of Moses, but that Moses can't look at God's face.  No one can.  God doesn't explain why.  It isn't clear if it is because God won't allow it or if it is literally impossible because of God's holiness.  But, we do know that God sheltered Moses in the hollow of a rock and allowed him to see God's back after He had passes by.  And while we do see very few other places in the Bible where God directly interacts with people, usually angels or God's presence is what they interact with.  And those instances are very few and far between.

So, standing face to face with God isn't an option, but obviously, from this account and others, at least speaking with God is an option.  So why doesn't God speak directly with us?  Again, it's hard to understand.  But there has to be a reason.  And one reason may lie with a conversation Jesus had with Thomas after he had been resurrected.  As the other disciples had seen Jesus, Thomas makes a bold statement that until he is able to touch the wounds in his hands and side, he wouldn't believe.  Thomas' reaction is probably very close to what most of ours would be.  And when Jesus shows up, his proof is undeniable and Thomas believes.  Then Jesus closes with a phrase that makes a huge impact on our conversation.  Jesus says, "Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen me but still have believed."

Again we see faith being a key component in the questions we ask.  Jesus proved himself to Thomas but says that those who believe but haven't seen are blessed.  How can that be?  What type of blessing comes from believing without seeing?  I don't know about you, but I would have considering actually being in Jesus' presence a blessing, not to mention being his disciple.  How could not seeing him be better than seeing him?

We ended in Hebrews 11.  Here we get an definition of faith that is really accurate but hard to grasp.  "Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being certain of what we do not see."  Both sentences have huge contridictions, especially to us as fact-driven people.  But it is exactly what faith is and why faith is such an essential thing to build.  As I was talking to the kids, I was reminded about how much more faith their lifestyle calls for than mine.  Everything they do is an exercise in faith.  They rely on parents, teachers, coaches, and hundreds of other things in their life without having "proof" of anything.  They don't worry about their next meal or where they will live tomorrow.  They have faith that those things will be taken care of.  They know it, even though there is no proof of it.  They are certain of something they can't see.  And often times I focus so much on the proof, that I remove faith from the equation at all.

Is that even a big deal?  We skip down to verse 6 where we are reminded that without faith it is impossible to please God.  It is our faith in things we can't prove or see that makes God happy.  Not my good deeds that I can list out on paper.  Not the hoops I jump through and rules I follow.  It is only through faith that I please God.  So, by not showing up, calling me on the phone or speaking in an audible voice in my head, God builds my faith by having me believe without any proof other than His Word.

Interestingly, Jesus told his disciples that he would be leaving them.  And while they were bummed, he promised them it would be okay.  Actually, he said it would be good that he was leaving because he was going to send someone that would be a better.  As we closed, I reminded them that, while a few people were allowed to interact with God directly in the Bible, the vast majority didn't.  But because the Holy Spirit was sent after Jesus ascended, we all now have a voice directly from God.  It may not be an audible voice like a phone call or radio.  It doesn't show up and let you stick your finger in it's wound.  It doesn't cover you with it's hand and let you witness it's glory after it passes.  But, it makes communication with the Creator of the universe a daily reality.  And while we will probably never see God or hear His voice on earth, we can trust, by faith, that He loves us and wants a relationship with us.  And just like the wind, we can't see it, but we know that it is there by the affect that love has on our lives.