Glory and the Longing To Do Great Things

Some men long to do great things.  Nay all men, worth their salt, long to do great things.  They long for heroism, for the epic and adventurous.  Some may deny they feel this way and others will defend their apathy, that they are just different and that’s okay.  But I don’t believe God made men to be average, to coast along in the ordinary.  There is no ordinary person made in the image of God.  No, that is quite extraordinary.  In the Bible, God calls it Glory.  There was infinite Glory for God before the world began.  He created the heavens and the earth to declare the Glory.  And He created us to share in His glory, that we may be little glowing containers of it.  It is all around.  In the mountains and the sunsets. In the eyes of a beautiful woman whom you love. In symphonies and snowfalls.  It inspires. It builds. It melts.  How is it possible that the human heart, the self, that space right above your gut we call the soul, can be so filled with awe and butterflies that we can stare at water falling off of a cliff for hours on end and leave longing for more? 

The Systematic Injustice of Bad Church Leadership

Our Rejection of the Five-Fold Gifts of Ephesians 4 Has Created A Crisis in Church Leadership

When it comes to the Ephesians 4 model of church leadership I have laid out in previous posts, my understanding is relatively impercise. I am not going so far as to argue for the exact details and systematic structure of a local church, or greater church denomination, ought to implement. In fact, that is actually more of what the spiritual gift of managing described in 1 Corinthians 12 is for. I am arguing that whatever structure is built, it must have different people in high ranking leadership with all of these gifts or else the leadership will suffer tremendously, as history bears out.

Why "Head Pastor" but not "Head Prophet?"

Why do we only focus on pastor and teacher? The answer is found in church history, bad theology, and fear.

In my last post, I introduced the Ephesians 4 model for church leadership and the 5 spiritual gifts: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher. Clearly these are all Biblical terms and gifts that compliment each other well in church leadership. Clearly, we can see many of these gifts and characteristics in ourselves and others around us. So why is the apostle, prophet, and evangelist so uncommon in the local church? Why do we drive by churches that advertise their "Head Pastor" but not their "Head Evangelist?" I would love to see an ad in the church bulletin looking for a "Youth Prophet." The answer is found in the history and development of the church.

The Amputated Body of Christ: The 5 Spiritual Gifts of Ephesians 4

How Ephesians 4 Changes How We See The Church

Several weeks ago, I went on all-too-common twitter rant, lamenting the pain and suffering in the world and wondering if I'm not wasting my time leading worship or working on a college campus.  A mentor saw the rant and pointed me in the direction of a sermon series over the Ephesians 4 model for church leadership and, in particular, the role of the prophet. I am not much of one for "personality tests" and whatnot, but I was floored by how well this biblical model described me and, as I have researched and thought about it more, how our ignorance of this model has led so many problems the church is experiencing today.  My research inspired me to write a lot over this topic. I argue that the church's historical disregard for the Ephesians 4 model of leadership has led to a crisis in Church leadership, a systematic injustice which amputates the Body of Christ  and handicaps the Church's ability to fully and properly function as the Hands and Feet of Jesus.

"Here I am. Send Me." A cool infographic on my vision for Central and William Penn.

After being inspired by Eric Rafferty and spending basically an entire day on the awesome piktograph.com, I completed this infographic for the vision God has given me for the next two years at Central and William Penn and my need for partners.  I'm really proud of it!

May Update: Leaving A Legacy and Launching Into The Future

        So... May really flew by! Two weeks of finishing up at Drake, two weeks at a conference in Missouri, and all of a sudden it's June!  I'm excited to share with you some of the great experiences I had with the grace of God and His people this month!

Leaving A Legacy
        During the first two weeks of May, I ended my semester working at Drake as a volunteer staff.  I briefly mentioned in my last update that I had finished June leading worship for the last time at Drake.  It was a bittersweet moment, playing for the last time with two other seniors on the worship team, but finishing with a really fun night of worship and celebration.

April Update: Free Taxi Rides, a Broken Nose, and a Faithful God

Wow! April was a really fun month.  I got to see a lot of fruit on campus, have great interactions with students, and really start to settle into my role as a staff and raising partners.  The month was not without challenges though, including a nose surgery that sidelined me for a full week.  Two major highlights stick out with a couple minor points.

Free Relays Taxi!!!!

In response to reading the book Radical by David Platt, our InterVarsity leadership group got together last Spring and discussed how we might live out that book by radically serving our campus.  We came up with the idea to give free taxi rides home to students during Drake Relays, a big party week on campus.  We were a little worried about logistics and how students would respond... but it went amazing! We gave over 500 rides over three days and had nothing but ecstatic responses!

God Has Something To Say -- From Ezekiel 18

God has something to say.

Imagine a righteous man who always does what is right:

First, he worships Me exclusively; he doesn't indulge in gluttony or excess, nor does he worship idols like money or success—he doesn't even think about it! He puts God first above everything else; money, sex, success, relationships. Nothing gets in the way of God.

Second, he does not sleep with anyone but his wife. He doesn’t have sex before He is committed to His wife.  He doesn’t watch porn. He is in control of His sexual appetite.

Portrait of a Prophet: Daniel (spoken word full text)

After much prayer and reflection, I gave this spoken word poem at Vineyard Community Church on 4/6/14 over the life of Daniel the Prophet.

On The Shores of Babylon

Daniel's Answer to The King by Briton Riviere (1890)

God is my Judge

That’s what my name means

You may know me as Daniel

But they even tried to take that from me

I know you live in an age of plenty

You think yourselves quite mighty

And scoff at the idea of tyranny

But take a minute, remove this cultural context which is so blinding

And step into my shoes, you’ll see what I mean

March Update: My Official Job Location Decision

It's Official

I am proud to officially announce that I'm going to be a full-time InterVarsity campus missionary at Central University in Pella, Iowa!!!  It was a long process and I spent a lot of time in prayer and talking with friends and family, but I have no doubt that Central is where God wants me to be.  Go Dutch!

Here's the story.

I never got to sign a letter of intent when I came to play football at Drake, so I decided to fake a signing to go on staff at Central.

Perspective of a Prophet: John The Baptist

This is the first of a "Perspective of a Prophet" series in which I will be extensively studying and then speaking from, the perspective of various Prophets. These words are not necessarily what I would say nor how would say them but from the perspective of the prophet. This installment is John the Baptist.

Preaching of St. John the Baptist by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1490)

You wouldn't like me very much.

Jesus called me the greatest man ever that ever lived...

but you wouldn't like me very much.

I prepared the way for the Messiah, that He may reconcile all people to God...

but you wouldn't like me very much.

You wouldn't like me because I told the truth and didn't pull any punches. Because I called people to "REPENT!" and "BEAR FRUIT!" before I told them that God loves them.  I'm sure you would have reminded me to "speak the truth in love" and "not be so serious all the time."

You wouldn't have liked me because I look a lot more like this...

  

...than you're comfortable with.

And I'm not talking about those hypocrite, wolf in sheeps clothing, lying snakes in Kansas! Who make their living preying on the mourning and weakness of others, luring in the youth, twisting God's truth with their own hate!

I'm talking about having the courage to call people to repentance for their sins before they are cast into the fire of God's wrath.

But judgment, wrath, repentance... these make you uncomfortable?

Good.

Between the camel's hair and the Jordan River, I probably smelled pretty bad. Between the honey and raw crickets on my breath, that probably smelled pretty bad too.

For the location of my ministry I chose the desert; hot, dry, inconvenient, and outside of peoples way. Yet all Judea, Jerusalem, and Jordan came to see me. The first thing I said when people showed up was, "YOU BROOD OF VIPERS!! WHO WARNED YOU TO FLEE FROM THE COMING WRATH!?"  ...and everyone confessed their sins and was baptised.

What does that do for your outreach model?

I said the things that no one else would, the things others were scared to say.  I called people out for their sins, I fasted, I looked weird, I acted weird, I rebuked, I warned people about the consequences of their disobedience, and that hell awaited them if they did not change. And they had the gall to say I had a demon!

Salone with the head of John the Baptist by Andrea Solario (1520)   

I called out a politician for sleeping with His brother's wife and it got me put in jail. I stood by it and publicly proclaimed sexual sin in an age where it was accepted and everyone was too apathetic or scared to say anything.  This upset people in power and so I was beheaded.

I had my head cut off and you're afraid to like a status because of it how it may associate you with something controversial!

I lived in the desert, ate locusts, wore camel hair and you're afraid of how God is going to provide for you!

I was the crazy guy standing on the street corner screaming REPENT and you're afraid to talk about Jesus in class in case you come off of one of those Christians!
 WHAT!? A JESUS FREAK LIKE ME??

You coward! You care more about what man thinks than God! You care more about being relevant than being obedient!
You hypocrite! You twist God's word to justify your own apathy, fear, and sin!
You coward! You remain silent while innocent children are led away to slaughter in the womb!
You hypocrite! You do nothing while women and children are bought and sold for sex!
The poor, orphan, widow, and refugee are dying in the streets while you grow fat in luxury!!
Do you think you can avoid the coming wrath of God!? Are you so arrogant or naive to think it won't come!?

...

...Therefore, bear fruit in accordance with repentance. And don't presume to say to yourself: "I grew up a Christian, I go to church." For God raises up his church from prostitutes and beggars.  So who are you? Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees! Therefore every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire!

The one who has two shirts should share with the one who has none.  Deal fairly and honestly in your business.  Do not steal. Treat people justly.

St. John the Baptist by El Greco (1579)

You may not like me and you may think I am harsh. But judge me by my fruits.  Through my message came one greater than me, who baptizes you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  I heard a mighty voice from Heaven and the Spirit descend on Him like a dove. He brings the Kingdom of God with him and restores all things to himself. He is the Messiah and Lord to whom you should look and trust and follow.  I merely point toward Him, that He may become more and I may become less.

Jesus. Yeshua in my tongue.

He said I was the greatest man that ever lived.  But I never got to experience the Holy Spirit, nor the first inch of the growth of the Kingdom. For this reason I envy you, among whom the least will be greater than I.

He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
He is the one to whom you repent.
Turn away from your wickedness, your selfishness, and your sin.
Turn towards Jesus.
And follow.




Again, after study and reflection, this was written from the perspective of John the Baptist and not my my own, as much as possible.

Seth

Theology of Sex: Can We Use Adam & Eve as a Guiding Principle For Human Sexuality?

In order to fully understand sexuality today, in a culture drowning in lust and confusion, we have to go back to the very beginning, to Adam & Eve, and learn that human sexuality is not about fun, pleasure, love, or even procreation; it's about Jesus.  Can we really use Adam & Eve as that kind of universal principle?

Adam & Eve in Worthy Paradise by Peter Paul Rubens (1615). 

Genesis Principle
Genesis 2:24 reads:

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh."

This brief verse following the creation of the first humans is more than just a description of the first act of sex between Adam & Eve, but a principle and standard by which all future human sexuality and marriages should be judged and based on. The future tense of "shall" and the reference to father and mother, of which Adam & Eve had none, shows this is, in fact, talking about future sexual relationships.  The previous verse, the reason the "for this reason" is there, adds even more depth. Genesis 2:23 reads, 

The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."

This is Adam talking, referring to the process by which God actually removed a rib from Adam and fashioned Eve from the bone of the man. Adam was made from the dirt, Eve was made from man.  So since Woman is made from Man's flesh, Man ought to leave his parents and find his own Woman, and be reunited to her.  What was once one flesh in Adam was made into two fleshes in Adam & Eve. Sex and marriage is the process by which two fleshes are reunited into the one flesh.  So, once again, this is not something that only applied to these two individual humans, but is built into how we were intended to operate and interact as human beings of different genders. The two fleshes of the Man and Woman are only made complete by their reunion in sex and marriage.  As man and woman are both made in the image of God, but who reflect that image in different ways, that union is also the means by which we fully and completely reflect the image of God. This kind of intimacy would be impossible under any other sexual arrangement.

 Now Paul makes clear that our flesh may be incomplete (unmarried) while our soul is totally fulfilled and made whole in Christ.  Since the life of Spirit is superior to the life of the flesh, life long abstinence is also a perfectly acceptable use of sexuality as opposed to marriage.  But physically fulfillment is never technically possible outside of this design for sexuality laid out in Genesis 2.

Jesus Affirms
Did you know that Jesus actually uses this very verse in this very context? In Mark 10:2-12 and Matthew 19:3-12, when asked a question about divorce, Jesus quotes this verse and uses it as a principle by which to judge and base current marriage, regardless of what the current teaching or culture said about it.  It is true, there were rules in the Mosaic Law allowing for divorce, he explains, BUT Jesus replies:

 “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

It's almost a shame this is used as a meme so frequently. This really is an amazing painting called Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch (1888)

Now there's a ton to say here too about gender or the idea of restoration theology or provisional ethical hierarchies, but the point is this: Jesus here shows that Genesis 2 can and should be used as a principle for the original design of human sexuality which we ought to adhere to.  For the very mistake that people were making was that they were making excuses and finding loopholes for their sin, instead of looking to the beginning and how God created sexuality and marriage to function. This is what people do when they look for misinterpretations of the Greek, call Genesis poetry that doesn't apply to them, or ignore the Bible altogether in order to justify their sin.  Jesus' use of Genesis 2 as a principle for human sexuality means that we can and must do the same in the modern context.  (Genesis 2 is further used in the context of 1 Corinthians 6 and 7, which uses it, once again, as a principle by which to understand the errors of sexuality they were committing.)


Paul Explains
In Ephesians 5:21-33, Paul gives this amazing practical instruction for husbands and wives as it relates to the theology of Christ, further expanding on Genesis 2 and explaining the cosmic purpose of sex and marriage in the plan of God. After calling everyone to mutually submit to each other out of reverence to Christ rather than selfishly claiming and grabbing hold of authority, it reads,

Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.  After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church—  for we are members of his body.  “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”  This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.  However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Now, once again, there's a lot here about husband and wives and gender roles. I know the word submit gives a lot of people head aches these days.  The one thing I will say is that, when it's talking to husbands about being leaders and loving, he's talking love and leadership so servant-like and so radical, that it is meant to resemble the love of Christ that went to the cross and bore the wrath of God for His bride. Isn't that what every woman wants in her husband?

Calvary by Andrea Mantegna (1459). Sex isn't about us at all, it's about this.  Jesus dying for us, His Bride, so we may be intimately united. 

Nevertheless, the point is this: marriage and human sexuality is here laid out by Paul as a cosmic, prophetic symbol of Christ and the Church.  Once again, he quotes Genesis 2 as a guiding principle for human sexuality.  But he takes it a step further. "This is profound mystery," he says, "but I am talking about Christ and the Church." What??? So Genesis 2:24 is talking about Christ and the Church?? A profound mystery indeed. You see, this idea of leaving what you are raised in and what is comfortable, to go lay down your life for a woman and be bound together with her in perfect physical and spiritual intimacy, is exactly what Jesus does for us! The Church! His Bride! Jesus left the comforts of heaven and laid down his life for us on the cross, so that one day we may be intimately reunited with Him in eternity.  Hear the words from Revelation 19:6-9 and Revelation 21:10-11 that proclaim:

"Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” 

"Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!"

"Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God" 

Revelation actually describes the end times like a wedding banquet between Jesus, the groom; and His Church, the Bride; with a wedding party in the millennial rule and finally the consummation and happily ever after in the creation of the new heavens and new earth in the eternal order.

So you see, marriage and human sexuality is so much bigger than just a social construct or means for procreation.  It is actually, from the very beginning, created as a witness to and prophecy of the eternal plan of God for the redemption of His people.  Even children, far from just the result of sex for propagating the species, are an organic result of that intimacy.  They are the glory of their parents and, per the fourth commandment, return honor to them.  What is the organic result of the unification of Christ and His Bride except Glory and Honor to God the Father!? Amazing. Song of Solomon is a beautifully poetic description of the intimate love of a man and woman, but by it's very nature is also an allegory for Christ and us, the Church.  It seems marriage and sex, all the way from Adam & Eve until eternity, is a prophetic allegory and reminder of the sacrificial and intimate love of God for us.  

So yes I think that we can use Genesis 2 as a standard and principle for human sexuality.  Regardless of what was allowed in the Mosaic Laws like divorce (or by logical extension, polygamy), it was done because people's hearts were hard and they lived in a sinful world in which divorce was better than abuse or murder (See Mark 10 again). But Jesus calls us back to that principle of the originally created design for sexuality which, as we see with Adam & Eve, was for one man and one woman to be unified in the physical and spiritual intimacy of marriage for life as a prophetic symbol of Christ and the Church.

Adam & Eve by Lucas Cranach the Elder (1528). It is worth noting that Genesis 2:24 introduces and institutes sex before the Fall.  In it's original form it was good and God ordained. Oh how we have perverted that which was created to be so good.

Our Brokenness and God's Redemption 

Anything outside of this God-ordained original design for sexuality will hurt us and destroy us physically and spiritually.  This is ultimately what we call sin. Divorce is so painful because it tears apart what was once one flesh and meant not to separate.  Sleeping around before or even during marriage is so destructive because it makes light of a very serious spiritually intimate act and leaves people feeling broken and empty. Porn and masturbation cheapens and mimics it, taking the intended selfless end of sex by losing yourself in another partner, and selfishly turns in it toward yourself.  Abortion, rather than celebrating what ought to be the glory and honor of the parents, eliminates that life made in the image of God and unnaturally cuts off the organic end of sexuality out of fear, leaving participates regretful and hollow. Homosexual behavior, although perhaps based on real sexual attraction and genuine love for another person, nevertheless is a misplaced erotic love that is physically and fundamentally unable to fulfill the intimacy of one flesh between a man and woman that we were designed for. The list goes on.  As the saying goes, there are a million ways to fall down, but only one way to stand up straight.  

But as Paul points out, Jesus calls us back to this design not just because God said so or because it is how we were physically made to operate, which is true, but because it is a spiritual prophecy intended to point us to Christ.  The minute that sex become purely a physical act, even between a married, God fearing man and woman, it becomes an idol because it's not about Jesus. So I write this not as a reminder to not have sex before you're married, but to change your priorities, to go to Jesus and ask Him to change your heart about sex and marriage.  Your flesh is going to desire all sorts of things that are outside of God's intended design, especially as young adults.  Our job is yes, to resist, to stand firm, to find accountability, to flee from temptation, and to abstain. This is our daily and lifelong battle against our flesh. But on a deeper level we have to recognize the unconscious roots of our temptations, the lies that we believe or negative experiences in our past that effect our perception and approach to sex, and bring them to Jesus for healing.  If we don't do this, it will only ever be a list of don'ts; a battle that seems unfair and that we are likely to lose.

I have struggled with pornography for years, to varying degrees of success in resistance at different times.  But it wasn't until recently when deep in prayer that God brought me back to the time when I was 8 years old, stumbling onto scrambled porn for the first time, and my brain was instantly hooked on that mental heroin. It was there that I saw Jesus with me, weeping for the 8 year old little boy who didn't choose porn. He cried for the hurt that this would cause me later in life, and told me it was OK. He reached back into my life, into that profound moment of my past like Nathaniel or the woman at the well, and He saw me. It was then that I finally felt healed. I will never stop battling against my flesh and lust but it was only through that experience that my perception of sexuality, so perverted through my experience and culture, was finally restored to it's original intention, the intention right there in Genesis.  Much of what I have written here has come out of that restored perception.  Many of us have faced divorce, abuse, rape, or molestation in our younger years.  Many more have fallen victim to the lies that our popular culture and media are constantly feeding us from a young. We need that kind of inner healing.


Remember the promise of 1 Corinthians 6:

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God

A Depiction of Jesus and the Woman Taken in Adultry (1888) by Vasily Polenev. Jesus is not about casting stones, but about showing mercy.  He does not want to condemn you, but to heal you. "Now go and sin no more."

So I hope that you that you will take all of this in, store it in your heart, and wrestle with it in your mind. What lies do you believe about sexuality? What hurts do you have in your past that affect your current perception of marriage or sex? Only Jesus offers supernatural emotional healing for our hurts. Only He offers a good brain scrubbing, to expose and remove those lies which so firmly plant themselves in our mind.  Only Jesus offers what he calls rebirth, a second chance, to start over with a new identity, a new heart, a new mind, with a perception of sexuality (and everything else!) in line with how He created us.  He wants to restore us to our original design as humans so we can live as that new creation. Forgiveness is instant and waiting for us no matter how deep or dark our sin ran.  Yet this kind of healing takes time; and all we have to do is come to Him with all our junk, give ourselves to Him fully, and trust in Jesus' and what he did for you. Your old self in its sin and brokenness dies with Him on the cross and you are resurrected with Him a new creation.  God is faithful to heal and mold you into who you were created to be.  It may even take so much time that you don't reach it on this side of eternity. Remember, the battle never goes away.  But sexuality was never really about this side of eternity anyway, was it?  It's all about Him and it always was.  So let us, like Jesus, go back to Genesis 2, and restore sexuality and marriage to what it was created to be.

God bless and contact me if you would like prayer or have questions about these issues or anything else. Feel free to comment below.

Seth

8 Ways That College Is A Time of Doing the Exact Opposite of What Our Parents Told Us

Our parents spent 18 years preparing us for the world. Now that we're on our own, we do what we want, often to our doom.

Our early years in our parent's house were spent learning a lot of do's and don't, a lot of life lessons, and a lot of cliches we rolled our eyes at.  Usually our teenage years we feel like we are under the heavy boot of Big Brother and can't wait to get out the house. College, for many, is the first time we are on our own away from home and our parent's edicts, so we respond by basically complete rebellion against everything they've ever taught us.  Here's compelling proof that during College we do the exact opposite of what our parents told us to.

1) "Don't make faces like that or it will get stuck"

In an effort to rebel against our parent's ban on making faces, these girls have resorted to looking like aquatic birds for aesthetic reasons. The plus side is they're really good at eating spaghetti. 

Miley Cyrus is seen here making faces as some sort of desperate yet brilliant marketing campaign to look really stupid in order to be famous. 

2) "Eat Your Vegetables"

Here we observe the college student eating the most well rounded of all it's meals.  Peppers and Onions are free? No thank you, I might as well be eating brussel sprouts. Oh Hubble sucks again today? Greasy Pizza it is.

Because nothing says "brain food" for studying late at night than the well rounded options from the vending machine. 4 hours for 10 pages? Get me a red bull and it's done.

3) "Don't Sit Too Close To The TV"

We all got yelled at for this as a kid. It's not gunna ruin my eyes I'm just blocking your view. 

So I'm gunna sit as close as I want because the closer I sit the easier it is to kill zombies.  If I sit far away then I startle the witch and now I'm dead, thanks mom. 

4) "If all your friends jumped off a bridge would you?"

There is a lot of truth to this one.  It's a testament to the power of peer pressure.  But in college, Yes! We Would! Many times metaphorically, we are caught into the same game of fitting in and feeling cool that we should have grown out of in high school. So that's not good. But literally, I want to go bungee jumping, especially if all my friends are!

5) "Nothing good happens after midnight"

This one is also true, unless you're up killing zombies.  And despite what stupid movies like "National Lampoon's Van Wilder Goes to Nebraska" will tell you, staying out until 4AM, getting blackout drunk three times a weekend, throwing up and hooking up, is terrible. I did my share of partying and let me tell ya, nothing beats a night of Live Mafia. As a great college Dean once said, "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way go through life, son."  

6) "Go to church"

As a good friend of mine is prone to say, "Don't spend your Sundays listening to the Honorable Reverend Snooze."  Church seemed super boring growing up but college is a time to actually take ownership of your faith and think about what you believe, church (and your local InterVarsity) is a great place to start.

You'll discover that Church, for all it's eccentricities, is really your extended family and those aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents are there to love you.  You'll find yourself growing in faith on your own and get some free meals out of it as well. 

 7) "Read Your Bible" 

Studying is overwhelming at time and "reading your Bible" seems like another churchy thing our youth group pastor told us to do.

But actually a well read Bible is your greatest friend and ally in your relationship with God. 99% of the despair we face in life will come from a misconception, in some way, of God's good news. Study, absolutely, but there is no better investment in yourself than giving 10 minutes a day to read a chapter or two.

8) "Say Your Prayers"

Growing up we were always told to brush our teeth and say our prayers before bed.  So prayer became this routine thing you did before bed, meals, and church. In college, prayer becomes an afterthought. 

But in my experience, prayer is more like this. Pouring my heart out to Him, usually in my car alone, with all of the junk I am struggling through. Prayer can be a conversation or it can just be silently sitting in His presence. For more ideas about how to make prayer interesting click here for a previous blog entry.

So remember, next time you hear that internal voice of skepticism from your parents about what you're doing, your parents are wiser than you think now and *much* wiser than you thought as a teenager.  Sometimes they were dropping brilliant truth nuggets, other times they just wanted you to stop making that face because you were being annoying. College is a time, not to disregard everything they ever taught you, but to separate fact from fiction and learn and how to grow in your relationship with God not as a child dragged to VBS, but as an adult discerning God's will for your life. 

Seth

February Update: Interviews, Poetry, and Trust

Looking Back At An Amazing Month of God's Faithfulness

I started off the month of February, despite the cold  and snowy weather, burning with excitement. I had just graduated in December and I was beginning my first semester working with InterVarsity. I could not have been more thrilled to be giving my time to students, fundraising, and seeing God's kingdom come on Drake's campus.  And it's been an amazing month!  I finally had my official interview with intervarsity, gave an unexpected talk at our weekly large group, and have been taking big steps to becoming a fully fundraised, full time campus missionary! Going back into the last week of January, let's look at some of the highlights:

Student leader Cara Lutes setting vision at the Back To School Retreat

Interview and Placement
In the last week of January, I finally had my official interview with InterVarsity.  At a Panera out in West Des Moines, I sat with five (thats right, five!) interviewers from campuses in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri.  Although many might be intimidated is such a situation, I remembered my High School football Coach Dave Owens, who said something like, "If you're prepared, butterflies just mean that you care and you're about to do something great." I then also recalled that in the past few years, when I have had butterflies, it's because I was about to go smash heads with 300 pound heathen lineman.  So I can handle questions from a couple wimpy Christians, right!? Overall, I found the interview extremely enjoyable and pleasant.  It was nice that, although in some interviews you feel like you have to put on a airs, I could be authentic and do what I do best: talk about Jesus.  Three hours later, I was exhausted, but extremely happy about how it went. Within a week I received a call that confirmed their offer for a provisional staff appointment and within two weeks, I was informed where the regional directors felt I would fit best: Central College in Pella, IA! Although I would be working part time at William Penn in Oskaloosa as well and I would like to still visit Omaha in order to keep my options open, I am really excited about my possible fit in Pella and am actually visiting this Thursday! Everyone seems to think my gifts would really bring a lot to the table.  Considering my High School mascot was the Dutch, it would quite an uncanny fit!

An Unexpected Worship Sermon
In the meantime, for the next semester I am still acting as an active leader with the Drake InterVarsity chapter.  At the beginning of the semester, we began a new sermon series entitled "Follow Me" which was intended to be a practical look at spiritual disciplines and what it means to follow Jesus on a day to day basis.  This meant talking about basics like Prayer, Worship, Sabbath, The Bible, and Community. I was excited to open up the series by giving a talk about Worship. As a worship leader, this is something I've spent a lot of time thinking about and invested in. So I would have loved to get up there and give a 40 minute talk about Worship.  But as I prayed and fasted over the message, I felt God was calling me not just to "tell people about worship" but to "show them how to worship."  This began to take shape through getting people out of their comfort zones, because we too often go through the motions when we fall into monotony.  This began to mean breaking out of the modern evangelical "liturgy" of 1)worship 2)announcements 3) speaker 4)go home, and instead going back to a traditional liturgy from the Common Book of Prayer.  But God wasn't done there.  On the night of Super Bowl Sunday, three days before I was to give my talk, I got in the car and began to talk/pray through some of the things I might say.  And it was strangest thing.  As I began talking, things were coming out rhyming.  When I went home, I began writing.  Three hours later, my entire talk had come out in spoken word poetry form, of which I hadn't written any in several years!  It was unbelievable. I was in awe of the revelation that God had poured into my mind.  So finally, when it was all said and done, we followed the Rite of Eucharist (with communion), with modern worship songs, and a 12 minute spoken word sermon.  It was an unbelievable night and I was amazed at how doing things a little differently allowed people to really engage with God.  Click here if you would like to read my poem, entitled "The Throne Room."

First meet and greet of the new year.

A Part Time Job's Lesson in Trust
Around the middle of February, after fundraising was off to a slow start and my excitement was wearing off, I started to worry about money.  I am in a unique situation, renting a room from my pastors, where I don't have a lot of expenses and they understand I will be able to pay them rent when fundraising starts to roll in. Yet, fear started to set in, and I began to feel guilty, according to the standards of this world, that I was wrong by being "unproductive" and not working.  So I looked for a part time job to help with rent and food and I found one working as a server at a retirement community.  It was OK. But after several weeks, I began to feel uncomfortable and discontent about the whole thing.  On a monday off, I decided I would go on a "Pilgrimage" as a part of our week of Prayer and taken from the 19 different kinds of prayer I put together.  I walked to a park about 15 minutes from my house, bringing all my worries and fears with me, with the intention of meeting with God and leaving them there with Him. I did exactly that, even burned a post-it with my fears written on it, and I felt God's presence overwhelm me, pulling me to quit my job.  But that's crazy, right? Maybe according to the world.  But when Daniel chose vegetables and water over meat and wine, he did so trusting that God would supernaturally provide. When he asked to meet the King about his vision, he did so trusting that God would speak to him in the night.  Me getting that job was like Abraham and Hagar, getting impatient for the promise to come. So it was time for me to get out of the boat and trust that El Shaddai, that God will provide. Do you know what happened after that? Literally, when I got home, there was a $200 check waiting for me from a friend's parents.  That Wednesday, another friend pledged $100 a month and to set up a meeting with a friend of his to give me more.  How unbelievable is that!? The LORD PROVIDES! I am SO excited to keep going on this journey, to put all my trust in Him, to bring God's people into my mission, and see Him supernaturally provide.

An early draft of the poster I put together for our current series. 

Three Quick Praises
1) After several years of Drake IV being 70% girls, God has brought more than several awesome men of God into the group who really love Jesus and want more of Him. We've started a Men's Group on Fridays and the turnout has been awesome with a lot of authenticity.  It's amazing to see this answer to prayer happening, that men would rise up in IV, sharpen each other as iron sharpens iron, and be men of courage, righteousness, and influence in our group and on our campus.
2) As my schedule opens up after quitting my job, I will be spending more and more time at the International House of Prayer Iowa.  I have been going there for 2-4 hours every week, just getting alone with God and bringing prayer for my future, Drake IV, and the city before God, trying to reflect the persistent widow.  It is so refreshing and intimate to spend that time in His presence.  As I get involved more as musician on Monday and Friday nights, I'm looking forward to seeing God grow that ministry and hopefully build bridges between them and IV.
3) After submitting my transcript to InterVarsity USA, I am really close to being able to fully fundraise through IV! Once that happens, people will be able to send money directly to IV in my name, which will then go to pay my salary.  I am so looking forward to officially beginning that journey! Until then, I hope you will continue to pray for me, my impact on Drake's campus, the students there, my fundraising, and wisdom for my future location! If you would like to join my support team and receive monthly updates about pray and finances, please visit the "Support My Ministry" page.


Wow! It's fun looking back on the month like that! Praise God for all that He has done and will continue to do!  Bring it on March!!

Seth

19 Kinds of Prayer to Help You Actually Enjoy Talking To God

“To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and [there ascend] to stand before the face of the Lord, ever present, all seeing, within you [and on the throne].”

- Theophan the Recluse

Growing up, most of us were told to pray before bed and before meals and we saw our preacher do it on Sundays, but we never put much thought into what it actually was.  At times we think of it as a check list and duty. Last Wednesday at InterVarsity, Ann gave a great definition of prayer to shake loose these misconceptions, that "prayer is conversation between two people in love, you and Jesus."  Like any conversation, if you don't know the person very well, it can be awkward.  But as you talk more and get comfortable, great friendships can form.  Many of us never get past small talk with God, having only brief awkward interactions followed by days or weeks of silence.  But if we want to get to know God, our Creator, our Abba Father, we must talk to Him. Without communication relationships die.  But different people communicate in different ways and having deep convos every time you chat with a friend wears you out.  Sometimes you just want to catch up or hang out.

Inspired by that thought I have put together a list of 19 different kinds of prayer which can help us communicate with God in a variety of ways.  I took these from a book called Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun as well as my own experience in InterVarsity and Vineyard.  It is extensive but not comprehensive.  They range from contemplative silent prayers, to prayers that get you moving, to group prayers.  My hope is that you will bookmark this page and use it as a resource for connecting to God when your prayer gets a little stale, because every relationship needs to change things up sometimes. Build your relationship with God! Get praying!

1. Breathe Prayer - form of contemplative prayer linked to the rhythms of breathing: 1) breathe in, calling on a biblical name of image of God, and 2) breathe out in a simple God-given desire. E.g. (breathe in) “Jesus, Son of David” (breathe out) “have mercy on me, a sinner.”  You may also pray a short verse. (In) “The Lord is my shepherd” (out) “I shall not be in want.” Recall this prayer throughout the day as a way to re-focus on God, practice being in His presence, and pray continually.

2. Centering Prayer - a form of contemplative prayer where the pray-er seeks to quiet scattered thoughts and desires in the still center of Christ’s presence. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes, settle into a comfortable position, tell God you are intentionally placing yourself in His presence, then choose a simple word, phrase, name of God, or verse that expresses your desire for God. Perhaps read a psalm then pick something that resonated with you. Allow yourself to be still and become quiet as you focus on that word or phrase and rest in His presence. As distracting thoughts come into your mind, gently bring your mind back to the word. You may come back to that word throughout the day to still yourself and remind yourself of God.  Feel free to play around with different forms of contemplative prayer that stills your mind and rests in the presence of God.

Judging From A Google Search of 'prayer,' God doesn't hear you unless you're a silhouette. 

3. Conversational Prayer - Engaging in a conversation with God by yourself or in a group. When alone, speak with God like you would a friend, engage in a dialogue about what is on your mind right then. Try to get alone by going for a walk or sitting in your car so you can speak to God out loud. In a group, engage in the conversation together, taking turns praying about topics briefly as you are led by each other and the Holy Spirit. This teaches us to speak with God naturally and unself-consciously, listening to His Spirit in response, avoiding the pressure of the pre-planned flowery prayers we think we need.

4. Fasting - the self-denial of normal necessities in order to intentionally attend to God in prayer for repentance, wisdom, or out of concern for others, yourself, and the world.  It brings attachments and cravings to the surface as a reminder that Jesus alone can satisfy. It is also a practice of, like Paul, “keep our body under control,” to “live according to the Spirit” instead of the flesh, and to build a disciplined character which resists temptation.  Fasts may include: food, drink, media (TV, social media, phone), comforts (naps, desert), etc for any length of time, but stick with it!

5. Fixed Hour Prayer - Regular and consistent patterns of attending to God throughout the day as a way of “sanctifying time” and building God into our everyday life. This may include setting a timer to pray at the top of every hour, taking the few minutes in between classes to pray, or taking a longer 10-15 prayer morning, afternoon, and evening. For 1,600 years the Order of St. Benedict have used a schedule of a night prayer, a waking-prayer, prayers for beginning work, giving-thanks prayers in mid-morning, noon-day prayer of commitment, a mid-afternoon prayer, an evening prayer of stillness, and a going to sleep prayer of trust.  Feel free to be creative in your schedule or types of prayer used. What’s important is intentionally connecting to God at regular intervals throughout the day.

6. Healing Prayer - Contrary to what some may believe, God does still heal! Prayer is not magic and God is not bound to our requests but He is certainly able to heal and does, both physically and emotionally.  Praying for healing can be scary because it puts us in the place of asking God to the miraculous and risking He may say no. But He can never say yes unless we ask! Seven words that can change someone's life are “Can I pray for you right now?”  Prayer for physical healing may involve appropriately placing one’s hand on the injury (always ask!) and asking for God’s presence and kingdom to restore and heal the injury.  In our culture, the need for emotional healing is even greater. Emotional healing means asking for God to bring to the surface wounds and lies that shape how we live and see the world, for Jesus to place himself in that place, and to take that wound and heal it.  Listen to what he may be saying. We may have our own emotional wounds that we need to go to Jesus with as well.

7. Intercessory Prayer - Coming to God to intercede on behalf of yourself, others, or the world.  It is a great mystery that God knows the desires of our hearts yet still wants us to ask Him and that He listens and responds to our prayer.  Our prayer has direct effect in the world, especially in the spiritual realm, even if it may not seem like it.  This is praying that God breaks our heart for what breaks His, for His Kingdom to come and will be done, for our family, friends, campus, country, and more.  This may be done alone in a variety of ways such as prayer walk, as well as directly with someone, similar to healing prayer.

8. Labyrinth Prayer - Making a quiet, listening pilgrimage to God.  Pilgrimages to the Holy Land were common practice for early Christians as a way of reconnecting with their roots and getting right before God. Later Christians began building their own labyrinth (like a really simple 3-D maze) to walk in order to replicate the experience.  Today we may replicate the experience by going on a walk to some pre-planned destination, with the intention of getting away from distractions, centering yourself on Christ, sorting things out with God, and spending time with Him at the destination before returning renewed.  We may go on a mental labyrinth prayer of sorts when we get alone with God and talk through a conflict or dilemma. Many today even use a pen to trace their way through a printed labyrinth to replicate the same experience. Just google “Labyrinth," like below.

9. Liturgical Prayer - Written or memorized prayer that serves as a framework for individual or corporate worship and devotion.  This is what we do when we pray the Lord’s Prayer together or recite the Apostle’s Creed and is often used in a Catholic, Lutheran, or Anglican church service.  Look up the Common Book of Prayer or search Liturgical Prayer to find other historical prayer that help us engage with our history and with God in a different way. This may also include praying a piece of scripture as your own such as Psalm 139 or Psalm 51 (also known as Scripture Prayer). In that vein you may insert your own name into a scripture as a way to personalize it.

10. Prayer Partner/Group - Regular gathering with trusted fellow believers to pray for each other, your communities, the world, or other needs.  This is especially productive when formed around a common communities (sports team, fraternity, campus group).  Prayer in the group may be done in a variety of ways.  A “prayer meeting” may be a one time event for a specific cause.

11. Prayer of Recollection - a type of contemplative prayer with the specific purpose of relinquishing one’s false self, ego, pride, and culturally created identity in order to remember and “recollect” our God-given identity, and rest in the truth that we are a new creation, reborn, a son or daughter of God, and an heir to the King of Kings.

12. Prayer Walking - a way of praying for a particular location that you are concerned about by placing you in the actual geographical place and praying God’s kingdom to come and His spirit the be poured over over it. For example, walking around campus in order to pray for campus. Praying for the freshman dorms and all those within as you walk by, for Meredith, students and professors, as you walk by it. This often precludes a new beginning or a particular event such as praying for Greek street before a big party week or around the arts building before starting a drama ministry.

13. Praying in Tongues - Praying in tongues is a particular gift of the Spirit that not everyone has, so if you attempt it and it doesn’t come, that’s fine.  You are equally valuable in the Body of Christ and gifted in other ways. However, praying in tongues is mysterious and weird, but also very valuable.  Paul says that praying in tongues is the groans of the Spirit, speaking in tongues of men and angels, when our words are not enough.  Practically, this happens in that moment of prayer when we run out of cognitive words to say but feel our soul burning to say more.  When we simply let our vocal chords speak anyway, this is the Holy Spirit within us speaking through us.  It is important that Paul says tongues edifies (instructs, improves) oneself, not others.  It is possible for one to “interpret” the tongue (either because they hear it in their own language or are given a word by the Spirit) in a way that gives instruction to others.  But this is the only time tongues should be done before the congregation/group, otherwise it is a private thing between you and God. For more about tongues, see: 1 Corinthians 12-14

14. Korean Prayer  - A style of corporate adapted from Korean churches in which, rather than one person pray or every prays quietly, everyone in the assembly prays individually to God out loud.

15. Night Watch  - Setting apart time late at night to forgo sleep and instead spend time in prayer, reading Scripture, and worship, connecting to God. During David’s reign, he had musicians and priests praying and worshipping 24/7 throughout the night.  In a time when the rest of the world is sleeping, the Night Watch is a special way to set aside all distractions and spend extended time engaging with God.  You may start off with any amount of time and build up to longer stretches. What’s important is setting an extended period of time that will allow to engage with God in a variety of ways.  Think of watching the live feed of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, which has been doing 24/7 prayer since 1999 and has a group of people doing the Night Watch every night from 12-6AM.

16. Listening Prayer - A way of being still to hear from God. Prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue in which it is possible for God to respond in a variety of ways.  Rarely does God speak through a loud booming voice but through a single word, phrase, scripture, or image. People often call this recieving “a word” from God.  Do not feel discouraged if it seems awkward or difficult.  Often it is difficult to tell the difference between God and our own thoughts but thought repetition we can learn to discern (and we could still be wrong).  SImply take the time to still your mind, welcome the Holy Spirit, and ask God to speak.  This may be done alone, directly for another person, or in a group setting.  As you get comfortable hearing from God and make prayer a part of your everyday life, you may find yourself hearing God on a regular basis.

17. Treasure Hunt -  This is listening prayer with a particular purpose and direction alone or in a group.  You are asking God for revelation, signs, and divine appointments before you go out to an area, event, or campus.  Time is spent in listening prayer as a group, with each person writing down words or images that come to mind.  Each person then shares before the group goes out and looks for those images as a sign of where God wants them to go or what He wants them to do.  Again, don’t be discouraged! It’s amazing how many images people think are totally random and stupid but several people received and is seen when on the treasure hunt.  This technique has been used to find out from God where sex trafficking is going on in a city, which the group responded to by going to those places and prayer, as well going on prayer walks on campuses.

18. Lectio Divina - A type of contemplative prayer that includes reading and meditating on a passage of scripture in four stages.  1) Read through the passage slowly and gradually, perhaps several times. 2)Meditate on the meaning of the passage by letting the Holy Spirit guide you in understanding. 3)Pray by having a conversation with God about the passage and how the Holy Spirit is moving and speaking to you 4) Contemplate by sitting in silent prayer before God and letting the things you have learned and God has shown you to sink in.

19. Gospel Contemplation - Similar to Lectio Divina, this a type of prayer that involves Scripture.  Read through one of stories in the Gospels of Jesus interacting with person like when he heals a beggar or talks to the woman at the well.  Read it again and familiarize yourself with the details.  Then in your mind place yourself in the scene and observe the surroundings, how Jesus is acting, how people respond, etc.  Meditate on what this means for how Jesus looks at and loves you.  Talk to God about what how this experience is shaping your knowledge of Jesus.

What do you think?? Any kinds of prayer that you use that I missed? Comment below!