Life is an adventure

There are times in our lives when everything seems to fall into place: like this past extended weekend when my family not only met, but also enjoyed the company of my girlfriend back home. Then there are times when life likes to make you jump and there's two ways to look at it: is it part of the adventure or is it a horrible distraction? Tonight's events I like to think of as an adventure with one I hold dear. I had been driving back to school for about 4 and 1/2 hours when all of a sudden all the car lights went off except for one that said "oil" and the one around the car battery...then I was not able to speed up either, so I carefully maneuvered the vehicle into a side ditch, in the middle of nowhere, to figure out the problem. While we were trying to figure out who to call, we encountered three things. First the guy who lived across the street from where we were came over and asked if we were okay, then a cop pulled over and asked if we were okay and what had happened, then he questioned why I, someone from PA, was traveling in OH so late at night. These two guys did not do much to help us, but the fact that they showed they cared meant a lot to my interpersonal, connected personality. Then as we waited for a tow truck, two cops pulled someone over in front of us and we were pretty sure that it was a drug bust. Three run ins with people on this road: two good and one worrisome, very much like life. At this point we locked ourselves in the car and started waiting for the tow and calling for rides all the while discussing as pacifists how we wished we had guns with us for protection. Once the calling began, I felt it would be a great idea to call my friend Dick, and ask for a ride since we had helped him when he broke down. He told me he could come get us, but wasn't familiar with the area so we should call someone else, even though we were only half an hour away from school. This showed me that there will be people who as much as I invest in their lives, they will not be reliable in my own life. This is not what I would desire, but it is what it is. Then I called several people and finally called one of my apartment mates who was willing to come and pick us up. It was a blessing to know which friends have manners and who I can rely on and it was a very eventful way to end my fall break. This is what I get for wishing that my life had more experiences for stories. 

Becoming Fully Human Again

I have recently had the privilege to read through the book Created to Worship: God's invitation to become fully human by Brent Peterson for one of my classes this semester and it is very insightful on what worship truly is. For one of our first assignments we were prompted to post a forum discussion using the first 5 chapters to answer the question Why do we Worship and how do we worship as Christians. What follows below is my response to that question which I think is important for all of us to wrestle with since it is our calling as humans to worship God. 

It is important to talk about why we worship because so often worship becomes the central reason why people leave churches. Oftentimes when people leave you can hear responses such as “I thought it was too traditional.” Or “I didn’t feel emotionally moved by the worship set.” Whatever it is people tend to want to worship according to their preferences of music and how things are done. This should be addressed because worship is so much more than that. As Peterson say, “while a worship service must be familiar to each local context, there is a profound idolatry at work when I can only worship when the church’s worship is what I want, what I am comfortable with, or what I am used to” (21). I could not agree more and I believe it is easy to fall into this idolatry because we live in such an individualistic, instant-gratification world where we are told that we should have all of our needs met. That is so detrimental to the plan that God had for us.

God created us, humans, in his image to worship him. God is a triune God and so he is relational, which means as his image bearers we ought to be relational. This individualistic society and even preferences in worship are not a part of his plan; for how are we being image bearers of a 3-in-1 God when we are so focused on ourselves in an act that God desires us to do? When we tear away from this individualistic approach and view worship as a communal act we are living the way God intended, for as Peterson says “To glorify God literally imagines God’s love shining between human faces and finally back to God” (24).  When we are in community, loving God and each other, and inviting people into God’s grand story we are partaking in Christian worship.

Along with our call to communal love, Peterson tells us that “God’s Breath is the very thing that sustains all living creatures” (42). This is shown evident in Genesis 1 when God breathes into the dust to create man; because of God’s breathe we should worship him for without him we would be nothing. It is also God’s Breath through the Spirit that gathers us together to be the church and then breathes us out to go and spread the hope and joy of God’s mission in the world. When we gather together communally and then go out to spread the message we are worshipping God by being who we were intended to be. So to worship effectively as Christians we need to be willing to leave the boundaries of our church building and be the church which is “called to participate in God’s further healing in all the places the Spirit blows the church” (44). 

Junior Year: Intentional Community

Two years have passed and yet another has just begun at this great campus that I have grown to call home. It is only the second week and already I have been filled with ideas, passions, and great memories that will only continue to build as the year progresses. From the first week, training to be a small group leader, I felt a call to minister to the local community here this year. How often do college students go through college staying in their little "bubble" of campus and neglecting the neighborhood that surrounds them? Or how often do we take the opposite approach and focus our entire thoughts and actions on leaving the country and getting away from here? Why is it that college students seem to have a problem with being content with where they are? Now I know this is a general statement, but overall when people are in college it's always for something else: to get that much needed degree, to climb the ladder of success, to get that dream job, the fill up their resume, to prepare themselves to leave. Whatever their reason for being in college is, it is likely not to help the community flourish. Why is that? How much better could we make the world if we focused on the community we were living in for the 4-5 years that we are there? I feel called to get to know the neighborhood, visit the farmers market, help support the local economy, and do what I can to minister here. If we, as college students, are going to be living in an area for a select number of years the least we can do is help usher in Gods kingdom to that community through our acts of love, simplicity, and sustainability.

It could be easy to read the above calling and assume I am going to invest all my time in the community and neglect campus life to fulfill that passion; however that is simply not the case. Like everything in life there has to be a fine balance and order to how you do things even if your personality is one that dislikes routine. As important as it is to invest and support your local community it is also important to support the campus you attend which is what I will be doing. When I go into work in the mornings I go in with a positive attitude hoping to show love to those that I come in contact with. When I hang out with friends I am intentional about what we do and talk about. When I ask professors how they are doing I genuinely want to know more than the typical "great" answer. There are so many ways that one can invest in their community and really get to know the people you are living with; but it all has to do with being intentional. Once a week my apartment has decided to have "Bro Time" at a set time and place; not because we all love routine--because we don't--but because we want to be intentional about growing together as we live communally.

I share these thoughts not to show off my calling or all the "great" things that I have done, but to show examples of how I think the college years can effectively be done. I know, as I am prone to mistakes, that there are many other ways to fully embrace your communities while you are in college. I also believe there are some ways that may work better for some people over others. When we are living our lives whether it is in college or not, we need to ask ourselves if we want to live lives of love that promote simplicity, community, and sustainability or apathetic lives that promote consumerism and individualism. As I journey on in my college life I hope to reflect this life of love, simplicity, and sustainability with each relationship I develop.

Thoughts from an Emergent Christian...

Since the early years of my college career and even the ending years of my high school one I have identified myself in the camp of Postmodern and Emergent among other labels that tend to follow suit with those two. Often times as I have progressed in my walk many have wondered why I call fall under such labels, especially the Postmodern and Emergent ones; these questions often lead to more questions on what is Postmodernism or what is the emergent church? Which very early on in my life I have realized these are not simple, easy answers. In fact I think the fact that postmodernism is not defined by a simple, trite sentence is a very postmodern answer. So I would find myself in situations where I would decide it best to explain my own personal beliefs and whether or not they decide to label that postmodern or emergent was up completely those listening. 

Recently, however, I stumbled upon a book in a local Ollies entitled Hipster Christianity: When church and Cool Collide by Brett Mccracken and as cheesy as the title sounded there was a part of it that enticed me. As I began to shift through the pages I began to see phrases that I had been prone to say flash out at me, then as I took a deeper look I realized this guy knew what he was talking about. This book was not just some cheesy attempt to look at many who fall under the label of "christian hipster" but it actually revealed a lot of insight about my generation that I would attest to being true, at least in that particular subculture. All this to say, as I was reading through this book, I stumbled upon a section where the author had put 7 key assertions of the emergent movement that is meant to be a brief summary of the movement. I have found this section to be one that lines up with some of my own beliefs so I am sharing it in the hopes to portray why I identify myself with this movement, whether or not the label "emergent" is dying out.

"Seven Key Assertions of the Emergent Movement: Excerpt from Brett Mccracken"

1. Modernism is lame: In the first place, and above all, emerging is a response to modernism. It is postmodern (more or less). Emergents contend that modernity has set the church off track, which has, among other things, turned the Christian faith into little more than an "x+y=z" ticket to heaven. Christianity is bigger and more complex than the self-help, "this is how you can live your life best now," cosmic ATM that modern evangelicalism sometimes makes it out to be. It can't be understood in one prayer or in forty days of purpose, they say. Jesus simply cannot be domesticated...the emerging church disdains rigid, systematized ways of looking at things...emergents suggest that modernism is too analytical, too trusting of science and rationality, too arrogant in the face of a world that seems to always end up being more mysterious and powerful than our intellects can comprehend...

2. Christianity is edgier and less safe than most people think: ...Emerging church leaders felt strongly that Christianity--the things Jesus did and called Christians to do--is way more dangerous and edgy and countercultural than recent church history would suggest. As a result, the prevailing tone of most emerging rhetoric is decidedly provocative and prone to hyperbolic statements meant more to shock people out of their comfort zones than anything else. Every emergent leader has a cadre of one-liners that typically blast the establishment church in some strongly worded manner.

3. The Church Gets in the way of the Gospel: ...for emergents, the church today embarrasses them because it is irrelevant, out of touch, and busy answering questions that no one is really asking. It has a reputation for being hateful, bigoted, stodgy, legalistic, and lame. But above all, emergents argue, Christianity is getting the gospel wrong.

4. Dialogue and Conversation are better than argumentation and apologetics: the emergent church emphasizes community and relationships. The church, emergents argue, should never have turned into such an individualistic pursuit wherein the most important thing is one's solitary decision to convert and follow Christ. On the contrary, the church is called into community and away from individualism. It should be about relationship and dialogue with one another rather than theologizing our ways into heaven by way of our own individual cognitive devices...when emergents dialogue, they don't think in terms of winning and losing. They value the process above all, the community based pursuit of a new understanding of God.  Their broader view of theology reflects this: it is not fixed or static but rather localized and fluid. They love talking theologically, but their theology is malleable and context-specific. Everything they say invites debate and should be discussed, all for the benefit of learning together and sharing openly whatever convictions, uncertainties, or doubts one may have. They sometimes call this a "humble hermeneutic."

5. Story and Narrative are better than Propositions and Systems: ...Emergents are highly suspicious of systematic theology. God did not reveal a systematic theology, they argue; he revealed a storied narrative. As Scot McKnight puts it, the emerging movement tends to believe that, rather than a systematic theology being the final word, theology is rather more like an ongoing conversation about "the Truth, who is God in Christ through the Spirit, and about God's story of redemption at work in the church."

6. Binaries are too Simplistic: Emergents do not like binaries. The idea that something must be this or that, and cannot be both, troubles them. A great fault of modern Christianity, they argue, lies in its emphases on certain binaries: in vs. out, sacred vs. secular, good vs. evil, and so on. Though in truth, binaries may sometimes exist, they are never as black and white as modernity makes them out to be. Thus, while many emergents acknowledge a distinction between Christian and non-Christian, they are very reticent to assume any sort of final judgment as to how or where we can draw such a distinction. Their emphasis is not on who is saved or unsaved, in or out, but rather on the transforming power of the gospel for everyone.

7: What we do is more important than what we think or say: One final assertion of the emerging church--and a very important one-- is the idea that praxis (the living out, daily embodiment) of Christianity should be as ore more important than the way we think or even talk about it. How do we live out the gospel? What does the church look like in practice? These are important questions for emergents. For the emergent church, the proclamation of the gospel must always be accompanied by the living of it. It's not enough to just say "Christ is risen." We must live in such a way that demonstrates this life-altering fact. A major outgrowth of this idea is the missional movement...


I am sure there are many more assertions and definitions of one who is emergent, but that is the brief summary that I have wanted to share. Reading a majority of that felt like I was reading my own thoughts put into paper. Many in my own generation (and others) have felt and acted in these emergent ways, however, just because someone is a millenial, does not mean that they are or will become emergent. I hope to help give clarity to those who wonder what I believe and why. 

But at the end of the day, despite all of these, my hope is to be known as someone who loves God and loves People through my actions in all that I do. These are simply the thoughts from a man made from dust.

And now we process...

Beep, Beep, Beep! 6:30 AM time to get up...The creaking of the shuttle up to the Arch...the sizzle of the taco meat every Tuesday...The 80 acres of smells...the community of STL...all gone.

I am now sitting back in my families home in PA, after an amazing summer working with YouthWorks! The last two weeks in STL were some of the craziest weeks, yet I was reminded constantly how God's grace is sufficient and helped us through. We had to deal with the tragedies of losing our site director, adjusting to a new Utility staff, adjusting to staff members from Cairo, IL, and finishing out our last weeks with participants. This entire summer was filled with grace and crazy late nights, but in the end it reminded me why I want to go into youth ministry. Every night when I would give my talks I just felt confident and empowered with what I shared and it was even more encouraging to hear and see the impact it left on some the teenagers. Every Sunday when we would start at 4PM and every weekday starting at 6:30AM was worth it. Everything we did, saw, and experienced was more than worth it. I saw God move in STL and I know that as the great song says, great things are yet to come to this city.

As our last group left everything quickly came to an end. We finished cleaning the church, our summer home, and all drove off to Nashville for that Saturday evening. As I drove into the city of country music, listening to country, I contemplated all that I had experienced that summer: from Ms. Nadine Rice and her amazing compassion for others to Martha Rice & New Life Evangelistic Center to the bonding that my team and I experienced, they are all memories that I never want to forget. As I was dwelling on these memories I kept thinking that I do not want these to simply be memories. I want to stay connected with my team, to stay connected with STL, and to let the journey continue. To be exploring ways to serve God and others in my own communities that I live just as I taught each of the youth every single week this summer. I pray God will continue to guide me in loving others to do amazing things.

After spending the evening with our Area in Nashville, we drove another 3 hours to arrive back in Birmingham, AL. Here we had what we called Exit RAMP (Regional Area Mission Prep) where we all got to debrief, worship together, and receive a bunch of free Youth Specialties & Youth Works gifts. It was a fun time to relax after a long, exhausting (yet worth it) summer and then Monday night we all said goodbye, hoping and wishing that we would one day reconnect with each other. Bright and early Tuesday morning, I left for the airport and got to say one last goodbye to some of my team because there were YW staff all over the airport waiting to board.

I have now been home for a day and half and it feels so weird. Half of my family met me at the airport with signs in hand and asked me a little about the summer, but then just returned back to every day life. It is the weirdest situation going from constant ministry to feeling like there is nothing to do. To avoid feelings of nothingness & boredom, I am working at my mother's daycare school age program, but even that is a weird transition from working with teenagers. I know after awhile I will gradually shift back into routine, but until that happens it will be hard. I went from constantly being affirmed of my calling and getting hands on experience to 20 days of being at home and working at a daycare. I pray that God will show me how He is using me here in this small town as well. As I am processing my summer there is one thing I know for sure, spending my summer doing Youth Works made it one of the best summer's of my entire life and I hope to do it again next year; but until then I will be ready for whatever adventure God has next for my life.

Here's to YouthWorks!

Here's to an amazing summer with YouthWorks where I have been greatly impacted by God and others, I have grown so much, and I have been affirmed of my calling. I will post more about the end of my summer in the near future, but here's to the great Area I could ask to serve God and others alongside of. This is the body of Christ, putting aside our denominational differences and simply loving as Jesus loves. I praise our wonderful Creator for one of the best summers of my life.

Perseverance builds stronger community

So, sometimes when you think everything is going right and ahead of schedule...things change. That is what happened from day 1 of this new week as the morning began with a car accident wrecking our company car! It was a disaster, but luckily no one was hurt and then the church immediately stepped in to help us out because we needed to still pick up our groceries. So while we were still shaken up the new groups arrived and I immediately felt like I was going to connect with this group more. Well all went well until the 2nd day one of the vans got broken into; we were shocked and felt as if we could not get a break. It was like there were forces working against us that knew we would be having an amazing God filled week. Sure enough we worked through every trial that approached us and now I feel closest with this group than groups in the past. 

Everything was going well until we got the adult leaders in on a prank. You see the St. Louis site is rather into pranking each other, but we took it a step too far by scheming with adult leaders. We ended up seriously freaking out some of the youth and having to have a meeting about it. This was one of the biggest trials we had to face because we wondered how much trouble we would get in for it. Luckily it ended up just being a learning experience for us to never try and prank high school students. Advice for anyone running missions trips: don't prank the participants even when you think they'll take everything 100% well; because often times ones intentions are not the same as one comes off. 

We were afraid this trial would cause the youth to lose their trust in us. I thought that some of the youth wouldn't even want to talk to us. But by the end of the night many of the youth were thanking us for everything from the week and sharing funny stories of pranks gone wrong. To further show our forgiveness we received everything went well on our Thursday plans and the foot washing service went exceptionally well. In the end we as a staff were closer and the groups all seemed more unified.

 This week has shown the importance of perseverance through the storm and how when done in the presence of others trials build community. Authentic community. At the end of the day the 3 other staff I work with are my summer family; for better or for worse we are sticking together till the end. That is the beauty of communal living.