Passivity: Reflections for fellas on what it means to be an initiator

At first reflex when we see the word initiator, most of us do one of 2 things: puff up our chest and prepare ourselves to “dominate”…or…get into the fetal position in the corner of a room knowing we are destined to fail. Why is it there is such extremes in the world of initiative? While the word initiative does not appear in the Bible, we are given a clear example by Jesus on multiple accounts about what it means to initiate. Never do we see Jesus waiting on His heels waiting how things will “turn out”. We can even see prior to Jesus throughout the Old Testament a steady foot forward in initiative. In the Psalms alone, the words “I will” appear over 190 times as a cadence mantra that inspires us forward rather than backward, ignites rather than reacts, and invests rather than retreats. Is there any question that God who inspires these authors, and is the very image we are seeking through the picture of Jesus, is an initiator Himself?

Young men…stop being lazy, lonely, bored, and stagnant guys. We have been given the word that is the playbook to His calling and purpose in our lives. Often the best way to discover the unique plans God has for us as individuals is to act in an initiating manner towards the things he has called all of us too. Obey Him moving forward. As the old proverb goes: you can’t steer a parked car.

~Deep thoughts by a Shallow guy~
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All the single ladies!

My sweet and wonderful ladies of Mosaic Student Ministry! As I sit here thinking…processing…and thinking some more, I thought that I would share with you a few of the pieces on my heart. So men, we love ya but this blog is just for my girls!
:)

Ladies, do we not wake up each morning, look in the mirror and have a desire to be beautiful to someone? To experience love? To be seen as “very precious” to our King? Let’s dive into God’s word! 1 Peter 3:1-6…

“Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external – the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear- but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.”

As I begin to embark on a new adventure in life (marriage), I have continually thought of what it means to be a woman of the Lord and how we as women are wired to honor God and serve Him with our lives. This specific section of Scripture has become very precious to me because of these words “which in God’s sight is very precious.”
Now, obviously Paul is talking very specifically to “wives and husbands” in this section; however, DO NOT ride this passage off as one to look at when you start thinking about marriage or being a wife. Remember that there is great truth for all women of the Lord as we focus on what womanhood looks like according to God’s word. Paul directs all Christian females to put on something NOT corruptible, something that beautifies the soul and gives honor to His Spirit. Growing up, my FAVORITE game was “Pretty, Pretty Princess!” I loved all the jewelry that I could get and dress up in! But oh, to win the game and get to wear the beautiful crown filled with precious jewels my joy was uncontainable! I would prance around and be filled with excitement showing everyone my beautiful jewels and asking them to all bow down to “Princess Carrie” ☺ (did I mention that I probably took this a little to seriously as a child?). And so when Paul tells Christian women to NOT allow their beauty to be consumed by the outward appearance, I find this interesting! Now, Paul is NOT saying “don’t take care of yourself” or “never look cute ” or “don’t shower…in fact just throw mud on yourself and put a bag over your head!” NO! HEAR ME SAY…Paul is NOT saying those things. However, he IS saying do NOT be consumed in these things. He is commanding us- as ladies- to cultivate an inner beauty of a “gentle and quiet sprit”! If you are anything like me, you may say to yourself “Well GREAT God! Now I’m suppose to keep my big mouth shut and never say anything! I will need a complete personality makeover now!” But again…I DON’T think this is what it is about. This spirit is to be one of consistency with the Lord. One full of peace in knowing that the King of Kings is in complete control and we are to trust in Him with our lives and follow Him with every opportunity that He gives us! This is a spirit of respect, honor, love, submission, and trust. It looks more like a peaceful stream of water than the raging waves of the ocean.
So HOW do we cultivate this beauty? What does this look like? Well….as I have prayed through this verse here are a few things that God has brought to my attention that maybe you can chew on over a nice cup of Tazo© Calm Tea at Starbucks.

1. Proverbs 31:30- “A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised”. We MUST know the Lord! I think this is what it means to “fear” the Lord. We must know His heart, know His word, and ultimately we must KNOW Him! Do you know the Lord in a deep, intimate, love-relationship way?
2. Ex 34:29- “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord.” SPEND TIME WITH GOD! The most beautiful woman is one who cherishes and desires to spend time with her Maker! It was obvious to others that Moses had been with the Lord. Is it obvious to the people you live with or your classmates that you spend time with God? Is your face radiant?
3. 2 Corinthians 3:18-“We…are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory…” When people see you, who do they see? They should see Jesus Christ. Do they? How is God molding you to look more and more like Him? And how do you respond to His molding?

Ladies, how are you cultivating beauty? How are you leaning hard on the Lord? I pray that today your cultivate an imperishable beauty that beautifies your soul. You are precious to many and loved by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords! May your hearts be at rest in Him and may your desire be for His attention alone!


~Princess Carrie ☺:)

Generational Discipliship: Reflections on Deuteronomy 6:4-8

The Youth Ministry of Fellowship Mosaic has a rhythm we march too. Everything we do find’s it’s roots in an Upward, Inward, Outward perspective of Deuteronomy 6:4
Deut 6:4-6
4 " Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 " You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
(Mark 12:31)"The second command is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

While we have strategically planned our ministries around these principles, it seems at times that today’s definition of church skips what comes next:
Deut 6:7-9
7 " You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 " You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 " You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

One of the grand purposes of the Church since the beginning of time has been to pass on to the next generation the wonderful deeds of the Lord in knowledge and truth. This chili pot thought is less about providing a solution and more about acknowledging a problem. Is this happening? Parent’s, are you spectators in the spiritual formation of your students or are you an active participant? If we as a student ministry are only being partially effective in living, programming, and communicating this, perhaps it is time we make considerations for change? Worthy of thought…Worthy of prayer…

~deep thoughts by a shallow guy~
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Science and Faith: Part 2 - The Natural and the Supernatural

One of the greatest objections to faith from scientifically minded people is that there is so little evidence for God. They want some kind of proof that God is real. They claim that attributing unexplainable things to miracles from God is intellectually irresponsible, or in other words, wishy-washy and stupid. There are a couple of fundamental problems with this line of thinking that should be highlighted.
Underlying the objection is a certain kind of belief that Tim Keller calls a “defeater belief.” A defeater belief is a belief that if held keeps you from believing something else. So, for example, a strong belief that reindeer cannot fly would be a defeater belief against the story of Santa Clause. What exactly is the defeater belief behind the objection here? I think it is simply that anything true must be scientifically provable and that the world will always operate inside the rules of science. But, is there any reason to believe this? Why should we believe that anything true should be scientifically provable? Do we believe that whether or not one person loves another person is scientifically provable? It seems absurd to most, but that is exactly what some naturalists propose! However, if it is the case that everything must be scientifically provable, then science itself must be able to be tested scientifically. Can we show scientifically that all truth is scientifically provable? It seems rather difficult. Actually, it looks like this defeater belief is really just a step of faith. People trust in science for many of the same reasons people trust in faith.
Interestingly, the world of scientific study is actually beginning to work against itself. It is a fascinating study to take a look at the implications of quantum mechanics. I recommend Lothar Schafer’s book In Search of Divine Reality. The basic idea of quantum mechanics is that at the atomic level everything is determined by processes that cannot be observed. Something immaterial occurs that determines the material outcome. Did you catch that? At the core of science is something unscientific! At the end of the day, a quantum leap occurs in an unobservable way. Some scientists, like Dr. Schafer, see this as evidence for some kind of divine influence that is determining and holding the entire universe together. I’m not kidding. I took the guy’s class. He is not a Christian, but he believes that some divine mind is “before all things and holding all things together.” Why don’t all scientists believe this? The simple answer is that they trust that science will eventually figure it out. They believe this not because the evidence supports it. They take it on faith that science will prove true. Ultimately, it is not evidence that determines what anyone believes, it is a choice of where to place their faith. I think if both sides would admit this, we could a lot closer to understanding other’s point of view.

Is High School Dating OK?

This is a great question to tackle, especially the week after Valentines Day. One of the challenges of addressing questions such as these is that there is not a passage in scripture that gives us a clear answer. Therefore, I think we need to reshape the question asking what is best for the grand story of my entire life rather than my momentary wants and desires.

Here is some other ways to look at the same question:
1) Does Dating glorify God?
2) What are the benefits and the temptations involved with dating?
3) If Nick and Kassie Roland can date in high school and get married…can’t it happen to me too?

Lets answer some of these…
Does dating glorify God? I think it can and it should. What I do know is that God called man and woman to be together in marriage. Therefore, we are going to be attracted to the opposite gender. I feel as though all things on earth can bring glory to God. In the same sense though, all things can steer us away from the Lord. I can play soccer to the glory of God. I can also let soccer become an idol, pulling my time, attention, and ultimately worship, away from the Lord and onto it. This same temptation of creating an idol can happen regarding dating. Dating can consume us so much that the Lord takes a distant second place. When this happens, as it often does, we steal God’s glory.
What are the benefits and the temptations involved with dating? If you were to put these two on a scale, I feel the temptations massively outweigh the benefits of teenage dating. Why? When I think through the potential benefits, the list includes: Fun, hang out, communication, companionship, preparation for marriage (churchy answer) and more. The issue with these is, everyone of these things can happen while in a group and without “dating somebody” which is where temptation often comes into play. Within our culture, dating alludes to privileges. Privileges such as intimacy, affection, and 1 on 1 time, are often the very things that get us into trouble. They are the things that we want, yet often lead to mistakes we later regret. As believers, we often draw lines of “how far is too far” but then tiptoe right up to the edge of that line. More often than not, our flesh is going to overpower our recently drawn line and we are going to fall into the heavy emotions of the moment. Result: our temptations just did a roundhouse kick to anything we once defined as “benefits”.
If Nick and Kassie Roland can date in high school and get married…can’t it happen to me too? Of course it can…it just rarely does. In fact, more often than not, I think dating prepares us more for divorce than it does marriage. We date somebody until we become disinterested, sick of them, or they do something that offends us. In this case…the answer is obvious: DUMP THEM. This molds our instincts that once we are tired of a person, we can just move onto the next. When and how does this get us ready for marriage? Nick and Kassie dated each other for 4 years, all the while saving themselves in purity for WHOEVER they would have married. It was just extra bonus that they were saving themselves for each other. I do think they are a great example of dating that worked, but they will tell you there were many bumps along the way that came from dating so young. NOTE: I have been in youth ministry for over 10 years and they are the only couple I have ever seen that has this story.
REALITY: there is a good chance the person your dating in Junior Hi or High School is not going to be the person you marry.

So…where do I go from here?
My opinion (which remember because it is not officially in the Bible, will remain an opinion) is that you can have very good, very deep relationship that prepares you for marriage, while not having the official title of “dating”. Why this? I think to often as soon as students become a pair, their “dating privileges” find a way of burying the moral and spiritual lines they have drawn. If your truest desire is to guard your heart and body, it is wise to avoid situations that could be cause temptation. So, hang out in groups…have a blast doing it. Don’t freak out about being attracted to somebody…we are designed to work like that! Use these opportunities however to develop your sense of boundaries, your skills of question asking, and your discipline of pure living.

~Deep thoughts by a Shallow guy~
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Overcoming Sexual Temptation

You might think it strange that the girl who has never had a boyfriend or even been on a date would be the one given the assignment to write the blog, “How do I as a Christian overcome sexual temptation?,” but I think it’s interesting that God really doesn’t care what season of life He has you in or where you stand with the opposite sex….we will always be called to live a life a purity, holiness & righteousness (and trust me, even single people deal with it).

I know most of the students/people who are asking this question are doing so because they might think there is a quick, couple-steps answer to how to “be better” when I am alone with my boyfriend/significant other. However, I would argue that the answer we are seeking lies in the nature of how we spend our time in thought, action or deed. I am brought back to Jesus’ powerful words in the gospels that say,

So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

What we watch, hear, think or spend our time doing, effects how we will respond in time of temptation, sexual or otherwise. Some questions to ask ourselves…how do I spend my time? And is it leading me to greater love, knowledge, understanding & desire for the Lord & His purposes? What am I watching or listening to that leads into my thought life? And what is the result of it?

You see, there will always be temptation. We live in a fallen world, one with sin and if sin wasn’t available then we wouldn’t be tempted, but we will be. It’s fact. So I think the better question to ask would be, “How do I as a Christian LIVE while sexual temptation is inevitable?”

I think Paul gives us a couple of pointers in light of our calling…

Romans 12:1-2
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Philippians 4:6-8
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

As you seek Jesus, offer yourself to Him as a living sacrifice & allow Him to remake you, I promise that coping with sexual temptation will become easier. It won’t be gone, but it will make you smarter/wiser in how to take further steps in purity & holiness.

P.S. a guy/girl that deserves your time/heart/future will share this desire & goal with you even in the hard times. So if they don’t, get rid of them.

How can the Old Testament people be saved if there was no Jesus then?

This is a great question, one that is important to understand as we understand who Jesus is and what He did. Prior to answering this question though, I think there is some important truths to remember:
1) God is outside of time. Therefore what he does in an instant could actually play itself out over thousands of years.
2) It says (referring to Jesus) in Hebrews 13:8 “I am the same yesterday, today, and forever”.
When we exist inside of time, it’s hard to understand a God who is outside of it. Therefore, we accept it by faith. Believing this takes us a step closer to seeing how Jesus’ death can be the central act of all history. When sin entered the world through Adam, a plan of equivalent payment had to be made. This payment would be so great, and such an act of Love, that it would fulfill redemption of all people for all times. Therefore when Jesus died as the substitutionary atonement…it was not just for the sins that came after him, it was for the sins of everybody, who has ever lived.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 addresses this well:
For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
Our first thing to note then is that all were included in the payment accomplished by Jesus’ death.
Another point of interest however is answering the question: was Jesus present? Many scholars, as they seek to understand the role of the trinity throughout time and text, point to names often used for either Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. For example, when a metaphor of dove is used, we assume that this is referring directly to the Holy Spirit. In a simple word study, we see the title of “Lord” in the New Testament as the primary title to depict Jesus’ role and authority. Interestingly enough, Lord is used often throughout the Old Testament in specific settings or stories. So where we know Jesus was not there in flesh, the spirit of the Lord is active. Most scholars refer to this “spirit of the Lord” as God the son, or the spirit of Jesus, as present. (example: Genesis 10-12)

Finally, I find it very unique that the disciples in the gospels knew what they were looking for in a messiah. Meaning: The gospel is explained thoroughly in the Old Testament! People awaited a Messiah who would take away their sins, being the ultimate payment against death. They lived in the same mode of redemption we do.

In summary, these are 3 good places to start. Christ’s death, by view and plan of God, paid for the sins of all because that is the way he purposed it. Secondly, if Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, than we see his fingerprints not just in the gospels, but also throughout the Old Testament. And last, we trust that to be able to expect the Messiah, they had to know something of what he was going to be like. The Old Testament is as much a purposed account for the gospel as the New Testament is.

~Deep thoughts by a Shallow guy~
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