February 02--Busy is WHO I am

I'm up by 6:00am, showered, primped, and ready to get to school by 7:00am. I didn't eat breakfast because I didn't have time (and I'm trying to watch my weight!).

Zero hour starts (I'm taking zero hour even though there is really no such thing as zero hour in reality because I need to get ahead in this class or that. Or I'm taking zero hour because this is the only way that I can participate in music or theater.)

Before the rest of my school even shows up for first period, I've already completed a full hour of class and am ready to move on. I feel ahead already!

I put in a full day of classes--the hardest ones that I can possibly get into. I know what my GPA and class rank are. I also know what classes I will need to take and how well I will need to do in each in order to get the right looks from the right Universities. My day has a slight interruption called lunch where I'd love to eat and to chat with friends, however I've got meetings with two different clubs today. I have already coordinated with both of them to determine what times I need to be at both to get to the most important information. This is ironic and, I admit, a bit irresponsible of me because I am the president of both of these organizations. One of the meetings is with my leadership committee. We're planning homecoming and three assemblies in the next week. The other meeting is with Habitat for Humanity. I'll be gone all of this weekend building a Habitat House in Richmond. I have no idea when I'll do my homework for the next school week--I guess I'll just pull some late nights this week.

After school, I have a three hour swimming practice. Halfway through practice I always yell at myself for not eating anything. If only I had eaten breakfast and lunch I would probably not feel so tired and have some energy to do better in the pool. We have two swim meets this week and I know that college scouts will be at the swim meet on Friday before the big football game that night. Currently, I have the third fastest time in the breast-stroke on my team and am in the fastest relays. If I drop just a few seconds, I could get some good looks from Cal or Stanford and end up with a Division 1 scholarship!

After practice I spend an hour hanging with friends and get home just in time to grab a quick bite and head to my room to hit the books. I have four hours of homework ahead of me that I will cram into three. While I'm studying, however, I will make sure that my television, radio, and iPod are on. I will also have MySpace and IM up and running so that I can chill with my friends. I anticipate that my cell phone will ring approximately 17 times in the next three hours--I've got to stay connected!

I'm done with my homework by 11:30pm, just in time to catch a little television or watch a movie. I'm in bed between 12:30am and 2:00am every night (my IM is still running and my cell phone is on just in case someone needs to get ahold of me). My alarm is set for 6:00am because tomorrow is Tuesday.

Is this or something like this your life?

Is there any other option than living life this way?

What do you think about the title of this post? Is there any truth in that for you?

Do you fill your life because you need to prove something? Do you fill it because you are trying to earn something?

Does it make you feel useful or complete or worth something when you're busy? Why or why not?

Read and discuss Matthew 8:1-27. As you do, consider all that was happening in Jesus' life at this time. He had just gotten done speaking (Matthew 5-7) and immediately, his life was filled with people and "things" that pulled for his time and made him "busy."

Although Jesus' life was "busy" it never seemed to define him. Why do you think this was the case?

Notice what Jesus does in the end of this text. He calms the storms--he brings peace--he makes things still. In doing so, he reminded his buddies that He was God--that everything was going to be okay--that all that they would ever need would come from Him. Do you need to hear that from Him today? Do you need him to calm the storm of your life? What do you think that would take?

Be still and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10

January 19--Masquerade

I am confused by who I really am. Which face is the real me? I play so many roles that I have forgotten who the main character in this great play of life is.

Here are some of my many faces:
The family face
The smart kid face
The athelete face
The musician face
The goal-driven face
The party face
The friend face
The alone face
The future-thinking face
The people-pleasing face; The church face; The extroverted face; The introverted face; The hurt face; The happy face; The "Give me attention" face; The hopeful face; The "I've got it all together" face.

Who am I? Why do I masquerade like this? Why can't I simply be okay with who I really am and be that person all of the time? Why do I feel like I have to constantly switch my faces for the appropriate occasion? What does this say about me?

Since the beginning of time, we as humans have tried to cover up who we really are. Consider Adam and Eve. They had life like we all dream of living it. They lived in perfect community, in the perfect environment, with not a care in the world, and with one restriction:

"Don't eat from that one tree!"
-God

Do you remember in the book of Genesis when Adam and Eve screw up? After they have experienced community bliss and everything that God has to offer, including a personal walking and talking relationship with His divine self what do they do? They violate the only restriction that they could violate.

Then what? What is the first thing that they do?

They hide themselves! They hide from God and they hide from each other. They no longer want to give others an unobstructed view of who they are.

Do you relate with this?

Does this make you tired?

Why do we cover up who we really are?

Do you know who you really are?

How does this hiding inhibit your relationship with God? With others?

Read these:
Genesis 1:27
Jeremiah 1:4-5
Galatians 2:20

You are God's beloved! What do you need to believe this?

What do you need to live this?

What are you saying about yourself and God by covering up who you are?

The masquerade must end. It's not going to end today and probably won't end tomorrow. But the more that we acknowledge that we are His beloved, the more those masks might break away. Maybe you could start be identifying the masks that you wear as you wear them. Look back over your day and try to remember how you responded or said or acted in certain times. The first step might be identifying the masks. The next step might be giving them to God.

Don't masquerade--this community--this world needs you to be fully who God made you to be!

January 12--Can somebody explain the word "Christian"

I don't know how to answer the question, "Are you a Christian?" any more.

I was in school yesterday when a friend that I hope becomes more than a friend walked up just in time to hear me talking about House Groups.

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Oh--nothing much. I do this thing on Thursday nights were I get together with a bunch of my church friends at a house and talk, eat, study, pray---things like that."

"So you're a Christian" he said, only when he said Christian, I twinged a little.

I could tell that his picture of being a Christian and mine were pretty different but I had no idea how to communicate to him what "Christian" means to me. It's tough when there are all of those "Christian" T.V. evangelists that run around and scream like crazy people. Then you have the "Christians" who bomb abortion clinics and all of the "Christians" who vote a certain way politically and all of the "Christian" movies and the "Christian" book stores and the "Christian" t-shirts and the "Christian" magazines and the "Christian" talk shows and the "Christian" music and the "Christian" bumper stickers. Why is it that a word that was originally used to describe people and a way of life now is used to describe anything under the sun?

Now that I think of it, I have no idea of what "Christian" even means anymore either. Can somebody help?

Is this your story?

What does the term "Christian" mean to you?

What does the term "Christian" mean to your friends?

Did you know that the first time someone was called a Christian was in a place called Antioch way back a couple years after Jesus was around? Check out Acts 11:26 and you'll see the inaugrial statement. However, did you also know that this term was not meant in a kind way? "Christian" was meant in the same hurtful way that white supremists meant when they called African Americans "niggers" during the civil rights days. It was a statement intended to belittle, offend, and make fun of a this emerging people group.

"Christian" literally means "little Christ." What a powerful word to describe who we need to be.

Do you think Jesus was a "Christian?"

Do you think what "Christianity" has become is what Jesus came to start or bring?

Check out these passages:
Matthew 16:24
Matthew 22:37-39
Mark 10:21
James 1:27
Matthew 14:23
Matthew 18:21-22
Matthew 9:9-13

What do these tell you about following Jesus?

Do these paint a different picture than what "Christian" means today?

Post some reflections--

January 5--Love your Enemy

He's the one person that you cannot stand. Try as you might, you find yourself repulsed by this person. His personality grates on you like stone wears down a sharp blade. When he's around, the entire experience is different and you exclaim (sometimes silently, sometimes outloud) "I wish he weren't here!"

In reality, you know nothing about him. Mainly becauase you have chosen not to, you know nothing about his passions, likes/dislikes, or interests. You have no idea what his life has looked like. You don't know what home feels like to him. You don't know whether he's lonely or too crowded by people. You simply have no clue.

Here's what you do know. You know that if this person ever came online while you were online you would either ignore him or sign out. You know that when he's around, your mood changes for the worse. You know that whenever you get a chance, you let others know about your dislike for him, sometimes telling true stories and sometimes telling fabricated ones. It doesn't matter whether they're true or false does it? You know that life is easier when he's not there. You know that when he is, you will always ignore him.

You might even remember when you became enemies. Then again, you might not.


Can you think of a person like this in your life?

What happens inside of you when you think about him or her?

What happened to cause you to become enemies?

So often when we claim to be "Christians" we misunderstand what that means. For many of us, this "decision" happened at a camp or concert or some other emotionally charged event. Then, we went on living our lives. Some of us decide to look a little deeper into this "Christian" thing and are taught all of the "do's and don'ts" of the "religion". Therefore, being a Christian means that we only say and do certain things at certain times. In today's world, when asked, "What is a Christian?" you will no doubt hear response such as these:

--intolerant
--judgemental
--arrogant
--"holier than thou"
--conservative


Why is it that the term "Christian" means these things today? Are these descriptions true?

Does that bother you at all? Why or why not?


Often times when Jesus (who came to model a way of life, not a new religion) was asked religious questions, he would respond with questions. Don't you wonder if questions about religion confused him? Maybe if they did confuse him, it was because he hates religion and wants nothing to do with it.

Other times, he would respond as he did in Matthew 22:34-40--check it out!

With Matthew 22 in mind, here is the question of the day: When Jesus commanded us to love our enemies (that person from the beginning of our conversation) what did he mean? Please comment you thoughts!

Check out these texts:
--Matthew 5:43-48
--Luke 6:27-36
--Romans 12:9-21

Read Romans 5:6-10.
Think about this for a second: What if God treated his enemies the way that we treat ours? If He did, we would probably be on the cross that He intercepted and wore for us.

Be like Jesus--follow Him--love outrageously!