This song centers me.
Revelation Song from Jason Calhoun on Vimeo.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
He Conquered the Grave
Today as I write this, the Bolton High School community is mourning the loss of two students who were involved in a one vehicle car accident on November 9. We have a community of students and parents who grieving over a friend, student, son, and daughter. In encouraging our students of faith through this difficult time we want to impress of them a few things:
1) Life is fleeting. Scripture tells us that we are but a vapor and we don’t know when we will breath our last so we must make the most of every opportunity (Jas. 4:14; 2 Cor. 6:2, Eph. 5:15-16).
2) Our hope isn’t in living but in the one who brings Life. Students need to grieve, but they also need bring hope in the mourning that they know and trust is in the One who has conquered death (Jn.11:35; 16:33; 1 Cor. 15:54-55).
3) We don’t understand why. God’s plans are perfect and in His sovereignty we occasionally can’t understand why things happen, but we can trust in His love for us (Jer. 29:11, Is. 55:7-8; Prov. 3:5-6).
4) The death of a peer can lead to others being open to spiritual conversations and even salvation. Death naturally causes one to think about life and life is empty and hopeless without Christ (Jn.14:6; Col. 4:5-6).
I didn’t know the students who passed away, but my heart hurts for their families and their friends. We must take every day as a gift and use it according to the purposes of Christ in His mission in sharing the gospel.
1) Life is fleeting. Scripture tells us that we are but a vapor and we don’t know when we will breath our last so we must make the most of every opportunity (Jas. 4:14; 2 Cor. 6:2, Eph. 5:15-16).
2) Our hope isn’t in living but in the one who brings Life. Students need to grieve, but they also need bring hope in the mourning that they know and trust is in the One who has conquered death (Jn.11:35; 16:33; 1 Cor. 15:54-55).
3) We don’t understand why. God’s plans are perfect and in His sovereignty we occasionally can’t understand why things happen, but we can trust in His love for us (Jer. 29:11, Is. 55:7-8; Prov. 3:5-6).
4) The death of a peer can lead to others being open to spiritual conversations and even salvation. Death naturally causes one to think about life and life is empty and hopeless without Christ (Jn.14:6; Col. 4:5-6).
I didn’t know the students who passed away, but my heart hurts for their families and their friends. We must take every day as a gift and use it according to the purposes of Christ in His mission in sharing the gospel.
Monday, November 8, 2010
In Action
It is so cool to see people being made into disciples.
A few weeks ago we had a man come forward during an invitation at one of our morning services who wanted to accept Christ. Immediately you could tell this guy hadn't grown up in church, not to mention his sheer size is enough to fill a refrigerator box.
To date, this guy accept Christ, attended our membership class, was baptized, and last night attended my "Discovering Spiritual Maturity" class (the second class in our Discovery process). He is a changed man and I'm so excited for him.
Here is a man who has a wife, kids, and lived without Christ for many years. But after encountering Christ, his life was significantly changed and his actions today are proof of the saving and incredible power of God. He is being made into a true disciple and follower of Christ...it is so good to see God in action and to observed people living out the 'switched' life.
A few weeks ago we had a man come forward during an invitation at one of our morning services who wanted to accept Christ. Immediately you could tell this guy hadn't grown up in church, not to mention his sheer size is enough to fill a refrigerator box.
To date, this guy accept Christ, attended our membership class, was baptized, and last night attended my "Discovering Spiritual Maturity" class (the second class in our Discovery process). He is a changed man and I'm so excited for him.
Here is a man who has a wife, kids, and lived without Christ for many years. But after encountering Christ, his life was significantly changed and his actions today are proof of the saving and incredible power of God. He is being made into a true disciple and follower of Christ...it is so good to see God in action and to observed people living out the 'switched' life.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Fire Pits and Halloween
We live at the very end of a cove. In fact, we really like where we live. Our street is rather quiet and our kids can ride their bikes and play and we don't have to worry about traffic or any creepers looking at our kids. Our neighbors are wonderful people that we really enjoy sharing life with. A couple of homes have grown children so we're able to seek wisdom and learn from their experiences. Other homes have kids our ages and we desire to raise our kids up according to God's Word. They attend school together and make up a little grade school posse.
Last night we decided to take over our cove for Halloween. We brought out lawn chairs, a couple of tables, and a couple of fire pits. As it got dark we roasted the hot dogs and made smores and the kids went trick or treating on our block in the quest of who could become the biggest candy glutton. We were able to pass out candy and enjoy the evening cool air as a group of families.
Toward the end of our evening a couple hand in hand walked down the street to our cove. I noticed they didn't have any kids and we're watching us pretty closely. The gentleman had long hair in a ponytail and was in Harley Davidson get up from head to toe. They introduced themselves to us and came down because they were curious. They saw the fire pits, kids playing, and wanted to know what was going on. As the conversation progressed she is a single mom with a 16 year old daughter and they live several doors down. We engaged in pleasantries and I am hoping that our conversation will give me an in to invite them to our church in the near future.
I wonder how often people outside the church look on the inside of church and see love, community, security, fun, hope, and care and long to have that in their lives. I believe that just like last night, people are looking at churches wondering what all the joy is about and can they have a part in it.
This begs two questions:
1) Is the environment in my church like the environment on my cove? Do we foster love, community, and care in such a way that those on the outside want what we have in the inside (1 Peter 2:12)? Too many churches chase after meaningless mishaps and add depth to gossip driven drama and forget that people are looking in to see if what we have under the steeple is any different than what they have in their sin.
2) Would my church accept, with open arms, outsiders? Ben, who sought us out last night, seemed like a really fun character. His long hair, leathers, and curious personality might not be accepted at several places of worship - what a travesty...I hope that my church will be a place with arms wide open to people looking in.
Who knew fire pits and Halloween be an opportunity to foster care not only in my neighborhood but also my church? I'm praying I'll be able to talk to Ben and Amy again...
Last night we decided to take over our cove for Halloween. We brought out lawn chairs, a couple of tables, and a couple of fire pits. As it got dark we roasted the hot dogs and made smores and the kids went trick or treating on our block in the quest of who could become the biggest candy glutton. We were able to pass out candy and enjoy the evening cool air as a group of families.
Toward the end of our evening a couple hand in hand walked down the street to our cove. I noticed they didn't have any kids and we're watching us pretty closely. The gentleman had long hair in a ponytail and was in Harley Davidson get up from head to toe. They introduced themselves to us and came down because they were curious. They saw the fire pits, kids playing, and wanted to know what was going on. As the conversation progressed she is a single mom with a 16 year old daughter and they live several doors down. We engaged in pleasantries and I am hoping that our conversation will give me an in to invite them to our church in the near future.
I wonder how often people outside the church look on the inside of church and see love, community, security, fun, hope, and care and long to have that in their lives. I believe that just like last night, people are looking at churches wondering what all the joy is about and can they have a part in it.
This begs two questions:
1) Is the environment in my church like the environment on my cove? Do we foster love, community, and care in such a way that those on the outside want what we have in the inside (1 Peter 2:12)? Too many churches chase after meaningless mishaps and add depth to gossip driven drama and forget that people are looking in to see if what we have under the steeple is any different than what they have in their sin.
2) Would my church accept, with open arms, outsiders? Ben, who sought us out last night, seemed like a really fun character. His long hair, leathers, and curious personality might not be accepted at several places of worship - what a travesty...I hope that my church will be a place with arms wide open to people looking in.
Who knew fire pits and Halloween be an opportunity to foster care not only in my neighborhood but also my church? I'm praying I'll be able to talk to Ben and Amy again...
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Vomit
Yuck.
That's what went through my mind as I was awakened by the sound of my son getting sick all over my bedroom floor. He made an attempt to tell us he was sick by coming into our bedroom but before the words could come out, his dinner did.
The last 72 hours have been us nursing him back to health. For 48 hours he was vomiting and couldn't keep anything down. His energy level plummeted and his normally infectious smile faded. Our little guy was a sick little guy. Because I'm strange (for some of you that is not new information) I began to think of how violently his body was rejected anything in his stomach and his intestines. His body was expelling everything and anything in such a destructive manner.
I wonder how often I hold on to sin and pride in my life and yet I know the Spirit within me wants me to rid my life of the sin that draws me out of fellowship with God. I don't think that God's concept of my ridding my life of sin is "on my terms and my way"...rather, I think it maybe more along the lines of what I saw in my son this weekend: a violent urgency to rid the heart of destructive sin. God's intent is not that sin lingers in our life, but that it be expelled, destroyed, and all together gone. Sin is an affront to God's holiness, it grieves the Holy Spirit, and it squats on God's residence in our life.
Removing sin is never easy. I burdens me to hear so much about the freedom of Christ as a tool of passivity when it comes to sin. Grace was not meant to be a "get of jail free" card. Sometimes it's easy to abuse grace which can so easily divert our attention from the seriousness of sin. Jerry Bridges wrote in The Discipline of Grace that "the way to stay on the right side of the fine line between using and abusing grace is repentance." Repentance is vital in the violent removal of personal sin. Lord, I pray that I'll see sin for what it is. Help me to understand the destructive nature of sin and how important it is to immediately deal with sin through repentance. Help me not to hang on, linger in, or rest within my sinful nature; rather, help me to respond to the Holy Spirit's desire to remain holy, useful, and in fellowship with a most Holy God. Help me never to be a place where I'm so lukewarm with sin that God wants to vomit me from his mouth.
That's what went through my mind as I was awakened by the sound of my son getting sick all over my bedroom floor. He made an attempt to tell us he was sick by coming into our bedroom but before the words could come out, his dinner did.
The last 72 hours have been us nursing him back to health. For 48 hours he was vomiting and couldn't keep anything down. His energy level plummeted and his normally infectious smile faded. Our little guy was a sick little guy. Because I'm strange (for some of you that is not new information) I began to think of how violently his body was rejected anything in his stomach and his intestines. His body was expelling everything and anything in such a destructive manner.
I wonder how often I hold on to sin and pride in my life and yet I know the Spirit within me wants me to rid my life of the sin that draws me out of fellowship with God. I don't think that God's concept of my ridding my life of sin is "on my terms and my way"...rather, I think it maybe more along the lines of what I saw in my son this weekend: a violent urgency to rid the heart of destructive sin. God's intent is not that sin lingers in our life, but that it be expelled, destroyed, and all together gone. Sin is an affront to God's holiness, it grieves the Holy Spirit, and it squats on God's residence in our life.
Removing sin is never easy. I burdens me to hear so much about the freedom of Christ as a tool of passivity when it comes to sin. Grace was not meant to be a "get of jail free" card. Sometimes it's easy to abuse grace which can so easily divert our attention from the seriousness of sin. Jerry Bridges wrote in The Discipline of Grace that "the way to stay on the right side of the fine line between using and abusing grace is repentance." Repentance is vital in the violent removal of personal sin. Lord, I pray that I'll see sin for what it is. Help me to understand the destructive nature of sin and how important it is to immediately deal with sin through repentance. Help me not to hang on, linger in, or rest within my sinful nature; rather, help me to respond to the Holy Spirit's desire to remain holy, useful, and in fellowship with a most Holy God. Help me never to be a place where I'm so lukewarm with sin that God wants to vomit me from his mouth.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Communication is Key
It's interesting being on the other side.
I've been in church work for over 15 years. For most of that time I have serve in some capacity on staff, on the inside if you will. Today I found myself on the outside.
One of my kids has been hounded me about a certain activity they'd like to do. I've been hestitant because I wanted them to be a bit older, but they have been persistent. Our church doesn't offer this particular activity but I heard of a neighborhing church who does. Not knowing the church all that well, I did what any regular Joe would do: I checked out their website.
Lame. Nothing there about the activity so I called. I got a great receptionist who directed me to the right person and she told me the day and time of the sign ups. I looked on my calendar this morning and today is the day. I cut my nap short this afternoon, made arrangements and altared some other things to be there on time. I walked in to sign up and found out that his age group has been postponed and more than likely postponed indefinitely. No notification on the web, no phone call, nothing.
In the enormity of life, this really isn't a big deal. We'll figure it out and our lives will definitely go on. However, for the first time in a long time, I wasn't on the inside of communication and I felt helpless and frustrated. As staff we often don't think about how our miscommunication or lack of communication effects those on the outside. I walked out this afternoon thinking if I really was a regular Joe, their lack of communication left a bad taste in my mouth....they might have lost the right to minister to me and my family.
Communication is key. The church must do an excellent job at clearly communicating the X's and O's of our activities, philosophyies, and overall the gospel. I'm on the inside and knowledgeable about what's happening, but today I got a glimpse of how it is on the outside of communication. I renews my vision to communicate clearly so that I can win the right to minister to students and families.
I've been in church work for over 15 years. For most of that time I have serve in some capacity on staff, on the inside if you will. Today I found myself on the outside.
One of my kids has been hounded me about a certain activity they'd like to do. I've been hestitant because I wanted them to be a bit older, but they have been persistent. Our church doesn't offer this particular activity but I heard of a neighborhing church who does. Not knowing the church all that well, I did what any regular Joe would do: I checked out their website.
Lame. Nothing there about the activity so I called. I got a great receptionist who directed me to the right person and she told me the day and time of the sign ups. I looked on my calendar this morning and today is the day. I cut my nap short this afternoon, made arrangements and altared some other things to be there on time. I walked in to sign up and found out that his age group has been postponed and more than likely postponed indefinitely. No notification on the web, no phone call, nothing.
In the enormity of life, this really isn't a big deal. We'll figure it out and our lives will definitely go on. However, for the first time in a long time, I wasn't on the inside of communication and I felt helpless and frustrated. As staff we often don't think about how our miscommunication or lack of communication effects those on the outside. I walked out this afternoon thinking if I really was a regular Joe, their lack of communication left a bad taste in my mouth....they might have lost the right to minister to me and my family.
Communication is key. The church must do an excellent job at clearly communicating the X's and O's of our activities, philosophyies, and overall the gospel. I'm on the inside and knowledgeable about what's happening, but today I got a glimpse of how it is on the outside of communication. I renews my vision to communicate clearly so that I can win the right to minister to students and families.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Dad, that was a close one!
A year ago I agreed to help coach my 6 year old's soccer team. Last season, we rocked. Lost only one game and had a great team. This year he moved up a division and we had to restructure a new team. This season, we're rocky.
I've got great boys on our team. But only half of them are there to really play and compete. The others either have never played or have no real desire to play. As I plan our game strategy I have to split our team up between those who want to win and those who really don't care.
To help our new team stay focused I implemented the Five Rules of Soccer:
1) Have fun.
2) Put the ball in the goal.
3) Don't touch the ball with your hands (unless you're a goalie(.
4) Have fun. (just for emphasis).
5) Be a team.
I know it sounds basic (I never said I was a good coach!) but it helps keep our guys focused on the play. We don't have a rule about winning...just having fun...mmm.
I was reminded of this concept two weeks ago. After losing 5 straight games and only scoring 2 goals all season I was ready to hang up the cleats on our team. Being a collegiate athlete, I'm fairly competitive and somewhere along the way, winning really became priority. I was visibly frustrated with our team when they would make a mistake or not follow instructions; when we'd lose I was in a foul mood for the rest of the afternoon and I even dreaded coming to games. However, at this particular game we played especially bad and lost 6-0. On the way to the car my son Caleb grabbed my hand and said, "Dad, that was a close one! We almost won!"
In that moment, I realized that Caleb had no idea what the score was nor did it matter to him...he was just following rule 1 and 4: having fun.
It's always nice to have your 6 year old correct you. And right then and there God used Caleb to correct my spirit about competition and how I was losing sight of why I agreed to coach in the first place: to invest in my son and help other non-churched families see a "switched" life.
Grabbing his hand and walking to the car, I was humbled and broken. It's here that God often speaks the loudest to me. I repented and renewed my vision to coach our team. The next Saturday morning I got a call that our best player wouldn't be there to play our afternoon game. Instead of allowing that to ruin my day, I headed to the field ready to encourage my guys and not worrying about the outcome of the game. It was so liberating to enjoy the game and see my son score his first goal of the season. I finally stopped allowing the pressure to win to overshadow the joy of coaching.
Our boys played great and won their first game. God always has a sense of humor.
I wonder what we would be like if we stopped allowing the outside pressures of work and relationships kill the joy that God has for us. Trust him, relax, we don't exist for the praise from others or to have a winning record. We're called to worship the king and reflect His glory alone.
I've got great boys on our team. But only half of them are there to really play and compete. The others either have never played or have no real desire to play. As I plan our game strategy I have to split our team up between those who want to win and those who really don't care.
To help our new team stay focused I implemented the Five Rules of Soccer:
1) Have fun.
2) Put the ball in the goal.
3) Don't touch the ball with your hands (unless you're a goalie(.
4) Have fun. (just for emphasis).
5) Be a team.
I know it sounds basic (I never said I was a good coach!) but it helps keep our guys focused on the play. We don't have a rule about winning...just having fun...mmm.
I was reminded of this concept two weeks ago. After losing 5 straight games and only scoring 2 goals all season I was ready to hang up the cleats on our team. Being a collegiate athlete, I'm fairly competitive and somewhere along the way, winning really became priority. I was visibly frustrated with our team when they would make a mistake or not follow instructions; when we'd lose I was in a foul mood for the rest of the afternoon and I even dreaded coming to games. However, at this particular game we played especially bad and lost 6-0. On the way to the car my son Caleb grabbed my hand and said, "Dad, that was a close one! We almost won!"
In that moment, I realized that Caleb had no idea what the score was nor did it matter to him...he was just following rule 1 and 4: having fun.
It's always nice to have your 6 year old correct you. And right then and there God used Caleb to correct my spirit about competition and how I was losing sight of why I agreed to coach in the first place: to invest in my son and help other non-churched families see a "switched" life.
Grabbing his hand and walking to the car, I was humbled and broken. It's here that God often speaks the loudest to me. I repented and renewed my vision to coach our team. The next Saturday morning I got a call that our best player wouldn't be there to play our afternoon game. Instead of allowing that to ruin my day, I headed to the field ready to encourage my guys and not worrying about the outcome of the game. It was so liberating to enjoy the game and see my son score his first goal of the season. I finally stopped allowing the pressure to win to overshadow the joy of coaching.
Our boys played great and won their first game. God always has a sense of humor.
I wonder what we would be like if we stopped allowing the outside pressures of work and relationships kill the joy that God has for us. Trust him, relax, we don't exist for the praise from others or to have a winning record. We're called to worship the king and reflect His glory alone.
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