Do the Small Stuff for Jesus

Over the years there have been people who have asked me to mentor and disciple them, but it has not always worked out. Among them was "John Smith" (not his real name; call him J.S. for short). J.S. is a type, a pattern (homoiomati) that applies to many I have met. Here's how it goes.

J.S. comes to our church and gets excited. J.S. wants to meet with me. We meet, me and J.S.

J.S. - (to me) "I want to be mentored by you."

Me - "Let's talk about this."

J.S. - "I want to do what you do. I want to do Big Stuff for God." 

J.S. wants to start doing the Big Stuff now, in our context. I hate to burst his bubble but, as his new mentor, J.S. is not ready for this, and our people are far from ready for J.S. As J.S.'s mentor I want him to deep-learn the abiding-in-Jesus life. J.S. wants to jump into the Big Stuff (whatever that is). I want J.S. to marinate in the Small Stuff.

Me - "The Small Stuff is not "small" in God's eyes. Begin spending much alone-time with God. I will show you how I do this." (A mentor gives to his mentoree what he or she has, not what someone else has. I can give J.S. this.)

At this point J.S. does one of two things: 1) J.S. says "OK," but feels disappointed; or 2) J.S. finds another "mentor" who will affirm his way of doing things. Either way, I am no longer J.S.'s mentor.

I want J.S. to get the idea that obedience to Jesus is a long road of dwelling and listening, not a drive-through McSermon. I like how Thomas Merton expresses this. he writes:

"In so far as we desire, with Christ, that the Father’s will may be done in us, as it is in heaven and in Christ, then even the smallest and most ordinary things are made holy and great. And then in all things the love of God opens and flowers, and our lives are transformed. This transformation is a manifestation and advent of God in the world. One of the fruits of a solitary life is a sense of the absolute importance of obeying God—a sense of the need to obey and to seek His will, to choose freely to see and accept what comes from Him, not as a last resort, but as one’s “daily super-substantial bread.” (Merton, A Year with Thomas Merton, Kindle Locations 2278-2283)

Historically and biblically, God wields people who do the Small Stuff for His name's sake. Sometimes, out of the ordinary (there's really no "ordinary" in God's eyes - this is one of the things J.S. cannot see) comes the "extraordinary." But it's not the latter we are seeking. We simply seek God, now, and discern what he wants us to be and do, today, in this small moment.

A Nice Apologetics Book for Only $2.99

Here's a new apologetics book, which includes as essay by William Lane Craig - True Reason: Christian Responses to the Challenge of Atheism.

Cost: $2.99 for Kindle. 

Reviewing Proofs of a Forthcoming Logic Textbook

Today I received the proofs of a forthcoming Logic textbook, for review, from Oxford University Press. I'll be reviewing five chapters of the text, which are:

• What Logic Studies
• Language Matters
• Informal Fallacies
• Moral Arguments
• Causality and Scientific Arguments

I'll read the chapter first, making marginal comments.

Oxford U. will be sending me a review questionnaire to fill out.

I'm looking forward to doing this, and learning some things in the process that will make my MCCC logic classes better.

Seven Minute Seminary - Women and Ministry from Scripture and History.

You'll learn more about the role of women in the first century from these 7 minutes and 11 seconds then you will in some of the books written on this subject.

This is Part 1 of a multi-part presentation.

Consider Allowing God to Run Your Life

Sterling State Park, on Lake Erie

I've been taking time to pray this morning. I got up around 6:30. I went to our upstairs home office. It overlooks our front lawn, and Munson Park just across the street. It is a clear, sunny, 38 degrees. Birds are everywhere. We have squirrels playing and jumping in the trees. My heart is still and slow-moving. I am a participant in God's creation, taking it all in.

I open James Houston's wonderful book The Transforming Power of Prayer: Deepening Your Friendship with God. I've been reading it for a few months. I'm only on page 47. I can't speed-read books like this. There's wisdom here, and the wise will marinate in it.

I just read two paragraphs and came to these words:

"Perhaps I really do need to consider that I need God to help me run my own life after all. When we come to this realization, then we will start to take prayer more seriously, starting the day with God and reflecting on all that lies ahead of us during the day." (47) 

Many talk about this. Few do it.

Be among the few.

Holy Spirit Renewal Ministries

Linda and I have been attending HSRM conferences for 20 years. They are to us like water in a dry and weary land.

This summer's conference will be no exception. We'll be there!

Resurrection For Lunch

I invite you to come to our Redeemer building TODAY, April 3, from noon-1. I will be presenting a Historical Argument for the Resurrection of Jesus.

My RMS students will also be there.

This is something I have been studying for 41 years! Part of my Ph.D work was in this area.

I look forward to sharing this information with you. I think you will find it to be faith-building, and make your Easter celebration even better.

Anyone is invited to attend.

(We'll record this and put the link online.)

Redeemer Fellowship Church
5305 Evergreen
Monroe, MI
48161
734-242-5277

Speaking on Character & Integrity at Airport High School

I'm speaking this morning at Airport High School in Carleton.

7:30 - to freshman and sophomores.

8:30 - to juniors and seniors.

I've been asked to speak on Character, Integrity, Respect, and Tolerance.

I'm going to use philosophical ideas + "The Hunger Games" in my presentation (they've requested that I not bring religion into my presentation).

I'm going to end the talk by saying that Love (as Compassion) is more powerful than Tolerance.

I'm praying that everyone will stay awake!

The Job of a Pastor Is...

David Rohrer, in The Sacred Wilderness of Pastoral Ministry: Preparing a People for the Presence of the Lord, says that the job of the pastor is simple:

• preach the Word, and
• point people to Jesus.

That's it. That's all it is. That is enough.

Pastors - do that...  try that... and see what happens.

Let all your energies focus on this.

Be yourself pointed towards Jesus, like an arrow flying to the target's bullseye.

Abide deeply in Christ. Gain your strength from God in the accomplishing of these two things.

A Flash of Sanity

My friend Gary Wilson

In the past I've wasted too much time trying to figure other people and situations out. I have at times been "bothered" by the behaviors and choices of people. In my state of botheredness I have, in a pure a priori fashion, sought for logical conclusions as to why Person X is the way they are or does the things they do. I have worried about others in ways that are not good for either me or them.

This morning I realized: I am doing less of that. At least, I feel less obsessed by such things. I feel I care about people more while analyzing them less. It is my desire to do this. I also see the logic of this, which is:

1. I can scarcely understand the deep waters of my own heart (Proverbs 20:5).
2. Therefore, I should not expect to understand the deep waters of other peoples' hearts.

This, however, does make sense to me.

• The deeper we go into the human heart, the more we are all the same.
• As God moves into the deep waters of my own heart I am given God-insights into, not only myself, but into humanity.
• But this revelatory understanding does not come about by making others the object of my inquest. That is the point I am thinking of this morning.

Thomas Merton expresses it this way:

"A flash of sanity: the momentary realization that there is no need to come to certain conclusions about persons, events, conflicts, trends, even trends toward evil and disaster, as if from day to day, and even from moment to moment, I had to know and declare (at least to myself) that this is so and so, this is good, this is bad." (Merton, Thomas, A Year with Thomas Merton, Kindle Locations 2164-2166)

Does this mean, God, that I can leave it to you to figure other people out and focus on being searched-out myself and just loving others?

"Yes."