Insights: Spiritual Gifts Test
I believe that as we become the Church, we can’t afford to be ignorant of our spiritual gifts (1 Cor 12:1). To mature in our relationships with Christ and each other, we must begin to understand our unique God-given DNA. As we venture together to discover our gifts, I just wanted to create a forum to keep this on top of our minds.
That said, let’s take a second to share thoughts, beefs, beliefs, and/or questions about the results of our spriritual gifts test. If you didn’t get a chance to take it, please take 15 mins to do it (uber helpful for the weeks to come). Here’s the link.
Expressions_This Week @ BL
In 2004 I read a book called Revolution by George Barna. The book really intrigued me because it related to a debate I had been part of in my college years in a Campus Crusade for Christ group. Barna, a highly regarded market researcher, laid out his case about the passions that drive each generation. In particular, he noted the similarities in Generation X (1965-1979) and Millennials (1980-2000). Both generations desire community in ways unlike any generation before them. Community defined by Webster is “a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.” I would also add that true community is a network of tighter-knit relationships, where you know others, and feel known.
All said and done, the debate went something like this: If we can’t wake our butts up to go to church sometime on Sunday (because of early Sunday night fun), why can’t we just consider our 200-300 person Thursday night gathering church? This lead to tons of other questions: What is Church?, Who is the Church?, What’s the real meaning of Church? Why is it so important to meet corporately? What does the bible say about corporate gatherings and church?
These were all great questions, that begged and still beg to be answered. My cosmic blogging goal isn’t to answer all these questions, but instead it’s to bring into question our traditional thoughts of what “church” really is. Let me be open about a couple things: I haven’t been burned by a church. I’m not bitter about a sermon I heard during a Sunday morning service. I’m not angry, power hungry, or have a bone to pick with any church. I am a weekly attender at a non-denominational church, and am also the college-age pastor there.
The research uncorked in Barna’s book Revolution was hard for me to read. To think, “Church as we know it is becoming obsolete.” I know, I know… what a thing to say!?! Picture a 20-year old who loves God with all his heart reading that Jesus’ Church is slowing becoming more and more obsolete. I was angry, frustrated, and depressed. It wasn’t until I read a section about “expressions of Church” that my heart saw a glimmer of hope. Barna’s research turned up this little jewel: (I’m paraphrasing) Deep spiritual formation (aka. coming to faith in Jesus Christ, and then maturing in that faith) will take place outside of a church setting.
If this is true, what does it mean for the church in the future? How will our church experience change in our life time? More good questions…
Quiet Time with Starsky and Hutch
I went to a youth worker conference called Shift at Willowcreek Community Church this last spring. The most impactful teaching for me was the simple stuff. How about this one: How can you feed the poor without eating first? Keynote speaker, Shane Claiborne didn’t use those exact words, but as he shared stories about his homeless ministry in Philadelphia, I remember thinking it. How can we expect to keep passing out food to the masses if we don’t eat first? (Math Problem: If Suzy eats dinner before she serves it, can she serve more or less people before she needs to eat again?) How many of us settle for starvation in our spiritual lives?
About six years ago I would have thought the author of this blog was crazy. I was reading the bible every chance I got, sharing my faith just because it bubbled out of me, and journalizing prayers that still blow my mind. God was way “rad” in my life. He became such a real priority to me that I decided to give up dreams of being a crazy rich business man, to serve him in full-time ministry. I still am. Being a youth pastor at a declining denominational church was so cutting edge because I knew I needed to be there. Then something happened I never would have predicted in a million years; my vibrant relationship with Christ turned into meeting expectations and doing stuff for God… aka, doing Christianity.
If I stopped and interviewed the first 5 people I ran into about loosing weight, I’m sure all of them would come up with some version of eating less and exercising more. My point is this: We know what we need to do; sometimes we just need to DO IT (hense the Starsky & Hutch video clip)!
As you read the last excerpt from the article entitled, “Prayer: How Real Is It?” think about the simple truths you need to hear. Since it’s almost a New Year -and each New Year is a clean slate- I challenge you to make this commitment before you read on: Set your mind to practice at least one of Hollie’s suggestions this next year.
For the record… my choice is, “Make a schedule (to pray) and stick to it.” (I’ll let you know how it goes!)
Prayer with others is powerful, but sometimes more intimate interactions with God allow us to focus our attention on what He wants. Hollie Carney of the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Mo., offers the following suggestions for facilitating time with the Lord:
• Make a schedule and stick to it.
• Read, study and meditate on the Word of God.
• Vary your style (e.g., a chapter a day, organized Bible studies,
“chewing” on a verse for long periods of time).• Journal—this allows you to focus and avoid distractions.
Keep Pressing On
As with anything, stagnancy can set in if we don’t change things up. Routine is the breeding ground for stale spirituality. Greig explains, “I’m always having to find new ways of praying in order to keep moving on and growing in this new way of communicating myself, my spirit, my thoughts, my feelings and also to learn the biggest lesson, which is enabling myself to be still enough to listen to God and to hear His voice.”
It is important to know that intimacy takes on different forms for different people and should not be controlled by the opinions of others. It’s up to you, through your own passions and creativity, to embrace God in ways that are uniquely yours. For some, God speaks through visions. For others, He speaks through thoughts, dreams or impressions. When we do not limit God, we open the door for Him to enter.
“Prayer isn’t a job; it’s a lifestyle,” Smith says. The way we experience God should never be routine. We must be creative. We must step out and challenge ourselves, because comfort only brings complacency.
Prayer for Others
Well, this is definitely part 4 on prayer… definitely… definitely part 4. This series of blogs on prayer was inspired by an article I read entitled, “Prayer: How Real Is It?” Last time I wrote, I laid the essentiality of prayer on pretty thick. This time there’s a different take, with a similar message. The emphasis is less on the personal level, and more on others. This next video is so backwards, and I love it. As you watch 24-7prayer spread like a virus on one of Europe’s hottest party scene destinations, think about these questions: What does prayer do for others? What does prayer do to Christians through the eyes of a non-believer?
You may have heard the saying “A family that prays together stays together.” As our understanding of prayer deepens, we begin to see how intimacy with God overflows into our relationships with others. James 5:16 illustrates how our prayers influence the lives of others: “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (TNIV). Sometimes the most intimate moments with friends are those spent in prayer for one another, because it softens our hearts while allowing us to be transparent and willing to embrace each other in love. Aligning our hearts with God’s heart enables us to see our sins. And a willingness to humble ourselves leads to understanding and reconciliation. It’s not always easy, but when we give our struggles to God, our self-centered walls quickly fall down.
Similarly, encouraging others in prayer yields immeasurable results. Greig, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor a few years ago says, “I have discovered the power of prayer … There have been times when people have prayed for my family and me, and we have felt and known and experienced the impact.” Although she underwent a successful surgery, resulting damage left her with epilepsy. We don’t always understand God’s response to our prayers, but we must trust Him and do our best to remain faithful. “I don’t really know how you handle unanswered prayer,” she says. “I guess when you go through tough times, you just handle them! Pete and I were told so many times, ‘You are coping so well,’ when we were dealing with the possibility of my dying. The fact is, you can’t prepare for tough times, you just deal with them when they happen—and when times aren’t tough, celebrate.”
God’s will for us is to be well, and His desire is for us to play a part in lifting one another up. Stepping out in expectation for His provision creates a beautiful chance for us to learn to trust and grow in Him.
The video and this beautiful description of prayer for one another illustrates just how connected we ALL are. Outwardly we may have differences (sex, race, social status), but inwardly we share in the human condition: an intense craving for God that takes form in 3 or 4 fundamental desires (love, truth, purpose, and happiness). Isn’t it ironic how caring for others blesses us more than it blesses others? I’ve heard people say the same thing about missions work. They want to bless people from a far off place, only to receive more blessings from God than they could ever give. When we step out in faith like this, I think it’s God’s way of reminding us who the real source of blessing is. How cool… I was in a daze reading the gospel of Mark this morning and I stumbled upon this passage, “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you- and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” -Mark 4:24-25
Alright, let me land this plane! If prayer is UBER important for ourselves and the rest of planet earth, why aren’t our airwaves clogged with radio ads, late night infomercials, and real-estate agents advertising prayer room vacancies on billboards? The answer is that prayer comes at a price. It means we have to get involved. We have to allow ourselves to care. We have to let catastrophic headlines bother us without flipping to the comics or the sports section. Prayer is eerily similar to working out. Why don’t people more people go to the gym… its hard work! Prayer is the same, but the payoff is bigger than our Continue reading this entry »
Strength Through Prayer
This is part 3 of series of blogs about prayer. Segments of this blog are direct quotes from an article entitled, Prayer: How Real Is it.
The last couple blogs have been a conversation starter on prayer. The video below is a good intro of a community that not only prays together, but does it 24-7-365. Why they do it, Where they do it, and How they thought of it. I’m doing this to show you and tell you about prayer in our generation. The 24-7prayer movement is passionate about this, and people are following their example all around the world. Check this out!
As you read the next section of this article about prayer, I want you to dream for a second. Try to answer these questions: What could prayer do to you? Think about what prayer could be for you right now. What could it mean to your life… I mean, what are you going through now, that if really God showed up, things would be radically different. What are the possibilities of your faith if God really answers prayer and proves the scripture, “If you ask me for anything in My name I will do it.” John 14:14 ISV
There are no formulas to prayer—you can’t mess up. When you begin to make yourself aware of God’s presence, you engage with Him in many different forms—through thought, words, song. And when you bring things to God, you begin to understand that He takes center stage, that you cannot function properly without Him. Prayer is also a tool that strengthens your spiritual life and emotions. “Slowly I saw God start to rebuild my life and give me strong and real foundations,” Greig says. “He lifted me out of the pit. He set my feet upon a rock. This was a promise and a prayer. God was starting to build tenacity in me—for Him, above all else.”
When we are familiar with the Bible, we can apply God’s wisdom and truth to our lives. Hebrews 4:12 explains that “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword … it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (NIV). Oftentimes people struggle because they feel that God isn’t speaking to them. They feel lost and overlooked—but they’re not. Consider what it’s like to take an exam. If you show up to class without studying the material, you are unprepared and unable to answer the questions. But when you have studied, the answers come more easily. It is the same with prayer. If we go into life unprepared, we are bound to become lost and beaten down. The beauty unfolds when we study what God says and allow Him to guide us through life with the Truth we already know. When we make the effort to actually listen, discernment helps us live in a godly and purposeful fashion. Our monologued prayers become dialogue between God and us.
So what’s in it for you? That sounds selfish, but it’s not. If you can’t see the personal value to prayer, why even talk about it? Let me take the proverbial cat out of the bag, as if you haven’t seen it coming from a mile away: Why would I blog about prayer if not to convince or persuade people of its profound necessity? Simply put, our world is hurting (and you are too if you haven’t noticed it already). No gpa, career, car or video game contraption is ever going to quench our desire for fullfillment and purpose. Without prayer (an on-going conversation with God) we’re just another blip on the map of time, burning our days away in futile persuits. So here’s the million dollar question, “What could prayer do for you?”
*Whoever you are, let your comments to this blog be a prayer to God and a public proclimation for something more… Christianity that drips with passion, love, and a purpose that stirs you, not bores you.
Prayer: Stepping Out In Faith
Upfront I want to apologize about the sound quality of this interview, but its content is so relevant that I had to post it. The 1st prayer blog highlighted people’s common expereinces with prayer, and a little zinger to American Christians about how satisfied we are (in general) with average Chrisianity. I think the question now is: “Okay, so how do we change?” A forerunner in supernatural prayer movements and founder of 24-7prayer.com, Pete Greig, outlines several ways to step out in faith and simply begin a conversation with God.
Here’s a few more great quotes from noteable leaders in an article called Prayer: How Real Is It? By: Kate Cremisino
Alice Smith, author of Beyond the Veil (Regal Books), explains, “The problem isn’t the Lord holding back from us, but our willingness to press in to have more of Him.” There’s usually a tug of war going on inside of us when it comes to our desire to pursue God. Taking that initial step is the greatest struggle for many, often due to fear, doubt or rebellion. We must be willing to believe that God will respond. Sometimes prayer is like stretching a rubber band. When facing resistance, we must work to achieve a breakthrough.
Samie Greig, wife of Red Moon Rising co-author Pete Greig, says, “Prayer is always awkward. I find it a bit like exercise—it always feels like [there are] a hundred more things that are pressingly urgent to do, especially with kids and jobs and deadlines, but you know that when you do it, you feel fantastic and actually achieve far more.”
We achieve more because prayer helps align our priorities. Threaded throughout the Bible is God’s call to be in relationship with us. It’s a truth many overlook, but Jeremiah 29:12-14 says, “‘Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord” (TNIV). This passage says it loud and clear: God cares. That truth, paired with our obedience, creates a powerful dynamic.
Rick Warren, best-selling author of The Purpose Driven Life, writes, “It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end.” Recognizing who we are in Christ is the first step to realizing the role of prayer and understanding that it is central to living out the Christian faith.
When we embrace the reality that faith is not based on ritualistic traditions or legalistic dogma, a beautiful thing happens. We begin to notice a depth that is not dependent upon “acts” but centers on a spiritual interaction with God. Prayer becomes a reaction to a realization of God’s continuous presence. We don’t have to invite Him to show up. He’s already there.
Tricia Rhodes, author of Intimate Intercession (W Publishing Group), says, “Praying without ceasing is really about relationship with the Lover of our souls, not about something we ‘do’ to be healthy Christians.” She believes it’s about establishing a pattern of being real with the Lord and talking with Him throughout the day, even when we’re concerned about our family, work or whatever’s going on in our lives. “As we find the time just to be with Him, we will become more at ease in communing throughout the day.”
As always, feel free to leave any comments you have.
~Josh
Prayer (Part 1)
As BemaLife presses on to be a relevant community of collage-ager’s connected to Christ in 24-7 prayer, I thought we should dive into it a bit. To be quite honest, I am not much of a prayer warrior. Since reading a book called, Redmoon Rising, this last March I have been captivated by prayer. I’ve been praying more here and there, but I haven’t jumped in like I’ve really wanted to. I’m a little affraid, and I’m not really sure why. Anyway, I don’t have a ton of experience in prayer but it’s time to learn (heck, I’m renting an apartment specifically for it!). I read this sweet article about prayer and I want to share it’s five parts over the next five days. I want it to be a starting point for me, the ministry of BemaLife, and anyone who’s interested in knowing more about prayer. Here’s the article entitled Prayer: How Real Is It? and a link to its source:
Some of us grew up reciting prayers. Whether they were verses from the Bible that were handed down to us or our own prayers, we found ourselves repeating them at meals or before going to bed. They became a comforting tradition. For others, prayers were offered up only during a time of great need. We expected God to show up when we needed Him.
What we don’t always realize is the point of prayer. Prayer is not designed to be a ritualistic endeavor that leaves us disconnected and unable to truly encounter the fullness of God. Prayer is to be a dynamic conversation with a living God who wants to see our hearts open to receiving all He has for us.
Just like with friendships, where conversations deepen as we cultivate the relationship, a conversation with God needs the same attention. Unfortunately, most overlook this reality. According to a 2005 study conducted by The Barna Group, when asked how well one lives out his or her faith principles, 37 percent of people said they do an above-average job, 55 percent claimed to be average, and only 8 percent admitted to being below average. “Americans are generally satisfied with being ‘average’ in their spiritual maturity,” George Barna says. “That betrays the fact that we do not serve an ‘average’ God, or one who is honored by people who are lukewarm about their faith.” So what’s really holding us back from maturing in our prayer life? How can someone who’s never prayed, or someone who’s drifted away from God, begin to take his or her faith in a new direction?
Because this blog hasn’t been up for too long, I’m not expecting a huge conversation on this. That said -as we start our journey in prayer- I would still love to hear what you think about this intro piece on prayer. Feel free to leave a comment!
Your Bro In JC,
~Josh
Diving & Pulling
I was reading a blog from a great writer about choices… really it’s about the biggest choice a person can make. Here’s the blog in its entirety:
Not everybody likes diving.
When you dive, you crash into whatever is in front of you. This can be paralyzing if you’re diving into shallow waters. Therefore, only the brave dive; and yes, maybe a few of the dangerously foolish.
But everybody likes pulling.
When you pull things, they come closer to you. What you desire comes nearer to your heart. You get what you want. We like getting what we want.
Yet, when all we do is pull, we never learn to dive.
Diving asks a lot of us. It forces us to prepare. It forces us to correct our form (We don’t want to make belly-flops!). Diving forces us to be subject to the whim of what we’re crashing into. Once we make that dive, we’re plunged into the depths.
The further the dive, the further the plunge.
Conversely, when you’re pulling, you can only grab so much water at once. It’s nothing like diving into the water.
Diving is to pulling what swimming is to splashing.
“So what’s your point, Joshua?” I say all of this to say that there’s two ways to interpret the Bible: Diving and Pulling.
I love Josh’s last point about the difference between swimming and splashing. When we were in Tillimook this fall, the Lewiston guys went for a late night dip in the Pacific Ocean. Stripped down to nothing more than boxers or trunks, most of us ran straight out into the bitter cold water to tackle the waves. The guys who spent the most time swimming in the ocean (or in their masculinity) came out with a glow. I jumped in at first, but was reduced to splashing after my blast with bitter cold reality. I remember walking back up to the car that night felling like I had missed out a little. Yes I could feel my lower extremities, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d settled for something less. It makes me wonder how much I’ve missed out on in my journey with Christ… in fear, apathy, or in good ol’ fashioned rebellion. How about you? Are you diving in for a swim, or settling to splash by pulling in all the meaningless things you think are so important?
One thing is for sure, I hate watching all those divers knowing that I’m missing out in the kiddie pool.
What’s Going On Now?
After launching BemaLife (a college-age ministry) in August we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of the Christmas season. Starting with a sweet college-age retreat in Tillimook in September, to a “tattoo-parlor-sponsored” flag football team in October and November, and now a life group in December, we are well on our way to… well something. Nonetheless, as we meet, eat, and pray God is doing something.
To answer the question many have asked, BemaLife is growing. Our newly remodeled office/prayer room in spacious downtown Lewiston is carpet, padding, and furniture away from being fully operational (Check out the before and after pics soon). Many people have tithed their time, hamidown furniture, and plasma to pay for rent and spruce up the apartment. Our newly launched Life Group is pioneering friendships, that I’m sure will pave the way for other college-age adults to know Christ for the first time in a real way.
Finally I want to solicit your prayers. There’s a great quote from the movie Gladiator that reminds me of the place our college ministry is in. At the begining of the movie the emperor says to Maximus, “There was a dream that was Rome. You could only whisper it. Anything more than a whisper and it would vanish, it was so fragile.” Many college-age ministries before us have come and gone, and as we seek to be a long-term answer to the needs of college-agers in the Valley, we need your prayers.
The promise we are standing on for strength and longevity is Zachariah 4: 6-10. Please note I’ve added our name to make this awesome word a bit more personal. ”This is the word of the LORD to BemaLife: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.” What are you, O mighty mountain? Before these colleg-age leaders you will become level ground. Then they will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!” Then the word of the LORD came to me: “The hands of these students have laid the foundation of this temple; their hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you. Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hands of God’s people.”
Please pray these great promises with us as we believe God to bless the ministry of BemaLife.
The Plan
Hey Lifers,
I just wanted to take a second to review the plan for the BemaLife office/prayer room. This Sunday at 7pm we’re going to have a painting party to completely finish the painting at the office. The office is located downtown on Main Street, in the apartments above the Bridal Path, next door to Paulucci’s. You get up to the apartment by the stair well to the left of the Bridal Path. We have rollers and paint, so just wear clothes you can get dirty. If you can, please bring a desert item to share… pie, cookies, cake, or whatever.
The following weekend we’re hoping to finish the floor sanding… we could use a couple dudes to help us finish this part. When we’re done with this we need to decorate (cozy up) the prayer room area of the office. FYI, the prayer room area is for: prayer, small groups, group gatherings, events, etc. Calling it the “prayer room” is it’s offical name, but it will be used for lots of other stuff too. Feel free to call or text me if you have any questions.
~jp
Belonging to God by Faith
This morning I was reading Romans 4 looking to God for some wisdom about my purpose in life. I always find myself saying, “God, why don’t you make the purpose of my life clear like you did with men and women of the bible?” I love how Paul pulls out the stories of our forefathers and totally dissects their story. Here we get some insight from Paul about Abraham and how he stumbles across his life’s purpose.
Just when I think I’m justified in asking a question like “Why God why?”, I get another point of view. Paul goes into great detail about the role of faith and what comes first; faith or righteousness. Let’s define rightousness as fulfulling God’s purpose for your life. With rightousness described in these terms, we can understand righteousness as success with God. In America, success is always the ultimate goal. Real results and success are good things, but the bible describes a backwards way to get it. In Romans 4, Paul says Abraham had faith in God and his plan to prosper him. The righteousness (results and success) didn’t come first, faith did. Faith in what though… God’s plan? How did Abraham come to know his life’s purpose? Isn’t that the question we are all searching for in some way, shape, or form?
There’s no magical formula to hearing God. Some ways we know work for sure is reading God’s written Word (the Bible), praying (and listening), and wise counsel (friends who tell us the truth no matter what) are just a few. In Abraham’s story, God contacted him. Now let me just share a thought about that. So many of us want the “pie in the sky” kind of experience to hear from God about our life’s grand purpose. Can I suggest that God had to get a hold of our forefathers in a big way because they were relatively satisfied with life. How many of us can say the same thing… we’re “relatively satisfied” plugging away right here, right now. Was Abraham looking for God to speak to him… maybe, maybe not. Let this blow your mind: I do know for a fact people find things they’re looking for more often than they find things they’re not looking for. So the question is, “Are you looking and listening?”
Finally, is this concept of belonging. Once we hear from God the question is, “Are we praying it and obeying it?” If what you hear from God isn’t more than just a night of bad gas from the burrito you ate, it sure as heck is going to change your life. See, praying about something is a way of thinking about it with God. Keeping something important on your mind is important! If praying is remembering, obeying is trusting God to bring your life purpose into existence. Let us never forget we serve a God who calls those things that be not as though they were (Rom 4:17). Take comfort in the fact that God’s the boss. The Boss has a dream for every person, and our part of it is asking him to show us what “that” is. When we ask, seek, and knock with faith like Abraham (See Abrahams faith described) we are belonging to God. In John 3:29 it says we belong to Christ by listening to his voice.
My prayer for you is that God would bless your eyes, ears, and heart to hear his voice. May you hear his voice and be filled with his joy.
Much Love ~Josh
BemaLife/Deathstar… what!?!
Hey Lifers,
This has been a crazy hectic week of working, working, and more working. There will not be a meeting this Sunday night (10/9), but I still want to update you on our progress. A group of our guys (Russ, Cameron, Chris, Kris, DJ, Jordan and Nick) gave up some of their time to chip up lots of OLD tile flooring and dump a lot junk from our apartment demolition. To strip most of the flooring in a 10×10 room has taken about 30 or more man hours. I don’t know who got the bright idea to lay down linoleum on triple glued tar paper, but remind me to… well, you get the idea! Plans this week include general cleaning, repairing plaster, scraping the last of the linoleum, sanding wood floors, prepping for paint, and painting. We have a crazy week ahead of us… pray we make the best of our time!
I feel the soon-to-be BemaLife venue/office is like the Death Star. If you remember from Star Wars Eps 4, 5, and 6; the Death Star is always almost operational?!? If you have special experience, or just have a desire to serve and get BemaLife up and going… please text me and I’ll let you know when we’re working this week!
Some needs in the near future include:
- Couches (which we have)
- Couch slip covers (someone to put them on)
- Pendant Lighting fixtures
- Fashion sense to tie things together
- Suggestions to cozy things up
and
- Girls to do 3 of the last 4 items (Sorry Nick, the Cigar Room idea is out!)
Your Bro In JC,
~jp
PS: Here’s pics from the office remodel!
