Facebook of Jesus Birth

I just saw this video on Arron Chambers Blog. What if Mary and Joseph had Facebook to document the birth of Christ? It may have looked like this.

New Years Resolution

Over a year ago, way back in 2009, I decided to start a Blog. Now I have never been a big writer. I have never sat down and said I feel like writing today. I haven’t even been one to follow a ton of popular trends, and I would say blogging is a popular trend. However, I saw it as a good way to share some of my thoughts about life, ministry, and other topics with my congregation and those who wanted to read them. For the first half of 2010 I would say I succeeded very well at this blogging thing, but then something happened.

I have wrote several times that I do intend to continue blogging. I have even shared that I was working to recreate the blog. To be honest those were the thoughts in my mind at the time. What I really think it was … my well was dry. I had run out of ideas. Over the past several months I have done a poor job feeding myself. One of the things I have noticed in my life is when I am drained, dry, and even a little depressed, I am empty.

There are two ways for me to recharge my batteries so to speak. The first is on the spiritual side. I love to listen to sermons. But not just any sermons. I love to listen to good preachers present the Word of God. I am a preacher. I am a trained preacher. I attended Bible College, and have a degree in Bible and Theology. I also have a minor in preaching. That means I have a decent grasp and understanding of scripture. I also have been trained in preaching styles and techniques. Because of that, when I listen to a sermon I struggle to hear what the preacher is preaching and I focus on his exegesis, his sermon structure, his delivery quality, and many other technical aspects. I have to listen to a good preacher who I can forget about those details and actually hear what he is saying. I hate that, but most preachers I know struggle with the same problems.

Having said all that, there are good preachers out there that I can listen to and glean a lot of insight from. But I haven’t been feeding myself the way I should. Sometime over the summer I switched computers at home and have yet to sync my iPod with that new computer. Because of that, I haven’t put any new sermons on it. Now here at the office the church has purchased me a new computer. This new computer will allow me to have iTunes on it and allow it run while doing other things. I am excited to be able to listen to sermons once more.

But the sermon thing isn’t my only let down. I read the Bible a lot. But a lot of what I read is in preparation for a lesson, sermon, or some sort of devotion. While I am reading the Word, I am not feasting on the Word. I am reading it to prepare for something, not reading it to transform my life. This is something I have been warned about for a very long time, even before I went to Bible college. And even though I have been warned about it, I have fallen into the same trap.

Since I am not reading the Bible like I should, you can probably guess I am not having my prayer time with God the way I should. If that is what you did guess, then you would be correct. Isn’t it funny how all those things work together? God speaks to us through his Word (as well as other ways), but if we are not in his Word, then at times we can have nothing to share back with him. Its like the awkward silence you experience on the phone when no one has anything to say. Friends this is a great problem, and one I have to work to overcome.

Earlier I said I recharge in several ways. The second way I recharge is by doing something with my hands. If I can't work on physical projects I can get somewhat depressed. I think this is one of the things that has always scared me about ministry. I love what I do. I love being able to teach the truth of Scripture and inspire people to live lives that glorify God. But in that there isn’t always a lot of physical work to be done. A lot of it is at a desk, reading, writing, and preparing lessons. A lot of it is talking with people about their spiritual condition, their struggles in marriage, or some health issue. A lot of it is reading about, dreaming, and strategizing the future of God’s church here at West Side. A lot of it is going to the hospital and visiting those who are sick. A lot of it is much more than I care to share here. In no way am I complaining about my job. I love those aspects, but most of them do not require me to use my hands.

Even though I am not good at it, I love to build things. I love to mow grass. I love to care for landscaping. I love to tackle projects around the house. For the first year and two months living here in Lebanon, Crystal, Alivia, and I lived in a tiny apartment. Living in that apartment was horrible for me. If something broke or needed improving I had to call the complex to have a maintenance man come take of it. Now that I own a house, I am the one that gets to do those things. I am loving it. I also can tell that some of the spring in my step has returned. My batteries are being recharged.

I titled this post New Years Resolution. It is that time of year to make those things. While I have never been big on making a Resolution, I think this year I might. I am not going to make the proverbial resolution to loose weight (While I certainly need to do that). I am going to make the resolution to make sure I am recharging my batteries. My well has been empty for a while now. I need it refilled. I am making strides in the working with my hands department, but I have a long way to go in the spiritual department.

I plan to again use this blog as a place to share my thoughts. But for me to be able to do that, I need to be filling the well and charging the batteries. I am going to use this blog as a barometer of my spiritual health. If my well is dry then there won’t be any post on here, but if it is active, then you know I am recharging in many ways.

Over the next year you may also see this blog change. To be honest I do not know what I am want to accomplish here. It may just be a place where I journal. It may just be a place where I share my thoughts about church, life, and growth. Who knows, but I encourage you to help me keep accountable as you watch me recharge and fill my well over the next year.

Seasons

Here in South West Ohio fall has come in full force. Despite the lack of rain over the past few months we have been blessed with a wide range of fall colors. One thing I love about this part of the country is we have the privilege of experiencing all four season of the year. Each season has something different to offer and experience. The cold nippy wind of winter along with a fresh blanket of snow provides a clean pure earth. The warm, pleasant breeze of spring, with all the flowers, the smell of fresh cut grass, reminds of rebirth. The hot long days of summer, with the wind whistling through the trees, makes you long to be outdoors spending time with friends and family. The changing of the air, the bright array of fall colors, brings a warmth, yet a chill, returning families to the indoors, brings with it a sense of comfort and strength.

Over the past few weeks I have felt in my own life that I have been going through a change in season. At times I feel I am walking hand in hand with God. I feel like I have God in my thoughts continually. I am in his word. I am praising him through song. I am somewhere in my head sharing my thoughts, my likes, my dislikes, my excitements and my heartaches. I am using tools to study his word in ways I have never done before. I am striving for his church in ways that cannot be stopped. But then, something outside my control enters in, and that season begins to change. Then I go through a time where I feel distant from God. I am not in his word, unless teaching or preaching. I am not picking up commentaries/study aides, unless in preparation for a lesson. I am not spending time in prayer, unless leading one for a class or group. I am not spending time in worship, unless on Sunday mornings.

Then out of the blue my heart breaks. It is much like the heart break I have felt when breaking up with a girlfriend. You know the deep pit in your stomach, the knot that ties up deep inside, the feeling of being all alone, the feeling of hurt that just changes your entire demeanor and attitude. Your outlook on life quickly becomes different. This feeling exist because in a way you are breaking up with God. You are feeling lonely, your attitude is affected, and you are hurting because you are separated from the one you care about so much. But we have an amazing promise.

As Joshua was preparing to take over the leadership role of Moses, God gave him this promise. “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” As a follower of Christ, I have that promise too. The writer of Hebrews reminds his audience of that in 13:5. In my seasons of separation from God, he has never left nor has he stopped leading. It is during these seasons where his leadership picks up. It is during these seasons that he uses his spirit to gently nudge me, to remind me of the relationship we have. It is during these seasons that he breaks my heart for him.

I thank God for constantly being there. I thank God that he continues to nudge me, even when I do a horrible job of living for him. I thank God that he still uses me for his service.

So what do your season of life look like? How does God nudge you to do something you should be but are neglecting to do? How does God use his spirit to break your heart?

(Above image was taken from the website for Bob Atkins Photography)

My Thoughts on MACU Tragedy

On Sunday afternoon my wife was on her Facebook reading the postings of many of her friends when she came across one saying, “Praying for MACU.” MACU for those who do not know is Mid-Atlantic Christian University, the place where my wife and I met and the college I graduated from. The Facebook status left both Crystal and I intrigued so I began scanning Facebook for some sort of clue to what was going on. Since I could not find out anything more on Facebook, I called my good friend Robert to see what he knew. What I soon found out I was not prepared for.

On Sunday afternoon just before 1:00 a male student shot and killed another male student in his dorm room on the campus of MACU. This news took me by surprise. When I called Robert I did not expect this kind of news, or even this kind of tragedy to ever take place on that campus. Had there been disagreements on campus before? Certainly. Had their even been physical fights on campus? I am sure there have. But to have something like this, one student taking another students life, I just did not expect.

Because of these events, and me now living so far away, I have spent the past four days glued to the internet. I have been logging onto Wavy TV 10’s website multiple times a day, I have been watching my Facebook for updates from current and former students, as well as college faculty and staff, and I have been checking my email every time it dings to see if it is another update through the Alumni news.

While I have been a person addicted to the news for a good chunk of my life … I spent an afternoon as a high schooler watching a house fire on Fox News that was taking place in California … I watch tragedies for hours on end just waiting to hear that new piece of news that is so few and far between … this week the news has just drained me. I am left today with no drive, no motivation, just sitting in my office struggling to focus and be productive.

Then I found this video; a video about people doing the right thing; a video about people stepping away from their capitalistic conquest to help their competition in their hour of need.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/desmoines-kcci-18191122/good-news-competitor-helps-business-after-flood-22292839

What took place in the dorm at MACU on Sunday was a horrific loss of life, and unfortunately a time when the shooter was not acting with the love of Christ. But then to find this was an uplifting insight into who God calls us each to be. God calls us to be agents of love.

The reason for Christ was because of the love God had for us. God loved us so much that he choose a people, the Israelites, to be his instruments in bringing into this world his son Jesus Christ. Christ came to die so that we may have life. God has given us the indwelling of his spirit. With that spirit living inside of us, we are then to reciprocate that love to all of mankind. We are to be agents of love.

Would you please continue to pray for MACU as they are going through one of their toughest and most emotionally draining times in the history of the school. MACU is a place I hold near and dear to my heart. It is a place that has trained so many preachers, teachers, youth ministers, and lay leaders for the work of God’s kingdom. I pray that these past few days will only work to strengthen the school and it focus on ministry. I also ask that you pray for both families of those involved. For the family of the victim, that they will find peace and forgiveness. For the family of the shooter, that they will remain strong, that they will seek God, and they will be the support their son, brother, and grandson needs them to be. For the shooter, that he will find peace, that he will find restoration in his heart with God.

A Shameful Plug

In 2003 when I graduated high school the state of Ohio had a requirement that all students put together a portfolio. In the portfolio we had to include our high school diploma, a resume, some references, as well as some of our writing assignments done over the course of our senior year. I decided I would put my best pieces of work into the portfolio. I was very proud of what I created.

For some reason the portfolio made it into my office when I was in NC. As I have moved it has continued to travel with my office books. I don’t remember if it was when we were dating or since we have been married that my wife first looked through this piece of work. When she first looked at it she quickly noticed that my writing was horrible. Not only was my punctuation horrible but I butchered almost every grammar rule in the book. Looking back at the portfolio, I now ask the question, “How did my 12th grade English teacher allow me to put this crap in there?” Now I know I am not the world’s best writer or someone that a lot of people who pay money to read, but I have improved greatly.

Knowing where I started from and where I am today, now gives me the opportunity to poke fun. My wife has been dealing with some issues producing milk for our child. Through the frustration she has been driven to start her own blog to release some of the tensions. You should all check it; read from her fingertips the ups and downs, the joys and sorrows, and the learning opportunities of being a first time mom … crystaldawson.blogspot.com. But here is where I get to poke fun. I checked the blog out today and noticed that she broke many grammar rules. I immediately texted her this … “Don’t ever make fun of me for my grammar. Just saying!” (Because of the conversation proceeding she would not take that text in a negative or harsh way. Just saying). It was only her first post, and she was caring for our daughter and doing other things, but now she has lost all rights to get on me.

I love her very much and am very proud of her as a mom. I am also glad she is looking to use the blog as a release. Check it out, comment on her post and support her in amazing ways.

Yes I am Still Blogging

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time you have noticed that there has been a sudden drop in blog post. The drop was from daily post for a Bible reading, to doing it few and far between, and then in June it just stopped all together. There are several reasons for this. I will explain them below.

I started this blog to share my thoughts on life and ministry. I also wanted it to be a place where I could communicate with the members of my congregation. I decided last year to make this a place to do a Bible reading guideline from. For the first five months of the year this went really well. Then around the time Alivia was born I kind of stopped doing it as regular. Maybe it was because life got really busy, or maybe I lost my drive. I think both can sum it up.

Life got busy as any parent out there knows. Not only did I have the responsibility of helping Crystal with our daughter, but I also had all the responsibilities at church. Summer was quickly approaching and that means busy times for churches. West Side is no different. But something also happened. My drive for the blog was waning. I realized that most of my post we becoming very redundant. I was repeating myself each day having a hard time of being creative and different. The pattern began to be hit or miss and then in June I just decided to stop all together.

I needed a break. I needed to step away and get a new perspective. While I am not ready to start back with the Bible reading today, it will be back very soon. I am excited to see what God will teach me in the next couple of weeks. During the silence on the blog God has been working in different ways in my life and I am excited to share them with you. Keep checking back to see what new things God will be sharing through the blog and my life in the coming days.