Sitting on a Fence Post

Politics, theology and the arguments they start.  Well, that is about all I can muster in that sentence and not say angry things.  I am not talking about taking sides on an issue, I am talking about arguing about an issue at all.  When I say arguing I mean being mean, hateful and acting juvenile.  When I say acting juvenile, I mean calling people names, like liberal or a fundamentalist or assuming that a political party affiliation sends people to hell.  Less you think your side is the good one - I'm here to tell you there is no good side.  They are both bad.  That's the thing with sides in a battle of any kind, at some point either one will do anything that wins and I mean I guess in the grand scheme of things someone has to be wrong.  You are right someone has to be wrong - but what if both sides are wrong?  What would that mean?

And I'd like to interject here...we can talk about things and disagree.  We can.  I do it often with friends.  And they are still my friends.  I don't doubt their salvation because of it, I just listen. They just listen. Without name calling like an elementary school play ground.

I grew up a big time nerd. Ok, so I still am a nerd.  I loved politics and watching CNN as a child.  I voted for Ronald Reagan before I was even born.  As I got older I learned the world is not as cut and dry as I make it out to be.  Both sides of the aisle have valid arguments.  Why can't we all just come, hold hands and sing Kum bah Yah?  Because we demonize each other.  I was told recently in a class that if you put the country on a political spectrum and draw a line right down the middle most of America hovers ever so closely to that line.  That is a no brainer, look at the polls.  The problem?  We elect two candidates that are so far to the right and so far to the left that they need binoculars or a telescope to see that the vast majority of America is in the middle.

And then there is theology.  Yep.  I went there.  Calvinism, Arminianism no middle ground.  Women or no women, no semantics. Liberal or conservative.  Heretic or fundamentalist.  Lord, save us all.  The truth is....the Bible talks about both sides of  most of those issues.  The Bible talks about election and free will (gasp).  The Bible tells women to keep silent (hold on) and to prophesy (there you go).  Let me go to inherency...what does that even mean?  All I'm going to say is take Ken Gore's doctrine class this Spring and let your head explode around that one. But, let's just say we have demonized each other for taking stands that are all supported by the Bible.  Now, I know that some of us have to be wrong.  There has to be a middle there.  Somewhere.  I get that.  And that's what I argue. Maybe the answer does lie in the middle where most of our congregants, those we preach to and minister to gather.  I dare think most of the members of any church in America don't know what a Calvinist is and sure as heck don't care (and I dare say that may not be a horrible thing all together).  So what do we do?

We learn to love.  We change ourselves first.  We change ourselves and commit to working with others. We commit to knowing that different is sometimes ok and it doesn't mean that the other person is going to hell.  It just doesn't.  I am friends with people that would be labeled all kinds of things Calvinists, Liberals, Fundamentalists, Democrats, Republicans the like. I work with people each summer that have different political opinions, different theological positions and different outlooks on life.  None of them are heretics. And each and every one of them love the Lord, have a passion for kids and see the world through the lenses of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Wouldn't that be great, instead of pushing a political agenda, or arguing with each other we put the Gospel between us.  Because "it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who believes." That is what matters.  That is the measure of our lives, that is what is going to get God to say, "well done my good and faithful servant."  That is what seeks justice for the fatherless, the widow, the alien and the poor.  That is what connects a Roman Catholic with a Southern Baptist.  That's the Gospel and friends, that is what is important.  Who are you going to vote for?  That's your choice and does God want you to consult him?  I'm going to go with a yes he'd like to know, but does your salvation depend on it? Never. Go, feed the hungry and clothe the naked.  Go, be a disciple.  And as a very smart man I know put it not to long ago we all get along when we sing the same song.  Let's make that song the gospel.  Come sing with me. You sing harmony.

"Present!"

We all know the roll call at the beginning of class.  The teacher says, "If you are here say here." There is always that one kid that says, "Present!" Gosh, he was cool.  But, I digress from the beginning.  I have been thinking a lot about being present.  Someone wise (I am too lazy to google it) said, "wherever you are be all there."  And the truth is for the last months of my life I have not been all there where I am.

I read a post the last week of camp written by a very wise woman.  This lady works(ed) in the CentriKid office at LifeWay and she was writing a post on how to deal with the post camp slump and she said wherever you are do not let your life be wasted.  Don't, do not live just for camp.  Then, I mean that sums up to don't just live for the next. Don't just live for graduation or the wedding or the ring.  Live where you are right now and be all there.  And I remember preaching that to my team the last week and using those words the last day of camp and yet I am having extreme trouble having enough faith to practice what I preach.

I had a visit from two wonderful friends this weekend.  It was great.  We had a lot of fun.  As I sat talking to Jon the first night having what is probably the 1000th chat we've had at our "sleep overs"  I thought how much things have changed.  We are still close, however we are not the same people.  I have been pining to live my Williams life too.  To go back to where I love.  What I call the happiest place on earth.  And I realized this weekend my Williams isn't there.  It doesn't exist anymore.  Because my people aren't there and if they are they aren't what they were.  It has changed.

This weekend I also got to skype with some of my favorite camp friends. I cried, there were awkward comments about me wanting to touch them, you know I miss the crap out of those guys.  But, that night as I fell asleep I thought about how much God is doing in each of our lives separately.  New things. He is stretching us.  And yet, we can still join in Christian community and share those experiences together.  That's what I call church, y'all.

I am a slow go at making friends here in Waco.  It is a long process that is taking forever.  I do know God has me here for some reason.  He's God and he can use me anywhere if I am willing to be used.  Stop thinking about next.  Stop thinking about how dang long this grad school thing is going to take and start being present.  Not just in body like all those kids that said here, but be that kid who said present, and maybe actually be present and be all there.

Because there are people to meet and people to grow with.  There may be no Sam to listen to while he plays guitar.  There may be no house that feels as much like home as Steph and Rob's.  There may be no cuter kids than Eli and Hannah.  I may never have a pastor like Mark Harris.  I certainly will not find someone that makes me laugh as much as Caleb McDonald or is as precious as Alli Sewell, or as good at stuff as Ellie Doom.  But, God does have new friends.  God does have community.  Faith is accepting it and watching it take flight.  But waiting while it does, waiting as an active participant in God's mission. That's the hard part.  But I gotta do it.

Let Me Be Man

#Thatawkwardmomentwhen your Dean of Students tells you to be a man in front of an entire class of people.  Those were good times.  Let me set the stage for you.  At the lovely, Williams Baptist College we had to take a class as Freshmen called Higher Learning.  In Mrs. Watson's Higher Learning class I was playing a game in front of the room.  I had to pick a category to win the game and I was indecisive.  What does Susan (sorry Mrs. Watson, I love this lady) say to me, "Be a man, Will, make a decision."  If you are an alum or knew me at WBC this is hilarious to you because you know me.  I don't often get embarrassed.  Everyone knew me at WBC, it wasn't a big deal.  It wasn't a big deal to the Will you know and love now, but freshman Will?  He was not too confident in a new place, the only new place he'd ever been in.  I could have crawled under the table and died.

Another story, you CK friends know what a Ryder is and every time you see one traveling down the road you have the urge to start a caravan.  Yep, Ryders are beautiful creations of a loving God.  Kind of.  When the beautiful Mary Chase Breedlove sent me an email to get my physical to drive a Ryder last summer I could have died.  Really, I could have.  But I did it and I drove it.  And there are stories of stomach problems and break downs that go along with it.  But, that's not the point.  One long trip (weren't they all long CK7?)  I was driving the Ryder and we were having hilarious walky chat.  I exclaim over the walky to my team, "Guys, I feel like a man driving this thing."  My good buddy and pastor Daniel says to me, "Will, maybe that's because you are a man."

That hit me like a ton of bricks.  The truth is obvious.  But, the deeper truth rang in my ear.  You see, I am a man.  But, I don't always feel like I live up to the social stereotype our society has set for us.  I don't hunt, go muddin', or like to lift weights.  I do like sports but I also have a Pinterest (I pin things for children's ministry so shut it).  I struggled for a long time in my life feeling like I wasn't man enough for everyone around me.  The Will of 2008 (back in Higher Learning) maybe had 2 good male friends and one of them was married to my sister.  The Will of 2012 can name off a whole bunch of guys that I have built community with and broken bread with and now call brothers in Christ that have through action and deed taught me I am a real man.  I want the things God has created men to want.  You were right Daniel, I am a man.  Thanks, brother.

We all know those awesome women's speakers out there or authors.  There is Beth Moore (who I often refer to on a first name basis as Beth), Elisabeth Elliot, Jen Hatmaker, Ann Voskamp, Priscilla Shier, just to name a few.  The question I kind of want to beg is, "Where are all the men?"  In boredom I often read blogs and it isn't often I find one about a man just sharing life with fellow believers.  It is all women.  Sharing life, sharing advice, getting real.  I am not saying there aren't books pertaining to men out there.  There are.  There are some good ones too (I am reading Wild at Heart right now and it is fantastic), but you see that's not the point of this post.  Not really.  And there are men that write books and speak (duh).  Matt Chandler, David Platt, Francis Chan, oh I can name hundreds of more....but again not my point.  You see those women I mentioned up there what they write isn't so much a call for some prescribed set of values for women.  No, ya'll they preach the Word of God (I go to a CBF seminary its ok for me to use women and preach in the same sentence).  That isn't the point either.  The point is Beth for example preaches the Word and builds community for women around that Word.  Its deep.  It isn't face value - it is intense, life-giving and it is the breathe of God.

You see men need to study the Bible together more.  They need to build community.  The men's conferences are all about how to be a good husband, how to be a good Father, etc.  What if men just studied the Word together wouldn't that show us all those things?  What if there were men's Bible studies at church studying something like Beth Moore (or even Beth y'all I told you she brings the Word).  You see, there isn't that for men.  There is just here is the Word study it on your own time and listen to it preached, but don't get deeper.  And there in lies the problem.  Men need to dive into and devour the Bible in community.  That's what those ladies above do.  I am reading (I read a lot of books at the same time don't judge I am in grad school) Jen Hatmaker's 7, a book about giving up excess in life.  Jen is a fantastic women's speaker, but she didn't just write this book for women.  It is truth for all Christians it isn't just women that should limit excess in their lives its all Christians.  What I'm saying is I hope you've gotten it, men study the word together (that's an imperative sentence).

There is a story in Jen's book about a conference she led in Oklahoma.  She was speaking on giving up  things and giving to the poor.  What do the women do as a response?  They begin to come leave offerings at the altar to take to these poor and homeless women Jen speaks of.  These were good church ladies dressed in their best.  They left purses, iPhones (not my iPhone I can't handle it), coats.  Thousands of dollars worth of stuff.  They responded not to a call to be good wives, mothers and friends.  They responded to a call to be good Christians...as women. Together. In community (and I wonder what their husbands said when they got home without that new iPhone 4S).

When's the last time you heard of a group of men doing that? Responding to the Word of God.  As men. Together. When?  Orphans and homeless people are for women to take care of.  That takes nurturing and love.  You know, motherly instincts us guys don't have.  No friends, that is the Word and Breathe of the Lord Jesus Christ being put into action.  (I actually had a guy tell me this week he'd never met a guy enrolled in the MDiv/MSW program at Baylor.  Guys aren't often social workers caring for "the least of these.")

We call that Breathe the Gospel.  The good news.  The saving power of the Savior told in Genesis through Revelation.  God told us all to do what's in his Word.  And frankly, women are baring the weight of it all.  Who prays in your church?  The women.  Who leads missions efforts in church?  Women.  Who teaches children?  Probably mostly women.  Now there is nothing wrong with women doing all that, they should be doing all that.  They are responding to God's call they received while living and worshipping in community.  Men, go respond with them.  As a children's pastor I would have killed for more men to be like Mr. Jack.  A man who taught Sunday school, led Awana games, planned father-son camp outs.  Because Jack Wolf loved the Lord and responded to his call as a man, yes.  But, he responded to God's call as a Christian more.  Go be like Jack as he tries to be like Jesus.   

Oh, Hey Seminary

Well, here I am three weeks into a four year graduate program (Lord, y'all, Lord).  I can honestly say I love school.  In every aspect.  I can also honestly say, its been rough.  Not the school part, I had rockstar professors in undergrad that totally prepared me for this place.  I mean, its a lot of work...but work I am totally capable of doing.  You know if you read my blog how excited I was about two things all last semester camp and seminary.  Elated might be a more accurate picture.  But, three weeks ago when I moved here I wanted to be anywhere else but here.

But let me tell you how I miss the familiar.  I miss WBC.  I miss the chimes of Addie Mae.  I miss chats in Grace's office, talks on Jon's futon, play practice, First Baptist Church, hugs from precious kids, cooking with Hannah and Saturdays with the Anderson's (ok, every night of my life with them).  I miss all that.  I miss being comfortable.

I miss camp.  I miss ten hugs from Caleb everyday.  I miss doing grids with Ellie and bank runs.  I miss Daniel preaching the Word, pro with Evan and Hannah, talking to Alli about relationships (you know that boy she likes), I miss hard work.  I miss 6:30 rec row and late nights counting money.  I miss store inventory.  I miss leading children to Christ.  I miss seeing my friends do the same.  I miss late nights and early mornings.  I miss familiar.  I miss hard work yes, but I miss comfortable.

And here I am without all those people, with really no people.  I am meeting people slowly.  But its not like I live in a dorm.  I am not the RA anymore.  I miss community.  Community is good right, its a 21st century Christian buzz word.  And then it hit me....Can you worship community?

Well, duh.  Community I have discovered has been my collegiate idol.  I knew that but it really sank in this week.  Time alone has been good for me.  It has meant reflection and dealing with sin, it has meant learning to be satisfied in God not other relationships.  It has meant learning the difference between emotion and reason (we'll talk more about this in another post).  God has taught me I need him.  Community is something he gives as a gift.  And are we called to live in it?  Yes.  But do we worship it? No.

So, saying all that Waco is warming up to me.  I have made threats to flee to Nashville or Kentucky or back home where people I love are, but I won't.  I will be right here where God has called me.  I will build community.  He will build community, that's more like it.  But, I won't worship it.

I am going to go do my new favorite past time, searching jobs on the internet.

Tell God's Story

I was reading today in 1 Samuel 4:7b-8: "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.  Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these might gods?  These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness."

The scene is the Israelites are marching into battle with the Philistines, they are losing BIG time.  When I say big time, I mean there are about 4,000 Israelite men who have died already.  So, they take the ark of the covenant out into battle and the Philistines say what is quoted above.  They have heard of the power of their God dating all the way back to the Exodus.  But, you know what?  They still win the battle?  Why?  Keep reading, "Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you be men and fight."  You see, I don't think the Israeli entourage was convincing.  Sure, they had heard the stories of the God of Israel, but the problem seems to be the people in the present day didn't have that story in them.  They weren't living out the the story of God and they weren't letting God weave his story into their own lives.  So, he was beginning to do it for them.

When I read that this morning, I was taken back to a conversation I had this week with a precious little boy.  He wanted to know if the things like the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego can happen today, why they don't happen today, and if they were even true.  I was sadden.  You see because in this child's day, we don't proclaim the story of God's work in the world.  We don't take the time to see the deliverance he gives us from the firey furnace.  We are all too self absorbed and selfish to God's miraculous hand working.  We don't tell God's story.

Every week at CentriKid we share the Gospel with children.  The good news about Jesus that starts with creation and weaves through the fall, and to Jesus' free gift of salvation.  The Gospel, is God's story.  But, you know what?  If we are proclaiming to people that the Gospel ends when you close your Bible we are doing to a great dis-service to the good news of salvation for all people.  Because the saving power of the gospel, the story of Jesus Christ should be expanded and lived out more and more every day in each one of ours lives.  Here are some faces to show you how God has been telling his story to me lately.  The gospel is:

Men who loves Jesus and pursue him each day.  Men who, challenge me to do the same thing every single day. 

Kids that smile.  Tell me you can't see the joy of the Lord on these precious faces?

Energy.  That can come only from the Lord, especially when you think you have absolutely nothing else left to give. 

OMC.  Need I say more?

Showing Christ love to kids who have never heard of it. 

Getting a little messy for Jesus when we need to. 

Being the leaders God has called us to be. 

Teaching spiritual truths through games.  

God raising us beautiful people to teach and serve the next generation and to show them the Lord. 

Learning to find our rest in the Lord. 

Finding God in the midst of chaos...even chaos back stage managing boys....with egos (or tight jeans which ever)

Kids giving sacrificially each week to missions. 

Those are just a few of the ways God has been showing me his story lately.  That is how he is using me to be part of his story.  How is he using you?  Go tell some people.  And if you want to hear more about how he has been using 20 twenty-somethings to spread his word this summer, continue to check back here.

I'm at Camp Y'all!

This has truly been the most rewarding, crazy, God-filled, challenging, and overall best time of my life. CK 7 as we often say has been through the valley.  We have been missing equipment, attacked by killer ants, arrived at a location at 4:30 in the morning the day we were suppose to start camp, had broken down Ryder trucks, lost power for over a week, and a host of other things.  However, God is shining bright and accomplishing great things through this beautiful summer.

For example, one week we had 70 reported salvations, another 30, and the whole summer has been that way.  Response time often starts before Daniel even prays and asks kids to come forward.  God is moving like crazy.  I had the awesome opportunity to lead three precious little boys to Christ last week. God has used our team to minister to children with Buddhist parents and broken homes.  Several weeks ago we had two little girls whose mom died while they were at camp.  They were able through their loss and joy in Christ to minister to so many kids and to us, the staffers of CK 7.

The devil doesn't like it either, y'all.  I know the devil is not omniscient, he is not omnipotent, and he is not omnipresent.  But, he is attacking my team.  I believe and have for a good while God is stirring and starting a revival in the generation of children rising up.  Though they live in a broken world, they have beautiful hearts that want to change the world they live in.  And Satan does not like it when 70 of 650 campers cross over from death to life in one week.  God's Spirit is moving in this generation and he is using my team to be catalysts to that movement.  God is strong.  He is big and he is making a big move.  I am honored to be a part of his work.

And on a side note, he is using me and so many broken people to do it.  Y'all CK 7 is not perfect.  We are a bunch of sinners.  Me being one of the worse.  If you are close to me, you know that the past two years of my life have been intense in spiritual struggle.  God has brought me so close to him this summer and I cannot wait to continue to run after him and I hope and pray I can do just that.

I sat last night manning the decision room watching my team bring child after child to have conversations with.  I was in tears as my friend Caleb led five little boys to Christ as they prayed and cried and rejoiced with each other.  I was in tears as I saw my friend AK lead a precious girl to Christ.  I was in tears as a group leader led my little buddies Brady and Hunter to Christ.  And I was in awe.  You see, I kind of expected the out pouring of God's spirit to maybe slow a little (that sounds horrible), but he as already used us so much this summer.  And I pray the Lord forgives me because he is still using my sinful broken team to bring to him new children and to guide them as they decide to truly believe in him.

Pray for us.  We have three weeks of camp left.  We are experiences some weariness, some tired spirits.  Ask that we find our rest in God (thanks Ellie) and that we deny ourselves daily and take up our cross and follow Jesus.  Not just in our words, but in our actions too.

Here are some of my favorites from this summer:

Caleb leads the Green Machine like a champ.

This is just Austin.  Don't let his face fool you, he has a great heart. 

You know we were just roommates.

Ladies and gentlemen, this lady is in charge. Be afraid.

Looking all pretty and sassy.

Worship outside with no power.

She's wearing her sunglasses, but does she know were they are right now?

We are kind of the dynamic duo.  Kind of meaning we are.  Be afraid.  But, not really. 

Pastor Daniel playing a little OMC. 

She's precious.

"Will, will you run up and down the hill five times?"  Yes, Ellie and Mary Chase I will.  But, really I would do anything for these girls.  Awesome leadership. 

O Squad.  Blessed to serve with these leaders.

Grids....its what I do. 

A little Fly in the Soup

I told you she was precious. 

I leave for camp...tomorrow.

Y'all I have been waiting for that for almost two years.  I am so pumped about returning to the camp world.  It is so exciting to live in community with other young adults, share the gospel with kids, build relationships, encourage the mess out of each other, and just plain do the Lord's work.  But, honestly I have been overwhelmed with not feeling ready.  I am not physically ready.  I will probably die the first week, because I am in the worse shape of my life (good thing Jesus beat death huh).  I don't feel emotionally ready.  Because, you see when I get back in August my whole life will have changed completely.  I will be away from my friends.  I'll be in a new place frantically searching for a job while starting a graduate degree.  I am overwhelmed majorly.  I don't feel spiritually ready.  I feel dry.  Used up.  After four weeks at home.  I haven't been pouring into anyone and no one has poured into me.  For four weeks.  I feel like I am in a hole.  But, it is my choice to crawl out.  Those are my apprehensions about all of this.  I can't just wait for someone else to be ready, I have to decide.  Because, my God....he can move the mountains.  He is might to save.  And y'all....I am ready to tell the world about him.  With his help.  I need it. Pray for me.