Living in Healthy Community

    

     Recently, Angela and I had the pleasure of meeting up with some friends for dinner at a local restaurant.  Our married friends moved away over a year ago to work for a church in a surrounding state.  We were eager to hear how things had been going for them over the past year since we too had moved away and had not caught up with them in a almost a year.  

     Our friends began talking about their experiences in a new church environment with different staff and a somewhat different method of ministry.  Don't get me wrong, there is not one right way when it comes to church ministry.  There are many types of churches all over the world that have different styles of worship (and I'm not just talking about praise and worship-music).  And as one who has traveled to a few different cultures myself, I know and remember often the common phrase that I've heard and recited a thousand times before, "it's not wrong; it's just different."  However, there seems to me to be one thing that I have noticed that many churches (especially in the US) are without-community.  As our friends sat across the table and spoke about their recent hardships, a lack of community was the common theme that contributed to their feeling discouraged.  Their church did not have healthy community.  The people in this particular congregation aren't living life together, rubbing shoulders with one another.  They work and then go home, alone.  They meet on Sunday mornings and that's about it.  Its challenging to drastically deepen relationships solely on Sunday mornings.  They are missing something huge!  And it is extremely sad to think about the masses of church attenders who do not experience true community as it was designed to be experienced.  

      One thing that characterizes our church, as well as many other churches in the area, are its community groups.  A small group of 12-15 people who come together once a week  to share a meal, prayer, worship, the Word, and their lives is a powerful thing.  I have experienced first hand how beneficial a community can be for me personally, as well as for the body in general.  Some of my lowest times have fallen in the seasons where my sense of community was lacking, when I felt isolated and alone. And, on the other hand, God has grown me and strengthened me greatly in the times when I found myself deep in rich community.  

      We were made to live in community, experiencing life uniquely with others, sharing in the joys and hardships.  Scripture tells us that God is three (father, son, spirit) dwelling together in fellowship.  God also gave us a beautiful picture of community in the book of Acts when the new church body met together to encourage one another and work to advance the Kingdom.  God has shown us-we were meant to live similarly.  

      What about you?  Do you find yourself lacking community, the deep, rich, live-giving relationships that God uses to equip us, His Church?  Begin praying that He would connect you with others around you in purpose and intention.  If your church offers community groups, then just sign up.  You won't regret it, and you will quickly see just how God intends for us to live as you begin to open up to others and experience the same in return.  If your church doesn't offer community groups as an option, then consider being the first to start a group.  Pray for opportunities and just start talking to others who may be desiring the same.  We were meant to know and be known! 

"And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more, as you see the Day drawing near." 

What about you?  Have you experienced healthy community that you would like to share about? Feel free to leave a comment or a story...

jmh

      

Turning Thirty!

I made a promise to myself to journal about my life at certain milestones (every 5 or 10 years) beginning with the year that I turned thirty.  Here is a snipit of the initial entry I journaled last spring...

April 3, 2012

Jason,

Today finds me on a plane across the Mediterranean Sea heading home to propose to the one I love.  The next step in front of me is an exciting endeavor that I have waited for many days.  Today, I am 30.  I wouldn’t take back any moment in my entire life.

The last 10 years have been filled with many things that I am proud of.  In that span, I have graduated college, worked in ministry, been an older brother to Kirby (including baptizing him), volunteered in a children's home in Nepal, become skilled at playing guitar, spent a summer in Moscow, Russia, run a marathon, biked 100 miles, been to Mt. Everest, toured the Holy Land, and taught Math and Bible in Bethlehem.  Today, I am 30.  One may venture to guess that my experiences would indicate a different age as I have done things some people will never get to do in their lifetime.  However, as I am glad to say, my life is just beginning.  

As I look over my shoulder at the past decade, I see more clearly the picture God has been painting.  Sometimes things happen and we wonder, “Why am I going through this,” or “what is God doing exactly?”  I don’t claim to know extensively the connectedness of things, events, people, and experiences that God has brought in my days and how they tell of a much larger story, and even how that story lives on into the future, but I do see loose ends slowly coming together.  And yet, this painting that God is designing gains more color and detail with each new day.  With my last breath, like Jesus, I desire to utter the words, “It is finished,” in response to a life lived without regret...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


jmh

You Are Not An Accident

   Yesterday, I started taking my Religion students (7^th and 11^th grade) through the book The Purpose Driven Life. If you are familiar you know that the chapters are really short, and meant to be read as daily devotionals. We usually spend ten to fifteen minutes reading the chapters together and then discuss things that come to mind with the remainder of class.
   Today I had planned to read and discuss Chapter 2, which is titled, “You are not an accident.” I first had the students turn to and read from Psalm 139. A few students expressed cool thoughts that had risen as the passage was read. I then began reading from the Purpose Driven Life book. I read the first page or so and stopped to spend some time on a few thoughts: you are not an accident, you are unique, and God knows you completely. I then turned to a student and asked her to tell me things that she liked about herself. She hesitated. A student quickly responded, “Why dont you let us tell her the things we like about her?” God inspired. I agreed. Then we spent the rest of 6^th period (7^th grade) encouraging each other with words.

    After class, I headed up to the high school for the last class of the day, my 11^th grade Religion class. My 7^th grade Religion class is like a pastor’s first Sunday service sermon. He tests things out and then may tweek a few things for the next service. I do the same with 11^th grade. “Well, this went really well for 7^th grade. Lets do that with the 11^th graders.” So after seeing how much fun this activity was with the junior high students I eagerly awaited the same exercise with the juniors. I followed the same routine as the younger class by having the juniors read from Psalm 139. Then we took turns saying unique, positive, necessary things about each student.

    We took turns highlighting what we liked about each person, me contributing my own thoughts as I have gotten to know these students well. I found this exercise to be incredibly rewarding for me to be able to speak Truth into each person’s life. I am somewhat guarded when it comes to high school students mainly in part because I sense that I have to be on the defensive with them, always watching for and expecting things to be pulled over my head, like they are all secretly planning an attack to revolt against the teacher. But that has not hindered the potential that I see in my students. So being able to bless them in front of the class, with their peers, was freeing and a blessing to me.

      I could tell from the nonverbal queues displayed by each student that when it was their turn to be blessed with words they got a bit squeamish. Its exactly how I get too. I don’t like having the attention on me. And sometimes I have a hard time believing what is being said. And because I have discerned personalities and thoughts for each student, I knew that one particular student would struggle to actually believe what was being said about her.

    After each person’s turn, and with a few minutes left in class, I had each student write down what was said about them. I told them the enemy would speak lies over them and probably already had as the activity was taking place. Following that thought, I said, “If multiple people (your friends) said all these great things about you, its because they see that in you. They would not just make stuff up, especially if more than one said roughly the same thing about you. The enemy doesn’t want us to believe these things and will tell you otherwise, but you MUST know that God has designed you with certain qualities, attributes, and talents that are unique to you and He wants to receive Glory through those.”

     With class finished, I went to the office to grab a few things and leave and recognized the certain student mentioned above was sitting in the office talking to the principal. I asked her if it was hard to receive those words from her classmates and friends and she confirmed with a nod. I then assured her that she possessed those qualities and characteristics mentioned and that she needed to believe thats exactly what God thinks about her and the way he designed her too. She told me that those words made her cry, which I had seen in class but thought it was for another reason. Her struggle to believe them as truth, followed by crying, leads me to believe that God had penetrated her heart and her tears were the display of that.

      And AGAIN (I say again because I feel so undeserving when God does this and it has happened several times in my first year of teaching) God showed up today, through a student’s suggestion, and directed the class to the message that He wanted covered. And I have to mention, this happens all the time here. I will be sitting in the lounge with a rough outline of my plans and God will pop an idea (activity, lesson, etc) in my head and I know thats what I should do. It usually happens last minute, and as a friend said, probably so that I cannot claim it as my own idea. The Spirit is leading!

jmh

How to Kill a Tiger: the Arrow vs. the Gun

   When choosing your selected weapon in a hunt for a tiger you must consider a few things.

   The Gun. It seems like the obvious choice, right?! With the gun you can shoot from a greater distance and maybe do more damage initially. So, you raise your weapon, pull the trigger, and watch with anticipation, hoping the tiger goes down. The problem comes if you miss your target even slightly. The tiger traces the sound to your direction, racing toward you at great speed. What are your chances now with the striped beast?
   The Arrow. Although you would probably want to be a bit closer to the tiger to insure a targeted hit, which might make you a bit more nervous, the Arrow is actually a more strategic option. When pierced with an arrow, the tiger will visibly see it lodged in his side and equate the cause of the pain with the arrow. In this situation you are safe simply because the tiger will struggle to wrestle with the arrow, never looking for a shooter, which buys you time to shoot another arrow into the tiger and finish him off.
   In the Spiritual realm, Satan employs the same method. At many times during the day, one can be under attack from Satan as he pierces our hearts with deceit-dipped arrows. These well place lies hit where it hurts and cause us to focus on the arrow itself, not him, which is what he wants, honestly. When we dont see Satan standing behind the arrow, when we dont equate the voices in our head as lies from the Evil One, and when we accept those lies as truth we tend to struggle more in deceit, while Satan continually fires rounds of arrows into our heart. His lies are subtle and tricky.
   This has been a crucial aspect in the way that I view my identity in Christ. I receive lies (arrows) on a daily basis. I must be aware and recognize Satan in his work. The Spirit has really helped me distinguish truth from lies. And then, I must turn to God right then and receive His voice, His acceptance, His Truth. And hearing the voice of God is a refreshing drink on a scorching day.

jmh

"Who do YOU say that I am?"

Door shuts! Praise God!

   I had been waiting 45 minutes this day for a bus that wasn’t packed to the door so that I could get back to Beit Jala from Jerusalem. Usually, a five to ten minute wait is all that is necessary to find the right bus. After watching 4 buses pass by the bus stop without slowing at all, I was finally ready to get on. It is a Friday, the Muslim holy day. Therefore, at this time, most of the buses I watched pass by, without even a hint of slowing down, were crammed with devout Muslims trying to find their way back home.

   I find my place in the aisle; the only space left on this particular bus. Most of the passengers around me are Muslim. However, I notice an American passenger sitting in the window seat of the aisle that I am now standing. As I stand exhausted from a day of sightseeing the Holy City, I casually notice that the mysterious American passenger, who is sitting next to a Muslim woman, is deep in conversation. Strangely enough, she doesn’t want to be! I can tell she is either tired or not feeling well, and she confirms that to the lady sitting next to her, as this particular covered, Muslim woman continues asking her questions, trying to draw her further into conversation.

    The American picks up her cell phone and places it to her ear, so as to signal an incoming call and perhaps buy her more time to think of her next move. As she responds to mystery Man A, I wonder if there is even anyone on the other end. She then hangs up the phone and returns it to its position, still clinched in her hand, maybe hoping that another convenient call might take place. “How can you believe that Jesus is actually God,” this woman asks the poor American tourist who just wants to be left alone. Okay, my attention is even more devoted to this pair now; however, rather than give my cards away, I opt for the look-out-the-window eavesdropping technique, keeping my good ear turned their way, making sure I pick up all the key ingredients of this one-sided conversation.

  I look ahead briefly, so as to keep my cover, while frequently giving a look in their direction. From above the conversation, my eyes steal long glances, hoping that my ears follow suit and fill in what words are being said to go along with the awkward body language and nonverbal cues that are taking place. Another look forward. This time, I notice the man standing in front of me is now turned around and he looks to interject his own comments into this random conversation. He utters something in Arabic. Muslim woman responds back before devoting more words and thoughts to American passenger, who is now looking out the window, not making eye contact. What response she does contribute to this conversation is very soft, as she tries to keep her thoughts in her row only, not wanting her beliefs to seep out into other rows, where listening ears are now apparent.

  Once again, I watch the man standing directly in front of me and I am thinking, “Should I jump in this conversation and bail this defenseless woman out?” I quickly decide minding my own business is the route I am going to take today. “Can you believe that this woman here thinks that Jesus is God,” the voice in front of me projects my way. Okay, maybe I will be contributing my own thoughts. “Actually,” I offer sheepishly, “I believe the same thing she does.” The man’s face changes. “You believe that Jesus is God,” he prods. He then proceeds to inform me about his beliefs, how Jesus is a mere prophet, and how there is no way that he was God. His monologue lasts a good 7-8 minutes as I listen honestly, nodding my head and giving him nonverbals to show I am listening.

 Before I left, I read Muslims, Christians and Jesus. It was very informative and spoke about the importance of seeking common ground with Muslims, not trying to stir up arguments, and just listening to what they believe. I do exactly as the book explains. After exhausting himself, he looks at me with interest and questions, “Who is Jesus’ father?”

“Father God is,” I state. 

“How can this be? He was born of a woman. How can Jesus be a son and God? He is only a prophet. He has to be,” the man offers expecting a response.  

“Jesus is God the Son. Father God is also God,” my response comes.  

“Impossible! It cannot be,” again he says.  

“I don’t know how to explain it to you in a way that is easy to understand because God is not someone that I can fully comprehend. There are certain things that I just have to say, ‘God is God and I am not’,” I respond again, hoping this time he accepts my thoughts. I am becoming aware now as I look around my proximity that more itching ears and curious eyes are beginning to look directly at me, wondering what I will say. At this point, I am trying to keep my voice low. I have nowhere to go, I am not trying to start a spiritual fight or even critique the Muslim beliefs. I am only trying to counter what this man is stating so matter-of-factly with truth.

  We continue talking for another 15 minutes as he shares his personal beliefs with me, trying to persuade me in the errors in mine. I gladly share truth with him and the conversation takes twists and turns around the Gospel. I keep my cool, listening more than talking, and giving him all the proper cues to know that I am not offended and I respect what he is saying. Not long after, we arrive at his bus stop. The bus comes to a complete stop, he turns around, and proceeds to walk down the aisle. I tap him on the shoulder, extend my arm, and shake his hand, so as to say, “It was a pleasure talking with you.” I had hoped that he would ride the bus longer and get off at my stop so that we could continue our conversation, but it was not to be.

  I thank God for this day that I was able to speak Truth into this man’s life. I pray that a seed was planted. I also pray that those listening ears on the bus received the Word in their language. God’s Word does not return void.

jmh