The Real Justin Chandler read It by Craig Groeschel.

I stink at this blogging thing now. Here's my thought: Twitter shows my day to day events, ideas, etc. This can be a general synopsis of books I've read or thoughts that need to be elaborated upon longer than a status update or mini blog. That being so, here we go.


In relation to ministry, this is probably one of the best books I've read in quite some time. I can remember many of my friends recommending that I do so. What can I say, I'm a late bloomer on this one. However, I liked it so much, I've passed it along to my pastor, recommended it for the other pastors on staff to read together and am having the members of my leadership team read it together (both student leaders and adult leaders alike). I think I can sum up the book with this quote from Craig Groeschel.

“A person surrendered to Christ gets it. And once a person has it, he can’t keep it to himself.” Craig Groeschel, It, pg. 25

This quote accurately displays the premise of the book. In the case of the church and its leaders, God has equipped each one with different talents, abilities and giftings. Many times, we pursue "what's working" or "what's new" or "what people want." However, as Groeschel elaborates on, what may be "it" at one location will bomb in another. What some people are able to do somewhere, may be an utter disaster here. That is why I loved this book. Because it wasn't about accommodating or becoming like success, it was about learning the following:

“You have more in you than you realize. God has put more in you than anyone knows.” Craig Groeschel, It, pg. 178

It's about taking that information, knowing that in your heart and doing whatever "it" is that God has given you. Along with the questions at the end of each chapter and the encouragement from Groeschel about the forgetting about the "things" that are often pursued by leaders, churches and ministries, this book is a must read for anyone in leadership within the church. It may even be effective if you are leading teams in a business. You'll love the drive that comes from being able to know how God has equipped each of us to lead. LOVED IT!

I think one of the most memorable portions was what Groeschel left as the concluding prayer in his book. Taken from a Franciscan Benediction:

“May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart.”

“May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and the exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.”

“May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, and starvation, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.”

“And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.”

It by Craig Groeschel: A
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Now playing: MuteMath - Burden

This week we underwent a change in heart, theme, purpose, vision, mission and name in the youth ministry I am over. Somebody once asked, "What's the vision? What's the big idea?" Here it is.

The Real Justin Chandler is reflecting on Wednesday (taking a page from Perry Noble's book). This reflection comes with a dichotomy.

First, tonight was awesome in theBURN. We raided Caleb, Jacob and Megan Agee's house (video here) and I love the effect it is having with our students. They are really digging it and living in fear. It's the perfect combination. Tonight we continued WHAT MATTERS and shared on YOU. Synopsis: YOU MATTER. In God's eyes, you are important. You are valuable. You are necessary. You are matter. A couple of verses to check out would be: Psalm 17:8, Proverbs 4:20-23, Matthew 11:28-32, Luke 10:41-42 (from last week) and 1 Peter 5:7.

We spent the majority of our time in Psalm 55 while taking moments to pause for the selahs. If you would like to know what to do, click here. Selahs function as an interlude between passages and would come to mean "stop and listen" should we read them appropriately. At each selah with Psalm 55, stop and listen and see what happens. Selah

As the students had chance to respond, it was great to see their hearts open up. It never gets old when students (or anyone for that manner) has a genuine encounter with Christ. Not one shaped by anything other than God Himself. Ohhh so good. Our band was awesome and right in tune with God's heart. WAY TO LISTEN!! Our students leaders are doing a fantastic job also as they connect students with one another and set a great bar for the youth ministry. Great night in theBURN to be sure. Sooo proud to be their pastor and excited for what God is doing. We here to reach our town! Greater things!!!

The dichotomy will just have to wait. They lyrics of the song listed below will suffice for now:

Verse:
I will be still
In the arms of my Savior
You calm my soul
As you sing over me
All of Your goodness
Follows me forever
I will live endured Your way

Chorus:
You are good to me
You are good to me
Oh Your love fills my soul
And my heart will always know
God, You are good to me
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Now playing: The Desperation Band - Good To Me

The Real Justin Chandler is building an orphanage. Actually theBURN is. Allow me to elaborate.

As I've shared in this post, I was in a place where I needed some direction. I walked out what I felt God had asked of me up to that point, but following that, I was clueless. God spoke to me (and my team was in agreement) about what we needed to do with the rest of the year. They were:

1. Do something with our hands to benefit our town and community.
2. Do something with our money to benefit some portion of the world (whether local or otherwise).

Part 1 will be coming shortly. Part 2 has happened in a big way. When we returned from Desperation, I spoke with Pastor Joey, our Women's Pastor, following her return from Guatemala on a mission's trip with members of our church. We had some of our students go on the trip so I was interested to see how it went. As we talked, I was reminded of our goals and asked if there was anything they were in need of by way of support. She shared that they needed $3000 to complete their oprhanage (they pay as they go) and they would be able to house more girls. This was one of those moments where I knew God had placed this before us and we jumped in.

There were a couple of stipulations. This would be done by theBURN exclusively. Their parents would not be made aware. It would not be presented to the church. It was time for theBURN to put their faith in Motion (shout out to Mark Pettus). Our timetable was as follows:

July 29th: Initial Introduction of Goal (giving begins)
August 5th: Night of Prayer and Worship (giving ends)

I told the students when we began they would have three weeks. As I looked back, I found that three weeks was in fact 15 days. As we put the vision before the students, they jumped on it. The first night, they gave over $400. For 60 students having not heard about it, that's impressive. The following Sunday, they gave over $1600 dollars. Amazing! Over the next services, we found ourselves at $2600 on the night of the 5th. We told the students this information before we began a time of prayer for Guatemala and the work of the orphanage. In this time the students gave their final gifts and we ended with closing worship, "God of This City" style. At the end of the night, the students had given over $1200! Giving us a total of $3800 in 15. UNREAL!!!

God has given our students a new measure of faith. We have a TON of testimonies coming from what God has done for those who gave and it's amazing to see how God uses everyone! Our God is good. In theBURN, we're Building an Orphanage! GREATER THINGS!!!

The Real Justin Chandler read The Vision & The Vow by Pete Greig. Again...

Few books have had an impact on me like The Vision and the Vow have. This serves as a follow-up to Red Moon Rising also written by Pete Greig. If you notice a theme, I have a thing for books written by Pete Greig (check them out here). If he's written it, I've read. And it all began with this thing called "The Vision."

It seems that once a year, God reminds me of The Vision and is pressing me towards it. In so many ways, it says what following Christ is like. The Vision is Jesus. Obsessively. Undeniably Jesus. And vision comes through prayer.

Continual prayer has often been a myth in the Church. Most people think it sounds good. Feels good. But impossible. As Greig outlines, without commitment, everything is possible. However, if you commit to a lifestyle and discipline yourself to a regiment, you will create opportunities like you have never had. Though this book wasn't the catalyst, it did serve as a boost to what I had committed to earlier this year. It was refreshing to know again that I wasn't the only one trekking away and find practical encouragement to continue on.

The one thing you need to know. Continual prayer has gone on for ages. Has happened since the beginning of the church . Has changed history through otherwise normal people. If you are thinking that this could be you, check this book out. It will serve you well. Guaranteed.

The Real Justin Chandler is seeing prayer answered. Not just my prayers either. LOTS OF PEOPLE'S!

By making such a statement, one of the following happens:

1. You think I'm being arrogant by saying so and my digital words have a ton in which I do not intend. You hear me say "prayers are being answered" and you hear "aren't I awesome because God hears me." Not the intent.
2. You think I have tapped into some secret formula and some new way of praying, whereby you would like me to elaborate on how I have found the treasure trove and how you can too (if I was really awesome, I could ask you to sow seeds of faith in my ministry. It's very taxing to pray and teach people also. :))
3. You feel a sense of dissatisfaction about the statement seeing as someone is riding a mountain top and you are walking a valley. Hopefully by the end you'll have encouragement.

I believe God is giving me something to "testify" about. It is said that as followers of Christ, that we overcome by Blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. It seems the Blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony are being built up together in my heart. Allow me to explain.

As some of you have read, prior to the post listed here I had no idea what was coming next in the areas of responsibility that I had. This is not only unsettling (it works against my nature) but it is also unnerving (you can only ride that boat for so long before the time runs out and so does your job). It was for this reason that I made the bold, life shattering, earth bending, revolutionary decision. I was going to pray more often. Mind boggling I know. I decided to be more intentional in my time studying the Bible and more frequent in the time I spent praying. As this post states, God had an answer, of which He is still answering and I'll tell you next week what that is.

As this happened, there was a new "fuel" that was deposited in my soul to take faith and to begin to pray. I've been quoting and praying the eva-livin out of Luke 18. Two parts specifically. "Jesus shared this parable to teach his disciples to pray and not lose heart" in the beginning and "when the Son of man come, will He find faith on the earth?" in the end. In each case, Jesus is teaching us to pray, and to keep praying. To have faith and to trust, and to pray. And to pray, and to not lose heart. To pray and to believe. And to pray...in the most loving, kind, non-obligatory, encouraging way possible.

I took Him up on it. Amazing revelation soon coming..................He answered. Just like He promised. Amazing huh?

Be sure, there are still some prayers that I continue to pray that have yet to be answered. Those don't cause me to lose heart anymore. Simply put, as I've begun to pray more often, God is answering more than He isn't and those that are in the waiting, are just that. They're waiting. If Jesus is looking for faith on the earth, it seems He is making it happen in this guy because new levels of trust are happening for me.

In theBURN (youth ministry) we have begun to pray weekly prior to service in what some could see as incredibly inconvenient for schedules. 4pm. Wednesday Night. We're praying. Amazingly, students are showing up. There are ebbs and flows, but we are consistenly seeing more students arrive and as we pray, God is consistently answering. One prayer of mine has been to see students accept Christ and for it to be done with their friends and in real encounters not spurred on by anything else outside of a moment with Jesus. God's answer? Students are accepting Christ in living rooms, kitchens, skating rinks, back lots, prior to service, during service and after service.

This isn't bragging on my part. I'm trying to stir some faith for you. I haven't started praying differently. I haven't said anything new. I have changed my presentation. In fact, at surface value, everything is EXACTLY the same. And I think that's exactly how God is going to keep it. John 6:44 rings a bell, "no one comes to Father unless He is drawn."

It seems that in our day, God is not trying to find a plan or an idea that He can bless. In fact, He is not looking for some new way of doing things that is really going to reach more people than old ways that apparently aren't. Instead, I think God is looking for men and women who are willing to pray and not lose heart. Who are willing to pray and not lose heart. Who are willing to pray and not lose heart (these aren't typos). Who are willing to pray and not lose heart. And that as He comes, He finds faith on the earth to believe that even these mustards seeds can somehow turn into tall trees.

Don't look for a new way to "make" things happen. Find new ways to pray and not lose heart and watch what He does. Talk about lifting a heavy load! It's much easier to know you don't have to worry about anything instead of walking out what you are given and He'll make sure that what happens will blow your mind. Would following Jesus and leaving everything be worth it if it wasn't?

Matthew 19:27 (ESV)
"See,we have left everything and followed you."

John 6:68-69 (ESV)
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."
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Now playing: Hillsong United - You Hold Me Now

The Real Justin Chandler is one of many. At the same time, the Real Justin Chandler is not one of many.

This post is the first that I have edited / redone. I don't know if in the moment of writing it, I got carried away, was filled with a moment of passion or something else completely. What started as a short post became an expose of which I needed to edit. Allow this to be such a response.

I'm in the process of reading Glenn Packiam's new book, Secondhand Jesus (Tag line: Trading rumors of God for a firsthand faith). As I'm reading through the book, I'm reminded of a passage of Scripture I have heard my friend, David Perkins (twitter account here) refer to. Take a listen to this:

John 6:60-66 (ESV)
60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” ... 66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

Synopsis: many will follow Jesus. And many will stop following Jesus.

As you think through this, you find it to be true. For those of you who have been in the church for some time, think of those with whom you had a spiritual experience that was defining of your life. In some cases, those very same people who were in the midst of that moment, are no longer willing to walk with Christ. The same bears true for the people in this passage. They have witnessed:

The Healing of the Official's Son (sent home to see)
The Healing at the Pool on the Sabbath (one of my favorites)
Jesus Feeding the Five Thousand
Jesus Walks on Water

I would say that these would qualify as significant spiritual moments. Yet, there were many who turned away. It seems the same bears true in our lives as well. No matter 'the moments' it seems that there are those who no matter the external evidence are still willing to walk away. The root can be found in a question Jesus asks immediately following this.

John 6:67-68 (ESV)
67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

A.W. Tozer puts it like this:

“True Christian experience must always include a genuine encounter with God.” A.W. Tozer, God’s Pursuit of Man

For each of us who follow Christ, without a genuine encounter or a point at which we have come to know Him, the timeless message of Christ becomes lost in the present reality of the world. Situations have a way of hanging our head, weighing down our heart and casting a shadow upon many joys. However, as many turn around those of whom a genuine encounter and a belief within their heart exists, they are willing to stay.

For each of you, may your experience with Christ be rooted in a daily awareness of who He is. Christ is not limited to moments, but is available continuously. On mountains, in valleys; in the darkest night of the soul, when your soul is beaming with light, Christ is available. May you come to know Him each day.

You see, I am one of many. And strangely not at the same time.
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Now playing: Glenn Packiam - Burning In Me

I shared with a couple of our students and leaders recently that as I drive around, I've been playing "God of This City" over and over again. Then came the question, "when you say we're going to sing this song every service, what do you mean?" My response: "I mean we're going to sing the song every service."

As I've been driving around Springfield and worshipping with this song, I've found myself praying for the city and the people. It's an amazing thing that happens as you begin to turn your worship and prayers into faces and places.

When I finished up my morning study and was headed to the Lunch Bunch, here is the preview of what I meant.

The Real Justin Chandler believes in himself (or at least I'm trying to).

I have to admit that the past week has been a rather interesting journey for me. At some point, of which I can't remember, God asked me the following question (which when you think about what I just said could come off as a lunacy or schizophrenia or common place depending on your spiritual history):

"Is the Christianity that you present, one you would believe in yourself? Would you believe in a transforming life if you saw yourself?"

The heart of the question dates back ten years ago. Over ten years ago, I accepted Christ. While in a retreat in the mountains of Colorado, I can remember accepting Christ for the first time. God's question to me was asked to my former self. If who I was as a fifteen year old without Jesus saw who I am as a twenty five year old pastor, would I be challenged to accept Christ because of the life I live.

Looking intrinsically has a way of making you punch yourself in the face. Nothing like looking within the caverns of your life and finding that what you present externally is full of questions and lingering issues internally. For the past few weeks I have asked myself, "Would I believe in Christ if I saw how I lived?" As a pastor, you would hope so. As a follower of Christ, you would hope so. But is the answer yes? It can be easy to say so. It allows us the "out" to not have to look in and examine.

I have found recently that many of my friends, who have dynamic stories of salvation, have begun to write off the very things that caused them to turn to Christ in efforts to be more relevant, culturally practical or any other reason imaginable. I wonder though, if our dynamic story of salvation would ever have happened if we were offered the Christianity we offer.

Os Guinness made the following statement in his book Prophetic Untimeliness:

“Never have Christians pursued relevance more strenuously. Never have Christians been more irrelevant.” Os Guinness, Prophetic Untimeliness

I wonder if our pursuit of relevance and what we see as "speaking points" to an otherwise uninterested culture are actually doing more harm than we suppose (I'm not speaking to a denomination or cultural trend. This is meant for individuals). It would seem that the world at large is no more interested in Christianity and its message these days than it has been in decades past, yet we still pursue with breathless haste our own ideas of what will cause people to be interested in Christ.

Do we really think whatever has made it to the latest "trend" in Christianity is going to make a difference? Do we think "new" Christianity is going to have an effect? Would you have believed in the Christianity you are offering?

Early Christians weren't nearly as concerned with "the issues", politics or the news as we are today. In fact it seems that they "cared to know nothing amongst you except Christ and Him crucified", "to render to Caesar what is Caesar's and render to God what is His" and to love God, love their neighbors and go into the world to make disciples.

The heart of the Gospel is the Gospel, the saving knowledge and life of Jesus. Not a better planet (though it's part of it). Not a sub-culture (though that seems to happen). It's God on the planet. Living a sinless life. Dying upon the Cross. Resurrecting from the grave. Conquering sin and death. Inviting sons and daughters to be adopted. Filling them with the Spirit. Commissioning them to reach the lost by the Good News they have encountered. Imagine a church committing to knowing nothing but this! Imagine yourself.

Margaret Mead, an anthropologist, said the following:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Scan the pages of history and this is true. Scan the pages of the Bible and this is true. Do we truly think we can be anything different?

I believe in Christ. I believe in His salvation. I believe that He believes in me. May I life a live that I would believe in. May I live a life that leads others to Christ and not to "the issues." May I live a life that I would have seen ten years ago and have been "strangely warmed" to. So is the Gospel, the Good News.
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Now playing: Delirious? - History Maker

I'm trying a new branding idea for my blog. Coming up with names for stuff is often like looking at a blank canvas and wondering where to begin. Titles it seems can function like status updates and will save me the time of trying to sound really cool. Off we go in to this brave new world.

One of my hopes is that by the end of my life I will have been a man who will have dedicated himself to becoming the best he can be with what is in his hands. That, and to be well read. Most of the people of whom I have a greater respect for are those who have given themselves to study. There is nothing like hearing someone who instead of glibly speaking from their own thoughts, find that their thoughts have often been married to those of days gone by. In this, I love to read. EVERY Christian has been done, thought out and expanded upon more eloquently in days gone by by those whose names are way cooler than ours.

One of my disciplines has been that whenever I read, I have a computer ready to go in the event that I find something I want to write down. Though this can sometimes serve as a negative (and that is rare), it often proves to be a tool invaluable for the future. In my bag I currently have books worth the following amounts: $14.99, $14.99, $13.99. As most readers progress through their material, they may journal, write quotes in a notebook or have a nod of agreement. What I have found is that whenever I read something I want to remember, I write it down in my laptop and document it (author, book, page number) should I need to return to it.

This may seem rather arduous but I tell you, as one who desires to recall information, it proves of great worth. In the past I would highlight in a book or mark pages. What I often found was that I could remember a bit of a quote but have no idea where it is. With everything documented in my computer, I can do a search within my "Book Notes" folder and search keywords or phrases when needed. Not only do I get the quote I was looking for, but others that line up with that also.

I understand that this can seem like a lame blog, but I run into people who read all the time but don't have a practical way to recall that information. I've tried journals (flipping through pages takes a while), archives (many quotes have too many sections to be categorized) and the above mentioned highlighting. In the information age, let's use it to the max! Hopefully this will prove to be an aid to you and will aid in whatever endeavor you find need. It has been so to me more than words can explain.
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Now playing: Glenn Packiam - This Is Our God

God did a big thing this week. Coming into July I truly had no idea where to go. Just as a people without a vision perish, so too a youth ministry without a vision soon finds itself perishing. I knew that it was going to start getting rough rather quickly if something didn't happen.

For this reason, I began to pray. I don't care to do what I feel like or what I think will be good. I truly don't have a good enough sense of youth culture, the ways of God or the things to come to presume that I'll have the wherewithal to plan out my steps. The weeks of July thus far have been in prayer for God to reveal what He would want us to do. And wouldn't you know....He answered.

Beginning last Monday, the vision for the rest of the year and where our youth ministry was to go was laid out before me and it's big. In conjunction with some other events later this year, God is going to do a big thing in theBURN. Coming out of Monday I was hyped! Knowing God was going to do a huge thing. Then I began to hear stories of how students were accepting Christ in homes, on the way home and on their own time. This put a different kind of fire in me. For years I have been walking out what I felt was a responsible way of doing ministry. Allowing students to make decisions on their own separate from emotional manipulation or hype in a moment. This is all fine and dandy except when people aren't accepting Christ. Yet this past week confirmed that what we were doing was right. And further confirmed that nothing gives me more passion in ministry than seeing students accept Christ.

Coming out of this week, Rachel and I made our first ministry training trip together to Desperation. It was further fuel to what had happened the week before. With a combination of good food (Cheesecake Factory, Five Guys, Wahoo's, Pei Wei, California Pizza Kitchen and Del Taco), opportunities to chat and connect with new found friends / comrades (Mark Pettus, Joe Couch, Jared Newman, Brent Parsley, Steve Harmon, Tyrel Koenes and David Perkins) and GREAT sessions / seminars, what God was doing in my heart the week before became bigger and grander.

The theme of Desperation this year was "Light Up the World." Throughout the Gospels you find many instances in which Jesus refers to His followers as light. In so being, we are called to "Light Up the World." A city on a hill cannot be hidden. No one takes a light and puts it under a basket. Light puts away the darkness. In every one of these passages, you find that in being light our call is in the world and not to ourselves. To keep our light within the church is to do exactly what Jesus commanded us not to. Yet, when our light enters the world, it lights up the world and through us the world sees Christ.

In the lives of my friends, God is doing HUGE things. As we were able to get together and talk, God was giving the same vision to each of us in our parts of the world. Though we are all in different stages of the vision, there is nothing like having close friends / comrades in ministry who are feeling the same things you are and each of us building the fire inside.

As I look ahead to the remainder of this year (and now into next), what God has in store for theBURN is big and what He has planned for Springfield is even greater. I can feel "the weight of glory" as C.S. Lewis described it and can't help but feel humbled to be at the helm. My prayer for you and for us is that through us, we light up the world. In true Desperation fashion: LIGHT IT UP!




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Now playing: Jon Foreman - Your Love Is Strong

One of the most compelling moments for me at Camp was that of the story of Amanda. There are those moments in life when you cross paths with someone and wonder what their story is. Amanda was one of those stories. I knew at some point during camp I would be able to heart it since she was on the schedule to speak and when she did, it was AMAZING!

Amanda is 17. Four years ago she was helping in the kitchen at Kids Camp. For the past three years she has been unable to attend. Amanda was diagnosed with bone cancer of the hip when she was 14 and each year it came time for camp she would be unable to go seeing as she was undergoing chemo treatment. This year was the first year she was able to attend camp since her battle with cancer began.



















You quickly find how fickle you can be when you think of issues that are in your life and you find someone who is much younger than you and is battling a much heavier fight than you. We can get caught up in our own stuff, but when you hear a story like Amanda's, you can't help but think of how vain you have been.

Pastor Mike Acock (to the left) began a dialogue with Amanda while at Kids Camp one night. In dealing with the Will of God, you would think that no one would serve as a greater example than her. Amanda shared through her uncertainty, insecurity, pain, hardship, doubt and anger. The need to sit through all she has been through and wonder where God is in the midst of it. In spite of all of this one thing remained true about Amanda. She always smiles.

I can say that I don't remember an encounter with her where she didn't smile. How down can we be with rather minor things and she is trooping everything out with a smile on her face.

This served as a HUGE inspiration for the kids especially when we got to the ropes course. As you can see by the picture above, Amanda had her leg removed in the fall of 2008 due to complications in surgery. That didn't stop her though. She tackled both the rock wall and the rope ladder at the high ropes course. You could see all the kids looking at her and thinking that if she can do it, they can to. If Amanda is overcoming this obstacle, then their fear is minor in comparison.

Amanda shared in her session that she continues to do all that she did prior to being diagnosed with cancer. All her activities at school (cheerleading, etc) are still going strong and so is her outlook. To paraphrase her words: "God has a plan for this."

For you and I, the story of Amanda gives us hope. I wanted to share it because it gives me hope as well. You see in Amanda how God gives peace in troubling times. Turns mourning into dancing. Turns all things around for His good. Though times of doubt and uncertainty may come, God ALWAYS proves His faithfulness to us.

You can find more about Amanda and stay posted with what is happening by searching "Friends of Amanda" on Facebook.
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Now playing: Hillsong - In Your Freedom

This past week I traveled to Kids Camp with our new Children's Pastor Mark Johnson. For the past four years I have attended because it is a great opportunity to get to know the 5th Graders who will be joining theBURN in August. Year in and year out, it proves to be an awesome time. Kids have a way of putting a lot of life in perspective and cause you to think of the ways you used to think before you took yourself too seriously. I think before we go on though, you need a visual picture of what I'm talking about to put all of this in perspective. Behold, pictures and video:

LIVING ACCOMMODATIONS



















SESSION TIME








































ROPES COURSE























If I was at WWDC, I would drop the following line: "All photos and videos are taken with the new iPhone 3Gs. Aren't they spectacular?" But I'm not.

You can see through the photos and videos that it was a rockin time. The timeframe looked like this:

Wednesday: arrive at camp, evening session
Thursday: morning / evening session, pool
Friday: morning / evening session, ropes course in the morning, pool in the afternoon
Saturday: morning session, leave camp

I had the opportunity to speak on Wednesday Night and open up the week. It was a GREAT experience and it was another venue in which I could communicate in a different way. It's fun to be able to share God's word in different mediums and with different audience. Gotta love this job. The theme of camp was : The Will and week took the session time to elaborate on God's will with the kids. They were great and incredibly receptive.

A proud moment for me was that worship was done by members of the youth ministry and one of our worship teams. It was very humbling and gratifying to see Caleb, Ciera, Carson and Jacob lead students in worship. It took a couple of years to get where we are but we are in the place where OUR students are not only leading worship in theBURN, but also for our church. Gooooooood stuff. Caleb and Ciera often remarked about what it was like leading worship for kids and how responsive they are (see above). That will make you rethink how "dignifed" we make ourselves when we worship.

The ropes course and the pool were all awesome but what I love over and over again is the time to hang out with the guys in the cabin and the time to chat and pray with them. The investment we make into people with our time can never be underestimated.

Though following each Kids Camp, I am thankful I'm a Youth Pastor, each one is a great experience that I look forward to each year. The 5th Graders who will be joining us this year are a good group and will bring new life to the Student Ministry which I am stoked about. There is more to come in reference to Kids Camp. This one deserves a post of its own.
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Now playing: Hillsong - You Are Faithful

Today I began a day in which many people (including myself) never thought would come. I have been a long time supporter of Windows. Not because I'm trying to hold out for something or be an idealist, simply because I'm not into "making the switch." I have always found the products produced by Apple to be overpriced and overhyped. However, one thing have done recently done has brought some sway (which it always does). They are slashing prices. The iPhone is now available for $99 (3G) and $199-$299 (3Gs). The prices for the laptops are still out of my price range, but you can't buy a smartphone for that price! That brings me to today.

My contract is up. I made the switch. However, there are a couple of assessments I think need to be made in order to help put some perspective to those who have an iPhomance (much like a bromance, only with iPhones). Here are a couple of assessments.

PROS

1. Lots of apps (most exclusive to iPhone)
2. Taking handheld gaming to another level
3. Lots of accessories
4. Slick interface
5. Email account setting detection (limited set-up required)
6. Visual voicemail (though I never allowed 10,000 messages to be there anyway so it's not AS big to me)
   
7. Noteriety
8. The ability to solve world peace
   

CONS

1. Most of the apps are pointless. They are built for fun and stupidity but have no real use in the real world outside of entertaining those who have nothing better to do in the moment. To say that there are over 30 apps that dealing with farting says it all
2. As with everything Apple, the cost of the device is one thing but the myriad of accessories are all rather spendy. I'm sure there is some site out there that offers them for less, but at face value and in most stores all the of the accessories are pretty expensive.
3. As slick as the interface is, there are a couple of issues. I'm sure all of the iPhomance guys will call me on this, but here is what "easier" looks like:
   

• CAPS LOCK is something you have to search and find. Though finding it was easy, in order to do so a Google search was required to track it down. Easy of use translated into a couple of responses with pushing the stupid up button over and over again. As you can tell, I'm an emotional guy and I NEED caps lock every now and again.
• The lack of ringtones / wallpapers for grown ups. My first complaint out of the box was the fact that none of the ringtones on the iPhone make sense. Such awesome sounds include alarm, bark, bell tower, boing, crickets, doorbell, duck, motorcycle, old car horn and old phone. All of which do nothing for an actual ring you would want to hear (mine has remained on silent since opening it).
  
• My next complaint has to do with above. I have a couple of ringtones from my WM device that were great! I sent an email to myself (reason why below) and when going to download the attachment, no dice. The iPhone does not have the ability to download attachments like mp3s. What the crap?! What in the world am I going to do with 16 GB of space that I can't download to!!!
• Sending an email to yourself makes sense when you have to hack your iPhone to have it sync to more than one computer (or you can sign up for MobileMe at the modest price of $99 / year). To those who have work and mobile computers, this presents an issue, of which there is no feasible solution.

All of this ends up meaning little when you think of how you can download an app to make Iran's elections fair and disarm North Korea...With all the above in mind, the storage space and price are hard to beat. Productivity is the same and I'm sure will continue to be as I go into the future. You can't really be more productive when it comes to email, contacts and calendar. Those just are what they are. However, should my calendar get fiesty with me, I do have the ability to become a ninja or jedi knight in order to throw down against it's digital revolt. The hype that Steve Jobs is able to cook up each and every time there is a new modification or addition to the Apple family is quite impressive. What it looks like at 7:00am in front of the AT&T store and how it continues to play itself out in the mainstream and day to day becomes rather trite.

Yesterday I had an incredible privilege. I had the opportunity to share during both services at Hope yesterday. This is my first time doing so since being on staff. I have had opportunities on Wednesday Nights and during other services in the year, but have yet to tackle the double whammy that is Sunday Morning.

People often ask me if I get nervous. EVERY TIME! There is something about going to a stage with everyone looking at you and making claim that you have something from God for everyone there. Being a mouthpiece of the Almighty has it's every daunting aspects to it, all of which I don't take lightly. Therefore, every time I speak I get nervous. Whether it's to 5 people or 500, there is a sense of awe that causes me to recognize what I'm doing. My prayer is that it continues to happen. Considering I'm not a public speaker naturally, I'm sure it will.

It was great to be able to share with our church and have the opportunity to show a different side of myself. Though what I do in youth ministry is far what they expect, people have a way of drawing natural conclusions and when I have the opportunity to show something different, it is a real joy to me. Sermon audio should be up this week (you can view it by clicking here. You can also see the youth tab available to listen to as well) for those of you who were unable to be in attendance but here is a brief overview.

We have entered into a world that is immediate. Everything can be done faster. If it can't, we'll find something or someone who can do it faster. In such a world, we have become accustomed to things moving at such a pace and when they don't, we become frazzled. In such a time as this, what place does the God given institution of "waiting" have? If God is asking us to wait, and we don't wait for anything, how do we reconcile the two? I know a lot of people who have had a faith crisis because God hasn't answered in a moment, but is that the way it's supposed to be? Text : Isaiah 39:5-8 & 40.

One great part of yesterday was to have my wife sit through both services, my mom come in town to hangout with us and join the party, my wife's family who was in town to enjoy the Branson Belle decide to show up to the early service and to have my friends Robyn and Justin Mederich come out for service and lunch. It's an honor to have such people in my life and it is truly humbling to do what I do and I'm honored that God gives strength to the weak.
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Now playing: Lydia - One More Day

Well, it's back to blogging. My mom told me while she was in town that she no longer has any idea what I am thinking or feeling. I told her she should check out Twitter and she said 160 characters just wasn't enough for her. So much for that dream. Looks like my blogging habits will resume.

By way of introduction again, I want to share a passage of Scripture I read with the students last week.

Proverbs 29:11 (NIV)
A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

We have been having a series entitled "Sins We Tolerate" (full reviews and sermon info available at www.theburnstudents.com) and this week we covered anger. Though the NIV sums up fully what we were covering, I truly love the NKJV version's translation:

Proverbs 29:11 (NKJV)
11 A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back.

This translation rings truer to me simply due to the world we live in. In being able to "update" how you are feeling at any time, you also have the ability to say TOO much in moments of haste. Instead of having time to process, we now find that people's response in emotional moments is to run to the nearest blank text box available for them to express themselves and give very directed statements to specific people for all the world to see. You hear statements like:

Justin hates it when people think it's funny to kick others in the shin.
Justin is not a fan of people who run their mouths too much.
Justin really regreted seeing someone today.
Justin wishes they would just get away.
Justin hates his job.

The interesting part about all of these statements is that most often, the very person or setting being referred to is able to read this information. People have lost jobs over their Facebook status, lost friends over Twitter posts and all the while, the amount of information people reveal in a very anonymous setting to a very personal crowd is becoming more and more.

This could continue on, but suffice it to say: a fool vents all his feelings.
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Now playing: Paper Route - Be Healed
via FoxyTunes

Over the next two months, the youth ministry will be going through a series entitled "Sins We Tolerate." The premise lies within the book of Galatians and the lust of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:16-26 (NKJV)
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

As you look through this passage, you find there are a lot of things within the Church (and note the big C) that have been "tolerated" do to the fact that there are other "large" sins looming outside of it. Jerry Bridges, author of Respectable Sins, put it like this:

“Conservative evangelicals may have become so preoccupied with some of the major sins of society around us that we have lost sight of the need to deal with our own more ‘refined’ or subtle sins.” Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins, pg. 9

Within Christianity, we become consumed with what have become to us, the "big" sins. You know, murder, sex, dancing (meant to be sardonic, not literal), etc. Yet, when you look to multiple passages in the Bible, it is clear that all of the above are equal in the eyes of the LORD. Think of the hate we tolerate (though we guise it with strong dislike). Think of the contention and fighting we tolerate, showing disagreements as our pretense. Outbursts of wrath and anger, whether driving, shopping, talking, walking and any other action word in which an outburst can occur. To those who practice these, those not mentioned and the like, they shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

A lot has been made of God and his kingdom these days. My intent isn't to get into that quite yet, but suffice it to say, those who practice such things will not have a part with Jesus. When you look through your church, do you find these sins prevalent? How many times do we deal with contention or divisiveness in the church? Outbursts of wrath? Hatred? The like?

The realization I have come to is that apart from Christ, you and I will continue to respond in this way and in this manner. We will act in the flesh as long as we live in the flesh. However, if we live in the Spirit, there is a completely different way of life (of which is at war with our former self) in which we are to life. One of love. Joy. Peace. Longsuffering. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control.

If we would like to live in the Spirit, let us also walk in it. If Christ is alive within us, the lust of the flesh cannot be present. It is impossible to have peace and hate living within you. It's impossible to have outbursts of wrath and be a person of joy and self-control It's impossible to have contentions or divisions when there is kindness and goodness living within you. And you can't be a heretic if you are faithful.

As I've sat through the past two weeks through this material and have done my due diligence in study, the Bible is full of instances in which these sins are mentioned and the response is that by practicing such, the people have ceased to know God. For you and I, there are sins present in our lives that are tolerated because we are consumed with sex, drugs and dancing. Those that we would call "minor" sins are still revealing of the way in which we live and walk. May we scan the depths of our heart and live lives that are full of Spirit. Our helper. The one who can when we cannot. Overcoming our weakness.

If you would like more detailed info on Sins We Tolerate and Bible study to got a little deeper, visit www.theburnstudents.com each week for new material.
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Now playing: Lydia - One More Day

I think I am finding the ingenuity of this little thing called Twitter that some of you may have heard of. Though most us Twitter as a long running status update, it is amazing how you can put the words of your blog into 140 characters and have it make all the same points that would otherwise take a long time to put into words and review. Take this for example:

"finished Yes Man. Great story. Lots of laughs. The romantic comedy snuck in and got me. Should have seen it coming. Review = B+"

Much better than the page or so of text I could use to fill. I don't know if I'm going through dry spell or am making the transition (i.e. MySpace to Facebook). We shall see. No promises though. You can find my Twitter feed by visiting www.twitter.com/Justin_Chandler and subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking here (for family or friends who don't Twitter).
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Now playing: Chris Tomlin, Charlie Hall, Da - Our God Reigns

I have had a gross oversight. One of my favorite books read this year I have yet to do any kind of review for. Whether or not this actually amounts to anything and people take value in what I have to say about the books I've read, to not include this already would be a tremendous mistake on my part. This literally is the book I have most enjoyed reading this year.

The Unlikely Disciple is the story of Kevin Roose, a student from Brown University (one of America's most liberal universities) and decides to spend a semester at Liberty (one of America's most conservative, and Christian Evangelical at that). Liberty is founded by Jerry Falwell, who helped to get Evangelical Christians involved in politics and is most known for his controversial statements and has often been called an "agent of intolerance" (see the Wikipedia article for more).

For Kevin Roose, he need to have an internship with his degree program that he would spend writing abroad in a foreign culture. One day, he had the idea of a foreign culture that existed in his backyard that would be just as challenging to relate to as heading to Europe or any other culture in the. Thus enters, The Unlikely Disciple. A liberal student from Brown is going to spend a semester at one of the strictest and most conservative schools in all of Christianity. By trying to keep his anonymity, he will go through the semseter and documents what happens within this very dedicated and radical sector of Christianity. To those who have had any experience with Evangelicals (especially bad or unflattering), you can see where this is going.

I will spare you on a lot of the details. Those I think would undermine some of the fun if any of you decided to read this book (which I would highly recommend that you do). A few things to note though, I laughed a lot. And when I say a lot, I mean a whole lot. There were times where I laughed out loud. It's interesting what things can seem so normal to a group of people who have done it for so long. But add an "outsider" to the mix (whether politically, religiously, socially or nationally) and things become apart how ethno-centric we can become. To hear someone respond to some of the "normal" parts of Evangelical Christianity had me laughing a lot, because I felt the same way. The book also challenged me (and encouraged me to challenge others) because you never know who could be writing a 300 page book about everything you say. And what you thoughts as a joke amongst friends turns into something you wish could be erased from time. Never have I laughed so hard and then within the next pages felt so bad. To those who represent Jesus, there are some pretty dicey ways we have of explaining things. And for a guy who doesn't believe in Jesus, parties, has committed lesbian aunts and a liberal view of the world, conservative Christianity has a way of shooting itself in the foot. All that aside, I loved this book and I think you will too. Whether Christian or not, this book is an entertaining and great read. Here are some quotes that I loved. Also, you can get more info by the trailer below.

“You can peel a stereotype off a person and not see a beautiful human being underneath.” The Unlikely Disciple, Kevin Roose, pg. 110

“The Philosopher Williams James once wrote that although he himself was not religious, seeing believers who were transformed by their faith made him feel ‘washed in better moral air.’ And so far, I think I see what he meant. It’s hard to watch Liberty students singing along to worship songs during convocation, raising their hands and smiling beatifically, and not wonder whether they’ve tapped into something that makes their lives happier, more meaningful, more consistently optimistic than mine…It still feels like everyone on this campus is tuned in to a radio frequency I don’t get on my antenna. But with the help of my hallmates, I’m starting to piece things together.” The Unlikely Disciple, Kevin Roose, pg. 64-65

“When it comes down to it, no matter how pious or like-minded he might be, a Christian jerk is still a jerk.” The Unlikely Disciple, Kevin Roose, pg. 277

“At Thomas Road, on the other hand, there’s almost too much stimulation. The stage lights, the one hundred-decibel praise songs, the bright purple choir robes, the tempestuous bellowing of Dr. Falwell – it’s an hour-long assault on the senses. And all you have to do is sit back in your plush, reclining seat, latte and cranberry scone in hand, and take it all in. It’s Church Lite- entertaining but unsubstantial, the religious equivalent of a Jerry Bruckheimer movie. And once the novelty wears off, once the music becomes familiar and the motions of praise become pro forma and mechanized, you start to realize that all the technological glitz and material extravagance doesn’t necessarily add up to a spiritual experience…I think I’d appreciate the minimalist Quaker worship more than I did as a kid. It didn’t have Jumbotron screens or a five thousand-watt sound system or a café in the lobby and it wasn’t run by a world-famous televangelist with millions of followers. But at least it felt real.” The Unlikely Disciple, Kevin Roose, pg. 199

The Unlikely Disciple : A+


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Now playing: Nightmares On Wax - Deepdown

One of the constant quotes in my life is "man, we are so busy." When Rachel and I sit down to think of our upcoming days / weeks / months, we often look ahead and see how much we have going on, not how much time we have. This is a drastic switch from periods in our life where all we could think about was "how bored we are" or how "I wish we had something to do" (reference the quotes / thoughts / statuses of most teenagers). And so, it became increasingly refreshing for us to have a night where we would share it together and not have anything to do. Thoughts like "I'm so glad we have nothing going on tonight" became a part of both of our lives.

It was then that we decided to try to make it a habit to have a true sabbath. Her and I each committed to make Saturday the day in which nothing relating to "work" would be done. We aren't trying to be Pharisees about it and weren't going to go the extend that some Jews have, but whatever we could do to be restful, we were going to make it happen.

This began to look like walks, trips to the park, lazy days on the couch, meals at home and cleaning, which has a surprising way of being restful when done as a family. It was interesting that as we did that, that I ran across the following verses in my yearly Bible reading:

Exodus 31:12-17 (ESV)
12 And the Lord said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ”

Exodus 35:1-3 (ESV)
1 Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. 2 Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”

Leviticus 23:3 (ESV)
3 “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.

One of the immediate things you find is that to those who were working too hard, they would be put to death. I doubt that God is in the killing because of a lack of sabbath observance business anymore, but it's amazing to note what happens to those who work too hard. You wonder if when the LORD created the sabbath that He was setting a standard and we are carrying out the consequences now. One who does not observe the sabbath will "be cut off from his people" and "will be put to death." Thoughts of burnout and families suffering come to mind quickly over those who have not observed a sabbath and it serves as all too much of a reminder of how quickly one's life can get out of control (and needlessly might I say).

The amazing thing is that once we committed to it (and we are still in the process of living it out), how quickly and how refreshed we are at the end of the week. Saturday has quickly become one of my favorite days because I know ahead of time, it is going to be a day with my wife and the day will serve as a breath of fresh air to my otherwise hecktick week. Part of me seems to think that this is the way it was intended.

Don't but yourself to death by not giving yourself a day to breathe. If you arrange your days right, it is possible to get all your necessary work done ahead of time and have a day where you can give your mind, body and soul a rest. And it's good on this end.
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Now playing: Sigur Rós - Svo Hljótt

Everyone loves bad ideas in the history of bad ideas. You put those bad ideas on film and that's a whole different story. There is something incredibly intriguing about hearing what "the other side" has to say about those on this side. When I heard that Bill Maher was making a movie about religion, something about it was incredibly intriguing. Considering it wouldn't cost anything more than normal for me to watch it, I figured, what the heck?! No harm no foul right?

In Religilous, Bill Maher takes a look at religion, its history and those who practice. As with all documentaries of the sort, he found the least educated and craziest. The man playing Jesus at The Holy Land Experience (Christian theme park) and the visitors to the park, Christian truckers at a truck stop chapel (who's quote of the night was "You mess with my God and you have a problem...can we pray for you?) and the man convinced he is the second coming of Christ (Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda). With this lot of characters involved, as a rational Christian person you have to think that Bill is giving us a good shake here. Though there are those of note, Christianity doesn't ever seem to have a person in it who actually knows what there talking about and can respond rationally, not simply speaking because a camcorder and a microphone is close to them (one TV anchor called a camcorder and microphone an idiot magnet because you turn the two of those on and the idiots come running).

As I watched this movie, my friend Chris Smith, his wife Jamie, and Rachel and I all agreed, if Bill Maher had spoken to any Christian apologists, this would have been a different movie. It would have been pointless, but it would have been a different movie. Those who have a sound biblical knowledge and are able to relate that to skeptics are not represented in this film. Instead, it's normal church people. Which raises an interesting thought. As we (the above mentioned group) shared, if the cameras had gone to any church in America, you would have gotten the same answers and the same bad PR from the most faithful people in your church. This reveals a fatal flaw in church discipleship (though the aim is proselytizing) and the means by which a film like Religilous can take ground.

You have to give it to Bill Maher though, he knows his stuff. He is highly educated and knows all the pre-conditioned responses and how to unwit the pre-conditioned responders. He also has a pretty solid Biblical knowledge that is disheartening to many of his opponents. He is also an equal opportunity offender, taking on Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Mormans. What you don't have to give to Bill is how rude he is and how he shows no respect to any person. Regardless of who you are, most people deserve more respect than what you gave.

All in all, this movie caused me to think of new ways to the discipleship the church becuase Bill asks good questions. It caused me to work through my own pre-conditioned responses and how to get rid of my own Christian jargon. There are some dicey bits during the movie that will make it not worth watching with anyone young or light-hearted (this is expected for a mockumentary though). To the skeptic, this is probably a rallying cry. To the rational, critical thinking Christian, this is a poor show by the followers of Christ (though the responses would be the norm). If you are looking to be unsettled, check this out. Made for an interesting sabbath during the Media Fast.

Religilous : C+

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Now playing: Underoath - The Created Void

There have been few authors that I enjoy more than A.W. Tozer. It seems that every time I go to read one of his books, I have to brace myself mentally for what is about to happen to me. The words of Tozer are like a verbal barrage against your spirit. This is true of any time you find yourself next to someone who has encountered Jesus in such a way that every time they speak, it's as if they are speaking in a language your antenna doesn't pick up.

As we entered the Media Fast, one of the books I was most excited to pick up was God's Pursuit of Man. Functioning as "prequel" to The Pursuit of God, God's Pursuit of Man takes on a whole new facet of the God honoring life.

To be able to say that we were meant to pursue God would come as no surprise to most of us who have had our time in the Evangelical community. Your mind will probably harken back to services, conventions or concerts in which the entirety of the gathering was called to pursue after God with all their heart, sould and mind. However, to say that God has spent Himself pursuing after us would be an idea, though familiar, still foreign to our mind. This is where Tozer really shines. He has a way of taking the otherwise mundane aspects of Christianity and cause each person to examine how it is possible for such a thing to be mundane at all. Allow me elaborate briefly upon his thesis.

God loves us in that while we are still sinner Christ died. By standing in our place, Christ took the full punishment deserved for you and I. Upon doing so, instead of leaving it at that, Christ welcomes us to be with Him where He is (with the Father). Once there, we are no longer called foreigners and outcasts. Instead, we are now referred to as sons and daughters of the Most High. Not leaving it at that, He promises us to never leave us alone and upon doing so becomes a High Priest that suffered as we did upon whom we can approach boldly. Not leaving it there, this High Priest then decides to put His Spirit within us, the ultimate form of pursuit. Let's recap together now.

You and I were distant foreigners, outcasts to God. God loved us before we loved Him and upon loving Him, He puts Himself within us.

I would say that's enough said.

The miracle that is grace and salvation is fully realized when you take into account all that God has done on our behalf. God has extended the invitation of full life to each of us. It was upon reading this book that for the first time, the distinctive of Christianity from all world religions and traditions came to life for me. You don't find this story elsewhere. Though glimmers are similiar, the story of Christ and what is offered to His followers is unlike anything the world has ever know. Thank God for the pursuit He has given for men like me. And a person like you.

And now for a couple of quotes:

“Is justification from past offenses all that distinguishes a Christian from a sinner? Can a man become a believer in Christ and be no better than he was before? Does the gospel offer no more than a skillful advocate to get the guilty sinners off free at the day of judgment?” God’s Pursuit of Man, A.W. Tozer, pg. 23

“When the Holy Spirit ceases to be incidental and again becomes fundamental, the power of the Sprit will be asserted once more among the people called Christians.” God’s Pursuit of Man, A.W. Tozer, pg. 61

“God’s thoughts are not only greater than ours quantitatively by qualitatively wholly different from ours.” God’s Pursuit of Man, A.W. Tozer, pg. 74

“I wonder if there is on earth anything as exquisitely lovely as a brilliant mind aglow with the love of God.” God’s Pursuit of Man, A.W. Tozer, pg. 104

“The Spirit indwelt life is not a special deluxe edition of Christianity to be enjoyed by a certain rare and privileged few who happen to be made of finer and more sensitive stuff than the rest. Rather, it is the normal state for every redeemed man and woman the world over.” God’s Pursuit of Man, A.W. Tozer, pg. 137

God's Pursuit of Man : A++++ (Must read)
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Now playing: Mae - Breakdown

If any movie could describe the first 18 years of my life, this would be it. There have been few things in my life I have wanted more than to fly jets. Ask anyone who knew me from 0-18 and they would say that from the very beginning (having seen Top Gun at 3) that I wanted to be a fighter pilot. From that point in my life, everything I did was based upon flying jets. School work. Volunteer work. Extracurricular activities. AP classes. Medical tests. Physcial fitness tests. Letters of recommendation. The list goes on and on.

When I heard that a movie was made that was documenting the lives of fighter pilots as they transition out of flight school and into A.C.M. (Advanced Combat Maneuvers) and then to deploy, I thought there was no movie that would bring me more joy this year than this. I was correct. I can remember being an hour into the movie and having Rachel turn to me and say "You haven't spoke since the movie started." My response: "Love you."

It's interesting to think not more than a few years ago, this dream was all systems go. Without Jesus' intervention, through the underworld and high water, I would have found myself in something that cost millions and went faster than most things on Earth. To take it all in was awesome. To watch the story of two young pilots and how they went through the process was great. To see it presented in HD took Top Gun to a whole new level (minus Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and Kelly McGillis). I doubt everyone will find as much joy as I did watching it but if you are a fan of documentaries it might be for you. If you like Top Gun, it may be for you. If you like HD it may be for you. If you ever loved an air show, it's probably for you.

For a guy like me, it felt like being a little kid all over again and dreaming of flying jets. There are these momentary relapses where I dream of what if. But they are momentary. And for this couple of moments where I watched this, it was very good.

Speed and Angels : A++++


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Now playing: Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone

I gave a movie review first because undoubtedly most will care to read this information more than they will care to read about what I thought about the latest Dreamworks production. To be eight days removed from 40 days of fasting, I have found the effects of it continue to reveal themselves to me. An additional title to a book that I read said this "40 days of fasting from the world and feasting on God." If anything described the experience it would be that.

The outset was simple: take the religious observance of Lent and instead of leaving red meat behind to rid ourselves of television, movies, video games, the internet, mass use of the cellphone and non-worship music. In theory it sounded straightforward and easy enough. As the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into a month, the immersion that I had done to myself with these mediums revealed itself over and over again. If anything could be taken from the fast, it's that boundaries were missing in a lot of areas in my life. I've heard it said that "if everything is important, nothing is" and that was true in life. Between the blogs, Twitter updates, checking Facebook, updating on MySpace, visiting other friends / colleagues blogs, Google / Yahoo searches and casual perusing of the internet, I had a part time job on my hand. Add the DVR'd shows that Rachel and I watch, the random shows that are on because it's easier to put something on TV than to sit in silence and mindless days and nights sitting in front of the television and red packages of Netflix, part time job just got 3/4 time. And with that, you find the amount of "noise" that you and I add to our lives. I'm not presuming that there is a reason that lies in all of us, but we each fill our lives with so much noise, it's no wonder we need multiple reminders to remember.

As I looked to the fast, it was much more than simply giving things up and creating new boundaries (though time and walks with my wife were an added bonus), it truly was an opportunity to take out the things that most prevent a full time relationship with the LORD and give Him space to operate. The amazing thing is that as I was intentional about allowing God time and space to speak, that He was faithful to do so. Regardless of the setting, there was something really obvious about making my day revolve around thinking of Jesus. And though the arts and creation can often reveal God to us, it's another thing to seek Him out every chance we get. Time and time again, God continued to show that if we continue to "seek Him first"...you know the rest.

Though I cannot speak for my wife, or the students of the ministry, to those I have spoken with, it was an experience that continues to be one of our favorite and most celebrated. When you realize what you are missing, there is nothing like finding out that it was right there waiting for you. And though I loved being able to tune to ESPN and watch some of the Netflix movies that were anxiously waiting at home, I did find that the more I give God, the more He returns to me. And more I opportunity I lend to actively hearing His voice (and not passively hoping He reveals Himself to me in an obscure medium), the more I find that He was "already here and I didn't even know it."

If more conversation about this is desired on your part, then I'm more than happy to elaborate throughout the comments section and via email or Twitter. To those who are curious, my Google Reader account reached 1000+ by Easter. Apparently Google stops counting at 1000. Here's to catching up on that. To the blogosphere, it's good to be back. Nice seeing you again.
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Now playing: Mute Math - Clockwork

There have been few digital joys that I have had this year. I don't know if my love for movies is diminishing or if I simply haven't seen anything that has been that impressive to me. Last night with the students, I went to see Monsters vs Aliens and the show we happened to catch was presented in 3d. Leaving the theater I could only think one thing: All movies should be presented in 3d. I can remember hearing multiple times throughout the movie, the collective gasp of young and grown boys, girls, men and women at the different images that came bursting through the screen. When you are surprised at a movie nowadays, that's a good sign.

As far as content goes, you get what you can come to expect from animated films. A story and characters that little kids and adults can love. Jokes that both groups will get but the other will look at them and wonder why it's so funny. As an added bonus, you have little kids asking at their normal speaking voice "Is he dead?" or "mwuahahahaha" which somehow has a way of making everything much funnier. If you have seen anything from the posts below it's that I'm a fan of animated movies and rarely will they get a low score from me. This bears true in this instance also. Monsters vs Aliens is a great watch and most of the kids in the movie seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. So if you have little ones, you can count that on your side. If you are interested in more, the trailer is below for your view pleasure. As far as a score goes....

Monsters vs Aliens: A


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Now playing: Ludovico Einaudi - Limbo

On this my 245th post, I bid MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and the whole of the internet farewell for awhile. I've become a sucker for tradition. Not only that but for discipline. In this, the students of theBURN (the willing ones at least), the leaders and myself have committed to 40 days of fasting from media. This includes the internet, TV, movies and non-worship music. This has become one of my favorite times of the year because we rid ourselves of all things that are not Jesus and look to the cross of Calvary. Lent is a treasured tradition within the Church and we look to observe it in our own way.

The amount of time I have given to the above has grown and weighned over the years and I'm looking forward to this like nobody's business. On this, my Ash Wednesday, I repent of the things that have taken the place of the LORD and reposition myself before Him. See you after Easter.

I have no word to put in the above blank. Every word I would like is not appropriate. Every word that would be appropriate does not suffice. I have no words except for blank. There are a lot of [BLANK]s that are going into ministry. Allow me to hop on my soapbox for a moment.

Last week I returned to Central Bible College (my alma mater, CBC from here on out) for the first time in a long time. There were a couple of youth leaders who were leading worship and speaking in their class chapel and I was thrilled to get the opportunity to support them. Upon entering the campus, a lot of the reason why I disliked CBC came rushing to the forefront for me. Primary reason, there are a lot of [BLANK]s going into ministry.

It seems that just like Summer Camp, CBC has a way of honoring the loudest or the one who can garner the most attention. I don't think this is a conscious effort on the part of the administration but I can remember talking with a couple people afterward and I told them, "If you were to ask everyone in this room to see who the successful people in ministry would be, I bet you that would say the people who are being the loudest or those who can get the most attention. Not that guy who is sitting by himself in prayer." They both agreed. While there, this became a bit of a tick for me. It was driving me crazy how obnoxious a couple of the seniors who were by me were being. There was no regard for anyone else. It was free reign in the commons. IT WAS DRIVING ME NUTS!

When I went to chapel, a couple of guys sat next to me and throughout most parts of the service, they were completely inconsiderate and rude. Once worship began, a song with an upbeat tempo, Mr. Obnoxious Clapping Guy sounds off. I thought we were done with that when we were 12 but that's just me. As soon as everyone else joined in, he quit. Seems the attention seeking plan was foiled by genuine response. Bummer. Here is where all of this started to turn for me though. As soon as the slow songs began, he was in the zone. He and Jesus. Dead eyed (I had a secret desire to clap really loud). Apparently on the slow songs count. They mean more to the LORD than the fast ones. Afterall, those are worship and the others are praise. :)

Throughout the sermon there were a couple of asinine comments that were made in the midst of the sermon. It took everything within me not to say something. When ministry time came though, he was ready to go. Ready to be with Jesus again.

I decided to go to lunch in Z's (the commons area) with a couple of youth leaders since I was on campus and have the opportunity to reminice a bit more. More of the above ensued. Loud ruckuses. Yell. Noise. Yell. Noise. Get attention. Yell. Noise. Ruckus. It was interesting to see it all and think that here in lies the future pastors of America. The shepherds. Those who will call people to follow them as they follow Christ. In this room. Noise. Ruckus. Yell.

I've had multiple conversations with friends of mine who never graduated or regret the experience they had at CBC once they did. It seems nearly everyone hated "the switch" that those who were leading in ministry would flip. In one moment, they could be loud, hateful, obnoxious, rude, criticize those who are leading and in the next moment completely enthralled with Jesus and directing everyone to follow them into His presence. In one particular conversation, a friend of mine was recalling how someone who lead worship on campus acted like a non-believer outside of it. Her exact words, "I could never take him serious because I knew who he was off the stage. I knew his heart." Once on the stage and the lights and sound were clicked on, he was good to go. Off the stage, power down. Click it off. Back to normal.

I say all this because I hate "the switch." It drives me nuts. I can't stand the person who is willing to cuss you out and then call you to "watch your speech becuase you can't bless and curse with the same." Or one would beat those who are down, openly criticize and mock future comrads and then would ask us to respond to the love of Christ for all the beat up and downtrodden. You can't escape who you are. You can't escape your personality. We may be able to flick it on and off in our mind but eventually it catches up to us. Those of us who are in ministry or training to do so can quickly become "professional" about how we live our lives. In one moment we can "be doing our job" and in the next moment "be living our lives." When those two don't mesh up then we can completely undermine the calling to which we are attaining to. It seems in what I know about Jesus that there are no medals, prizes, crowns or kingdoms given to those who are the loudest or have the best education. It seems to be given to whoever fastens themself to Jesus the most. In the fast and the slow songs. In the caf and at the altar. In the pew and on the streets. Those who hold closest to Jesus are those who inherit the Kingdom. Not those who make the most noise.

I know in saying all I've said, I can come off a bit judgmental. I've admittedly had my moments (of which my friend Jack will attest). But when our prevailing culture is honoring those those who make the most noise or who can create the most attention for themselves, then we are regressing to something that is far away from Jesus would have wanted (something I need to take into account when looking at those students who are going to lead the ministry in theBURN). If I have erred in what I have said or have overstepped some bounds and become hostile, then please accept my humble apology. I'm trying not to judge a person while asking for a swtich in our culture. That can be tough. Nothing annoys me more though then when those who expect to have attention given to them when they minister are not willing to do the same for others (like checking your phone during a sermon and asking that others would not do the same). These are the things that drive people nuts about pastors and ministers. This is what people see as an issue with the institution.
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Now playing: Hillsong United - Came To The Rescue

Within the Christian community, you hear the words be still and immediately your mind goes to Psalm 46 like it was a trained response. Christians have a way of repeating "be still and know that I am God" like it was going out of style. For any situation, be still can be an accurate response. Financial problems? Be still. Kids getting to you? Be still. Work causing you stress? Be still. Don't know what's coming next? Be still. Be still is a part of our vernacular.

I have to be honest with you. I have a REALLY hard time doing it. I have a hard time being still. Still = waiting. Waiting = time. Time = money (just playing). But it's hard to be still. I even found this with relationships that I was in. I would set-up to have breakfast, lunch or coffee with someone and there would be parameters to it (sometimes because it could go on forever). There were even times when I would be there and wouldn't be able to sit and enjoy the moment, I was already moving on and moving to the next thing. As much as I was enjoying their company, 15 minutes before we're done I'm thinking ahead to the next thing on the list. Talking about cutting something short...

I wonder if I have too much on my plate. I wonder if I make too many commitments. I wonder if I have a problem with time management. Either way, I have a hard time being still. To sit and enjoy the moment is tough for me. Breathing takes work (and calendar appointments). To be able to sit and rest and be still is tough. Maybe it's the frantic pace of the world that makes something to be done all the time. Twitter, Facebook, blog, read, work, eat, rest, etc. Seems some of those can take a timeout to have moments when I can just be still. Whether with someone or by myself. Maybe it's time to be still.
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Now playing: R.E.M. - The One I Love (Acoustic)

Whenever I would read through Scripture and would come to the story of the nation of Israel, I would always ask how they could get into the repetitious cycle of forgetting the LORD. Having gone what they went through, how could they get a couple of years removed from the situation and all of sudden not be able to remember all they had just gone through?! Tonight it, I had what can only be described as an epiphany.

Once a month for our annual Guys Group meeting, a bring a different male within our community to add to the discussion we are having about being a man within the 21st Century. Last month, we were pleased to have Jim Batten share about mutual respect and dedication amongst men. This month, Milt came and shared with us. Milt is 83. Milt gives me knuckle every Wednesday night before I have dinner in our fellowship hall. Milt has shared with me books. Milt has shared stories. Milt is a thug (I've used pimp and hustla too but all of these somehow don't seem to fit an 83 yr old man from Saint Louis. Can take a lion out of the forest right?).

Milt began to share of his life and where he came from. Incredibly poor and he knew it. WWII vet and he lived it. Father to a drug addict. He has lived some life. There was an interesting moment as Milt began to speak of WWII. You could tell as he was sharing, it wasn't just a story for him. It wasn't a tale. It wasn't a history book. It wasn't somethign he had read about. He spoke of seeing planes crashing, wounded soldiers and having to move about within the Navy in a non-combative role. Though he wasn't in active combat you could tell his experience in the war was something that within his eyes you could see the moment. Then it clicked.

For most of the people who take this blog in, stories of WWI & II, the Korean War and Vietnam are all things we have read about. Not only that but Normandy and Iwo Jima are more likely to be a level within a game than to be a part of history that have had lives associated with them. To say that 17, 18 and 19 year olds were taking over islands and liberating countries shows the distance we can have from a moment in history and forget that lives were associated with it.

The people of Israel probably found themselves in the same place. Liberation from Egypt was a part of Moses and company. Conquest of the Promised Land was something for Joshua and friends. Ousting Israel of its enemies were for David. The establishment of the temple was Solomon. You take on too much distance from those events and those become stories. Tales told by grandpa. But if we could look into their eyes we would see the lives that lived it.

For Peter, James, John and company, to walk with Jesus had to be something else. Three years of life and there He is crucified. For Mary to see her son who had walked the Earth for thirty three years, there he hangs condemned. As we recall the "story" of Jesus and the history we have inherited, if it becomes a story, we lose the lives that were lived and moment that made it history and we become just like the children of Israel. We will quickly "forget the LORD" and forget what has been given to us (the same is true of us as Americans with the dynamic history we have). You and I have lived some life and have a history that is vibrant. Allow us to remember the LORD. Hopefully this will bring it home.

Psalm 103 (ESV)
¹ Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! ² Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, ³ who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, ⁴ who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, ⁵ who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. ⁶ The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. ⁷ He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. ⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. ⁹ He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. ¹⁰ He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. ¹³ As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. ¹⁴ For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. ¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; ¹⁶ for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. ¹⁷ But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, ¹⁸ to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. ¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. ²⁰ Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! ²¹ Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! ²² Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Jesus can become more about doing your job than living your life.

I would say that most of us have trouble with boundaries. The line that should be drawn to switch on and off are often muddled into the busyness of life and we can no longer differentiate when we are working and when we aren't.

While in ministry I have an excellent opportunity. In essence, I am paid to love Jesus and lead people in a relationship with Him. My job is easier and more fulfilling the more I am involved in the relationship with Jesus but my job is dependent upon my relationship with Jesus. That relationship can quickly if I am looked to "do my job."

I found when getting into ministry that a great majority of my time was directed at finding material for Wednesday or Sundays or for some other venue that I was speaking at. My Biblical intake became more about accomplishing a task or "doing my job" than about being with Jesus and learning from Him.

I would also spend time in prayer but it was rarely personal. It was more the ministry, the church, the people and the like. It became less and less about Jesus and Justin and more about Jesus and the ministry that Justin is involved in.

Worship became filled with a "to do" list. It would be rare for me to simply be with Jesus, there was always something to be done, someone to minister with or some direction to go for the group.

At some point, I asked myself if this was what Jesus really had in mind when I got into ministry. When He saw me fulfilling a role within the church, did it look like carrying out my role with Him professionally or was my profession an expression of my person? When the shift took place, in my heart I could tell there was something different. I could feel within that I was living out more of the plan.

For those of us who have "jobs" within the church, we can quickly make the work of the LORD more about accomplishing a task and less about expressing the truth of Jesus within us. I'm all about fulfilling roles and contributing to the body, but when that becomes how we are sustained instead of an overflow from our hearts, you will find yourself quickly dry and distant.

My life with the LORD had become infinitely greater when there are significant portions of my day given to being with Him if only to be with Him. No intentions. No goals. No tasks. Just a follower of Christ spending time with Him because he is redeemed and reconciled. Not because he needs "material" but because the relationship with Him is far greater when he is set on Him and not on working for Him (are you tracking with all my he, He, him, Him?). May all of us who serve the church / Church, seek to set Him as the goal, not what needs to be done in order to do our job well.
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Now playing: Misty Edwards - Always On His Mind

(image found by looking up "angry Jesus")

This phrase is something that has haunted young men and women throughout conservative denominations for generations. I can remember hearing stories from my days at CBC (before movie theaters were allowed) that had people questioning every thought because if Jesus were to return, they wouldn't want to be doing what they were doing. We all know that nothing being done in a movie theater is worth doing when Jesus returns and the pulpit became a location by which you could prove it. While reading Crazy Love (listed below), I ran across this quote that Francis Chan's grandmother spoke while attending a play in a theater. He asked "Are you having a good time?" She responded :

"Oh honey, I really don't want to be here right now. I just don't know if this is where I want to be when Christ returns. I'd rather be helping someone or on my knees praying. I don't want Him to return and find me sitting in a theater." Grandma Clara

At first when I read this, I thought about the stories I heard above. I thought of the kind of life that overly dissects each action and response and wonders if Jesus came back at that very moment would he come back disappointed, angry or something all together different. Though I am not intending to jump in the overly religious cesspool that causes all of us to cringe at the thought of it, I wonder if Jesus were to return, would WE be disappointed? If He returned and gave us the "I told you I was coming", would we look up to Him, arise to meet Him and find that we were utterly wasting our days. I know it is easy to say all this and not do anything about it. It's really easy to write, go home and follow suit with what I have always done. I wonder if Grandma Clara is hitting on a nerve that none of us want to acknowledge. Maybe the thought of living radically and day by day as if it could be our last (because we aren't guaranteed it right?), would our lives look different. I have another quote to share with you. Maybe this is a thought to life by. Then again, maybe it's just a thought.

“Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” Tim Kizziar
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Now playing: Merchant Band - Wonderful Savior

If any book has resonated with me and has echoed what has been going on in my heart and mind, it is this one. A couple of hours ago, I started this book excited for what a weekend of reading holds. If this is any clue as to where I am headed, I am thoroughly excited.

Crazy Love by Francis Chan is a bit of a mislead. Though the subtitle is "Overwhelmed by a Relentless God", the heart of the book is rooted in how we express our love to Him. We are presented with a God who loves us unconditionally, gives to us undeserving and never, ever, ever, ever relents in His pursuit of us. Our response is likened to figuring out what the least we can give is. I tell you, it hit me pretty good.

I have been thinking thoroughly about what I have called "the Christian Life." I am wondering if this is living up anywhere close to what God has expected and intended for me. It seems that it is not. (In stealing the title from the book) The crazy love that God has given to me is not the kind of crazy love I am giving back to Him. It's high time that changes. The Christain life should not be defined by safety and predictability. It should be defined by leaving everything and following Him.

One of the cool parts about the books is that to being each chapter, you are given a video introduction at crazylovebook.com. There are also some introductory materials and videos that are truly enhancing to the perspective presented within the book. I had never come across a book that approached "interacting" with reading like this. It was truly refreshing.

I would recommend this book to all who are looking for a bit of a stir. If you have been contemplating your Christian life and the depth to which you are involved in it (and it is involved in you), then check out this book. It's an amazingly easy read that is going to strike you heavily and cause some necessary change on your part. Here are some quotes for you to gander at :

“We need to stop giving people excuses not to believe in God.” pg. 21

“Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?” pg. 31

“When we love God, we naturally run to Him – frequently and zealously.” pg. 57

“The thought of a person calling himself a ‘Christian’ without being a devoted follower of Christ is absurd.” pg. 85

“What are you doing in life right now that requires faith?” pg. 124

“Christians are like manure : spread them out and they help everything grow better, but keep them in one big pile and they stink horribly.” pg. 168

“The world needs Christians who don’t tolerate the complacency of their own lives.” pg. 172

Crazy Love : A+
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Now playing: Misty Edwards - My Soul Longs For You