Unlikely Messenger

Throughout history, God has used the most unlikely messengers for the spreading of his message. Whether you look at Paul, Peter, or even John the Baptist - each one have quirks/blemishes to their story that make you wonder about their selection. I think this is just another example of God's incredible grace, and affirms the Gospel all the more.

How bout John Newton? Ever heard of him? He was a sailor who lived during the mid 1700's. He had a reputation of being a nasty, profane, and untrustworthy individual. A Wikipedia article about him says the following:

     While aboard the ship Greyhound, Newton gained notoriety for being one of the most profane men the captain     had ever met. In a culture where sailors commonly used oaths and swore, Newton was admonished several times for not only using the worst words the captain had ever heard, but creating new ones to exceed the limits of verbal debauchery.

He created cusswords? Takes the expression curses like a sailor to a whole new meaning.

This guy ended up leaving the British navy to go work on an African slave boat. Here he bounced around between boats and at one point was shipped off to a plantation to work as a slave. Shows you how much he was hated by his peers.

Somehow while working on the plantation he found his way back to another slave boat, and became one of the ranking officers on the boat. One night the sailors fell under a massive storm and the boat was nearly capsized. Newton tried everything he could to save the ship and was quoted with the following:

"If this will not do, then Lord have mercy upon us!"

Seems like the standard, desperate cliche 'God help us', right? Well it turns out they made it through the storm, and Newton was left to ponder these words during his eleven hour shift at the helm. His near death epiphany turned out to be a life changing moment for Newton. The effects of this night led him to conversion to Christianity, and to leave the slave trade business all together. God's grace is amazing.

Big deal right? Well our friend John Newton also had a knack for writing. Years after this terrifying night at sea he wrote a song.

His song became a staple to African American folk music. The same guy who exploited and captured innocent Africans wrote a song that promised their deliverance. Pretty ironic huh? It should also be mentioned that John went on to be an advocate for the abolition of slavery.

What does this guy have to do with the spreading of God's message?

Currently his song is performed over 10 million times a year. It has been recorded using the melodies of just about every music genre ever created. I would argue that it's the most popular tune ever played. And all this coming from a man who was considered vile, disgusting, and wretched by the most vile, disgusting and wretched group of people? Worst of the worst. Doesn't make sense... But does God's grace ever make sense?

Romans 3:23 says we are all sinful and are separated from God. It's only by God's grace and the blood of Christ that we are reunited with the Father. Below are the lyrics to John Newton's famous jingle.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.

Gospel Homecoming

Over the past few months we've had all sorts of different groups come to camp. From upper middle class women's groups to 300 men on four wheelers, we've seen it all. This weekend was Young Life snow camp. Holy freaking awesome.

Young Life seeks the unreachable - which is broad. Unreachable could be the high school quarterback who literally gets everything he wants. It could also be the future rocket scientist who can count his friends on half of one hand. Two kids who most likely have nothing in common but one thing - they probably haven't heard much about Jesus.

So Friday night 506 Young Life kids come to camp. We've spent the previous 8 hours shoveling snow and removing ice from sidewalks (nothing ends a fun weekend like impromptu iceskating down a flight of stairs). All this 'camp prep' is undone by 500 high schoolers in less than 10 minutes.

You've got 10 kids from one school at the top of a two story deck, hurling snowballs as if they are defending Fort Knox. Below them are 12 kids from a different school packing their snow missiles with rocks. These kids are out for blood.

50 feet to the right is a bonfire, with 4 couples sitting around looking like they might suffocate if separated from one another. Behind them walks three kids dressed in black, with chain wallets that hang to their patent leather Dr Martens.

There's one thing that's blaringly obvious about these kids. They all seem like they're fighting like hell to find something. Every single one seems out of place and uncomfortable. You may call this child development. If you do, you probably haven't witnessed the transformation that takes place from Friday to Sunday.

A Young Life weeeknd camp is packed with fun activities, and 4-5 group sessions we call 'club'. The first two sessions typically talk about who Jesus was, most often using a story out of the 4 Gospels. The third session is the Sin talk. This is when kids are told of their sin-condition, which separates us from God. Kids are then left with 6-8 hours of free time and activities to marinate on this terrible news they've been given. It's also interesting that most fights break out during these 6-8 hours. Saturday night is the cross talk. This is when the greatest love story is ever told. God incarnate coming down to earth to die for our sins. The ultimate sacrifice to reunite humankind with its creator.

Last night I had the priviledge of working the screamer swing 2 hours after kids heard the cross talk. The screamer is a 50 ft swing that flies over the Arkansas River valley. Its name is derived from the vocal phenomenon caused by the swing's intensity.

It was incredible to see the difference in these kids. Many seemed like totally changed people. Rather than searchers out of place, they seemed like they had found something. I guess more complete. Seeing such an incredible metamorphosis over a three day period is proof in the pudding. We are built with a gaping hole, only to be filled by a savior who loves us greatly.

In John 10:10 Jesus says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly"

A lot of these kids were given life this weekend. Sweet dang that awesome.

What does the sheep say?

Today I was going back through my journal and reading entries from before I moved to Colorado. Don't let me fool you - I've never really been a journaler or a writer. My journal goes all the way back to 8/28/2011... Impressive huh?

It was interesting to reread my thoughts leading up to my year out west. I don't really remember having these thoughts or prayers, as I have a hard enough time remembering what I had for lunch yesterday. The 8/30/2011 entry goes like this... 

'Dear Frank (because every journal deserves a name), 

     One thing I pray will happen - As I'm drawn out of my comfort zone, that I will become more reliant on God for strength and comfort. Over the years I've become self-sufficient and comfortable with the life I have in Jax....'

     At the bottom of the page I wrote: 'Prayer - Reliance on Him'

Pretty much nailed that one. 

The overarching theme of the past few months has been God breaking me of my worldly comfort (most times against my will and with a vacuum in hand). I probably sound like a broken record by now, but I'm pretty stubborn. God has been showing me over and over to trust in Him, and that he is the source for true strength and joy. I get glimpses of this comfort, but it seems like I forget just as quickly as I remember. 

I think there's a reason for my grace amnesia.

First of all we are all sinners and fall short of our expectations. But also, the Bible gives us some insight of how smart we humans really are... The word 'sheep' is used in the Bible 196 times. That's a lot of times for such an insignificant word. As a frame of reference, the word 'love' is used 683 times. Seems like a lot of sheep right? The word sheep is mostly used to describe us. Yes, there are many times where it's used to actually describe animals in the Bible, but mostly it's our doppelgänger. Sounds great, right?

- 'But he who enters the door is the shepherd of the sheep.'

- Jesus says 'My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me'.

- Jesus says to Peter, 'Feed my sheep'

A few quotes from the Wikipedia entry on sheep...

- 'Sheep are prey animals' 

- 'Sheep are frequently thought of as extremely unintelligent animals.'

- 'Sheep are just below pigs and on par with cattle in IQ'

Sheep. are. dumb. But as always, there's good news about our inability to fend for ourselves. The 196th time that 'love' is used in the Bible is in Psalm 91:14

¹⁴"Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
   I will protect him, because he knows my name.
¹⁵When he calls to me, I will answer him;
   I will be with him in trouble;
   I will rescue him and honor him.
¹⁶With long life I will satisfy him
   and show him my salvation."

We love Him because he loved us first. We need to come to grips with our sheepish nature... And also rest in who we belong to.

Identity Crisis

If you're anything like me, you find temporary happiness in the latest 'thing'. That could be a new car, new job, new city, etc. You tell your self 'if only I had this job', or 'if I moved away to this cool city' - everything will be complete. The interesting thing here is that after a few weeks the novelty starts to wear off, and you find yourself with a brand new list of 'if onlys'.

One of the big perks of moving to Colorado was the adventure. Aside from spending a year in the mountains and focusing on my relationship with the Lord, I was certain Colorado would be the ticket to overcoming my state of boredom. I mean I'm basically living every pickup truck TV commercial. My hands are getting tough, I wear a rock climbers harness at work, and I carry a pocket knife at all times. I agree, Colorado is the land of milk and honey, BUT - it's not the cure all. At times I find myself right where I left in Jacksonville.

BUT THIS IS THE BEST NEWS EVER!!

My reoccurring boredom and the 'new' losing its novelty points to one thing. The Cross. We are all created with a void, and that void can only be filled by Christ. For whatever reason we constantly try to fill this void with something other than Christ. It never works, and we always find ourselves let down. It's when I seek joy/identity in Christ that I'm sustained. Christ never loses His novelty - I lose focus. The below verse gives me insight as to who I am and what I've been made to do.

1 Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

Jesus vs The Economy

Today at church the pastor went through Mark 5. It's in Mark 5 that Jesus drives thousands of demons out of a man. The demons then beg Jesus for permission to enter into a herd of pigs. Jesus obliges, and the demon possessed pigs run down a hill to drown themselves in a lake.

I've recently read this passage on my own, and was frustrated with the part when the pigs died. Not because it was inhumane for the pigs to die, but because these pigs belonged to someone. The passage states that the pigs were two thousand in number. Can you imagine a modern-day farmer losing two thousand pigs in one fell swoop? Now think about how it must have affected the local economy 2000 years ago. Must have been an epic blow to the owner's livelihood as well as the local economy. That would be the equivalent to half of Delta's plane fleet being demolished by a hurricane. The corporation itself, as well as Atlanta, would be in pretty bad shape. Who would allow something like that to happen?

The scripture shows that the local people felt the same way I did about their porky loss. They begged Jesus to leave the area.

Today I realized that I'm missing the point.

When I originally read the passage on my own, I wasn't really affected by the demon possessed man who was healed. My thought was, 'Hmmm, man is healed from two thousand demons.... TWO THOUSAND PIGS WERE KILLED'!

I'm pretty sure heaven's reaction was vastly different. Probably went more like, 'ALLELUIA, A MAN HAS BEEN SAVED! oh yeah, a few pigs caught the brunt-end... But he's healed!!

God is so in love with us that one man's soul is far and away more important than the local economy. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't be surprised if God values one man's soul over the global economy.

See parable of lost coin, prodigal son, etc...

How do our priorities line up with that? Do we care more about a random person's well-being or our 401(k)?

I'm not trying to sound irrational, nor am I saying we should abandon economy and commerce. Just food for thought.

Fast forward two chapters... Jesus returns to the exact same area He had previously been begged to leave. He heals a deaf man. Four thousand people then flock to Him. Jesus feeds them all with 7 loaves of bread and a few small fish. Talk about a picnic.

You say something about some pigs?

Grizzly Lake

Today the 3 roommates and I hiked up to a mountain lake called Grizzly Lake. It was about a 45 minute drive to the trail head, and then an hour and 15 minute hike. The drive was up a 4x4 jeep road. The FJ took care of business.

The hike was incredible! 3 miles with over 1200 ft in elevation gain. It seemed like we hiked through several different ecosystems. At the beginning it was a cobblestone stream in the alpine evergreens. We were surrounded by Christmas trees. As we approached the tree line our surroundings turned to large snow covered rocks. Right before we arrived to the lake we were in 8-10 inches of powder, similar to ski terrain.

The lake was amazing. It looked as though God carved out the lake with an ice cream scoop. Grizzly lake is surrounded by 2000 ft cliffs on all sides, with the south end being a stadium of evergreen trees. The south bowl almost looks like a mountain church of sorts, with the lake being the pulpit. There's a snowmelt aisle and evergreen pews. See the picture below...

I'm becoming more and more captivated by the scenery out here. It's much easier to find my mountainside for solitude when everywhere you look is a landscape painting. Solitude is key, especially when you're constantly surrounded by community. You'll notice that Jesus finds his 'mountainside' after being in large crowds for an extended period.

Being out here for only a month has already changed my perspective a lot. Life is simple and God is good.

Air Force and Jesus

I should first start this post by saying we are all wretched sinners - every single one of us. It's only by God's grace that we are saved. There is nothing we can do in our 'walk' with the Lord to save ourselves from eternal damnation. It's a free gift, and you don't even have to pay shipping and handling. Romans 3:23-24 says,

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Something a lot of Christians struggle with is the free grace of God, but then this expectation of living a life that resembles that of Jesus Christ. Perfection. How does it all fit? Lately I've heard a lot about a grace provoked obedience. Basically somebody does you a HUGE favor. The response to said favor is to treat them well and honor them. You treating that person well didn't purchase the favor, it's simple cause and effect.

<Enter the part where I relate the above to cleaning up after 350 campers>

Discipline drives excellence.

Last week we had 250 freshman from the Air Force Academy. The group is part of the Air Force's Christian outreach program (I'm almost certain it isn't funded by the gov't). The group was great, and you could tell they lived very disciplined lives.

Each Sunday the campers 'help' us clean camp by stripping beds and folding clean sheets/blankets in a specific way. Camp lingo for this phenomenon is 'folding bed packs'. I'm generous when I say we typically have a 2% success rate of camper folded bed packs. This means the camp staff gets to go behind each camper to correctly fold the sheets. We re-fold bed packs in between vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms (see: Warrior Princesses below).

Air Force freshman were greatly different than other groups. First of all, their bed pack success rate was at least 60%. It was absolutely amazing to see how well these guys folded bed packs. We give each camper a page long description of how a bed pack should be folded, so it's not completely straight forward.

Even more amazing than their greater success rate was when one of the Air Force cadets saw us correct his bed pack. The cadet walked up to the intern who fixed his mistake and asked what needed correction. Our intern then showed the cadet how to correctly fold the bed pack. The cadet then unfolded the now correctly folded bed pack and refolded it with his newly found instruction. He will never need to know this skill ever again in his life, but he still wanted to adhere to the level of excellence that's expected of him. Pretty amazing huh? What would it look like if we brought this level of discipline to our faith?

Proverbs 1:1-7 talks a lot about knowledge and wisdom. I think a healthy dose of discipline will greatly help in becoming more like Christ.

¹ The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
 ² for gaining wisdom and instruction;
   for understanding words of insight;
³ for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
   doing what is right and just and fair;
⁴ for giving prudence to those who are simple,^[a]
   knowledge and discretion to the young—
⁵ let the wise listen and add to their learning,
   and let the discerning get guidance—
⁶ for understanding proverbs and parables,
   the sayings and riddles of the wise.^[b]
 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge,
   but fools^[c] despise wisdom and instruction.


All of the above is great and we can only receive things like wisdom, insight, prudence, etc by the grace of God. However, I don't think we should expect them by osmosis. This is where the grace-driven obedience comes to play. It's the response to the favor.




But remember, our good deeds are still tainted. Isaiah 64:6 says,


⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean, 
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Picture from Agnes Vail falls... Yup, it's snowing in October.