What Matter More To You....

So recently I purchased Derek Webb's cd and there is a song that has been deemed by critics to be controversial. Now I find this very funny because, i-Tunes didn't sell this song with the cd because one song had two "cuss" words in the song. I find this funny cause i-Tunes has countless songs that have way more profanity in them. But anywho, the song that is causing so much controversy is "What matters more to you." Now, please let me say this first if you have heard the song and disagree with the language. Before you go all hypocritical on the song, have you ever stubbed your toe and something come out that wasn't nice? Ok, let's move on. But you might say, well he said those words on purpose and that warrants a different argument. Ok, can someone please tell me when saying particular words were deemed wrong? When did cussing become such a heated argument? I guess it was from the sailors back in the day, who knows, but I can't help to agree with the attitude in which the song was written. While Jesus didn't cuss around the disciples, I think this song is a wake-up for all of us Christ-followers who have become lazy and calloused in our way of living out the Gospel. To answer the question, what matters more to me? If I were truly honest, I don't think that I am doing enough to let people know the love of God. It is so easy to give money, it is so easy to say the right words, it is easy to portray a life on the outside that doesn't match up with the private life, but does it really matter to me to make a change or just go with the status quo? But is this really making a difference? Am I really breaking free of the comfort zone that I am enclosed in? I know this may sound like a bunch of rambling but do we even care? If you want to view the video go to www.youtube.com and search Derek Webb and it will be the first song that comes up. I have already warned you about the words but are we looking for the words or do we actually listen to the meaning of the song? So you are warned, but you may hear the song and feel the same way I do.

Aaron

Crazy thoughts....at 11:48pm

Over the past few weeks of studying, preparing for messages for students and learning more and more as I go, I find myself tonight wondering....wondering about the precious words of the Bible. You are probably wondering where I am going with this. As a Christ-follower, my source of strength and purpose comes from knowing Christ but also I get that strength from a powerful book called the Bible. Tonight, let's just say I laid everything down that I thought I knew about the Bible and started over. No preconceived ideas about this or that but I could open and read the love letters how they were intended to be read. You are probably going, you are weird and yes, I have been called that a time or two...but the point I am getting at is I think that myself, along with many others, we have become calloused in our thinking of how the words of the Bible can truly impact our lives if we could just hold true to them. We become quick to overlook and say "eh, I know the outcome" and so therefore we have lost the true, live changing message that Bible offers. This whole series of prayer that I have been studying has really opened my eyes to look for the amazing details that are embedded within the words of Scripture. No, there is no secret Da Vinci code if you read John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16 together standing on your head in a corner. Sorry. But the beauty of the words and poetry that makes the pages come alive I feel at times I have passed them by. I will be the first to say that I have overlooked Scripture many times to say "yep, got it covered"....oh you Pharisee! So I ask a few questions to whomever reads this: would we be willing to start over? Could we take everyday as if we were starting from the very first time we opened the Word of God? To come with a passion and eagerness to allow the Spirit to speak to our hearts in that moment? I know it might be a stretch for some of us, but I think that if we can come with a passion to understand the truth of what the Bible has to say to us, then we might, just might, fall deeper in love with Christ!

Philippians 3:12

The Lord's Prayer

So, I started speaking on the topic of prayer to our students and it amazes me how much they know! Kudos to our parents! But every now and then we need to be reminded about prayer and how important it is to us. So as we go along in studying the Lord's prayer, I just want to let you know what God is speaking to me as we learn about an area of Christ's life that so important. Have you ever unpacked what the prayer is all about? We started actually two weeks ago and started off understanding what prayer is not supposed to be: (1) don't be like a hypocrite when you pray (2) don't let anything distract you when you approach your alone time (3) and don't speak meaningless repetitious words just to say something. To be honest I think that many of us have forgotten what prayer is about and the form of it has been lost. So as we opened up the prayer, we had to understand these things and also that the disciples wanted to know how to pray (Luke Ch. 11) They saw Jesus all the time go away from the distractions of he world to pray and the disciples saw this as important and asked Jesus "will you teach us how to pray?" I am sure Jesus was like "oh, snap, Yes I will teach you!" So then He gives us a perfect model of who we are to pray to and how we are to pray and what we are to pray for! So last night the phrase that I wanted our students to leave with was "God is real and God is Holy." We have to understand that these two things are non-negotiable when it comes to Our Heavenly Father. Jesus acknowledged the Father first, this is where I feel that many Christ-followers have got it backwards. We come to God with our needs first without acknowledging Him first. We need to remember that it is God's Glory first, our needs last. God must be the foundation of our prayers and everything else builds off of this. But what is really cool is that when we come to God in faith and believe that He is who He is, God wants to reward us (Heb. 11:6) God wants His children to experience answered prayer and He wants to give us help because let's be honest we all need help in this life. We don't have all the answers. But the cool thing that I had totally overlooked in the process is that when we come to God in obedience because our relationship with Him is important, that we bring honor and glory to His name. How so? Well, hallowed means to "revere, honor, glory, and obey." When we acknowledge that God is real, God is holy and we come in faith believing that God is who He says He is, that He wants to answer our prayers, according to His plans, that we have the amazing opportunity to honor and glorify His name by obeying and trusting in His name! That was a mouthful. But it all boils down to this when we approach God in prayer: God is real and God is holy. "So whatever you eat or drink, do it ALL to glory of GOD." (1 Cor. 10:31) As I challenged our students to change one aspect of their own prayer life, what is it that you can change to make your QuietTime more effective? You never saw Jesus have His prayer time in the middle of a crowded street but on the hillside or as Jesus says, "go get into a closet and close the door!" Let's press on, not just so God will answer our prayers but that we passionately want to spend time with Our Creator and Heavenly Father who loves us!

Press on!

Triscuit's and Prayer

Thought the title would get your attention. During my devotion this week, I've been looking at the aspect of prayer. So what better place to have the perfect model than the Lord's prayer given via the disciple's request. As I shared with our students tonight, we have some misconceptions on how we approach prayer: hypocrisy, babbling, and distractions. You are probably wondering "where in the world does this fit in to prayer?" Isn't prayer about God meeting our needs? Well, kinda. If you read in Matthew 6 starting in verse 5, Jesus gives them wise advice when it comes to prayer. Things that prayer shouldn't be. I personally fall into all three, you probably do to. Isn't it funny that we say we are gonna pray for something or for someone and we fail to do so. I feel like the biggest hypocrite. I say I care and your need is important to me but I fail in offering it to the Father. I really do care but not enough I guess when compared to this passage. But it doesn't stop there....I only wish it did...when or where did we get the idea that we have to eloquently pray some recited prayer to touch the heart of God? I find it sad that we can't even be honest in our prayers. We think that we have to say this and that in hopes that God will hear us. Not true. God always listens. But this last area falls into a category that I am working on and it is finding time to devote to my Father. Communication is easily blocked by distractions. No matter what is on the agenda for the day, Satan will do everything possible to detour your thoughts from the most important issue at hand. Finding that quiet place with no distractions is key for me. It is really hard to have a quiet moment when I am being the distraction. So prayer is not about being something you are not, and it's not about praying eloquent, deep, theological prayers and it is not effective if we are a distraction to God in the moment we want Him to hear our prayers. I hope this makes sense to someone. It sounds good coming out of my fingertips...so about the Triscuit's...I was hungry at 12:34 am and thought it would get your attention...did it work?

Pressing on.

It's been awhile...

So, sorry for those who follow my blog. I have not updated in awhile due to moving into the new house, concerts, church and etc. So, here ya go.

I recently went to the Hillsong United concert, by the way it was ah-mazing!, but as I was sitting there before the concert I was pondering why we have to pay for worship? Now I know that the money that they make goes to sharing the gospel with people in Australia but what I am talking about is the issue about paying to be "unashamed" in worship in a setting that provides a great opportunity to worship with thousands of people. But when we come to our churches on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, we can't even express ourselves in the same way we expressed ourselves in a worship concert. Did our image or passion for God change in a weeks time? Why do we have to go to a concert or huge worship service to worship the Father? Are our churches not a place where we can do that unashamedly (i think that is a word)? 

As I was worshipping and seeing thousands of people lift up the name of Jesus, I was also sad at the same time. Many people strive for big services and think that God is pleased by our worship, I don't doubt that, but I think that God is also a personal God that loves our personal worship of Him. In fact He loves it! I think that many people can get lost in a huge service. It's easy to say that God was there but was worshipping God your primary focus? 

Sorry, you may think I am a hypocrite for saying all of this or a loony but I struggled with the same issue when I was a teenager. My thinking was that I had to be at the best worship, best church, best student ministry, etc. While all along God was wanting me to worship Him in the here and now. Wherever I go, whatever I do, wherever I serve, let me be main reason why you are here Aaron!. 

But the flip-side of it is this: we don't know how to truly worship because we are ashamed to do so. In our minds we have to follow a certain schematic or list of rules. Maybe that is why people feel more comfortable to do it in a huge setting? I dunno, just something to think about...would love your thoughts!

May I have your attention?

As I was reading today in my devotion time, I came across the passage when Moses encountered the burning bush and how God got his attention. Moses' remark was "Amazing!" As I was reading, I tried to place myself in the picture and try to understand how this would apply to my life. It was so simple but has deep implications for all of us who follow Christ passionately. In the OT when God wanted to get peoples attention it was usually in some dramatic way like the "burning bush." What I took away from this was about how God does things in our life to get our attention. Over the past few months, we have really been praying for God to have His will be done in our lives and can I just say that God never fails! When that moment arrives it's when you least expect it to happen. The moment you have been praying for arrives and it's like "whew" thank you for carrying my burdens and proving yourself to be the Almighty God that I love and adore! But it is not so much about this answered prayer that really struck me. The thing I have taken away is this: Are we allowing God to get our attention? Am I leading a life that causes other to stop and wonder? I think it is in those moments where we can say that there is nothing special about the burning bush, but something unusually special about the fire that burns within. The essence of a Christian is in Galatians 2:20 "I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me." When we can take on this attitude it is easier for God to get our attention because we live to burn for Him. I want other people to hear my story and see my life in a way that makes them stop and say "Amazing!" 

Being a burning bush without being bushed (or burned) draws attention.

Looking back...

This past Sunday 10 seniors from our student ministry celebrated the aspect of graduating high school. Which to be honest is a great achievement because some people do not have the opportunity to get a high school degree but that is not the point of this entry. I started to think back over the years when I started that first journey into "college" freedom. I say freedom because I was the one in charge. I decided when I went to class, what I wanted to eat, what to watch, where to spend my money, time and also who I wanted to date. Freedom is the word most college students grasp the last years of high school and sadly it never changes throughout the college experience. I know first hand because that was the way I felt when I first attended junior college. But another sad thing is this: most seniors who have been involved in student activities in their home churches fail to reconsider this after graduating from high school. Freedom steps in and their eyes get big and they get lost in this world. Why is it that we can have sold-out seniors in our student ministries but when college comes around we don't see that flame burn brighter? Personally, I don't think that we as student pastors or whatever you want to call us, make the importance clear to the generations that we have in our midst to understand that following Christ does not stop after high school. It's a marathon not a sprint. Partially, I think that the blame isn't necessarily on the student pastors but mainly on the parents. I know this may sound harsh but isn't this the truth? Is serving Christ and having a relationship with Him more important than making sure that you make tons of money to support yourself? Do we ever throw out that? I know it sounds like I am on a soap box but come on, how many more generations of seniors will go the wayside and forget about Christ and serving the body? I hope that the seniors that I had for under a year saw this in my life. I hope and pray they stay connected with the Word of God and develop their passion for Christ daily. I know that my life in college had many moments of doubt and confusion as to what God wanted me to become and where He wanted me to be. If it wasn't for the grace of God and people pushing me through college to strive to be the best I could become I would be just another statistic. Just a thought or two...

Spring Break....

So as I sit with a cup of coffee, the office is slow this week. No services this week but I find myself busier than ever. Taking a look back over the past few weeks it has been a roller coaster ride that keeps on coming. Preparations for Easter, teaching students the truth about Christ and the Cross and Resurrection and now the aftermath. I sit wondering if we have truly walked away with a deeper understanding of what Christ has done for us? I ask myself, what could I do more to remember what Christ has done for me this year? I mean sure I can plan more time to spend in the word, more time in prayer, say all of these nice things that make me feel better but what is it that I can do to please the Father? Honestly? I find that it is so important as a leader to strive to know more about the Savior that I serve. Taking time to slow down through the midst of the whirlwind that we get caught up in through our professions gets harder and harder sometimes. So even though the world around me is turning faster than normal, as weird as this sounds, I find myself falling deeper in love with the Father because of how He has directed my paths. But it is in these whirlwind moments that builds my character and helps me to know that my Father has control. It helps me strive to keep going and pushes me to greater heights and deeper depths. It is like I thrive on busyness. I guess it is because my mind is still in school mode and maybe, just maybe my mind can slow down after the summer. You will just have to check back and see if my mind has slowed down  but until then I love being busy. Most of all, I love being busy for the Father. There is a danger in this I know: being to busy doesn't mean that everything is profitable. I do understand the dangers of having a business like mind when it comes to the church. I do understand the dangers of having to much down time and not being productive. This is something that I am working on and will continue to work on for some time now. I love my position here at North River Church. I am truly excited about how God is going to use our students this summer and the years to come. I want to stay tuned into God and His will for this student ministry and rely on His direction as He leads. Where else would you want to be? For me, this is it and my passion is growing by the moment! Praise be to God!

Great Expectations?

So as I sit here today working on the new series for our students and the thought about expectations has come to mind. How many of us have some sort of expectations for our lives? our spouses? our ministries? As I was thinking out loud I couldn't help but think of how many times we put expectations on Jesus. Jesus didn't come to satisfy the peoples need of a liberator or political revolutionary but He came according to His agenda, His terms. The point I am trying to make here is that we all have put expectations on Jesus. We expect Jesus to do this for us or for Jesus to give us what WE need. The problem with this is the fact that what WE need and what He offers is totally different. Jesus didn't come to fulfill the expectations of the people at Passover but came to deliver the people from sin. You can see in Mark 11:1-11 they yell and plead saying "Hosanna! Hosanna!" which means "deliver us, save us NOW." You see the people wanted a ruler, dictator to overthrow the Roman government so THEY could have what they wanted. Jesus had other plans. Jesus wanted to deliver hope and grace and humility and love. Why is it that we can so easily put expectations on who Jesus is supposed to be? I think the answer is this: WE want to be God! This is the phrase that has stuck in my mind "Life is no longer about who WE think Jesus is; it's about who HE actually is." How about you? Have you put unrealistic expectations on Jesus? Do you have Jesus in your back pocket only to be seen when you need something from Him? What if this Resurrection Day (easter) we could let go of our expectations in life and stop limiting what God can do with us? Am I willing to accept Jesus into my life on His terms and not my own? It's sad that if God doesn't do something for us then we have nothing to do with Him. But we forget that Jesus shed His blood for our sins and conquered death so that we may experience true love by His grace and His act of humility that gives all man hope! Just thought you would like something to ponder this season......

You got served!

Have you ever given up your time not expecting anything in return? I am talking about those minutes that turn into hours that seem to pass by without notice? Why is it that we worry about the time issue when it comes to serving others than just doing it? The reason being is we are a selfish people that are lazy. What would happen if more people served one another and forgot about time? I love that today I got to serve among our students at a local school that some of them went to when they were in Middle School. It was a great opportunity to show the love of Christ and show that we don't want to stand for complacency. I don't want our students to grow up without understanding that "faith without actions is dead." This is such a critical aspect of our lives, especially if we say we have Christ as our Saviour King. The opportunity to serve with our students was priceless and was summed up when one of our students asked what time it was and his response was "wow, it seems like it has only been like an hour!" The issue of time was not on his mind, serving was. If we had the lens of serving one another instead of self-gratification, there is no telling how many people we could impact!

It comes and goes....

This whole aspect of prayer is one that really baffles me sometimes. There are days where it seems like "Is God listening?" and then there are days where "God reveals." I have always been the type of guy that has relied heavily on my faith because well, where else would I find meaning and purpose for my life other than in the hands of the "Great I Am?" 

The whole premise of "unanswered prayer" has really bugged me lately. Not in the sense that I am angry at God, no, but the fact that many of us today blame the Creator because He doesn't answer in a timely fashion to fix our puny needs. (I say puny because our needs don't compare to what God has for us in the long run) But I am finding that through prayer, even though my prayers don't get answered as soon as I speak the request, I gain a sense of unity when I speak to the Father. I wonder what would happen if we, who say we are "born-again evangelicals", would stop asking God to meet our needs all the time and ask Him what it is we could be doing for His Kingdom? I mean Jesus said it best when he said "not my will but your will be done." I mean could we utter those words with a sincere heart? This is something that I want to know more and more. Even though my prayers are important, it is more important to know that my prayers and my purpose is aligned with His will for my life. 

The idea of God not answering prayer is rubbish. I think that it is a slap in the face. The problem as I see it is we are asking for things outside His will for our lives. For me God has always provided, in ways that I could only say "Wow, I didn't see that coming." It was in those moments that I knew God was with me and that He was more than real. To be honest I don't think that we will see that "light" at the end of the tunnel until that glorious day when Christ calls us home! But until then, we must avert our eyes and hearts to the Maker because if we are to find any comfort and peace in this crazy world, it has to come from Him. Stop praying for non-sense and pray for God's will......hope you are offended!

Aaron

Starting aFresh

So, since the blogging revolution has taking its toll on society I thought what the heck, I will join the chatter that everyone craves. This blog will be short and sweet just because I can make it that way and also I am tired. So, this is the introductory entry and we will just have to see where it goes from here......stay tuned if you will but you might be in for a treat when it comes to the creative, thought- provoking and sometimes non-sense that a Student Pastor thinks about........hope you enjoy...laters!