Life's Rudder

I don't know if you've spent any time thinking about ships, I know I haven't lol. One thing that I've always found fascinating is a ship's rudder. A rudder is a really small blade attached to the back of the boat, and it literally steers the entire vessel. If you don't look for it, you might not even see it, but it controls everything. Such a small thing, such a huge job.

Now before you check out on me thinking that this is a blog about boats (it most definitely is not, even I would fall asleep writing it), I say all that because I see the devotions in our life as kind of the same thing. Devotion means profound dedication to someone or something. Profound is big, life changing, encompassing. What we are devoted to in this world matters. It defines you, it defines me. The early church had some devotions that defined them as well. In acts 2:42 it says that they were devoted to the apostles teaching, fellowship, breaking bread together, and prayer. Those devotions defined their lives, defined their movement.

What devotions define your life today? What rudder do you have controlling your ship? Are they the right devotions? Take a serious look today at what your truly devoted to, it could just make all the difference in your world.

Church Reimagined

Last night after speaking to our student community about the DNA of the early church and how we need to capture that DNA if we are to recapture the spirit, power, and momentum of the early church, one of our teenagers asked an interesting question. He said,

"Is it really possible for a church to change so dramatically that it mirrors the early church? It sounds like a dream come true for the church, but I honestly can't see such a huge transformation pappening."

My answer to him and to all of you this morning is, all it takes is one. One person, one student community, one church to change. We often look at the problems we face as a faith is daunting and unconquerable. Things will always be as they have been because nothing really changes. But you can change can't you? You can be the church that God has called you to be. One that is devoted to learning His word, to each other, to the return of Christ, and to seeking His Face. One that is in awe of God and his power and ability. One who's life shouts louder than your words about Christ. If you can change, that change will lead to others changing, and will then change the church.

You can make a difference, you can be the force that God has called you to be. I challenge you to start looking at your life and your destiny as one that matters because it does. The church is vitally important to our world, to us, and to Christ himself. We must be willing to accept the challenge to be the church that Christ expects us to be no matter what the odds.

Here's your group question for the day: why do you think the church today is not necessarily the same as it is described in Acts 2:42-47? What can you do to change that?

Do You Bleed?

I remember as a kid this sports movie I watched, and for the life of me I can't remember the name of it, but I do remember this one scene that has kind of stuck out to me. One of the players on the football team got severely hurt during the game and was carted off before halftime. At halftime the team was losing by a huge margin, and the coach pulls the team aside and gives them the standard halftime speech, expect it wasn't the standard halftime speech. The coach looks at all his players and asks them a totally weird question, he says, "Are you bleeding right now?" He then goes on to tell them that one of their teammates is hurt, injured, and that a true teammate bleeds when one goes down. When one hurts we all hurt. He encouraged them to go out on the field and bleed for their teammate. Sounds kind of gross right?

I wonder though how many of us bleed when we see someone at our schools or neighborhood that is hurting? Do we hurt with them? Do we hurt for them? Does our heart break like God's does when He sees his children in pain? As John said this past Wednesday, are we moved with compassion for those around us? Do you even see their pain in your everyday life? Sometimes we can become so desensitized to the world around us that we don't even notice anymore. Those creepy words from that coach in the movie still haunt my brain, "are you bleeding?".

My challenge to you today? Start looking at the people around you, the ones you skip past every day, the ones that don't matter to you as much. Don't just breeze by in the lunch room, but look for the hurting, the ones in pain, and ask yourself, do I hurt for them? That question just might start changing everything.

99 sheep

This past Wednesday John May spoke on the parable that Jesus told about the shepherd and the lost sheep. Just a quick recap: sheperd had 100, one got lost so sheperd left 99 behind and went after the one. Kind of a shocking story to be honest. Think about it for a second, sheep are expensive, so this sheperd leaves 99 expensive sheep alone to go find one. It's like one of us have 100 one dollar bills and having lost one in the wind we lay the 99 others down in the middle of the sidewalk and run after the one dollar. Doesn't really make sense does it? Who would do that?

I think what's even more interesting is the 99 sheep, and I want to focus a little bit on them this morning. I wonder if they even noticed the one missing sheep? Probably not, they are after all sheep you know. Most likely they were super content living out their daily lives, never noticing that one lost sheep. They simply didn't care, they lacked the capacity to care. They were surrounded by their "sheep"friends and that was all they needed. Safety, security, comfort. It probably didn't even matter to them that the sheperd had left, they probably didn't even notice.

Often times I think the church is like the 99 sheep more than we like to admit. Now, yes I've taken this sheep analogy to the farthest lengths it could probably go, and stretched the material pretty far, but think for just a second; how much time do you spend thinking about that person near you or at your school that is hurting or lost? When you come to student community at FUSION are you so obsessed with your friends and your life that you don't even notice new people? Are you just 99 sheep content with life as you know it? Did you even notice that Jesus left to go find the one lost amongst us? These are hard questions, and I challenge you today to start seeking the answers to them in your own life. Are you just one of the 99?

Are You a Jumper?

Take a minute today and read John 21, that's right I said the whole chapter, it won't kill you. Stop reading this, and pick up your Bible first and read that, it's important.

Looking at John 21 I just have one question for you today, when Jesus stands on the shore of your life and starts calling, do you jump? The answer to this question says a lot...

Where Are You At?

As I look at the story of Peter's life up to the point of Acts 2:14 where he stands before the thousands to share his faith, I see a man like all of us on a journey. I think that Peter's story is so compelling simply because he represents most if not all of us. Peter had that defining failure in his life by denying Christ at his trial (Matthew 27:69-75). That failure would mark his life, altar his trajectory in life, and leave him rudderless. Peter then went back to his old lifestyle, what he was comfortable with (fishing). It was here that Jesus would once again change his life. In John 21 Jesus would provide Peter the forgiveness he so desperately needed to move past his failure, give Peter his new identity in Christ, and challenge Peter to finally step up to the plate and follow him. Then we finally see Peter's journey take him to the moment in Acts where he stands and give the first ever sermon about Christ to thousands. What an awesome epic story he has.

I wonder this morning, where are you on that journey with Christ? Are you at the defining failure stage, where you've let Christ down, denied him when it counts? Have you found the forgiveness that Christ has for you so that your past doesn't define you? Have you been given your new identity and mission in Christ that he has just for you? Or is Christ challenging you to finally step up to the plate and do something? Where are you this morning?

I challenge you to take some time and think about Peter's journey this morning. Place yourself in it and begin to ask Christ to move you to the next stage. You need one to get to the other. Have some serious self-reflection time in prayer and truly be honest with yourself as to where your at.

Here's your question for the day: where do you think most Christians get stuck in their journey? Is it: defining failure, freedom from their past, a new identity, or stepping up to the plate? Why do you think so many get stuck in the place they are at, and how can they move on?

The Simple Act

"Peter along with the Eleven stood..." Acts 2:14a

As I sit and stare at this verse I can't help but wonder what it must have felt like in that moment. Thousands of people surrounding you right on the heels of this incredible move of God, and they are looking to you to bring them clarity and understanding. More than that, God is looking to you to bring them the Message of Christ. It is here in this moment that Peter did what most of us probably wouldn't do, he stood up. Not metaphorically or even spiritually, but physically. Peter actually took a legitimate physical step. He put his body on the line and dared his mouth and brain to follow.

Peter had to have some conflicting emotions here I think. Nervous, excited, heart racing, wondering if people would recognize him. I wonder if his past failure in denying Christ rang through his head at all? Maybe his personal encounter with Jesus after the resurrection filled his head. Perhaps he heard Jesus telling him to "feed his sheep". Regardless, Peter was the unlikeliest of heroes in this moment, but he was the one that God raised up.

You too may see yourself as the unlikeliest of heroes in the life of your friends, school, and family, but you are the one that God has raised up for this moment. Sometimes all it takes is a moment where you physically just stand and dare your mouth to follow. Be noticed, stand out, put yourself out there and dare the rest of you to follow.

Your challenge today is to do just that, physically stand out today. Dare your mouth and brain to follow, but physically stand up and be accounted for. Be the person God has called you to be today.

Here's your group question: What do you think is harder, physically standing up for Christ and taking that first step, or sharing Christ verbally?