So I picked up a hitchhiker...

Last week as I was driving to work I noticed a man standing on the side of the road.  He was in his upper fifties, well dressed, and with a look on his face that said "don't worry, I'm not going to kill you."

Plus he was holding a well-made sign that read AIRPORT.  This lead me to believe he had done this before.  (Plus anyone who takes the time to print their legible sign out in big block letters gets points in my near-sighted view of the world)

So I pick him up.

Turns out he is a Deacon with the Jerusalem Baptist Church of Israel.  He's been doing missionary work in Tel Aviv for the last 30 years of his life and he was also with Billy Graham on his evangelistic crusades in Moscow back in the 70's.

So I'm thinking, "WOW!  I've just picked up Mother Teresa!  (Or something like it) I wish it wasn't such a short trip to the airport!"  We make small talk for a bit about who I am and who he is and then it happens. He shifts the conversation to the main thing for any Christian missionary.  I think he is going to ask me if I've accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. This is a softball question if there ever was one for a guy who loves Jesus, identifies as a Christian AND happens to work at a church where our main thing is to encourage all people to know the love of Christ.

Instead...

I get a flurry of theological questions thrown at me that are so far over my head that I have no idea how to answer any of them.  (Thank goodness he never gave me a chance to answer any of them.)  We are now at the airport.

I help him unload his bags from my back seat...

The deacon takes this as a cue  and proceeds to use the sidewalk as his pulpit for the next 25 minutes! He rants about everything from Dead Sea Scrolls research to Jonah and the whale to the state of Palestine, and a bunch of other topics that I can't even begin to tell you about because I had no idea what he was talking about at this point.  I had completely checked out and wished I had never picked the guy up in the first place.

 Then I got to thinking...

What if it would have been a non-believer who had picked up this Christian missionary?  Think of the horrible impression this deacon would have made on someone like that had he had the same conversation.  What an incredible opportunity to simply tell someone about Jesus!  In my mind, he blew it.

When it comes to sharing your faith with someone, take my advice.  Less is always more.  Use simple language. Don't launch into a sermon and start quoting old testament verses from obscure books. (Obadiah comes to mind...oh, you didn't know that was a book of the old testament? Well let me tell you sir...)

Sometimes all you really need to share the gospel is simply living the way Jesus taught us to. Our actions will always speak louder than any sermon ever could.


  
Disclaimer: I should point out that I DO NOT encourage anyone to EVER PICK UP HITCHHIKERS.  It is very dangerous and to put yourself in that situation on purpose would be foolish.  (Yes, I know what you are going to say and I've already heard it from my wife.)  :)

Markonius L. Richards IV~

A Deep Faith

A long time ago, I was a 17 year old kid in high school. I know, hard to believe but I was in high school at one point of my life. 

Even though I was active in our church activities and hung around some Christian friends (the majority of them weren't what you would consider committed followers) my faith never really seemed to develop at what I would call a deep level. 

I guess I was what you would call a "confused surface Christian." I didn’t understand what being a committed follower of Christ entailed. It felt  deeper for me than a “do good, feel good” type of person but it wasn’t what Jesus would call a real relationship with Him.

Now, not growing up with an active Christian family didn’t help to give me a familiar background of what being a Christian meant, nor did it give me any biblical knowledge or historical value. On the positive side, it was brand new and I had a choice of whether or not I wanted to learn about this faith. On the negative side, I was very cynical of who this Christ guy was. But I have learned that the questions that I asked in life have only helped me to find more answers. If I wasn’t questioning who God was I wouldn’t have cared if he existed or not. 

When I was questioning God, I was actually searching for Him. 

On my faith journey my relationship with Christ was practically destroyed. It wasn’t deep enough to withstand some of the life-shattering events I would have to go through. These events seemed like the perfect reason to leave God. But when I think about it I wish that I wouldn’t have denied God for so long. I wish I had known more about my faith instead of pretending to be someone I wasn’t.

This is important to me now because helping students build a faith has somehow become part of my “job” at Hope Lutheran Church.  A goal I would have is to help deepen your faith by finding the things that help you grow as a Christian. Whether it be questioning God, experiencing His love, or seeing how we can become part of God's call, I want you to understand how deep His love can go. 

It seems that every book we read (for work) states that the church is struggling to develop a deep faith in our high school and college-aged students.   

Since this is my “job” it would help to know where we can help build your faith. Mark and I both think that joining a church small group is vital to help build a lasting faith and would encourage you to do so. 

What things help to strengthen your faith and deepen your relationship with God? 

Your brother in Christ,

Adamantium~

God-Vitamins

Sometimes it's easy for us to take the well-worn path isn't it? It makes our lives simple this way. If there is a short cut we take it. If there is an easier way to do things, well why wouldn't we?! I admit that I live my work life by the motto "work smarter, not harder."

What happens when this kind of mentality trickles down into our souls? The bible never says (I'm paraphrasing) that leading a Christ-centered life would be easy, does it? I've never read the part that says "believe in Me and all your problems will magically disappear."

What would that look like if we could take a shortcut with our soul business? What if there was an easier way to eternal salvation? Jesus tells us that he is the way, the truth, and the life. No one shall come to the Father except through Me. Yet what if there was an easier way? Would you take it?

I'll bet if Billie Mays were still alive and I asked him to develop an "amazing new product that could revolutionize the way we follow Christ".....I'll bet he (and the Sham-WOW guy) could come up with some pretty ridiculous things. In no particular order, here is a list of some things we came up with:

1. God-spray.

Having trouble convincing your friends that Jesus really is the bees knees?! One spray of this amazing product and even Billy Graham will be impressed with the fire unleashed from your new friend the super evangelist!

2. Ladder-to-Heaven

Tired of being burdened with the everlasting quest to make it to Heaven when you die?! Well now you don't have to worry anymore! With this Ladder-To-Heaven you can go upstairs anytime you like! Just make sure that when you push the big red button that the ladder is facing towards the heavens and not...towards the ground.

3. God-Snuggie

Do you hate feeling like the only one in church that doesn't get that warm fuzzy feeling every time you pray? Well now you can have the feeling of God's comforting arms wrapping around you 24 hours a day with the God-Snuggie! Before you had to go through tiresome tasks like helping others or donating your time, or even mourning the loss of a loved one to get that holy God-nuzzle next to your heart. With the God-Snuggie you just put it on and the pain is gone!

4. Heavenly-Halo App

If you're tech savvy, and hate always having to try so hard to "appear" holier than thou to your church friends, fear not! This new app gives you all the glowing glamor of the angels without having to act like one! And for just $.99 this app is going to give Angry Birds a run for it's money!

5. God-Vitamins

Have you ever thought that there has to be an easier way to get your recommended dose of God each week without having to pull yourself out of bed every Sunday morning to go to church? Well now there is! Introducing God Vitamins! Just take two God Vitamins a week and you can be sure that you will be fortified with enough Holy Spirit to get you through the week! Available in chewables, gummies, and unleavened wafers!


Does anyone else see how ridiculous these shortcuts may seem? Like it or not there are no shortcuts when it comes to following after Jesus. We are suppose to pick up our cross daily and follow Him. (Luke 9:23) We are called to be in the world but not of the world. (Romans 12:2) We are told that God detests lukewarm Christians. (Revelations 3:16)

Jesus didn't want us to compartmentalize our faith. We don't act like Christians only on Sundays. We can't serve two masters in the same lifetime, God and "insert the things you put before God here______." (Matthew 6:24) The sooner we realize that we were meant to live a life of faithfulness to Christ, doing what He calls us to do, the better. It's not about what God can do to please us, but what we can do to please Him.

And when we take shortcuts it cheapens our faith. We make it out to be less than what God intended. In fact, we make it into what WE want instead of what HE wants. Jesus wanted fully committed followers willing to do the hard things in life and stick up for a faith that puts us second to God. In return we are promised an eternity in Heaven.

I think the payoff is worth the sacrifice.

Do you?

Answer's

Why?

Who?

How come?

I don't get it, explain it to me!

So many times in faith, I want answers. I try to guide my faith and others' (faith) in the right direction in order to feel like I have a grip on what faith is. It's what I like to call a "bood" habit. Yes, I just made that up and I don't really call it that, but sometimes it is a good thing and sometimes times it completely sucks! Because it always seems to get me into these round-a-bout thoughts and small arguments, that end up being, in a sense, unanswerable. Just like there are problems in life that we can't fix, there are going to be questions that cannot be answered. Some may call these holes in our faith, so we struggle to try and explain these questions with these puzzle-like pieces that are supposed to fit perfectly into an unsolvable puzzle.

For example, if you continually break down everything until you question its existence, nothing seems to makes sense. When I see the color yellow, how do I know its the same color you see. What if my yellow is your blue, or your purple is actually red to me? How do I know this answer? Can you prove to me that we see the same thing or is it something we could argue for days, just because it is easy to argue?

I could say to my wife, "Prove to me that you love me. How do I know that you really are in love with me?" Which she could answer, "I tell you all the time. When I come home I smile because I am excited to see you. I give you the biggest hug because I missed you. That's how you know I love you."

"But how do I know it isn't fake?" I would say.

"Because I am telling you it is real."

"But how do I know its for real, for real?"

If I question everything, nothing is going to be answered. Sometimes we just need to have trust and faith in a loving God, just as much as I have to trust and have faith that Ashley really does love me. Instead of searching for every puzzle piece to make our faith perfect maybe we should look at the front of the box (that the puzzle came in) and see what the big picture is and how beautiful the final product can be.

~Adamantium~

Why we do what we do

Have you ever wondered why we do some of the things we do? Why we say some of the things we say? And why our hindsight is always 20/20?

I feel like the Holy Spirit has something to do with this phenomenon. When Jesus would teach his followers, in true "Son of God" fashion he would always answer questions with more questions. I think He did this so that we would search our own hearts for the answers we seek.

These days the Holy Spirit works within us to show us these answers too. When I think back on all the stupid things I've said and done, I see them now with a fresh perspective. What didn't make sense to me back then is now crystal clear. I am able to see the error of my ways because the Holy Spirit enables me to see them.

The Holy Spirit is one crazy powerful part of our God. When it comes to our hearts, I'd like to think that the Holy Spirit is a microscope that helps us see deep down past the surface. It's what helps us to examine our lives more fully, more passionately, more honestly. It's working in and among us to bring change to this world.

Real change in a person happens only when their heart is at the center of that change.

Jesus was wise to direct our questions back at us with more questions. Confusing and frustrating as it must have been for His followers, in hindsight, they end up changing the world because of the impression left by Jesus' words and actions.

And after Jesus' death and resurrection they were undoubtedly lead by the Holy Spirit. That is why they did what they did. So to answer the question of "why we do what we do" I'd simply say that it is God's Spirit that leads our hearts. Our heart leads our head. Our head leads our actions.

I pray that the Holy Spirit fills your heart.

Beautiful Things

I'm posting this song in hopes that it lifts you up and reminds us all of just how awesome the Creator of the universe is. Enjoy!

Gungor- Beautiful Things (click)

Gungor. Great band. Silly name. :)

The Strangers

A few weeks ago (Oct. 14th) Megan and I (my wife) took a small weekend camping trip out to Maplewood State Park. This particular park is gorgeous this time of year albeit most of the leaves had already turned from their brilliant hues to a more matte-finished dull brown. We still had a blast hiking, playing with our dog Charlie, and eating delicious camping food.

(see Hobo stew recipe here.)

The only draw back to tent camping this late in the Fall was that the temperatures got pretty low at night. Oh, did I not mention that my wife and I are hardcore and will NEVER camp with a silly camper? Because we are. Staying in a crowded campground with generators running and your car 2 feet from you is not camping.

But on this particular evening the temperature was flirting with freezing. We were miserable. Even fully clothed and curled up in our mummy bags we still had a hard time keeping our teeth from chattering constantly. Add to this experience the fact that my wife is 15 weeks pregnant and takes frequent bathroom breaks and you've got a recipe for misery.

Fast-forward to last week. It was a chilly Wednesday night. I was driving home from work around 9pm and decided to stop and get gas. Sitting outside the gas station were two shabby-looking people, charging their cell phone near an outside plug-in. Beside them lay two giant packs weighing around 60 lbs. each I'd guess. They looked miserable. At that moment all I could think about was how cold Megan and I had been weeks earlier on our camping trip.

I approached the couple, maybe in their mid-twenties, and asked them if they had a place to stay for the night. They said they couldn't stay in the shelter because they had pets. (Wrapped up in the woman's coat were two Labrador pups that couldn't have been more than a few months old, visibly shivering.) They told me they had heard of a park they could set up their tent in 17 blocks away. Again, a flashback to our camping experience crossed my mind.

I decided I couldn't just let them sleep outside. At the cautious request of my wife, I offered to put them up in a hotel for the night. They gladly accepted and we loaded up their packs (much heavier than 60 lbs. I found out) and drove to the nearest hotel.

As we drove I asked them what had brought them to this life on the streets. They said they were freight train jumpers. (think old school train jumpers, sleeping in boxcars filled with hay...but this life-style has changed much since those days.) The man had been living out on the streets for nearly two years, his father imprisoned and his mother a prostitute. The woman had been living with her mother until 5 months ago when she expectantly died of a medical condition. So here they were, these two companions, riding the rails of America, searching for God knows what.

In Matthew 25: 40 Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, just as you have done for the least of these, you have done unto me."

I really believe that when the bible tells us to feed the hungry, it means feed the hungry. When the bible tells us to clothe the naked or to welcome a stranger or to take care of the sick, these aren't just words. These are very clear instructions on how to live your life like Jesus did. He fed the hungry. He clothed the naked. He cared for the sick. He loved the least of us.

So what's stopping us from literally following these instructions in our everyday lives? It's easy for us to say "I'm praying for you" and think that we've done our part. Now, to be clear, I'm not downplaying the importance of prayer. I believe the Holy Spirit works through prayer in amazing ways. But it's when we ignore the things that we can physically do to help our fellow man that we ignore what Jesus was really calling us to be.

It's when we sacrifice our own comfort to someone in need that we really do become the hands and feet of Christ.

The look on those two transients' faces when they saw their nice warm bed, a shower, and a free meal in the morning was priceless. It was like Jesus was standing there smiling back at me saying, "thank you for what you do for the least of these, for you have done the same for me."

For an interesting look into homelessness, I'd encourage you to check out a book called "Under the Overpass" by a guy named Mike Yankowski. Follow the link here for more info.