6.12.2007
Public Speaking
So on Guy Kawasaki's blog he posted 15 tips from a friend of his on how to improve your public speaking skills. It's really helpful to check out with a lot of advice on keeping your audience engaged. JM
Matthew 21:18-22
Think about all of Jesus' miracles. All of the stuff that the disciples have seen. Mind-blowing stuff. Then 4 days before he is cruficied, they see Jesus curse a fig tree and it dries up immediately, and they can't figure out how he did it.
It's like they constantly forget that Jesus is God and can do anything that he wants. They've seen it constantly, so why would they be so amazed by this.
This is so similar to my faith, though. I mean, I constantly am amazed by what God has done for, through, and with me, and yet I never think he can do it again. I always feel like I'm struggling to stay afloat and yet God is constantly showing me that he is perfectly capable of teaching me to swim.
One of my favorite characteristics of the disciples is that they were so dumb. They never understood what Jesus was saying or at least the true implications of it.
JM
It's like they constantly forget that Jesus is God and can do anything that he wants. They've seen it constantly, so why would they be so amazed by this.
This is so similar to my faith, though. I mean, I constantly am amazed by what God has done for, through, and with me, and yet I never think he can do it again. I always feel like I'm struggling to stay afloat and yet God is constantly showing me that he is perfectly capable of teaching me to swim.
One of my favorite characteristics of the disciples is that they were so dumb. They never understood what Jesus was saying or at least the true implications of it.
JM
6.11.2007
Sweet Child O' Mine
So during mission trip, one of the students showed me how to play the lead intro to Guns N' Roses Sweet Child O' Mine. Obviously this is one of the greatest songs ever written. I'm really bad at playing lead stuff, but I was messing around with it some today, and was actually getting it to kind of sound like the song. I'm still a long way off, but I'll be so pumped when I can actually play it.
Also during mission trip I learned how to play Helena by My Chemical Romance. It's the kind of song that when you play it you want to be in a rock band. Loads of fun. JM
Also during mission trip I learned how to play Helena by My Chemical Romance. It's the kind of song that when you play it you want to be in a rock band. Loads of fun. JM
Matthew 21:12-17
Well, if the religious leaders weren't mad enough at Jesus yet, he figured he'd up the ante on them. Pretty cool scene where Jesus goes into the temple and does some screaming and yelling. Then immediately afterward, people are coming up to him to be healed and little children are singing his praises. This kind of shows two things: First that Jesus wasn't all that scary of a guy even when he was turning over tables and yelling, and second that most of the people felt that the money changers and the people selling sacrifices were shady. They wanted to do what Jesus did, but they didn't have the guts.
So what am I too afraid to do because of the establishment? I'm not sure, but I think the lesson from this passage is to quit caring what the ramifications of an action will be and do it if it is God-inspired.
Seth Godin talked about that today on his blog referencing the moment when most people blink/pause to think about the situation. Jesus didn't do that. He just reacted. JM
So what am I too afraid to do because of the establishment? I'm not sure, but I think the lesson from this passage is to quit caring what the ramifications of an action will be and do it if it is God-inspired.
Seth Godin talked about that today on his blog referencing the moment when most people blink/pause to think about the situation. Jesus didn't do that. He just reacted. JM
6.10.2007
Relationships
The longer I do ministry, the more I am convinced that nothing truly impactful and life-changing happens outside of the context of relationships. The bond that I have with the guys with whom I've done ministry and the ability I have gained to ask probing questions and receive honest answers is solely based on my relationship with those students.
Today after church I was talking with a student. He just wanted to see how things were because I hadn't seen him in a while. He just finished his sophomore year, so he's two years removed from being in my ministry.
Kind of randomly toward the end of our conversation he mentioned the fall retreat that I did in 2004. We took 3 vehicles on the trip, and I was in charge of driving the van filled with the luggage. There was only one other seat in the van, and for a large part of the trip, this student occupied that seat. I can't remember what we talked about, he probably can't either, but he mentioned that car ride.
Creating that memory with him and whatever we talked about at during those few hours I'm sure had more of an impact on his life than all of the messages that he listened to me give. There was no structure, just conversations about his life, my life, and any advice I could give him.
I don't think we should ditch all programming, but I do feel that the vast majority of ministry needs to be focused on free-form small groups where students and adults can interact in a casual atmosphere, can ask probing questions, and receive honest responses, input, and advice. The more I think about it, that's exactly how Jesus ran his ministry. Sure he had his big programs that impacted people, but I bet he relished the times he spent with his disciples around the fire at night. I wish I could have been there. JM
Today after church I was talking with a student. He just wanted to see how things were because I hadn't seen him in a while. He just finished his sophomore year, so he's two years removed from being in my ministry.
Kind of randomly toward the end of our conversation he mentioned the fall retreat that I did in 2004. We took 3 vehicles on the trip, and I was in charge of driving the van filled with the luggage. There was only one other seat in the van, and for a large part of the trip, this student occupied that seat. I can't remember what we talked about, he probably can't either, but he mentioned that car ride.
Creating that memory with him and whatever we talked about at during those few hours I'm sure had more of an impact on his life than all of the messages that he listened to me give. There was no structure, just conversations about his life, my life, and any advice I could give him.
I don't think we should ditch all programming, but I do feel that the vast majority of ministry needs to be focused on free-form small groups where students and adults can interact in a casual atmosphere, can ask probing questions, and receive honest responses, input, and advice. The more I think about it, that's exactly how Jesus ran his ministry. Sure he had his big programs that impacted people, but I bet he relished the times he spent with his disciples around the fire at night. I wish I could have been there. JM
Matthew 21:1-11
The whole city was excited that Jesus was there. Jesus has finally come to Jerusalem. People have heard stories about what he's done nearby, but this is the first time that he's come to their town. Something obviously incredible is going to happen. They throw down palm leaves and their coats and celebrate.
People like to juxtapose this scene with his crucifixion 5 days later and wonder what happened. But when you read how his arrest and trial went down, it was all a carefully orchestrated plot by people in power. Jesus' impact on people was obvious, and people in charge were scared. He was bringing about change, and it was going to continue in their city.
The movement of God, and true Christian spirituality can be scary. We're unfamiliar with it, and sometimes it can be uncomfortable. It's a different mindset on how things should work within the church, and a lot of times people in power react adversely to it. I pray that I can embrace it and develop a ministry that embraces spirituality and encourages people to search for truth and fall passionately in love with Jesus. JM
People like to juxtapose this scene with his crucifixion 5 days later and wonder what happened. But when you read how his arrest and trial went down, it was all a carefully orchestrated plot by people in power. Jesus' impact on people was obvious, and people in charge were scared. He was bringing about change, and it was going to continue in their city.
The movement of God, and true Christian spirituality can be scary. We're unfamiliar with it, and sometimes it can be uncomfortable. It's a different mindset on how things should work within the church, and a lot of times people in power react adversely to it. I pray that I can embrace it and develop a ministry that embraces spirituality and encourages people to search for truth and fall passionately in love with Jesus. JM
6.09.2007
The Resurgence
So I've been out for a while. We just got back yesterday from our mission trip to New York. I'll post more about that later. Right now I'm just trying to get back into regular life mode. Sometimes, I think that might be what God doesn't want for us. Life feels so much different when you're on a mission trip.
This trip was interesting because there wasn't a lot of like hard, hands-on, get dirty kind of stuff. It was mainly publicity and direct interaction with people. What I loved about it, though was the time that I got to spend interacting with students, especially the guys that were in my suite late at night. I'd go down and talk to them for a couple of hours each night and just hang out.
I think the key to life change is the stuff you talk about then. When the day is winding down and you can be real with people.
I talk a lot about the moments before sleep. When life is slowing down and you can really think about what is going on. That's one of the reasons that I do my quiet times at night, and the main reason why I blog at night. I just feel it's the most contemplative part of the day.
Spending time with the 9th grade guys makes me really miss them. They are such a great group of guys. It's tough, too, because right now there is just no student leadership in middle school. It's really hurt the direction of our ministry as a whole. I'm trying to assess where we need to go next year in order to recover. I don't care about numbers, or anything like that, I just want to spiritually impact the students that God gives me. The question is how best to do that. JM
This trip was interesting because there wasn't a lot of like hard, hands-on, get dirty kind of stuff. It was mainly publicity and direct interaction with people. What I loved about it, though was the time that I got to spend interacting with students, especially the guys that were in my suite late at night. I'd go down and talk to them for a couple of hours each night and just hang out.
I think the key to life change is the stuff you talk about then. When the day is winding down and you can be real with people.
I talk a lot about the moments before sleep. When life is slowing down and you can really think about what is going on. That's one of the reasons that I do my quiet times at night, and the main reason why I blog at night. I just feel it's the most contemplative part of the day.
Spending time with the 9th grade guys makes me really miss them. They are such a great group of guys. It's tough, too, because right now there is just no student leadership in middle school. It's really hurt the direction of our ministry as a whole. I'm trying to assess where we need to go next year in order to recover. I don't care about numbers, or anything like that, I just want to spiritually impact the students that God gives me. The question is how best to do that. JM
Matthew 20:29-34
I think it's interesting that these blind guys use the word mercy and not grace. I mean, they want Jesus to heal them, even though they don't deserve it, so they were asking him to show them grace. I wonder why they used mercy, then? There has to be a meaning to it, I'm just not sure what it could be.
It's cool that Jesus felt sorry for them and healed them. I think that might be the key to getting God to seeing God answer a prayer request. We will never be able to earn anything from God and will never receive anything because we deserve it. So basically, we're just trying to get God to have mercy on us and feel sorry for us. Kind of changes your perspective on prayer. JM
It's cool that Jesus felt sorry for them and healed them. I think that might be the key to getting God to seeing God answer a prayer request. We will never be able to earn anything from God and will never receive anything because we deserve it. So basically, we're just trying to get God to have mercy on us and feel sorry for us. Kind of changes your perspective on prayer. JM
5.31.2007
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