This line also gives a path to becoming a grateful person or a person who exhibits the virtue of gratitude.  First, it begins with realizing that life itself, no matter what the quality of that life may be, is a gift from God.  God created us and loved us.  If we have learned anything about God as humans, it is that God does what he wants.  Evidently he wants us- which is crazy to think about in itself.  The path towards being a grateful person is first to realize that you did noting to deserve life at all, let alone to be judge of the one who gave it to you for making it either “good” or “bad”.  Then, we must not take anything as expected – we are not entitled to anything. At all.

After we have stripped ourselves of the fact that we were helpless in the matter of our own creation and that therefore we simply cannot deserve anything, we are free to see how worthy we are simply because God chooses us.  He chooses humanity and humans, even killing himself to do it.  So how do we thank him?

Chesterton said that we thank him for beer and (wine) by not drinking too much of it.  For some, that might mean not drinking them at all.  We can thank God for our blessings of abundance by not eating too much and by sharing with others that are going without.  We can be grateful for his faithfulness to us as his people by being faithful to our own commitments.  We are grateful for his forgiveness when we forgive others.  We are grateful for his discipline when we accept it ourselves or we learn how to properly correct each other.We are grateful for someone bringing us food by tipping. etc.

The list goes on and on.  If you would, please leave a comment about one way you have learned to show gratitude.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

But for those of us that have been given the grace of noticing God’s redemptive work in our lives and all creation even, the fact that Jesus walks on water should be nothing.  Perhaps the greatest miracle in life is the warming of human hearts, whose fires are prone to be stifled by the worries and troubles of this world.

When Jesus calls his 12 closest disciples (students, followers, life-coachees), he asks these two brothers who were fishing to leave what they were doing and follow Him.  He says something peculiar: “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

So I am trying to learn the art of fly fishing.  The interesting thing about fly fishing is that you try and “match the hatch” or use flies that look like the ones that are hatching from the river or that are landing on it.  Sometimes when you pick our which fly you want, it may not look exactly like the fly you want.  However, from the fish’s perspective it may look exactly what you need.

So the glorious moment comes when fish strike the fly.  The rise to the surface to grab it, sometimes breaking the plane of the top of the water.  In the most dramatic and exciting cases they will leap completely out of the water.  Glorious.

Sometimes when God’s grace is presented to people, we think that it will happen like when we are fishing on top of the water, expecting people to be completely hungry for God’s grace and jump out of their lives into a new life in faith.  When that happens, it is glorious.  However, when the world is a muddy river, the best and prettiest fly on top of the water will not always be seen.

However, Simon Peter and Andrew were fishing with nets on the sea of Galilee.  It seems that Jesus’ and the disciples way of fishing meant going deep into the unknown with nets.  Like the days after Pentecost when the “Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”, it seems that results come from when people imitate Jesus, who risked everything to dive into our world to save us from our sins, and then risked everything again by putting a handful of broken people in charge of taking God’s message, love, grace to the world and forming His people, the Church.  Wow.

Now with the power that raised Christ from the dead working in us, may we seek to do his will.  Let us who have been walking on top of the water by faith consider holding onto life on top of the water something to keep for ourselves.  Let us dive deep into the unknown and dare to love people where they are and show them the top of the water, being pulled up with them in the inescapable clutches of God grace.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

I’ve been here in Montana for a little over a week.  After a week, I feel that I have made the right choice and am looking forward to being here for at least a year (the length of my initial commitment).  My work here will be a slightly different ball of wax.  There is a parable Jesus tells about leaving 99 sheep to go after 1 which is lost.  I have done that and more.  Right now I am working with two students, and the youth group I was involved with until recently was pretty large.  It’s weird but good.  I really miss my flock, but I am starting to see true value in the place where I am and have already seen God use me in cool ways here, even if I haven’t worn my flip flops since I have gotten here.

So, for all of you have been praying, thank you.

I’m also happy to say that I am applying to George Fox Evangelical Seminary and hope to complete an M.A. in Ministry Leadership.  I’m sure there will be much more about this program as I become more and more involved in it.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

I haven’t blogged in a bit.  It’s hard to get back in the habit.

Update:

1) there is some cool discussion happening over at Adam’s blog with ex-christians and a few of us youth pastory types.

2) We have seen several students begin to follow Christ recently!

3) I’ve been fishing, either with tremendous success or tremendous failure.

4) Tatango is sweet.

5) I started writing a book.  If you are the type of person that thinks about the direction of the American church/the holisitic Gospel/evangelism as social justice and social justice as evangelism, you should talk to me as I write.

6) I’ve been teaching a high school small group on Genesis, reading up on interpretations of Revelation, and letting Jesus ruin my life as I know it by reading Luke-Acts.

7) I’ve discovered the glory that is “The Bible Experience” by Zondervan.  They hired a bunch of celebrities to read the Bible….finally I have a better way of hearing it as the story I should hear it as. It’s fresh, legit, and true; Word (of mouth) of God.

That’s the Q&D. I’ll posting.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWilLZ

The meal has been served, the cup and bread were given as signs of a new covenant.  Jesus confers (gives) the Kingdom to this group of young men.  To (Simon) Peter, who he told that he was going to be the rock on which Christ’s church is built (Matt 16:18), he said (Luke 22:31-34):

31“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you^[a] as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

33But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

34Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

The footnote in my bible tells me that the “you” in verse 31 is plural, so it should read “Satan has asked to sift y’all”.  Satan had asked to sift the group like wheat.  Indeed, the group was shaken and Judas, who had given into evil was separated from the group for good.

Another interesting thing about being sifted is that is separates groups into individual parts.  This group of young followers of Jesus had become a clump that was closely bonded.  Sifting would have been a painful breaking apart of the group.

During that sift, Peter (the Rock on which Christ had chosen to build the Church) even denies Jesus just as Jesus told him.  The disciples are broken apart, and the leader of the group denies Christ 3 times!

Sift.

When Christ restores Peter, he gives him the task of taking care of the church and feeding the his sheep. It may not be obvious to us, but it is so much easier to feed the sheep if they are together!!  The disciples had been sifted, broken apart, and painful separated from each other.

Today, Christians all over the world are broken apart. Some will not have anything to do with each other. There is one true God and all of us who trust and live Him belong the same family.  There are no Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, EV Free, Methodist, Reformed, Non- or Inter- Denominational churches but one (1) body of Christ that spans the globe and time. It is time to be one.

If you are following Christ, listen carefully. God builds his church by bringing together that which Satan has broken apart. That is the rock that this house is built on.

Jesus, pray for our faith that we may not fall. Bring us together for your sake.  Take the sifted and baked with us how you wish. Teach us to strengthen our brothers and sisters as we turn back to you.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

p.s. Did you hear about the guy that fell in the sifter last week?

He is fine.

So when that day–the day–arrived, what were they to think? The symphony that is the course of history–human and cosmic alike–took a new tempo and changed keys. Silence was broken as the God allowed himself to be birthed just as you and I were. His eyes opened, his body was wiped, and his mother probably wanted to yell at Joseph during her post-natal hormone rage, but she knew that it was not his fault.

It was the Father’s fault. She and her husband started to care for God, who chose to be caged inside of the flesh of humanity. Gracefully the Child screams and cries for food and warmth. Most babies miss the comfort of the womb. This one also missed the privilege of being in the form of God and being in heaven with the Father. He would soon feel just how cold, alone and ungrateful the world could be. He knew in that moment(indeed He had always known), as He experienced the human condition as a human, what the next 33 or so years had in store.

The day he was birthed was the down payment for a very costly and humiliating life. This humiliation was the only real hope. If He cared, and He does, He was the one to do this.

Israel gets their Messiah, and the Conductor marks a downbeat to a new tune. The orchestra of creation is stirred and sits up straight. Something in His eyes communicates that this is going to be beautiful. Celebrate well today — God is with us!

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

The thing about the towel is that it’s value is somehow connected to its use.  A towel is used for drying, and a rag is used for cleaning.  If your life is like a a towel or a rag, you will occasionally get wet and you will get filthy — but that is part of being useful.

Revelation’s warning to the church of Laodeica is: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” This passage is said to refer to usefulness by implying that hot and cold water are moving.  Hot and cold water have their purposes, but stagnant, lukewarm water quickly becomes useless and nonpotable.

Part of our purpose is to actively and usefully clean up the world we live in.  But how does water make itself hot or cold?? How does a towel get used for the good?  How does a rag become a used and filthily fulfilled rag?

To be used by God, we have to allow him to take us, use us, and to humbly be his:

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.

Repent, sit and be God’s, read this chapter.  Take on life to its fullest.

Be hot, be cold, keep moving, be useful.  Be filthy and used from cleaning up a world in need.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

“I realized today that I have been looking down and wading through all the bad things I have been dealing with.  I have been saying, ‘Look at how nasty this crap is.  Why is this so bad? Look at all this crap!’

“Then it was like God said, ‘Filex, look up’.  When I looked up I saw a rope dangling just within reach above my head. I had hot had time to notice the rope because I was so focused on the crap.”

What a great story. There are so many time that life is like that.  It makes me think of when Peter was walking on the water towards Jesus.  As long as he looked at Jesus, he was fine, but when he became afraid of the winds, he began to sink.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

This month we decided to give to New Life International, an organization that is spreading the Gospel while and by providing the basic necessity of clean water. 

The rationale for giving here is easy: About a sixth of our neighbors in the world do not have access to clean water. 

You should know that Jesus says this in Matthew 25:

4″Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

 37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

 40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

 41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

 44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

 45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

 46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

If you are looking for a trustworthy place to do things for the “least of these”, New Life International is a solid choice.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ

In order to help them grasp the passage, I asked the students to imagine what it would be like to be God.

“Friggin a flying white horse!,”  Bryce proclaimed with wide eyes and pure wonder in his eyes.

“Yes, with a flowing mane of justice!,” added Alex almost immediately. 

I love my students.  AND, maybe smell a small group seal cooking.

May the Lord’s will be done,

CWillZ