The Week Ahead...

It's week 8 of the school year!

Here's what's on the area schedule:

Monday, October 20 - YL: Real Life at Jason Novo's house in Summit (we are trying something new, somewhere between Campaigners and club... a real life discussion about things that matter.)

Wednesday, October 22 - Committee Meeting at the Murakami's 7PM

Thursday, October 23 - Buck Stars, 3PM at Starbucks (this is the name I'm trying out for the HS boys discipleship group I've put together. we had our first meeting last week. It was awesome. More awesome than that name...)

Thursday, October 23 - Drew Roots, 8PM at Drew University (we kicked this off last week and it was a really fun night!)

Saturday, October 25 - Young Life College at Starbucks, 9-10AM (right now, this is me and Matt Kreder, but that's OK with me! He's a faithful friend.)

Please keep these things in your prayers!

The Young Life Leader Blog: Today Is A Mission-wide Day Of Prayer For Young Li...

The Young Life Leader Blog: Today Is A Mission-wide Day Of Prayer For Young Li...: Today is a global Young Life Day Of Prayer.  On the first Tuesdays in March and October we as a mission join in prayer for our Reaching A ...

YL World-wide Day of Prayer; Colossians 1:1

Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 7, 2014 is the international, mission-wide day of prayer for Young Life. Would you join me in praying for our mission both here in our area and around the world?

I plan on doing a prayer walk in the morning from 7 to 7:30 AM at Gov. Livingston high school, in the afternoon at Summit high school from 3 to 3:30 PM and at New Providence high school from 4 to 4:30 PM. Finally, I'll prayer walk at Drew University from 730 to 8 PM. Please join me! I would love to pray with you and stand in the gap on behalf of kids at each of the schools.

For those of you who are not able to join me on these prayer walks, please pray! Isn't it the greatest gift we have been given to interact with our Father!? This is the work! Without prayer we are nothing, we accomplish nothing. Prayer gives us access to the One who wants kids to be reconciled to Him more than we do! We get to plead with him to rescue kids in our area!

"Prayer is striking the winning blow. Service is picking up the pieces"

Let us approach tomorrow and our daily prayer lives as if everything we do depends on our prayers.

I would like you to consider fasting tomorrow as well. Fasting is a wonderful mystery and yet in my life when I fast God shows up. If you, like me, have a hard time fasting a full day I would like to encourage you to start the night before. Maybe even early dinner, and then start the fast at 6 PM. I find it easier to fast from 6 PM to 6 PM the following day. But I guess it's not about what is easy, is it? Since we can't all be together and encourage each other in the fast I think it is good to start the day before and finish the following evening.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, (Colossians 1:1 NIV)

Here begins my quest to memorize the first chapter of the book of Colossians. I don't want to just memorize the words and therefore I plan to take time to write about every verse and whatever comes to mind. Whatever insights might occur I will share here.

And before you think 'wow he's so spiritual and wants to memorize stuff that's awesome!' I want you to know that this is an assignment I was given by my boss. Therefore do not think more highly of me then you ought. I put my pants on one leg at a time folks!

So let's take this first verse in the book of Colossians. It seems to simply be Paul identifying himself as the author of the following text. But looking a little closer he identifies himself as 'an apostle of Christ Jesus' - A title he did not earn by spending time with Jesus here on earth, like the other 11 apostles. No, he was a murderer of Christians before "by the will of God" he was called and appointed to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. Paul understood quite clearly that it is only by the will of God that he was who he was - an apostle of Christ Jesus. If it were up to his will he would still be a murderer of Christians, hunting them down in villages and cities around the ancient Middle East. (See Acts 8-9 for Paul's early career and his encounter with Jesus that set him on the path to become an apostle.)

But isn't the requirements of apostles to have "been with the Lord Jesus?" (See Acts 1:15-26) How could Paul claim to be an apostle? He gives us a few clues to his qualifications as an apostle in 2nd Corinthians chapters 11 and 12. First he boasts about his sufferings for the gospel how he was beaten, imprisoned, and "exposed to death again and again." And then in chapter 12 he continues to boast about "a man" who had visions and revelations from the Lord. In this way he seems to be referring to someone else's experience. He gives us a clue in 12:6-7 that he is actually boasting about his own experience. So Paul has every right to the title of apostle because he received directly from Jesus certain visions and revelations that equipped him to be one of the apostles.

So why does he referred to himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus? He must be trying to assert his authority to speak into the lives of the church in Colossae. The church had gone astray in their theology and had wandered away from the gospel they had first received. Paul the apostle wanted to bring them back and must have felt that his authority as an apostle would be the ground to stand on as he lovingly coaxed the church back to the gospel they first received. 

"And Timothy our brother,"

I guess Timothy was there with Paul when he was writing this letter or, as some people think, maybe it was actually Timothy's hand that penned this letter. Either way, I'm reminded that Paul the great apostle needed companionship and encouragement. Timothy was his son in the Lord and was a continual source of encouragement for Paul. Just as some kids who have come to know Jesus through Young Life in our area are such a source of encouragement for us leaders and committee members. 

People Be Seeking - First Priority!

"But you people be seeking - first priority! - his kingdom and righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you as well." - Matthew 6:33 translated by Dale Bruner

Do you find yourself worrying? 

I want to encourage you to start seeing worry as a sign. The next time you worry, take a step back and inspect your heart. Has the throne of your heart been filled with someone or something other than the King of kings? For when Jesus is seated as the King of our hearts, there is nothing in this world that can cause us to really worry. If he is King, there is nothing to worry about! Yet, so often we relinquish the throne of our hearts to others and anxiety arises. 

May worry become a trigger to compel you to invite Jesus to take his rightful place in your heart.

"Your kingdom come."

Like my friend Rich Mullins said, may we give our lives to Christ again and again, every moment of every day.

So what does righteousness have to do with all of this anyway? Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness? 

"'Kingdom' is the goal of the Christian quest, 'righteousness' the way to it." - Dale Bruner, The Gospel of John

If righteousness is living and doing as Jesus lived and did, then seeking his righteousness is seeking to live and do as Jesus lived and did. Sin has a reputation of clouding judgement, causing a veil to fall over our eyes so we don't see or think clearly. And if we don't see or think clearly, we won't even know when something or someone has invaded the throne room of our hearts.

Seeking his righteousness can often help us see more clearly the condition of our hearts.

Why is it so hard, sometimes, to do the right thing? Probably a heart-throne problem.

"Your will be done."

May his kingdom come in your heart, and his will be done as a result.

A New Season

September 2014.
A new school year.
A new leadership team.
A new senior class.
Something new at Drew.
Maybe hiring someone new for Summit. Maybe?
A new WyldLife club.
A whole lotta new.

And the same old, old story to share with a whole new sea of students.

“Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

What are you afraid of? Who are you afraid of?

It doesn't clearly state it, but Simon was clearly terrified of Jesus. He was afraid.

And yet he fell at Jesus' knees, in the midst of flopping, just-caught, dying fish and begged Jesus to get away from him. 

That really is the only alternative to following Jesus, isn't it? Either we come to grips with our sinfulness and receive his amazing grace or we try to get away from him. 

Or get him away from us.

Reminds me of the kid who avoids me on the final full day of a summer camp week. He's been convicted and knows he must make a decision about Jesus, but it would be so much easier to ignore him, hoping he would go away.

I wonder how many times Jesus had tried to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Simon before this moment. I wonder if Jesus was pursuing Simon for days, maybe weeks to discuss the direction of his life. Perhaps this whole scene was orchestrated... getting into Simon's boat, asking him to push out a little, teaching for a bit, directing Simon to push into deep waters and let down his nets... all orchestrated so Simon could see Jesus for who he really is and not run away!

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction. - Proverbs 1:7

That's a bit of a weird video, I know, but Francis Chan has a way of explaining things.

May we fear the Lord, find his love, mercy and grace, and be compelled to go out and fish for people.

Here is a link to "The Bridge" fable by Edwin Friedman. Please read this so we can discuss further next time we are together.

Speaking of the next time we are together! Block out these dates for our next Leadership Meetings:
October 19, November 23 and December 21. We will start at 6:30PM with dinner and finish by 9PM.

And definitely plan on going to the Young Life Summit on January 24 in New York City!