Category Archives: Discipleship

ask. seek. knock.

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“All you got to do is ask…”

I often hear this phrase in the form of that oh-so-subtle ‘gentle whisper’. But I’m a worrier. I get anxious really easy. It’s hard for me to ask for help. I’d rather stress out and believe that the world is actually caving in. Why? I have no idea.

Right now I’m at a time in my life where all I can do is ask God what’s “next.” If I don’t start seeking I’m not going to find anything. I’m at a crossroad and not sure which way to go. And then I hear it: “All you got to do is ask…” Wait… There it is again. “God? Is that You?”

I’m sure everyone would love to receive a personal visit from God and listen intently while He reveals His grandiose plan for their life. I know I would. But somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen. What I can bank on though is that if I ask, I’ll receive — if I seek, I’ll find — and if I knock, the door will be opened. Agh, it sounds so easy, but what if I don’t get the answer I want? What if I don’t like what’s on the other side of the door? Hmmm… That could be a problem. I think the real question is Do I believe that the Father is good?

Yes.

So the answer I receive should be good. Right?

What I find will be good.

What lies on the other side of the door is good.

Even IF it’s not what I had in mind.

The bottom line is this: The Father is good and He gives good gifts to His children.

I am His child. So if I ask, he’ll give me something good.

All that’s required of me is to have faith that He’s the good Father He promises to be. And I do.

So I stand outside the door and knock, waiting for the surprise that awaits me. God, thank You for Your goodness. Thank You for Your promises. Help me to treat others with the same goodness You have shown me. I’m looking forward to the journey of what lies ahead — the joy, the suffering, the pain, the adventure. No matter what it looks like, I know that it will be completely and utterly rewarding, so long as You are at the CENTER. Amen!

What do you need to ask for? To seek after? What doors are waiting to be opened in your life?

100 Day Bible Challenge

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My church is doing a 100 Day Bible reading plan through the Gospels and the book of Acts. It’s always so refreshing reading through the Gospels and re-focusing on the life of Christ. I so desperately need that in my life constantly. Here’s a link to the challenge in case you’re interested // http://www.centralaz.com/100DAYS

For my reading and SOAP Journaling I’m going to seek to have a “big idea” take-away from each day’s reading. I’ll post and share these each week. I’d love for you to share your thoughts as well.

WEEK 1

Matthew 1 // The amazing account of Jesus the Messiah, God’s King, Emmanuel ['God with us'], who saves His people from their sins.

Matthew 2 // Some came to worship and adore the King while others were threatened by Him. This cycle continues today. Is Jesus the King of your life or a threat to your kingdom of ‘self’?

Matthew 3 // The kingdom of heaven has come near! Turn towards God and follow His son with devotion and passion.

Matthew 4 // The Holy Spirit tests us, and God’s Word strengthens us. Jesus is stronger than any tactics of Satan. Jesus extends the invitation to come and follow — an invitation to love and serve people.

Matthew 5 // Discipleship training and the teaching of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus brings a new interpretation of TORAH / LAW — serve, love, make peace, forgive, be meek, righteous, and pure. Be perfect, because Yahweh is perfect.

Church vs DMV

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There are not many things that I hate more than going to the DMV. Literally, I’ve never gone to the DMV and had a good experience. On the contrary, each time I go I despise it more and more. After recently having to make two trips there in the span of one week, it made me think about something…

What if church was like the DMV?

Seriously.

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What if someone’s church experience was a stale, stuffy, unfriendly waste of time?

Here’s my typical DMV experience:

I walk in and wait in a long line just to get to the welcome counter. A person who never makes eye contact with me then asks “what are you here for?” in a monotone, frank, mile-a-minute demeanor. After asking her to repeat herself, she finally gives me a number that says “M139” and I’m told to have a seat “over there.”

Still, no eye contact.

I take my seat in the middle of the most boring, stale, funky smelling room I’ve ever been in and play on my phone to pass the time. I occasionally look up at the screens that read, “A19, F59, P133” and I wonder how many hours it will be till I’ll see “M139.” Finally, after forty-five minutes or so, I surprisingly see my number and am overjoyed. Now, I’m off to the booth to take care of my business.

As I approach the booth I don’t receive a “hi sir, how are you today?” greeting, but instead another monotone spatter of “what do you want?”

Still, no eye contact.

Okay, maybe just a little.

After being made to feel stupid because I don’t know some secret DMV “insider lingo,” I’m sent over to another station to do who knows what. By this time I just want to go home!

I could go on and on, but you get the point. Maybe it’s just me, but if there’s one thing I wish I could avoid in life it’s the DMV.

I wonder if some people feel the same way about church?

Imagine if you walked into a church that was stale, smelly, unfriendly, and just downright cold. I’m not only talking about the physical environment, but even more so, the relational atmosphere. I’ve heard many people feeling this way about church, coming into a place that is supposed to be welcoming and full of love, yet experiencing quite the contrary.

This is sad and unfortunate.

Although this is a reality, luckily, not everyone’s church experience is similar to the DMV.

I am thankful that Central is a place full of life. Excellence is apparent physically, programmatically, and relationally. I’ve heard story after story of people experiencing the warmth and love they so desperately needed in their lives while at Central.

I am thankful that Central and the DMV are antonyms.

Overall, this whole conversation is a reminder for me that I am the church, I represent it, and I represent Christ. Therefore, I represent love and compassion and grace. No matter where I am or what challenge I face, my identity in Christ requires me to practice these virtues.

When I go to the DMV, I am the church.

When I’m at work, I am the church.

When I’m driving on the street, I am the church.

And so are you.

We are the CHURCH.

Are we representing it well?

Consistency vs Complacency

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It’s easy right? To do the “minimum,” the “status quo.”

Let me ask you a question though. When you take your car to the mechanic are you okay with complacency? How about when you go to the doctor?

A few years ago I got this wild idea to do a triathlon. I know, big mistake! For whatever reason, it sounded like a great thing to do – until the training started. It was exhilarating shopping for a bike and all the latest, greatest “must have” gadgets that promised to give me an added edge. Although my wallet hurt a bit, buying the gear was the easiest part of the triathlon. Training, on the other hand, was a whole different story.

I was gung-ho for the first few weeks, training once, sometimes twice a day. It was tough, but I could feel the hard work pay off. However, it didn’t take long before I began to skip training days here and there. It may not seem like a big deal, but skipping one day of training can set you back a long way. Often, if you skip too many training days you’ll wind up throwing in the towel and giving up altogether. I had to fight this urge more than I realized. Seeing my goal through to the end came down to a matter of consistency.

So it is with life. Especially when it comes to our faith. If we are not actively and consistently pursuing growth then we won’t develop. The more “training days” we miss, the easier it is to simply throw in the towel. Thus, the danger lies when we opt for complacency instead of consistency. It is so easy to become complacent in our faith, choosing to go through the motions instead of desiring to grow and flourish. I don’t know how many times I’ve started a Bible reading plan and failed to finish, or set out to have a daily prayer time only to push it aside a few weeks later. Why is this so great a challenge? Why is it so easy to become spiritually complacent?

In John 10, Jesus says that He came so that we may have life, and have it to the full. It’s ours, but we must take it! We must desire it and fight for it. It will not fall into our lap. What Jesus doesn’t offer us is complacency. That is something we choose on our own. In fact, I would argue that complacency is in direct competition with the fullness of life that Jesus offers. When it comes down to it, this fullness is offered to us as a gift, yet we have the freedom to squelch it.

So, when it comes to your spiritual life, what word would best describe you?

Consistent or Complacent?

If you find yourself in a place of complacency with God, then I encourage you to take some steps towards re-engaging that relationship. Make a choice to set aside 15-30 minutes of your day to dig into God’s Word and have a prayer time. If this practice has become foreign to you then I’m confident you will be pleasantly surprised at how God can open up your eyes and begin to show you what the fullness of life can look like in your life.

Despite the constant battle and lack of desire to train, I finally accomplished my goal in competing in a triathlon. The process was hard, painful, and there were numerous times I wanted to give up. That made crossing the finish line all the more rewarding! My consistency paid off and it was worth every single minute of it. I only pray that my journey with Christ will be met with the same consistency – and I pray yours will be too!

It Has Arrived!

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My original blog was called mathetes, which is the Greek word for disciple. I really never intended to be “that guy” who like a “super-spiritual cheesy Christian” uses Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic words to be creative and overly spiritual. I realize that I have done this to some extent, but that was not my intention, so you just have to take my word for it. Or not. Either is okay with me, but allow me to explain my reasoning for using the biblical languages.

I am a pretty sentimental guy. I have an imagination that finds real life, historical events very special and significant. I’m the type of guy that loves re-visiting the neighborhood where I grew up and just sitting and remembering what life was like back then. Weird as it may sound, I love closing my eyes and imagining being there in the moment once again.

I also love spending time imagining what it would have been like living in the past. What would my life have looked like during Israel’s trek through the desert? During the reign of King David? During the life and times of Jesus? During Medieval Europe? During the founding of America?

The biggest imagination I have is what it would be like to be in the presence of Jesus while he was here on the earth. What would I think about him? Would I be one that could drop everything and follow him? Would I dismiss him as a religious lunatic? What choice would I make if he looked at me and invited me to follow him?

This is where the desire for the Greek word came. I wanted the exact word Jesus would have spoken with this invitation. That’s the sentimental side of me for ya! Ironically, when I created my blog over 5 years ago I failed to realize that although the New Testament was originally written in Greek, Jesus did not speak Greek. Jesus spoke Aramaic, so the word would not have been mathetes. Hence, with a new look, a new blog platform (wordpress), and a new URL comes a new name for my blog – talmida. For the description of this, check out the about section my my blog.