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Written by Ryan
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Wednesday, 10 June 2009 18:51 |
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Any fans of music out there? Has anyone ever appreciated the absolute intricacy of a well-practiced musical group while you attend a symphony or are lulled to sleep with earphones on a cozy bed? If not, I hope you have that chance! Reflecting on the world of music, I realize that the more complex things get, something becomes necessary: a conductor. Have you ever led a mission trip with over 20 people into a foreign country? If not, I hope you get a chance! Before we left for Mexico, I tried to have every detail planned for, every situation thought out—especially with the safety warnings. Poring over the details, I deemed myself prepared. As the mission trip unraveled, something became apparent—things were not going according to plan—not even the small things. Entire ministries were lost in communication with the missionary, devotional sheets carried incorrect verses, services were at a different time, etc, etc. Needless to say, I was pulling my hair out! But in the midst of our experience something more beautiful and profound became apparent—every detail worked out to a sweeter melody than its previous destination. Life sprung up out of ‘mishaps’ and everything went better than planned. Ministries were brought back online, people heard more from God with the ‘wrong’ devotional verses and our schedule returned to harmony. I recall a prayer I uttered before we left: ‘God, would you orchestrate everything.’ I cannot imagine how complex our human symphony is—across borders and languages and plans and passions God holds it all in his hands and orchestrates. And he orchestrates well, beyond our sight or wisdom. Praise be to God, who works in all things!
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Written by Ryan
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Tuesday, 30 September 2008 05:19 |
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Lately we have been studying the church with the Youth Group on Wednesday nights. Most recently we began a deeper look into the metaphors of the church in the New Testament. Our first stop on this journey was the Body of Christ. While this is probably not a new idea for any of you, it might be beneficial to rest in the idea and let the power of the metaphor do its work. Imagine for a moment that you are in church, with everyone you might normally be there with. Now think that each person is a different body part. Choose one for yourself, aside from the head. Fixate on that body part. Imagine you have no other capabilities or functions apart from whatever comes natural to that physical part—that is your job, your function, your world. Now picture all of the other ‘body parts’—the people—as being members of one larger body. One is a kidney, another a vein, still another the lungs. Keeping this in mind, focus on your own body; listen to your heartbeat, imagine the amazing sync and rhythm with which all of your body parts function. Can you begin to see the connection? Can you feel the metaphor? Can you see the beauty? Now to balance out the other side, with your body in mind, imagine ripping out something—a vital organ, maybe even some skin, or just a few toenails. What is happening to your image? Pain, suffering, death? In the Body of Christ, you are a member. Maybe you are the intestine, a bone, or teeth. Whatever you are, it is important. Imagine living without even something small inside your body—it was created to function as a unit, not a conglomeration of many units. What does this mean? If you are holding back your spiritual gifts from others in the body, you are denying yourself and the rest of the body your precious function, whatever it is. Maybe you don’t feel important, or even a part of the body. But know this, it is not a body put together by human beings, but by the Lord Jesus himself. If he calls you into his body, bet your bottom dollar you are important and other people need you and your function! Join the rhythm!
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Written by Ryan
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Saturday, 06 September 2008 15:20 |
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Recently watching the Olympics, I was amazed at the abilities of the gymnasts, namely their skills on the balance beam. I imagine it would be difficult enough to walk across the beam, let alone do flips and twists, sometimes only landing on one leg! As I was thinking about our fall curriculum—studying the church—I realized there was a remarkable similarity. The word church is taken from the Greek word ekklesia. The literal translation of this word is ‘the called out ones.’ Now this has vast implications for the Christian life…the very word defines our mission: we are called out of the world, to be transformed, sanctified, to be made more like Christ. Paul provides an example of this from his own life, “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy”….Paul was called out, as we have been called out. So where does the balancing act come in? Well, as Christians we know we are not only called out, but also called in. What do I mean? Our mission to the world! Our mandate to go back to those people and places we left behind. This is where things get tricky. We do not have the faithfulness of Jesus; we are redeemed, but still sinful…how do we keep ourselves ‘out’ of the world if we’re supposed to go back ‘in?’ Paul illustrates this tension, “if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.” Here, then is the balancing act: ministering around sinful people and situations without falling into sin ourselves. I watched an interview with Shawn Johnson last night, the gold medal gymnast in the balance beam. She shared that in each of her six warm-up routines she did the day of the finals, she fell. Does the Christian life feel the same way sometimes? We try to be holy and in doing so we do not go into the world; we fall off the beam. Or we go too far into the world and do not keep our holiness and, you guessed it, fall off the beam. How are we ever to get it right? Well, first of all it takes a lot of practice. The Christian life is a balancing act—stick with it and you’ll improve. Secondly, our balancing act is a team sport—we are all supposed to support and encourage each other—remember you are not called out or in alone! And lastly and most importantly is our coach, better than any Olympian, the one who balanced perfectly holiness and being a ‘friend of sinners’—Jesus the Christ. It is said that focusing on one point can improve balance. Allow the author of Hebrews to leave you with a great strategy: “let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith.”
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