the gospel in the midst of tough times

this has been a tough couple months for me and many of my brothers and sisters. it seems like its all been coming to the surface the past couple weeks. with the house getting broken into and the turmoil that has followed, things have been stressful and burdensome there. for me, i haven't had a chance to rest until God answered my prayers and forced me to rest by making me sick. for others its relationships, doubts, lack of purpose, busyness, dryness, loneliness, and silence.

i'm very blessed by matt chandler. i know he's just a human being, but God has used him a whole lot in my life through his podcast. this morning i was praying and then a couple things happened. first (and i know that i will probably get made fun of for this reference to twitter), i saw matt chandler's twitter update: "Working on a series of blogs for pastors...My heart is heavy for them...isolated, lonely, frustrated, overwhelmed...you don't have to be!" those four words - isolated, lonely, frustrated, overwhelmed - really describe me as well as several of my friends at this moment. his comment, (you don't have to be), exposed the idolatry that was in my heart.

i then listened to his podcast from the week - a short, 20 minute reminder of the gospel.

see, i've always seem to operate under this fallacy. i think that if i am lonely, tired, frustrated, overwhelmed, busy, etc....then i'm pleasing God. i'm working hard. i'm being obedient to God. this is a lie that i continue to fall into. i think that if i spend myself for God, he will be more pleased with me. this isn't true because God is already pleased with me! he loves me so much that when i was at my worst he died for me. I don't need to earn his love! he's already given it all to me in Christ. all these things that i get to do now are blessings, not burdens.

ministry is not a burden that i must carry but a blessing that i get to steward.

this reminder of the gospel frees me. it gives me new joy and a new energy. though things in this world may not be ideal, the God who created this world loves me so much that he's called me his friend and has made me a co-heir with his son Jesus.

in the sermon i listened to, chandler ended it like this:

"we're celebrating that while we were at our worst Christ died for us, and that something happened when we became aware of that. Something happened in our minds and our hearts when we became aware of that that changed how we live day to day - not perfect, still busted, still fail, still are drawn to the flesh, but God slowly but surely making us more and more and more like him, and less and less and less like the distorted-viewing person we were - all the while letting us keep a little of our individuality...its the greatest story ever. "

this is the greatest story ever...and what a blessing it is to be a part of it.

need your prayers for myself and for the house church. pray that we'd be reminded of the gospel and that in the midst of these tests that God would saturate our hearts even more with this good news.

being robbed for jesus

last night the guys' house got broken into. nearly $3000 worth of stuff was taken from my brothers...none of my stuff was taken (most of my stuff was moved out just one week ago). i found this out early this morning from a phone call from jesse. his heart amazes me. he asked for prayer for wisdom on how to respond in the gospel. that is evidence of a heart changed by Christ's love...

i've had a little time to reflect and pray through things, and i've come to a few conclusions:

first, God knew that this was going to happen. we all knew this was going to happen when we moved into the neighborhood that we're in. so...he's in control, and i really do think that this happened for a purpose. God wants to bring some sort of good from this.

second, what an honor to be stolen from for the sake of the gospel! what an amazing opportunity to show our neighbors and the world that our treasure is not in the things of this world but is in Christ. how awesome is it to be able to be reminded that all of these things are temporary...

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal." mt. 6:19-20.

third, i think of what we went over in 1 corinthians 9 just a few days ago....paul says that he's become a servant to all. we are servants of this world, ministers of reconciliation. how can we serve the people who stole from us and show them the gospel? do we now have a connection with the gang scene in Salem and an opportunity to take the gospel into this dark place?

maybe i'm too optimistic or hopeful, but i do think that God could do some sweet stuff in this situation...lets be reminded of Jesus together as we bear each other's burdens in this.

this video seems to fit with what just happened: