“Horton heard a Who!” (How we Hear- part 4)

In keeping with the theme of how we hear, I wanted to blog about how we sometimes hear too many voices. I know this is true in my life. There are times when I’ve asked too many people for advice, when one was sufficient, or times when people offered unsolicited advice… those are always the best :)

But most importantly, we are all typically overwhelmed with so many voices in our lives. Voices from friends, family, society, television, and our campuses just to name a few. We even hear things that come from our past or present insecurities, fears, and worries. So when all of these voices come at us at once, we miss the one voice that we desperately need to hear in our lives… the voice of God.

I love how God made it a point to show us in the bible (Matthew 17:1-8) that the voice of Jesus should be amplified above all other voices, even other good voices. I know it’s just hard sometimes to hear the voice of God in a noisy world. But I love how Dr. Seuss, in the movie “Horton Hears a Who!”, captured the heart of being able to listen to a small faint voice and follow it, in spite of the fact that no one else can hear the voice, and everyone seems to have advice that contradicts the voice.

Man! I wish we could all be like this. Good ol’ Horton heard a who!

“Not for the Future” (How we Hear- part 3)

I remember how when I was a kid, my father would “ask” me to take out the trash. We all know it wasn’t a request, but a directive. Now although I knew it wasn’t a suggestion, I still took the liberty to wait until I felt ready to take out the trash. Instead of acting immediately, I would wait until it was convenient for me.

I think this is how we sometimes hear things. We hear for the future, but not the now. I think we hear for the future for two main reasons. The first one, is that we’re to lazy to act on what we’re hearing immediately, so we put it off as long as we can. The second reason, is that we may think we are currently unable or unqualified to do the very thing we are being told to do, so we push it of until we think we’re ready. Well, for the most part, you ARE ready now, and stop being lazy! :)

Jesus was encouraging His disciples at one point to basically do what God has called us ALL to do. But after saying that, He put an extra emphasis on not waiting until the moment they thought was the best time, but that the time to start walking in our purpose was right now! 

My hope is that when we hear God or someone tell us something (great or small), we try to listen for the now, not for the future.

“Here to Hear” (How we Hear- part 2)

In keeping with the theme of how we hear, I started to think about how people hear. And although I came up with a few ideas, I realized that the very thing I was doing was the fundamental truth behind today’s blog. I was looking to how others hear, instead of first looking to how I hear myself. Which brings us to our point for the day.

Sometimes we hear for others, not ourselves. Have you ever been in a class, or even in church, and you hear the speaker say something, and your immediate thought is how one of your friends needs to hear this! Now grant it, maybe your friend does need hear it, but it doesn’t mean we should dismiss stuff because we don’t necessarily think it’s for us. Jesus said it best when he asked, "Why do you try to clear the speck out of someone else’s eye when we have a plank of wood in ours?" He didn’t say there was anything wrong with helping someone see the error of their ways, or point them in the right direction, but that we should be sure to examine our own lives first.

I gotta be careful with this as well. Sometimes when I read the bible, all I see is what I can preach on campus, and not what’s for me. I think we all have to remind ourselves from time to time that God wants to speak us first and foremost, not just through us. So the next time we’re at meeting, let’s remember that were here to hear.

“The Great Suggestion” (How we Hear-part 1)

I went away a few weeks back for our annual Fall Retreat. We had a great time. One of the highlights of any conference for me, is when students hear a speaker say something that I’ve been saying time and again, but they actually “hear” it for the first time. I always sit back and laugh, because I recognize that God is continually speaking to us, but for so may different reasons, we either don’t hear it, or we don’t hear it in the way we should.

This one particular nugget was about purpose. So many people, especially college students, are always trying to figure out their purpose in life. What person will I marry, what career will I have, where will I live, etc. And although God has unique paths in life for every person, we all share a corporate purpose that is laced throughout our individual lives. It’s simply to love God and love others. Jesus puts it another way in what Christians call “The Great Commission”, by saying we should go make disciples of all the nations. And a disciple is someone who is following Jesus, and helping others follow Jesus.

So if we are ALL called to do this, it doesn’t matter if you don’t know who your future spouse, employer, or home address is, as long as you’re fulfilling your greater purpose. Some Christians don’t feel “called” to reach out, because when they hear a directive, they receive it as a suggestion. Just remember, it’s called the great commission, not the great suggestion.

“ZAP”

You gotta watch this video before you continue to read :)
(click HERE to view it)

First of, let me say this: I love the fact that these guys love God so much, that they’d be willing to do something like this. But I wanted to use this as an example of how we Christians can sometimes be out dated when it comes to sharing our faith. Even today, it always seems like the Church is one step behind pop culture. I always love to see men and women living for God setting trends, not copying them. Especially when it comes to how we “do” church or “do” campus ministry.

I’m not saying that we should reinvent the wheel every other month, but that we would be sensitive to recognize when our current approach isn’t so current. Just because something has worked in the past, doesn’t mean it’s gonna work in the present or future. Now, I’m not talking about timeless truths like “God loves you” or “Love your neighbor” or “treat ALL older women like mothers and younger women like sisters”. The word of God NEVER changes, but how we present and communicate that word can. What’s the point of sharing something with someone if they can’t understand what you’re sharing? Instead, we should attempt to share in a context in which they can understand.

So how do you communicate your relationship with God to others? Do you ever use current movies or tv shows? Whatever your medium is, I believe we are called to be practical and relatable. Not consistently reinventing, but constantly contextualizing.

Oh, and pay attention the video at the 1:56 mark…. ZAP!

“Don’t stop ‘til you get enough”

I came across a little factoid this week that was pretty intereesting. There’s a Guinness world record for the longest lecture, which lasted for 120 hours and was achieved by Jayasimha Ravirala who lectured on personality development concepts in Hyderabad, India, from 24 March to 29 March 2007. And I thought I was long winded.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked on campus and blogged about how awesome it would be if a bunch of students were able to communicate the underlying message of the bible in 30 seconds, using terminology that ANYONE can understand. I think seeing this world record reinforces this train of thought. I can’t help but wonder how many students/people (other than the guy officially timing the event) actually stayed throughout the whole lecture. And out of those, I wonder many actually retained or even stayed awake for the whole lecture.

I’m not knocking this guy, because I used to be him! Back in college, if anyone even mentioned the word God, I would run over to them and try to preach the WHOLE bible to them in one sitting (or even standing on the sidewalk). Relating your relationship with God to someone is not a bad thing, all I’m saying is, it shouldn’t be a long thing, unless of course they want you to expound on what you’re saying.

We have windows of opportunities… I just hope we don’t miss the moment by trying to plant a whole tree, when all you need or have time for is dropping a seed. Don’t be like Mike...and “Don’t stop ‘Til YOU get enough”.

“Trick or Retreat”

This past weekend our campus ministry took a trip down to North Carolina for our annual Fall Retreat with over 15 different colleges and universities from North Carolina. We had a great time! However, it was very sobering to get back to DC, because everyone was hit with the reality that they were getting back to the grind of campus life.

There are so many benefits to taking time away from our busy lives to get perspective on things. Our surrounding circumstances can be so loud and overpowering, it can sometimes drown out what’s most important in our lives. Maybe that’s why most retreats that people go on are in secluded settings, where it’s quiet and disconnected from the noise of our lives.

Even Jesus would go on mini retreats. His life was so hectic, that He would sometimes wake up extra early to spend time with God. It’s not that God only speaks in the morning, or that His voice is louder in the morning, but that everything else is quieter. Every time we take students on a retreat or to a conference away from campus, students seem to have genuine encounters with God, and seem to be changed in ways they never thought. I think it’s because it’s quiet enough for them to hear God speaking to them.

Although that’s huge, I always try to encourage the students with the fact that God can speak in their life on campus in the same exact way as a a retreat. The trick is, they have to learn how to retreat every day. Trick or Retreat!

“Time Managers”

So a few weeks ago, I started a 5 blog mini series on time management. Afterwards I asked some college students to send me some ways in which they manage their time. So here are the top five.

The first one comes from Kaleah Merrieweather (American University). Her tip is to simply schedule things using her gmail calendar. She seems to love, but advises that it may be addicting, so be careful!

The next two are very similar, but they are such good ideas, I gotta mention both of them. This tip comes from Valeria Palacious and Kat Rendon (Both Georgetown University), and it’s multitasking. Valeria likes to do things like combining school work with simple tasks, such as outlining a paper while doing laundry. And Kat likes to combine exercise with studying.

The fourth one comes from Russ Greene (Georgetown University). His is to practice stuff that I care about every single day, even if just for 5-10 minutes I’m able to make slow but steady progress rather than slacking off for too long and then trying to cram at the last minute.

The fifth one comes from Nicholas Mathis. His is to pray when he starts to feel pressed or anxious. He said when he takes a breath/moment and prays, he feels refreshed and organized, along with the faith that gives him strength to finish his assignments. (Philipians 4:6-7)

I love all these ideas. Nothing better than getting practical advice to help us on a day to day basis. If you have any more tips, just leave comment. Until then, let’s all bask in glory and wisdom from these five time managers!

“Around the bible in 30 seconds”

I think I may be on to a new trend, explaining the whole bible in 30 seconds or less. I’ve done this before at our campus ministry meetings, but the past two nights I asked the students to give it a try. I think they all did great! It was interesting to see how some look at the story of the bible as a whole. Trying to explain all the stories in detail is impossible, but explaining the consistent heart throughout the stories and letters are a different thing. How awesome would it be, if a bunch of students were able to communicate the underlying message of the bible in 30 seconds, using terminology that ANYONE can understand.

Here’s my 30 seconds typed: “God created everything, including us. He loved us so much that He made us in His image, so that He could enjoy relationship with us. Because of our own actions, the relationship between God and mankind was broken. All this happens at the beginning of the bible. From there on out, the rest of the bible is all about God reestablishing the relationship that He intended for us to have in the first place. From Moses to Jesus to the disciples, it’s all unfolding God’s redemptive plan to restore our relationship with Him. That in a nutshell, is the bible.

What do you think? How would you describe the bible in 30 seconds? I’d love to read/hear your rendition. Let’s play “Around the bible in 30 seconds”.

"No Strings Attached

This past weekend there was an event in DC called Convoy of Hope. Our church, along with over 120 other churches, joined together at RFK Stadium to bless the Washington, DC community with no stings attached. Families lined up as early as 7:30am to get groceries, help with resumes, job interviews, haircuts, root canals, dental work, health work, and prayer. And the best part, they didn’t have to pay a cent! The only expectation we had of the people was that they would be blessed.

It seems to me that in our culture, we are taught to only give away or do things that have a positive return on investment. I agree with that, but I may have a different perspective on what a positive return is. Typically it’s money, but I want to say there are many things to me that are considered a positive return. For instance, a life changed is priceless. Jesus told us several times to feed the poor, give money without expecting payment, and to look after orphans and widows. This type of work doesn’t make money for you. In fact, it does the opposite. I’ve heard of a few churches that focus on reaching the suburbs. Not because they feel called there, but because they know those people can give money to the church. But reaching the inner city, or low-income/poverty areas are gonna cost you a lot money. But the return on investment is enumerable!

That’s why I love things like Convoy of Hope. I think they get it. I hope we get it too. Love God, love our neighbors, and give to the poor… with no strings attached.

“timePOD" (5 of 5 time management tips)

I hope these time management tips have helped you so far. But I’m sure you’re wondering what happens when you apply all the tips, but still don’t have enough time. I’m glad you asked. This last tip is the one you use when all other tips don’t seem to cut the mustard. It’s prayer.

Sometimes in life things don’t go exactly as planned, no matter how much you prepare. Someone forgets to tell you important information, you get sick, or a hurricane comes and shuts everything down. There are so many variable to consider when managing your time. But when all your plans fail, pray! There’s a really cool story in the bible, about a guy named Joshua. God told Joshua to do something. Click here to read it. Joshua immediately went to work, but still couldn’t find enough time in that day to do the all that God told him to do. (You ever feel like that?) So instead of getting worried and nervous, Joshua talked to God in front of everyone, and asked Him to stop the sun and moon from moving. God answered his prayer, and Joshua was supernaturally given more time to finish his task.

Even though we know it wasn’t the sun or moon that stopped moving, but instead the earth had stopped rotating, the point is that sometimes you just gotta ask God for supernatural strength, grace, and even time in order to finish things you gotta do. Nothing wrong with asking God for help! I just wish Apple, with all of their cool technology, could create a device that freezes time. Maybe they can call it a timePOD?

“Everyday is training day” (4 of 5 time management tips)

Some of my most dreadful moments in life came two weeks before football season started in college. I originally went to Bridgewater College to play basketball, but wound up being apart of a Championship football team my sophomore year. As most athletes know, two-a-days are a training period where you do nothing but train and prepare for two weeks for the upcoming football season, and you have at least two major practices every day. Not fun, but definitely important and needed.

The reason why it was so hard, was because you don’t always see the benefits of this rigorous time immediately, so it becomes difficult to justify all the hard work and strain you put your body through. But sometimes you just gotta look ahead to the future, and have faith that your current sacrifices will produce great rewards in due time. Now as we talk about time management, I know for myself, one of my biggest issues has been laziness. I used to put things off to the last minute, and then either not finish tasks, or finish them in ways that didn’t represent excellence.

So this tip is pretty short and straightforward: Discipline yourself, work hard, and don’ let laziness make your life stressful. Click here to see what Paul says about this. Self-control, discipline, and sacrifice, are not feel good practices. Neither were two-a-days. But in order to be focused, strategic, and productive with our life and time-management, we need to develop the mentality that everyday is training day.

“Don't forget to eat your A.M's” (3 of 5 time management tips)

Hey everyone, SO SORRY I couldn't update my blog these past few days. I was out of town, and the hotel didn't have wireless internet. I mean c'mon! No wireless? Anywho, here's tip number 3 out of 5. Hope it helps.

Growing up, my mother never had problems with me finishing lunch or dinner, and every snack in between. However, she did have a hard time getting me to eat breakfast. For some reason, I just didn’t like eating early in the morning. (It’s still a struggle of mine) But as a kid, I always thought that as long as I ate the same amount of food as three meals throughout the day, I wouldn’t need to eat breakfast. Basically, I ate more food in less time. Looking back, it wasn’t the best strategy.

I think our schedules are like this sometimes. In the same way we need a balanced diet, we also need a balanced schedule. I see so many students with “top heavy” schedules, meaning nothing in the morning, everything at night. And all they do is run ragged all night long, sleep in, and do it again. Stressful huh? Even if you’re not the type to sleep in late, I want to encourage all of us (myself included) to become more productive throughout the whole day, not just in exhausted spurts.

The bible is full of examples of people rising up early in the morning to do things. Click here for a few examples. Even in His busy schedule, Jesus would get up early in the morning to pray, because it was the only time of day He could be alone. What does your day look like? Do you feel crammed with stuff to do? Do you feel like there isn’t enough time?

The bible says there is a time for everything. Maybe we just gotta use the time that’s given to us more wisely. Spread it out, not trying to do everything at once. And just like my mom always reminded me to eat breakfast, maybe I’ll remind you, “Don’t forget to eat your A.M’s”