Part I
“My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” – Christ, John 17:15
I am currently reading through, “They Like Jesus, but not the Church” by Dan Kimball. Pastor Kimball is a pastor of a church out in California, who has spent many years in ministry following the status quo and who woke up one day from the daydream of his “Christian bubble” and was dissatisfied. He talks about his realization that as a Christian and a pastor, an overwhelming majority of his time was spent in the church, with Christians completely involved with Christian meetings, programs, retreats, music, lingo, clothing – all the Christian clichés that so many are familiar with. As he was looking around at all of these things, he realized that slowly, over time, he had neglected his mission as a Christian. He had slowly bowed out of his relationships with non-Christians; he was not involved in any serious outreach ministry.
He began to wonder if this was something he alone was struggling with; he thought, “Surely it must be me!” Therefore, he began to survey all of the staff he worked with, many Christians in his church… and sadly, he realized it was true of all of the people he questioned. They had no non-Christian relationships. He said that he had slipped into the Christian bubble without even noticing it, and he himself was enhancing that bubble, making it stronger and impermeable.
He writes, “Then I began noticing what most of us talk about. Generally, it is the latest Christian band or concert or what is happening at church. As I recognized that we really only socialize with our Christian friends, I also recognized that overall, we are complacent about those outside the church. We are not thinking about their destiny. We are not concerned about whether they are experiencing the abundant life Jesus offers. We are more concerned about whether there will be good snow on our church skiing trip than out the spiritual status of our neighbors and the people we work with every day. I became aware that I didn’t hear much concern about those who don’t know Jesus yet. We are all about making church better for ourselves and making our lives more comfortable in the Christian bubble we have created. I didn’t hear much about being a voice for the voiceless or being concerned with social justice, the poor, AIDS in Africa, and other pressing needs.”
Having been in the Church for nearly 21 years and in Bible College for 3… unfortunately, Pastor Kimball hits the nail on the head in many ways. Not that this generalized sentiment is true of every Christian; but I do believe it is the tone for much of Christianity today.
Pastor Kimball goes on to talk about the transformation many of us experience as new believers in Christ, who are so excited about our faith and absolutely thrilled to share that with everyone that has an ear; he talks about “the transformation from excited missionary into citizen of the bubble”.
Phase 1: We become Christians.
A majority of new believers are on fire. They are so excited about their newly found faith and practically shout it from the mountaintops. The average new believer will tell no less than 20 people about their faith, between family and friends. At this early point in your faith, a majority of people stay close with their non-Christian friends, co-workers and classmates. Not out of obligation, but rather because there are relationships there.
Phase 2: We become part of church life.
New Christians begin to make Christian friends inside the church, getting interested and involved in programs and with people who share the same faith and value systems as themselves. Over time, the contact is less and less with non-Christian friends and more and more with fellow Christians in the church.
Phase 3: We become part of the Christian bubble.
Pastor Kimball says that in Phase 3 is when drastic changes really begin to take place. “We get more excited about going overseas to the mission field on summer trips than about the mission field we live in every day”. “We begin to see evangelism as something the church does, primarily through events… we start to see evangelism as inviting people to go to a church, where the pastor will do the evangelizing and explain Christianity, instead of spending time with people and talking with them and BEING THE CHURCH TO THEM.”
We have begun talking with our “christianese” or Christian lingo, wearing Christian tee shirts, putting Christian bumper stickers on our cars, silver fish on our bumpers, only Christian music… all of these are enjoyed with our Christian friends. We have become citizens in the bubble.
Phase 4: We become Jonah.
“After several years as citizens of the bubble, we begin to complain and point out the terrible things happening in the culture. Like Jonah in the Hebrew Bible, who ran away when God told him to go to the wicked city of Nineveh (Jonah 1:3), we don’t want anything to do with those who aren’t following God as we are. Like Jonah, we even have a secret sense of delight thinking about how God will one day punish all those sinners in our towns and cities (4:5). Like Jonah, who even after God gave him a second chance and he saw the people of Nineveh repent and cry out to God, complained about not having shade over his head and being uncomfortable (4:8-9), we complain about how well the church is providing what we want and grow number to the fact that people all around us need the love and grace of Jesus”
Another point that I think Pastor Kimball could’ve mentioned here, is that Jonah was mad and begrudged that God did allow the Ninevite’s hearts to be warmed and repent of their ways… it is easy for us to see the wickedness and depravity of our fallen world and happily shrug our shoulders and think to ourselves, “hey, at least one day they’ll get what they deserve”. We have missed the point of the Gospel. I believe Mark Driscoll puts it quite elegantly when he says,
“People are thirsty and we have streams of living water, and if we don’t give it to them they drink out of the toilet just because they’re parched; and the more they drink out of the toilet, the more we say ‘well I can’t be in the world, because it’s a sick dark place.’ Well its sick because people are thirsty, but if you have fresh water, you should give them an alternative to the toilet… so Jesus wants us IN – THIS – WORLD … and we cannot change this world unless we are changed on the inside”
Too often we talk about how sick and disgusted we are with the way things are going in our world and the culture in which we live. The radical right wing freely bashes any number of people outside of the church and who do not know Christ as Savior, and we talk about depravity and wickedness… have we forgotten an important point? Why would you expect unbelievers to live as unbelievers? Are we over-looking the fall, when we are evaluating the world?
….more to come on these thoughts soon.
-ACN
Monday, January 19, 2009
Thursday, July 17, 2008
July thus far...
I know its been a while since my last post. I am still loving my summer ministry here at Shepherds, and God has even blessed me with an amazing opportunity to expand my ministry here. For the first part of the summer I have been working as a living skills instructor (LSI), working primarily in Lamb Cottage with about 22 higher functioning adult men. It has been an amazing time, that God has really been using to stretch and grow me in.
The beginning of July God set out for me a way to expand my outreach here, by also taking up the role of Spiritual Life Coordinator. It has really been neat to see myself begin to grow in this capacity. I am still an LSI, but I also teach 5 Bible classes throughout the week, preach and put together music for the Sunday evening service and host the various mission group/youth group teams that come almost every week, helping them with their Wednesday Chapels for the residents. On the weeks that we don't have a group, I do the Wednesday services.
It really has been an amazing opportunity. We have been teaching about become stronger men and women of God. This month I have been using the memory verse, I Corinthians 13:13, "And these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." We have been looking into what it means to have faith, hope and love as men and women of God -- and I'll tell you that the Bible classes and church services have been great and encouraging to my heart as well as to the residents.
I have been lucky enough to work with several other people here who also desire to see Shepherds Church grow into something really special, and not a hastily thrown together time for the residents. My friend Ken does the morning service on Sunday, so I can continue to take a group of guys off campus to a local church and its been amazing for us all to be working together. God seems to really be working in our lives and the lives of the residents as well.
Also, we have been re-decorating Lamb Cottage, the 2 living rooms in a 50's theme and the dining room into a diner. I am really excited. I am even putting together a couple of pictures of my Grandpa's '56 Chevy Bel-Air. Its really cool, although going through all of the pictures has really made me miss my Grandpa... here is one of the pictures I am using, its really cool.
Well, until next time...
ACN
The beginning of July God set out for me a way to expand my outreach here, by also taking up the role of Spiritual Life Coordinator. It has really been neat to see myself begin to grow in this capacity. I am still an LSI, but I also teach 5 Bible classes throughout the week, preach and put together music for the Sunday evening service and host the various mission group/youth group teams that come almost every week, helping them with their Wednesday Chapels for the residents. On the weeks that we don't have a group, I do the Wednesday services.
It really has been an amazing opportunity. We have been teaching about become stronger men and women of God. This month I have been using the memory verse, I Corinthians 13:13, "And these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." We have been looking into what it means to have faith, hope and love as men and women of God -- and I'll tell you that the Bible classes and church services have been great and encouraging to my heart as well as to the residents.
I have been lucky enough to work with several other people here who also desire to see Shepherds Church grow into something really special, and not a hastily thrown together time for the residents. My friend Ken does the morning service on Sunday, so I can continue to take a group of guys off campus to a local church and its been amazing for us all to be working together. God seems to really be working in our lives and the lives of the residents as well.
Also, we have been re-decorating Lamb Cottage, the 2 living rooms in a 50's theme and the dining room into a diner. I am really excited. I am even putting together a couple of pictures of my Grandpa's '56 Chevy Bel-Air. Its really cool, although going through all of the pictures has really made me miss my Grandpa... here is one of the pictures I am using, its really cool.
Well, until next time...
ACN
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Retrospection
"All that you know is about to change..."
(Aslan, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian)
A lot has changed in these past two weeks. I have found myself leaving my comfortable, though challenging, life at BBC for the summer. Packing up was a lot more difficult than I thought, and not for the shear amount of stuff I had brought with me two years ago, but also the more I have acquired. I don't have any idea as to why it is so hard to pack up, and no I am not talking about physically dismantling your room - rather emotionally dismantling. Every picture I took down, every poster, quote, book, shirt, lamp, golf club, refrigerator, decoration, pillow and blanket was hard to pack up and put in my car. Every thing brought back a memory, a thought from the last two years. Things that have been joys and blessings and things that bring back memories of God stretching me within a hair to which I could possibly be stretched anymore, hard and good times. Needless to say, there was a lot to pack in.
The last several weeks of school I was praying for summer, begging the calendar to move faster than the rate it seemed to be crawling along. Now, in hindsight, it was flying faster than I realized. It was harder than I thought this year saying goodbye to friends that I have become even closer with this past year - ones that have graduated or are going off on internships and student teaching assignments. Either way, there was a lot to wind in.
As I left BBC Friday the 9th, and made the journey back home to Illinois, only to unpack and repack (in a much more compact way of course) and find my way up to Union Grove Wisconsin this past Wednesday the 14th for the beginning of yet another ministry, working as a Living Skills Instructor here at Shepherds Ministries.
I have come out of the my first week and weekend here at Shepherds. Going through a basic orientation last Thursday and a full weekend of hands on direct resident care. My first realization is that I most definitely do not regret my decision to spend my summer ministering here. Already having spent over 32 hours working with these guys within 3 days, I know that God is at work. I see men who are living out their lives in a way that is some senses are so pure, naive and ignorant. Whoever said ignorance is bliss may have been right.
Many of these guys that I am working with have a love and a faith that is so childlike and so beautiful, it puts my academically systematic, dissected and studied faith to shame. They seem to trust God to take care of them no matter what - can I say that? Often, I would shamefully have to say no.
I have been encouraged. Encouraged towards a summer of change, personal growth and servant hood in a new and profound way. And once again reminded of the Christ's words in 2 Corinthians (12:9) "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".
As C.S. Lewis said through the medium of Aslan in "Prince Caspian", "all that you know is about to change". Looking back on the past and remembering where Christ has brought me, I look to the future, excited for the change He is bringing to my heart and to my life.
Being continually sanctified by His mercy, love and grace,
-Alex C. Nagel
A lot has changed in these past two weeks. I have found myself leaving my comfortable, though challenging, life at BBC for the summer. Packing up was a lot more difficult than I thought, and not for the shear amount of stuff I had brought with me two years ago, but also the more I have acquired. I don't have any idea as to why it is so hard to pack up, and no I am not talking about physically dismantling your room - rather emotionally dismantling. Every picture I took down, every poster, quote, book, shirt, lamp, golf club, refrigerator, decoration, pillow and blanket was hard to pack up and put in my car. Every thing brought back a memory, a thought from the last two years. Things that have been joys and blessings and things that bring back memories of God stretching me within a hair to which I could possibly be stretched anymore, hard and good times. Needless to say, there was a lot to pack in.
The last several weeks of school I was praying for summer, begging the calendar to move faster than the rate it seemed to be crawling along. Now, in hindsight, it was flying faster than I realized. It was harder than I thought this year saying goodbye to friends that I have become even closer with this past year - ones that have graduated or are going off on internships and student teaching assignments. Either way, there was a lot to wind in.
As I left BBC Friday the 9th, and made the journey back home to Illinois, only to unpack and repack (in a much more compact way of course) and find my way up to Union Grove Wisconsin this past Wednesday the 14th for the beginning of yet another ministry, working as a Living Skills Instructor here at Shepherds Ministries.
I have come out of the my first week and weekend here at Shepherds. Going through a basic orientation last Thursday and a full weekend of hands on direct resident care. My first realization is that I most definitely do not regret my decision to spend my summer ministering here. Already having spent over 32 hours working with these guys within 3 days, I know that God is at work. I see men who are living out their lives in a way that is some senses are so pure, naive and ignorant. Whoever said ignorance is bliss may have been right.
Many of these guys that I am working with have a love and a faith that is so childlike and so beautiful, it puts my academically systematic, dissected and studied faith to shame. They seem to trust God to take care of them no matter what - can I say that? Often, I would shamefully have to say no.
I have been encouraged. Encouraged towards a summer of change, personal growth and servant hood in a new and profound way. And once again reminded of the Christ's words in 2 Corinthians (12:9) "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness".
As C.S. Lewis said through the medium of Aslan in "Prince Caspian", "all that you know is about to change". Looking back on the past and remembering where Christ has brought me, I look to the future, excited for the change He is bringing to my heart and to my life.
Being continually sanctified by His mercy, love and grace,
-Alex C. Nagel
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
New Beginnings
Well, its has definitley been some time since I have updated this, but I plan on making it a point to keeping this updated on the regular, at least throughout the summer.
Things have changed a lot in the last week. I finished up my Sophomore year at BBC, and I actually left this summer. (This will be the longest I have been away from BBC since I moved there at the start of my Freshman year). Finals were last week and I was there throughout Friday afternoon finishing up my RA responsibilities and hanging out with my friends before we all went our seperate ways, whether it be for the summer or for a long time.
But I have just arrived at Shepherds Ministries in Wisconsin, where I will be working throughout this entire summer. I got a job working here as a living skills instructor. I got here around 3:30p and have pretty much moved and and unpacked for the most part. I start orientation tomorrow morning, so I am pretty stoked about that and seeing what God has me doing this summer.
I will be sure to keep this updated at least weekly, with God's working in my life here this summer at Shepherds!
-ACN
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
My God is SO Big!!!
Yesterday on the lovely BBC campus was the Day of Prayer. Classes were cancelled so that the students, faculty and staff could focus on prayer. This year, we had a theme to our Day of Prayer paralleling the theme for this school year of Celebrating God's Faithfulness (seeing as this year is the 75th Anniversary of the school) - the theme yesterday was "Thankfulness For God's Faithfulness".
Yesterday could not have come at a better time. Spiritually and emotionally I was to the brink. I was dealing with a situation that seemed to be taking a very very bad turn for the worst, and all last week I was up late in distress crying out to God, over the weekend I was questioning if there is ever a time in ministry when you have to give up on someone. I dont mean stop loving them and praying for them - but when there is just nothing else you can do. Needless to say, I was pretty drained and basically wondering how God was really working in the situation.
Tuesday night Boykin came to me and said that he had the best news I could have ever wanted to hear right now. God had worked in this guy's heart and life and he made a 180. I was thrilled, my heart was rejoicing like none other. I would have been doing backflips if I had been able to!! It was just an amazing amazing answer to prayer that we had been praying hard for for a good while.
So I was already rejoicing in God's faithfulness. And then I was talking with one of my guys who was unsaved - and as we are talking I come to find out he got saved!!!!! Oh I went into my room last night about 1:30 and just was in prayer and thanking the Lord for His faithfulness and His perfect love and working all things together - and I just started to cry.
My soul and heart are so happy right now. Then I realized that i needed to ask forgiveness, because when I was praying over and over that God would be faithful and when I was struggling to decide if there is ever a time in the ministry when I just have to give up - I realized how selfish and un-Christlike I was really being.
When God has been so faithful to me, and to others and to all of mankind for the enterity of creation - how could I question being faithful in the ministry to others because of a few bad hours, days or weeks?
My God is so BIG and AWESOME and POWERFUL - He is working things together that I have yet to see. But I know that He is working I have experienced His working, and His faithfulness and my cup overflows.
Yesterday could not have come at a better time. Spiritually and emotionally I was to the brink. I was dealing with a situation that seemed to be taking a very very bad turn for the worst, and all last week I was up late in distress crying out to God, over the weekend I was questioning if there is ever a time in ministry when you have to give up on someone. I dont mean stop loving them and praying for them - but when there is just nothing else you can do. Needless to say, I was pretty drained and basically wondering how God was really working in the situation.
Tuesday night Boykin came to me and said that he had the best news I could have ever wanted to hear right now. God had worked in this guy's heart and life and he made a 180. I was thrilled, my heart was rejoicing like none other. I would have been doing backflips if I had been able to!! It was just an amazing amazing answer to prayer that we had been praying hard for for a good while.
So I was already rejoicing in God's faithfulness. And then I was talking with one of my guys who was unsaved - and as we are talking I come to find out he got saved!!!!! Oh I went into my room last night about 1:30 and just was in prayer and thanking the Lord for His faithfulness and His perfect love and working all things together - and I just started to cry.
My soul and heart are so happy right now. Then I realized that i needed to ask forgiveness, because when I was praying over and over that God would be faithful and when I was struggling to decide if there is ever a time in the ministry when I just have to give up - I realized how selfish and un-Christlike I was really being.
When God has been so faithful to me, and to others and to all of mankind for the enterity of creation - how could I question being faithful in the ministry to others because of a few bad hours, days or weeks?
My God is so BIG and AWESOME and POWERFUL - He is working things together that I have yet to see. But I know that He is working I have experienced His working, and His faithfulness and my cup overflows.
Psalm 40:1-5
I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and hear and will trust in the LORD.
How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders which You have done, and Your thoughts towards us; There is none to compare with You. If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Forgetting what is behind...
"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
Wow, it is October 22, over half way through the first semester of my sophomore year of college, and I dont think I have posted on here once since summer ended.
A lot has happened in these short months - which at the time seemed to drag on and on. I have met a lot of new people, formed many new bonds and relationships and even experienced many heartaches. We have roughly 30 new guys in the dorm this year, thats about 60% brand new.
As Boykin puts it to us RAs "We have lots of opportunities!" Man is that true! At first I was scared, then I was brave, and then I was scared again. God has really been growing me and teaching me a lot this semester. About what it means to be a man, a true man - man after God's own heart.
To be completely honest I am terrified. Not because I dont want to do the right thing - but mainly because people are looking to me for leadership. I am scared that because of my past and because I know the person under the outer shell, that God wouldnt want to use me. He wouldnt want to use someone who isnt perfect, who has sinned and whom others have sinned against. I have been hurt and have hurt others.
But then I have been learning that it isnt sin that defines me. It isnt my shortcomings, it isnt my failures, someone else's sin against me doesnt define who I am either. What defines me is Christ, my Lord and Savior. He loves me perfectly, and His love is not a performanced based love - it is an unconditional and perfect love.
"Part of being a man is realizing my weaknesses and seeking God out through them. I can lead and be courageous in the face of fear and uncertainty. Being a man means not stepping down, being a man means never giving up, but pressing onward with Heaven in sight. It means loving God with my whole heart and loving woman as she is to be loved. It means not settling for anything less than the plan God has for my life."
Philippians 3:12-14
Wow, it is October 22, over half way through the first semester of my sophomore year of college, and I dont think I have posted on here once since summer ended.
A lot has happened in these short months - which at the time seemed to drag on and on. I have met a lot of new people, formed many new bonds and relationships and even experienced many heartaches. We have roughly 30 new guys in the dorm this year, thats about 60% brand new.
As Boykin puts it to us RAs "We have lots of opportunities!" Man is that true! At first I was scared, then I was brave, and then I was scared again. God has really been growing me and teaching me a lot this semester. About what it means to be a man, a true man - man after God's own heart.
To be completely honest I am terrified. Not because I dont want to do the right thing - but mainly because people are looking to me for leadership. I am scared that because of my past and because I know the person under the outer shell, that God wouldnt want to use me. He wouldnt want to use someone who isnt perfect, who has sinned and whom others have sinned against. I have been hurt and have hurt others.
But then I have been learning that it isnt sin that defines me. It isnt my shortcomings, it isnt my failures, someone else's sin against me doesnt define who I am either. What defines me is Christ, my Lord and Savior. He loves me perfectly, and His love is not a performanced based love - it is an unconditional and perfect love.
"Part of being a man is realizing my weaknesses and seeking God out through them. I can lead and be courageous in the face of fear and uncertainty. Being a man means not stepping down, being a man means never giving up, but pressing onward with Heaven in sight. It means loving God with my whole heart and loving woman as she is to be loved. It means not settling for anything less than the plan God has for my life."
Journal Entry 10/16/2007
I think the biggest thing that I have learned is grace & showcasing God's love by continually loving people through sin and failure - because I am the same. I need that same thing when I fail, if I was to give anything less than everything I have, then I would be doing God and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ a disservice.
-Alex
Monday, August 20, 2007
The Key to Happiness
So this lovely Monday morning as I am getting ready to finish my 8p-8a security shift here at school I am online reading the news on the ever so trustworthy abcnews.com. And I come across a headline entitiled : "FAMILY TIES KEY TO YOUTH HAPPINESS".
So being the inquisitive person I am, I click the link and read an article about a poll that was conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on over 1,000 kids ages 13-24.
Now I read the news at least 3 times a day, and I must say that it can get pretty discouraging ready about all the freak earthquakes, mine cave-ins, hurricanes, I.E.D.'s, terrorism, political garbage and the list really goes on and on and on... but this was an article that shocked me. For as much as teens are known for hating their family and being all emo and hating their life, this actually shocked me.
"So you're between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy? A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs, a little rock 'n' roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys.
Turns out the real answer is quite different. Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive survey more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13-24 conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on the nature of happiness among America's young people
Next was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant other. And even better for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy."
In the world we live in today, and as much crap and filth as there is out there - this was a pleasant suprise to start my day. I thought for a change I would pass along some of the positive news : ]
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