Unleashing God's Power in Our Lives

So last weekend I was at Harvest Winter Camp with my high school group (if you want to read my thoughts on the weekend check out the previous post).  And the biggest issue almost all of my students were/are struggling with is the idea that:

 "I love Jesus and understand I need him as my saviour, but I don't feel close to God and because of that I am doubting if I am even saved." 

 I bet almost all of us have resonated with these feelings before and often times there are sin issues and stuff we need to deal with in our own lives that when left un-dealt with cause these doubts.  But what I want to focus on today is the question: "How do I unleash God's power in my life?"  

When you read the New Testament, especially the book of Acts, you see over and over again God taking normal, sinful, broken people and do incredible things through them, but it never happened on accident!  God's power is not unleashed in our lives while we sit passively on the sidelines.  And as I pray, study, and mature, I am becoming more and more convinced that we will not experience God's power in our lives until we make the commitment to give ourselves completely to him.

Here's what I mean... When you think of someone who God unleashed his power on, the Apostle Paul leads the list, and what I can't get out of my mind is the phrase he wrote to the Corinthian church in 2 Corinthians 2:2

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."

What is so amazing about this passage is Paul's unwavering motivation and desire to be about nothing other than Jesus.  And that, I believe is the key to living a life that is powered by God!  

So here is the life changing question(s)

What if we made Jesus our number 1 passion?

What if our desire to see people saved was greater than our fear of man?

What if we loved one another enough to get after sin and have difficult and helpful conversations?

What if we prayed like we actually believed Jesus was alive and was listening?

What if Jesus was more than our savior but also our king?

I believe lives would be saved, families restored, hearts would be on fire, communities would be transformed, and I believe that we would have the power to change the world!

You Are Loved!

Cal

6 Quick Reflections on Winter Camp

1. It is so important to get away and refresh yourself!  

I believe the reason that camp experiences are so powerful is because we rarely are able to take time from our busy lives and spend a large amount of time focused on Jesus and our relationship with our savior.  Over the weekend we spent upwards of 10-12 concentrated hours in worship, teaching, and small group discussion!  How often are we able to do that!  Life is tiring and easily wears us down and we need to take every opportunity to get away and be refreshed by God’s spirit when we get the opportunity!

2. I love my high school students!

 My group is cooler than yours!  Bragging aside, I am extremely blessed by the high school students I get to work with.  I have never had a group more unified, easy to get along with, and more for each other than with this group!  It is a miracle in itself that 21 kids from at least 7 different schools (not counting homeschoolers) could blend together and get along so well.  I genuinely believe that powerful friendships are forming and I am so pumped about that.  

I have also never been around a group so goofy/hipster/dorky (in a good way!) and there is never a time when we are together where I am not having an absolute blast with them!

3. I love my leaders!

My youth leaders are unbelievably Godly young people who love our students tirelessly and fearlessly.  I love that often times students approach my leaders before even myself when they need advice and encouragement.  That means we are doing things right and there are cool bonds of trust and love forming.  I wouldn’t trade my leaders for anyone!

4. I love being a part of Harvest Bible Fellowship!

This weekend would not have been possible if not for our association with Harvest Bible Fellowship.  The job they do at Camp Harvest is absolutely unmatched by anything in our area!  I am so thankful for their hospitality and kindness to us and I am looking with anticipation to continuing to grow a strong partnership with them in the future!  Thank you so much!

5. We have the power to change the world!

There will be much more on this later this week in another post but to put simply, I fully believe that when we fully buy in and submit ourselves to Christ our students, our church, we all have the power to have an unlimited impact on the lives around us.  However this only happens when we are willing to give our everything we have and pour ourselves out for our King!

6. God showed up and we will never be the same

Lives were saved, hearts were won, sin was revealed, commitments were made, students worshipped in spirit and truth (some for the first time!), bonds were forged, people were transformed, God showed up and we will never be the same!  Enough said!

Jesus > Everything!

Cal

Why I Struggle to Engage Myself in Politics

I feel like this one needs to start with a disclaimer so here it is: This is my opinion on where I am at regarding the political arena after years of prayer and thoughtful consideration.  This is by no means a statement claiming that you have to agree with me or that my way is best, and if politics are your passion it doesn't mean we cant be great friends and get along!


Ok, now that's behind us I just want to lay out a few reasons why I struggle to engage myself in the political hoopla as we enter the "crazy season" leading to us as a country voting on who will serve us in the office of President of the United States.


1.  I believe God is sovereign.  


Let me make myself clear, I will vote and I take my responsibility seriously, I am not saying "God's in control so therefore we can be lazy."  But what I am saying is that my faith is ultimately in God's sovereignty not some political candidate.  Proverbs 21:1 says "The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will."  I sleep really easy resting in this truth!


2. I Believe the System is Broken


The fact that in order to have a real shot at winning the presidential election you need to be from 1 of 2 parties points to the fact that we have a broken system.  We get 2 ideologies continually shoved down our throat and we are forced to choose one or the other if we want to really have our vote matter.  More options would be nice!


3. I am SOOO Out on People Being Jerks!


Why cant I watch people discuss the issues without name-calling, belittlement, and extreme arrogance?  When did watching a political discussion turn into a promotion for the WWE??  It is easy to make critical statements of someone you have never met to make a point, it is difficult to engage someone and make a difference in the life of somebody you know and care about.  I want to be about making a difference!


4. We are Called to Win People to Christ, Not Governments!


I am always uncomfortable defining myself by a political party but working in the church, I interact predominantly with Republicans and social conservatives and I have heard this argument made more than once "We are a Christian nation founded on Biblical principles and we need to return to our roots!" Here is my response: "Who in your life are you sharing the good news of Jesus with right now?"  If you want to play the "Christian nation" card and you are too selfish and too much of a coward to be sharing Jesus with others (THE MOST IMPORTANT NEWS IN THE WORLD), that is called being a hypocrite.  Jesus said very clearly in Matthew 28 to "go and make disciples" I don't believe he said "go and vote conservative."  Now, before you get angry please know that voting conservatively is not wrong at all and I would be pumped if a Godly Christian leader was voted in as president, but if you view your voting record as the test to your faithfulness of fulfilling the great commission, you are sorely mistaken! 


5. I am a Single-Issue Voter.


I am against baby-murder.  I will never vote for anyone who loves and supports baby-murder.  If I met a candidate who I agreed with on every issue exactly and he said to me "oh by the way I am totally for murdering babies" I would not vote for him!  I believe we will stand before God one day and give an account for how we stewarded what God has given to us, I will not be held accountable for our country's deficit, but I do believe I will be held accountable regarding whether or not I fought for the innocent and the helpless.  God's Word clearly says "do justly and love mercy."  And I COULD NEVER with a clear conscience, knowing Jesus and how he loved, vote for someone who was supportive of baby-murder.  And I have yet to hear a compelling counter-argument!


So maybe I am a simpleton and a boring voter...I am very comfortable with that!


PS.  Don't expect any sermons on "Who Christians Should Vote For" anytime soon from me! ;) 


you are loved,


Cal