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When I Was Younger

2010
03.13

I was recently asked by a student from my first full-time ministry position in Tennessee to write a letter for him that would be read at his up-coming ordination service.  Pardon the awkward reference, but it was kind of a Rod Stewart moment.  Rod is famous for making the following lyrics popular…

“I wish that I knew what I know now –  when I was younger”

And though I’m not a real Rod Stewart fan, for whatever reason this lyric has always stuck with me.  So I took the following approach:  “What do I firmly believe today that I wish I could go back and tell myself at the beginning of my minsitry?”

That’s a powerful thought really. Here was my advice:

**********************

Daniel,

When you called and said you were being ordained for full time ministry I wasn’t surprised.  I knew, even in the days of Fairview, TN (not as catchy a song as “Days of Elijah” though), that God was shaping you into a servant for His kingdom.  And yes, you were a wild-eyed (and idea-ed) junior high boy that gave a few Sunday School teachers some fits.  However, look at you now!  Paul said it like this in first Corinthians 13:11…

“11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”

That’s you.  You are ever so methodically stepping into the role of the godly man the Father Himself created you to be.  And if I were to give you advice, advice that I wish someone had truly taught & embedded in my soul way back when, then I’d say this:

1) First and foremost, love the Lord your God with Your Heart!  No seriously, remain in Him.  Love Him.  Praise Him.  Know Him… forever.  And know that you do this only because He knew you, loved you, redeemed you, and remained with you first!  Let that grace wash over you all your days.

2) Secondly, love people!  It’s the greatest joy and challenge of a pastor.  In a world where ministry models and methods can spawn like weeds in a garden, remember that Jesus asked you to shepherd His flock!  That means knowing them like the Father, praying for them like the Son, and encouraging & equipping them like the Holy Spirit!  Jesus died for people!  So spend your time loving that which is truly eternal, people.

3) And finally, remember you’ve been empowered to “declare the praises of Him who brought you out of darkness and into His marvelous light!” (I Peter 2:9).  Declare it well!  Declare it passionately!  Declare it to the lost and found, to the pew-sitter and the pagan, and yes, even to yourself from time to time.  And do it with such kindness and grace that wayward children return to their heavenly Father in repentance!  Your life transformation is a great story… go declare it!.

Blessings, a fellow servant of the King,

Shawn Stutz

*************

This letter was a condensed version of this series.

.

Category ministry, spiritual formation |

1 Comment

Umm… Oops.

2010
03.10

I found this picture to be alarming and yet slightly funny.  It’s crazy how the economy and cultural marketing can crowd in on our ambitions for roadside evangelism.

Click for more FailBlog.org.  Be prepared to laugh (and be bothered).

Category humor, movies & media |

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Synergy (part 2)

2010
03.06

Well, the conference went great!  Bill was excellent, I met a great group of people, and all the Big Valley presenters had a lot of great things to say.  Of course, I had loads of fun teaching my session and listening to some great stories.  You can’t go wrong encouraging people to nurture the spiritual lives of others within an intentional group dynamic.

As part of this year’s time, I made everyone exercise their creative juices by playing what I call the Screen Play Game.  I call it the screen play game because Eli and I made it up so we can call it whatever I guess (ha ha).  Let’s just say that it sure got the ball rolling (ask me about the stories people made up– they were funny).  Try playing yourself!  I guarantee you’ll have fun!

The content of what I shared was pretty similar as last year’s breakout.   I would have to say that it (my ‘09 breakout) ranks up there as one of my personal favorite talks.  It’s energizing as well to hear the crowd interaction and the fun in the room.  As a side note, it was recorded on a hand-held digital recorder, so it’s not prime quality.

If you’d like to give it a listen click below:

… and if you get a chance, let me know your thoughts.

Category catalyst, life, spiritual formation |

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Synergy (part 1)

2010
03.05

The Synergy Small Groups is tomorrow in Manteca at Crossroads Grace Community Church.  Ed Applegate, the small group guru at the church, has really established a premiere event to equip and empower emerging leaders.  If you get a chance, head that way.

The keynote speaker is Bill Donahue.  He serves as the small groups ministry (lead) pastor of Willow Creek in the Chicago area.  He does a great job of giving heart to why we lead groups and how we can be the best God intended us to be at it!  I am looking forward to what he has to say.

I, as well as a few other Big Valley Pastors and Directors, will be teaching Breakout sessions.  My topic happens to be about the story of people’s lives in your small group!  It’s a great challenge to remember we are not the central character in our own stories.  I hope to inspire people toward greater love and listening for sure.  Last year was lots of fun.  Remember me in prayer if you get a chance.

More to come tomorrow…

Category misc |

3 comments

Update on Lent…

2010
03.02

My journey of lent continues into its second week.  It’s been a bit of a challenge and a joy.  Being drawn to sweets and the common late night snack quickly reminds me of my decision.  In deciding to resist this common craving, there is hope for greater connection to and awareness of Christ.

It has worked.

I find myself looking at the open bowl of peanut M&Ms or the wonderful Girl Scout cookies outside Wal-mart  and realizing how much my flesh can drive my desires.  Amazing how candy coated shells can satisfy while my soul can near starve at times.

There was a slip-up day.  Justification and temptation took over and I caved on a late night indulgence (emotionally-driven eating can be gripping).  However, I’m experiencing great grace in thinking of Christ’s perfection in the desert.  Though I still live in the desert, perfection is not yet attained.  On a great journey though…

Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve been reading the book Small Surrenders.  Here are some good quotes I’ve found:

“Prayer is not about out competence.  It is about grace.”

In reference to a tree’s growth…  “and what we noticed was the tree’s obedience.  The tree had not invented its own life story.  It was following a path set by a greater being.”

“This is one way we make a surrender.  We admit that God may be speaking to us through the most casual and ordinary events of our lives.”

“We are not converted only once in our lives but many times, and this endless series of large and small conversions, inner revolutions, leads to our transformation in Christ.”  – Thomas Merton

“If grace is so wonderful, why do we have such difficulty recognizing and accepting it?  Maybe it’s because grace is not gentle or made-to-order.  It often comes disguised as loss, or failure, or unwelcome change.” – Kathleen Norris

“”You see, the older I get, the more I ask myself, ‘How is my life unfolding in terms of my primary goals of living with God forever?” – Brennan Manning

“Every walk is a story, a narrative line leading out from home to a point of crisis, change or insight and then back to the known and a time of reflection.” – John Leax

** Any of these stick out to you?  Which ones? I’d love to here**

* As a side note, my kiddos have chosen to journey with dad.  They have picked prime TV times and desserts during the weekdays.  Their decision has led to some cool discussions.

Yet another month plus of lent remaining.  More to learn, greater depths of growth to reach…

** and if you read this whole post, I’m proud of you **

Category life, spiritual formation |

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The Olympics, Chile, & Compassion

2010
02.28

What a whirlwind world week and month(s).  We will finally reach the end of a two-week athletic competition that rivals nothing else internationally (ok, maybe the World Cup).  And I, for one, have been drawn right in.  Not that I don’t usually tune into the Olympics, but my interest would wane quickly.  However, this go around I have had staying power.

Maybe it was the moguls, men’s speed skating, curling (want to try that!), or the US Hockey teams, but I’m hooked.  I’ve DVRd tons of it and speed through to the events.  It’s been wild to see people from different parts of the globe and how I’ve come to love their stories, their cultures, their tragedies, and their triumphs.  It’s been adventurous.  It’s been competitive.  But overall, it seems so uniting.  The world is a big place.

… and not only big, but shaking a bit.  The recent earthquake frenzy of Eureka, Haiti, and now Chile has been slightly disturbing.  How do you fight and earthquake?  How do you start over?  How do you overcome tremendous loss so fast?  This isn’t real life JENGA! We can’t just rebuild the blocks and play again.  Lives, economies, cultures are at stake even.  I can’t help but feel overwhelmed by the wars, famines, catastrophes, and depravity of the world too.  I don’t want to sound hopeless (or Left Behind-ish).  It’s just that I need the God of hope to bring peace to my heart– and more so to the hearts of countless Chileans & Haitians.  Maybe my cry should be “I have hope, but help my unhope”.

And all these feelings rise and fall in the midst of our church’s focus on Global outreach.  That might not be an accident.  We can achieve medals in the name of competition and national pride.  We can bring aid to those in desperate life altering contexts.  But greater still, we can we make disciples.

An achievement and medal will be gained, lost, and often forgotten.  Tragedy will strike (even again) and nations will be broken.  But a disciple of the Most High God is forever.  And while there is pretty much no chance of me winning the gold nor a chance of being able to prevent natural disasters.  There is the strong possibility that I can give, invest, and surrender to the cause of disciple-making; locally and globally  (Matthew 28:16-20).

And so I will.

Category life, reach |

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Again This Morning

2010
02.22

I have been thinking about the idea of repetition and commitment lately.  We often joke with people when they are in the thick of planning their wedding about the stress of it all.  We might poke with something like this:

“At your next wedding, you (groom) can have a say.”

Or… “You only do this once you know”

But, oddly enough, the second phrase has been the rub.  You don’t just do it once.  A commitment that huge happens anew every morning.  Yes, there is the initial “engaging” ask and the formal “I do”, but covenant relationships are so vital.  The renewal of pledges that forever truly need mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual affirmation.

I would say the same for parenthood or even unity in the body of Christ.  Membership in that community often takes renewal; remembering the significance of caring for one another deeply.

And, with caution (as to how you read this), I would say the same about our salvation.  Yes, we surrendered to Christ and He rescued us once and for all.  However, we work out our prayer with fear and trembling daily.  We recommit to the integrity, intentionally, and the eternity of this sacred union.

And on the flip side, I’m completely overwhelmed by the fact that God has eternally and intentionally committed to His children.  The scriptures teach us that He loves with an everlasting love (Jer. 31:3), that He ’s faith to complete the work in us (Phil. 1:6), and He will never leave us nor forsake His people (Deut. 31:7-9).

My God has eternally pledged to me and will not waiver.  And I’ve seen how He renews His pledge each day with new mercies (Lam. 3:22-24) and graces.  Which begs the question:  “How am I renewing my pledge?”

Category life, spiritual formation |

4 comments

i give up

2010
02.18

“I am giving up!”

Well, at least for 40 days.  I am participating in the Lenten season this year.  A way to understand Lent would be to think of it like this:  Lent is to Easter as Advent is to Christmas.  It’s a forty day preparatory season that allows you to better identify with Christ’s surrender, sacrifice, and resurrection.  Practically, lent is expressed in “giving up something” tangible in order to be more attentive to “my desire for Christ (alone)”.

I was somewhat sure of what I was giving up before the Ash Wednesday Service at Big Valley Grace today.  And that short gathering confirmed it all the more.  Jon Byron mentioned that Jesus’ first temptation was to turn the desert into a bakery.  That insight really struck me.  I have heard the story of Christ’s temptation many times, but that phrase really got me today!  That is a category of sin I haven’t really pictured; me turning my deserts into bakeries of grace indulgence.  Wow! As convicted as I felt, I was rescued by hearing my name read aloud followed by the pronouncement of the forgiveness because of the work of Christ on the cross.

So, what am I giving up? I think it’s best described as emotional eating.  Others would call it sweets or snacks.  I have found that this mindless moment of rewarding or comforting myself with food is a huge struggle for me.  It truly is medication verses directing my soul craving to conversation and prayer with Christ.

For those of you who think it’s a small surrender, then good.  A small surrender every day can lead to great change!  That is the case made in this book too.

Are you making any small surrenders in life right now?  Giving anything up? It’s a good question to ask every now and again.

Category catalyst, life, spiritual formation |

1 Comment

Natural Selection

2010
02.16

Lately, for whatever reason, I’ve been involved in a lot of discussions revolving around dinosaurs, evolution, and the days of creation.  Today I was watching Del Tackett, of the Focus on the Family hit The Truth Project.  During the DVD tour about science and faith, Del spent most of time dealing with Darwinism’s lack of evidence (geologically and biologically that is).

And whatever that last sentence did to you personally, stirring a debate between Darwin or Intelligent Design (of which Ben Stein recently made popular) isn’t the goal of this post.  There is actually little goal at all… more amusement really.  I got to thinking that it would be fun to make a movie about Charles Darwin’s life… starring Will Ferrell.

Can you just picture the humor of Will as the budding scientist, along with a band of crazy colleagues (Andy Ritcher maybe), traversing the globe making wondrously wild science discoveries?  How funny a farce to include pokes at Monty Python and Pirates of the Caribbean.  And imagine him rolling up on Africa to find Snoop Dogg (who would have to say fo-shizzle or speak in slam poetry style rap).  Or maybe there would be a scene of Matisyahu cranking out reggae in Jamaica.  Of course there would have to be a Galapagos Island moment where Ferrell rode a turtle in some ancient loin cloth.  I could picture the Darwinian vocab of Natural Selection, Survival of the Fittest, Adaptation, and “That’s a Dar-Win” being the butt of many a joke as well.

Seriously, this could be hilarious… much like a Talladega Nights meets HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy!  I can totally hear Will (Darwin) saying, “Wait, wait… oh yes, that’s it… my good fellows, I have a THEORY!”

Calling all Hollywood Movie Producers!  Just email me now!  Many ideas are swirling, and I think we could make this work.

Category humor, movies & media |

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A Bit of TV

2010
02.12

Television isn’t a must for sure, but I have been enjoying a show or so lately.

  1. LOST -  Okay, it’s just an amazing story line!  Plus you can’t miss the end of a 6-year amazing television drama.  Well, at least you shouldn’t.
  2. American Idol – It’s always fun/sad to see the crazy’s.  And I think this year will be fun with Ellen.  I’m already rooting for “Soul Man” Garcia.
  3. Undercover Boss – This looked interesting during the SuperBowl and believe or not, it’s actually good.  Well, at least the first episode was pretty heart warming (2nd might be a skipper).
  4. Big Bang Theory – I don’t care what you think of me for saying it… but I really think this show is funny!
  5. Survivor - I don’t think I would have included this one unless they didn’t take the Heroes verses Villains angle.  I like James, Colby, and Stephanie… but good guys rarely finish first in this show.
  6. The Office – For some reason I find myself interested even when I’m not.  I think that’s the awkward “car wreck, neck-craning” appeal of the show.

Those moving down the DVR list (and maybe soon off):

  1. psych - It’s just not as funny as the first season, and a bit predictable.
  2. The Mentalist – Watched it because I thought it was making fun of psych and got hooked.  However, it’s a bit redundant now.
  3. Biggest Loser - It’s just getting a bit old to me.  It’s totally commendable, but I can watch the whole 2 hours in 10 minutes and not feel like I missed anything.

I’m interested to see how FLASH FORWARD & “V” turn out.  The seem to be the hopeful LOST replacement shows on ABC.  I don’t believe ABC will match its former hit, but it could be entertaining to watch.

Of course, in the sports world, football is gone (ugh).  However, there is always March Madness (hopefully to feature my 7′ 1″ cousin, Garrett Stutz, of the Wichita State Shockers) & the NBA (or just Lebron James highlights).  Nowhere near as exciting as the NFL or the Tour de France, but it’ll do.

And all of this is made possible by DVR… which cuts my actual TV time down by 1/3 at least!

Category misc |

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