tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28584779198106733682024-03-05T23:47:01.237-08:00God is My Hairstylistmark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-6680071459810168852016-10-19T10:48:00.002-07:002016-10-19T10:48:19.941-07:00Why Do I Need the Spirit?<i>Originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></i><br />
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As a staff, we sometimes read books together and discuss them at our staff meetings, this week we began the book "<a data-mce-href="https://smile.amazon.com/Forgotten-God-Reversing-Tragic-Neglect/dp/1434767957/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475088631&sr=1-1&keywords=forgotten+god" href="https://smile.amazon.com/Forgotten-God-Reversing-Tragic-Neglect/dp/1434767957/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1475088631&sr=1-1&keywords=forgotten+god" target="_blank">Forgotten God</a>" by Francis Chan which is about the neglect of the Holy Spirit in many churches today. What struck me the most was thinking about people I have spoken with (from different churches and backgrounds) and the broad spectrum of belief in terms of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. Often these beliefs are based on personal experience rather than a study of the Scripture. Think about that for a minute. Why do you believe what you believe about the Spirit? Do you think your beliefs are shaped more by the Scriptures or by what you've come to experience as your normal Christian life? We form our own opinions of what we think a Christian life ought to look like and what our own experience of the Holy Spirit looks like, but do we ever check that with what the Scripture says a Spirit-filled life looks like? Don't just ask other people what they think, or even assume that we already know. Here are some passages about the Spirit, pick a few and compare them to your experience with the Spirit:</div>
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<li>Acts 1:4-8, Acts 2:1-13, Acts 4:31</li>
<li>Romans 8:1-17, Romans 8:26-27</li>
<li>1 Corinthians 2:12-14, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11</li>
<li>Galatians 4:4-7, Galatians 5:16-25</li>
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If we disregard our own experiences and just read these passages, what would you expect to happen to us when the Spirit entered our lives? What changes in us when we receive the Spirit? The passage which stands out to me the most is Galatians 5:16-25. The famous "Fruit of the Spirit" passage I have read dozens of times before. After reading it in the context of thinking of what the Spirit produces in us, I notice something:</div>
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<em><sup>22 </sup>But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, <sup>23 </sup>gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!</em></div>
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How often do we try to force fruit in our lives because we think that a "good Christian" needs to look like that? We beat ourselves up sometimes if we don't. <em>Sad? I need to make myself more joyful, because that is what the Scripture says. Impatient? Nope, gotta work on that because the Scripture says so. Want people to think I'm a "good Christian"? I can just fake being loving, right?</em> If that is our mindset, where is the Spirit in all that? If we work in our own strength to be more like Jesus we miss the whole point. This translation says that the Spirit produces such fruit in us. Other translations may not use the word "produce" but the important part is that the Spirit is where these things start. Check out the next part of the passage in seeing how we interact with the Spirit:</div>
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<em><sup>24 </sup>Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. <sup>25 </sup>Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.</em></div>
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Those are some pretty powerful words: <em>Belong to Christ Jesus. Living by the Spirit. Follow the Spirit's leading. </em>This passage isn't known as "the fruit of Mark" or "the fruit of a good person" or even "the fruit of a good Christian" the passage is known as "the fruit of <em>the Spirit</em>" for a reason. It's about relying on the Holy Spirit to change us. More than just change, He radically transforms our lives. The question is, are you open to being transformed by the Spirit?</div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-79633078163664207472016-08-04T09:19:00.000-07:002016-10-14T11:51:21.922-07:00The Motivating Factor<div style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Getting and staying in shape isn’t easy. Last year I went to a normal physical at the Dr. and was told I was going to face a couple of potential health issues if I didn’t get in better shape. I was motivated and started out fast: running, biking, swimming, gym - something almost every day. By the end of the year I had completed three sprint triathlons, a half-marathon, and lost 40 pounds. I was motivated by fear of poor health, motivated by the time I spent with my wife and friends exercising, motivated by the feeling of being in better shape. But as quickly as it started, it faded, the business of life and a dozen other things got in the way and this year I gained back 20 pounds. I struggled to find the motivation to consistently get back on my bike, or run. I got down and frustrated and was content with the status quo for a while. Of course my wife reminded me that physical health sometimes goes like that, it ebbs and flows, there are times when we are more interested and times when we are not.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This analogy of course applies to our Spiritual lives as well. The Old Testament Hebrews believed that it was all connected: physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental health were not separate pieces but rather connected in our personal harmony. There are times when I am reading Scripture and honestly blown away and other times when I am just going through the motions. There are times when I worship that I feel like I am a part of something bigger and there are times when I don’t connect emotionally. In those times, should I only do the things I want to do or the things that make me feel better?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So now I am (hopefully) getting back in shape; I recently joined a “fitness boot camp.” I didn’t want to go at first but my wife encouraged me to try it. I have only been a few times, but have loved working out in this format so far. What is interesting is that there is really nothing physically significant about it: there are no weight machines, no exercise machines, and no abundance of mirrors on the walls. I show up for a specific start time and go through a circuit workout with several other individuals at the same time. There is a leader who tells us what exercises to do and then leaves us to work out with each other. As we work out we give each other a little bit of encouraging small talk (when I can catch my breath enough to talk). The bottom line is, there is very little specialized equipment and most of the workout could be done at home with a video series. And yet, I have already had better workouts here than with any workout video. Why is a workout in this format so effective? It is the motivation. Having a set place away from home, knowing I will be working out, sweating next to others with the same goals. It is all very motivating, it gets me outside of myself, outside of my own concerns, and worries. If I can just take that first step towards working out and embrace it, it is not long before i find myself in a better place than I was before. And sometimes how similar is that to our spiritual lives? There are times when I don’t want to go to my Life Group but still go, and without fail those are the times I am most touched by the words or experiences of others. There are times I am distracted by something on Sunday and yet when I just give up on my own concerns and focus on God, He hits me most deeply.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In today’s culture, the temptation is to be driven by what we “want.” We say yes or no to activities based on whether or not we want to. We train our kids for the same thing by constantly asking them “what do you want to do?” If we fail at a task, we blame it on “not wanting it enough.” Do we ever stop to think about how this overflows into our spiritual lives? Are we so attuned to what we want in a physical sense that it is what motivates us spiritually? Maybe we aren’t alone. In Mark 14:32-36 Jesus struggled with what he wanted as well:</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">32-34 They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. He told them, “I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me.”</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">35-36 Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: “Papa, Father, you can—can’t you?—get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want—what do you want?”</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I love that Jesus bases His decisions and actions on His relationship with the Father. He voices what He wants, but ultimately follows God’s will. Not on His own wants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In our mission statement at Crosswalk, we say we are “a community passionately demonstrating the love of Jesus by…” and one of the points is “choosing sacrifice…” This does not mean that we sacrifice our time or money, but rather sacrifice our own wants and desires for God’s. What is motivating you?</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-26681371981952006132016-06-07T10:23:00.000-07:002016-10-14T11:51:26.411-07:00Win or Lose<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></span></i></span>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When reading Scripture, do you ever put yourself in the shoes of the writer? Psalm 22 is considered to be one of the Psalms of Lament with it's authorship attributed to King David. What I love about this Psalm is the insight it gives us into the heart of a man whose primary drive was being in a relationship with the LORD. Look how raw and real David is as he starts his prayer:<br /><em><sup>1 </sup>My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?<br />Why are you so far away when I groan for help?<br /><sup>2 </sup>Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.<br />Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I love that David doesn't hold back; he is frustrated, he is complaining, he doesn't understand. We all feel that way sometimes, don't we? But how often do we go to God with our frustrations? Even more telling, is how David follows up the frustrations with praise even though he is in a dire situation:<br /><em><sup>3 </sup>Yet you are holy,<br />enthroned on the praises of Israel.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And the weaving of frustration and praise continues throughout this and several other Psalms. Frustration, complaint, grief. Praise! Frustration, complaint. Praise! How often does our own prayer reflect that? The intertwining of complaint with praise? It was such an integral piece of worship for Israel, and yet for us, we see it as a negative. We often tell ourselves to praise God in spite of the frustrations and sadness instead of embracing it as part of God's gift.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Part of what stands out in David's incorporation of laments and praise is the openness in his communication with God. I think part of why I personally struggle with some of it is because it does not come across as humble before God. Last week, my own understanding of humility was reshaped by Richard Foster in the book <a data-mce-href="http://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Finding-Hearts-True-Home/dp/0060628464?ie=UTF8&keywords=prayer&qid=1465412975&ref_=sr_1_9&sr=8-9" href="http://www.amazon.com/Prayer-Finding-Hearts-True-Home/dp/0060628464?ie=UTF8&keywords=prayer&qid=1465412975&ref_=sr_1_9&sr=8-9" target="_blank">Prayer</a>: "<em>...humility means to live as close to the truth as possible: the truth about ourselves, the truth about others, the truth about the world in which we live... It does not mean groveling or finding the worst possible things to say about ourselves.</em>" I used to be one of those people who thought that self-depreciation equaled humility. But that isn't humility at all. Humility is not inflating oneself, but being honest with ourselves and not thinking of ourselves as nothing either. The truth is, we are nothing compared to God, but that doesn't mean that we are worth nothing. God sent His only Son to die for our sins. Our worth must be so great to Him for such a gift. Our complaints and frustrations are part of who we are, and who we are is loved by God. Even in David voicing his frustrations to God, he shows humility while still being honest with how he feels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In Psalm 22, David is surrounded by his enemies, and he is not concerned about winning or losing the battle. Throughout David's crying out to God, throughout his praise to God, he never pleads with God to get him out of the situation or kill his enemies. He lays out the circumstances as he perceives them, he is truthful with God and himself about how it makes him feel, and his only plea to God is for God to stay near. Throughout it all is praise.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you are a Bay Area sports fan, there are two major events to be excited about right now. The Warriors are in the NBA finals and are leading in the best of 7 series. And meanwhile in hockey, the San Jose Sharks are in the NHL finals and on the brink of elimination. Last year Stephen Curry posted this quote and to me, it is one of the better quotes I have seen from an athlete, he gets it. "<em>Being a Christian athlete doesn't mean praying for your team to win. God doesn't give an edge to those who pray over those who don't; hard work does that. Being a Christian athlete means competing for Christ, in a way in which you always give your all for Him, & win or lose, you thank Him for the ability & opportunity to play. It means giving all the glory to God, no matter the outcome, because you trust in His plan for your life.</em>"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So as you go about your week, good or bad, win or lose, praise Him throughout it.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-41575548220577529932015-10-16T12:56:00.000-07:002016-10-14T11:51:30.798-07:00Show Me Your Faith<i style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Do you ever get a specific piece of Scripture stuck in your brain? And once you do, you see challenges and opportunities for it everywhere? This past week James 2:18 (NLT) has been hitting me: <em>Now some may argue, "some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, <strong>"How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds."</strong></em> On my initial reading, it seemed so basic I did not think about it too much. But the next few times I read it through I realized it is basic, but it has great depth as well. And it became more of a challenge. First, notice that James is talking about showing faith. Showing does not mean to <em>prove</em> it, but rather to <em>exhibit</em> it. Next, note how James doesn't say "I will show you my faith by attending a church" or "I will show you my faith by avoiding sin." It is good deeds which exhibit faith. Of course attending church and avoiding sin are important, but they are just a part of the response aren't they? Works don't earn us eternal life, but they are important to who we are and who God wants us to be. In his book <em>James: Faith that Works</em>, Kent Hughes notes:<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"> "</span><span data-mce-style="color: #000000; font-family: 'lucida sans unicode', 'lucida grande', sans-serif;" style="color: black;">Faith and works are like the wings of a bird. There can be no real life, no flight, with a single wing, whether works or faith. But when the two are pumping together in concert, their owner soars through the heavens."</span></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000; font-family: 'lucida sans unicode', 'lucida grande', sans-serif;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here's the thing, James isn't saying anything we don't already know is he? I don't think there are many people living in America, Christian or not, who doesn't think this is a major part of what Christianity is. Or should be. Our faith in Christ reflected in what we do and who we are. And yet are good deeds what Christians are known for in the US? How can we show our faith to the world if it is not? To show someone our faith does not mean to prove it with words. It means to exhibit it through actions. To demonstrate it. Now the media doesn't help a whole lot, you can't turn on the morning news without seeing negativity and Christians seem to generate our fair share if it. But on the other hand, if Christians were better about doing good deeds, perhaps people would think about some Christians they know and dispute the negativity. </span></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000; font-family: 'lucida sans unicode', 'lucida grande', sans-serif;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Want an example? Remember a few years back when people decided to boycott Chick-Fil-A because they did not support gay marriage? The big Christian response was to organize nights to eat chicken sandwiches as a show of support. Imagine for a minute if the Christian response was to take all that media attention and organize nights to feed the homeless. Buy THEM a Chick-Fil-A sandwich. To show America that whatever we feel about homosexuality is just a small part of who we are. To show America that what defines us is our love for God, our faith in Him, and what that response looks like. (And what it looks like is much more than spending money to feed ourselves.) To be known for what we stand for, not what we stand against.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So now you are probably asking yourself "well what good deed is Crosswalk doing?" It's simple, we are trying to help create opportunities for the church (all of us together) to do good deeds in ways you may not normally have access to: This Saturday is another Refuge where we will be serving food and holding a worship service for the hungry at Washington Park. <a data-mce-href="mailto:gtseng@crosswalkchurch.com?subject=Helping%20at%20the%20Refuge" href="mailto:gtseng@crosswalkchurch.com?subject=Helping%20at%20the%20Refuge" target="_blank">E-mail </a><a data-mce-href="mailto:gtseng@crosswalkchurch.com?subject=Helping%20at%20the%20Refuge" href="mailto:gtseng@crosswalkchurch.com?subject=Helping%20at%20the%20Refuge" target="_blank">Pastor Gabe</a> if you want to volunteer. Pastor Angel is training people to visit prisons and equip inmates for reentry to society. <a data-mce-href="mailto:ahernandez@crosswalkchurch.com?subject=Prison%20Reentry" href="mailto:ahernandez@crosswalkchurch.com?subject=Prison%20Reentry" target="_blank">E-mail Pastor Angel</a> for more information. Our annual <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.com/community-trick-or-treat/" href="http://crosswalkchurch.com/community-trick-or-treat/" target="_blank">Trick or Treat</a> is coming at the end of the month. This is a service to the community to give kids a fun, safe place to trick or treat and have fun. It is something for the entire church to get involved with. This Sunday we will have sign ups in the parlor and bins to collect wrapped candy for the kids. There is a team of Crosswalkers who visit people who can't leave their homes - <a data-mce-href="mailto:jstrole@crosswalkchurch.com?subject=Congregational%20Care" href="mailto:jstrole@crosswalkchurch.com?subject=Congregational%20Care" target="_blank">email John Strole</a> if you would like to be trained for that. Even within the church we have opportunities such as food prep on Wednesday nights and serving coffee on Sundays. <a data-mce-href="mailto:mjuanes@crosswalkchurch.com?subject=Serving%20the%20Church" href="mailto:mjuanes@crosswalkchurch.com?subject=Serving%20the%20Church" target="_blank">E-mail me</a> if you can help there. And with the holidays coming up, there are lots of great opportunities: We will be partnering with Sunnyvale Community Services to provide food and gifts for people in need (more information on that will be coming soon.) Know someone alone for Thanksgiving? Invite them to your house. Have some spare blankets? Go to St. James park in San Jose and give them to someone sleeping outside. There are Crosswalkers who volunteer time with several non-profits in the area. Just this morning I saw someone pray with a crying child. I love it, the opportunities are everywhere!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have no doubt this Scripture was stuck in my head for a reason. The passage before it, James 2:17 says, <em>So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. </em>I don't feel challenged about whether I do enough good deeds, but rather if my faith produces good deeds<span data-mce-style="color: #000000; font-family: 'lucida sans unicode', 'lucida grande', sans-serif;" style="color: black;">. Neither faith nor its resulting good deeds can be forced. Good deeds should not simply be about attending this event or that event, they should be an outward reflection of our heart for God. Something that is constant in our lives. They aren't for show. They aren't to gain entry to heaven. They aren't out of obligation or duty. They start with faith. </span>Faith in Jesus produces good deeds. What is your faith producing?</span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000; font-family: 'lucida sans unicode', 'lucida grande', sans-serif;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Trying to Follow,</span></span></div>
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mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-59504936093353618992015-07-08T14:27:00.000-07:002016-10-14T11:51:35.154-07:00The Heart of Worship<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></span></i></span>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What does it mean to choose sacrifice? It is one of the guiding points of our vision statement and probably my favorite of the bunch. But it's also the toughest for me. Choosing sacrifice is not about putting other people before yourself. It is about choosing to follow what God has in store for your life instead of all the things society teaches us to want; to sacrifice our worldly and selfish wills and pursue God's will for us. It is cultivating a mindset that doesn't say "<em>it's all about me and what I want</em>." I don't think many people have that mindset intentionally, but I think it is an underlying thought process which guides many of our decisions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Take worship for example. Often times I look around when worship starts and think "where is everyone? They are missing the best part!" I think worship is an integral part of what you experience on a Sunday. Why? Because it is about God and not about us. One thing I appreciate about Pastor Dave is that his heart is not to perform for us on Sunday, it is to lead us in our worship of the LORD. Worship is not about us hearing great music, it is about lifting up our voices together in community to celebrate and praise our God and Father. I think of worship as an opportunity to let go of all our concerns, troubles, and distractions in our lives and just focus on God and His greatness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">A few years ago I heard Pastor Mike Pilavachi of Soul Survivor church speak about worship and his experiences. If you have not heard of Soul Survivor, it is a large church in England where worship leaders/composers such as Matt Redman and Tim Hughes got their start. Pastor Mike spoke of a time where he felt the congregation and the worship band had lost their way. He did something drastic, he eliminated the band and sound system. It was just the worship leader, Matt Redman singing <em>a capella</em>. It was a challenge from the pastor for the congregation to engage with God during the time of worship and to do so with their hearts instead of their eyes. He challenged them to be "participants" in worship instead of "consumers." He asked the congregation “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?” At first the congregation and the leader struggled and there were moments of awkward silence, but eventually they got it and the band was slowly reintroduced.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This experience was not just for the congregation. The worship leader Matt Redman was affected - you can read about his perspective of it all from an <a data-mce-href="http://www.christianity.com/1253122/" href="http://www.christianity.com/1253122/" target="_blank">article on the Christianity website</a>. From this experience he wrote the song "The Heart of Worship" which illustrates how the "me" thought process can invade our lives, and the importance of worship to be all about Jesus. The importance of choosing to sacrifice oneself.</span></div>
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<em><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When the music fades, All is stripped away<br />And I simply come, Longing just to bring<br />Something that's of worth, That will bless Your heart<br />I'll bring You more than a song, For a song in itself<br />Is not what You have required, You search much deeper within<br />Through the way things appear, You're looking into my heart<br />I'm coming back to the heart of worship<br />and it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus<br />I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it, when it's all about You<br />it's all about You, Jesus.</span></em></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">What a beautiful illustration of his experience and his heart for God which we can all learn from. Worship has been on my heart a lot lately, especially as we look through the Psalms in our current teaching series. I look forward to the opportunity to worship the LORD along with all of you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Trying to Follow,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Mark</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-68811262869202075452015-03-11T12:53:00.000-07:002016-10-14T12:58:45.150-07:00Pray for Me<i>originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: lucida sans unicode, lucida grande, sans-serif;">Prayer can be funny because it messes with your pride. I admit it, I have a hard time asking for help. Asking God to change me is tough enough, asking others to pray for God to change me is something I don't do. I may ask others to pray for my circumstances, but to pray for me to change is tough because that involves admitting to other people I need to change. It is a vulnerability which is tough to face. But last month a group of us Crosswalkers went to a missions conference in San Diego and everything changed for me because of Matthew 9:36-38:</span> </span></span><em style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "lucida sans unicode", "lucida grande", sans-serif;">When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. </span></em><em style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "lucida sans unicode", "lucida grande", sans-serif;">Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. </span></em><em style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "lucida sans unicode", "lucida grande", sans-serif;">Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."</span></em><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: lucida sans unicode, lucida grande, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In this passage, Jesus is traveling around sharing the Good News and there are crowds gathering to hear Him. As it starts in verse 36, it is important to note that Jesus had compassion for the crowds - that is where it starts, He cared about them and wanted to help them. They needed guidance, they needed leadership. He knew His short visit to these lost sheep would not be everything they needed. He wanted to provide them with guidance because He cared for them. He wanted to "send out" workers who could be with the crowds. Important to note that the word used here for "send out" is the Greek <em>ekballo</em> and "send out" is not nearly strong enough. <em>Ekballo</em> is to violently throw, to cast out. This isn't sending out an e-mail. Some translations use "release" - but this is not release as you would a fish. <em>Ekballo</em> is like an athlete releasing a javelin; like a pitcher hurling a pitch. Think of that imagery for a minute and what Jesus was conveying by using <em>ekballo</em>. I don't know about you but I see a missionary being sent like a weapon towards the enemy.<br /><br />Now, Jesus could have easily stayed with the crowds and been the shepherd they needed. Or He could have told the disciples to do so. But what is interesting is that He told them to ask God for workers to <em>ekballo</em> to the fields. Why does He tell His disciples to pray? Why doesn't He pray Himself? A prayer from the Son of God is certainly more effective than any prayer the disciples could have said. And isn't the Lord of the harvest aware of the need already? If not, isn't it "on God's time"? I don't know the answer to that. But I do know that Jesus knew prayer was needed and would help - and it is not just a request, it is a command.<br /><br />Author and missionary Andrew Murray says this about the Matthew 9:38 prayer: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", "lucida grande", "lucida sans unicode", "lucida sans", tahoma, sans-serif;"><em><span style="color: black; line-height: normal; text-indent: 8px;">Without this prayer, fields ready for reaping will be left to perish. And yet it is so. The Lord has surrendered His work to His Church. He has made Himself dependent on them as His Body, through whom His work must be done. The power which the Lord gives His people to exercise in heaven and earth is real; the number of laborers and the measure of the harvest does actually depend on their prayer." </span></em></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: lucida sans unicode, lucida grande, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">In other words, the number of workers in the field is directly related to our prayers. We must pray in order for the harvest to be plentiful. So the question becomes "are you praying for workers?"<br /><br />Now this is great but what does it have to do with my pride and prayer? Well, as many of you know, my wife Alise and I are drawn to being missionaries internationally. We have essentially structured our lives towards this future goal. But we also feel like God is holding us back for now, which is fine because we love being here and workers are needed everywhere. In this time of waiting and preparation though, we have not asked many people to pray for us. It's a tough thing to ask for. It's not easy to admit that we need prayer. We all love to pray for other people because often their problems seem more significant than our own. Maybe we even think that we can do it on our own. But that isn't the case - the workers need your prayers. And as followers of Christ we are all workers in His field. So here I am asking that while you pray to God to <em>ekballo</em> workers, please include us in your prayers. The workers of the fields need your prayers.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "lucida sans unicode", "lucida grande", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Trying to Follow,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
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mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-77757818841910256492014-11-19T12:50:00.000-08:002016-10-14T12:53:28.681-07:00Prayer, Fasting, and Intimacy with God<i>originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">To close out the series "The Art of War", we invite everyone to fast and pray on Thursday 11/20. We will cap the day off with a time of prayer in the worship center between 6:30 and 7:30 pm. As excited as I am to fast with all of you, my brothers and sisters, I have to admit it has not always been that way. When I went to school for theology, one of the first books I was assigned to read was "</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Spirit-Disciplines-Understanding-Changes-Lives/dp/0060694424/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416426698&sr=1-1&keywords=dallas+willard&pebp=1416426612515" style="background-color: white; color: #6dc6dd; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_blank">The Spirit of the Disciplines</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">" by Dallas Willard. I remember before that point I had fasted a few times, but really had no clue about what I was doing. I half expected God to impart on me some revelation about my life, as if fasting were some Christian version of peyote. I was excited to read a book about the disciples and get to the bottom of what fasting was about and how to do it right to get the results I wanted. I was sorely disappointed. I remember talking to another student about how unsatisfied I was: we were halfway through the book and it was all about </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">why</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;"> we should practice the disciplines and </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">where our heart should be </em><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">instead of </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">how</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;"> to practice the disciplines. My friend replied with "maybe the author is making a statement about what is really important." And he was so right. I think that is the number one thing to know about disciplines such as fasting and prayer. It is about the condition of your heart. Being closer to God is a process - prayer and fasting can aid us greatly in it. The purpose of fasting in particular is not to get what we want from God. It is to change us and train us to be closer to Him and more like Jesus. Jesus made it a point to fast before he began his ministry. Why? Not because it is some legalistic step he had to take to have a successful ministry, it is because it brought him closer to the Father. That is the first thing to know about disciplines such as fasting - they are about bringing you closer to God. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">Spiritual formation is a process, being more like Jesus is a process. They take practice and consistency over time. This is another reason to fast; it is like being an athlete. Being a great baseball player takes practice and hard work in preparation and training long before a game. Closeness to God is similar. My approach to prayer and fasting has changed over the years and I get so much more out of it now than I used to. Dallas Willard says this about fasting: "it teaches us a lot about ourselves very quickly. It will certainly prove humiliating to us, as it reveals to us how much our peace depends upon the pleasures of eating. ...fasting confirms our utter dependence upon God by finding in him a source of sustenance beyond food." In other words, by denying ourselves of what we want, but don't need, we practice self-denial - which is especially rare in this culture. Taking one day off from food, or technology, or whatever it may be that we fast from, shows us how much our bodies and desires drive us - and gives us an opportunity to practice denying those urges.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">I have never experienced a time when fasting has been easy. But that is part of the beauty of it. Each time I feel hungry I pray. I pray to God to help me listen to Him rather than my stomach. I try to focus on God instead of myself. This is warfare, the enemy will try to distract you from the one in charge. This is why practicing prayer is so effective in concert with fasting. Food is the traditional item to fast from - but it does not have to be. For example, some people are so into video games that they forget to eat. For them, it would be much more effective to fast from video games for a day. We are asking everyone to fast from something on Thursday - be it technology, food, games, TV, music. Look at fasting in terms of self-denial. Things you think you need in life, but can actually give up for a day to focus on God. But also make sure it is something which you will miss. If you have a peanut allergy and choose to fast from peanuts, it probably won't make you rely on prayer so much. Nor will you have the opportunity to joyfully suffer.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">Prayer is powerful, do not doubt that. God changes us through prayer. We can understand God better through prayer. We get closer to God through prayer. This is why we come together to pray Thursday. But don't spend the day telling God everything you want or need. Prayer is conversation. Spend the day asking God what He wants from you. Ask God how to rely on Him. Pray for discernment over the lies of the enemy. Then pray the same for your brothers and sisters in Christ. And the community. Please specifically pray for our governmental leaders. Pray that God will change them too. That God will give them discernment over the enemy. Pray for Liberia - that people will unite to aid them instead of run away in fear. Most of all, pray that all of us grow closer to Jesus, to learn to be like Jesus, and to align our lives with God's will.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">Trying to follow,</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #606060; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 15px;">Mark</span>mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-48659251758356186402014-10-15T12:04:00.000-07:002016-10-14T12:05:23.154-07:00What is Love?<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Recently I had the opportunity to really study the meaning and concept of the word love. So much of our lives are centered around and/or searching for love. We live in a culture today in which "love" is mainly an emotion or a feeling. "Falling in love" is not seen as a choice you make, but as something that happens to you. Like something which comes and goes as it pleases. <img align="right" height="132" src="https://gallery.mailchimp.com/c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29/images/b67c3bdb-0665-4006-91a1-4b993ea1bc4a.gif" style="border: 3px solid; display: inline; height: 132px; line-height: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; width: 320px;" width="320" /></span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">But love like that, simply emotion, is not what the Bible says love is. There are three Greek words for love used in Scripture and all of them are less emotion and more choice - a way of life rather than a feeling one gets. Which is an especially important point when it comes to marriage. One of the most important parts of a marriage are the vows and promises. But promises cannot be made about feelings; feelings come and go, honestly, there are days when I may not be as emotionally attached to my wife because I am more focused on other things. No, nothing is wrong with our marriage. What I am trying to say is that love in the Bible, love in marriage, love in relationships, is based on actions. The choice to care for and be a blessing to each other even when we don't "feel" like it. Actions are things we can make promises about. (And so does God.) It may not always be what we want or expect, but that is our fault, not God's.<br /><br />God built within each of us a natural tendency to love - and His desire is for us to show love to each other. In John 13:34-35 (NIV) Jesus flat out says it: "<em>A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. <strong>By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another</strong></em><strong>.</strong>" Wow, read that again. According to Jesus (who I like to try to listen to) the defining characteristic of His followers is how much we love. Not how often we go to church, or if we memorize Scripture (which are important, no doubt) but the primary desire of Jesus is that we love one another. There are times I have been struggling with this lately. I admit it, I get caught up in all the things I need to do for Sundays to go well. I let feelings and emotions get the best of me - and as a result, I am not acting out of love. I'm not saying I don't love, I am just saying that other things get the best of me and other things become my goal over love. And for those of you on the wrong end of that I apologize and hope you can forgive me.<br /><br />I bring this up because right now we are starting a new series: "The Art of War" about Spiritual Warfare. There is no denying that Satan is attacking us constantly. This is a good thing - Satan wouldn't care if we were on the wrong track. But the best defense is a good offense, and in the case of Spiritual Warfare, a good offense is acting in love. This is how we get closer to God. This is how we understand Him best. 1 John 4:7-11 says "</span></span></span><em style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><span class="1John-4-7 text" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><strong><span class="1John-4-8 text" id="en-NLT-30572" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.</span></strong><span class="1John-4-9 text" id="en-NLT-30573" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><strong class="versenum" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; position: relative; top: 0px; vertical-align: top;"> </strong>God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"> </span><span class="1John-4-10 text" id="en-NLT-30574" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.</span></em><span class="1John-4-10 text" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px;"><em><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px;"><strong> </strong></span></span><span class="1John-4-11 text" id="en-NLT-30575" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; line-height: 24px;">Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. </span></em><span class="1John-4-12 text" id="en-NLT-30576" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif; line-height: 24px;"><em>No one has ever seen God. <strong>But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.</strong></em>" Think about that the next time you are upset at or annoyed with one of those people Jesus died for. I'm not saying don't get angry; Jesus got angry. What I am saying is, ask yourself where your actions are coming from. If the answer is anything other than a place of love, you might want to think about that some more. Choose love. Make it your way of life. Let people see that you are a follower of Christ by how much you love.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , "geneva" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Trying to Follow,<br />Mark</span></span></div>
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mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-13188227921486824812014-09-17T12:06:00.000-07:002016-10-14T12:10:02.563-07:00A Failure of Nerve<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, verdana, segoe, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, verdana, segoe, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I have certain leadership principles which guide me in life, and in this one I failed. I had a failure of nerve. Let me explain; one the leadership books which guides me is </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Failure-Nerve-Leadership-Age-Quick/dp/159627042X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1410973816&sr=8-1&keywords=a+failure+of+nerve+by+edwin+friedman" style="color: #336699;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">A Failure of Nerve</span></a><span style="color: black;"> by Edwin H. Friedman. In the book, Friedman compares American society and its leadership to a dysfunctional family (he is a rabbi and family therapist.) Part of what he explains is how leaders have become primarily concerned with safety over adventure, satisfying complaints rather than leading from strength and vision, and looking to procedures and data rather than relationships to solve problems. This happens in families and is happening in society as well. Where I had the breakdown was in safety over adventure.<br /><br />A few weeks ago my family went with some friends on a day trip to the tide pools near Monterrey. I was with my five year old daughter and my three year old son climbing over rocks and looking at the animals caught by the tide. It was a great opportunity to teach my kids how to be adventurous and let them gain confidence by climbing on the rocks. I told my hesitant daughter that the worst that could happen was to get wet. Then I watched as my daughter gained confidence and became more adventurous as she jumped from rock to rock. My friend and his son (about my daughter's age) did the same. It was this wonderful moment of bonding and adventure. We came to the end of the tide pools where there was a three foot jump over the water to a rock with only a small six inch ledge for the foothold on the other side. I looked and didn't think I could make it, especially not while helping my son. And there was definitely no way my daughter could make it. Then, without hesitation, my friend's son ignored the advice of the adults and took the leap... and made it to the other side. He was determined to make it to the top of a larger rock and this gap over the ocean was not going to stop him. My friend and I were shocked. My daughter immediately told me that she wanted to try it as well, and I said no. At the time I felt it was the correct decision, but on the way home I knew that I made a mistake. Was it really that big of a deal? Not really, but I am trying to help cultivate a spirit of adventure in my kids, so they aren't constantly held back by thoughts of safety. And not letting her at least try the jump was not the mindset I want her to have. Thankfully, my daughter quickly bounced back by telling us that she is going to start training to be an </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mirMEsFI07o" style="color: #336699;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">American Ninja Warrior</span></a><span style="color: black;">.<br /><br />Why do I think a sense of adventure is so important? Let me give you an example from Friedman's book: Christopher Columbus. If he were to sail into the unknown today, he would never get past OSHA or congress. Now, I am not saying that Columbus was some great guy with pure intentions. What I am saying is that he is not primarily concerned with safety, and it paid off in ways he did not imagine. We all need to take risks in our lives, and it is something which is cultivated in us.<br /><br />Having the boldness and courage to take risks allows us to rely on God when our own certainty of the outcome is removed. We become more focused with ways to succeed rather than what could go wrong. We become centered on opportunity instead of avoidance of crisis. Evaluating risk is prudent, being smart instead of careless is good, but the desire for safety, the need for certainty, cannot be what drives our decisions.<br /><br />One thing Friedman makes clear in his book, the solution to a failure of nerve is not to simply try harder. Rather it starts with internalization. In the case of my daughter jumping over the water the solution is not simply to try harder in seeking adventure, it is to prepare and cultivate within myself the spirit of adventure ahead of time. So when the opportunity comes, I am ready rather than defaulting to safety. What does that look like? In Acts 4 the disciples prayed for boldness after Peter and John were arrested. Jesus prayed at Gethsemane for God's will rather than his own. In my own prayer life I frequently pray for opportunity, but opportunity alone is nothing if it is not taken. What I am going to pray is that I have the boldness to jump at opportunity and that I am on the lookout for ways to cultivate that in my kids. Then I am going to go to the guys in my LTG to make sure they hold me accountable to it. </span></span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: tahoma, verdana, segoe, sans-serif;">Trying to Follow,<br />Mark</span></span></div>
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mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-86630309938088404262014-07-23T12:10:00.000-07:002016-10-14T12:11:38.224-07:00Scandal of Grace<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">"</span><a href="http://youtu.be/qdesSl-2XZM?t=9m12s" style="background-color: white; color: #336699; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Scandal of Grace</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">" is a worship song by Hillsong that has been stuck in my head for the past few days and the title has got me thinking about how much the message of Jesus is unexpected. God's grace took the form of a scandal - a public disgrace that should have damaged His reputation. But just like so many other things in life, God took what man sees as negative and turned it in to a win. Everything about Jesus' message was and continues to be against conventional wisdom. In the eyes of man, when we commit a crime, we pay the price for it. But the message of Jesus says that we do the crime and He pays the price. His grace has set us free from our sin, not so we can continue to pursue a life of sin, but so we can take a part in His plan for this world.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">The message of Jesus is so shocking, so unexpected, that we struggle to really accept it. When Jesus brought the message the Pharisees couldn't accept it. They were so focused on their sin and making it right with God that they couldn't move forward. They were stuck on sin. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">I think we often continue to do the same thing today with whatever guilt, shame, or scandal we have had in our own lives. Even with our sin conquered we choose let it hold us down. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">God's grace is so amazing that we can't accept it for ourselves. Even though we hear about it, we struggle to let go of our sin, accept the grace, and move forward with our lives. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">It happened to me. A few months ago I wrote a post called "</span><a href="http://crosswalkchurch.com/Multimedia/beyond-judgment/" style="background-color: white; color: #336699; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Beyond Judgement</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;">" where I shared about how the church reacted after my divorce. I felt shame that I had let God down. I held onto that shame for a long time. I chose not to forgive my own role in the divorce. In fact, I think I looked down on myself more than anyone else did. Even though I knew that God forgave me, I still wanted to hold onto it. Think of the prodigal son coming home, practicing what he is going to say, still holding onto the shame of his sin. But the father didn't care, the father was just glad to have him back. In an act of scandalous grace the father showed him how to get past it. That is what it took for me as well. In the midst of my self-imposed shaming God gave me the most significant experience in my life: He called me to missions: I was listening to a sermon here at Crosswalk by a guest speaker and there were images on the screen of children in other countries dying of hunger. While looking at the pictures I felt an overwhelming urge to be there and help those children. Not just to visit, but to make it a part of my life. It was bigger than a simple desire to help people, I knew that in that moment God was reaching out to me and calling me to a specific part of His plan. I came up with every excuse I could and each was shot down. I felt I wasn't worthy to share the Good News with anyone if I was divorced. But, God was calling me to something so it was obvious He was looking past the divorce, why couldn't I? There is so much more to this story and now is not the time to share it. Suffice it to say that after that day my life was changed greatly. I am still waiting on God to show me the when and the where of my missions calling, but I am gaining experience and preparing in the meantime. Working at Crosswalk is a part of that preparation.<br /><br />The prodigal son held onto his shame but the father's grace shocked and surprised him. I had a hard time letting go of my shame, but God surprised me with His grace. He wants you to move forward too. If there is some shame, guilt, or disgrace in your past that you are holding onto, let it go. God provided us with a scandal of grace so great that we are set free. Jesus died so that we don't have to. God has done something so amazing for us, forgives us, and wants us to be a part of His plan; why waste time holding ourselves back? There are plenty of other obstacles in life to overcome that restraining ourselves is useless. It may not happen right away, and it may take help, but that is one of the things the church is here for. Talk to your LTG, to your Life Group, to one of the pastors here. But take that step in letting it go and move forward. God has given you the strength to do amazing things in this life. Choose to accept it and respond in love towards others.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px;"></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;"><em>The day and its trouble shall come</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><em>I know that Your strength is enough </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><em>The scandal of grace, You died in my place </em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><em>So my soul will live</em><br /> - Scandal of Grace by Hillsong</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Trying to Follow,<br />Mark</span></div>
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mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-28672750371378700442014-06-18T12:48:00.000-07:002016-10-14T12:49:33.340-07:00Why Do I Even Try?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px;">Sometimes people come by the office to talk and tell us about some of their theology. I recently had a discussion with a gentleman who held one Scripture verse higher than the rest. This was the lens through which he interpreted the rest of the Bible. It got me thinking about my own lens. All of us do this somehow, whether we know it or not. For some of us it may not be an actual verse, but more of a theological concept. But it is the primary lens and filter through which we see God, our relationship with Him, and the rest of Scripture.<br /><br />Here is mine, it is called the Sh'ma: </span><br />
<span class="mc-toc-title" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: green;"><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "verdana" , "segoe" , sans-serif;">“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." - Deuteronomy 6:4-9</span></span><br /><br /><span style="color: black;">Just reading it makes it clear how important it was for the Israelite people. But how could I take an Old Testament Scripture as the lens for my relationship with God? Surely Jesus felt there were more important concepts in the Bible right? Here's what He said: </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: green; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: "tahoma" , "verdana" , "segoe" , sans-serif;">And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 22:37-40</span></span><br />
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<span class="mc-toc-title" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: black;">So often we hear people say that the Bible is an instruction manual for life and we should look to it to see what to do. And I feel like this so perfectly sums up the first and most important thing anyone who loves God should do. It is the basis for our relationship with God, and according to Jesus, our neighbor. Why is that? Because if our actions are not a reflection of love towards God they are empty.<br /><br />Most of my examples of God's love and grace come from my kids, and it's not just because they wake me up at 2am. But think about this for a second; last Sunday was Father's Day - I heard my daughter get out of bed and immediately run to my bed, to jump on me and say "happy Father's Day Daddy!" It came from her heart, it was genuine, it was passionate, and it was one of the best feelings a father could ever experience. On the other hand, if my wife had to force my daughter to hug me and she only did it because she felt like she had to, it wouldn't mean nearly as much. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px;">(And yes, I am well aware that when she becomes a teenager there is a strong possibility that this will become reality...) </span><span class="mc-toc-title" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: black;">I'd still accept her hug and appreciate it, but deep inside my desire would be for her to <em>want</em> to hug me, with all or her heart, all of her mind, and all of her strength.<br /><br />Want Biblical examples? David is the perfect one. Look at his life, he messed up more often and more dramatically than any of us will ever do. And yet God had a special place for him. Why? Because he loved God passionately and let it show. And it guided much of what he did in life. Maybe not perfectly, but it was the starting point. God wants us to give Him our hearts. Look at the rich young ruler and where his heart was; I wrote about it last month, you can read it on<a href="http://crosswalkchurch.com/Multimedia/what-must-i-do/" style="color: #336699;" target="_blank"> the Crosswalk website</a>.<br /><br />How does it all match up? God reiterates that the most important thing about our relationship with Him is to love him. Not just a passive, "what have you done for me lately" love, but a passionate "I can't hold it back" love. At Crosswalk, our mission is to passionately demonstrate the love of Jesus. Read that again, to <em><strong>passionately</strong></em> demonstrate the love of Jesus. Not because we have to, but we because we want to. As a response to God's love for us. Passion can't be forced or faked and still be genuine. Which is why it begins with God, He is in love with us. <strong>He is in love with you.</strong> Think about that. The creator of the universe is in love with you. He is so in love with you that He sent His one and only Son to die for you. Respond to that. Love God with everything you are. Loving responses are not passive: They are passionate. They are bold. They are unrestrained. They are unrelenting. They aren't held back by a legalistic view of how things should be. Take a look at your relationship with God, do you love Him passionately? Is that the basis for your relationship with God? Surrender to it and give your heart to God completely.<br /><br />Trying to follow,<br />Mark Juanes<br /><br />PS, if you are having a barrier in your relationship with God, in loving Him with your whole heart, in being passionate; feel free to talk to us. That is what the church leadership is here for. We have a staff of pastors and our primary job is not to get things done, but to work with you in constantly building upon your relationship with God. </span></span>mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-11381854368928983802014-04-30T14:57:00.000-07:002016-10-14T11:51:40.021-07:00Beyond Judgment<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></span></i></span>
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<span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">This week's message about judgement brought up some bad memories, and it also got me thinking. If you missed it, you can listen to it on <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.com/Multimedia/learn/sermons/" data-mce-style="color: #336699;" href="http://crosswalkchurch.com/Multimedia/learn/sermons/" style="color: #336699;" target="_blank">Crosswalk's Website</a>. One of the things that hit me was the video of people telling their stories of how they were hurt by the church - which you can watch on <a data-mce-href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HvQ9JLobA0" data-mce-style="color: #336699;" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HvQ9JLobA0" style="color: #336699;" target="_blank">YouTube</a>. I think like many of you, I could relate to a lot of what they shared and had my own experience. I loved it, but there is something I wish the video did share: what is going on with those people now? How has God healed them? And how did that come about? There are many things about the Church in general which needs to change, and it is good to be aware of it. But we can't simply focus on the negative. Pastor John spoke about how we can move forward in healing. That is what I want to focus on today, how we can build upon our strengths.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here is where I am going to be very vulnerable to you today. Some of you may know this but I went through a divorce about ten years ago. I'm not proud of it and I was ashamed of it for a long time. But more than that, being in a failed marriage hurt me badly. I felt like I had failed God, failed in my commitment, and failed my community. The details were irrelevant. I fell into a depression for a while, but I also felt convicted to not give up on my relationship with God even though I felt like I had let Him down. I was attending Crosswalk the entire time; my Life Group knew I was going through struggles in my marriage and they were the first ones I contacted when it ended. Instead of condemning me, they embraced me. They were there for me. One couple just got engaged and yet they were more concerned with making sure I felt ok then of celebrating their engagement with the group. The staff felt horrible for me, counseled me, tried to help me reconcile, and never once did I feel like they were rejecting me. Church friends took me out to lunch to talk about it. Some of you might remember Bill Ray who was a longtime member. Well he was my next door neighbor and had been married for over 70 years. Of everyone, I was the most afraid of telling him about it. And I'll never forget as I sat down and told him, he just put his arm around my shoulder and prayed with me. He knew that going to God could do more than any condemning words could. He knew that my relationship with God was more important.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">The problem with judgment is that we look at people's sins and, in our eyes, that is what defines them. So often in this Christian walk we hear about how we are all sinners. And how can we judge others to condemnation and really believe that? I wouldn't want to be defined by one particular part of my life. Not many do. We can't let one aspect of a person's life define who they are. This is a big part of why God healed me at Crosswalk ten years ago: people knew me deeper than a few hours on Sunday. They didn't let "divorced" become a big label on me, or let that become who they saw when they spoke with me. We now live in a postmodern world which values individuals. Getting to know people, building connections and trust with them is what we should be seeking. I wrote about some of my experiences with this on a <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.com/Multimedia/whats-a-witness/" data-mce-style="color: #336699;" href="http://crosswalkchurch.com/Multimedia/whats-a-witness/" style="color: #336699;" target="_blank">previous e-mail</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">When you build a relationship with someone, the results are twofold: First, you have genuine compassion and caring for them and any conversations about sin come from that place instead of a place of judgement. And second, they know that what you are saying is not in judgement but rather out of genuine love. Kinda like that Jesus guy. He recognized that all of us in general were sinful, and he ate dinner with the worst of the bunch. He got to know them better and didn't let their sins define who they were as individuals. Let's be known as the people who are like that. People who are more concerned with healing and compassion. People who spend the time to get to know others instead of making snap judgments about them.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-2891404319005907462014-03-26T14:34:00.000-07:002016-10-14T11:51:44.113-07:00What Must I Do?<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">There are three things I often think about when I write these articles:<a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.com/Multimedia/author/admin/" data-mce-style="color: #336699;" href="http://crosswalkchurch.com/Multimedia/author/admin/" style="color: #336699;" target="_blank"> listening, changing mindsets, and the Kingdom of God</a>. Why? Well, look at the teachings of the prophets and the parables of Jesus and it is clear those are pretty important things. But they aren't just important to think about. They are important to cultivate and be changed. God doesn't want us to merely be convicted to do something, he wants us to change into people who do good things naturally. In other words, </span><strong data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">God doesn't want us to DO good things. He wants us to BE good people who do good things. He wants our hearts.</strong><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> </span><br data-mce-style="color: #505050;" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-size: 16px;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #505050;" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-size: 16px;" /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">It is so easy to get caught up in serving and all the things that we think we need to do. And those things are good, but we do them as a response and reflection of who we are as Children of God. Look at the rich young ruler in <a data-mce-href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+18&version=ESV" data-mce-style="color: #336699;" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke+18&version=ESV" style="color: #336699;" target="_blank">Luke 18</a>. Along with Abraham, I see it as one of the best illustrations to show that God wants our hearts. When the man asks Him how to inherit eternal life, Jesus responds in a typical Jesus fashion. He mentions the Commandments. Notice how Jesus is not telling him what he needs to do? He just brings up the Commandments. The young man responds with legalism. He has done all these things. That is the way the Pharisees thought. He thinks he has done everything he needs "to do" to get into heaven. Jesus hits him with "sell all that you have and distribute it to the poor..." Is this what Jesus calls all of us to do? No, that would be a new legalism. That would just be saying that the Pharisees were following the wrong set of laws to gain their way to eternal life. The point is not to put those things before God. Following God is the priority. God wants our hearts. </span><br data-mce-style="color: #505050;" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-size: 16px;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #505050;" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-size: 16px;" /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Look earlier in Luke 18. Luke frequently places stories together based on topic and to accentuate the common meaning. Here he places the "Rich Young Ruler" together with the parable of the "Pharisee and the Tax Collector." That's when the Pharisee brags about how righteous he is, how much he's done. Then the tax collector confesses that he is a sinner and that God is in charge. Which one was justified? </span><em data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Only the tax collector. Only the one who recognized that we are sinners, not law-keepers. </em><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">The two stories go together. When we do good things, it's not with motives of getting into heaven, it's because we belong to God and that is what He wants. He wants our hearts. </span><br data-mce-style="color: #505050;" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-size: 16px;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #505050;" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-size: 16px;" /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">And here is the tough part. How do we respond? What does it look like when God has our hearts? It's in the Bible. Read Acts, it is my favorite book in the Bible because they were regular guys that God used. Just like you and I can be. God had their hearts. They pursued Him and His will. I'm not talking about a three year old saying she wants to give her heart to Jesus. I'm talking about on your knees bawling, life changing, never-be-the-same again, giving your heart to Jesus. Do you think the rich young ruler's response to Jesus was to say "I was really convicted by your message today, Jesus!" and then go on with his life? Do you think Jesus would have been satisfied with that? Jesus challenged him to give up what he wanted and pursue what God wanted. Because Jesus loved him. And he couldn't do it, and went away sad. He couldn't put God first. </span><br data-mce-style="color: #505050;" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-size: 16px;" /><br data-mce-style="color: #505050;" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-size: 16px;" /><span data-mce-style="color: #000000;" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">That is why when I read our vision, to passionately demonstrate the love of Jesus, I see the "choosing sacrifice" part and think "wow, that's tough." Choosing sacrifice is not about helping other people, at least not directly. It's about giving up what we want. Its about bringing it to God and letting God be the leader. It's about giving our hearts to God and not just doing the things He wants us to do. It's being the people He wants us to be, and doing those things because we want to.</span></span>mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-283586928131342682014-03-12T14:22:00.000-07:002016-10-14T11:32:22.885-07:00Setting Your Roots<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think we all have a verse we often "go to" and find encouraging. Which do you find most encouraging? Mine is not the usual: <em>Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.</em> James 1:2-3 (NLT) I am drawn to this verse because it doesn't sugar-coat things. We are going to face trials in life. We are going to have struggles. We can't be sheltered, shelter our faith, or shelter our loved ones from trials in life. But there is good news, God gives us strength from our struggles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You may have already heard the story of the trees in the Arizona Bio-dome. The Bio-dome was a project where scientists tried to produce an isolated and yet self-sustainable environment fully enclosed in a dome. There was a pond, fish, plants, and some trees. What they found however, was that after a few years some of the trees would mysteriously fall down. It turns out that inside the controlled bio-dome environment there was no wind, and without the wind to shake the trees, their roots did not dig in as deep or develop as well to help support the trees. The trees needed to be tested for their endurance to develop. The trees needed the wind to test them and push them to become stronger. The same is true of seeds planted indoors. Gardeners recommend that seeds planted in places where they are sheltered indoors be "hardened" before they are planted outside. Hardening involved placing the sprouting plants outside for an hour or two a day. As the plant is exposed to direct sunlight and wind, it grows stronger. Each day it is left outside for a longer period of time and after a week it will be strong enough to be planted outside.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I think about some of the things I have gone through in my past I see how God formed me as well: my first job out of college was as a supervisor for a trucking company. I was a scared, shy, kid with little self confidence. Suddenly I was in a situation where I was in charge of 20 angry teamsters who wanted to argue and intimidate me because I was the one giving out job duties. It really challenged me and there were times when I didn't want to be there or dreaded going into work because I knew there was going to be complaining and arguing. But after time, I realized how God used it to make me stronger mentally and able to diffuse angry people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">According to James, this happens with our faith as well. He breaks it down in verses 9-15. Being poor is a blessing because it makes you stronger. Being rich is a blessing because it is an opportunity to test your humility. If you can come through temptation, you will be stronger. Not saying to throw yourself into the path of temptation or trials; James makes it clear that although it is an opportunity to be stronger, that does not mean it is from God. But think of it this way, if we shelter ourselves from trials, will our faith have the opportunity to truly grow? Sometimes holding yourself away may be victory, but sometimes you need to have the confidence to address trials and temptations. When you do, consider it a blessing knowing you will come away stronger.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-18846517384647355272014-02-19T16:22:00.000-08:002016-10-14T11:29:12.081-07:00Listen to Me for a Minute<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Raising two small children and observing them has really helped me to differentiate some things that are human nature and others which are taught. Now that my kids are four and two, I feel qualified to say that listening is a learned skill because it certainly does not seem to be something which comes naturally. Or at least being a </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">good</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">listener. Which leads to the question, what is a good listener? It is not just someone who can sit there quietly and nod their head. It is not simply processing information. Good listening also involves knowing how to respond appropriately.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Listening is such a simple thing, yet why is it so tough to do? Let me give an example: Asking kids to wash their hands before dinner seems reasonable right? When I ask my kids to do that I expect them to listen to me and as a response, wash their hands. But how would you feel if you asked your kids to wash their hands and as a response they came back to you saying that they memorized what you said? That they did a word study and learned about the historical context of hand washing. That they can now say "go wash your hands" in Greek and Hebrew. Hey, those things are fantastic but I could care less if there was still dirt on their hands. What if they completely ignored you and pretended you weren't there? Or ran away to the other room? Or turned the TV up so they couldn't hear you? Or even said "yes I'll wash my hands" and then got distracted by toys on the way to the sink? Get where I am going with this? Unfortunately, these are all responses my kids sometimes give me when I ask them to do something simple like wash their hands. And for many people, this is their response when it comes to listening to God.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But there is good news, we can learn to be different. We can learn to be good listeners. My personal prayer life was revolutionized as I learned to listen to God instead of throwing everything I wanted at Him. There was nothing wrong with the things I wanted, it just wasn't what God wanted. Being a good listener, as easy as it sounds, isn't something which happens right away, I had to learn how to shut off my own junk. I had to learn how to listen when I prayed, listen when I read Scripture, and listen to counsel from brothers and sisters in Christ. And then, if it went along with the teachings of Jesus, I had to learn how to respond appropriately. Not to respond by saying "wow, that was powerful" or "I really feel convicted" and then do nothing. I responded by taking action. By following where God led me. My life is completely different than I would have predicted ten years ago because I let go of my own dreams and listened to what God desired for me. Listening in prayer frees us, it frees us from our own hopes and desires. It lets us get past the things that we want and get a perspective on the bigger picture of what God wants. Go and practice listening in your prayer, not asking God for something you want, asking God what HE wants.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's that simple: listen, and if it is reflected in the teachings of Jesus, go do it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pastor Mark</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-64197330807700720522014-01-24T11:21:00.000-08:002016-10-14T11:26:01.769-07:00Productive or Fruitful?<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></span></i><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Do you have a garden in your backyard? My family started one this past year and we have had a great time with it. It has forced me to be more patient since no matter how hard I work I can't make the fruit grow any faster. I can see why so often in Scripture, the analogy is about farming, gardening, or growing. But for many of us, our lives are just the opposite. American life, especially in Silicon Valley, lends itself to a lifestyle of "production." The problem of course is that when we have a lifestyle geared towards production, we tend to view our spiritual life along those same terms: </span><em id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1390586996410_3652" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">if I try harder and work harder i can be more successful spiritually</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">. At my old job in the transportation industry, my success was measured in how productive I was. Even on the weekends when I wasn't working, it felt like the same mindset penetrated my day: a good Saturday was about how many of my tasks or chores I was able to check off my list. Spiritually, I wanted to get closer to God so I threw myself into everything I could: school, reading books, volunteering for everything I could. But in the end, it didn't really work out so well. I wasn't really fruitful because I was focused on what </span><em style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I</em><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> needed to do.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In my experience, Spiritually works very differently. The goal, like in gardening, is to be fruitful, and there is only so much we can do to get that to happen. No matter how hard we try, we can't control the process. We can't force the Holy Spirit to work in us or through us. What we can do is cultivate an environment where we can listen to what God is saying. We can prepare ourselves by recognizing that God has control, not us. What God has in store for us is a mystery, we need to learn how to partner with that mystery. When I garden, I don't know when it will rain, or how the frost will hit my plants. What I need to do is to learn how to recognize and be in a situation where I can respond appropriately. How different is that from our Spiritual lives? We don't have control of what God is going to do or send our way. What we can do is put ourselves in a position where, when given the opportunity, we know how to respond and our response is automatic. A few months ago, Pastor John showed <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=3ee80f682c&e=c277295c8c" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=3ee80f682c&e=c277295c8c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this video of a bus driver</a> who noticed a woman on an overpass and stopped her from jumping. Noticing the situation and reacting appropriately are not traits which the bus driver "just has." It is a compassion that has been cultivated in him for a long time so that when opportunity arose his response was automatic and natural.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cultivating such an environment means we are not waiting for the Holy Spirit to do it all for us. It does not mean that we take it all on ourselves. It means that we have an ongoing relationship with God so that we can listen to what He is saying and partner with Him. Such a partnership makes us stronger than we could ever be on our own. Our relationship with God, as with any relationship, grows and changes over time. We have to be intentional about cultivating an environment for the relationship to be healthy, we have set aside time to spend together in the relationship. We don't look for short term results but rather an overall healthy partnership for the long haul. That is what I want to encourage you to do today; to approach your relationship with God as you would in planting a garden: cultivate a healthy environment, realize that you have limited control, and remember that the goal is fruitfulness, not production.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-21119990243100004652013-12-11T17:38:00.000-08:002016-10-14T11:24:31.172-07:00Service With A Smile<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As you may know, I lived in Southern California for about seven years and one very important lesson i learned was that if you are going to eat fast food, Chick-Fil-A is the best alternative to a beef hamburger. But what makes them successful is not just the taste of their food; I was reminded of this the other night while ordering. Before I even had a chance to taste their chicken i was greeted with a "how may I serve you today?" and after I received my food they let me know that "it was my pleasure to serve you today." Now granted, I'm not naive enough to think that some teenager was that excited to see me specifically. But it does not come across as fake either, I have no doubt most people really do enjoy working there; and as a response they enjoy serving customers. Compare that to some other service jobs, how often is the first thing you hear from the cashier "$6.87 please"?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I had a similar experience last night. <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=47de08b229&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=47de08b229&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">Sunnyvale Community Services</a> is non-profit organization which helps out local families in need. One of the ways they help is through the "Christmas Store" which is an opportunity for people to pick out food and gifts for their families. Last night a team of about 20 Crosswalkers served the clients in various capacities. My job was to help people carry the gifts and food to their cars and I have to say, I loved every minute of it. Part of it was seeing the joy and relief of the people as they received a cart full of groceries and gifts that their kids would enjoy. One woman was trying not to cry as I loaded up her car and told her "Merry Christmas" and how much God blessed her. It wasn't just receiving gifts and food that made a difference, people respecting and caring for her made a difference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I was recently reading a study of John 21:15-19 - that's the one where Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him and tells him how to respond. There are a lot of fascinating things to note in this passage but don't get carried away with the details. There is no denying that Jesus is making a simple point to Peter - if you love me, you will take care of those I love. Notice that Jesus takes the time to tell us why we should serve - He is not giving out a military command to serve blindly. He could have told Peter "go take care of my people" and Peter would have done it. But something else is involved in caring for others. Jesus makes it a point that motivation is important: caring for others is a response to our love for Him. When our motivation is a response to God's love, how can it not be done with a good attitude? If we go into serving others with a bad attitude and do it because we feel "we have to," is it really a response of love and gratitude? Are we really caring for people if we do it with the wrong attitude? Or just going through the motions?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At the end of our time at Sunnyvale Community Services last night I thanked the man who coordinated for Crosswalk: Leigh Ochinero. He responded humbly by mentioning that he really didn't do much: made a couple of phone calls, sent a few e-mails. But I don't see anything in the Bible that tells us that quantity is what matters. What matters is heart and motivation. I can't know the intentions of someone's heart, but I think Leigh did everything he did because he cares about people in the community. He wasn't doing it to get attention or for pats on the back. He can see what a difference it makes helping people in the community. I can tell you that Sunnyvale Community Services is a solid organization which is doing something wonderful to help people in Sunnyvale. They aren't just blindly giving things away, they know each one of the clients, know their stories and why they need help. They are an organization we can partner with and invest in, knowing they are diligent in caring for the community and i hope that we can get more interest to partner with them more often throughout the year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Last Friday I was also able to serve at another ministry we do: KidsClub at San Miguel School. Let me give you a little background for this one. Our Life Group had just finished of a study of the book Crazy Love and felt compelled to serve the community. We dedicated an evening to pray together for what we should do. The very next day another local church called me and told me about a ministry they needed help with called KidsClub. KidsClub is an after school Bible study for elementary kids at a local public school. They were in desperate need for volunteers. Since it was something we had just prayed about the night before how could I say no? One of the Life Group members volunteered to take the lead in coordinating our people. Crosswalk now has a team of seven regular volunteers who teach the Bible after hours at a public school. It is not an easy ministry and takes a lot of work, but there is no way I could see any of the volunteers there for any reason other than caring for the kids; joyfully teaching the Bible in a response to God's love. When I went for the first time last week, Vera Masters and I led a small group of kids. We spoke with the kids about how Typhoon Haiyan affected the Philippines and Vera shared a little about her experience in the Philippines on last summer's mission trip there. Later, at snack time, one of the kids was supposed to pray for the snack and instead prayed for the people affected by the typhoon. If teachers just "go through the motions" with the class, personal stories like that would not be shared. Caring for each other in response to Jesus' love is infectious. Our motivations matter. They make a difference.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Remember that as you serve: it is not an obligation, no one is forcing you to do it. It is a response to God's love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">trying to follow,<br />Pastor Mark</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-20006715382837969482013-10-30T15:36:00.000-07:002016-10-14T11:22:29.255-07:00Putting it All Together<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of the most important reasons to be a part of a church is the connections we build with each other. We become brothers and sisters in Christ - but what good is that if we don't share, learn, grow, and transform from those bonds? Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) says <em>"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."</em> The word "encouraging" there is <em>parakaleo</em> - it is not just saying we should go around patting each other on the back every Sunday. <em>Parakaleo</em> means "to come along side" and to "comfort, console, encourage, urge, appeal, exhort" which sounds a lot more like the way you treat a brother or sister than a Sunday acquaintance. And that is a problem right? If the church is not a building but all of us who are brothers and sisters in Christ; and if we are to be brothers and sisters by coming along side each other, how can we do so if we only interact one day a week for about 90 minutes? How can we comfort, console, encourage, urge, appeal, and exhort with each other if we don't really know each other? Facebook is not the answer, I'll tell you that much.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">But before we go there, let's take a step back. Last week<a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=1895d23c03&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=1895d23c03&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self"> I wrote about sharing the Good News</a> through relationship and by being a witness. But that is just the first step. The goal of evangelizing through relationship should not be to simply get people to come to church. It should be to show them love, develop a bond with them, to bring them to the place where being a part of a church together is a natural piece of the relationship. If they choose a different church, it doesn't matter, continue to build on it. Building on those relationships is just the first piece of the brotherhood and sisterhood, and it is not confined to new followers either. Being a part of a church gives us several outlets to "come along side" our brothers and sisters. There are three that the leadership here at Crosswalk wants to encourage and I want to touch on each of those and how they relate to each other: Equipping Small Groups, Life Transformation Groups, and Discipleship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We consider all of the small groups here at Crosswalk to be "equipping" because what you receive from groups is not meant to be held in, but then turned and shared back out. But small groups are where the sharing and relationships go from the five minute conversation you have on a Sunday to something deeper. You go from "acquaintance" to "friend." You pray for each other, you learn together, you share your experiences together, you serve together. Small groups are where you can learn from people's perspectives, opinions, and experience. When you are a part of the small group, it doesn't matter if you know people or not, you get to know them better through it. As you get to know people, you find out who can be in an LTG with you and who could benefit from your discipleship - or if you could benefit from theirs. If you aren't part of a small group, I highly encourage it. It is not a place of judgement but rather a place of learning and connection. I have never attended a church and truly felt like I was a part of the community without being a part of a small group. I got to know my wife in a small group, I proposed on a group camping trip, and half our wedding party was from the group. Our current group includes a doctor, a teacher, someone who helped fight sex-trafficking in India, and even people who have traveled to Tibet. I would have had no idea if I did not spend more time with them than Sunday. The point is, you get to know people and build some deep, long-lasting connections in small groups. Studying the Word is an essential part of group, but being connected with people and sharing life is important too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Out of my current small group, I was invited to join an LTG with two other guys and it has been great so far. There is no leader in an LTG - everyone is considered an equal. That opens things up for the group to discuss what is going on in their lives in intimate detail and for mutual accountability. To me, the most important part of an LTG, the part where transformation comes from, is that accountability is not just about staying away from sin. It is about where you are going, what you are actively doing to improve your life, what you are actively doing to further God's Kingdom, and what you are actively doing to passionately demonstrate the love of Jesus. When someone asks you those questions each week, and you know they are, you make sure you have something to share with them. The guys in my LTG have encouraged me in my leadership, held me accountable to what I say I want to work on, and given me confidence to take the next step.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">In this context, it is also known as mentorship. There are different types of discipleship but I am going to focus on mentorship since that is what I have had experience in. What is a disciple? It is a follower. Literally. A couple of weeks ago <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=e831b50aa7&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=e831b50aa7&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">Pastor John preached on discipleship</a> and spoke about disciples following a Rabbi into the bathroom so they did not miss anything. When you are in a discipleship/mentor relationship with someone you study Scripture together but you also discuss how it affects your life, how to live out Christian principles, and it is a sharing of experience and Scripture. My inner geek relates it to <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=0d9f5231e1&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=0d9f5231e1&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">Yoda and Luke</a>. Ideally, you should be learning from one individual while teaching another. In his book Multiply, Francis Chan says making disciples is not just gathering pupils to listen to your teaching. "...it's all about being faithful to God's call to love the people around you. It's about loving those people enough to help them see their need to love and obey God. It's about bringing them to the Savior and allowing Him to set them free from the power of sin and death and transform them into loving followers of Jesus Christ. It's about glorifying God by obediently making disciples who will teach others to love and obey God." The young man I had the privilege of teaching had a profound effect on my life. I have no doubt that he will go on to other greater mentors than myself and far exceed anything I have accomplished, and it has been a joy to see him grow and transformed by God into someone who does not just seek God, but seeks to honestly follow Jesus. It all started with going out to lunch together and discussing Scripture - and now he will be a lifelong friend. Making disciples has many forms, this is the one I have experience in and I feel is a powerful way to pass on and share the love of Jesus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For all of these, I would suggest starting with a small group. Get to know people, build relationships, be encouraged and walk alongside each other. As you get to know people better, find a few peers with whom you can be mutually accountable with. Find someone else whom you can disciple and take them out to lunch - and see where it goes. God has given each of us amazing experiences in life, share them with your brothers and sisters. Many of you are probably thinking that all sounds nice but you don't have time for it. Others are probably thinking you don't have enough experience for it. Start with a small group, pray about the rest. Don't hesitate when God gives you the opportunity.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-66916575724448434042013-10-23T16:14:00.000-07:002016-10-14T11:51:15.572-07:00What's a Witness?<div style="color: #333333; font-size: 16px;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I first started working at Crosswalk, I wrote a post about <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=2f9e448581&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=2f9e448581&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">how God changed me through Crosswalk</a>. Now it is over a year later and I am still excited about what is happening at Crosswalk, especially Stepping Forward. I'm talking about Stepping Forward as what our church is focused on, our redefined mission. I'm talking about being <em><b>a community who passionately demonstrates the love of Jesus by pursuing truth, choosing sacrifice, serving all people, and making disciples</b></em><strong>.</strong> This is not just a sermon series, this is an ongoing conviction about who we are and what we do. When I read that mission, when I pray about it, there is one obvious thing I keep coming back to: it is about our relationships, as followers of Jesus, with others. Sharing the Good News with people is not just something we say, it is the way we live, it is who we are.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There are many ways to share the Good News with people and none of them are wrong; except the one where no one knows about your faith. In today's postmodern society, people want to know that you care about them, as an individual. Several wise people have told me that. Asking a stranger if they know about Jesus doesn't have the same impact that it used to because there are very few people in America who don't know who Jesus is. TV, movies, the internet, etc. have changed all that. People know who Jesus is, but they really don't care. Or they think that Christians don't really act at all like Jesus did, so why bother following Him? Are they wrong to think that way? No, because I have known a lot of Christians who were filled with hate and anger, and that is what defined and drove them. But that is also very few Christians. Most of them are good, kind, loving, and compassionate. How do we get society to change and embrace Christianity? By being the type of person they want to be around, by letting them know who we are. By developing caring relationships with people, and talking about what Jesus has done for us - and when it is done in the context of an ongoing relationship, people know that you are coming from a place of genuine caring.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I used to be afraid to talk to people about my faith, not wanting to admit I was a Christian thinking that it would push them away. But the verse that kept coming back to me was Acts 1:8 - "<em>and you will have power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.</em>" First of all, this was the last thing Jesus said to the disciples before ascending to Heaven. Seems to me that whenever I go out of town for a while I want to make sure that the last thing I say is what I don't want people to forget. Those last minute instructions which are the most important. A lot of people focus on the power of the Holy Spirit in that text, but I look at what Jesus is telling them to do. Be witnesses - which means sharing what we have experienced in our own lives. What God has done for us in our lives. How the Bible has changed us. As God continues to work in our lives, it is reflected in the way we live.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">At my last job, my boss was an Atheist and during one of our first conversations he found out I was a Christian. Immediately he started to tell me about a previous coworker of his who would constantly "share the Good News" with him. He couldn't stand her because she didn't want to have a conversation about it, she would only tell her side, and it was patronizing to him. The easy thing to do would be to wipe the dust off my feet, say he doesn't want to hear what I have to say and then move on. But I listened to what he had to say. In our conversations I was very open with him about what God had done and was continuing to do in my life, but in the context of personal conversation. After a year, he had begun initiating conversations with me: when I told him the story of how I found the job at Crosswalk, he even admitted that while he didn't believe in God, it sure seemed that God gave me the job. A few months later, he told me that his wife and kids had decided to go to church, and while he didn't go himself, he encouraged them to see what it was all about. I'm not saying he is accepting Christ or anything, but I am saying that there are other ways to look at evangelism. Listen to people, value who they are and their views. Share with them about how you are experiencing God. In other words, build an ongoing, caring relationship with them which is not just about sharing the Word. It is about being a friend and caring about them, and wanting to share with them what is happening in your life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I look back at my life and see how God working through a family who cared about me. Like many people, during college I stopped paying attention to God. But I had a good friend whose family lived close to school and they constantly invited us over to dinner, bbq's and just to hang out and spend time together. They were such an amazing, caring family that I wanted to know more about what made them that way. They talked to me about their relationship with Christ. About what they experienced on missions trips. About how God acted in their lives. They were confident in what was going on in the world. They invited me to church but when I declined they were ok with it. They wanted to be my friend, to be in relationship with me. I can honestly say they were the first family I ever met who lived out the Gospel to others and it had a huge effect on me. Not right away. Years after I graduated college and did not see them anymore I still thought about them. And when God drew me back they were the first ones I thought of and who I called with questions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm just saying that living the Christian life is more than just taking in what God reveals to us. It is about living out the Gospel to others. Not as a monologue but as a conversation. Let people know that you genuinely care for and about them, that you respect them. But don't hesitate to share what God has done in your life.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-54451093226718713022013-08-02T10:36:00.002-07:002016-10-14T11:50:05.994-07:00Paraguay Part 2: The Highlight of the Trip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">It was a running joke of the trip that almost every new experience was deemed the "highlight of the trip." In reality though, this trip has been a highlight of the past few years and hopefully a catalyst in many ways. We have arrived back home safely late last night and happy to report the kids did great. The flight from Paraguay to Miami was rough because it left in the morning so the kids were awake more of the flight - not a single dirty look from the travelers around us though made us proud parents. Sydney has a slight fever but other than that everyone is doing great.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">My last e-mail gave a summary through Thursday so that is where I am going to start with this one. Friday was a break away from the "traditional" missions trip to help the Hernandez family move. What can I say about moving? It was nice to be able to help them unload furniture and decide where to put everything but really it was a straight service day. It was great to see their excitement over the new house and get them out of the one with mold and mildew on the walls. In the end, I think our time and discussion with the Hernandez family (and some of the other missionaries we met) was our biggest takeaway from the trip. Being able to experience what long-term missionaries do and struggle with in another culture was enlightening and inspiring for all of us. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Friday evening we provided a distraction from the moving to experience a professional soccer game. WOW. Those fans are crazy. When their team scored, mobs of them would run straight towards the field and several would climb the fence to celebrate. They love their soccer in Paraguay and it showed - just about every man, woman, and child have a team they support. We bought Sydney a team jersey to wear and when she was wearing it at a playground one day, some other kids would not let her on some structures because it wasn't their team. Luckily the Hernandez kids were there and told off the others. Sydney had no idea what was even going on. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Saturday we traveled out of town and into the country to visit a smaller church to teach and serve. Alise and Alicia led a program for about 25-30 kids with a teaching and activity on creation and how God created each of them. It was well received by the local kids and it was a great opportunity for our kids and the Hernandez kids to really experience ministry from a leadership standpoint since they helped out with everything and even helped lead the local kids. Angel shared a teaching on relational evangelism and Fernando and I gave testimonies to back it up. We were all invited by another missionary and the purpose of this "mini-conference" was sharing with the locals about being outwardly focused instead of inwardly. The highlight of that activity was the worship; it was a pretty small church but the music was so passionate. They had about ten high school aged kids who screamed when one of their favorite songs played and they "rushed the stage" at the end to dance with the worship leaders. I absolutely love the way people all over the world experience worship differently - and it doesn't matter. There is no right way or wrong way to worship, what matters is how people celebrate and come closer to God.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Sunday was a recovery day for us; Alise and Alicia were both getting over being sick and Fernando was still fighting off a fever. We ended up letting him get some sleep while the rest of us spent the day at the Hernandez household. It actually turned out to be positive to have Fernando out of the picture for a day because we had some great conversations and bonding time with Alicia. Angel Hernandez treated us to a bbq the way Paraguayans do it - slow and with lots of discussion. We pretty much sat around the grill and shared. It is something I have struggled with in America, it feels like even a leisure activity like cooking on the grill is agenda and production based. When I am cooking at home I am focused on grilling or the next task instead of just taking time to sit and talk. So much about Paraguay is about social time and building relationships. Instead of staring at the TV or cell phones, people are sitting around and socializing as they drink beer or wine (passing around the same glass) or sipping mate' (which is their version of tea) which is also one cup passed around. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Monday was back to Tacumbu for the men and Divino Redentor for the women. Alise and Alicia shared with the kids this time and Alicia gave her testimony. They planned to work with about 45 kids, but it ended up being about 80! They did games, bible stories and crafts and had a fun time! It was a little bit of a bummer that we were separated but I would not have felt comfortable with the ladies going into the prison. For the men, our time and teachings at the prison were more relational based. I spoke on Spiritual Formation and our role in that while Fernando spoke on fellowship. Both of us ended our teachings with having the men break into small groups to discuss and we joined them. Hearing the men share individually was special and a blessing to us. Life in prison may be rough but these men had joy in their lives and positive attitudes. One man had been addicted to drugs since he was a young boy and it was not until he came into the Christian part of the prison and broke his addiction that he found happiness and freedom. Fernando and I were both sad to leave. Isn't that crazy? We were in one of the worst prisons in South America and were sad to leave. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Sadly, Tuesday was our last day in Paraguay, we packed our stuff up and then went to an outdoor market to buy a few gifts. Tuesday night we took the Hernandez family to a really nice dinner in town. The restaurant was a Brazilian "Churrascaria" - which is essentially several types and cuts of meat. Words cannot do it justice so if you ever have the opportunity, check one out. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Overall, it was not the type of short term missions trip you normally hear about in church, but it gave us all such insight on what it means to be a long term missionary. It was more about serving and supporting the people there in their ministry. There were no "evangelistic crusades" with hundreds of people giving their lives to Christ and there were no construction projects. However, we think this type of short trip was more productive in the long run - both for those we met and for our family. While there were definite challenges to bringing the kids, we are so glad we took them with us. Sydney asked a lot of questions about the country and the culture and they were able to experience ministry from the "giving" perspective instead of just "receiving." In the end, that was one of our major goals.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-91808289250287560372013-07-25T17:21:00.001-07:002016-10-14T11:50:36.140-07:00Paraguay part 1: Tacumbu Prison, Divino Redentor, and Missionaries<div style="font-size: 13px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">It's been a wonderful time here in our first few days - with only ten days here we have been busy so far but it has been great. Today has been the first day with scheduled "down time" to rest and discuss the past few days. One thing I firmly believe about short term missions teams we are on, especially for short trips, is that we are not here to change the lives of the people we meet; rather to support the people who are already here and able to continue the long term work. In that regard we have three main ministry goals: to support Angel Hernandez's reentry ministry at Tacumbu prison by holding a conference to encourage and challenge the men, to support the teachers at Divino Redentor school with first aid training and a devotional, and to support the Hernandez family as a whole however we can. There are only four of us on the team: Myself, Alise, and our friends Fernando and Alicia - and our two kids.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">The trip here was about what we hoped for, the kids did great for the most part - when we got off one of the planes the woman sitting in front of the kids looked back and asked "were those kids back there the entire flight?" I can't imagine a better compliment. Monday we settled in at our housing and then spent some time with the Hernandez family. Their kids immediately took to ours and they have been having a great time together. On Tuesday we went with the Hernandez family for a hike and had some great conversations about their ministry and their experiences with Paraguan culture. That evening we had a BBQ with another missionary family: the Tengans as well as a local the Hernandez family has been meeting with: Hugo. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Wednesday was a full day: we were up early and out of the house before 8am. Alise, Alicia and the kids headed to Divino Redentor School and gave a devotional and first aid training to the teachers. (12 year old Cruz Hernandez got involved as the translator and word is he did better than Malia.) The first aid training was very well received and a lot of misconceptions were corrected. Alise has taught first aid and CPR before so between that and her schooling/career as an Athletic Trainer she is practically a doctor here in Paraguay. Alicia led a devotional for the teachers and it went well. When they go back on Monday they will be giving another encouraging devotional to the kids this time. We brought some medical supplies along with us expecting to use them for training, though now that we are here we see that the school has zero first aid supplies so we are putting together first aid kits for each classroom.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">While the women were serving teachers on Wednesday, the men were serving men at Tacumbu prison. A little background on Tacumbu: many consider it to be one of the most crowded prisons in South America, it was built to hold 1200 prisoners and yet currently holds over 4000. It also holds some of the most dangerous prisoners in Paraguay: one of the men told us that there is a murder within the prison almost every day. There are not many guards and most of them are only concerned with keeping people from escaping. Drug use within the prison is not just rampant, it is a regular occurrence. One of the men we were talking to says that a rock of crack can be bought for about $0.75 US, cocaine for about $1.25 US and bottles of whiskey for around $7.00 US. Obviously the prison understaffed and just about anything can be smuggled in. There are essentially three major sections to the prison: General Population, a section run by the Mennonites, and Remar which is where we spent our time. Remar is essentially a wing of the prison for men who seek Christ and it holds over 600 men. I think the most intimidating part was when we walked through the General Population to get to Remar. It was chaotic to say the least, men tried to approach us or stare us down, the overall feel was a general disarray. But as we entered Remar through another set of gates, there was an immediate feeling of peace and sanctuary. The prisoners in Remar are the ones who guard the gates to make sure no one from general comes into Remar without permission. Within Remar men are working on crafts to sell - Angel says that in General, few people do crafts because the focus is to either stay alive or find the next fix. The first day of the conference went great, Angel, Fernando, and I each gave teachings before having a shared meal with the leaders (who were either prisoners or former prisoners.) They then gave us a tour of the Remar section. The extreme overcrowding means that even in Remar many men do not have a bunk and sleep outside where the temperatures are in the low 40's at night the prison does not provide blankets so the men on dependent on family and friends to bring them blankets and clothing. They even asked Fernando to give the main message at their church service when we go back on Monday (to the entire population of 600 men at Remar. Overall, we were blessed by our visit there and were especially impressed with the hunger of the men for the Word of God. After each teaching we allowed for question time and most of the questions were far deeper than I expected. Angel plans to make this Shine conference an annual event. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Wednesday night was Fernando's birthday so Alicia took him out to a restaurant to celebrate while Alise and I went with Angel to a home church. One of the things the Hernandez family was telling us is that Paraguay is the fastest growing nation in South America and i don't doubt it, the country has changed a lot since we were here eight years ago. What it also means is that as the country grows, it is even more important for churches to be prepared for a growth. We were so impressed with the home church we attended, it was a small room where about 25-30 people gathered together - shoulder to shoulder singing worship, praying for each other and doing a study or a teaching together. We were able to give a brief teaching on the Parable of the Prodigal Son and the worship afterwards was one of the most powerful I have experienced in a long time; I was practically brought to tears as they sang in Spanish while we sang the same song in English. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Today we met with two more missionaries: Antonio & Graciela Chavez. They are Paraguay natives who are missionaries to Nepal. We were absolutely blown away by their heart and their stories. Meeting with them was inspiring and encouraging to us as we saw what they have been doing in a country which is not friendly to Christians. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Tomorrow we will be blessed by an issue of good timing: the house the Hernandez family has been living in has become infested with mold - the room their two girls have been staying in has walls which have become black with mildew and their daughter Paz has trouble breathing as a result. Two weeks ago they found out they would be able to move into a new home and we are going to spend most of Friday helping them to move. Then in the evening we get to go with them to a professional soccer game. Saturday we will continue with the move and then present at a mini-conference at a church about two hours away. This church is in the country and they do not speak Spanish there but a local dialect of Guarany. Sunday we will go to the church the Hernandez family attends and Monday will be back at the prison for the men and school for the women.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-53667440304064982392013-07-10T15:10:00.000-07:002016-10-14T11:06:48.362-07:00The Art of Shalom<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>originally posed on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Last week I wrote about the word "repent" and how it it is about returning to <em>Shalom</em> or harmony with God - if you missed it, you can read <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=007848f6a2&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=007848f6a2&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">the archive on our website</a>. Moving towards harmony however, is more than wanting to, it is good to be reminded how to. Putting our lives in harmony with God's will and desires is not easy and is a process - it happens continually over time. This is a part of Spiritual Formation: "the process of being conformed to the image of Christ for the sake of others." (from M. Robert Mulholland,<em> Invitation to a Journey</em>) Being in harmony with God has a purpose: for us to be transformed to be more like Christ. Which leads to two questions: How can we know God's will? And what is our role in moving towards harmony? All I can write about is how God has worked in me - I am by no means living a life of perfect harmony with God, but my life has been transformed significantly from where I was ten years ago and I feel in much deeper peace with Him now that I was then. I'm not trying to be "preachy" so apologies if it comes off that way, I am simply sharing experiences. Here is a list of ways through which I have experienced transformation:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Pray and Study Scripture</strong>: Did you really think I was going to start anywhere else? The single biggest change in my life (yes, bigger than my wife and kids) came eight years ago and it started with prayer. It's a long story so here is the nutshell: I was in a not-so-good place. I was going to church, I was involved in ministry and small groups, and I was a pretty good guy. But I was also on a path looking for my own desires and seeking my own way. I was in a rut, and I knew that my life was stuck and I remember having one of those cry-it-out-to-God prayers where I asked God for motivation to get my life moving again. In reality I was just asking for strength to make a few minor changes. Of course, that is not what the answer to my prayer was. The following Sunday, God gave me a purpose to my life through a pretty intense call to serve Him. Within a few months I was going back to school after 15 years, had quit my job for something which gave me more time to study, and had cut free from a few unhealthy relationships. It was then that I started to read Scripture with "new eyes" and it made sense to me in new ways entirely. I look back and see my path towards <em>Shalom</em> with God started with a really tough prayer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Get Out There and Do It</strong>: Phillip Yancey said "I do not get to know God more deeply and then do His will, I get to know Him more deeply by doing His will." I don't think it is a mystery to anyone some of the things God clearly calls us to do. If you aren't sure, listen to <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=355bc97e70&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=355bc97e70&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">Pastor Sam Earp's message from Sunday</a>. Don't start with trying to fix your own sins, don't focus on other people's sin. Start by answering the challenge "where is the church?" Start by being <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=6a88eac63f&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=6a88eac63f&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">a neighbor to people who need one</a>. Something amazing happens when you experience God's love through others. When you can go from knowing about God's love to experiencing it, something clicks in your head. For me, it clicked after my first missions trip. After my second trip it clicked for me that missions is not a destination but a mindset.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Practice the Disciplines</strong>: I think a lot of people feel disciplines aren't necessary in "modern Christianity" or that they are more for "baby Christians" and don't apply to them. I disagree. Dallas Willard likens disciplines to an athlete practicing their craft. The goal of practice for an athlete is to increase physical strength and build muscle memory so when the time comes for the game, they don't have to think - it is automatic. The same is true for Spiritual practices. Practice disciplines but don't just do it because someone said so. Fasting without knowing why only makes you hungry. Research how to practice them,and what they are for. Probably two of the best resources out there are <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=ca295304e5&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=ca295304e5&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">The Spirit of the Disciplines</a> by Dallas Willard and <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=25095f4337&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=25095f4337&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">Celebration of Discipline</a> by Richard Foster. Sure, they may not be the most exciting books out there but they will change how you practice disciplines. At the very least, google "spiritual disciplines" to see what others think about it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><strong>Hear it and Share it</strong>: Call it discipleship or spiritual mentorship, it is something I encourage all of you to do: find someone who has more experience than you in the Christian walk and meet with them, one on one, on a regular basis to pray together, share life experiences, discuss Scripture, and work on how to live out the Scripture with your lives. Then turn around and do the same with someone who is less experienced than you. I can't even begin to tell you how huge this has been for me. #1 - you are forced to not just talk about it and study it but to actually live it out. #2 - you get to know each other and grow over time which means discussions, advice, and accountability are more personal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Is this an all-encompassing list? Not by any means. Life Groups have been huge for me, so has praying for others and being prayed for. Fully engaging with the church instead of just attending. Sharing the Good News with non-followers. Sharing the Good News with followers. If you aren't already, get out there and experience it. If you already have experienced it, share it with others so they can learn from your triumphs and defeats; and celebrate both with you. This is my prayer for all of us this week: that we can experience God continually, both through Scripture and through life, and in that experience know Him and His will better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">trying to follow, not just believe,<br />Pastor Mark</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">P.S. One last prayer request. As many of you know, my family will be a part of a team heading out to Paraguay in less than two weeks. One of the team members, Desire, is still waiting to hear back from the Paraguayan embassy and have his visa approved. They have taken almost four weeks now and we still do not know if he can go with us yet. Please keep Desire and his visa in your prayers; we need him and his experience on our team but are running out of time to purchase the ticket with less than two weeks left. Thank you.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-15819057212296474892013-07-05T13:59:00.000-07:002016-10-12T18:24:36.103-07:00The End is Near So... Return?<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have read some of my <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=70f383dc15&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=70f383dc15&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">earlier posts</a>, you can probably tell how much I enjoy Jewish theology and how important I think it is for Christians today. One of the most important lessons can be knowing how the Jewish understanding of some words (and the understanding of people in biblical times) is different from our own. Usually a better understanding of the words and thoughts used back then changes our insight as we read the Bible today. Last month I wrote about <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=951a09dcf7&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=951a09dcf7&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">Scripture containing "Listen! or Hear!"</a> Another important and commonly used Jewish word which does not translate into English well is the word "repent." When I hear someone say "repent" the image that comes into my head is a wacko with a sandwich board screaming about the end being near. You have all probably heard it used to describe "turning from" or "changing your mind" about sin. Those definitions are not wrong, but they are not fully complete. To Jewish scholars, repent is less of a "turn from" and more of a "return to." But if it is a return, we must have been there before right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Where or what we are returning to comes back to Shalom, or harmony, with God. It is about having a relationship with God where we are totally in sync with His will. Think about Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, what made it paradise? Was it the nice trees and waterfalls? Not really, we still have that today. It was the connection they were able to have with God. Their relationship with Him was perfect because sin didn't get in the way. They were not even aware of the concepts of "good and evil." Repenting is not simply about running away from sin, it is about moving closer to God. Where the Jewish and Christian understanding differ however, is when it comes to atonement. In the Old Testament, repenting and returning to God was a process of ceremonies which people did to get closer to God. Jesus changed things right from the start of the New Testament when he said <em>"the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel."</em> (Mark 1:15) No matter how much we seek to stay away from sinning by following the law, we cannot move into harmonious relationship without God. Repentance is still a return, but it is based on faith.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">That all sounds beautiful and fluffy, but what does it mean for us in practical terms today? It means we have to know God is drawing us towards harmony with Him, and we should be seeking the same. Harmony doesn't mean that we get everything we want from God; it means that what we want changes to wanting what God wants - which is not always what we think. This is where we see the understanding of repent as "changing our minds" - in seeking His wants and desires, our minds change about what it is we want. One of the more popular Jewish examples of repentance is that of a man who cheats on his wife; if he truly repents and his mind is changed, he can be in the same situation with her again and not even lust after her - because he is in harmony with the desires of God and wants other things for her. Even to the Jews so focused on the Law, changing their mind resulted in changed actions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sometimes seeking harmony with what God wants means changing our mind about what we think He wants. Christianity Today recently <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=51dc1bf913&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=51dc1bf913&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">posted excerpts</a> from an interview with Bono of U2 and he speaks about his experience with this: "We have a pastor who said to us, 'Stop asking God to bless what you're doing, Bono.' ... He said, 'Find out what God is doing, 'cause it's already blessed.' ... When you align yourself with God's purpose as described in the Scriptures, something special happens to your life." My prayer this week is that we can align our lives to joining God in what He is doing, to want what He wants, and to return to a harmonious relationship with Him.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-61739176681137962682013-06-06T16:36:00.000-07:002016-10-12T18:20:20.621-07:00Hear, O Crosswalk<div style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", "Bitstream Charter", Times, serif; font-size: 16px;">
<i>originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></i></div>
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One of the classes I took a few years ago was Hebrew and it was one of my favorites; not because I learned a little of the language but because my teacher taught a lot of Hebrew theology. One lesson which has stuck with me is about the Sh’ma – which was the basis of this Sunday’s teaching from Mark 12. You can listen to Pastor John’s message on <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=ce6edbeb7c&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=ce6edbeb7c&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">Crosswalk’s teachings page</a>. In English, Sh’ma is translated as “listen” or “hear”. When it is used at the beginning like this, it was something the Hebrews (and later, the Jewish people) understood as language used by the prophets. The translation to the English “listen/hear” cannot accurately portray what they were saying because it is not just a simple “listen to this…” like we would say about an interesting news article. It was more of a “what I am about to say is really important and you need to not only pay attention, but to DO what I am about to tell you.” It is essentially a commandment which requires a response. In Mark 12, Jesus did not simply tell the scribes to “love the Lord, your God…” He was intentional in telling them “Hear, O Israel…” – He was making sure they understood how important what He was telling them was.</div>
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Why am I writing about all of this? Because I am very excited about this past week. Last week I had the opportunity to ask for prayer through our <a data-mce-href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=1aafc3a01f&e=9b01d70ba8" href="http://crosswalkchurch.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=c3eb650d70af5c17bbf786e29&id=1aafc3a01f&e=9b01d70ba8" target="_self">weekly e-mail</a> and I know you prayed. One prayer was to make some friends outside of church. By Friday, I had run into the wife of a friend I had not spoken to in years and been messaged by another old friend who wanted to have lunch with me. Neither one of them attend church. Sure this is just a start, but wow, God put two opportunities before me of exactly what I asked for prayer for. All I can say is thank you for your prayers and thank you God for giving me those opportunities. The other prayer request was for our leadership as we went on a retreat for two days. The retreat was amazing and I have no doubt that the Spirit is moving here at Crosswalk and His presence was felt at the retreat. I am pumped up, not only because of what God gave us but because I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we were being prayed over by you. When I prayed before bed Friday night and reflected upon the day, I literally got goose bumps from the knowledge that so many people were praying for our time together and it showed. You didn’t just read my e-mail last week; you saw the request, and did it.</div>
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One of the things I love about praying for each other is that people do it because they want to. It is not simply obedience to God. We pray for each other out of caring. This is important; loving God with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength; and loving each other as ourselves are not things we do out of obedience. If that were the case, the English translators would have used “Obey, O Israel…” instead of “hear” but they didn’t. Jewish scholars say that there is no Hebrew word for the verb “to obey.” Sh’ma is close but not quite. Why not? Because obedience can be done regardless of how we feel about it – you can “grudgingly obey.” But you can’t force someone to love someone else, you can’t make people care about other people. It is a choice. We have to want to love and care about God and each other that much. The closest obedience comes is to say “willing obedience”– motivation matters.</div>
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I also wrote about the power of community, praying for each other, and how it was modeled throughout Acts. At 2<sup>nd</sup> service on Sunday, God brought us three men; Byron, Braxton and Antonio, who were involved in a very serious accident last week and Pastor John led all of us in prayer over them. He didn’t do this because he was trying to make a statement; he did it because as a church community we love these young men. There are still two other men involved in that accident who are still in the hospital, please continue to pray for their recovery. In our lives, this is what Jesus is asking us to do: to hear (or read) what He has done and then demonstrate it through action. Not because He says to but because we want to; because we love God and we love each other.</div>
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Trying to listen,<br />Pastor Mark</div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2858477919810673368.post-62193606206996819552013-05-20T10:58:00.000-07:002016-10-12T18:18:25.060-07:00Pray Like it's 45AD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>originally posted on <a href="http://www.crosswalkchurch.com/">www.crosswalkchurch.com</a></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of my favorite books of the Bible is Acts. There is so much we can learn as we see how the church started out; reading about these normal men and women as they worked out how they were supposed to follow Christ. Most of all though, I love how they were <em>one in heart and mind</em> (Acts 4:32a.) One of the reasons for this is illustrated throughout the book as they pray together and for each other. (Acts 1:14, 4:23-31, 12:5) We are taught that prayer is a deeply personal and intimate act between you and God – and it is. But there is no denying there are times when we need to come together in prayer as well. In today’s society where our individualism has become the norm, it is even more important that we are intentional about our time together and pray for each other. I’m not saying you should stop praying on your own, in fact, it is a necessity; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says <em>pray continually</em>. As we pray continually however, take advantage of those times when we are together.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Prayer is one of those things which people are very sensitive about, which makes prayer with the community especially tough because so many of us are private and guarded; we may even see receiving prayer as a sign of weakness or don’t want extra attention. But praying for each other should be celebrated, not hidden away. I have seen God work miracles when we pray with each other: a woman involved in an accident was told she had a fracture on her spine, but after prayer the doctors could not find the fracture. Another woman came to Crosswalk after her husband died, and God comforted her so that within a few months she was baptized and bringing others to church. Another member struggles with relationships: she was not even able to spend time with her father without arguing – now the highlight of her week is lunch with her father on Sunday. Countless men and women come out of retreats transformed by God. Praise God! We all need healing, strength, transformation, boldness, and more; we must continue and persist in prayer for each other.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is my challenge to you this week: pray about it on your own, then on Sunday speak with someone in our church community and ask them how you can pray with them. Put your hand on their shoulder and do it. Right then and there. Don’t wait until you get home, don’t wait until you have time later. Don’t worry if you are blocking someone else from sitting down, they can join you. Don’t worry if other people are leaving, you won’t miss out on the donuts. Continue praying for this person all week, not just for their request but as you feel led. Whether you have been following Jesus for years or are a new believer, you have something to offer the community through prayer. Why not take the opportunity?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With all of that being said, the leadership staff needs your prayers this week: on Friday and Saturday we will be going on a retreat to pray and discuss some directions and focus for the future of Crosswalk. As you speak with us on Sunday, please pray for our continued commitment to where God leads.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As a personal prayer request, I am approaching one year back at Crosswalk and I love it. However, I find that I am living in a “Christian bubble” with all of my friends and social activities being based around church and my friends from church. Please pray that I am able to build relationships with people outside of the bubble.</span></div>
mark juaneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06895203062079130436noreply@blogger.com0