I have a series of questions swimming around in my head. Some of them I've been asking for years and some have appeared more recently. I've decided to put a few up here on my blog as a way to hopefully get some different perspectives and a variety of answers.
Question #1 is something I started asking friends and others about 2 or 3 years ago when I was wrestling with the idea of how people really grew in their relationship with Jesus and in their commitment to Him. Yesterday I was reading George Barna's new book, "Revolution," (I highly recommend it) and he explores this question with a much broader base of people - which lends a lot more statistical credibility to his answers than my anecdotal answers from friends, but the anecdotal puts skin on the numbers, so chyme in.
Barna writes "Transformation, as I am using it, is a significant spiritual breakthrough in which you seize a new perspective or practice...consequently, you are never the same again. The transformation redefines who you are at a fundamental spiritual level, and your lifestyle is realigned according to that part of your being that was finally awakened to the things of God."
So let's go High Fidelity on this one. What are your Top Five, All Time, Desert Island Spiritually Significant Events? By SSE's I mean moments, activities, disciplines, experiences, etc... that changed how you see and experience God.
Here are mine (in random order):
1) Adopting my boys. I learned more about loving someone the way God loves them through this than anything else. Before we got Mac, this desperate love grew in me for him - a child I had never seen (not even a picture or a description on a piece of paper) was breaking my heart. I wanted nothing more than for that child to come to my home and be part of my family. God also did incredible things through the whole 2 year process that proved to me if He was in something things may not always go smoothly, but I could trust Him to come through and provide.
2) The Vineyard Community Church. www.cincyvineyard.com. Okay, so maybe this should be more than one, but this church really changed how I saw God, ministry, and life. Two big components were Servant Evangelism - I'd never seen a church actually do something so selfless with their faith like this place. And it was fun! This is also the first church where I really started to understand worship. I had been a Christian for 8 years before I stepped into VCC, and I'd been in a ton of different churches, but I'd never found anything that felt "right" or made sense the way VCC did. I grew infinetly more there than in all my previous churches combined. I think it's because my faith expanded from it's residence in my head to inhabit my heart, my actions and my life.
3) Brooke. Being married is one of the hardest things I've ever done. It's also one of the best things I've ever done. Over our 10+ years in the midst of all the great times, we've also had some significant struggles and challenges. Nothing has made me confront my selfishness (before kids) like being married. I've definitely learn to die to myself at times, love (the active 1 Corinthians type) with no expectations, and forgive. Brooke is also proof that God loves me - she's the only person I know who knows all my crap and loves me anyway. That's a gift.
4) Mexico. Almost four years ago I went on this 10 day mission trip to the dumps of Mexico City with Operation Serve. I experienced things there that blew my mind. I came back with a whole new understanding of faith, prayer, the Holy Spirit, serving, and money. It was CRAZY, but the good kind.
5) Retreats. I find anytime I set aside a chunk of time to focus on God whether with others or alone, He honors it big time. Nothing is more refreshing and renewing for me than getting away for a few days. I've done a variety of types and lengths of retreats, but my favorite and most significant was a 5 day silent retreat to Gethsemani Abbey in Trappist Kentucky. I highly recommend it. Check out www.monks.org.
What are yours?
5 comments:
I know some of your crap and kinda sorta think you aren't that bad...does that get me an honorable mention?
Only if you answer the question.
I need to think about my answers, but I'll bet at least some of us can guess one of Steve's. I'll give you a hint. It starts with "men" (I can already hear the jokes on this one) and ends with "tor". Sometimes, he might add an "ing" on the end :)
i can answer. i'm special like that. ;)
1. student venture (student venture is the high school version of campus crusade). i had been a christian for a while by the time i got involved and had christian parents, but this group was a pivotal step in me learning to own my faith and relationship with Jesus for myself. it was more and more something my heart was invested in, and less my parents' thing. i was in a student small group during this time and made lots of friends and had a couple of really great adults (non-parental adults, that is) in my life through sv. one of those adults gave me my first prayer journal (i had diaries before that, but this was different). and they encouraged me to have quiet times and stuff like that. so yeah, muy importante.
2. going to college (go bruins). again, this was very important in terms of learning to own my faith. i interacted with people from lots of different backgrounds and was really enriched by that. it was also a time of self-discovery as a musician, learning to write music for real (i wrote some really crappy songs in jr high, but they'll never see the light of day), developing as a singer and guitarist, etc. i had some of my first experiences leading worship and got to participate in times of worship through music where i was playing with people much more skilled than i, which helped me grow and become more confident. there's a buttload of other stuff, but i don't want to write a whole post here. :)
3. coming back to cincy and going to vcc after graduation. again, lots of growth from this, it would be hard to sum up. moving back was painful in a lot of ways, but necessary for the closing of doors that needed to be closed and opening of doors that needed to be opened. i would have been stuck in a lot of ways had i stuck around nashville, i think. and vcc was a big part of the growth. it was the first church where i ever felt in the least bit comfortable being open about real stuff (though i still think i have room to grow in that regard). and i found new hope that God could use me in spite of junk in my life, that He could even redeem it. Yay God!
4. getting involved in student ministries. second to moving into my own place and paying the bills and working full-time, nothing has done more to make me feel like an adult than being responsible for helping jr high kids encounter God and grow in Him. it's crazy to always feel so young and then find yourself in a situation where you have to be the grown-up. and i got to tap into gifts that were otherwise not tapped into.
5. getting involved at D'VINE. (not just kissing up here, being really honest :) there's something about taking a leap of faith when you're not sure you're ready and not sure how things will go. it's been big... :)
so those are my 5. curious as to everyone else's...
One-Day away at alpha when the whole time i had been at a table i had thought this is the dumbest thing ever until at the day away someone was praying for me and bam God's love came down and well, the rest is ancient history...
two-scott- If God could of left him on my front lawn with a ribbon around him it wouldn't have been any more devine!(pun NOT intended)
three-in kansas city the first time God ever really spoke to me and i wasn't sad but i could not stop shaking and sobbing and it was not manufactured and i couldn't make it stop and i never again am able to question.."is it real.."
four-my wedding day..now i know i already said scott..but my wedding day was different...i mean..to much to explain here...just really supernatural..ask me about it sometime
five-praying with my mom who is not saved after a big blow out fight at my house where i experienced and felt so much of my weakness and need for God desperatley...
thats it..good question buddy!
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