This isn't my first rodeo. I'm not a virgin when it comes to ministry experience and going through the highs and lows of seeing people encounter Jesus. Just like in my life where I have times when I'm really in tune and times when it just seems like I'm bouncing off the walls and not paying attention to anything that God is trying to tell me.
But even with this understanding, it is funny how God is constantly using Middle School boys to teach me about the Gospel and myself. Tonight was no exception. I love my Middle School boys. I love being able to lead a Life Group at RockHarbor with about 10 of these boys. I love the fact that I get to come alongside their parents and assist their parents in teaching and showing these boys what following Jesus looks like. It is a privilege and an honor - one that I would never trade for anything in the world.
Occasionally though, there are moments and times where patience is tested and God has to keep reminding me that it is Him who does the ministry and not me. All I do is partner up with Him in the work he is already doing.
Tonight was one of those nights. I swear people must think I'm crazy for enjoying and wanting to work with these Middle School students - but helping them encounter Jesus is an amazing thing to be part of. One thing I love so much about Middle Schoolers is that I constantly find them teaching me so much about myself: my depravity, my inclinations, my defaults, Jesus, teaching, and ministry. Sometimes I feel they teach me more then I teach them.
The night was full of stress and Middle School craziness. At one point I almost cracked, I never do that. But at the end of the night I had the pleasure of praying a blessing over my boys and here it is:
"For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith - that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21
It was a great reminder that God's the one who does the work and speaks to these boys not me. I only hope they know how much I care about them and long for them in the same way and fashion for them to have continuing encounters with Jesus...
Showing posts with label RockHarbor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RockHarbor. Show all posts
January 20, 2010
October 19, 2009
The CA Budget Crisis - CSUF's Furlough Week!
So, the week has come - its week 9 of the semester. Mid terms have finished and we have hit furlough week. God Bless Budget Cut's in the CSU's. In fact, I'd take paying double for half the amount of classes to attend. But on to my point...
This week, i get the privilege of not having class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So I'm really going to take advantage of it. Here's how:
1) Hang with friends and just relax - take a sabbath rest.
2) Work, sadly even that doesn't go away, but its cash and it's mission so I'm cool with that - after all, I am an achiever according to stregnthfinders 2.o and I have to achieve things.
3) Intern at RH this week still, while doing my College Life Group and Middle School Life Group.
4) Most importantly I get time to read and pray, to listen and seek. So, on Tuesday before I intern I plan on just going to my favorite spot in the world - the beach to pray, study, reflect and listen to God. I'll probably even end my night there too after my MS Life Group. On Wednesday, before I work, I plan on exploring Fullerton - driving, praying, walking, studying and planning and learning about the great city of Fullerton. Thursday, before I work as well, I plan on finding a spot and just sitting there. Praying for the city. Praying for guidance, praying for wisdom, and seeking the Kingdom. I'm pretty stoked. I'm ready to see the kingdom invade and I'm ready for some quality Jesus time!
This week, i get the privilege of not having class on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. So I'm really going to take advantage of it. Here's how:
1) Hang with friends and just relax - take a sabbath rest.
2) Work, sadly even that doesn't go away, but its cash and it's mission so I'm cool with that - after all, I am an achiever according to stregnthfinders 2.o and I have to achieve things.
3) Intern at RH this week still, while doing my College Life Group and Middle School Life Group.
4) Most importantly I get time to read and pray, to listen and seek. So, on Tuesday before I intern I plan on just going to my favorite spot in the world - the beach to pray, study, reflect and listen to God. I'll probably even end my night there too after my MS Life Group. On Wednesday, before I work, I plan on exploring Fullerton - driving, praying, walking, studying and planning and learning about the great city of Fullerton. Thursday, before I work as well, I plan on finding a spot and just sitting there. Praying for the city. Praying for guidance, praying for wisdom, and seeking the Kingdom. I'm pretty stoked. I'm ready to see the kingdom invade and I'm ready for some quality Jesus time!
October 5, 2009
Detoxing
So it has been a while since my last post and I have a lot I need to blog about, but tonight, err, this morning I'm going to keep it short and simple.
Over the past several months, there have been two things becoming more and more crystallized in my mind as the Holy Spirit leads me and Jesus prepares me for ministry. Heck, these two things that I'm learning are actually one thing, or two sides of the same coin.
Here is the first one: All of life must be living out the Gospel.
That is a big statement, I know. What does that mean? It means that Jesus came to establish a people that were to be about the business of the Father (just like Jesus was), aka, establish His Kingdom on earth. It means that in all we do in our lives, we must be embodying the gospel - not just to those who do not know Jesus - but to those who do know Jesus. Our lives must be gospel led, gospel business, kingdom lives.
Point two which ties directly into this, is that we must live these gospel lives in community. Why? Because God lives in community as the Trinity present in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not only that, God has always been about creating a people. First through Adam, then Noah, then Abraham, then the Isrealites and now the Church (with the capital C, not the lower case c). He's always about blessing a people to be a blessing to the world. In our world today that is the Church.
But in this gospel life lived in community it is an enormus task with lots of variables from scenario to scenario - the common linkage is that we are supposed to live life in such a way that as individuals participating in community we live such lives that the world demands an explanation, and the only explanation is the Gospel.
Jesus has been teaching me a lot about that recently. The Holy Spirit is growing that passion in me continually. Today, tonight, God gave me an oppurtunity to put this into practice. Before I share my story, I must preface it by saying that I'm not perfect at this. By no means. I fail, and fail a lot. This is one of the times I feel I have gotten it right.
Today, a brother of mine gave me a phone call. We help each other do life together and are developing a stronger bond all the time. He called, while I was in RH Student Ministries @ South County. Sent him a text and found out it was important. Snuck out and gave him a call. Where he shared with me the news that his girl friends dad had died on Thursday.
I'll admit, not the phone call I expected. Don't know what I was expecting, just not that. So we talk and find out the details, I'm heart broken, say goodbye and go back to the students. For the rest of the day it was hanging over me, I was broken and sad for two people I love. All I wanted to do was be with them, and grieve with them, and pray over them.
Then, the 9pm @ RockHarbor Central Campus begins. We sit through it and I realize that the response time is the ideal time to pray for him and her. So, after the message when response time hits - I pull him aside and ask him to come with me to the prayer room. Again, a note, I'm by no means perfect. But it is here, where I get to pray with him, pray over him, and lift him up. It is here, where community happened. Where life was done together, where it was all laid bare and made sure that for the sake of the Gospel whatever was needed from me he had as I'm there to keep him upright.
After that I asked if I could pray over them both. So he brought her in. It was sad, she's a beautiful, energetic woman who loves Jesus and I could feel and see the heaviness in her soul. I hug her and spend time grieving. It is after this that I look at them both, and do life, and live community of the Gospel out with them and share my heart, how I'm here for her, for him, for them. And then, prayed for these two amazing people who love Jesus and each other, that model a Godly relationship to the world, through the Gospel in their community.
The Gospel embodied in community. It hurts. Its tough. Its worth it. We just model ourselves after our perfect example, Jesus, till he returns and takes away things such as death. Remember, after all, even "Jesus wept".
Over the past several months, there have been two things becoming more and more crystallized in my mind as the Holy Spirit leads me and Jesus prepares me for ministry. Heck, these two things that I'm learning are actually one thing, or two sides of the same coin.
Here is the first one: All of life must be living out the Gospel.
That is a big statement, I know. What does that mean? It means that Jesus came to establish a people that were to be about the business of the Father (just like Jesus was), aka, establish His Kingdom on earth. It means that in all we do in our lives, we must be embodying the gospel - not just to those who do not know Jesus - but to those who do know Jesus. Our lives must be gospel led, gospel business, kingdom lives.
Point two which ties directly into this, is that we must live these gospel lives in community. Why? Because God lives in community as the Trinity present in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not only that, God has always been about creating a people. First through Adam, then Noah, then Abraham, then the Isrealites and now the Church (with the capital C, not the lower case c). He's always about blessing a people to be a blessing to the world. In our world today that is the Church.
But in this gospel life lived in community it is an enormus task with lots of variables from scenario to scenario - the common linkage is that we are supposed to live life in such a way that as individuals participating in community we live such lives that the world demands an explanation, and the only explanation is the Gospel.
Jesus has been teaching me a lot about that recently. The Holy Spirit is growing that passion in me continually. Today, tonight, God gave me an oppurtunity to put this into practice. Before I share my story, I must preface it by saying that I'm not perfect at this. By no means. I fail, and fail a lot. This is one of the times I feel I have gotten it right.
Today, a brother of mine gave me a phone call. We help each other do life together and are developing a stronger bond all the time. He called, while I was in RH Student Ministries @ South County. Sent him a text and found out it was important. Snuck out and gave him a call. Where he shared with me the news that his girl friends dad had died on Thursday.
I'll admit, not the phone call I expected. Don't know what I was expecting, just not that. So we talk and find out the details, I'm heart broken, say goodbye and go back to the students. For the rest of the day it was hanging over me, I was broken and sad for two people I love. All I wanted to do was be with them, and grieve with them, and pray over them.
Then, the 9pm @ RockHarbor Central Campus begins. We sit through it and I realize that the response time is the ideal time to pray for him and her. So, after the message when response time hits - I pull him aside and ask him to come with me to the prayer room. Again, a note, I'm by no means perfect. But it is here, where I get to pray with him, pray over him, and lift him up. It is here, where community happened. Where life was done together, where it was all laid bare and made sure that for the sake of the Gospel whatever was needed from me he had as I'm there to keep him upright.
After that I asked if I could pray over them both. So he brought her in. It was sad, she's a beautiful, energetic woman who loves Jesus and I could feel and see the heaviness in her soul. I hug her and spend time grieving. It is after this that I look at them both, and do life, and live community of the Gospel out with them and share my heart, how I'm here for her, for him, for them. And then, prayed for these two amazing people who love Jesus and each other, that model a Godly relationship to the world, through the Gospel in their community.
The Gospel embodied in community. It hurts. Its tough. Its worth it. We just model ourselves after our perfect example, Jesus, till he returns and takes away things such as death. Remember, after all, even "Jesus wept".
September 1, 2009
The Fall Semester has Begun - 1 Week Ago
Hello world. My name is Jonathon and I have something to confess to you.
I am a college student, and what that means is my life is way too busy for my own good. But that is not what I have to confess, what I'm here to confess and get off my chest is that I'm an "achiever" (according to stregnthfinders 2.0), therefore if I enjoy being busy, putting a lot on my giant metaphorical plate and seeing the way that God will move through me just showing up and being on mission with all that He has given me to do. I really do not know what life or college would be like without being so busy. Sometimes I wonder and dream about not having to work - but then I remember how much I enjoy working, because working is mission; working is ministry.
So, for the next 15 weeks I will be taking 12 units, working about 20 hours a week, interning about 10 hours a week @ RockHarbor with Campus Life Groups, leading a CSUF Campus Life Group, being a RockHarbor Middle School Leader, RockHarbor Middle School Life Group Leader, and being able to be on the ground floor of one of RockHarbor's new campuses that will be launching shortly. By the way I still have homework too.
This is the way I roll, I really do not know any other way then to be crazy busy - and somehow this is how I function and this is the way God has wired me. Gotta work with the size plate one has been dealt and it just so happens that my plate is really big and deep and able to handle incredible amounts. Pray for me though, because firstly it is never about me but always about Jesus; and secondly, occasionally I do get tired - haha.
P.S. Coming shortly will be my reflections on this summer and what I learned and what I'm looking forward to happening this fall!!!
I am a college student, and what that means is my life is way too busy for my own good. But that is not what I have to confess, what I'm here to confess and get off my chest is that I'm an "achiever" (according to stregnthfinders 2.0), therefore if I enjoy being busy, putting a lot on my giant metaphorical plate and seeing the way that God will move through me just showing up and being on mission with all that He has given me to do. I really do not know what life or college would be like without being so busy. Sometimes I wonder and dream about not having to work - but then I remember how much I enjoy working, because working is mission; working is ministry.
So, for the next 15 weeks I will be taking 12 units, working about 20 hours a week, interning about 10 hours a week @ RockHarbor with Campus Life Groups, leading a CSUF Campus Life Group, being a RockHarbor Middle School Leader, RockHarbor Middle School Life Group Leader, and being able to be on the ground floor of one of RockHarbor's new campuses that will be launching shortly. By the way I still have homework too.
This is the way I roll, I really do not know any other way then to be crazy busy - and somehow this is how I function and this is the way God has wired me. Gotta work with the size plate one has been dealt and it just so happens that my plate is really big and deep and able to handle incredible amounts. Pray for me though, because firstly it is never about me but always about Jesus; and secondly, occasionally I do get tired - haha.
P.S. Coming shortly will be my reflections on this summer and what I learned and what I'm looking forward to happening this fall!!!
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