My Out to Sea Experience

So I went out to see about a week and a half ago, and I never followed up. So here it is...

Monday: I showed up at 445 am, but we took off at roughly 6 am. We were SOOOOO late! Good thing we had a very high ranking person with us, who actually said "they can wait!" It must be nice to have that much clout that you can stop a ship from taking off!

The first day was a lot of wondering around the ship and getting lost. I found that most of my job is to talk with people, and get them to spill there guts. Haha! Not really, but we talk a lot to people. It was fun. It was a lot to take in though, because I am only there for a few days and I want to have meaningful conversations. When I have free time, they let me do my homework, being that I had a final due on the following day.

What was cool was seeing a pod of dolphins come along the ship, and they played along the side. They sort of got in the way though, so I am sure that our boss was not too big on that! At the end of the night, I got caught by the Captain wandering around, and he mistook me for someone else! That was sort of awkward. My bed was the third one (think bunk beds), so it was about six feet off the ground and I had a two foot space to climb into! That was interesting.

Tuesday: There was more walking around. The sailors had to wash down the deck, so I wandered around and kept them company. I figured I would put myself out there a bit. Being that I am prior enlisted, I find it strange to talk with enlisted guys, because I am never sure where the boundaries are. But it seemed okay. We start our bible studies tonight, so I will probably start to get to know them a bit more. I am at least getting to know some of the guys in the berthings.

I did the evening prayer tonight, which was no problem. I have done prayers before for retirements and dinners, so it was no problem. One of the quartermasters (guys who drive the ship) tried to teach me how to drive today. I laughed, and said, "I think I will let you do it!" The prayer was a fun experience.

Wednesday: Today it felt like I slept and ate a lot. It was weird. We had a rehearsal for the burial at sea, and I made my Bible Study Lesson. I figured out that I somehow bought female shoulder boards, so I have to figure out a way to get them to stay! Shoe laces do not work... so I might have to pin them down! Ugh. Have to be creative.

Bible Study tonight went great! We had more people tonight, and they were really into the lesson! I taught on being Salt and being light. I think it is a good lesson considering the Navy. I explained the different functions of each (Salt: healing, flavoring, fertilizing, and preserving, Light: Guiding, giving hope, warming, etc). I closed telling them to find one person to be salt and light to this week, and I think they are going to do it!

Thursday: We did a burial at sea, that was an interesting situation. I just stood in formation and watched, but it was interesting. I hope I do not get buried at sea! The high light of today was in bible study, one of the cooks was inspired by the message and the burial at sea and decided to make a can that said "Do you need healing, growth, hope..." she listed a bunch of the qualities, and then passed it around for people to put in a post it with their request. They then threw it out to sea. That was a really touching moment for me because you could tell that they were serious!

The other nice moment was being about to talk with a guy who had given up hope on his dreams. I was there to encourage him, and relay a story from my life. His spirits picked up right away. On a funny note, the Operations officer came into the lunch room today and asked me permission to eat with me. I looked at him and said, "you have rank on me, sir." But I was technically the highest ranking person at the table, so it was sort of a weird moment! I also got to talk with this one guy about faith and politics, the entire time in the dark... I never saw his face! So that was a unique situation.

Friday: We are got off the ship at 1000, and I had to go take care of a few things before I go home. It is nice to be on land again, not that this was bad. I got home around noon, and from there I had to type up and turn in my final for Church History. So that was my trip out to sea, I hope you liked it!

My on the Job Training...

Being that group has been stopped for the Month of August, I figured I could fill you in on my life this week as I went about my on the job training with the Navy. I will do my best not to make it incredibly lame! =)

Monday: I leave at 7 am thinking that will be enough time to get me to NAVSTA Norfolk in time, I was wrong! There was a line a mile away from base, and I was thinking, "Oh shoot. This is definitely not the best first impression!!" So I called, hoping that I do not get completely blasted by my new superiors. I showed up 20 minutes late, and I found that I was the first person there after all!! Worked out quite nice. I was disappointed to find out that my buddy from ODS was not there, but thats okay. I ended up meeting five other Ohioans. It was interesting because it was a computer lab setting and talked while we waited. The most interesting stories were the ones about people's Iraq experiences.
We took a tour of the base, went and ate at the officers club (where I ate the equivalent of two meals), and then took a tour of a destroyer. I won't give many details, mainly because the ships all blur together after a while!

Tuesday: Paperwork!!! AHHHHHHHH! It was rather painless though, but it felt like they were feeling out what they needed from us. That happens ALOT. This is when I found out that I was promoted two months ago and NO ONE TOLD ME! Ridiculous! Its okay though, I just updated my uniforms in the uniform shop. Good thing it was not that high of maintenance.
What was neat was running into a two star admiral (for those that are not familiar, a very important person) who went out of his way to talk with me. I used to work with Admirals, so I am not intimidated. He asked a lot of questions in the two minutes we were talking in the Uniform shop. Then I walked back and casually said, "I just met a two-star, and we talked!" like it was an every day occurrence.
After that, we ambushed the Chaplain Candidate Office. I felt like we stalked them, which we sort of did, but it was fun. I just felt bad since the other group of Chaplain Candidates did the same thing! Thats why I just walked away and made a new friend instead. We had to be on our P's and Q's because the command that the office was in houses a four star admiral (top admiral), so we had to be careful. It worked out okay though.
After lunch, we went on a Frigate. The CO, who was a friendly man of Dutch descent, took us around and was very helpful and interesting. He knew little details about all of his crew members, and even remembered stuff about us. As he was explaining something to us on the outside of the ship, and I felt something land on my arm. I try brushing it off, and feel that it was a hornet. Next thing I felt was a sharp pain! So I forced it off of my arm, and it hurt quite a bit but I kept my mouth shut! It worked out okay, though I am sure that my pictures all have a strange red mark on arm. The chaplains were so proud of me that I took it with minimal reaction =)

Wednesday: We ended up listening to different stories from the chaplains. One Chaplain, who just got in from deployment, was telling us how he deals with sailors. It was interesting listening to his sea stories, and I can not believe some of the things that happen... they are crazy! So I definitely got a strong dose of reality in reference to what the Chaplaincy is like.
We got to check out the Little Creek base, and go on a small patrol boat. The Commanding Officer looked younger than me, and was really friendly. While over in Little Creek, we also checked out Ft. Story. We spent soooo much time driving! When we got back to base, we went on a Cruiser. Not the biggest ship either, but they were really interesting. The command center looks like something straight out of Star Wars, and the capabilities on that ship are amazing.

Thursday: This was a bizarre day. It started out with a massive theology debate between the baptists, and from there the Presbyterian got pulled into it. It seems that everyone is either baptist, seventh day adventist or presbyterians. I like being a fly on the wall for these conversations, because I get to hear view points. I generally don't engage in them, but they are hilarious since you can tell that they are SO into what they are talking about.
One of my fellow candidates disappeared, and we left him behind when we went on a destroyer to meet with an injured sailor. That was a fun experience, and we got to talk with a few lay leaders on the ship.
When we got back, the Chaplain and I went to eat, and we were the only two to go. We bumped into the CCPO coordinator, and he ate lunch with us. I find that he is a really fun guy to talk with, and that he definitely has a difficult job. But it was nice because I could have conversations and not worry about getting talked over.
I got called out a total of two times today! Supposedly, according to one of the Candidates, something about the way I stand is not very militant! I did not get what he said, but eh, oh well. Then I got called out by a Chaplain for having my hat too low. The good thing is that my Chaplain pulled him aside and told him to be more diplomatic about correcting people. The rest of the day he was friendlier than normal to me, I don't know why =)
We went on an amphib today, which are the ships that deploy Marines from the coast. They are large, but they have amazing gyms! Thats what matters to me =)
I found out that I had a dinner that night, and I ended up getting home at 930ish, Not the best for doing homework! But it was a free dinner at Grate Steak, so I can not complain! I met a very encouraging Chaplain Candidate (from OH as well!), and it was great talking with him. Plus, it was just nice to see everyone away from the military scene.

Friday (today)- My chaplain was not here most of the day, but we tagged along with a Captain. We got onto the George Bush, and saw what a newer Aircraft Carrier looks like. The Chapel is AMAZING! So pretty. But it was a pretty impressive ship. We ate in the Officers Mess, and they bought our lunch for us. It was really nice. Plus I bumped into my former Medical Officer from my last command. He remembered me, and it was great talking with him! He was a very inspiring guy, really smart and quietly funny yet humble. He got me an appointment with the best doctors when I needed help a few years back.
So after that, we were done... but the Captain we were with pulled some strings and got us on board a submarine. It was cool, but I was really tired at that point! Those are sooooo tight!
I talked with our Canadian Chaplain today, and found some very random things out. The most impressive was that he said that they eat six meals a day in the Canadian Navy! I did not think that was possible!! Apparently, it is.

So as we were leaving the sub, my two fellow candidates told me that the schedule is up in the air for next week. I have no idea what will happen next, it is sort of annoying because I would like to know. So sit tight, and I will tell you more when I get back next week!

Grace and Understanding our Lives: Acts 9

When I was fourteen, I gave my life to Christ. Church was something that was not really forced upon me growing up, yeah we went, but it was not like we were actively involved or anything like that. I can remember going to church and liking the stories, I liked the games and things like that, but the stories tended to make sense to me and I “got it” better than anything else. I became a Christian because I felt in my soul that I belonged there, and that there was something horribly wrong with the system. I will tell you more of my story as we go, but that is what you need to know for now.

The reason why I tell you that now is because the story of how we came to know Christ is one that will shape who you are. They also define what we focus on in ministry. Saul’s story is possibly one of the most popular conversion stories, and consequently the most misunderstood story. Often times, in our western culture we tend to view faith as this instant process in which you are this super-Christian right away. So this is about the story of Saul, but also our own stories, and how God uses our past, our path and our purpose to impact those around us.

So what was Saul’s background? He was a Pharisee who was well educated and considered successful by most standards. We first see him in Acts 8:1, at the stoning of Stephen. When reading the first section of chapter 9, it is apparent that Saul is ordering an eradication of the believers of the Way. “Breathing out threats and murder” is something that should not be taken lightly! He wanted ALL of them dead. It did not matter if it was a man or a woman. This just shows how intense his disdain is for the Christians. Soon, his path would cross with Jesus.

Jesus comes to him and asks him, “why are you persecuting me?” What is interesting about this, is that Jesus is referring to the church as a whole when he refers to himself. So just remember that, when people are persecuting you, they are also persecuting him, so it will not go unnoticed!

What Jesus does is come to Saul and interrupts his path. He decides that it is time to stop the direction he is going on and send him another way. We know that Jesus blinds him, and gives him a command to go to Damascus where he will be told what to do from there. What I find awesome is that even though Saul was persecuting the church, Jesus still had a place in his heart for him. What Saul was doing was horrible, but Jesus still wanted him to help the church.

In verse 10, Jesus goes to Ananias, and tells him to find Saul. What I love about this is that Jesus does not say, “The same Saul that has been persecuting me.”, instead he says, “A man from Tarsus named Saul, since he is praying there.” He also said that he received a vision about Ananias coming. It seems that Jesus is being sneaky here, because as soon as Ananias picks up on what is going on, he gives a “Wait, THAT SAUL????” Type of response, though he was quite diplomatic about telling Jesus that it was not the wisest move. But Jesus keeps telling him that he is an instrument for his use. As we all know, Ananias goes to Saul and heals him and delivers the message.

The rest of Acts shows Saul preaching in the Synagogues, and the same man that was hunting the Christians is now being hunted by the authorities. So what you are probably wondering is “how did he go from one extreme to the other?” There was a bit of a process, but when you think about it, teaching in the synagogues would have been perfect since he is a well versed Pharisee. He could prove that Jesus was the Son of God because he was familiar with the prophecies and could effectively debate.

So how does this apply to us? We all have our own Past, Path and Purpose in life, much like Saul did.

Past- Saul life as a Pharisee fit well into the need for a knowledgeable leader. Not only did this show that he could argue with the most educated of his kind, but this dramatic turnaround shows the massive amount of Grace that he accepted from Jesus. Often times, we have both types of people in our lives. Think about C.S. Lewis, he was a great apologist because he was once an atheist. He therefore knew the territory, and could argue on those levels. As for the grace received for grievous sins, the stunning turnaround can give faith to so many people.

Just think, in your life there has probably been a few things that you have gone through that not everyone can relate with. Or maybe a whole community of people has felt your pain as well but do not know how to approach it. Because of this, God has allowed you to experience what you have so that you may be more sensitive to them and be able to minister to them in a way someone like me could never. It can be really hard and confusing, but in my own life I figured that out.

When I look at my own past, I find that I was severely deficient in certain areas. The best way to hurt someone who has strong gifts is to make them weak in those areas. With the Romans 12 gifts, I always come out as an exhorter. Growing up, I did not have much encouragement from people… which is tough considering my disabilities. So I became discouraged, depressed and quiet (I am a natural extrovert). When I think about the gifts in Ephesians 4, I have always been told that I am a good teacher. Many of the churches I attended throughout my life gave false teaching and did not let me exercise my spiritual gift of teaching, which stunted my growth.

Many of us tend to fold and walk away because we just want the pain to stop so we find ways to avoid it. I tried that. I tried to walk away, but it did not work out so well. I then realized that if I did not become a Christian, then there would be no hope… and I needed to be that hope for other people. Because of my deficiency, it strengthened my resolve to give proper teaching and to make sure that those under my care are working to be whole and joyful people.

Path- Jesus found Saul on a road to arrest a large group of people. Instead of arresting them, Saul would eventually join them. God crosses our paths in many ways. Some at school, some at work, or through friends. God comes to us different ways at different points of our lives. What I have found about our paths, which span our entire lives, is that they are so different.

When I think about my path after I came to faith, it took about seven years for me to finally solidify and stabilize. I had some really bad run ins with churches, I accidentally joined a cult, was threatened with exorcism, to name a few. So I did not really have a firm grasp of scripture for a while. It was not until I took a class in undergrad on Hermaneutics that everything made sense for me.

Do I still remember those bad experiences? Yes. Do I let them hinder me? No. If I let it hinder me, then I will be cheating someone else out of a blessing. So instead I strengthened my resolve to become a better teacher. I just feel that Christians deserve a better class of leader than many of the leaders out there now.

With me, it was a slower process, and I got criticized a bit about it along the way. I had to learn to have grace with myself, and know that if I continued to beat myself up over it, then I would be hurting myself and eventually hurting others. Some of us have tougher roads than others, and we should always remember that everyone has a story and that we must be sensitive to their growth process. Also, some people do not heal as fast, so we must remember that their paths are a little more checkered then our own. But none the less, we are on unique paths that lead us to our unique purposes.

Purpose- There is this false belief that everyone’s highest purpose should be pastoral ministry. I have had a few people tell me that over my lifetime, and I promptly corrected them. If we were all preachers, then nothing else would happen! I say this to say that in our own purposes, we should never be discouraged about what we feel called to do.

I can remember moving through the church and people telling me that I need this gift or that gift, and they said that “It proves that you are a Christian” if you have this. They did not grasp the idea of diversity, and I felt like I was wearing a monkey suit when I was trying to get their approval. Needless to say, I gave up quickly.

When we look at Saul, he moved forward with his purpose of becoming an instrument to the Gentiles. When he grasped this concept, he wrote the Epistles and became one of the corner stones of our church. Saul was very influential for many reasons. But if he would have stayed in his past, instead of learning from it and utilizing it, he would have been stuck in a rut and probably only focused on Jews.

I realized my purpose when I was working at the Zoo. I have told many people this story, so if you have not heard it, just ask. When the holy spirit interceded in tight situations, when men 20 years older than me asked me for my wisdom, and when people of all walks of life wanted to be my friend when by all means they should have avoided me, then I realized that I was called to do this. This continued much of my life since then, and I have found that even though life is not perfect, I have peace because I know where I am supposed to be.

But now I want to revisit the problem of comparison. I have spent so much time establishing that you are unique and that God made you that way, but often times people do not realize that for one reason or another.

The first fallacy is that we think that our past precludes us from what he wants from us. NOT AT ALL. When you look at Saul, it was utilized.

The second fallacy is that we think that someone else’s path is better than our own. Just because someone has something different than you, does not mean that they are better. When we look at Paul, we tend to think that he came out that way. But when you start to read his letters, you begin to realize that he grows and changes over time. Paul grew over the years, so that just comes to show that we should try to understand someone’s path before we claim that they did better than us.

Finally, the third fallacy is that someone has a higher purpose than the next. Growing up as a twin, I have always been compared to my brother whether we liked it or not. I can remember growing up playing basketball. My brother was really good, and so many of my peers asked me, “why aren’t you as good as him?” My reply would be, “Because I am not Justin. I play a different style game, I play the power positions and I like to rebound and play defense. We are different.” I was never jealous of him, I knew that my purpose was to do the dirty work that most people did not want to do. The problem is that many people in society do not understand that we all need to have our own purpose.

Having Grace- When we look at Paul, we oftentimes assume that he just did well through his entire existence. We tend to forget that his growth took years, the book of Acts covered quite a few years. But since it is 28 chapters and everything is event oriented, we forget that it took years. Not all of us feel deficient in every area, but so many of us do. Sadly enough, many of us even think we are too deficient to give love, let alone anything else. Just know that God sees your heart, and he does not look at the volume, but the effort.

With that being said, have grace with yourself! We cannot be everything to everyone, and we can not be perfect. We can try, but that will break us. If you need a little more time to figure yourself out, take your time and do not give into what others demand. If you are healing slower than you hope, take your time… there is a reason why whatever happened happened to you, and God is probably working on you a little longer for a reason. There is always a big picture to everything in life, so there is a reason that we move at the speed we do. Sometimes people find their calling in their seventies, and they do great things in their twilight, but chances are that if they knew in their 20’s what they were supposed to do, they would have failed miserably because they were not emotionally or spiritually ready for it.

In closing, I hope that you understand that we must always be patient with ourselves, because there is a reason for everything. He will not allow us to go through hardships if he knew it would break us, it is to help us grow stronger. If God allowed it to happen, seek his understanding and grace so that you will be able to grow stronger through it. Just remember, as great as Paul was, that did not happen right away. Nobody happens “right away.” Continue to live in grace =)

Luke 5:1-11: Is Jesus in your boat?

As we go through life, we meet so many people that are confused about God's role in their life. They will say, "Well I prayed, and it did not happen... so there must be no God." Others will say, "I don't deserve my prayers to be answered." And yet others believe that God just has better things to do than worry about us. The fact is, that none of that is true.

When we read Luke's account of Jesus meeting Simon, it is a little bit different than the accounts in John and Matthew. There is also different versions of this fishing story. Are they wrong? Not always. The fact is that the thrust of the Gospels are the Good News, so each author has a different perspective. That was their purpose. Another issue is the location. Lake Gannesaret and the Sea of Galilee are the same place, just with different names. In greek, the word for lake and sea are the same. The name probably varied on people group that the authors were writing to. So do not worry about these differences!

Anyway, on to the lesson. I noticed three different stages of reaction towards Jesus... People wanting to be with him, people obeying him, and then people refusing him. That sounds so strange, but Peter did exactly that!

As the people crowded around to hear his teaching, he requested that Simon push him out in the boat a bit. Right away, this is creating a distance. He is unable to bless them physically. So after he teaches them, he asks Simon to go out into the water. Mind you, Simon probably thinks he is crazy because a., Jesus is not a fisherman, and b., they caught nothing during their shift and now the fish would be at the bottom of the lake.

What does he do? he makes himself available (as well as James and John, as they go out with them). The boats that have been recovered from that time are 26x7x4 feet. Between the two boats, they caught enough fish to fill both boats to the point where it threatened sinking.

How does Simon react? he tells Jesus to go away because he is a sinful man. Yes, that was a captain obvious type of answer from Simon, but instead of agreeing with him, Jesus blesses him more.

When I read this chapter, I often times think about how we act towards God. Often times, we feel that it is best to let Jesus stay in the boat while we stay on the shore. He can not climb into our lives and change our world. He can't say anything that does not agree with us... and if he does, well, we can write it off as something else. We do not have to worry about disappointment if he does not pull through, life is generally low risk.

When we are Simon, Satan will tell us not to let him in because the timing is bad, or the probability of success is low considering the situation. These are just a few things that run through our minds. But Simon pushed that aside, and said, "I doubt this will work, but okay..." The thing is that Simon had faith because he spent enough time knowing what it was that Jesus did. Jesus and other "wise men" hung around the Galilee, so it is quite possible he was familiar with him. So he would have known what Jesus could do. It is because he spent time with the shepherd, he knew what to expect.

When we think of his reaction, I like to think about those pictures we used to draw in grade school. The were by no means Mona Lisa's, but at the same time, our parents took them and hung them on the refrigerator. Why exactly would they do that? They were proud of our effort and were encouraging our growth. Often times people just think that they are a mess and that they are not worthy of anything. But God sees the heart, and he is willing to give more to encourage us. He is proud of us, so please do not think otherwise!

So my question for you in closing is, are you allowing God into your boat, or are you keeping him at arms length. It is only when we let him into our boat, that he can radically change our lives and those around us.

Our Legacies, and thoughts on the Union Mission

This past week we discussed the idea of legacy and why it is so important. What I have noticed is that our existence is pretty much momentary in the spectrum of eternity , so we must always be focused on what we are instilling in others and what we are leaving behind.

It is sort of strange to think that most of our peers have a very weak concept of who they are and what they want to do. In the meantime, we take random jobs, settle in friendships and relationships rather than striving for them, and live without thinking about the overall impact of our choices.

This message was meant to be coupled with some journaling and prayer time, but due to the heat, we cancelled that! But what I asked is to search your heart and pray about what parts of our character people remember, what type of family we have, what type of physical body of work we leave, and what we stories are told about us. These all play into our legacy.

When we look at Abraham's Character, his faith is echoed through out both testaments. He gained this faith through God's reminders, and his close relationship with God and knowing his voice. You can also see his tendency for mercy and compassion, especially when he pled with God over Sodom and Gomorrah.

When we look at the body of work Abraham left behind. Even though he never saw the fruits of his faith, he eventually opened the door for Jesus to exist. The twelve tribes of Israel came from his grandson, Jacob. The covenant is his body of work. Also, the fact that he had Isaac is a testament to the grace of God, because the fact that his 90 year old wife gave birth is a miracle unto itself!

When we look at the family he left behind, the twelve tribes speak for themselves. Jesus speaks for himself. His family changed the course of the world.

As for the stories, with exception to giving his wife to Pharoah to save his face, most of the stories are positive reflections. The faith that he had in being willing to give up Isaac is tremendous. Most parents would never think of this, but it is because he knew and trusted the fathers will, he was willing to do it.

So when we look at Abraham in Gen 12:9, 15:1-7,17:15-21, it is apparent that a lot of time has passed and the fulfillment has not come. But Abraham remained faithful and pursued the Lord.

My hope is that we remain faithful for God's call on our lives, and that we pursue him to find our destiny. Even if you are old, know that the Lord can and will use you.

So in closing, if you were to either die today or move away from everyone that you know, how would you be remembered? Would it be good or bad?

Union Mission-

Yesterday, a group of five of us went to the Union Mission in Norfolk to help less fortunate people. We handed out clothes, worked in the kitchen and washed/cared for feet.

I will be honest with you, cleaning other peoples feet was a little bit different to me. I volunteered to do it because I felt that it was something that needed to be done. I had no problem with it, but just spending time with the people was interesting. I am so fortunate to be where I am, and to be doing what I am doing.

But when it came to handing out clothes and food, that was simple. I had no problem doing that! I have worked in the clothing and food industries, so it was second nature to me! Especially with the clothes, I felt like I was back at work =) Well, except it was outside in the 90 degree weather. Good thing is that no one passed out!!!

Honestly, I am glad that we went. It would have been nice to have a bit more of a schedule to work with, but all in all, we were there for the people. As I told my team, just be flexible and know that we are hear to meet needs. So it was a great experience, and I think that we all walked away from it feeling like we accomplished something, and had a little fun along the way. Plus the free meal never hurt!

I will do my best to post a few more lessons at a time from weeks past.

4 Soils and a New Format

So I decided that writing out the entire lesson is really laborious and it was not getting done, so I am going to take a more casual approach to my lessons from here on out. I am just going to blog about them and give the main points and stuff like that.

This past week I did a lesson on the Parable of the Four Soils, which I thought went really well! I just find it to be such an important issue because many of us know or have become the four soils for better or worse. Not everyone can receive the good news, or sometimes they do it just does not work out because their heart is not ready. So without further adieu, Lets look at what Matthew had to say about it...

Matthew 13:1-8, 18-23

I am not going to pay attention too much to 1-3, because it is not extremely relevant to what I am getting at. Verse four is when everything begins to become interesting since we are faced with the seed on the path. Jesus describes it as someone who does not understand the word, and it is snatched away. I asked the group what makes a person hard soil? We agreed that it had to do with hurt, abuse, and toxic faith. As we went along, we discussed ways in which we can identify and reach people with hard hearts, and how we can help ourselves. Hard Soil requires tilling. When we are trying to help ourselves, we have to consider who we associate with, what we allow in our lives, and allowing ourselves to be loved. Usually, hard hearted people are pretty distant, sometimes depressed, guarded, and often times brutally sarcastic. I am never one to preach at people, so I have always tried to love people unconditionally, be patient with them, and to share my life experiences and encourage them.

The next group we talked about is the Rocky Soil. When I brought out my pot of rocky soil, it was easy to see that the seed could not go down very far before hitting a rock. This showed how it is really shallow. Jesus describes this as the person who receives the word, often times with much zeal, only to fall away when persecution comes. It really makes you think about the depth of the person in question. Often times it is not their fault, but the good thing is that depth can be fixed! Removing the stones is crucial. This requires encouraging when they want to fade, educating to show different perspectives, and keeping them focused when stuff starts to fall apart. People with Shallow Hearts have a pretty distinct flavor to them. I tend to think of the disciples as prime examples. They were all about Jesus being a revolutionary who would oust the Roman authority, but when it came to him sacrificing himself, it was a different story. Also, when we think about how they would panic (Peter denying Jesus, Jesus calming the storm), they needed depth. The tend to be flighty, erratic, superficial, and insecure. But with time and stabilization, they can become healthy as the stones are removed and replaced with good soil.

The third soil is the thorny/weed filled soil. When we think about weeds, the words that come to mind are demanding, greedy, selfish, and aggressive. As I placed the seed in the pot, it was easy to see that the weeds were there to choke out the plant as it grew. Jesus explains these weeds as the wealth and worries of this life. Weeds, much like sin, does not like any other master, and tends to demand nutrients, light and other needs and has no problem taking it at the expense of the plants around them. This is why the thorny soil is symbolic of a selfish heart. When I find weeds coming up in my life, I ask myself questions... "Is this worth it?", "If it were to be destroyed tomorrow, how will I take it?", "how does this impact my ability to function?" In this case, we must be careful to refocus those around us so that they can see the effect that it is having on them, while using your strength to remove and alleviate the choking weed. Removing the weed from the root up is crucial! If the root stays, so does the weed. But with careful removal and refocusing, this soil can be weed free!

Finally, the good soil is a soil that is free of foreign substances. This person produces good fruit, whether it is from their actions or words. They not only hear and understand what is being said, but they APPLY it. They love themselves and give from the overflow of that love. These are the characteristics of a healthy heart.

To end with, I think it is important to be able to apply what we learn. Try to look at your own life and see what type of soil you have, and what actions you must take to clean it out need be. The second thing is to look at those around you and see if you can identify their hear, and see if there is a way to possibly help them out.

The True Vine

As I begin to think about some of the issues that concern our culture, I can not help but think about how busy people are. People are busy because of their demanding jobs. People are busy because they have to write papers and do homework. People are busy because they are trying to keep their family content. For whatever reason people are busy, they have a tendency to fall into that trap and become exhausted. They soon begin to forget to do their devotion time, they become too tired to pray, or they start putting in extra hours at work and stop going to Church. Whether they know it or not, they begin distancing themselves from Jesus.

Read John 15:1-8

This is the final of Jesus’ “I am” statements. Jesus makes the claim that he is the true vine. In the first eight verses of John 15, John retells a story in which Jesus explains who he is, how to obey his commands, what happens to those who obey and those who do not.

As in any Biblical story, it is important to understand the context of the verse. John frequently used metaphor to build his theology, and this verse is a prime example. The metaphor is covered in verses 1-8, and then verses 9-17 are spent explaining the metaphor and applying that story to form a theological truth. The vine is an important figure in both Jewish and Gnostic texts. The Jewish concept paints Israel as the vine and the grapes as the deeds of the people. The Gnostics used “The Vine of Life” as a popular image. It is evident that Jesus is the vine, so there is no mistaking this as a Jewish or Gnostic idea.

Since this sermon is focused on Jesus being the vine, the exposition and application will be mentioned from time to time, but not at great length. The main points that I hope that you take away today are how do we obey Jesus, what happens when we obey Jesus, what happens when we do not obey Jesus, and how do we apply this verse to real life.

To understand how we obey Jesus, we must understand WHO he is. The opening verse crystallizes this for us by saying “I am the true vine.” As 21 century Christians, some of us will probably have no idea what that means to be the vine. To Jesus’ peers, who were frequently from rural areas, this made complete sense to them. Jesus frequently referenced rural life to make his point known to his audience. As we go through this verse, I will continue to explain more of what it means to be the vine, the gardener and the branch.

When I read this, I had to ask “What does he mean by ‘true vine?’” The significance of this word is often times lost in translation. What it means to be the “true vine” is that he is from “the true God.” The Greek word alhqenos is used in John 1:9, 6:32, and 17:3 to explain that the father is the true God. This correlation shows that it is because of the father’s love that Jesus has power, and that Jesus gets his power since he was sent by the father.

While we are discussing the father, it is important to know that Jesus has shows that he is at the mercy of the father. He explains that his father is the gardener. With that being said, it can be assumed that both Jesus and the Christians are at the mercy of the father. Later in the chapter, Jesus explains that it is only because of what he has learned from the father that he has been able to give to us.

This brings us back to the original question, is how do we obey Jesus? In this scripture, Jesus reminds the audience to remain in him (or the vine) five times. It is quite evident that he is serious about this command. If one stayed within the first eight verse, it would seem incomplete since the audience would not know what it meant to remain in him. Verse nine explains that if you obey his commands, you will remain in his love. The command that he gives twice after that is to love each other. This concept of loving others is very abstract to most people, and quite honestly most people do not do it well enough. “How do we love one another well?” you might ask. It is by pursuing the vine, who has learned from the gardener and is willing to share with those who are attached to the vine.

Before getting too far off course, I ask this question, what can we do as Christians to pursue the vine? The ideas that come to mind are to maintain devotion time, keep a vital prayer life, spend time journaling and doing other activities that keeps you well nourished by the vine.

What happens when we obey Jesus? The first idea that is mentioned is that the father will prune those who bear fruit. This is really counter-intuitive considering that much of what Christians have been told since they were young was that God rewards those who are obedient. The act of pruning involves cutting off part of the fruitful branch so that it will grow and become even more fruitful. This is really a blessing in disguise!

As I look back at the times that God was pruning me, at times I was determined to hang on to that specific object. I would not let it go. That is when I heard him talk, “Jason, let it go.” I would respond, “No!” I am sure that we know how that goes. Either God pries it out of our hands or we end up letting go. Yes, much of the time I was disappointed right away, but I would usually have enough sense to ask him for perspective. I would ask him for perspective, and he would give it to me. I would then see how that object was getting in my way of growth, and soon, I felt as if that pruning was allowing me to engage in His presence even stronger. Because of that, I have been able to have peace with the idea of him being the gardener and that he knows what is best for me.

One interesting detail between verse two and verse three is that the Greek word that is used for “prune,” which is kaqairw, is used for both “to prune” and “to cleanse.” This is interesting since verse three mentions the idea of being cleansed because of the word spoken to the audience. I find this fascinating since the two are considered the same function, so when God is pruning you, he is not just taking the excess off but he is cleansing you as well!

The next issue worth addressing how do we reconcile verse seven? John wrote that those who remain in the vine will be given whatever they wish. This proves to be a problem because often times people ask for some pretty crazy things. Others, who ask for legitimate concerns, do not get their wish granted and their faith becomes unstable because of this broken “promise” that they receive from leaders. This is especially important because this is a question that is frequently asked by believers and non-believers alike, and this can make or break someone’s faith.

I have found that the answer is not very well spelled out in this passage, but when one understands the context it becomes clear. This is why we must always understand the context! If Jesus obeys the father and receives his love, we must obey Jesus and receive his love. It becomes clear in this entire passage that there is a chain so to speak, that what comes from Jesus comes from the father. With that in mind, if Jesus has the same desires of the father and we seek to have the same desire of Jesus, then we ultimately have the desire of the Father. When our heart is conformed to be like Jesus, what we are asking for is the Father’s will. This is why when we remain in Jesus, we remain in the Father, and their desires become ours as well.

The final product of being one with the vine is bearing good fruit. This is a very well used analogy for the spiritual production of a person. As it is mentioned multiple times in this verse, if someone tries to bear fruit apart from the vine, it will not succeed. This is not just a matter of good deeds, since any person can do good deeds. It is also a matter of exhibiting a Godly lifestyle and the ability to be a healthy Christian.

It is also worth mentioning as we are transitioning between subjects to explain that there is a distinct difference between being part of the vine and bearing fruit. Often times it is assumed that if someone is on the vine that they are a productive branch on the vine. That is not always true. There are many Christians who for some reason or another are the type that create more trouble than good. According to Jesus, you do not want to be that branch.

When we look at the branches that are non-productive, the two words that John writes to describe them are withered and fruitless. These two words speak of two different states of being. Withered, which happens after they are cut off, brings to mind the feeling of being dry and malnourished. Fruitless, on the other hand, depicts that the person is just not living out their faith. It is crucial to understand that these branches do not apply to non-Christians, but they are Christians who are not being productive.

With that being understood, what does the fate for those who do not stay near to the vine? The description is not very good. In verse two, Jesus says that the Father will cut off those branches that do not bear fruit. In verse six, he is thrown away to wither, and then thrown into the fire to burn.

Does that sound dramatic? Of course! But is the father going a little over board? Not at all. Since the father can see the vine in it’s entirety, he is able to decide what is helpful and what is destructive. Certain branches prove to be a problem since they are constantly getting in the way of other Christians. Have you met these people before? I have. These are the type of people that do not act out of love, and they just create distractions and trouble and often times stunt the growth of others. Do they know of Jesus and the father? Yes. They know of them because they are involved with the vine. But do they really know the father and do they really know Jesus? You have to wonder. You might ask, “Well if they are on the vine, they should know them.” But if they knew the true vine, and where it came from, they would want to obey him and remain in his love. This love that is known to the fruitful is not evident in this person. It becomes evident that the discipline that is found in pruning is not taking effect, and the branch becomes useless.

If you are anything like me, you begin to sense urgency in this message on two different levels. The first level is on a personal level. As I look at my life, I begin to reflect on my week and think about how I spent my time with God. For instance, one day I woke up late and had to run to a meeting instead of doing my devotion in the morning. I completely forgot about it and went about my business. Other days, I will read my devotion online, and it just does not change my heart. Instead of spending time trying to understand the truth, I move on saying, “that was a weak devotion.” I am saying this to show how easy it is to forget or disengage from the spirit. I am guilty of it, and most people do not want to admit it when they do it.

The second level of concern is knowing that there are people around us who are hurting because they are not engaged enough. When I think of people I know, most of us say, “I am not doing as well as I had hoped.” That’s quite alright, I think that is a healthy sense of trying to improve your time with God and trying to strive for perfection while not abusing yourself to be perfect. The people I am concerned about are those that become apathetic towards their God time.

These people are not always easy to pick out. But if someone is beginning to show a generally lack of interest in God, and begins to act uncharacteristically, I hope that you would take the time to come alongside them and encourage them.

This brings us to my final question: Now that we know that we are called to bear fruit and to love one another, how can we apply these verses that we learned today? The way is to LOOK AT YOURSELF! I have always made the habit of trying to see if I am well nourished or if I am beginning to become dry. It is difficult at times since we live in our own skin, but I found that when I take a look at my general attitude and look at where my time is allocated, I have a better idea of where I stand. Another great way to look at yourself is to see how those close to you react towards you. Do they mention the positive deeds that you do or the life that you give them, or do they only mention negativity that you bring to their lives. It sounds harsh, but listen to what they say about you. It is not always accurate, but let the Holy Spirit convict you of what is said.

Listening is the key to figuring out others as well. I am a firm believer in that from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. If you want to know what someone is feeling or thinking about, listen to what they are saying. This is difficult, especially since listening well is a trait that seems to be very rare. But listen well. If you can tell that the fruit of their soul is not good fruit, it might be time to encourage them. It does not have to be a big production, but it can be done in a number of ways. Often times, just living out the life of Christ and not even preaching at them is extremely successful. After reading this verse, I felt more motivated than ever to help bring back the wayward branches. It pains the vine to have to lose those branches, but I feel that we can make a difference.

In closing, I was an unfruitful branch once. During college, I became detached due to commitments. I was honestly too hurt to go to church anyway, and I was about ready to walk away. I lost hope since nothing made sense and Christianity became painful. Then one day, I decided to start putting a verse in my wallet every week. I started it to be conscious of my money, but found that it was helping me spiritually. I remained dry because I was cut off, and I did not have support. It was really hard. After a few hard experiences with church, I gave up and I wanted the truth. I took the hardest bible class at my school, it opened my eyes and changed my life. It became the catalyst for who I am today, and from then on I never wanted to be that dry again.

I am not saying this to mope about my life or tell you how great I am today, I am sharing this because I never want people to go through what I did. So my hope is that you take this seriously and seek Jesus, the true vine, with all your heart.