I’m not sure what sort of readership I have on this blog, but I thought I’d document this link to an audio recording of my testimony given to a group of twenty-somethings last week in case anyone is interested.  It’s a bit personal, but at this point, I guess I need to get past the need to be private.  Let’s face it… pastor’s lives are lived in the public eye.

Anyway, this is a story of where I’ve seen God at work in my life.  I shared particular areas of sin in my life, my growing understanding of a need for a savior, and the transformation that ensued after I truly met Jesus.

Here’s the link: Generation Talk 12/10/09

These verses are starting to make a lot of sense to me…

22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.

25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband. –Ephesians 5:22-33 (ESV)

Now before you get on my case and say to yourself “here we go with the submission speech”, let me explain.  I think that the most significant verse from this selection is the last one, verse 33.  I posted the whole chunk to provide some context.

Recently, in our household, we have recognized the need wives have for love and the need husbands have for respect.  Thanks to our Love & Respect class at church for this nugget of wisdom!  We have also recognized that men and women are profoundly different in many ways.  These differences can lead to all sorts of complications, many of which are communication problems.  To avoid what is known as the “Crazy Cycle” in our class, we have learned to make sure to accurately understand what we’re trying to communicate to each other.  This is harder than you might think.

We’ve been practicing the principles of this class, and it is truly amazing to be able to step back avoid disastrous arguments.  In the past, our discussions have been known to blow up into nuclear explosions.  Now, we are able to recognize when to get off the crazy cycle before it gets out of control.  Praise God!

Here’s a little example of what I’m talking about.  This past weekend, our neighbors had a graduation party for their daughter.  We were invited to stop over for food and neighborly chatter.  Well, this was the Saturday sandwiched between my birthday and Father’s Day.  My BIG weekend… MY ONLY weekend.  Well, I was playing Tetris Party on our Wii and quite frankly, I was too lazy to go over to chat.  I wanted to sit on my can and play a video game.  So Jill comes back after a little bit and says “we’re having dinner at the neighbors’ tonight… they’ve got a ton of delicious food!”  So I grumbled something back, they went and ate, and I settled for junk for dinner.  Stupid me, it turned out that the food was out-of-this-world good, but that’s not the point of the story.  I should have been a better neighbor and went over there, but that’s not the point either.  Later in the evening, when we were in the car on the way to our Christian small group meeting, I said to Jill “you know, I don’t even know that girl next door… I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to her.”

Jill heard it this way:

“You’re making excuses because you were too lazy to go to our neighbors’ party.”

This is what I meant:

“I feel bad that we’ve lived here nearly 7 years and I never got to know her.”

Amazing.  The same words to me meant something completely different to her.  Like the guy in the video at class  says, “not wrong, just different.”

Let me tell you, this whole notion would be impossible without the help of the Holy Spirit.  Women don’t submit to their husbands (willingly) if they don’t know Jesus.  Society teaches us the opposite these days.  The end result is that men are continually disrespected, and women end up feeling unloved.  Each problem causes the other, and it’s a viscious cycle (the “crazy cycle”).

Imagine if all Christians really understood Ephesians 5… it could change the world!  The Christian divorce rate would likely plummet.  Then we might be noticed as difference makers rather than the alternative.  We’d no longer be seen as hypocrites, or worse, irrelevant.  Let’s take a clue from Paul to learn a little love and respect, and let’s see where it leads.

Last night my Christian small group began the Truth Project as our study for the summer.  If you haven’t heard of it, this series is a production of Focus on the Family, and it focuses on developing a Christian worldview.  It’s taught by bright and engaging guy named Del Tackett.  While I’ve  already been through the course once before, I’m excited to experience it again.

I can remember the passion and eagerness I felt after each and every video session the first time through.  I can remember wishing each time that the hour long lecture/video could somehow not end.  I remember how empowered each of us in the group felt as we were equipped with some new knowledge and perspective.  I remember clearly the feeling I had as my worldview was being transformed and solidified.

I’m excited to relive some of those feelings and to see others share the experience.  I’m looking forward to discussing the course particulars in a smaller setting.  I’m pleased that we’ll be able to pray amongst friends about the issues presented to us each week.

I know that the Lord has a plan and a message for each of us as we delve into the Truth Project… so cool!

Here’s a link to a teaser video if you’re curious what this series is all about…  The Truth Project

Tonight marked the end of our 10-week “seeker’s course” called Christianity Explored.  What started out as an idea to help get me involved in ministry, while reestablishing something that’s been missing at Bay Presbyterian Church for some years, had turned into a 10-week ministry on Wednesday nights from 6:30-8:30.  There were over 30 participants, 9 table leaders (including me and Jill), 5 cooks, and one pastor involved.  All this stemmed from a meeting with my pastor sometime late last year.  It’s pretty cool how the Lord uses us in His kingdom plans, and how the Holy Spirit works through us to execute those plans.

So, my wife and I were both table leaders for a small group, and we’re both pretty bummed that it’s over.  I think we have both invested quite a bit emotionally in these people that we’ve gotten to know.  Some of them are right on the brink of having a relationship with Jesus, and I’m so excited for them.  I’m just feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all right now, so I’m not sure how to process all these feelings.

On the other hand, we are excited about what the Lord has accomplished in and through us over the last 10 weeks.  After having read the feedback forms, clearly the course was a resounding success.  Our church had even decided to run the course this summer in several host homes, and again this coming fall in a class format.  Praise God!

I have one question… is this feeling of emotional investment likely a sampling of what a life of ministry will be like?  If so, I’ll embrace it with open arms, even though I know there will be disappointments along the way.  If I’m off base, is there any comparison that may be drawn?

So far, my understanding of ministry is that it will likely be an emotional roller coaster.  Perhaps it’ll be much like what I’m feeling right now… bittersweet.