A 21 Day Fast

Last time I talked about the benefits of fasting, and my reasons for wanting to do an extended fast - to draw closer to God and to seek His help getting unstuck on a number of levels. On starting the fast I wasn't sure how long it was going to be. I told almost no one, and share this story only as an encouragement to others thinking about an extended fast, or thinking that it is impossible (especially for food lovers like me!) So here is a journal of my experience...

Day 1. The past few days leading up to this I was eating so much that I wasn't overly hungry and felt good to come off the feeling of continually being bloated. Still, by dinnertime, I was rather hungry and couldn't even be in the same room as the family eating dinner. (This would continue to be the main downside to doing this.)

Days 2-3. As I had experienced the one or two times I've fasted more than a day, I was constantly feeling hungry. I could barely stop thinking about food. One suggestion I heard was to spend time in prayer any time you felt hungry. Well wow did I have a prayerful time! :) Not having to spend any time preparing or eating meals allowed a lot of extra time in prayer and Bible study. I can't say this was particularly impactful yet. My mind was still very distracted and was racing at the pace normal for type A people who hate to slow down. I was starting to wonder if tomorrow would be worse and/or if I would need to bail!

Day 4. To my surprise, I was slightly less hungry than the first two days, with just a few minor hunger pains. My weight was down 11 lbs, another surprise. But I had read enough to know this was mostly water loss.

Day 5. Wow, incredible turnaround day. Mental clarity is way up (I would later find out this is a common side effect of your body being in a state of ketosis). This is the first day I'm actually feeling good :) My energy level was very even through the whole day and night, which is unusual because I was totally used to narcoleptic needs to nap or zone out periods. That said, the physical energy is definitely low and I'm easily winded moving around or upstairs. Honestly, that has been true since I hit my peak weight leading up to this fast.

Day 6. Feeling very good and to my joy, really feeling no hunger although the stomach does growl once in a while. I saw my daughter eating something delicious and did not attack her for a bite. More like "Oh that looks good" but no craving. Weight is down -15 pounds.

Day 8. Great to fit into a shirt too tight two weeks ago (still snug) and walk into church. They had donuts for Mothers Day at church but I had no interest! My wife kinda made me pay though, she wanted to go out to a special ribs place Mother's day lunch and I had to join them but eat nothing. To my surprise, it was really no problem.

Day 9. After some reading and after feeling a little too light-headed, I realized I was getting zero sodium and probably should. So I started taking beef broth once a day. 0 calories but a lot of vitamins and 750mg Na. I also read that lots of water and enough sodium are key for fighting off or avoiding the keto flu. Speaking of keto, I've been doing a ton of reading and research and am becoming very excited about starting a ketogenic diet following the fast. It has benefits for epilepsy, mental focus, acne, and PCOS which would help our family, so we decided to try keto together after the fast. (I'll have a future blog or two about Keto.)

Day 10. Made it to day ten! After some reading and cautions from others, I decided to shift my goal from 40 days down to 21. This would end things and have us start a new diet at a very convenient point in our summer schedule. I'm really starting to enjoy the extra time in prayer and solitude each day!

Day 11. I experienced some major breakthroughs in thinking and attitude today! Especially good was a strongly renewed sense of calling and direction in ministry. Woot! An extended prayer session today also gave me great clarity on next steps needed in each area I had started the fast where I wanted to get unstuck. More prayer and details needed, but today was significant. I'm really glad at this point that I didn't stop after "just" 10 days ;)

Day 12. I can't believe I'm looking through page after page of recipes and nutrition articles without feeling even slightly hungry. When I say I'm not feeling hungry at all, I mean it. This was by far the biggest surprise so far. (Weight is down almost 20 pounds.)

Days 13-14. Continued enjoying all the time in prayer and extra time in my day. I can now join my family at meals because of the lack of hunger. Yay! My energy levels are a little low to be honest, and sometimes feeling a bit dizzy when standing up too fast.

Day 15. Big downer of a day... my father in law has passed away unexpectedly. The main focus for this and the next several days is supporting my wife and spending more time with the kids. Otherwise the fast is going smooth. Took some decaf today, as a placebo :) No caffeine, cream or any additives, just felt good to drink that warmth while reading the Bible.

Day 17. I finally thought I better start researching how to best end a fast and found a ton of very conflicting info. After wading through a lot of misinformation, I thought the following tips would be most helpful.
- Many recommend a super slow, multi-day reentry to eating, but that's really not necessary unless you've fasted so long you're emaciated. I still am packing 50 pounds more than I should.
- For the first couple of eating sessions, think small and healthy. Salad and veggies, a little bit of protein, easy on the carbs.
- Bone broth is perfect. You want to bring your electrolyte levels back up closer to normal.
- I found the videos and articles by Dr. Jason Fung to be especially helpful. His advice on ending the fast was simple: don't get all worried, just use common sense; ease back into it letting your renewed sense of hunger guide you, and you should be taking a good daily multivitamin to avoid refeeding syndrome problems,

Day 18. I'm now down just a few pounds shy of 30 and would love to reach that target and/or day 21. I'm feeling the best I have in months, hands down, with good energy and mental clarity and no cravings. To be real, I'm looking forward to eating again, but not feeling at all like I'm missing anything. My main hope at this point is that the incredible sense of the presence of God and desire for holiness remains as strong after the fast. The sense of communion is so strong, I can't even describe it. I finally understand why people who have done 21-40 day fasts just love it and end up doing this regularly. I look forward to doing this again in the future :)

Day 21!!! Made it! Super excited to break my fast joining family for dinner! I had just a tiny dinner... 8 almonds, some broccoli smothered in butter, some kale chips, and a hard-boiled egg. Doesn't sound great but wow it was amazing :) I was also thrilled to see a 30-pound weight loss. (I know, a good bit of that is water, but still... I have had to pull in the belt a few notches) I'll leave the next part of the story, returning to eating and a new diet plan, for another time. But I will say that my appreciation for food and flavors was really great.

What did I learn from my experience with fasting?

• I was shocked I could do it. As a very large person who overeats a lot, this long of a fast seemed completely impossible before I started. If not for the spiritual retreat which gave me a profound sense I needed to do this, I would never have even considered it.
• Extended fasts are very, very different from skipping a meal or a 24 hour fast. Those are good things and they too have their place, but the benefits of doing this for an extended timeframe were incredible.
• My bondage to food and overeating was gone. Busted. History. 
• My passion for ministry was restored. 
• The right direction and next steps were strongly confirmed in prayer. I was no longer stuck at a fork in the road. 
• The sense of the presence of God was profound. Distractions and temptations simply had no draw on me; I had something much better. 
• My prayer life was strongly reinvigorated. I hadn't realized just how shallow it had actually become. I would never have guessed spending a few hours in prayer, spread over the day, could actually feel normal. 
• Emotionally, I felt way less stressed, and better able to cope with events. The "peace that passes understanding" showed up :)
• It gets easier. It gets much easier after day 5. Trust me. I have seen this reported by virtually every story I've read about extended fasts, and I can confirm this. Also, people who do this routinely all say the first time is by far the hardest, and they enjoy making an extended fast on a regular basis (not always 21 or 40 days, sometimes 7 or 10).
• You can do it too! I'm utterly convinced anyone can do this; I'm really not anyone special. In fact, I would highly recommend it for anyone feeling disconnected from God, in a "blah" spiritual state, or feeling stuck especially physically or mentally. 

If you have comments or questions, please let me know! I would love to help other people enjoy the benefits of extended fasting as well. 

What good is fasting?

The past few months have been a bit of a struggle. I was feeling defeated in a number of important areas of life, physically and spiritually, home and work. In a word, I was stuck. Recently Ratio Christi had a staff retreat at the Rest Ministries Retreat Center. On the first morning after arrival, our host shared a devotion on the importance of Sabbath rest, of prayer and fasting. I had read about spiritual fasts, struggled through a miserable 24-hr fast, and did not know anyone who practiced fasting on any kind of regular basis. My jaw dropped when he mentioned how greatly he enjoyed a recent 40 day fast (!) Not only that, he highly encouraged those who were stuck, who felt a need to hear from the Lord or deepen their relationship with Him to try an extended fast. Maybe a "short and easy" 7-day fast. (I had to choke down a desire to laugh out loud at that being a short fast.) The rest of the day I couldn't shake the idea this was something I really needed to do.

If you know me at all, you know how ridiculous it is to think of me going without food for a week or so. I can't even walk past a box of donuts without taking several. But one thing I've learned is that if you strongly feel the Lord is leading you to do something, you just do it. As soon as I got home, armed with some very helpful information on fasting by Bill Bright and CRU, I was ready to try fasting. The goal was a week, no longer than 40 days (ha!), but going until I felt I was ready to stop (or needed to stop!)

Why do Christians fast?

As Dr. Bright and others can attest to, when God's people fast with the right heart: seeking God's face, with a humble and repentant heart, God's presence and power are often felt in very significant ways. In the Bible, these two themes are given as benefits of fasting - healing, and power. It is a spiritual discipline very common in ancient days, done specifically to draw near to God and to seek His direction or wisdom or favor. Jesus and Moses both fasted for 40 days and considered it normal for their followers to practice fasting on occasion. It can also really strengthen a stalled prayer life.

Why was I fasting?

As I was struggling in several areas, I had to acknowledge my own limitations and to seek His face. While I was hoping for answers, what I really wanted was a closer sense of his presence and favor. My goal was to seek breakthroughs in several areas where I was feeling paralyzed:

• Stuck physically - no energy, constant napping, overweight
• Stuck spiritually - feeling like recently my faith was mostly going through the motions
• Stuck mentally - caught up in negative attitudes and habitual sin
• Stuck in ministry - at a fork in the road unable to make a decision on direction.

I was resolved to continue the fast for as long as necessary to get unstuck in each of these areas. But, um... could I even last a day without food?! Tune in next time :)

Be Courageous

I recently saw the movie Courageous and was just blown away with a powerful sense that God is calling me, calling us, to step it up in our walk with Him and not shy away from doing the right thing - even when it's hard. He's calling each one of us to be courageous in serving and protecting those we love. Last Sunday the Calvary family received some news that was tough, and we face some uncertainty that may tempt us to fear, to doubt, to wonder about our future. I want to encourage each one of us to be courageous in facing the future. In II Tim 1:7 Paul tells us that God did not gives us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and self-control. Or to paraphrase, God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but a spirit of courage, and love, and of duty - to do what is right. Cowardice is not fear, but failing to move forward because of fear. Courage is not an absence of fear, but a determination to do what is right, even when there is fear or doubt or uncertainty. We need that spirit of courage in this season at Calvary. After seeing the movie Courageous I wrote down the following prayer - will you make this your prayer too?

Lord - help me be courageous. In little things and in big things. Help me courageous to always choose the right action, the action that honors you, serves others, and draws me closer to your Son.

My words and my actions matter. Not because of who I am or anything special about me, but because of what God is doing through me, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of the Father, in the name of the Son. My actions matter because every act comes either from believing the truth leading to obedience and growth in Christlikeness, or from believing a lie, leading to sin, and grieving somebody. Every opportunity. Every act. It draws us to the Father, or pulls us away. Surrender is key. Not partial surrender. Not giving up one thing while holding back another. Total surrender. God is holy. He is holy. He IS Holy. He and He alone is utterly worthy of our whole life, and nothing less.

My words and my actions matter, because so many eyes, including four very, very special ones, are on me, wondering if the Christ I preach is real, if the Bible I teach I follow, if the Spirit I say lives in me, works through me. Does He matter? Do they matter? My actions and words can encourage, they can build up, or my words or actions can wound. Wound horribly. Wound in ways I cannot heal. May it never be - Lord, help me be courageous.

Stepping Up to a New Role

For the past three years while enrolled in a Master's program at Rockbridge Seminary I have been a volunter staff / ministry intern at Calvary Baptist Church. There I have served as the Volunteer Ministry Coordinator - supporting ministry leaders, helping our people understand their S.H.A.P.E. for ministry, recruiting and appreciating volunteers, and being an overall champion for the Biblical Purpose of Ministry.

Now in 2012 I find myself enrolled once again at Rockbridge (this time pursuing an M.Div), and have shifted roles at Calvary. Same bus. Different seat. I am now leading up the Small Groups Ministry at Calvary. I am extremely excited about discipleship, leadership development, and fostering healthy authentic community in small groups, and so I'm thrilled for this opportunity. As a result you will probably see this blog shift a little in focus, covering more items of interest to small group leaders and discipleship.

I want to hit the ground running, so this month I'll be hosting a gathering luncheon for all our leaders, taking several of them up to Chicago for a training conference, helping several people launch new groups, and will even have a 'fun' night out featuring hot buffalo wings! :)

Made to Be Courageous

I recently watched the movie "Courageous" with my family. Wow! Courageous is a powerful movie inspired by everyday heroes who long to the be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children - by being the type of Christian men desires us to be. I was deeply moved by watching this, and here is a part of a prayer I wrote that evening...

Lord - help me be courageous. In little things and in big things. Help me courageous to always  choose the right action, the action that honors you, serves others, and draws me closer to your Son. My words and my actions matter. Not because of who I am or anything special about me, but because of what God is doing through me, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for the glory of the Father, in the name of the Son. My actions matter because every act comes either from believing the truth leading to obedience and growth in Christlikeness, or from believing a lie, leading to sin, and grieving somebody. Every opportunity. Every act. It draws us to the Father, or pulls us away. Surrender is key. Not partial surrender. Not giving up one thing while holding back another. Total surrender. God is holy. He and He alone is utterly worthy of our whole life, and nothing less. 

My words and my actions matter, because so many eyes, including four very, very special ones, are on me, wondering if the Christ I preach is real, if the Bible I teach is one I follow, if the Spirit I say lives in me, works through me. Does God really matter in my life? Do they matter? My actions and words can encourage, they can build up, or my words or actions can wound. Wound horribly. May it never be so - Lord, help me be courageous. 

Afterwards I was wondering what the Bible had to say about being courageous, and I remembered II Timothy 1:7 "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (NIV84)  As I looked more closely at the words translated timidity and self-discipline, I noticed something pretty cool. Timidity could well be translated cowardice. Cowardice (deilos) is not simply fear (phobos), it is allowing fear to stop you from taking an action you know is right. Self-control is more than just willpower or an aptitude for self-discipline beyond our control, but it is a sound mind and sober thought that allows us to take the tough action we know is right. In this context, it could be considered as a call to be courageous. To be courageous is not to be fear-less, but to choose to act according to what is right or called for rather than to give in to that fear.

Will you ask God today to help you live a courageous life?

Made For a Purpose

Do you ever wonder... what am I here for? what should I be doing? what will make me happy? I have, and I at times I still do. I've heard these questions from several friends recently and so it was natural to close out my recent sermon mini-series on stewardship (of opportunities and of finances) with stewardship of talents. But the driving force behind it are these two questions:

What am I here for?
What will make me happy?

The following is not a statement everyone will agreement, but as I see it the Bible teaches that it is impossible to know your true purpose in this life apart from knowing Jesus Christ. It is impossible to find real happiness by pursuing happiness as your main goal. And it is impossible to find the deepest fulfillment in your life apart from serving others. A key reason is that one of our main purposes, something common to all of us, is to have a loving relationship with God. And because He is the one who made us, He gets to decide our specific or unique purpose. We will over time discover it, but not create it. And that purpose involves serving and loving others and modeling Christ's love. That's not in a cookie-cutter way, but in a way that is completely unique to us - at the intersection of our passion, our skills, and someone else's need. In the message we look at passages such as Ephesians 2:8-10, John 15, II Corinthians 8, and Ephesians 4. The bottom line...

We come to discover and life out our unique purpose in life, and find true fulfillment in the process, by serving others according to the unique way God has designed us, our SHAPE. Get to know the One who made you, take steps to understand your SHAPE, and set your heart and hands to serving others as a loving response to what God has done for you. If you have any comments or questions on the sermon, let me know!

Financial Joy

At Calvary we are big on Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace program. It's a nice word picture - the ability to have a less stressed view of your finances, by applying solid (and biblical) principles for handling the money He has entrusted to our care. For most people, financial peace is a result of external circumstances - your monetary ducks all being in a row. But how do you find Financial Joy?

You might think that Financial Joy is an upgrade to Financial Peace. You're not just peace with the state of your finances, but you're thrilled about it. If so, the pathway is more money, right?

That's not what the Bible has to say about the pathway to Financial Joy. Almost the opposite. In the Bible, Financial Joy comes from excelling in the grace of giving, and is completely independent of the state of your checkbook. Check out this passage from Colossians as Paul describes some amazing brothers and sisters..

"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us—see that you also excel in this grace of giving." (II Cor 8:1-7, NIV)

Did you catch that? Severe trial -> overflowing joy. Extreme poverty -> rich generosity. It gets better. These very poor and very persecuted Christians were literally begging Paul for the privilege of being allowed to donate money towards some people in Jerusalem going through a terrible famine. It couldn't be any different from those who think joy comes from having more stuff.

Financial Joy comes when you Excel in the Grace of Giving. 

To learn a lot more on this, please listen to my sermon delivered on Jan 8th, 2012 at Calvary Baptist Church. 

Making the Most of Every Opportunity

Happy New Year!! Many people are starting off the new year talking about hopes, dreams, resolutions, grabbing the brass ring and reaching for new opportunities. This morning at Calvary I was privileged to be able to share a message in our Sunday morning services. We took a look at what it means when the Bible encourages us to make the most of every opportunity, teaching from this passage in Ephesians 5...

"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Eph 5:15-20, NIV)

The word translated 'opportunity' in this passage is kairos - a special moment in which the Spirit of God is looking at act through us. Paul is instructing us to walk around with our eyes open to what God is doing in the world, in our life, in the lives of others - and to respond by asking and doing what God would please God in that moment. This spirit-filled life is contrasted with a life on auto-pilot, never considered how God may be present or looking to act in the situations we're in. It's a very powerful passage - and a great opportunity for us to live according to the Spirit, and make the most of every opportunity in this New Year.

If you're interested, the sermon has been posted online - check it out and let me know what you think :)

Back to School... again

After graduating from Rockbridge Seminary with a Master of Ministry Leadership just two months ago, I have re-enrolled at Rockbridge for another program (M.Div)!  I know that probably sounds like I'm being a glutton for punishment, but I can't help it. I just love learning. I love school - the reading, the writing, the discussions, pondering questions that go beyond the daily grind, but also considering how to be more effective in the things we do. I enjoyed the Rockbridge experience so much it was a pretty easy decision. They are a 100% online seminary, where I can do all the work when it's convenient for me (mostly 10pm-1am in my case), without cutting too much into family time, and without having to relocate or take a break from either work or ministry.

This semester I am taking two courses: Church History I (early church right up to the reformation), and a course on Christian Worldview and Theology. The goal of the former is to help us understand our roots in a way that can help us better understand our present and forge the future. The goal of the latter is to give us a deeper understanding of not just what we believe, but why. Should be some very interesting material!

I'll answer my most frequently asked question - why do you want to get a Master of Divinity? Are you planning to be a minister? Short answer: No, I already am a minister, and so are you if you are a follower of Jesus. Slightly longer answer: I have no current plan for what might come next in my life. If I guessed I would probably be wrong. But I do know that having a much deeper understanding of Scripture is going to be a great learning experience that will serve me well whatever is next, and will help me grow spiritually as well. Plus the M.Div program (covering O.T. and N.T., biblical theology and interpretation, preaching and teaching, history and a smattering of Greek) is the perfect complement to what I have already studied for the MML (a nice mix of theory and practice in discipleship, fellowship, worship, ministry and evangelism, and a lot of leadership training). If I get to share some of this with my brothers and sisters (locally at Calvary Baptist Church and those of you online) over the next couple of years, even better!

If there are any topics you would like to hear more about, please let me know?!

Patience and Perseverance

For some reason I can't exactly put my finger on, I'm feeling tremendously anxious this week, although there isn't really a good reason (it's not overwork, and things overall are going well). It's highlighting that patience isn't my strong suit.

Patience and Perseverance. They're very different beasts.

Patience is tolerating pain, frustration or other annoyance, often with an aspect of waiting, and often on issues outside your control.

Perseverance is the dedication to stick-to-it, being diligent, seeing something through to completion.

Persistence is working hard, in spite of or to remove a difficulty.
Patience is waiting for the difficulty outside your control to disappear.

I'm pretty darn good at persistence. I can be downright awful at patience :)

How to respond biblically? It's frustrating that James (5:7-8) commands us to be patient but doesn't give us much on how. God grants wisdom in abundance when we ask (James 1:5), but patience is another matter. Colossians also commands us to clothe ourselves in patience (1:12) and to just let peace rule in our hearts (1:15). Again... how?

First, remember that peace and patience are two character qualities listed as fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). We don't grow the fruit. We abide in the Lord, and the Spirit brings forth the fruit. We water, we walk in the Spirit, we pray, but ultimately these fruit come from a life that is intimately related with Christ.

Second, with respect to anxiety, here's a favorite (and helpful) verse - Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV):

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Right as I'm about to hit the post button a friend just emailed me, to encourage me with this verse (Rom 5:3, MSG)

"We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!"

And so... to the throne I go, in prayer. Will you join me?

Summer Reading

Summer.... what a great time to grab a favorite book, a glass of iced tea, head for the hammock or shady tree, and enjoy!  (Ok, actually, I'm not an outdoor cat, don't like iced tea, am easily annoyed by bugs, but I didn't want to sound like a total bookworm :)

I was encouraged by a post by Gail Hyatt yesterday, "How Many Books are you Reading?" She's currently got six going, and makes a case why this doesn't make you an egghead :)
- Different formats for different situations (eReader on the go, audio books in the car, paperbacks in bed)
- We don't face one issue at a time in life - different books speak to different ongoing needs
- Different moods and surroundings - thoughtful books in quiet times, fiction on-the-go, short chapters or peaceful reading before bed...

Thanks to an Amazon gift card from some good friends who know me well, I've been gobbling up several recently. I'll post reviews for several of these over the next few weeks.

Weird by Craig Groeschel
Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman
Unleashed by Erwin McManus
Simple Small Groups by Bill Search
Finding the Flow by Tara Miller and Jenn Peppers
On the Verge by Alan Hirsch and Dave Ferguson
Launching Missional Communities by Mike Breen and Alex Absalom
Missional Mom by Helen Lee

Also, after two and a half years, I finally finished reading the NKJV Chronological Study Bible :)
That was an interesting approach. Wonder what to try for the next go around...

So tell me, what are you reading these days?

Public service announcement on cooking pork

I read this over at 22 words and just had to pass it along...

The USDA has changed its stance on how to cook pork, and now asserting that it's ok if pork is a bit pink. More specifically, 145 degrees for whole meats including pork steaks, roasts and chops. (Why is this? The main risk for pork was the parasite trichinosis, but that really hasn't been seen since the 1950's.)

The Huffington post has another article confirming the change and hailing the new guidelines, as they note the old ones were "waaaay out of date and universally ignored by Chefs and skilled cooks."

What about chicken you ask? Great question! The safe temperature for cooking chicken remains the same, 165 degrees F, due to the very real threat of salmonella which is common in commercial chicken. Good hygiene and proper temperatures are important for handling and cooking poultry.

Ground beef and ground meets other than pork should still be cooked fairly well, up to 160F. Even if you love rare steak, there's really no advantage to getting all red inside your burger.

Beef steaks still have a 'recommended' temp of 145F (due to threat of E.Coli), but steakhouses would go out of business going more than 130-135F when the customer requests it rare-medium rare. Why do people cook it at lower temperatures without problem? Well, the harmful bacteria tend to be on the outside, and the searing of the steak over 300 degrees instantly kills them. Note! This is why if you cook medium rare steaks you should not poke holes in with a fork! You'll push any contaminants to the inside which will not reach sufficient temperature to kill them.

Thought you might like to know :)

Insights from James - Part 1 Count it all joy

I recently hopped into a new men's Bible study at our church - the Black Coffee Dude's study. It's obscenely early in the morning (6:00am), but the guys and the coffee make it worthwhile. We're going through the book of James, so I thought I would post some insights from our study each week. Today we looked at verses 1:1-18.

Context: The author James is a pillar of the early church and is writing to a Jewish Christian audience scattered away from Jerusalem, facing significant persecution. As our study leader and D.A. Carson's father like to say: "A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text."

v2 - Gotta love how the letter starts out: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." (quotes here are NIV)  Seriously?! Ouch! Talk about hard application. He follows with the reason "because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

-> Regardless of the reason for the trial, temptation, or suffering, there is the option to respond in joy for the chance to grow closer to God and grow in character (not joyful in the event itself). We'll have to face the trial regardless, and the pain is real, but the type of person who emerges from the trial depends on this choice of attitude.

v6 - why is it bad to pray for wisdom while doubting? Practically speaking, if you lack faith that God is listening, that He cares, or that He is able to see you through and help you grow, the result will almost surely be bitterness and greater confusion. When the circumstances don't change, our natural inclination will be to blame God for not rescuing us. But remember, we're to pray here for wisdom, not an escape from the circumstance of our trial.

-> The context is a group of believers suffering for holding on to their faith. Their suffering would go away if they simply deny their faith. To stay faithful means the persecution and pain will continue. What's needed in this circumstance is the strength to endure, and the wisdom to know how to live and witness. In doing so we follow in the example of Christ and grow in fellowship with Him.

What is the difference between trial and temptation? (v1,12,13,14)  Actually, these words are used almost interchangeably in different translations, and with good reason. The underlying Greek word is the same for both: peirasmos/peirazō, which means the type of trial or temptation in which a man is tested. It's utterly natural for man to consider taking the easy way out, satisfying his own desire rather than God's desire. Circumstances plus this desire lead to the temptation - God does not need to do anything special.

-> The purpose of trial / temptation is not for God to find out how we'll respond (He already knows), but for us to realize what kind of person we are and how strong our faith is. Why is this necessary for us to grow? If we don't know when/how our faith is weak, we will not turn to God for strength. God through the Holy Spirit offers the strength and means to avoid temptation, but the choice is ours whether to seek His help. Pray for wisdom.

Back to verse 2... still, isn't it awful how rosy and unrealistic James is, asking us to reckon it as joy when we face these trials? What does he know about suffering and trials? It was a major "Aha!!" moment for me when I realized...

James is the brother (half-brother) of Jesus. Despite knowing Jesus well, he rejected His ministry and gave Him little respect. Then he had to watch the best brother the world has even known be tortured and killed on the cross. On top of that, he soon came to realize Jesus claims were true, feeling the shame of rejecting his brother and savior. (It's hard to convey just how powerfully and personally this struck me today.) Historians tell us that shortly after writing the epistle James faced the exact persecution he was telling others to count as joy! He was accused by religious leaders, facing being stoned to death unless he recanted his faith. His answer? James "declared himself fully before the whole multitude, and confessed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, our Savior and Lord."  So this is a man who is acquainted with suffering, with trials, and who was in fact able to live out his own teaching - counting all this joy as a humble servant of Christ.

Ok, James, you've got my attention. Let's see what else the Spirit has to say through the words you wrote to your brothers - and to us. Father, grant us wisdom. Amen!

Pretty Bad Week

It's hard to even imagine that just ten days ago I had a post called "Pretty Good Week" with everything looking rosy. This week is another matter. It's probably the most painful week I've had in the past two decades. Several painful things (and one extremely sad thing) are going on, and I've been crying on and off all day today. Most of the things going on I can't even get into, so let me just ask for your prayers this week. It would mean a lot to me.  Thanks...

I'm thankful that God's love, His blessings, and his sovereignty are constant, even though my circumstances and feelings are not. This week I'm extremely glad to say "He is risen!!"

Pretty good week

It's only Monday, but it's been a pretty good week so far! On Friday night, I got to enjoy date night with my wife (Thanks Purdue BCM and Parent's night out!) Men's breakfast on Saturday was great, followed by going to see Megamind with the family. After that mom got to relax in the hammock, I got some reading in, and Sunday was pretty awesome too.

Today I found out I won not one but two books from blog give-aways :)
* Weird - the new book by Craig Groeschel (Thank you Michael Hyatt!)
* Launching Missional Communities - by Mike Breen and Alex Absalom
  (Thank you Ron Edmondson!)  I've wanted to read this one since seeing Rob Wegner's review.

Not every week goes like this, but I'll take it when it does!

Doing a 360

I mentioned recently that I'm taking a class on "Practicing the Focused Life." One of our key assignments was to go through a "360 Evaluation." Basically, a group of 5-8 people comprised of your supervisor, peers, and those you supervise respond anonymously evaluating how your are doing with respect to a set of competencies that are important to your organization and your your own development. In this case we did a self-evaluation on ourselves, answering the same questions as the reviewers. It was also something we self-evaluated a few years go, which allows the students to see progress. The 360 Evaluation can be a bit intimidating, and this was the first time I've done something like this. What if those you work closely with in ministry have a very different (lower!?) opinion of your competencies than you do? Well that would signal a major growth opportunity, but it would also be depressing.

In this case I was pretty relieved to see that my peers and colaborers in ministry had a very similar assessment as my own for a dozen competencies that had been targeted for development through classes and projects. The comparison to the earlier self-evaluation was also encouraging. Change has been so slow it has seemed insignificant, but over the course of two and a half-years I've made significant progress in a number of areas.

Have you ever been part of a 360 evaluation? How did it go?
What growth have you seen in your own character or competences in the past year or two?

Parents - What are you modeling?

As parents we know how closely our kids are watching us, and seeing if what we say matches what we do. As a follower of Christ that can sometimes be scary. But how can we make that a good thing?

This morning, waiting for the school bus, my youngest son wandered in and asked what I was doing. Seeing the iPad in my hands, I have a feeling he wanted to know what game I was playing (and if he could have a turn). The simple answer would have been "Reading." What I said instead was "I'm reading the Bible. It's talking about how people see God in nature and events. I'm also praying. Is there anything you would like to pray about?"  At this point I expected "No" or "That I have fun at school today." Instead, he asked if we could pray for those people hurt by the earthquake. Whoa. And so we did. And we prayed for mom who wasn't feeling well. And I added a prayer that he have a great day at school :)

Through this I saw two mistakes it's easy for us to make as parents. The first is misunderstanding the call for humility and not calling attention to praying (or fasting) and thinking that we should not be clear to our own children about what we are doing. My children don't see me studying the Bible or spending significant time in prayer after their bedtime or before they get up. There's a huge spiritual component to my life that is invisible to them. If I don't consciously model it or share it with them, how will they learn time with God is the source of my hope and strength?

The second problem is to underestimate our children (especially when they are younger). This leads us to oversimplifying a story or an answer to their question, or failing to talk to them about important things going on in the world around us. We had discussed the earthquake and tsunami in Japan at dinner earlier this week. His takeaway was more than 'weather is powerful'. It was also "The people of Japan are hurting. They need our prayers. They need our help. What can I do?"

So go ahead, let them see you reading the Word, praying, sneaking a kiss with mom. It would have been 'more productive' to wait five minutes until he was on the bus to dive into Romans. I'm glad I chose to jump in while his little eyes were looking.

Secret of Contentment

My youngest son got a great big helium balloon yesterday. He was thrilled with it - an unexpected gift celebrating our Children's Ministry reaching their $5,000 goal to begin drilling a well to serve a community in Honduras. But his enthusiasm was short-lived.

He told his mom, "You know, I have to tell you I'm feeling a little bit jealous." 'Why is that?' "Well, I like my balloon, but my sister got a whole batch of like five balloons. So I don't feel so good about my one balloon."

I called him over and shared I've felt that way before, and I was proud of him for verbalizing his feelings so well. But then I reminded him that his balloon was awesome regardless of what his sister had, and that the children in the village who would be getting a well have never seen a balloon. Not one, much less a big helium one. They drink water that isn't as clean as what we have in our toilet. The point - if we compare what we have to what other people have, we're setting ourselves up for disappointment. We need to be thankful for what we do have, regardless of what we wish we had.

Great timing, as this was exactly the message in our sermon and Children's ministry yesterday. The apostle Paul shares "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:11-12, NIV)  Paul's secret for contentment? A spirit of thankfulness, an attitude of rejoicing, in all that we have and are in Christ.

It's easy to think it childish when one of your kids wants five balloons instead of one. But parents, don't we fail to find contentment when we are disgruntled about our house, our old car, our job or co-workers, or spouse? If you're feeling that way, admit it to God, and reflect on the many things you are thankful for.

H2O Challenge a Success

For the past ten days I have been forsaking any beverage other than water as part of Calvary's 10-Day H2O Challenge. This is part of our Well Project to raise funds to build a well to provide clean drinking water for families in Honduras. The purpose of the challenge was two-fold: i) to save money on beverages and donate these to the Well Project; ii) to raise awareness for the project. But there were two other benefits I found over the past ten days.

Although it wasn't a typical fast, I did see much of the same benefits from fasting. Often I would deeply crave something that I was giving up. Rather than focus on that, or whine about it, this became a call to prayer. Thankfulness that I had instant access to cool clean water, and prayer that the many people who do not would soon have access to this life-giving water, and perhaps even to the Living Water Himself.

I also found it raised awareness not only among my friends but within myself. There is a big difference between a mental understanding of the needs of 1 billion people for clean water, or that we're going to tangibly help one village or school in Honduras - and knowing deep in your heart that right now there are real kids who may well die before the year's end from dysentery or disease from a lack of clean water this well will provide!

Frankly... I simply can't wait any longer to help out these families!! Real lives are at stake here, and working together we can make a profound difference! If you are able, please consider making a donation, of any size, to get us to our target of $5000 as soon as we possibly can! (I know not everyone participating in the challenge is able to do this. I just want to thank those who did for their sacrifice, and appreciate your prayers in all this!!)

   

Will you help children such as these?

Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.

Mark 9:41 (NIV)

Calvary friends, there will be a table setup for special donations this Sunday and next. Others interested in helping out with the Well project can donate online too. To keep up with the story, follow the Dig Deeper blog.

Ministry Mythbusters

I had the great privilege this morning of sharing the message at Calvary, as Pastor Chuck is away for two weeks. I chose to talk about how God views us volunteers as ministers. Some of the main teaching points were blowing away four myths about ministry.

Ministry Myths

Myth	Truth	Verse(s)
1. Clergy / staff do the ministry. Volunteers help.	We are the ministers. Equippers support us.	Eph 4:11-13
2. I don’t have any gifts. I’m not involved in ministry.	Every believer in Christ has a spiritual gift and a ministry.	I Cor 12:4-11
3. Ministry is what happens inside the church.	Ministry happens everywhere, whenever we serve others.	I Pet 4:10-11
4. Full-time ministry is a special calling reserved for a select few.	We are all called to full-time ministry.	Col 3:17-24;  I Pet 2:9

Why does this matter?

When you see yourself as a full-time minister, as someone who seeks to serve God and love others all at times, in all places, relying on the Holy Spirit… it transforms your life. This is not a call to do more – but to let God do more.

This is being who God wants you to be, and doing what He wants you to do. The cool part? In doing so, you become more you. We no longer merely 'pitch in' out of a sense of duty, nor do we do something natural within our own strength, but we begin to let the Spirit work through us and transform our heart until our ministry becomes a passion.

If you are a follower of Christ, you have been
… uniquely created by God for works of service,
… gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve others,
… given authority by Jesus to minister in His name,
… strategically placed in your current home/job/church.

Will you step up to the call of being a full-time minister, with the ministry of living out Christ in you?


Download the Audio of the sermon as MP3
View or Download a PDF of the sermon slides