Two times in my life (that I can remember) have I ever been so blown away by a sermon that I actually stayed in my seat for 5 or 10 minutes afterward. The first time this happened was last October when I was listening to a pastor named Francis Chan preaching at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta. The second time happened just a few days ago as I was in my car listening to a sermon given a month ago by David Platt. Both times, they involved the Christian's biblical response to the poor.
I want to caution you. Some of you may think you know where I'm going with this blog, that Bec and I exemplify your typical married couple that is learning how to live for God while starting married life dirt poor, like most couples. This, however, is not my aim. Instead, I have again started walking down a journey that God started with me a little over a year ago. I'm not quite sure how I fell off the wagon, but I gradually grew away from that journey in all that was going on with me leaving a church, moving back home to Birmingham, preparing for a wedding, and moving to New Orleans. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that God has led me back to that journey. And, I feel led to share it with you. I warn you, though. It may not be easy to hear.
In the beginning of this journey, God began to open my eyes to what He says in the Bible about the poor. This probably does not come as a shocker to most people, but God cares about the poor. The part that may shock some of us, including myself, is the realization that we are rich. And I'm not just refering to the upper middle class individuals who live in 5 bedroom houses in the rich area of town. I include in the category the single mom who works two jobs, the college student struggling to get by, and the four person family struggling to make endsmeat. Because, when compared to the world, even these are considered rich. Afterall, they are not dying of starvation and preventable disease like many in the world are. The reality is that what we pay to get a meal at McDonald's is more than what some people in the world have to live on in a week's time, some even longer.
Why do I bring this up? Because God cares about the poor. And those of us who are Christians have been charged with caring about what God cares about. Just consider these things Jesus said:
- It is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:23)
- Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me...I tell you truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me. (Matthew 25:41-43, 45)
There are more passages that deal with this topic, but I think Jesus' point is clear - If God cares about the poor, then how can you say you know and love God if you do not care for the poor?
I can't say that I have all of this worked out in my head right now or what it is supposed to look like in my life. All of this is just a huge part of a practical realization that everything in my life should revolve around bringing glory to God - and this includes my bank account and my budget. And if God cares about the poor, then that should be taken into account.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
prodigal writer, marriage novice
The prodigal writer has returned! Not that I have been spending my money or time recklessly (which is the real definition of "prodigal"), but I have left all of you hanging for quite some time now. I think that it is about time that I end the waiting. Well, I know that the most obvious question is, "What have you been doing all this time?" Well, I'm glad you asked because I was planning on telling you! To put it plainly, school started. It's funny that two words can really capture the essence of my absence from this blog. But, for those you who thrive on detail, you will be interested in knowing that, as of October 17, I have:
-- read 6 books (though there are 2 that I didn't finish completely by the due date)
-- written 1 book summary and a full-blown book review (10 pages)
-- completely outlined a four-hundred page book
-- turned in a 10 page budget project
--and by the end of October, I will add two more books and book reviews to that list.
Needless to say, I have been busy. And, just so you know, I'm not complaining. I just felt like you deserved at least a decent reason for my lack of contribution to the blog.
Well, enough of that. I actually do have something for you:
In exactly two weeks, Bec and I will have been married for 5 months. Quick show of hands: anybody else feel like time flew by on that one? Thought so. I feel like it was just yesterday that Bec and I were traveling to Gatlinburg for our honeymoon (Bec would probably say, "It feels like the wedding was just yesterday." But, that just shows where the priorities of a man and woman lie...wink...).
Anyyay, I bring it up because I have been learning a very profound lesson over the past 5 months. It's one that you 'married folk' probably already understanding, but for the sake of you blessed singles out there, I'm going say it anyway. You ready? Here goes: marriage isn't easy.
Profound, I know. For those of you who are either laughing or thought, maybe even uttered, the word, 'duh,' let me explain. I entered marriage with a wee bit of arrogance. I know that those of you who know me well know that I am never in the least bit arrogant (I totally just lied), but it is true. So, to my dismay, I have learned that marriage is not, in fact, as easy as eating a bag of doritos while lying on the couch and watching TV.
For instance, I can no longer stay up to watch tv after Bec gets off the phone with me so that she can go to sleep (We kind of live together now). Neither can I leave the tv on while I fall asleep. Time management is more difficult because you have to line things up with your spouse, and decision making...well, remember when you had to have your parent's permission to do something? To be honest, one of the things that does get easier is your ability to annoy to other person...
You can probably imagine that this was a little bit of a shock for me. Even more shocking, though, was finding out that neither one of us was any good at it (contrary to what any of you may believe). I have really struggled with this part. Many of you know that there is probably nothing that frustrates or depresses me more than being bad at something I care about. But there it was: my seeming inability to be the good husband that I desire to be. You may think I'm weird or raise an eyebrow at me, but it got bad enough at one point that I started thinking of myself as a failure as a husband. That scared me. I just couldn't figure out why.
To be honest, the answer is simple. We're not very good at it...because we have only been married for five months! Simple, I know. Yet, it is so profound.
And then it got me thinking. Marriage was given to us as a gift to show the world what it means to have a relationship with God (I could go into more of this, but I will save that for another time). That means that it marriage is not all that different from a entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Here's what I mean. We sometimes have this misconception that an individual automatically becomes a good person when he becomes a Christian. This is evidenced everytime we say, "He's not the same person," or, "I can really see an immediate change in him." I'm not saying that this can't happen. After all, Paul did have a radical conversion. I do, however, think that we miss the fact that this radical conversion is not the normal pattern of scripture. Why else do you think Paul had to admonish Christians in the church to flee the sexual immorality of their past?
You see, salvation is a process. It's called sanctification, and it basically infers that you're not going to be very good at being a Christian when you become one. It's why we have a concept called discipleship, because we recognize that the Christian relationship with God needs to be developed. I've known Christians that have fallen away from the faith simply because they were not developed as believers. They fell prey to the fact that they weren't any good at the whole Christianity thing.
In my opinion, it's not all that different from a couple getting divorced. Why do couples separate? Because they come to the realization that marriage is hard, and they aren't any good at it. So, they leave each other in hopes of finding something else that is easier. It's a tragedy, especially when the husband and wife are both Christians.
There are a lot of us who scoff at these people. We can' believe they would do such a thing. But, here's the deal:
---If marriage is a gift from God that He uses as a picture of what it means to have a relationship with Him,
---and we recognize that we aren't very good at the whole Christianity thing and need discipleship to get better,
---then shouldn't the church take up the responsibility for discipling couples on how to have a successful marriage?
We as a church should stop blaming the couple and take some more responsiblity. The question at at the forefront of our minds should be, "Where did we go wrong in discipling them?"
Please hear me. It's not always the church's fault when a couple gets divorced. But, this should be our first response. I'm thankful that I have a pastor who recognizes this responsibility and takes it very seriously.
Christianity is not easy. Marriage is not easy. Both take work, and both require a church willing to disciple in both areas. But, I have found that there is no greater pleasure than growing in both my relationship with Christ and in my marriage to Becca because both bring honor to God. I may not be good at marriage yet, but "God's still working on me to make me what I ought to be." And you better believe that He is using His church to do it. Man, I love marriage.
your prodigal writer,
Kyle
P.S. Sorry for making you read a sentence with the word, 'know,' used three times.
-- read 6 books (though there are 2 that I didn't finish completely by the due date)
-- written 1 book summary and a full-blown book review (10 pages)
-- completely outlined a four-hundred page book
-- turned in a 10 page budget project
--and by the end of October, I will add two more books and book reviews to that list.
Needless to say, I have been busy. And, just so you know, I'm not complaining. I just felt like you deserved at least a decent reason for my lack of contribution to the blog.
Well, enough of that. I actually do have something for you:
In exactly two weeks, Bec and I will have been married for 5 months. Quick show of hands: anybody else feel like time flew by on that one? Thought so. I feel like it was just yesterday that Bec and I were traveling to Gatlinburg for our honeymoon (Bec would probably say, "It feels like the wedding was just yesterday." But, that just shows where the priorities of a man and woman lie...wink...).
Anyyay, I bring it up because I have been learning a very profound lesson over the past 5 months. It's one that you 'married folk' probably already understanding, but for the sake of you blessed singles out there, I'm going say it anyway. You ready? Here goes: marriage isn't easy.
Profound, I know. For those of you who are either laughing or thought, maybe even uttered, the word, 'duh,' let me explain. I entered marriage with a wee bit of arrogance. I know that those of you who know me well know that I am never in the least bit arrogant (I totally just lied), but it is true. So, to my dismay, I have learned that marriage is not, in fact, as easy as eating a bag of doritos while lying on the couch and watching TV.
For instance, I can no longer stay up to watch tv after Bec gets off the phone with me so that she can go to sleep (We kind of live together now). Neither can I leave the tv on while I fall asleep. Time management is more difficult because you have to line things up with your spouse, and decision making...well, remember when you had to have your parent's permission to do something? To be honest, one of the things that does get easier is your ability to annoy to other person...
You can probably imagine that this was a little bit of a shock for me. Even more shocking, though, was finding out that neither one of us was any good at it (contrary to what any of you may believe). I have really struggled with this part. Many of you know that there is probably nothing that frustrates or depresses me more than being bad at something I care about. But there it was: my seeming inability to be the good husband that I desire to be. You may think I'm weird or raise an eyebrow at me, but it got bad enough at one point that I started thinking of myself as a failure as a husband. That scared me. I just couldn't figure out why.
To be honest, the answer is simple. We're not very good at it...because we have only been married for five months! Simple, I know. Yet, it is so profound.
And then it got me thinking. Marriage was given to us as a gift to show the world what it means to have a relationship with God (I could go into more of this, but I will save that for another time). That means that it marriage is not all that different from a entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Here's what I mean. We sometimes have this misconception that an individual automatically becomes a good person when he becomes a Christian. This is evidenced everytime we say, "He's not the same person," or, "I can really see an immediate change in him." I'm not saying that this can't happen. After all, Paul did have a radical conversion. I do, however, think that we miss the fact that this radical conversion is not the normal pattern of scripture. Why else do you think Paul had to admonish Christians in the church to flee the sexual immorality of their past?
You see, salvation is a process. It's called sanctification, and it basically infers that you're not going to be very good at being a Christian when you become one. It's why we have a concept called discipleship, because we recognize that the Christian relationship with God needs to be developed. I've known Christians that have fallen away from the faith simply because they were not developed as believers. They fell prey to the fact that they weren't any good at the whole Christianity thing.
In my opinion, it's not all that different from a couple getting divorced. Why do couples separate? Because they come to the realization that marriage is hard, and they aren't any good at it. So, they leave each other in hopes of finding something else that is easier. It's a tragedy, especially when the husband and wife are both Christians.
There are a lot of us who scoff at these people. We can' believe they would do such a thing. But, here's the deal:
---If marriage is a gift from God that He uses as a picture of what it means to have a relationship with Him,
---and we recognize that we aren't very good at the whole Christianity thing and need discipleship to get better,
---then shouldn't the church take up the responsibility for discipling couples on how to have a successful marriage?
We as a church should stop blaming the couple and take some more responsiblity. The question at at the forefront of our minds should be, "Where did we go wrong in discipling them?"
Please hear me. It's not always the church's fault when a couple gets divorced. But, this should be our first response. I'm thankful that I have a pastor who recognizes this responsibility and takes it very seriously.
Christianity is not easy. Marriage is not easy. Both take work, and both require a church willing to disciple in both areas. But, I have found that there is no greater pleasure than growing in both my relationship with Christ and in my marriage to Becca because both bring honor to God. I may not be good at marriage yet, but "God's still working on me to make me what I ought to be." And you better believe that He is using His church to do it. Man, I love marriage.
your prodigal writer,
Kyle
P.S. Sorry for making you read a sentence with the word, 'know,' used three times.
Monday, October 13, 2008
31.
I've discovered that life is always busy. There is always something to take your time, something to finish. It has been a busy month, but a good month.
In my last update, I told you about the class combination. Overnight I went from a class size of about 15 to a class size of 28. That was quite a transition. Learning to manage such a large class has taken a few weeks. I finally felt like I had things under control...until this past week. Last Tuesday I was enjoying a nice extra hour of free time while the students were at art. The office secretary knocked at my door and introduced me to my new student from Texas. He was displaced from hurricane Ike.
Deep breath. 29. I can handle 29. I have 30 desks, after all.
That same afternoon, I learned of the possibility of one of the fourth grade students being moved to the 5th grade (long story). There was to be a meeting Friday to make the decision. The teachers and principal agreed that it was a bad idea...However, the final decision would be up to the parents. I was out of town for the meeting, but received a phone call that evening. The student would move to 5th grade on Monday (today).
30?!?! I did NOT sign up for this.
This morning on the way to work, I was praying...begging God to help me. He reminded me that this job...at this school, in this city, was HIS idea. Not mine. That means that HE will give me what I need to survive...and not only survive, but succeed. He has to. "But...but...there isn't enough time in the day! I don't have enough time, enough energy. How can I love 30 kids all day and still have love for my husband at the end of the day? I'll run out." Unfortunately, He wouldn't let me off that easily. He reminded me that if I love students with His love, I will still be overflowing at the end of the day. He will give me what I need. He has to.
Well....after school today, I found out that yet another student would be moving from the 4th grade to 5th grade. This student was supposed to be placed in the 5th grade to begin with, but when she moved, her test scores were...lost. They have now been found, and it turns out that she passed the test and should have passed to the 5th grade. She will move grades by the end of the week.
31.
God will provide for all of my needs. Don't worry, I still love my job. Today was still a wonderful day! Please keep me in your prayers! I need all the support I can get!
In my last update, I told you about the class combination. Overnight I went from a class size of about 15 to a class size of 28. That was quite a transition. Learning to manage such a large class has taken a few weeks. I finally felt like I had things under control...until this past week. Last Tuesday I was enjoying a nice extra hour of free time while the students were at art. The office secretary knocked at my door and introduced me to my new student from Texas. He was displaced from hurricane Ike.
Deep breath. 29. I can handle 29. I have 30 desks, after all.
That same afternoon, I learned of the possibility of one of the fourth grade students being moved to the 5th grade (long story). There was to be a meeting Friday to make the decision. The teachers and principal agreed that it was a bad idea...However, the final decision would be up to the parents. I was out of town for the meeting, but received a phone call that evening. The student would move to 5th grade on Monday (today).
30?!?! I did NOT sign up for this.
This morning on the way to work, I was praying...begging God to help me. He reminded me that this job...at this school, in this city, was HIS idea. Not mine. That means that HE will give me what I need to survive...and not only survive, but succeed. He has to. "But...but...there isn't enough time in the day! I don't have enough time, enough energy. How can I love 30 kids all day and still have love for my husband at the end of the day? I'll run out." Unfortunately, He wouldn't let me off that easily. He reminded me that if I love students with His love, I will still be overflowing at the end of the day. He will give me what I need. He has to.
Well....after school today, I found out that yet another student would be moving from the 4th grade to 5th grade. This student was supposed to be placed in the 5th grade to begin with, but when she moved, her test scores were...lost. They have now been found, and it turns out that she passed the test and should have passed to the 5th grade. She will move grades by the end of the week.
31.
God will provide for all of my needs. Don't worry, I still love my job. Today was still a wonderful day! Please keep me in your prayers! I need all the support I can get!
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