Question - God's Will and Decision Making

Here is the first of many "question and answer" blogs that I am going to take a crack at. While I do not claim to be an answer, I am trying my best to research and dig to see what the Bible says about possible answers. Feel free to comment away and even add to/disagree with my answers. So, without further adieu, here we go with our inaugural question...

Here is what I have been seeking for quite sometime now. How can I tell the difference between seeking something I want and what God wants. At what time do you say "ok guess you don't want me to have that God" and begin to be content just as I am. Get that? So far I can not find what God is telling me about this. other than be content in all things. Is that all there is to it?

I wish that I could give you a flat out, definitive answer but that is out of my realm of power so instead we will look at the Word.

I have heard it said many times that the Bible is God's "road map" or "instruction book" for life. While there is some sort of truth in those statements, I find them more frustrating than helpful. The Bible does not promise to give clear guidance on every major and minor issue in our lives. It does not tell anyone what they should eat for breakfast, which job they should pursue, what church to attend, who they should date/marry, where they should live, etc. However, it does give practical precepts that can help mold decision-making. For a few of the examples above: So for breakfast, as long as I am not gluttonous (Proverbs 23:20-21) and have a clear conscious about the source of my food, I should eat and drink to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). As for a job, 1 Peter 4:11 says, "If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen." So our jobs should not work grudgingly and hate our jobs, but we should rely on God's strength and should look at our jobs as outlets God has given to us to show our co-workers Christ on a daily basis to bring God praise. And so on...

Ephesians 5:15-17 says, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."

However, the question still remains because we have to be able to understand God's will. Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." The rest of the chapter then goes on to discuss what being transformed by the renewing of your mind truly means, and this is definitely key.

I'm sure you may be frustrated at this point because I am not directly answering your question. The truth is (as I'm sure you know) that most times we are not going to have any sort of audible confirmation by God nor is there a litmus test that determines the right course of action. God is always in a ferocious pursuit of us and what He desires is that we, in turn, ferociously pursue Him by the transforming and renewal of our mind. This means at times we seriously struggle with what the right thing to do is.

My advice concerning situations where we are confused on the right course of action is this: Live out your faith each individual day. Pray consistently for God's discernment, and let him know your desires, hopes, and fears. Be as transparent and open with Him as possible. Ask Him for wisdom (James 1:5-8 - look this one up) and to reveal your true heart motives. There have been times with me that I have desired something that appeared good on the outside, but I realized after prayer, confession, and repentance that my motives were focused on my own selfishness. God had given my heart the answer, but I wasn't willing to accept it.

It may not happen overnight, but clarity should come over time. While it would be great if God made things very cut and dry, he desires more to chip off our rough edges and make us more and more reliant on Him. So yes, we should all be content in all things (Philippians 4) but we should fight for God's will and for a renewed mind in the process.

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So, there you have it. Feel free to comment away. Remember, I would love any questions about Christianity, specifically questions from atheists/agnostics and followers of other religions. However, I love to look up doctrinal questions from other brother and sisters in Christ as well. Submit your questions either through the comment section, my facebook page, or email. I love you all so very much...

TIME FOR A RELAUNCH...

Okay, I haven't blogged in forever (which is quite obvious to the very few people who subscribe). So here is a rather quick update to where I left off to where I am now:

Camp was amazing. Camp is over. Shannon, Owen Ray, and I are in Fort Worth going to Southwestern Seminary. I love my life. I am currently thinking/praying through the process of becoming a teaching while at seminary to help pay off student loans. The end.

I am relaunching this blog as a place to come with questions. If you are any of the above: atheist, agnostic, unbeliever, spiritualist, Buddhist, Muslim, seeker... whatever you may be, I would like to answer your questions about Christianity. I even would love to answer questions from other Christians who want to seek clarity about our faith.

I don't promise to have all the answers but I will do my best. I hope to have some of the first questions posted in the next few days.

I love you all so very much...

Meritless Movement

I am keeping this short because it is rather late and I am in desperate need of sleep tonight. However, I did want to jot down a few thoughts before tomorrow started and they were gone forever.

I am over halfway done with week 2 here at M-Fuge and so far this week has been a cakewalk compared to the first week. Everything is starting to feel familiar and you get the sense that you can do what you are doing on autopilot... and that can be either a blessing or a curse...

Tonight was strange for me because for some reason or another I was a bit nervous when it came to speaking. Normally I am not nervous to go out and teach and if I am then it is normally just some light "butterflies" that go away quickly. However, for some reason tonight I was pretty petrified backstage.

I have this prayer that I frequently turn to when I am about to go out that the basic gist of it is that I desire for God to be seen and speak and not me. Normally this helps me to relax but tonight it just wasn't doing it. I stepped out on stage just not feeling adequate or strong enough.

However, as I have learned time and time again, God is strong enough. We tore right into 1 Kings 18 and God moved in a way that several students were broken and praying with their youth groups even after time for dismissal. I have to say that I was truly humbled by the experience because I know that it was nothing on my own power. God gave me the words and His words always hit the intended target. I left encouraged knowing that it is God who is the One who moves our hearts and all I have to do is be faithful.

Which leads me to one final random thought... How are you supposed to respond to something saying that you did good (when it comes to preaching)? I always end up sheepishly saying thanks but I know that God is the one who allows me to do it at all. However, if I say, "Well, God deserves all the credit," then I come across as being false modest or super-spiritual. I just don't know how to react well... Any legit ideas would be much appreciated.

Well, I'm off to sleep now. I love you all so very much...

Same Old Struggles (explained)...

Forgive me in advance for sounding like a crazy person. Today was our first full day of camp and I am rather sleep deprived/dehydrated/otherwise out of it. However, I've been meaning to write a blog describing the "same old struggles" moniker for a while and thought I would go ahead and do so.

The main concept comes from an old Caedmon's Call song called Thankful:

You know I ran across an old box of letters
While I was bagging up some clothes for Goodwill
But you know I had to laugh at the same old struggles
That plagued me then are plaguing me still
I know the road is long from the ground to glory
But a boy can hope he's getting some place
But you see, I'm running from the very clothes I'm wearing
And dressed like this I'm fit for the chase

This song has always stuck out to me for that opening stanza. When I look at my past compared to my present, I find that I still struggle with many of the same things that I used to struggle with. While God has brought victory in some areas, some tend to manifest again in some form or fashion as a new struggle. However, praise be to God for His mercy and grace...

As a (former) youth pastor, I think I bring a different perspective to being a camp pastor. I am more aware of what students are directly struggling with and how adept they are at hiding their struggles. The use camp as a way to try to secretly deal with very big issues and then wonder why nothing ever seems to stick.

Tonight I challenged the kids to break the mold and not follow a standard camp tradition of waiting until "decision night" (gag) to start getting emotional/spiritual. We had an invitation time where the kids simply stood up to signify that they wanted to let go of things so that they could follow God and it was amazing to me to watch God move. There was emotion, but it seemed genuine and many kids were moved. I hope that God will move in a way that when they are digging through old letters that their current struggle will be nothing like their former ones.

God really wowed me tonight and it is truly humbling to be our team's camp pastor. I honestly do not know what I did to deserve such a privilege. I pray that God continues to move this week and that these students will encounter Him and learn to trust in God and His promises.

I love you all so very much...

When the Rain Comes...

When the rain comes you blame it on the things that you have done
When the storm fades you know that rain must fall on everyone
Rest awhile, it'll be alright
No one loves you like I do
(Third Day - When the Rain Comes)

I love the rain. I really always have. My favorite is a gusting thunderstorm that just seems to bellow and speak of the power and glory of God. While it may sound strange, these times make me feel very close and satisfied with God.

However, I realize that to some people rain (and especially thunderstorms) do not sit with them in the same way. Rain is seen as a nuisance and saboteur of these times of joy and satisfaction, a natural enemy that comes with its own supply of solvent to wash away your happiness. That is why we have terms like "Don't rain on my parade" and why we draw singular storm clouds as following around the cursed characters in cartoons.

Jesus even chimes in on the subject in Matthew 5 when He states, "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

In this passage Jesus is making it clear that both good and bad times fall on both the sons of God and the sons of perdition. We should expect nothing less as God unveils His plan. However, our tendency seems to be that we think that God is out to get us when the rain falls on us. Well, today, the rain fell in a mighty way.

I am going to make this short because I could easily drag it out and give every detail. For your own sanity, I will abbreviate. I got up earlier than normal this morning to have a quiet time before breakfast. Then, our caterers forgot to make us breakfast (no spicy gravy today... yikes). However, I got to have a really good sandwich that I enjoyed immensely. We then went to great ministry site called "Light of the Village" that is smack dab in the middle of some serious gang territory (with constant violence) and meet some really amazing kids. Then we headed out and got a chance to play some basketball (my first love). Sounds like a blessed and fantastic day.

However, while we were playing something happened. A young man named Lamar was playing some aggressive defense on me and did a great job of trying to block my shot... by accidentally poking me in the eye. I actually saw his fingers IN my eye... it was rough

Now I'll fast forward a bit... after several hours of denial, I ended up going to a doctor's office and then seeing an ophthalmologist where I was diagnosed with a corneal abrasion (cut). It is totally one of the more excruciating things I have ever had to deal with and was basically promised by the doctor that the next two days will be quite horrible (We start camp on Monday, by the way). I am actually writing this here blog while wearing me eye patch... arg...

Couple this with the fact that I came down sick a few days ago and I would normally start to have to complain. However, is it really worth it? Sure, today I got a pretty heavy dowsing of some spiritual rain. Perhaps someone who does not know Jesus got a heavy dose of sunshine. However, I get the relish and revel in the knowledge that God is constantly showering down His mercy and favor on me because I am a child of His.

So with that said, I will rest well here while wearing my eye patch, keeping my cough drops near, and praising the Maker of the heavens and earth while I watch this very real thunderstorm out my window. And it will all be alright because no one loves me like He does.

I love you all so very much...

Song of the South

I have to admit that the past few days have been a real test for me. We have had a grueling time getting set up for camp and the arrival of the rest of our staff. There have been countless boxes to move up and down floors and a pretty drastic adjustment to humidity that has been a challenge. Couple this with the fact that being away from Shannon and Owen Ray for the summer has started to sink in a bit and I have to be honest and say that I am a bit weary.

It is times when you are completely "worn slap out" that I think God teaches you about the vastness of His strength. You simply think that that the overall daunting nature of the task is too much to be overcome. However, these are the times where God really gets to come in and save the day. It reminds me of Paul words concerning his cryptic "thorn in the flesh" that was given to him by God to keep Him humble. Whatever it was, it left Paul feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. What is God's reply to Paul's plea for help? He says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."(2 Corinthians 12:9)

I believe that when we recognize this then God opens doors for us to truly thrive. God will never completely overwork us without giving us a time for renewal. As strange as it sounds, I feel like this summer is the beginning of a renewal and revival period in my life. I think a large part of this stems from simply being in the South and all that comes from that.

I have to preface quickly by stating that Texans generally draw a distinction from the "South" and believe we are our own distinctive region. There definitely are differences, but the food and open-arm fellowship are, for the most part, pretty congruent.

I had a chance to get out on my own a bit today and went out for lunch. Andrew (our worship leader) recommended a place down the road called "J. Rodgers BBQ and Soul Food." I went down there and while it was a pretty quaint place, it really re-energized me. The food (and BBQ) was fantastic. I had some great cabbage and dirty rice with some tender brisket and ribs and washed it all down with a huge glass of diabetes-causing sweet tea. The people around me were all "salt of the earth" type folks. To top it off, on the way out my radio was playing "Song of the South" by Alabama. It really made me feel at home.

For some odd reason when I read of Abraham going to Canaan (the future "Promised Land") I think of the South. I realize the logical inconsistently here, but it just seems to me like Canaan must of had some sort of "down home" feel to it. To an extent, I do feel like I am much closer to home here. Perhaps I'll take time to revel in my weakness so that God can be proven to be strong while I mend up here at home.

I love you all so very much...

Multiplication by Division

I find myself tonight in a nice little suite on the outskirts of Birmingham. It has been a long day of travel that has taken me from Ontario, California to Nashville, Tennessee where I picked up a van and drove down through a lot of rain to Birmingham. So yeah, I'm pretty exhausted so that gives me free reign to write a disjointed post if I feel like it :)

I want to talk a bit about unity in Christianity (or the lack there of). I won't end up doing this topic justice with the time allotted but I have seen this as a consistent issue among Christians for as long as I have been one myself.

I am a big fan of the book of John. Closely followed by Matthew, it is my favorite of the Gospels. Jesus' deity and compassion really seems to pour forth from the book. I love John's description of Jesus in Chapter One of the Divine Logos who tabernacled Himself in flesh and dwelt among men. John 15 is incredible as Jesus breaks down that relationship of us as wild grapevines grafted into the taproot of Jesus. However, lately (the past few years) I have been intrigued by John 17, which happens to contain the longest prayers of Jesus. He begins by praying for Himself and then His disciples. However, I want us to look at the portion where He prays for all other believers:

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." (John 17:20-26)

Can we possibly fathom the significance of the statement in bold? Jesus is stating that our unity as believers is evidence to the world about His claim as Messiah. No wonder Christianity (especially in America) is marginalized at best. Whether or not it is a fair assumption (and I think it is), we are known more for what we oppose than what we are actually for or are supposed to be about. It is actually too much to attempt to write a post that includes all the thing that we oppose.

If you doubt this, let's do a little critical thinking. Is America being transformed by our unity and love for one another? I would say no. As Christians, do we spend more money and energy complaining about situations than actually being the hands and feet of Christ? How about we look at it like this - on any given day why are there more Christians sitting around drinking coffee and griping about how many people are sapping the country dry on welfare than there are Christians tirelessly working at soup kitchens and salvation army's to clothe and feed the poor? I'm not trying to be so down on this, but I think we need to see the problem here.

There isn't enough space here to track the disjunction and fracturing of Christendom, but it seems to be happening exponentially. Ever since the Protestant Reformation (which I believe was a very necessary schism), we consistently divide over just about any issue we can.

High Church vs. Low Church... we must divide.

Reformed vs. Arminianism... we must divide.

Premillenialism vs. Amillenialism... we must divide.

Closed Communion vs. Open Communion... we must divide.

Convention allegiance vs. Local Autonomy... we must divide.

"Traditional" hymns vs. "Contemporary" worship... we must divide.

Blue carpet vs. Green Carpet... we must divide.

Chairs vs. Pews... you get the point...

At some point we find ourselves alienated from the Body and alone... The (C)hurch then becomes a box of isolated and useless spare parts that are unable to convince the World that it all fits together and makes sense. I have heard too many Christians here lately say that they have no problem disfellowshipping with other believers over minor tertiary issues. Perhaps I am naive, but I find this to be quite sad. Perhaps in another post we can discuss how wide we can safely go as believers.

I think it is easy to look at the situation of disunity in the Body and feel pretty hopeless. However, John 17:26 brings me great hope: (Caution: Reformed theology at work here) "I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." So, in the end, I rest in the fact that while are doing a horrible job at bonding together with the love of Christ, it is still Christ that compels people to believe so that His love can grow within each of us. Praise be to God who saves!

Well, time to finally go to bed so I can get up and head to Mobile in the morning. I love you all so very much...

Inaugural Ramblings

Greetings to you, bored reader, for you have found my new blog. I say "new" because I used to blog quite frequently up until a few short years ago. However, busyness and church politics (not HDBC politics if any of you High Desert people are reading) forced me to take an extended leave. Ceasing to blog actually took a bit of a toll on me as it I love to dialogue on topics (especially those of a theological/metaphysical nature) and it was cheap therapy for me. I've tried to start up again a few times but I never really got back into the groove of it. However, I'm hoping to give it my best shot this time around...

Since most people who would be reading this blog know me pretty well, I will skip a formal introduction and long life story. As I go along I will probably end up telling you way too much about myself as it is and end up scaring you away.

As for my life right now, I am finding myself in an interesting transition period. I have spent the past 6+ years of my life in vocational youth ministry. While it has had its ups and downs, it has been a ride that has brought me much joy. I still love every one of my "kids" and pray and hope for Christ to reign in their life. However, as of yesterday, I find myself now (at the ripe-old age of 25) formally retired from student ministry. I still love and respect the profession/ministry, but I find myself lacking in the skill-sets to succeed as God has given me other desires that have led me to take steps to obey Him.

So now I am currently sitting in a mostly empty house. My beautiful bride, Shannon, is currently asleep on an air mattress where our bed used to be and my 10 month old son, Owen Ray, is taking up temporary residence in a pack n' play in place of his crib. In two days I will be leaving these two focal points of my life to be a camp pastor for M-Fuge camps at the University of Mobile in Alabama.

Transition like this rarely comes without a flurry of confused emotions. I just finished up pouring into a youth group for the past 26 months and growing to deeply love and care for the youth and the church as a whole. It has not been the smoothest ride at times, but I leave with both a full and heavy heart. There are so many people who have been instrumental in keeping me sane and in check for the past two years and while I feel blessed to have known them, it is so hard to step away. I haven't had a chance to fully grieve this loss yet, but I feel it coming soon. Couple that with the fact that I have leave my family for the summer and you have a nice recipe for a nervous breakdown, but God has really been pushing me to trust Him lately and that seems like a pretty smart thing to do...

Along with these bittersweet feelings come a brisk sense of anticipation. While I have found myself in some pretty eclectic situations in ministry (everything from leading MUSIC (yikes) for VBS to speaking in front of hundreds of people to teaching young kids in India), I find myself stepping into a new venture as a camp pastor. For six weeks I will get a chance to share the Gospel and challenge several hundred kids while serving on a team with about twenty other people. This is such a scary and exhilarating opportunity for me and I really cannot believe how quickly God has opened this door for me. On top of this, God is opening up a path for us to move to Fort Worth so I can attend SWBTS and become a covenant member at my all-time favorite podcast church, The Village.

(Note: I have to start condensing things now because I'm writing too much for this to be my first into post).

Anyway, this is an incredibly amazing and frightening time for me and I cannot wait to get started. My heart still aches from current losses, but I look ahead to a fresh start. Lamentations 3:21-24 come to mind: "Yet this I call to mind, and therefore have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him."

Anyway, I need to wrap up this initial post so here are a few final points of what to expect:

1) I am pretty self-deprecating and I love that I am that way (wrap your mind around that one :)
2) I try to keep things light when talking about heavy subjects. Hopefully this will be by far the most boring post I will write.
3) I love dialogue so feel free to subscribe and comment away.
4) If you are interested in reading my old blogs, they can be found at www.xanga.com/muddsmith (However, I've hopefully done a lot of growing up since then).

With all that said, I am finally going to head to bed. I love you all so very much...