Know Jesus Better

There’s no shortage of complaints about public schools in America: test scores are slipping, new schools are expensive, teachers don’t seem to be able to care the way they did back in the day. This list goes on, and Christians often add a few more items to the list: Schools don’t encourage prayer or Bible study; they teach evolution as fact; drugs, sex, and rock ‘n’ roll have overrun middle and high school campuses and turned them into cesspools of sin.

BUT!!!!!! the public school remains one of the finest ideas God ever put into the hearts of His people. Why? Because every school day, schools are packed with students.

“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with His energy, which so powerfully works in me.” -1 Col 1:28

God called me out to minister to students! I know that some of you who will be reading this share the same calling; yet others are just wholly committed to sharing the good news of God’s grace with everyone they come in contact with. As I continue to study the bible, I am reaching the conclusion that God doesn’t necessarily teach a special ministry for students, women, the elderly, etc. The Bible just teaches ministry!

As often as I can, I should get on my face and go to God praying for the great potential in our schools! If you want to see an active “mission field,” take a walk down the halls of any high school or middle school! View the kids as Christ views people:

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” -Matthew 9:35-38

I pray that no matter what school you go to (middle, high, or college) that you begin to see your fellow students as Christ sees them, and realize the urgency for you to share the gospel (with your life first; then words if necessary). God’s heart is a heart of redemption, so wherever there are people perishing, God wants to revive them!

Allow me to introduce you to Alexa Marina Garcia Castro.

She lives in Managua, Nicaragua and is 10 years old. I found out about her this weekend through Compassion International, which serves over 1 million children who live in spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty all around the world. If you are unfamiliar with what Compassion International does or why it is important, check out www.compassion.com.

As I was sitting in the Gatlinburg Convention Center this weekend with my youth group, it hit me how many people in the world live in poverty – of every kind. The thing about poverty is, it isn’t the absence of stuff, it is the absence of HOPE. And, so when I saw Alexa’s picture, I knew that my act of worship in that moment was to pick her out of the pile of hundreds of other children around the world and begin to pray for her and support her with vital needs, like clean water, education and a dry home – most importantly, the HOPE of a future.

I don’t expect you to feel anything when you read this story, but I began to FEEL SOMETHING as I sat and stared at Alexa’s face and realized that she is a real person in a real place. I began to FEEL SOMETHING as I wondered if I could really help this little girl. My spirit moved in that moment, and I knew that Jesus wanted me to choose Alexa.

Now here we are, partnered together through Compassion International. I will write my first correspondence to her in the next hour. I am praying for you Alexa, that Jesus lives in your heart and that you already have the hope of the Gospel shining from your life – and that the whole world will see!

This is my 3 millionth youth trip – approximately 45% of which have been to Gatlinburg, TN.

My first ever in the role of youth pastor…

So, I know what you’re thinking… You are picturing me with a backpack on my back and some outrageously cheesy hat on my head (e.g. a sombrero, oversized cat-in-the-hat foam hat, or frontward golf visor), sporting my oversized button-up Hawaiian shirt (not tucked in) with my khaki shorts (that are grossly too short), all atop my birkenstock sandals that expose my crew sock tan line. If that doesn’t ring a bell, maybe you’re picturing me with: some board shorts from AE, sandals, wearing a way-too-tight shirt that reads “Obey,” and so many necklaces around my neck that it almost appears tribal from a distance, and spiky hair or dreads (with a red beard?). If either of those descriptions, or their derivatives, came to mind then we are no longer friends. [The bit about the stereotypical youth minister look was mostly an inside joke with some friends, but one that we can all appreciate.]

Here is what the trip looks like in one sentence or less: I have middle schoolers; 4 of them; all of them are girls; two of them sisters.

So far, there are no fatalities and no injuries, no significant damage to the property, no arrests, no convictions, but many “acts of God.”

It has been a blessing to serve in this capacity at NorthBrook. I am enjoying this moment with my students and waiting on the Spirit of God to become obvious in my life and in the lives of my students.

“Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.”

“7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self‑controlled so that you can pray.8 Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.9 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

11 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.” – 1 Peter 4:7-11

I am going through 1 Peter right now, and this verse hit me this morning. I am trying to do this in my life every day. Just thought I’d share.

“Establish my footsteps in Your word, and do not let any iniquity have dominion over me.” – Psalm 119:133 NASB

This verse has become my prayer this week as I read through Psalm 119 every night. Without a doubt, Psalm 119 contains one of the chiefly profound principles in all of Scripture. Each time I read it, I am convicted by the Holy Spirit to live according to His Word – which He has so graciously and lovingly given us.

Last week, Zane bid us (NorthBrook) to read through Psalm 119 each day; and each day as I read it, this particular verse (133) causes my spirit to stop and pray this over my life and over the lives of those near and dear to me. Here are just a couple comments about this verse

1)   He (the Psalmist) appeals to God to “establish” his footsteps. So often we are tempted to believe that we have the power to sanctify ourselves. The truth is, God is the one who does the making and the saving (Eph 2:1-10), and holds it all together – so it is right for us to appeal to Him to establish our footsteps. Anything less appeals to our arrogance and results in failure and frustration as we fall spiritually time and time again. When God establishes our footsteps, we can be sure that they will be firmly planted and the results will be eternal, not temporal. In fact, the word translated “establish” in this verse literally means “to be firm,” or “be stable.”

2)   He (the Psalmist) appeals to God to be the sole governor of his heart. The verse appeals to God’s sovereignty, which ultimately results in His own glory. It vilifies the “chains” of sin and speaks about true freedom. It implies this syllogism: “If God establishes your footsteps, then God is the ruler of your heart. Conversely: “If you establish your footsteps, then you have been promoted to the position of Lord in your own life.”

Are you appealing to God’s sovereignty in your life? Are you asking God to establish your footsteps according to His Word, or are you struggling to blaze your own trail? The truth is, you’ll never know until you begin to meditate on His word.

I’m just thinking kind of clearly tonight, so I am just going to make a list of my thoughts

// I have come to realize that I am not good at blogging… Or twittering. So, I hope to increase my my writing as a way of organizing some thoughts, sharing faith with my friends, and encouraging anyone I can!

// I recently became a staffer at Northbrook Church, and God has blessed me in so many ways already, and I have only been on staff for 7 days. I am eagerly anticipating some of the tangible things God is going to do at Northbrook, and already thankful for some of the intangible stuff that I am totally unaware of.

// I am copying Zane by including this point, but I am thankful that God has brought us together as pastors in our city.  It’s almost overwhelming to be partnered with a guy like Zane. I am confident that he’ll keep me sharp and accountable as we serve together at Northbrook

// God is blowing my mind with my friendships in Dundee, Scotland. I consider Simon and Mairi TOP notch friends and servants of God in Dundee! Their hospitality and heart for their city is unrivaled and serve as a personal benchmark for me as I serve in my city, some 5000 miles away… Even though this is the longest paragraph in this post, I am somewhat speechless…

// I have a renewed awareness that this whole Christian life means that we are involved in a certain kind of warfare, that is spiritual… Things are going great, but have not come easily. Internal opposition has been intense at times, spreading thin things like motivation, a clear head, patience, and faith. Nonetheless, I am not easily discouraged because God is never defeated. (2 Cor. 4)

Before I left I promised that I would blog about my trip to Scotland… And, as par for the course, I am getting to my first episode on Wednesday – the half way point of the trip…

I must say that it is great to be back with my friends from Dundee and be working side by side with them to share the love of Jesus with everyone. Last night (St. Patrick’s Day), we were out from 10p to 2a just chatting with people as they move from pub to pub. It was quite busy on the streets in the later hours, so there were lots of opportunities to stop and chat with people… We spent a majority of our time at the “Union,” which is the nightclub on the campus of Dundee University. As expected, many of them were very receptive and supportive of what we were doing (sharing the gospel), but were admittedly atheist or agnostic. Night Club Outreach (NCO) can be a serious challenge, because most university students in Dundee are VERY WELL educated and VERY WELL prepared to defend their own agnostic position. No matter how prepared you are, many of their questions and counter offers can be very challenging and sometimes impossible to answer at face value, because the questions are often based off of agnostic presuppositions. So, our goal in NCO isn’t to argue the minutia of the gospel, but to plant seeds by letting them know that God loves them, even in their most desperate state, and that God is the source of peace.

There are many other stories that I want to share with you, but I don’t have the time just now. I’ll try to post again soon! Thanks to all you who are praying for the team.

Blessings!

As most of you know, I’ll be in Dundee Scotland later this month for a short-term mission trip. It almost seems crazy to use the terminology “short-term” in reference to a mission that spans human history and has its ends in eternity; but, God has chosen us to join the host of witnesses already at work in Dundee for the purpose of seeing a progression of the kingdom there and in all eternity.

Our team has been meeting weekly to discuss travel arrangements, encourage one another, pray together, fellowship, and make other general preparations. On one hand, it seems very necessary for us to invest all this time in preparation for this one week of our lives, but on the other hand it seems in vein if we are only going to live with this purpose for one week – and not even in our own community.

So, I have a few questions:

1. How is one “called” to participate in a short-term mission trip?
2. How should you prepare yourself for the trip – spiritually speaking?
3. How is your calling different abroad than it is locally?

I am sweetly anticipating my trip to Scotland and all of the kingdom episodes that are sure to take place there. I am confident that Jesus is enough.

Hey guys,

Thanks for stopping by the new blog! I created this just to encourage my friends and share cool thoughts that go through my mind as I study God’s word and labor with Him in the Kingdom… Hopefully we’ll have some great dialog! See ya soon

Dylan