The Power of A Name

I’ve been “accused” of having adult attention deficit disorder. I say accused because I’ve never been formally diagnosed with the condition, but rather have had friends and family point out my frequent inability to focus on one thing for a period of time. It typically comes in the form of friendly banter about how in the middle of a conversation or activity the participants will look up and I’ll be off chasing a bee or something. I defend myself by arguing that the bee just happened to be the most appealing thing at the time (which, I suppose, could be one definition for ADD).

Regardless of the validity of the accusation, I must admit, coming to a place like The Salt Company creates some challenges for a guy like me. During a service I can often find myself enthralled with the lights in the back of the stage, imagining myself on the catwalk dangling from the rafters, or dreaming of ripping on the drum kit like Brenton. Such a facility, packed with 800 students, creates an atmosphere where my brainwaves are operating on overload.

I believe this complicates my greatest challenge: names. I understand that ministry is about relationships. I know that to enter into someone’s world, to engage in meaningful conversation, to lend a genuine ear, to go out of the way to make someone feel valued, to provide loving counsel, to forgo plans or sleep to invest in the life of another…this is how disciples are made. I also understand that a relationship begins with a name. This is, without question, the most daunting part of being a “new guy.” Where do you begin in a room of 800 people? I guess you gotta start with one person. I’ve been doing this for three months now, working hard to learn names, writing them down, asking random questions of individuals that might help me remember their names better, creating word associations, even Facebook stalking if necessary, etc. Sometimes I get them right, most often I don’t. Sometimes I wonder how significant this “name game” really is. Does it really matter? Is it really worth the time and energy?

Yes. Most emphatically, Yes.

A couple of weeks ago during the “Say hi to someone around you” time at TSC, I recognized a familiar face from this summer. I met the individual once, but by the grace of God, and through a number of memory tactics, this student’s name was immediately accessible from my memory bank as I smiled and offered a handshake. No big deal right? We all get one right once in a while.

The next day I found the following message in my inbox:

Hey Shane,

I meant to catch you last night after salt and tell you in person that I really appreciate you remembering my name. I know that may sound a little crazy, but ever since my first time at SALT I am used to introducing myself to the same person a couple times...It took me by surprise that you knew my name because I know you have met a lot of different people…Thank you for making me feel like more than a number.

Wow. It didn’t take long for me to consider the countless others in a ministry the size of The Salt Company who often feel as though they are just a number, a mere face among the crowd. They are all significant. They are all created in the image of God. They all need someone to remember their name. They all need to hear of the name that is above every name, the name of Jesus Christ.

Then I had another thought. 28,000. The number of students at Iowa State University. Each with a name, each with a soul. I’m thankful God is sovereign, that He not only knows each of our names, but he even has a name for each one of the hairs on our head (unfortunately, each day he has a few less to remember on mine).

This is quite comforting to me as that same night a few weeks ago, immediately after my successful name recollection, I turned to another student next to me, stuck out my hand, smiled and said, “Hey Peter!” To which he replied, “It’s Zach.” I guess I’m a work in progress.

A faith proved by ME

Hey all,

My conversation has continued by email with my old college friend- so this is in a sense part two of the conversation. Our discussion has moved more into the areas of faith and science. I get this a lot from people and while I am grateful all of science (in my opinion) points to the fact that God exists, my faith rests not on the pillar and foundation of the evidence, but on the undeniable evidence within me that God exists, that He is my ultimate authority, I am under His wrath, and through Jesus alone is my relationship with Him restored. Here is my response to his wavering belief in God as a result of questions from science.

A faith built and supported primarily by intellectual and evidenced based faith will always waver, as arguments come daily that bombard and look to destroy your reasoning for what you believe. It's not to say that there isn't evidence, it's just that those who want to deny God have for thousands of years been creating new thoughts on how to get around the evidence that IS there. In fact all liberalism is self-critiquing- as Christians it would almost be wise at times to just let it all go. As a liberal thought will come out today that battles against the conservative Christian mindset- but in 15 years this once liberal idea will also be considered conservative and be ripped apart by those who once created it and will ultimately introduce a new liberal idea.

I do believe all the evidence points to God- I genuinely believe in a catastrophic flood where God killed all humanity and Noah was left. I believe in a literal 7 day creation of the world- as I know that God made Adam and Eve as mature men and women- showing God has the ability to create things with age. I believe he created the world with the appearance of God and then set it all into motion to leave us with an amazing universe full of discovery that would cause men like Albert Einstein to say, "The more I study science the more I believe in God."

My faith in God, though supported by science in billions of ways, is not primarily supported and maintained because of science. It is maintained and supported by the inner testimony of the eternal life that is within me that I cannot deny. Call that foolishness, but what I have within me has proven itself so many times over that even if all of science disagreed with me it would be impossible for me to deny.

A couple years ago I met weekly with a couple of Jehovah's Witnesses for 4 weeks. Michael and a new sidekick were always looking to convince me and me them. We debated the nature of Christ, the sanctity of blood, the true Gospel, and etc and by week four it was clear to them they were getting no where with me, I was a waste of their time and I was out of arguments. So I threw the only thing I had left, though in hindsight it was my best argument. I felt like the guy in John 9- I don't know the answers to all of your questions, but all I know is I was once blind and now I see. I asked Michael, "Tell me what God has done in your life." He responded with a story of his childhood and a belief structure that essentially boils down to, "I believe because Jehovah has given me purpose and meaning in life." The worst support for faith in something ever as anything can give you purpose and meaning- a job, a cat, a terrorist plot, a cult. Most of the time the thing that gave you purpose and meaning isn't anything special it was just the first thing that got you.

I then shared my story- of a man once angry, lonely, loving the world, chasing all it's offerings, and what Christ did in me, has done in me, continues to do in me. "My God is the God who changes lives. What does your God do? Nothing, he doesn't exist. If you don't believe in my story here is 100 others just like it (as I handed him an Intersect magazine). I've seen healings, miracles, greatest of which are people crossing from death to life, and more." With that Michael said thanks and I haven't seen him since.

My inner testimony, which I cannot deny, is what keeps me with God. I appreciate the email and can't wait to talk soon.

Cody

If not for Jesus- I'd party too!

I have been blessed recently by the return of a past friendship. We've been emailing back and forth awaiting a future face to face meeting to discuss the questions he has about faith. In a recent email made mention of a thought that summarizes a major flaw in the way many people (especially younger people) view Christianity. It's the idea that God is a Cosmic Therapist and Christianity is a path of denial and happiness- similar in ways, in my opinion, to Buddhism.

I address the view below and use Paul's words to summarize my own thoughts- that if Christianity isn't true- in that it doesn't offer eternal hope, but at best offers me moral guidelines and a path to happiness. Forget it- I'm going to party like there's no tomorrow. Read an excerpt from the email below.

Every 3 minutes someone in the world dies for believing in Jesus- they didn't murder anyone, steal anything, or rape anyone- they simply believed in Jesus. That's around 175,000 people in the world dying every year for Jesus and the number is growing rapidly. More people died in the past 100 years for believing in Jesus than the previous 1900 combined.

To think of Christianity as a great set of teachings, beneficial if not true causes me to think of 1 Corinthians 15. As Paul is addressing a foolish thought among the Corinthians- much like the one I just mentioned. Because their human minds couldn't fully fathom the reality of a spiritual and physical resurrection, many people held onto Paul's moral teachings but were quietly rejecting the thought of Jesus' words actually raising someone to life after they had died. Keep in mind Paul's world and reality of faith was a dangerous one- not like America, but in ways much like these 175,000 face everyday. You'd be an idiot to believe in something for the perks- if the cost of believing in that ting was your life. The costs outweigh the benefits- Paul was no idiot. Yet he, and 10 others who were closest to Jesus died for their beliefs.

Paul puts it this way, 1 Cor. 15:17-19 "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men."

To add to this Paul says... 1 Cor 15:30-32 "And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? I die every day—I mean that, brothers—just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord. If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die."

What Paul is saying essentially is this: If this isn't fully true, we'd be foolish to adhere to the moral teachings of Christ- what's the benefit. A better society... but it all leads to death, who cares??? He ends by saying (my interpretation) if their is no eternity after this life and if Christianity isn't true- forget the whole thing and party your brains out.

Before I knew Jesus- Sin was fun and made me also forget about Church and Jesus. But when he proved himself fully real to me- it lost its lure. I do not hold onto the claims of Christ because of some perks- I hold on to Christ because I know whats true and real and what is fleeting and foolish. My goal has been and always will be to see you come to know what's true and real- to fully trust and believe.

My Son's Eyes

Have you ever loved someone so much you could just stare into their eyes forever? Like that feeling that time doesn't matter any more, the world feels weightless, and everything else- every worry, every care melts away, when you just sit and stare. I get that way daily with my wife, even with 4 years of marriage I still love staring into her eyes. But with the addition of our son Jacoby I find my eyes delighting in the unbroken stare of another.

I don't know what it is about the eyes and what it communicates to my heart, but when I have contact with someones eyes to invokes feelings of value, respect, and with added length admiration, comfort, love. I have three Great Loves in my life- God, my wife, and my son. I have always wanted a son, to know the feeling of being a Father like God of a precious son and to imagine the heartache of losing him, or like God watching him die innocently. But each day my heart breaks in the presence of my son, why? I can never stare into his eyes long enough.

My son is so active, always fidgeting, restless in his mind and actions. When he is in my arms he uses one hand to cling to me and the other to push his torso away so he can look at other things. Often I just walk with him and stare at the back of his head wishing he would look at me and see I am better than everything else out there because no one loves him more than I do.

As we did bible time together, prayed, and sang a song of worship my heart overjoyed to know he would be like Timothy, knowing scriptures from infancy (2 Timothy 3:15). I do everything in my power to daily impress the Lord on his little mind, heart, and body. No one loves him more than I do and as we sit and play I stare, making baby noises trying to gain his attention and I do for a moment- but just as fast as it came, it leaves. Never long enough for me to fully enjoy- I don't know if any length of time would be enough for me to say I am satisfied. I just want him to know, want him to feel it in my eyes, to see his eyes light up as he gets it and realizes all I desire to give him, how much love I have for him. But then his head breaks hard left and its over.

It was in that moment God awakened me to the reality of my devotional life- my time in the scripture, in prayer, in seeking the Lord. How quick I am to break my neck to see something other than God? To stare for hours at nothing and miss the gaze of what my heart desires. That just when God is beginning to enjoy me and my fellowship with him and he wishes I'd stay forever, I chase something else.

It breaks my heart to imagine my son going through life being an infant and too foolish to stare into my eyes, but maybe when he's 3 or 4- then we can stare and maybe I can hold him and cuddle for hours. But when will that seem dumb or "gay" to him, become to cool for me, look me in the eyes when he is 14 in pride and say he knows better than I do and wants to make his own choices. Becomes his own man- maybe now walking with the Lord, but yet won't look me in the eyes because it's awkward. Will the day finally come on my deathbed? As I speak my final words to him? I pray not. What will it take to get him to look into my eyes and see.... No body loves him like I do.

Welcome to Ames!

There is nothing like Ames in the Fall. New faces, tons of activity, lots of new people falling in love with the town you enjoy, football, ISU volleyball, and limitless opportunities.

To all those new in town I want to be one of many who say WELCOME!

A few tips to help you survive:

1. Don't worry about not having A/C- those with it use it for the next two weeks and then are the ones paying extra for a room that's too cold.

2. Don't go home- it's best to wait at least 3 weeks before your first return trip home. Meet new people, make new friends, and enjoy Ames.

3. Drive around Ames. This town has tons to offer for food, entertainment, recreation, and more. Find these places- Peterson Pits, Ada Hayden Park, Ames' new swimming pool, Moore Memorial Park, and Dog Town University (for cheap ISU apparel). Lastly, though the food isn't the best in town the view is, fall in love with ISU by looking at it from the best view in town at Legends.

4. Don't pay for football tickets in case the season turns for the worst, join TSC for stadium cleanup and get in for FREE! Plus you meet great people and we feed you!

5. Don't miss our kickoffs- all on Central Campus.

Freshman Group- 5p by the campanile with free pizza

The Salt Company- 7p by the campanile- our first TSC of the Year!

The Alternative- Something else and better to do with a Friday Night.

A FREE Concert featuring Shane and Shane, Anthem, and Sky Like Fire starting at 8p with Anthems CD release show

Don the Mon

The title needs to be read with a Jamaican accent. It’s only funny if you do it that way. If you still don’t get it, just ask me later.

I recently finished a book by Donald Miller called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It’s a story about stories. Miller explains that each person’s life is like a story. We can be a part of a boring, meaningless story. Or we can live a memorable and exciting story with beauty and possibility and purpose.

God, who is the author of all, has been writing a story since before time began. If you’re unfamiliar with it, reading the Bible will give you a good glimpse into God’s story. It’s a story about God drawing all people into a relationship with himself through Christ to enjoy him and give him glory forever.

When we lay our lives down at the foot of the cross and allow God to have His way with us, that’s when a good story unfolds because we become a part of his story. But good does not necessarily mean easy. Easy stories are boring. Good stories are full of risk, adventure, and even conflict. And to the person who perseveres through the difficulty of a good story, they become changed in the process and are used to change others as well – and all this for the glory of God.

I’ve felt challenged and inspired to live a good story, not so that my name would be made great, but rather for God’s name to be made great. I want to pursue new possibilities with a sense of courage and boldness, and ask God to use me however he wants. I don’t want to settle for an easy or boring story. I want God to use my life to write a good story, to change me to be more like Christ, to affect others and point them to Christ, and to hear Him say “Well done” in the epilogue of my life.

Perhaps the words of William Carey (1792) sum it up the best: “Expect great things from God. Attempt great thing for God.” Basically – live a good story that will count for eternity.

Now the hard part is putting my money where my mouth is…

If you’re looking for a new book to read, I’d definitely recommend Donald Miller’s latest, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. It’s an easy read that’s inspiring, hilarious and thought-provoking. Let me know what you think! (Other good books by Miller are Blue Like Jazz and Searching for God Knows What).

And on a completely random note, I wanted to use this opportunity to make a shameless plug for my adorable niece, Rebecca. This photo was taken on her 4^th birthday. Isn’t this the cutest picture you’ve ever seen?!

Messiah Complex

Last week Stacy and I enjoyed possibly the best vacation ever! What made it great- nothing. We did nothing. We followed our son's schedule (Baby Schedule) you eat when you get hungry, sleep when you get tired, never keep track of time, and do whatever is on your heart.

Thanks to some great friends (The Vier Family) we were able

to stay for free at their Lake House in Montezuma by lake Ponderosa. As if the house weren't enough- they gave full access to their jet skis, boats (plural), 4 wheelers, rangers, and more. God has blessed me with an amazing wife and son- our family, that I was so excited to get tons of time to actually be with them- uninterrupted family time.

I told Stacy my plan with the vacation was to make sure we were still friends, not just roommates, but friends. Great News- we are!

I also had another relationship I needed to check on- friendship or roommate (you get what I mean). In all the busyness of the past year God and I had days where time spent together was nothing more than a passing glance or a small conversation as I wash dishes and he spins the world. My wife is so fantastic as she not only allowed, but fully encouraged my mornings being spent with God, and then afternoons with family, evenings with her.

So my title comes from what God taught me. Hopefully this will be a timely read for those of you burning the candle on both ends this summer.

My Messiah Complex

It stems from this heart issue- Pride.

What happens if I don't meet with this person, get this done, do well with this talk tonight? Will people think less of me? Will I keep this person from ever knowing of Jesus?

Let me ask question- Why did God rest on the 7th Day?

God doesn't get tired, nor does he ever rest- so why? He did it for us.

Life has a rhythm to it- sure I can walk over to a drum set and name all the pieces by name and even make noise by hitting them. But I can't play- the missing ingredient rhythm. The key to making a beautiful noise is knowing when to play and when not to play- thus rhythm. Most of us live like amateur drummers we approach the cage with confidence, grab the sticks, and begin flailing our arms. Who do we think we are? Clint Robinson- no chance. It's horrible.

Our lives often represent more chaos than beauty and worse off- we work harder to fix it and move closer to burn out.

God rested for us to give us an example to follow. Thats why he is so serious about the Sabbath throughout the OT and when he gets to the NT he affirms it (not wanting people to get legalistic about what work is and isn't- but was stressing the need to take a break).

Here is my struggle- every day I take a break, I believe God is disappointed in the ministry I am missing out on. No one gets saved when I take days off- this is the thought of a person who has a messiah complex like me. We burn the candle at both ends, not for wrong motives, but for Christ. He needs me- lost people need me. Resting and Celebrating doesn't slow the fact that every second 2 people die.

Luke 5:15-16 "Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and be healed of their sickness. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."

Obviously prayer is huge here, but so also is the clear commitment of Jesus to get alone with God and refresh. I have so much more to say on how God has challenged me on this- but I will leave you in the Spirit's hands to wrestle with your own Messiah Complex or Apathy (you maybe need less rest and relaxation time).

Keep on fighting but don't forget to drink water