lectio divina:: 1 kings 19

when I was in seminary, my hebrew class was pretty dry. the professor was brilliant, but during this time, he had some major health and personal issues and wasn't very engaged in the class. but in one class, he taught a devotional on 1 kings 19 that has stayed with me ever since. I read it in my daily reading today and was reminded of his devotional.

some backstory first:
israel's king was the wicked ahab and his wife jezebel. they both worshipped baal and ashera. God sent elijah, and elijah told them that there would be no rain on the land until elijah had allowed it. and he was right. the land went through a severe famine: the crops died, the animals died, and the people died off in droves. ahab put a price on elijah's head, but elijah wasn't afraid. 

elijah met ahab on mt. carmel along with 400 prophets of baal and a crowd of israelites. there, elijah famously challenged the prophets of baal to call on their god to burn up a sacrifice. baal was the god of fire- so this would be no problem for baal. the prophets called, but no answer. they wailed and cut their skin, but no answer. finally elijah asked that a trench would be dug around the altar and filled with water. in a drought-stricken-land, this was outrageous. but they did, and elijah called on God, and God zapped the sacrifice, the altar and all of the water with a burst of lightning. 

elijah called on the spectators to kill all of the prophets of baal, and they did. and then it began to rain.

jezebel, the queen sent a messenger to elijah with this message: "may the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them (the prophets of baal).”

so what does elijah do in response? does he say, "bring it on!"? does he say, "good luck with that!"? the bible says, "elijah was afraid and ran for his life."

why is he afraid? he has seen the power of almighty God over and over again in his life. for some reason, jezebel's power exceeded God's power in his mind at that moment. so he ran.
while he was running, he was so depressed, that he prayed that God would end his life.

then he travels for 40 days to a place called horeb, the mountain of God. what was so special about horeb? what is in horeb that is worth traveling for 6 weeks to get there?

my seminary prof said that the mountain of God was referring to mount sinai- and that elijah was looking at mount sinai for the same thing that moses found when he was there.

way back in exodus 33, the bible says that God spoke to moses at mt. sinai, face to face- like a man speaks to his friend.in exodus 34, moses hid in a cave while the glory of the LORD passed in front of him, and left his face glowing for weeks after. 

my prof suggested that this is what elijah was looking for: something incredible, supernatural, fantastic, that would leave his face glowing.

back to 1 kings 19: elijah arrives at the mountain. he finds the cave. he sleeps in it and waits for the morning. the bible says in 1 kings 19:1 "And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

it has always amazed me that God would address elijah tenderly and with a question. God knows why he's there- but He allows elijah to give his answer.

elijah says, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

basically he is telling God that the queen's power exceeds God's power. then God says this: "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”

this is what he came for- to experience what moses experienced and to glow like moses did.

the story goes on and says, "then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind."

what?! I'm sure that elijah thought that this was the amazing thing that would happen and that God would declare something epic after this hurricane level wind; but God was not in the wind. 

"After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire."

all of these crazy, natural disasters are happening right in front of elijah's eyes. he is expecting to hear the booming, powerful voice of God strengthening him and giving him instructions on how to defeat jezebel; but God was not in the earthquake, and God was not in the fire. and then something unexpected happens:

"And after the fire came a gentle whisper."

what did it sound like? instead of booming, God whispered elijah's name and called him to come close. I remember reading this in hebrew class and slowly sounding out the words, and fumbling through my translation in front of the class. when I got to that sentence, the hairs on my arms stood up: "and after the fire came a gentle whisper." can you imagine God whispering your name after these violent acts of nature?

"When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave."

I'm sure he trembled as he walked. again, God gently repeats His question, and elijah fearfully repeats his answer: 

"What are you doing here, Elijah?”

He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”

God realizes that elijah feared jezebel more than Himself, and that wasn't going to change- not after the miracles, not after the fire from heaven, not after the wind and the earthquake. God very gently told elijah that he was fired.

He says, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet."

I love this story- I love the wild acts of nature, I love the plot twists, but most of all, I love the gentle nature of God who whispers for elijah and gently replaces him only after several opportunities to change his thinking.

when God disciplines, He does it gently, and with love. He doesn't shout or rage, He asks questions, and listens for our answer.

and faith is always what has impressed Him more than anything else.

these are good lessons for these days:

that God is bigger than the bullies in front of us. 

and when its our job to discipline, we are like God when we discipline with gentleness instead of disappointment and anger.

God is love.-rev-rob

thoughts on the billion-

recently there was a mega-million lottery prize for 1.6 billion dollars. I never play the lottery, but I bought one ticket; and when there wasn't a winner I bought another one. 

I didn't win. 

I was sure that I was going to win. I was sure that God wanted me to win, and that He wanted to bless me and use me to bless others. it turns out that He wants to do both of those things without making me filthy rich.

just like everyone else, I started thinking about what I would do with the billion. I started asking questions like, "would I quit my job?" "would I keep my lifestyle or start living lavishly?" "would I share? how much? with who? would I start an organization to help people? would I just hand out cash?"

I started dreaming some big dreams, and spending some big bucks in my mind.

I got this thought that has been following me around- I was driving, and I thought to myself,
"if I won the billion, I would work at a church, but I wouldn't ever worry about my future.
why worry?!
I've got my billion! if that church didn't like me I would just go and work somewhere else.
and when I do work there, I would work with such a happy, care-free attitude- 
I would be friendly- and easy to work with, and patient-
because I would be taken care of! I would have all of the money in the world.
so why stress?! why have drama? why be territorial, or protective of my rights?
why not just love everyone and have a great time working,
because my money would always be there to provide for me needs.
my money would remind me that there is nothing to stress about."

as I was driving I felt like God was whispering to me,
"I've got more than $1.6 billion- and I'll take care of you.
so go ahead and work- and have fun, and be stress-free and drama-free and love everyone; because you're covered.
I'll be your safety-net. you don't need to worry about the future."

if I had a pile of cash, I think it would be a lot easier to put my security and trust in it than in God.
but God's resources are even bigger.
and His love is more genuine.
and He is for me and my future.

so I'm going to just operate as though I won the billion.
I'm going to be fun to be around, and easy to work with.
I'm not going to be territorial, or protective, or impatient.
I'm going to be low-key and friendly, and interested in others.
and I'm going to trust that He has me, my future, and my family covered. 

but I'm going to keep driving the same car.

God is love.
-rev-rob

quick story-

many years ago, when I was much younger, I worked at a church that spent (what seemed to me) quite a bit of the church service on the announcement time. the many in charge of the announcements was a bit verbose, and when he shared announcement, he didn't leave out a single detail. the announcement time turned into a weekly 20 minute radio program that I felt was too long.

one time we were in staff meeting and the topic of the announcement time got brought up. I said that I thought it was too long. he pushed back. and in my immaturity, I sternly stated in front of the church staff a statement that went something to the effect of,
"THESE PEOPLE DIDN'T COME TO CHURCH TO HEAR YOU TALK, BRO.
THEY CAME TO MEET WITH GOD."

needless to say, things were never really great between me and the announcement guy. and that certainly wasn't the last time that I said something that I regretted in a staff meeting.

flash forward to present day.

new church, new role. now I'm a kids pastor, and I need to repaint a room for preschoolers. I have been getting to know these preschoolers- and I can see that they are passionate about dinosaurs, superheroes, lightning mcqueen and legos. so I thought, "let's paint these things on the preschool room wall! the kids will be thrilled. parents will be thrilled."

so I contacted a mural painter and made some plans.

last night I was driving in my car and I say to my daughter jane,
"hey- I'm going to paint the preschool room walls.
I think I'm going to put dinosaurs on the walls.
and lightning mcqueen.
and mickey mouse."

and my kid starts out chill, but then she gets more and more passionate. she says,
"what?! we don't need that on the walls! these kids need bible characters on the walls! and bible verses!"

I gave her a little more of my reasoning and then she turns and sterly says to me,
 "THESE KIDS DIDN'T COME TO CHURCH TO LOOK AT MICKEY MOUSE, DAD.
THEY CAME TO GROW IN THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD."

it was practically eerie.
and slightly funny.
but I could hear my own voice coming through my teenage girl.
on one level, I wanted to prove my point, but on another level, I couldn't argue with that.

I lost the argument, but I didn't care. I was so proud of my kid.

God is love.
-rev-rob

9 things that are bugging me right now: 10/22

1. the invisible folds in wet wipes.
if you know me, you know that I like things clean. I use a lot of wipes. sometimes its close to impossible to get one out of the box because you can get a grip on the folded part. you can see the folded part- you wonder if it even is there. things like this make me crazy.

2. the phrases "love on," and "love well."
both of these phrases make me want to gag. I hear people say, "let's love on our guests today." or "my friends really love me well." ew to both.

3. the oblivious mom.
there are times when I'm at a store or a restaurant and a child is screaming, or breaking something, or endangering themselves, but the mom is so wrapped up in reading her phone, or her menu, or the back of a soup can that she is completely oblivious. pay attention mom!

4. parking lot speeders.
sometimes I'm pulling my car out of a parking spot, and someone zooms past me and honks their horn as if to say, "watch where you're going! don't pull your car out of that spot! I'm driving fast and I don't want to slow down!" and it practically gives me a heart attack. its a parking lot, not a racetrack kids!

5. dog people on the trail.
when I walk on the trail, I just want to walk quietly. but there is usually a dog-walker talking loudly on their phone. so I let them pass me. but then they stop for their dog to pee- and then I pass them- but then they catch up. and they never end up going away. 

or sometimes I see dog-walkers go up to other dog walkers- but they don't talk to the other dog-walker, they talk to their dog and say, "oh look spot! a dog! do you want to smell him?! do you want to play with him?! look! he has a tail just like you! do you want to be best friends with him?!" I can't even.

6. baseball uniforms.
I love baseball, but aren't the uniforms a little formal? I don't dress that formal for church! these guys are attempting to make spectacular athletic plays wearing a button down shirt that is tucked-in to long pants with a belt. they are wearing and under-shirt, long socks and they are running the bases with a helmet that has no strap on it. I think these guys should update the uniform to make it a little more user friendly.

7. aggressive honkers.
if the light turns green, and the car in front of you doesn't notice right away, you can alert them with a little "bee-beep" from your horn; a loud, long "HOOOOONK!" seems a little much.

8. paper fans.
it doesn't matter the temperature. when you're in a meeting where people are sitting down in chairs, some lady is going to pull out a paper and start fanning herself. what bugs me about this is that it is communicating to everyone the following messages: "I'm hot. the air is not on. the people running this place didn't turn the air on. I'm not listening to the person talking because I'm so hot." and then everyone else starts thinking the same thing, and starts feeling tempted to stop listening and fan themselves. come on people- its not that hot. 

9. brake tappers.
sometimes I'm driving and the person in front of me taps their brakes. for no reason. there is no one in front of them. they are not speeding. I'm not following too close. but then I have to tap my brakes too. just let off of the gas and your car will slow down. 

am I turning into a grumpy old man?

keystone species

I have posted a bunch about otters on this blog- my family has been very passionate about them over the last few years- here is a thought about them that I have been thinking about a lot lately-

otters are known as a keystone species.
that means that they are like a pin that is holding their environment together- when you pull them out, it all falls apart.

because of their biological make-up, otters need to eat a lot of food every day, just to stay alive in the cold pacific ocean.
they eat sea urchins- lots and lots of sea urchins.
sea urchins eat the kelp forest- and if the otters aren't present to keep the sea urchin population low, then the sea urchins will completely wipe out the kelp forest, and everything that lives in it.

the historians tell us that when sea otters were hunted for their fur, they went essentially extinct. when that happened, the sea urchins came in and wiped out the kelp forest; and when the kelp forest died, the fish died; and when the fish died, the whales and the seals and the dolphins all left. the entire area became a ghost town- on the land and under the sea.

but then the otters came back.
and they ate up all of the sea urchins.
and the kelp forest grew back.
and the fish came back.
and so did the seals, and the sea lions, and the dolphins, and the whales.
now the monterey bay area is as lush as the rainforest. it is a healthy, thriving environment-
and its because of these hungry, furry, cute little sea otters looking for some lunch. 

before I get to the point I want to make, I want to point out another sea otter fact:
the monterey bay aquarium has been rehabilitating injured or abandoned sea otters.
when these otters are ready to go back to the wild, the aquarium sends them to a place called elkhorn slough, in moss landing, ca. this is a good place for otters, because the water isn't rough, and there is lots to snack on.
the only drawback is that the water is murky and muddy.
at least it was. 
after the otters arrived, they cleaned the place up.
now the water is much, much cleaner. 
more and more animals are flocking to the area. 
we often kayak there and see seals, sea lions, jelly fish, large birds, and of course, otters.

so here is the point that I have been thinking about:
when otters leave an area, it falls apart.
but when they arrive, they bring life with them.
they clean things up. 
they make it hospitable for other animals to live there.
when you introduce an otter to a new environment, its just a matter of time before its teeming with life.
how do they do it? by being an otter. by swimming, diving, and eating.
are they stressed out? not really. 

I want to be a human otter- a one-person keystone species.

I want to bring life with me in every environment that I enter.
I want to bring organization and cleanliness. 
I want to create environments that welcome in others and where everyone can find joy and purpose.
I want to be the pin that holds environments together so that its noticeable when I'm there, and when I have left. 
I want to identify threats and eliminate them.
I want to make a difference- just by being me. 
and I want to do it all with an otters attitude:
no stress- just floating, and swimming, and playing, and snacking.

that's my challenge to myself, and to you:
go and be an otter today:
have fun, and change the world.

God is love.
-rev-rob

running thoughts on 8/30/18

sometimes when I'm running, its so hard. its hard to breathe, my legs feel heavy, I can't find a rhythm, or I'm just tired.

but on other runs, everything falls into place.
my lungs inhale and exhale on a steady beat.
my head is perfectly still.
my steps are the exact distance apart and they land perfectly over and over. 
my eyes close a bit- like I'm drowsy- and even though I'm exercising, I'm perfectly relaxed.
and when I'm finished, my body is tired, but my heart is rested and at peace.
I love it when that happens.

too often I go through life and work like the first description:
I'm slogging through- trying to catch my breath-

I want to learn to go through life and work like the second description-

fast, but not hurried. 
efficient, but not exerted.
steady, peaceful and calm.

God is love.
-rev-rob

7 things that are bugging me right now:

I have been posting about the things that I've been into lately, but I'm going to take a break from that and rant a bit about 7 things that are bugging me right now:

1. yogurt
not fro-yo- the kind that comes in a little plastic cup and has weird organisms living in it. why is it that when people eat it, they eat it super slow; and they look at the spoon while they are eating it; and they stick their tongue out really far when they eat it? its gross.

2. backwards parking
I get it. its easier to pull out of a parking space when your car is parked backwards. the thing that bugs me is the process that people to go through to park backwards. They drive into the parking lot, and at some point, they just stop. then they spin the wheel and back up. then they straighten the wheel and drive forward. then they back up. and pull forward. and back up. then they give you all kinds of attitude. people who do this also seem to be a little too into their car too. it slows everything down. 

3. dog people
again- I get it. I had lots of dogs growing up. dogs are cool. big dogs are. little dogs that need to be held constantly and can't be left alone in your house- are not cool. people who carry their dog around and make baby talk to it are not cool. people who bring their dog into supermarkets and restaurants and businesses- and then bark at employees when they ask if it is a service dog are not cool. 

4. pen-clickers.
what is it about a clicking pen that makes people want to click it 1000 times a minute? for about a week I ran into a pen-clicker at least once a day. they were making me crazy. I could not even hear what they were saying over the sound of their pen-clicking. I finally found all of the pens and hid them. 

5. beer people at the ballgame
or the concert- and stadium or arena event. first they go and get a beer and make everyone scoot their feet in. then they come back with their beer and make everyone scoot their feet in. this time they have like 3 beers all filled to the brim and spilling. why don't they put lids on beer? then they drink the beer and have to pee- so they creep out again. that pattern repeats itself like 8 times in a 3 hour game. the worst is when they have to stop a basketball game because someone spilled their beer on the court.

6. the phrase "and...GO!"
I see this on facebook a lot- people are like, "what is a good dentist in the area? aaand...GO!" like we are in a race to answer their question- or to be the first to answer their question- or that their question is really that important. what if you asked for advice and graciously said thank you?

6a. facebook birthday ungraciousness
facebook tells people when its your birthday- and then people wish you a happy birthday. you know its coming. then people go out of their way to post something on your facebook page- then what? what bugs me is when people do nothing. like they are clearly not grateful that someone wished them a happy birthday. or the next day they post something like, "wow thanks for ALL those birthday wishes! I wish that I could reply to ALL of them, but I'm SO busy, so I'll just post this little note."
come on.
if someone wishes you a happy birthday, say thank you. give that post a like. write something in response. if you don't want to, then take your birthday off of your profile; but don't be ungracious. 

7. the slow right-hand turn.
slow anything when I'm following a car makes me a little crazy, but the slow right hand turn can make me straight batty. this is when someone is driving down the street and they have to turn right- when you turn left, you usually have to wait for a break in the other side of traffic- but not when you turn right. some people will nearly stop their car in the middle of the road and creep their car to the right. why so slow?! are they afraid they will get up on 2 wheels like the dukes of hazard? I could do a whole post about driving habits that make me crazy, but this tops the list. I'm not a road-rage honker, but a few times I have been tempted to be!

God is love.
rev-rob

the bear zoo

I love bears. I think they are hilarious. I would love to go and give a big hug to a grizzly bear, but he would probably eat me. either way, I appreciate them. I was thinking the other night-

what is there was a bear-only zoo?

wouldn't that be great?
there could be separate spaces for grizzly bears, panda bears, black bears, koala bears, red-panda bears-

they could have a big could building full of snow for the polar bears to swim and play on the ice-

there could be mascots and photo ops with characters like yogi bear, kung fu panda, the care bears, the berenstain bears, and paddington bear.

there could be those bear-rides like at the fair. a bear-fair?

black bear diner could be a restaurant on site. 
what about dancing bears? what about a bear encounter where you could go and pet a bear? I would love that!

and there could be bear experts there- talking about bear conservation- it could be a home for rescued or injured bears. 

they could show bear-documentaries; and shame people who poach bears.

and you could have tea with a bear!

there could be bear merchandise- and a store with shirts and hats and souvenirs-
I might just take this idea to shark tank- feel free to steal this idea! just give me tickets to see the bears!

God is love.
-rev-rob

reflections on the story of jonah:

last week I took some students out to camp, and the speaker spoke on the story of jonah. it reminded me again of how fascinating the story is. I found myself getting lost in my own thoughts, questions, and ideas about the story. it also left me with a few giggles because of how pouty jonah is, along with how sarcastic God is with jonah's attitude.

I wrote some similar thoughts years ago here.

I also made a fun diorama for my plant here. 

first- a recap of the story. jonah is a prophet. it is his job to give people God's message. God told jonah to preach against the great assyrian city of Ninevah- and in the first twist of the story, jonah refuses. he apparently hated the ninevites. there is historical speculation for why he hates them, but the bible doesn't spell it out. so- in an act of defiance, Jonah goes in the opposite direction of ninevah- far, far away to tarshsish. while he was sailing, there was a violent storm, and the sailors began to cry out to their gods searching for direction and help. their gods didn't answer. jonah knew what the problem was- he and his rebellion were the problem. so he tells the sailors to toss him into the ocean and they do- and the sea becomes calm. what happens next is straight of out my nightmares. he begins to sink to the bottom of the sea, and as he is sinking, he is swallowed by a "great fish." three days later, the fish vomits jonah onto dry ground and he eventually delivers his message to ninevah.

now for some questions, ideas and commentary:

our speaker did a great job of talking about running from God- and how we can't run from God and how He pursues us with loyal love. I agree with that, and love that about God; however, I don't think that is what is happening in this story. I think that God had a job for Jonah, and He was going to accomplish that job whether Jonah had a good attitude or not.

God was not chasing Jonah out of love for Jonah, but out of love for the Ninevites.

God loves the people we hate.

God loves despicable people.

God's love is bigger- much, much bigger than ours. it isn't based on merit, or deeds; its based on who HE is and what HE is like.

the speaker said that the hebrews didn't have a word for whale, so the fish might have been a whale. that may be true; but the hebrews had words for lots of ocean animals, and this animal was purposefully called a fish. let's just say it was a fish.

here are some questions about this fish: what kind of fish is big enough to swallow a grown man? what kind of fish has a body that can keep a man alive for 3 days without digesting him? this fish had air inside of him- enough for a man to breathe for 3 days without drowning. I think it was some kind of prehistoric/ mutant fish. it was one of a kind. in order for this fish to be big enough, it must have been very, very old- maybe 50 years old? if it was a whale it could have been much younger. either way, I believe that God made this fish specifically for preserving and transporting jonah- and that God created the fish years and years before jonah landed in the water. but the moment he fell in, the fish was ready for him- God had prepared it for that role years and years before it happened. and God brought the fish right to where jonah was.

while jonah was in the fish, he prayed and repented. the fish was more obedient to God than jonah was! the fish showed up to the exact right spot, at the exact right time, and then it vomited jonah onto a beach- right where God wanted it to.

our speaker talked about how the fish saved jonah from death and how Christ saves us who believe in Him. and again, that is true, but I dont think that is what is happening in the story. I think the fish is doing more to retrieve jonah than to rescue him. again- God sent the fish more out of love for the ninevites than out of love for jonah. I think that the fish served as a living submarine- transporting jonah from one place to another, and under water.

jonah thought he had out-smarted God. there was no way that God could bring him all the way from tarshish to ninevah before His wrath would be poured out on the city. but in reality, God was able to do something that had never been done before: he transported a man across the sea, under the water- like a modern day submarine. things that we think are impossible are nothing to God. I think that keeping jonah inside of a fish for three days was just part of God's disinterest in jonah's comfort.

jonah did go to the city. he gave a short, uninspired message and then left town. and then the entire city repented. we often think that God only uses us in the areas that we are passionate about. or in the areas that we are talented in. jonah had zero passion for ninevah, and he used zero skill in preaching to them; yet God used him mightily. we often say it- but this story illustrates it- its God's message- we just deliver it. God can use any skill level to reach people. He even uses bad attitudes to reach people. He works in spite of our weaknesses; in site of our attitudes, in spite of our lack of preparation; in spite of our prejudice and foolishness. 

after his message, jonah waited to see if God would destroy the city, but He did not; because the people had repented. and this made jonah furious.

he essentially says to God, "I knew You would do this! You are so loving, and so forgiving that it makes me angry!" Jonah didn't want to preach to ninevah, because he hated them, and he knew that if they just had the chance to hear God's message, that God would change their hearts and show mercy on them. 

He seemed to know God better than anyone- yet his knowledge didn't make him any more obedient or loving.

I love this conversation between God and Jonah on jonah 4:

Jonah shouts at God:  “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

 But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

(I feel like God must be up in heaven saying this to me on a daily basis. "are you sure you have a right to be upset with me/ this situation?")

"Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.  But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.  When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”

 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

(I think this is hilarious. who talks to God like this? and God is so gentle and gracious with him. in other parts of the bible, God thunders and those who rebel against Him- but here He is listening to jonah pout about a plant. He listenes to jonah talk about wanting to die, even though God has gone to great lengths to keep jonah alive.)

"But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

God says to jonah- "you're concerned about your plant- but I'm concerned about people.
get some perspective, kid."

that's a message that we all need to hear.

at the camp, the speaker asked the question, "what is YOUR ninevah? who are the people that you don't want to see given grace? what are the tasks you DON'T want to do? where are the places you DON'T want to go?" and his point was- the people that you hate are the people that God loves. and He may end up choosing YOU to be His ambassador to them.

in this day and age- wouldn't it be incredible if our modern day prophets went to love those they have claimed to hate?

if God calls, make sure you answer- otherwise you may end up seeing the inside of a fish.

God is love.
rev-rob

volunteer values

I was talking with a youth worker yesterday, and he asked me about volunteers, and recruiting, and red-flags and I sort of just involuntarily spouted out a list of over-arching values that I have for student ministry volunteers, and volunteers in general- I have said these over and over to dozens of leaders- and I thought I should record them somewhere- 

1. every volunteer needs a job. 
if they don't have a job to do, then there is no reason for them to be at your meeting other than to watch you work. it makes me crazy when I see youth workers hold a meeting and insist on doing the welcome, the game, the songs, the message, the small group questions and the counseling - all themselves. and then they complain to me that they have no one to help them. every job that you can do can be given away to a volunteer- and they may even do it better than you. 

2. the best job that a volunteer can do is to care for a student.
that is the most rewarding part of ministry- and the most attractive. if you want a volunteer to stay with you, then give them the best and most rewarding jobs. if you get paid, then you should do the jobs that no one wants: setting up, tearing down, cleaning up, emails, receipts, administration. let the volunteers pray with kids and laugh with them- let them support the student when they are struggling. let them do the fun stuff- you do the boring stuff. ephesians 4:11 says, "Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up..." we think that our job is to do all of the fun things- but God has sent us to equip everyone else to do the ministry. 

3. anyone can serve.
we think that only a certain type of person can volunteer- a young, energetic, single person maybe. I have had volunteers that were young, and ones that were older- I have had leaders who were single and leaders who were married with kids- I have had leaders who were in college, and ones who had busy career. anyone can serve- as long as they love God and care about kids (and pass the background check). my youth pastor friend told me that so many people in his church were so busy- I said, "don't say no for them! let them say their own no! just make sure you ask." 
so when you're looking for a leader- ask anyone from your church- young or old, married or single, busy or not. 

4. parents make the best leaders.
conventional wisdom says, "kids want to be around cool, young, college-aged kids- not stuffy old parents." not true. parents make the best leaders- and here is why: parents come hard-wired with instincts. when a student is sad, a parent knows what to do. when they are injured, let the parent in there- they can make it better. when a student is misbehaving, let a parent handle it. they are experts. teachers are amazing volunteers, because they are comfortable with students and they are masters at managing the behavior of a group of students. 

5. there is no good reason for you not to value, recognize and thank your volunteers regularly.
these people voluntarily showed up to help you do your job to work with teenagers and you don't have time to say thank you? shame. that needs to be one of your highest priorities- and not just once in a while- on a weekly basis.

6. give a volunteer the tools they need to be successful.
do they need curriculum? get it to them early. do they need time to read it and pray through it? then get it to them very early. do they need food for their group? provide it. do they need a clean space to meet in? then clean it. do they need your support? then give it to them- before during, and after their meeting. do they need basic information like calendar dates, times of the meeting or contact info? then make sure that stuff is available to them as early as possible. 

a good volunteer is worth their weight in gold. when you find one- take care of them. thank them, recognize them, resource them and above all, listen to them.

God is love.
-rev-rob

10 things I'm into right now- may 2018

1. my rocks
I previously wrote about how I was carrying rocks in my pocket- I figured that I could send some rocks to some people I had never met. so I made a bunch of rocks, and now I leave them wherever I go. I hope that just the right person will find them and be encouraged by them. 

2. technology that helps me find things

I just got the tile key-chain for my keys. It helps me find my keys anywhere. I also discovered that my apple watch will make my phone ping so that I can find it when its lost. so helpful! I told a student about it and she responded, "you need that because YOU'RE OLD!" true; but this kid loses her phone at least once every time she is at church.

3. battlebots

we get fired up for this show- it has everything: action, technology, strategy, fire, explosions, collisions- its epic. if you're not familiar with it, teams build robots build to destroy each other. these robots are violent machines and when they clash, its awesome. 

4. forged in fire on the history channel

I'm not sure why I love this show, but I have seen every single episode. 4 blacksmiths take hunks of metal and put them into white hot forges, then they bang them with hammers, then they sharpen them into razor sharp, super-strong knives. these knives are tested by knife-making experts. the 2 finalists then have a week to recreate an iconic sword from history- which is also tested for strength and sharpness by knife making experts. its interesting, exciting, relaxing and educational all at once.

5. cinnamon taffy town salt water taffy

I love salt water taffy. taffy town is the best brand, and cinnamon is my favorite flavor right now. delicious.

6. my dremel

I just got one of these tools. you can do everything with them! you can cut, engrave, sharpen, sand- I was getting my haircut and one of the workers was calling a locksmith because she lost her key to the lock for her locker. I said, "do you need a lock cut? hold on- I've got my dremel in the car!" this is a great tool for wood working, or any kind of home improvement project.

7. rita's 

this place has italian ice, but the frozen custard is out of this world. they just put one in about a mile from my house. so good!

8. the toys that made us

this is a show on netflix that gives the history behind all of the 80's toys like star wars, gi joe, transformers, legos, he-man etc. they do an awesome job talking to all of the creators- I love learning about how things were created and the process behind them. I have seen every episode if this show, and I hope they make many more.

9. comedians in cars getting coffee

I'm a little late to the game on this- but this is a little 15 minute show with jerry seinfeld where he interviews comedians while they get coffee and drive exotic cars. its interesting to listen to these guys talk about hecklers, and getting a crowd's attention, and coming up with new material- sounds a lot like youth ministry! its super short, pretty funny, and fun to watch. some of the guests are funnier than others-

10. the marvel cinematic universe-

when I was a kid, me and my friends used to go to the comic book store once a week and buy the new comic books. then we would go and get a soda, read through one or two, and chat about how fascinating that superheroes are. I remember sitting next to my friends and pulling comic books out of our backpacks at school and having other students look at us like we were crazy. they were like, "what is THAT?" and we would sort of shyly explain comic books, and the stories and the plot lines. 

now- everyone knows those stories and characters- its like we finally won!

I love to talk with friends and students about the marvel movies- it feels like I'm in middle school all over again!

I love all of these things- they aren't for everyone- and they reveal how quirky I can be. they also reveal how little things in life can bring us joy. 

God is love.
-rev-rob