Northwest

Today is bittersweet. I hesitate in using that word because I feel it is greatly overused. Whenever a season of life ends in a person's life, they talk about how bittersweet it is. It's becoming cliche. Surely there is another word that we can use. However, I just typed in "bittersweet" in thesaurus.com, but it didn't give me anything. It seems like I'm forced to conform in my word choice. But I digress.

The reason that today is bittersweet is that this is my last day in Oregon. For the past twelve weeks, I have been in Corvallis while doing a youth ministry internship with Suburban Christian Church. It has been a fantastic summer, and while I am excited to spend a day at home in Topeka and then to head back to Ozark on Saturday, I am going to miss Oregon a lot. All of which got me thinking: What are some things that I have missed about home while I have been in Oregon, and what are going to be some things I'll miss about Oregon after I leave? I now present those lists for your enjoyment and personal betterment.

What I Have Missed Most About Topeka and Ozark

• NOT having to cook for myself. I can only handle so much Hamburger Helper and ham sandwiches. I never thought I would say this, but I miss the Ozark dining hall. This only makes the need for me to rapidly find a wife who can cook that much more urgent.
• Going bowling every Monday. I'll advertise it again: I need new bowling friends for this year. You need to be good, but not good enough to beat me. Caitlyn Lippitt, you will be sorely missed.
• Driving a car with an automatic transmission. I'm an unsafe driver as it is. I don't need to be worrying about making the car run.
• Playing basketball in a gym. I'm awful on the rim at the park that I've gone to here. As surprising as it may sound, I'm not much of a streetballer in Topeka.
• Chick-fil-A, Sonic, Spangle's, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Cheddar's.
• The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Not only does the library have a few copies, but I've got my own!
• Watching ESPN. Here the Reds are having an awesome season for the first time since I can remember, and I haven't been able to watch the magic.

 What I Will Miss Most About Oregon

• Mountains. Sorry Topeka, but Burnett's Mound isn't quite the same.
• Being outside in weather that is NOT 98 degrees and 80% humidity. I only want to get nasty and sweaty when I'm actually active. Not when I'm just sitting on a bench.
• Jeff's awesome projector and giant screen. It's way better than the projector in my dorm room, which was made around 1949.
• Wilderness expeditions to Smith Rock or the river near Sweet Home. Anything that helps me feel a little bit less like a wimp is a good thing. I'll be on my own survival show in no time.
• Reading at the riverfront park near downtown Corvallis. (See bullet point #2).
• Being able to say "Yeah, I live in Oregon," and feeling like I am somehow hipper and more culturally aware than other people.
• All of the incredible people I have gotten to rub shoulders with at Suburban. I can't wait until they do their next youth retreat in Missouri.

I feel like after a summer like this one, I should at least include something meaningful in order to redeem this post. So here are a few lessons I've learned and some things that I have been thinking about through this experience:

God comes through.
After my first day of working at Suburban, I went back to the house I was staying at, sat in a chair, and wondered if I had made a mistake. Just a few days previously, I had been in Joplin saying good-bye to many of my closest friends. Now I was on the other side of the country in a new situation, and I knew next to nobody in the entire state. Honestly, at the moment I wanted nothing more than to be back at school, where I was comfortable and knew what I was doing. At the same time, I knew that if I had made a mistake in coming to Corvallis, it was too late to go back. I was stuck, and I started counting down the time until August 19th when I would head back to my haven in the midwest.


But when God wants you somewhere, and when he has a specific work for you to do, he makes sure it works out. I really believe that, if I were going to come to the northwest for a summer, God placed me in an ideal situation. So many people at Suburban did so much to make sure that I had what I needed and that I felt welcome. I know that there are a ton of great churches in the area, but Suburban was the right fit for me. It was definitely difficult at first, and I felt very distant from everything and everyone that I care about, but over time I came to realize that I was where God wanted me and that I hadn't made a mistake. He does a pretty good job of making things work out.

There are great people everywhere.
Sometimes I think that people at Ozark are better than the rest of humanity. That sounds terrible when I put words to that idea, but it is a thought that lies hidden in my mind, I think. I tend to believe that we are somehow a step ahead of everyone else. Only we know how ministry should really work. Only we know how to interpret the Bible correctly. Only we know what God is really like. We're an elite crew, and people who aren't directly connected with us are somehow disadvantaged. They're to be pitied, really, and it's our job to go out their and save them.



This summer, however, I was constantly around phenomenal people of God. The quality of the people Suburban has working with youth is out of control. These are people who serve faithfully and give sacrificially for God and for the students. I look up to all of our youth staff. Not just in the sense that I sort of respect them and think that they are pretty decent folks. I wish that I were more like them, and I think that just about all of them are better at working with youth than I am. (I let you decide which of them I don't think that about!) This summer was another reminder about how big and beautiful the church really is and that there are an insane number of people all over the country and all over the world who are being used by God in incredible ways for his kingdom. And a few of them have never even visited Ozark.

I'm sure (or at least I hope) that there are many other things I've learned this summer, but I think I need a few weeks to process some of those, so maybe I'll share them with you when they are at least half-grown. I have been greatly privileged this summer to work with such amazing people and such awesome students, and I hope that it isn't too long before I get to come back. I'm especially grateful to Jamey for teaching me and putting up with me, to Jeff for putting a roof over my head and a mattress under my sleeping self, and to Angie for getting me hooked up with the internship and with a set of wheels. I am anxious to head home though. I don't know if I can say that I'm happy or sad about going back. But I am ready, and I'm excited to see what the new semester has for me. Let's hope it's a future wife that likes to cook and has a nice movie projector.

Here's some of my favorite pictures from the summer. For all of you who, when you were a kid, skipped over all the words in the books just to look at the pictures. And I'm sorry for the weird spacing in this post. Blogger is throwing a fit.

Church Unity: Part 3

In my last couple posts, I have been looking at Ephesians 4:1-16 and how it relates to the idea of unity in the church. I have already discussed how the church is meant to be united, as well as why the church itself is so important to every believer's growth and maturity. This is all fine and good, but is all for naught if it remains only an idea. The church may be meant for unity, but when we look around at the church as it exists today, that is not what we see. So what do we do about it? How do we make church unity a reality?

There are a couple different ways to think about these questions. We may consider how we can bring all of the various denominations and groups in the universal church together so that we all get along and live in harmony and sing the same praise choruses. That is a pretty hefty undertaking, however, and it might cause us to stress out and give up on the task altogether. We might end up resigning ourselves to the idea that the church is too far gone, and we don't have any other choice but to continue to function as best we can with how things are. When we look at the "big" problem with church unity, we tend to forfeit. Perhaps a better way to think about the issue would be to ask, "How can I help create unity through my own actions and interactions with others?" The truth is that we will be unable to solve the problems around us until we solve the problem within ourselves. I can't expect the Catholics, Baptists, and Lutherans to all get along if I am unwilling to get along with the person next to me in the pew.

Ephesians 4:3 says, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." We need to recognize that unity does not just happen. It is not the natural tendency of humankind to live at peace with one another or to think first about what it best for others. Rather, we are pretty greedy and self-centered. If we only allow ourselves to coast along, we can't expect the church to be unified. It takes effort, and a lot of it. At the same time, it is not someone else's job to make unity happen. Paul does not write, "Find someone who has a good vision for this sort of thing, and get him to make unity happen." He instead makes his readers directly responsible for the task. It is our job to keep unity. We are shirking the responsibility given to us by God if we are just going to wait around and wait for a more charismatic leader to do something. We ourselves need to step up.

So how do we go about it? How do we keep unity? Ephesians 4:2 sets us on the right path: "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Paul calls us to be concerned not with ourselves or our own desires, wants, preferences, or rights. He tells us to look first to what is best for others. To let go of our pride and felt-need for self-advancement. Can you imagine how the church today would look different if, for the past two thousand years, Christians were consistently humble, gentle, patient, and loving? Or can you imagine how your own congregation would look different if everyone involved lived out these virtues? Or more pointedly, how would your own relationships look different if you looked more like this?

In another passage concerned with unity, Paul writes, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Phil. 2:3-4). I am not sure if I have ever written this on here before, but I really think that these verses are the key to any sort of relationship--with your family, your friends, your spouse, your boyfriend/girlfriend, and within the church. Relationships deteriorate when one party begins to look out for number one. When they stop caring about what the other person wants or needs and instead focuses on the self. And churches struggle when some within the body abandon concern for that body and only work toward personal wants. So we bicker and quarrel about an endless number of preferences because we hold our list of demands so tightly in our fists, unwilling to loosen our grips for the good of the body.

For a body to be healthy, no single part can begin to only care for itself. Suppose my hands decide that they are the only parts of my body that really matter. They only wash themselves, and they only bandage themselves if they get injured. Meanwhile, the rest of my body becomes dirty, cut, and infected. I begin to starve because my hands refuse to move food from my plate to my mouth. And while my hands might look great and be doing very well, my body withers.

Are you those kinds of hands? I am, sometimes. I'll fight hard to make sure things are done the way I think they should be. And it might be great for me. But what good are healthy hands attached to a fractured body?

Church Unity: Part 2

It has been a longer period of time since I've last written than I intended. I could say that this is because I have been so busy lately. I've been going to CIY and county fairs and Portland. The truth, however, is that I have also spent large chunks of time rewatching episodes of Arrested Development. Which certainly isn't a bad thing.

In my last post, I began writing about the topic of church unity as found in Ephesians 4:1-16. I considered why a united church is of such importance. To some people, this may be starting to far along. Maybe we should first ask why the church itself is of any significance. The typical perception of the church is different today than it ever has been before in that its status is disregarded, even by many Christians. Many people would say, "Sure, Jesus is really important, and the Bible and prayer are helpful, but the church is an accessory, and an unsightly one at that."

There are a number of reasons why it is so popular to dismiss the church. We're Americans, after all. We're the ones who kicked out the redcoats, guaranteed personal rights, and allowed customers to customize their Whoppers. Individualism and independence are our chief values. We don't need other people to help us be close to God any more than we need others to change our diapers. We can figure it out ourselves. Plus, God is only concerned about having a personal relationship with people, right? We're taught to ask Jesus into our hearts, not our communities. And besides, if I feel like I need to go to church, I can just grab my iPod and listen to a sermon and some worship songs. I'll even go to the grocery store and get my own crackers and grape juice. No sense in getting up early on a Sunday for church. Who needs it?

The New Testament takes a different stance on the church, however. In Ephesians 4:12-14, Paul speaks of the church being built up "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."

One reason that the church is so central to our spiritual growth is that it helps us become mature. Without the church, we tend to remain baby Christians. Paul doesn't speak of "you" becoming mature. He speaks of "we all" getting there together. We need each other, largely because no single Christian is completely equipped with what it takes to become mature. In my last post, I talked a little bit about how we have different gifts and that unity means that, even though we are different, we bring what we have to the table and work together. I think that we have different gifts because it means we need one another. For example, I'm pretty indecisive and apathetic. I need a leader. I'm bent toward pessimism and self-doubt. I need an encourager. Sometimes I think and behave wrongly. I need someone to correct me. Different people are given different gifts so that the church can be built up. If I distance myself from the church, I am throwing away how God has gifted others and am arrogantly thinking that I have what it takes in myself to live a fruitful life in Christ.

Another reason that the church is so important is that it protects its members from attack. A Christian who is distanced from the church is vulnerable to attack from Satan and to "the cunning and craftiness of men." When lions hunt African buffalo, they do not target the ones that are in the middle of the herd. They attack the ones who are separated from the herd. It's the same way with the church. Christians who are trying to fly solo are much more susceptible to be pulled away from Christ than those who are planted in the church. As cliche as it may sound, there really is power in numbers.

The tendency today is to ignore, discount, or even ridicule the church. But I hope you immerse yourself into and invest in the church, and I hope that you love the church. Because I think Jesus loves it too.

Church Unity: Part 1

All summer long, we have been studying the book of Ephesians during our Sunday morning youth group. Jamey (the youth minister) and I switch between teaching middle school and high school each week. The last two weeks, I have been teaching on Ephesians 4:1-16. I wish I had Charlie here to corroborate with me in writing this, because he loves Ephesians 4. For you Worthy Prisoners fans out there, their name even comes from Ephesians 4:1. In this passage, one of the major themes is unity in the church, so it's a topic that has been bouncing around in my head for the past couple weeks, so I thought I would use a few posts to work out some of those thoughts and use some of the material from my lesson.

When I think about whether or not the church today is unified, it makes me very sad. When I taught my lesson, I started by using a technique I learned from Kevin Greer in which I read a series of statements, and for each one the students go to one side of the room if they agree with the statement and to the other side if they disagree. One of my statements was, "Unity in the church is a big deal," and everyone both weeks agreed with that statement. Another of the statements was "The church today is pretty unified." And everyone disagreed. Every single person. We all know that the church is meant to be unified, but we also know that we're not there. In fact, as time goes by, we seem to be moving the wrong direction. Instead of becoming more unified, we become more fractured and splintered. And it's sad.

Jesus seems to have thought that church unity was pretty important, too. On his last night before being crucified, just hours before he is arrested, he prays for future believers: "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you [...] 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" (Jn. 17:20, 23). That's a pretty high standard for unity. Jesus says that he wants the unity of the church to look like the unity in the Trinity. Believers are to be one as Jesus and the Father are one. We don't even understand that sort of oneness. That's why we have such a difficult time comprehending the Trinity. And yet, somehow, that's what the church is supposed to look like.

The problem, of course, is that there are just so many things to argue about. The church has mastered the art of disagreement. If there is something to become disunited over, we're all over it. And when we've covered all of them, we make up new issues to argue about. Worship, leadership, money, baptism, eschatology, church structure. The list goes on and on. The result is that we do not see a united church, but one that is splintered into innumerable denominations, factions, and groups.

Ephesians 4:4-6 says, "There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope when you were called--one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." There is a word that jumps out of these verses. One. Even though we might disagree on a lot of things, we are following the same one God. We believe in the same one Christ. We have the same one Spirit living in us. So often, I approach and interact with other Christians only in terms of how they are different than me. When I think of a specific person, my first thought isn't, "Man, that's a great guy who sure loves and serves Jesus!" It's bound to be more along the lines of, "Ugh, there's that punk that only takes communion once a quarter." Instead of focusing on how we're different, maybe things would be better if we remembered our similarities. All of the "ones." (Granted, the passage says we have "one baptism." I'm not totally sure what to do with that.)

As strange as it sounds, there are some who may be against church unity. They think that a united church only tries to control people. Its goal is to make cookie-cutter replicas of the same person. This a misunderstanding of unity, however. Unity does not mean uniformity. God wants the church to be one, but he does not want everyone in the church to be the same. Not only would that be counterproductive, it would be boring. Ephesians 4:7 says, "But [in spite of the fact that we have one Lord, God, etc.] to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." God gives different people different gifts and abilities so that the church may grow and be built up (Eph. 4:16). In 1 Corinthians 12, the church is likened to a body in which each body part has an important role, and all of them are necessary for the health of the body. No body part can give up on its task without weakening the body. Each part is different for a purpose. And it's the same in the church. Fortunately for everyone, every person in the church is not like me. We are different. But we are also to be united. Many people, with many background, personalities, gifts, and perspectives, working together as one body for the purpose of making Jesus famous. That's the church.

The next time I write, I'll write about why the church is so important and why we need it. So check it out. Same Heffren time, same Heffren channel.

I went bowling last week for the first time in a couple months. It felt good. Speaking of that, I am potentially in the market for some new bowling friends this next semester. You get to hang out with me every week, and sometimes Connor. Is there a better way to spend your Monday evenings?

You should still come anyway.