So You Think You Know Them?

January 24, 2010

Reading through the book of Exodus now.  It is a really interesting book and the stories about Moses can teach you a lot about leadership if you are looking for them as you read.  I figured I would post some thoughts as I read through the book.

The very first thing I noted from the story of Moses in Exodus was that Moses was not the most likely leader that humans would have chosen.  This is often the case with many people in the Bible stories.  There are a good variety of people in the Bible young, old, rich, poor, and etc, but for the most part I see where God used the average, ordinary person to carry out what he desired.  Below is just a list of a few people who come to mind in particular order.

  • The disciples (love acts 4:13 to describe them)
  • Esther
  • Moses (more on him in just a minute)
  • David (A Sheppard )
  • Nehemiah
  • Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

So what about Moses, well, he did grow up in the palace of the king of Egypt, but remember after he grew up he committed murder.  He saw the Egyptian mistreating his own people and he killed him.  He got scared for his life and ran off to the dessert where he could live in peace.  Until God showed up and messed up his plan.  God told him that he was going to be the one to lead the Hebrews back to the land he promised Abraham.  Moses was a murderer and God still used him.  It’s funny how so many times we write people off when we think they are not any good to society any more.  That’s just it, we are not good to the world, but to God we are always useful.  I know in the past I have often looked at certain youth and perhaps thought that God would not use them because of what I see on the outside or because I see the unfinished project.  I have learned over the last 13 years in ministry not to do that, because God can  surprise you with some awesome things.  So the next time you think you know who will make the next preacher, missionary, or Sunday school teacher you better be careful and just let God take care of that.  After all, it is God that calls people into ministry and not the local pastor or youth pastor.  It’s just our job to train and guide them along the way.

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Posted by John Weldon

Project Isaac

January 23, 2010

A few weeks ago  I started to look at challenging the youth in some different ways through the Bible studies on Wednesday night.  The Theme of “Tests” came to mind and I thought we would compare some of the people of the Bible and see how they were tested.  I started with the scripture “the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (James 1:3) where it states that the tests we go through are for our benefit.  God begin to bring back different places in the Bible where He tested the faith of various people.  One of the first people to come to mind was Abraham and how he was tested with his willingness to give up the one thing that he had hoped for all his life.  (Gen. 22)  Once he got it, would he give it up for God.  Just what was his one thing he wanted most?  Why a son and someone to carry on the family name.

I’ve thought a lot about what I might do if I was in his shoes. I’m not sure I’d be as obedient as Abraham was. I’d have to know without a shadow of doubt that that’s what God wanted before I moved one inch. Abraham waited 25 years for God to fulfill his promise and even after trying things on his own, God kept His promise to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) and years later it came true. If you want more back ground on the Bible story you can go to the Bible Study tab and download the PDF.

As I was laying out the details of the Bible study I felt led to try something similar to what Abraham experience. I pondered what do I think that I just can’t do with out, What brings me real joy and satisfaction? The first answer I came up with was my job, I love working with students and building relationships with them. I realized that I couldn’t quit my job and still keep a happy house so I looked for something else in the same arena that I might give up for God. Facebook/Myspace came to mind. I really love talking and interacting with the youth, but does that stand over my devotion to God? Do I spend too much time on the internet and not enough time in God’s word? I decided that in the month of February I would sacrifice my time online on Facebook and Myspace and give more time to my relationship with God. I nic named it Project Isaac after the example of Abraham. I am really looking forward to what it may do for me and for my family. I may even get a few more hours of sleep. I will keep a running journal from time to time and may even post a few of the entries here.

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Posted by John Weldon

Under Fire

January 19, 2010

I decided a few days ago to start writing out my thoughts on a more regular basis and publishing them online.  I have been hesitant to do this in the past because I know that whatever I write will be open for criticism and can be looked at under the microscope by different people.  If you are going to post things for the world to see you should at the very least be responsible with what you post.  Most of all, I wasn’t sure I had the time to give to it.

As a student pastor working with teens, I already, have to make sure what I say and teach lines up with the teachings from the Bible and not just a good thought or my own personal opinion about a subject.   In a world that loves a subjective truth and moral relativism the truth is so easily lost in the endless voices of anyone who can blog and post to the internet.  If anything I think the online posts will cause me to strive to give my best and  make sure I have an eye for the details.  

At first, truth can be hard to swallow, and is often met with excuses and ignored by many people.  We all tend to get a little defensive when we are brought under the microscope or examined closely.  In the end, it is like the much needed medicine that can cure us from our aliment of sin and, we are glad we recieved it.  I see this all the time from students who want to justify the way they live their lifes against the truth of God’s word.  In the end it always comes back to bit them, no matter how many times they deny or ignore it. 

Why am I doing this?  My aim to try to represent the one true God of the Bible that I love and serve by presenting a world-view of the events that will unfold around me in my world.  I’m not looking for fame or a following, just a opportunity to represent Jesus in a Biblical way to a world that needs a savior.   I see so many examples of people who call themselves Christians or disciples of Christ, but when they open their mouths, type on the social networking pages, or live out their life in ways that are so contrary to the Bible and the way Jesus lived.  I just want to announce in a loud voice “That’s not God!”

Realizing that NO ONE is perfect and we will all fall short of God’s purpose and plan for us (Romans 3:23) I want to make sure that you know that I am no better than the next disciple of Jesus, giving my best for him, is still not good enough.  There are 2 kinds of followers of Jesus I believe ones that try to live their life the way God intended, learning more and more as they grow in their faith and then the other group of Christians who know the differences between right and wrong and they continue to disobey God’s desire for their life, ignoring conviction of the Holy Spirit.  I’ve been both kinds of these and I have to constantly guard myself from slipping back into the second type EVERYDAY.  Perhaps this blog will help hold me accountable to live like the first kind of follower of Christ.

We know that people look at us and judge us, right or wrong, everyday.  It’s so important to live the kind of life that best represents a correct life-picture of what the Bible says and how Jesus lived his life.   Looking at Christ not each other is the key of course, but when is the last time you saw Jesus, physically I mean, and how many people are just running to pick up the Bible and read it to discern the truth for themselves these days.  We rather read about vampires and other more interesting things, not that those are inherently bad or evil.  That leads to the importance of us as believers to live out in front of others the most correct interpretation of the Bible and Jesus that we can. 

So go ahead and let the fun begin and if you read anything you want to comment on please feel free to do so.  I’ll be glad to read your thoughts on the subject also.  I now consider myself “under fire.”  Anything I post is fair game.

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Posted by John Weldon

New Year, New You?

January 7, 2010

I’ve seen a lot of posts from people over the last few days about “New Year, New Me”   All I have to say about that is, “Really?””  What brought on this sudden new you, was it the changing of the clock from 2009 to 2010?  I know that “new starts” often bring a little spark of excitement and change to people’s lives, but for the most part the change is not that great.  I’ve heard it said that people don’t change unless they are really motivated to do so or that they are forces to change or lose something.  I think that this is true for the large part.  There are some exceptions of course.

Here, Just a few thoughts on the new year, new you.

 Anyone can talk, but few can back it up.  Yeah, I’m skeptical  for the most part of many who talk a lot about change, but in the end they either drop out or cop-out.  The notion was a noble one probably brought on by emotion and a fresh start at a new year.  If you are going talk about a new you, don’t be like 99% of all the rest of the world and quit before you eve n get started.  Why not keep your comment to yourself and wait until after you have changed to announce all about the new you.  Most of us will believe it when we see it. 

On a related note, just so you won’t think that I’m all pessimistic or a hater, if you do fail at a goal, don’t quit after you make your first mistake.  Perfection is hard to come by and very few every reach it.  I only know of one who was perfect in everything and they nailed him to a cross.  Get back on your feet and try again. 

Second there are always the ones who say you shouldn’t set goals because when you break them you will look like a hypocrite and the world has enough of them.  In fact we are all hypocrites in one way or another.  These are the kind of people who never change year after year and have no intention to do so either. When your goal is nothing, you reach exactly what your aim was, nothing.   I’m reminded of an old Peanuts comic, where one of the characters is shooting a bow and arrow on a wall with no targets.  After he is done, he goes and draws the targets around his arrows and gives himself all bullseyes.   Another character comments back, wow, when you have nothing to aim for you hit it every time.

Lastly,  I have but a few ideas and thoughts about how to set some new years resolutions or goals if you prefer and have a good chance to succeed in them. 

1. Make them realistic, don’t aim for pie in the sky and set yourself up for failure before you even get started.  For example, don’t pledge to never say another cuss word or stop smoking immediately.   Many of those addictions and habits took years to build up and they will take a little bit of time to break free from also.  Instead try goals like to cut back or gradually slow down in areas.  This way you can see your progress and be encouraged.  Trying the never again resolutions are a quick trip to failure. 

2. Tell someone who will hold you accountable about your goals.  Ask them to ask you about every week.  When you know someone will ask you about it, you are more likely to be motivated by that and perhaps even a little embarrassment when you fail. 

3. Post your goals and reminders all around you.  In your car, on your refrigerator, in your bathroom,  everywhere you can.  You might even want to set yourself up for a prize if you reach your goal or deadline for a goal.  Reward yourself with a trip, a new toy, or something you have wanted for a while. 

4. Last ask God for some help.  In our human minds and bodies we are often weak and limited, but God knows no bounds.  I’m not saying that God will give you a miracle if you ask Him, He doesn’t work like that.   You can get help from him in a variety of different ways.  Prayer, to help you get your mind focused on the right track and off other things.  Memorizing scripture to help you in time when you feel weak.  Believe it or not, but there are scriptures for just about anything you may struggle with in the Bible. 

Whatever you do, do it to the best of your abilities and then let God help you will the rest and motivation.  Just don’t type  up new year, new me or your favorite social networking site and trick yourself into thinking you will be any different from before all the while your friends laugh at you behind your back in disbelief.  They’ll see it and then believe it.  I’m pulling for you!

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Posted by John Weldon

The Soloist and Going Solo

May 19, 2009

I caught another great movie last weekend and it moved me to write yet another blog from the ideas that were spun deep within myself.  I took a group of youth to see “The Soloist” staring Jamie Fox.  The movie centers around a homeless man who plays the Cello.  The youth that went with me all play a string instrument and I thought they might enjoy it.  I played the cello in school and majored in music education, so this movie was right up my alley as well.

The movie was not exactly what  I was expecting it to be, but, it was still a great movie.  I recommend that you go see it.    I had seen a movie called August Rush last year and really enjoyed it.  When I saw the preview for The Soloist  I thought it might be along the same lines as that movie, but it wasn’t.  The Soloist will “wow” you with great music and instruments, but the bigger part of the story is not the music, it is the relationship that forms between the 2 main characters.  Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr) a well known Newspaper Columnist chooses to write a story about Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx)  a homeless man who plays a 2 string violin quite well.  After watching the movie the following thoughts came to mind.

Relationships, a part of life.   Just as much as Food, Water, Air, and Shelter are a basic needs in life, I think that there should be a 5th category added; relationships.   Relationships can be simple  or complex thing.  Take a look at your friendships and you will see the different levels of friendships you have with your friends.  Some require little to no work, while others need a lot of TLC.   There is a under-lying rule with relationships, the more you put into them the more you will get out of them.   This is true with any relationship, husband and wife, parent and children, friend to friend.  This is even true with our relationship with God, more on this later.

Being a friend as well as having a friend.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can get rather selffish with my relationships.  The two-way street of friendships becomes a one-way street of  what have you done for me?  I think that this feeling a natural one because of our introspective view of life.  We have to make that effort to break out of that mentality and still “give” as much as we want to “get.” 

What do we give in relationships, here are a few things that you can start with.  I remember going to a student ministry conference years ago and a session leader shared something so simply, yet profound for student ministry.  The big questions teens wants to known in life were; First,  Will I be accepted by others? and second, Will I be loved by others.  Both of these questions center around relationships with others.  I’m also willing to bet that as those teens get older the same 2 questions follow us into adulthood as well.  On a side note, acceptance does not mean you have to agree with someone to accept them as a person.  You can have friendships with different opinions about many things.  The degree at which you agree on things in life will help you become closer, but are not totally necessary for friendships. 

I think back to the story of David and Jonathan in the Bible.  These two were great friends even though they came from different families and life styles.  They gave each other things as a sign of their friendships.  They didn’t let a disgruntled family come in the way of their friendship either.  Later in life after David was King he looked after the son on Jonathan and always welcomed him into the kings palace and at his dinner table.   You can read more on the story of Jonathan and David in 1 Samuel chapters 18-20. 

Well the last relationship I’ll mention before I end this Blog, soon to be novel, is a relationship with Jesus.   My faith is about a relationship with Christ, it’s not a religion.   I hope that anyone reading this blog would know God desires to have a relationship with you too.   If you could sum up the Bible in a paragraph, it would be that God created us to have a relationship with Him, sin entered the world and messed that relationship up.  God sent His Son to the earth to live and give His life as a atoning sacrifice for payment of our sins.  If we choose to accept  that gift from God as payment for our sins and we repent, place our trust in Jesus, and surrender our life to Him ,we too, can have a relationship with God that will make all other relationships in life pale in comparison.   If you want to know more about starting a relationship with Jesus please contact me and let’s talk.  This is only a a short blog and I cannot go into enough details right now.

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Posted by John Weldon

Knowing and Not Knowing (part 2)

April 27, 2009

Here is the second part to my thoughts that came from the seeing the KNOWING movie with Nicolas Cage. If you missed the first blog it’s around here somewhere.

One of my favorite areas to study with the Bible is Apologetics.  In short it is WHY you believe WHAT you believe.  The word comes from the Greek word, “Apologia”  found in 1 Peter 3:15.  It is the equivalent for the word “answer.” 

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, — 1 Peter 3:15 (emphasis added)

I fully believe today’s younger generation is ready to believe in something, they just want to know if it is the real thing before they fully commit with their whole heart to it.  Apologetics always helps them see the evidence behind the Bible and the life of Christ.  I enjoy a good discussion about the Bible and I love to hear from teens and adults who have genuine questions about the Bible or Jesus Christ.  I’ll be quick to tell you I don’t have all the answers so please don’t peg me as some know-it-all, Bible thumping, religious fanatic.  Ok, enough of the explanations, just wanted to give you a basic introduction to the subject mater.

  3. The Bible and Prophecies.   Knowing is based around this note written by a 5th grade student 50 years prior.  The note is discovered to have all these predictions which come true as the movie unfolds.  It made me think back to the Bible and one of the reasons it is unique compared to other religious books in the world.  The Bible contains over 1200 prophecies within the 1189 chapters that make it up.   There are over 300 prophecies about Jesus.   What would be the odds of everyone of those propheciescoming true?  Josh McDowell a former atheist, turned believer, who set out to discredit the Christian faith years ago has calculated some of those odds. 

Taking just 8 prophecies made the odds 1 x 10(17 power) Or taking 48 prophecies made the odds 1 x 10 (170 power)  The numbers are extremely large and the odds are very high.  I’m trying not to get to technical with the numbers, they are a bog killer for sure, but if you want the specifics on those prophecies and number you can check them out in McDowell’s book called The New Evidence that demands a Verdict. 

We are just a few weeks removed from March Madness where the 65 teams go into the brackets and everyone tries to guess who the final winner will be.  We all know it’s the administrative assistant at your work that fills out the bracket and wins ever time.  The NCAA brackets are just about impossible enough to get right, but the prophecies in the Bible make the brackets look like flipping a coin.  No other religious book in the world has the amount of fulfilled prophecies that the Bible does.  It is just one of the areas in which the Bible stands out.

4. It still takes faith.  Well numbers and statistics aside, you can spend years looking for answers and still not come up with a absolute conclusion to the questions that plaugue the universe, even with  all the evidence and history to look at as a reference.  I have heard objection questions before like, “Why does God just give us some continous miracle showing us that He exists?”   I believe that God has given us every bit of proof that he wants us to have.  If He choose to give us a continuous miracle then there would be no doubt that God exists and people would choose Him not because they loved him, but  because it would be the obvious choice to have eternal life. 

The Bible even says in Deuteronomy29:29  “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”  We all have to realize that there are somethings we will never be albe to understand or know with 100% certainty. That’s where faith comes to play in the matter.  The Bible tells us many things about the role of faith in our lives.

Hebrews11:6 says without faith it is impossible to please God and those that earnestly seek God will be rewarded.   It is our faith that saves us through the grace given by Jesus death on the cross. (Ephesians 2:8-9)  the Bible has many verses that point to a active faith, one of works and actions, not to have a faith that is dead.  (James 2:17-26)  Having faith is not just “an easy way out” of not having all the answers, but it is more of listening to the Holy Spirit tell you the that what you have heard and read is the truth and something you can place your trust in.  I think there is a difference between having a “blind faith” and a “intelligent faith.”  A “blind faith” has no evidence  or support for making a decision, but an “intelligent faith” looks at the evidence and then makes a decision based on the unknown factors that can’t be seen or proved.

Where is your faith?  What kind of faith do you have?  Have you ever considered the evidence that supports the Bible and it’s claims?  Consider these questions; Do you truly believe that God exists, Do you believe that the Bible is a book written from God?  Was Jesus God, as He said He was?  Let me encourage you to examine the evidence and proofs that God has given us in creation, the written word, and in the person of Jesus Christ.

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Posted by John Weldon

Knowing, and Not Knowning (part 1)

April 23, 2009

I went to see the new movie staring Nicolas Cage last weekend called KNOWING with one of the youth.  We had a good time and the movie sparked some great convo between us on the way home.  Without spoiling the movie’s ending I will try to share a few thoughts we had. 

A quick summary of the movie is this; 50 years in the past a 5th grade girl puts a sheet of paper in a school time capsule and it is sealed up.  Flash forward 50 years to present day where the paper lands in the hands of  John Koestler (Nicolas Cage) an astrophysicist who teaches classes at M.I.T. in Boston.  He discovers the pattern of numbers predicts the happening of tragic world events in which deaths occur.  As he struggles with the idea that everything in life is not random but planned with a purpose he becomes consumed with trying to help others avoid the inevitable.   I will not share anymore with you so I don’t ruin the movie ending.  Here are a few thoughts I had after the movie was over.

1. Randomness vs. Determinism.  Before the movie gets moving pretty quickly there is a scene where the college class is having a discussion on the two opposites of Randomness vs. Determinism.  One of the students asks John Koestler (Cage) “What do you believe, professor?”  He responses with a rather sarcastic tone.  “I believe that everything is Random and just pointless crap”   The idea of Randomness and Determinism is both addressed in the Bible.   First, God gave us free will, a sort of randomness, that we can choose to do and say what we want.  We can decide for ourselves what we should accomplish with our life.  We have the ability to choose to do right or wrong, just as Adam and Eve first did in the Garden of Eden.  God made us this way so that we would not be mindless robots, but have the choice to love God for who He is.   The Bible also speaks of a bit of Determinism.  The Bible says that God determined the exact time of our birth and the place where we would be born (Acts 17:26) and that His thoughts of us go back to before the creation of the world.  (Ephesians 1:11-12)  God set His determined plan into motion, but allows us to choose how our story is finished.

2. Why do bad things happen.  We just recently finished a Bible study with the youth about “Why do bad things happen?”  Many questions can arise from this topic some of which are; What is the source of all evil in the world?  Is there a difference between evil act and a moral evil?  Is there a supernatural being that is the source of evil?  If God created everything, then did God create evil?  I will not try answer these question here in this blog, perhaps another time, another blog.  The Bible says that evil entered the world through one man, Adam (Romans 5:12) and that through that one man, sin has been passed down from generation to generation.  The serpant (Satan) tempted Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:15-17 , Genesis 3:1-11,14-19)  into breaking the one rule that God set before them ,do not eat from the tree of Good and Evil.  I’m sure if I was there, I would have done the same thing.  While pain and evil are not fun, they do have a purpose according to the Bible.  The Bible says for those who are children of God, that God makes all things good out of the bad things in life (Romans 8:28).  Sometimes we may not be able to see that right away, or perhaps even never see it, but we know that God has a plan for it.   A few chapters before, (Romans 5:1-5) God promises that out of our suffering will triumph many good things like endurance, character, and hope. 

I don’t know where you are in life, but perhaps you are in a painful situation in life.  You can’t help but be depressed if you listen to more than 5 minutes of a news cast today.  Many people have lost jobs, homes, and much more.  I don’t have an answer for the question “Why?”  but I know that God does.  Hang in there and trust Him with all your heart.

I will save my other two thoughts for a second blog sometime later this week.  If you would like to talk about anything written above please feel free to contact me or if you just want someone to pray for you, I’d be honored to do so.

Serving Jesus with Joy,

John

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Posted by John Weldon

Is There a Higher Power?

March 10, 2009

I read the front page artical in USA Today, March 9,  2009.  It was a very thought-provoking article and depressing at the same time.  It listed many statistics from the the last 2 decades concerning Americans faith and what religion and denomination they cling to.  One thing I noticed is that the number of  “Nones”, those who claim “no religious/spiritual” conection has grown.  Atheists used to make up about 3% of the population and now in 2008 were reported up to 15% . 

Well, I’m looking for some feedback on what you think about the question in the title?  I’m looking for some honnest answers from you.  Feel free to leave comments explaining what you believe, i’m not just looking for a quick YES or NO. 

Here are a few second questions you can answer as well.  How did the world come to be in exsistance as we  know it?  What proofs or facts allow you to believe like you do?

OK, that should keep you busy for a while.  I will take your answers and share them with a group of young adults to introduce a topic of the exsistance of God in a Bible study in the next few weeks.  You names will be left off and only your answers and opinnions will be shared.  Thanks for helping me out.

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Posted by John Weldon

Hello world!

February 19, 2009

Well, this is my first shot at Bloggin’  You have to wonder, will the world really even care about what is typed in this blog.  Everyone, and I mean everyone can have their space to say whatever they desire.  BUT with everyone talking, is there anyone still listening? 

It’s a question that i have with humanities relationship to God.  Have we become so advanced that we think we know it all and we forgot to go to the one who created us and knows us best.  We want to talk and share and blog about our life and world, but does anyone really listen to God any more?  He is the only one who can help us in every situation we face.  He gave us the Bible to use as a owners manual for life.  If we want our life to run the smoothest and best way it can run, we need to pick up the owners manual and read it a little at a time.

I will finish some thoughts on this later.   Have a great day.

Serving Jesus with Joy,

John

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Posted by John Weldon

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