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Teaching through “Major Transition”

26 May

You know something that has become increasingly clear about my life and the season that I find myself in is the reality that seasons are tough. Sometimes they really stretch you and it easy to see how God is teaching you. Other times they stretch you and it seems like it is near to impossible to see how any of this makes sense. No matter what, we clearly go through different seasons in life and when those seasons change they create transitions. My current one is called “Major Transition.”

Since we made things public knowledge a few weeks ago that I would be leaving NMC soon, it has been an interesting ride. But, I’m learning that maybe that is a good thing. I’m also learning that sometimes, when we embrace that change, and all of the emotions and feelings that come with it, as a given reality, we can come to grips with how to deal with reality. So, rather than try and sugarcoat this part of my life and try and make light of the life that I have been given, I am working to step up and do what I do, and have found myself doing all of my life, lead.

I have noticed, in the middle of this transition is the need for me to still function and function well. I’m leaving, but I’m not dying (at least I don’t think I am) and if I believe what I say I believe, my goal is to see people come into a life-changing relationship with Jesus, not me. Yet, it is our lives and the stories that God continues to write that tell others of how much he loves and cherishes us, and takes care of us in light of these transitions. I think every story is worth sharing.

I say all of that to say this: I sense God pushing me to share in my experience; to allow this blog to become a place of relating the ways that I am processing through different situations. Obviously, there are certain things that will remain in my journal, but I sense Him wanting me to write about this transition. So, write I will. I want my life to bring Him glory; every aspect. Not just the nice things that I say, but how I struggle through different decisions; different situations. So, with that, the next few months will be good. I’m excited. I hope that you will come along on this journey as well.

 
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Posted by on May 26, 2012 in Leadership, Life, NMC

 

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I’ll Be Leaving Soon…

10 May

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” -Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I didn’t appreciate that passage when I had to memorize it for AP English my Senior Year, but I have learned from it so much at this point in my life. See, it’s seasons that move us from one place to the next and it’s seasons that provide for us the opportunity to learn something new about who God is in our lives and how He wants to move through our lives. When new seasons present themselves, we have two choices: be paralyzed by the new reality they present or be energized by the catalyst that new seasons can be.

Well, a season is ending in my life and a new season is presenting itself, more and more, each passing day. After 4 years of work at Nappanee Missionary Church, it is time to spread my wings a bit more and follow God’s lead to another place and another mission that He is preparing.

Why am I leaving?

Even when I first started here at NMC, we were dreaming up a program that would raise up ministry leaders that had graduated college and send them out into the Kingdom. So, for the last 3 years, this transition in seasons was always, potentially, on God’s agenda. This year, as we were praying and seeking the movement of God, we have become confident that my time here has ended and it is time to move on. God is clearly ready to move others into this wonderful place to be grown and molded and given the tools to do effective ministry for His Kingdom. And that is incredibly exciting. The ways that He is moving me, also gives me great confidence in the plan that He has for me to continue to pastor students and expand His Kingdom in many different ways.

A Couple Clear Calls

It was back in November the Pastor Terry and I sat down to discuss this course and really seek out where we sensed the Lord moving our ministry and my ministry. It was at that point that God was pretty clear to Pastor Terry and Derry that this was the direction for the ministry. I had sensed a similar direction for my life through some different, small, but clear indications from God. This discussion with Pastor Terry was the most obvious call, but it was not the only one.

In January, while we were at Passion Conference, God clearly spoke and revealed to me a passion that has been present but not as obvious to continue to work with college students in some capacity. As it stands, I have little direct contact with college students outside of those that have graduated from our ministry because of our distance from local colleges. This was confirmed in how much I was energized and excited about working with our SOAR interns, our graduates, and other discipleship encounters with college students. While this was not a distinct call out of student ministry, it was a very clarifying call to minister to college students.

In February, I was attending a Leadership Summit and a couple things became quite clear in regards to that “crazy stupid idea in my head.” For the longest time, God had whispered the idea of starting a Church or doing church differently. I had shrugged it off, mostly because of fear, but also because it would be tough tough work. It was at ELS that I was reminded that the things that are inside of me are worth sharing and are very much worth pursuing. Yet, because of my role at NMC, I could not ignore my responsibility to the students of NMC in order to develop and create those visions.

More recently, there have been a number of different snapshots where I have noticed myself feeling like I was “in my sweet spot” both in my ministry to students and in settings of creation, development, and innovation that were too obvious to ignore. While many of these moments were inside my ministry at NMC, a growing number were in my ministry outside NMC. It was in these moments that God has been clarifying His call away from NMC and on to a new thing or a new ministry that He intends for me to be a part of.

An Unknown Destination

At this point, and this is difficult to understand, God has not yet made it crystal clear where my next steps will take me. God has made it clear that it is time to move, but just not where to move yet. This is probably the most difficult part of this transition at the present time. It would be so much easier to make this known and have a clear destination that I will be landing; a more definite future for everyone to have the opportunity to celebrate this move of God with me. However, it is in this unknown that I am so blessed, so excited, and most of all, incredibly energized because of the immense amount of potential that it holds.

God is moving. That much is so incredibly clear. Different conversations that I have been blessed to be a part of only amplify my excitement of the direction that God is leading me. See, this entire process is about Kingdom Impact. This whole experience is about how God wants to grow both me, and those that come along the journey with me. It is quite clear that faith is rising in my heart and that He continues to show Himself faithful. The question is, will we trust Him?

Some things are clear to me in this whole unknown. Among those is my clear love and passion for students, families, and the Church. I still find myself most energized when I am with high school and college students. I find myself most creative and in a sweet spot when I am collaborating with leaders on how to best reach and disciple students. But, most of all, it is clear that vocational ministry is still the sweetest spot for me and I intend on securing a future that is able to invest my life into these areas. Of these things, I am quite confident and incredibly secure of their place in my life.

The Future and Beyond

In all of this, I am greatly excited for the next season in my life, but also the next season in the life of Nappanee Missionary Church. Over the course of the last 30 years, God has moved in some incredible ways through the leadership of Pastor Dave and the faithful followers of Christ at NMC and I am more than confident that the greatest days of NMC and its ministry to the Kingdom of God are just ahead. And one of the brightest spots of those next days is going to be the impact of Student Ministries.

I am so encouraged by the addition of Tim Veenstra to the NMC team. Tim is a great guy and a guy that loves students and loves to see students take their next steps with Jesus. I believe in Tim with all of my heart. God has used him to impact lives already and I cannot wait to hear how God uses Tim to help more and more students come to see Jesus. Tim is going to be a huge force for Jesus in the next two years.

In all of this, God has been faithful and will continue to be as we continue to seek His face. He is good and He has provided so much, to teach me and, hopefully, to use me to impact a few lives along the way. It is such a blessing to be a servant of His, but it is even more a joy to be His son. It is because of that joy that He has planted inside of me that I am confident that He is going to continue to be faithful and continue to be who He says He is in my life and in the lives of the students of NMC.

To the Students of NMC Senior High:

Let’s celebrate all that God has done and all that He is going to do! He is good and He is going to continue to move us to pursue Him everyday. You are a blessing to me and I am so blessed to have a few more weeks and months to spend with you all. You are deeply loved by me and I believe so much in what you are able to do through Christ. Let’s make these last few months awesome and finish this season well!

Geoff

 
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Posted by on May 10, 2012 in Life, NMC, NMC Senior High, NMC Student Ministries

 

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Prom is of the Devil!

04 May

That’s right. I said it.

And I was completely joking.

I was joking, but I think so many times among other things, Prom and the events that surround it, get painted as inherently evil by adults, parents, Youth Pastors, and others who desire to see students be uncompromising in an event that brings with it so much baggage (read “memories”).

We have all dreamt or heard of the Prom King and Queen that get married and have a perfect life, yadda yadda yadda. But the reality is I was the Prom King, and I can tell you this: I didn’t get married to the Prom Queen. I’m pretty sure that I have the perfect life part down but… I kid, I kid.

Here’s the point of my post. I think that this event carries with it a ton of unsaid things that result in misinterpreted expectations because, for the sake of not offending someone, we hold back the true wishes or expectations of the evening/weekend. So, as a product of my observations and my own personal experience, I have some thoughts for a few different groups of people.

To Parents: Recognize that this is a big deal for some students and other students couldn’t care less about it. Take a moment and assess your kid and then move accordingly. Your inaccurate reaction to your student’s excitement could set you up for a very abrasive weekend. Also, make your wishes/expectations for times, locations, and concerns very well known (tactfully, right? :) ) to your student and don’t change them unless the information changes. My mom and I know a bit about this type of situation and I can tell you, it sucks. Overall, trust yourself as a parent. You probably have prepared them for this moment. So, surrender this one to God and have some faith that He still sits on his throne, even though you just want to hide in a hole until it’s all over.

To Fellow Pastors: Something that we cannot ever forget is how important our words can be to a student. We also need to remember the weight of our words. Let’s get something clear: PROM IS NOT EVIL. Just as money isn’t evil (if you believe that it is, I can help you with your “sin” problem), Prom is not evil. So be careful and wise to make sure that we don’t paint it this way. Sure, when the Spirit of God moves in your heart, give them your latest rendition of the “Be Strong” message or your “Refuse to Compromise” talk. But, let’s make sure we don’t deem something that CAN be evil as INHERENTLY evil. I have experienced the loss of connection that can happen when we swing the pendulum all the way over.

To Students: You are probably thinking, great here it comes. Listen, I want you to have a good time. I went to three Proms when I was in High School and let me tell you, I always went looking pretty fly. And while I didn’t really care what Christ thought about me and my life at the time, there were situations that either I learned of, or was introduced to, that I knew were wrong and did nothing to avoid. So, this weekend, when you start to have that inkling, deep in your personality and you know where it is coming from, can I ask you to do something: “Be Strong and Courageous for the Lord your God is with you.”

I’m not asking you to be annoying. I’m asking you to not care if you are annoying. The single leading cause for unplanned stuff on Prom weekends is because nobody actually did anything about what they thought that a given situation was wrong or out of bounds. So, when that person suggests that you go do this thing, or you go do that thing, and as soon as they say it, you get this feeling of uneasiness, just say it. Just say it.

This season brings with it a lot of potential for tension. Parents, I’m praying that you will stand firm when you need to and trust when it is appropriate. Pastors, let’s band together and lift our families and students up to the throne and ask, BOLDLY, for armies of angels. And Students, I’m praying for you that you will have a great time; an incredibly MEMORABLE time! That you will make easy choices because you just know that you are right and that there will be a sense of unity in that.

It’s gonna be a great prom season. I can’t wait to stalk the pictures on Facebook and Twitter. Oh, did I just confess to a felony?!

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.” - 1 Corinthians 10:23

 
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Posted by on May 4, 2012 in Church, Life, Next Generation, Youth Ministry

 

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Time to Start Building More Altars

01 May

I was reading through some different stories in the Old Testament and came across something very interesting. Abraham, Noah, Moses, and others, named places and recognized different areas because of the ways that they had experienced God in a certain way. They would come out of a certain situation, praise God for it, and then build an altar and describe it in a way to define a characteristic of who God had proven Himself to be.

The idea of building altars is something of a foreign concept to us, even heretical to some as it can be misconstrued as something similar to the Tower of Babel or something. The problem is, when we don’t stop and take some time to build the altars in our lives, we miss out on the opportunity to cherish the ways that God has chosen to reveal himself to us, personally.

The fact is, I know God is faithful because of a certain set of experiences that He has taken me through in order to come to experience Him as such. Your experience of His faithfulness is going to be completely different, in most cases, and that is important to remember and celebrate.

So what is the latest way that God has shown Himself to you? What did He do? What part of Him did you get to experience? Name it. Name the situation with the way that God provided and do something that signifies it. Frame a picture; write a journal entry; write a blogpost; get a rock and put the name of the situation on it. I don’t care what you do, but build an altar today to recognize the way that God moved in your life today.

What altars do we need to maybe build to identify ways that he already has shown up in our lives?

 
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Posted by on May 1, 2012 in Life

 

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What’s in a Burden?

30 Apr

There are many conversations that I have with people where they are relating the things that are stirring in them; the ways that God is working inside of them to affect some sort of change in them or through them. What still fascinates me is the way that people describe the things that God is impressing upon them.

“I just feel burdened for ____________.” Sometimes it sounds like, “I just feel this burden to do something about __________.”

My guess is that these people feel some sort of weight about the topic that they have been exposed to or have gained awareness of at some level. There is no doubt in my mind that when that happens, we find ourselves wrestling with reality and what we desire to see reality be. But, I’m not convinced that the presence of a burden automatically equates to immediate and direct response to that given burden.

So often, I see people who hear about something that is truly horrific going on in the world and they are deeply moved by their recognition of such an atrocity and almost immediately are ready to go and completely change the situation. This after, maybe, a night or a week of praying and seeking the wisdom of God for the answers to these emotionally-charged thoughts and burdens. The problem with this is, our emotions are not sustainable, but a specific burden from God is.

So does a burden look like? I look at people in the Bible who were burdened over something that was going on and they did more than just get emotional about it and it became a part of their life for only a short season. They did a lot more than that. They got their hands dirty; they got on their knees and then committed to doing whatever God sent their way. The first one off of my head is Nehemiah. Second one is Abraham. But I’ll just stick with Nehemiah.

Nehemiah. A man who heard about something that troubled his heart, found himself quite emotional about it and recognized his need to enter into God’s presence to seek clarity on it. But he doesn’t speak to God right away. He seems to suggest that he waited to actually say anything to God until he had collected himself. And then he speaks to God. But this is not your everyday, “God, just do this,” or “God, would you just come and do that.” Nehemiah asks, with great specificity, exactly what he needs/wants from God.The rest of the Book of Nehemiah is the story of how Nehemiah acted upon the next steps that God had provided for him.

Look, I’m not saying that God doesn’t call people instantly and in the immediate. But, then again, I’m not questioning the revelation of God. It’s pretty clear that when God truly places a burden on a person, He provides them with a next step. Whether or not that individual believes that they can accomplish that next step or it makes sense or not, does not negate the reality that God gives a clear next step when he gives His people a vision.

So, what has God given you a burden for? Do you know your next step? If you do, what are you praying for? Do you know what you are asking God to pave the way for you to do?  Add your thought below.

Today, let’s pray specifically expectant prayers. Specific to our needs and expectant because we are confident that we were made to do something that He has to pave the way for.

 
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Posted by on April 30, 2012 in Life

 

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I Have Returned…

24 Apr

The fact is, I have kind of returned. Still dealing with some effects of jet lag I think and trying not to use that as my excuse for being late to everything. Although, it is nice to kind of have an excuse for that little problem that seems to arise in my schedule occasionally.

Kenya was a fantastic trip and it is my belief that PrayMombasa was and will be one of the highlights of my life. I dare say that I will look back on those 7 days and recognize it as a catalytic moment in my life that spurred me on to do some things a bit differently.

Overall, the easiest way to speak about Kenya, in short, is to simple say that God is good and He is moving; in my heart and in all the world. He is changing the way that I view many things and, I believe, is ready to awaken an army of people that will boldly, fearlessly, and gracefully, take on the world and reveal Christ to them.

I have a few posts coming. Don’t worry. God’s speaking many things to me. Either that or the coffee is talking this morning. But I think it’s the Spirit. Stay tuned!

 
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Posted by on April 24, 2012 in Life

 

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Lessons from Holy Week #4: Jesus Prepped Himself & His Team

05 Apr

The reality of this week in history is that Jesus knew exactly what was coming on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. He knew that He would die, how He would die, and how He would rise. So, there weren’t any surprises coming Jesus’ way this week. But that didn’t stop Him from preparing for the events that were about to take place.

It’s fascinating to watch Jesus prepare His team. He even so bluntly tells the Twelve what is going to happen, all the way down to betrayal and the emotions that they were going to feel in that time. The Last Supper is the ultimate in describing servant leadership. I am so amazed at how Jesus treated and personified His character in how He cared and led the Twelve. But He’s not done yet.

Jesus then takes the time to prepare Himself in the Garden. He isn’t just sitting there, listing off all the ways that He doesn’t want to suffer so that God can take that into account. He isn’t praying to God to make the suffering that He is about to go through be easy and not very painful. He’s praying for His Church. He’s praying for himself. He’s reminding the people why He’s doing what He’s doing, and it is powerful.

The lesson for me today is this:

You can’t imagine sending troops or going into battle without prepping with the most obviously effective exercise available to Christians.

Listen, I need to be about prayer. I need to prepare myself, every single time I go to battle, I need to start in prayer. Why would I not come into the presence of the Almighty and prepare myself to give Him glory? So, I’m learning and I’m trying to apply.

What about you? What battles are coming up that you need to prep well for?

 
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Posted by on April 5, 2012 in Life

 

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Lessons from Holy Week #3: He’s Still Working

04 Apr

So, it’s Holy Week and Jesus knows what is coming on Friday. He knows the pain that He is going to go through, the whipping, the abandonment of His followers, the turning away of His Father, the betrayal and deceit, all of the things that will encompass the end of this week. I mean, think of your worst week ever and it still doesn’t even come close to what Jesus is about to experience. And yet…

And yet, in the midst of all the knowledge of the coming suffering and sacrifice, Jesus is still on mission; He’s still pressing hard to bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Earth. How many incredible lessons on the Kingdom and what it is like, how it gets portrayed here on Earth and the ways that God expects us to live in communion with Him get laid out in this week. All kinds of parables and stories and lessons come from this week.

I just can’t get over this reality that even in His final week here, knowing what He was about to endure, He is fighting the fight with everything that He has. He doesn’t back down. He doesn’t complain or whine about what is coming. Actually, one could make the argument that He presses in to His calling and His mission. Jesus, in His final days, presses even harder. I love it. But, more than that, I want to see that happen in me.

What about you? What do you notice about this week in the life of Christ?

 
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Posted by on April 4, 2012 in Life

 

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Holy Week: Lessons for the Learner

03 Apr

So many times we read Scripture in a certain context or in a certain light. We read it as a love story, an instructional manual, a history book, etc. But in this time, Jesus does some significant teaching to his disciples, but also to the people. Everytime I read this passage, I can’t get over the lesson Jesus teaches by cursing the Fig Tree and then entering the Temple.

There is something significant about the connection between these two passages, especially in the context that I read it. I want to see the Church be the Church and do what God has called it to do. That drive comes from seeing dysfunction and thinking that it isn’t going great. So, you can start to see why this lesson would be significant.

Every other time that I read something about the Church not being who it is supposed to be and not stepping up to fulfill the purposes that Christ has for the Church, there is bad things that happen. People fall over dead, tables get tossed, people usually suffer greatly. in this case, the tree gets the punishment and shows us how intent Jesus is for us to bear fruit when we are supposed to bear fruit.

So, as we approach Easter, it is my prayer that when Christ looks on His Church that he doesn’t desire to curse it, that He sees it moving in the right direction. That when Christ sees the Church doing what the Church is supposed to do, that He can move the Church in the direction that He wants to move; that we can truly be His hands and feet. Because when we are the way we are supposed to be, I think we are under His control and that there is nothing that can change that movement.

 
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Posted by on April 3, 2012 in Church, Life

 

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Lessons from Holy Week: Palm Sunday

02 Apr

You know that moment when you think of something and then realize that it is too good to let slide away? Yeah, that just happened. I was sitting in my office, working on some stuff for this week, and it just hit me like a ton of bricks: This is Holy Week.

I mean, in the life of a Christian, this is one of the most important week’s ever recorded in the Bible. It is so important because without it panning out exactly as it was prophesied to, Jesus is not who He said He was, God was not who He said He was, and this whole thing is a sham. This is a very significant week in the life of a believer. So, I decided to take some time and really focus my thoughts and processing into this week and the lessons I pull from Scripture. I encourage you to journey along with me in the comment section!

At the beginning of this week, we receive Palm Sunday. I still remember having the palm branches in my hand as a kid and loving that I got to swing this thing around. Heck, I just loved having someone focus their attention on me every time that I swung that branch around like a maniac. I didn’t really know much about what it meant, partly because I lack the memory to be able to remember all of that and because I really didn’t care, I wanted a palm branch.

I was reading through the account of Palm Sunday with our Preteens and Junior Highers on Sunday and loved the lessons that even I was learning out of this passage in Matthew 21. There is so much to be pulled from these passages of Scripture. Some of the things that I notice are:

  • Jesus entered Jerusalem unlike every other king that would have entered that stage. While others would have entered on a valiant steed, Jesus came in on a donkey. He came in on a donkey to signify the peace that he embodies and came to the people with.
  • The people that were praising Jesus through their mindset and their worldview of thinking that He was going to come in and tear down the things that were already in place.
  • The lesson of how Jesus instructed them (the Disciples) where they would find the donkey (next to a colt, also indicative) representing the provision of God to do even the things that aren’t comfortable or easy.
  • The theme and pervasive undertone of humility throughout the entire story is deafening in our world of pride, greed, and comfort through our own effort. His greatness was made obvious through His embrace of His nature.

It is Palm Sunday. He rides in, humbly, on a donkey, only to go out, humbly on a cross. I mean come on. This speaks so incredibly much to the nature of His leadership and the way that He desires His followers to follow. It’s Palm Sunday and He knows that Friday is coming. But He isn’t complaining. He isn’t fussing. He isn’t trying to make this a big deal about himself. How about that for your last week on the job? Makes you think twice about the way that we want to be treated when we are going out or when we are making a very clear and significant sacrifice.

But today it’s Monday. The city is still enamored with Him. They are still amazed by Him.

Look, today, the lesson for me and maybe it is for you is simple.

When we let our emotions and desires be determined by our current situation, we lose the opportunity to see our situation through God’s perspective. 

I don’t know about you, but Jesus rode in on a donkey and out on a cross. I think a lot of times, we want to ride in like a hero in an epic movie on a white steed so people look to us to save things; to be to them who Jesus is supposed to be. And when we get done with whatever we are set to do, we want people to praise us and desire us and want to have us be the center of their attention; to be to them who Jesus is supposed to be.

I know I need to be more like Jesus. This might be one way.

 
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Posted by on April 2, 2012 in Leadership, Life

 

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