Patching Holes

Just this past weekend the teenagers that I minister to went to work patching some holes in the fellowship hall of our church. I have to be honest. I'm impressed with the result. It looks good and I was happy to see how they worked together and each and every one of them had a hand in it.

One of them measured, a few of them took turns cutting. Others climbed the ladders while someone else manned the screw gun to fasten the boards to the wall. Even one of them helped in the clean up.

In the middle of the project we stopped and ate and I led a quick devotion based on Micah 6:8----

8 He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

It's a great piece of scripture and has a lot to say about how we need to live our lives as believers. I hope that you can be encouraged as well by this passage.

It really provides a filter as to our responsibility in this world.

First, we need to act justly. I like to say that we need to "act in justice" or "provide justice." Now I'm not talking some crazy social justice agenda, but we need to be champions for those who are not as fortunate as we are. Justice is definied as "fairness."

In a world where often times fairness is lacking, we have the opportunity as Believers to provide it to the people and the situations that we encounter. What kind of impact could we have as Christ Followers if we can break the stereotype of the judgemental, right wing, fundamental Christian with our "fair" actions? I believe that we could do much more in the task of bringing people towards Christ instead of away from Him.

Secondly, we need to love mercy. Like always, extending Grace to all is central to everything we do. How can we not when Grace is poured out on us so freely. I don't deserve the blessings and even the life that I have. Mercy has been given to me, from God, through Christ. How can I deny my fellow man that gift.

Bottom line: I can't.

We all have a tremendous obligation to extend mercy and grace to a very hurt world. Like the holes in the wall, we need to be there to help make the world around us look a little better. It will take some work. It will take some time. We even might have to push the boundaries of our faith and get up on the ladder and do things that we haven't done before. I'm willing to get my hands a little dirty. Are you?

Lastly, walk humbly. We need to live this life serving others, but not boasting about it. If we boast at all, the credit needs to be focused on Christ.

I work with juvenile deliquents full time outside of ministry. Every day, each youth must show evidence of a "target area" that is assigned to them. My favorite is initiative. One particular youth with this target area decided to let it be known that he was going above and beyond the requirements of a specific task.

I gently criticized him and explained that "taking initiative" is doing what needs to be done AND not drawing attention to it.

I'm amazed at how many churches and organizations try to toot their own horns when it comes to serving people and doing good. If the motivation is to draw attention, aren't we really missing the point?

The Church is a great abuser of this mentality. We do things. We get involved in things just to make ourselves a name. Of course, we couch this in the idea of drawing people to the church so that we can present the Gospel.

Shouldn't we let the Holy Spirit convict hearts? Shouldn't we do good for the sake of doing good? We need to walk humbly and let God do the tooting.

Imagine what would be accomplished if we could all live our lives through that lens. The results would be incredible.

Afterwards, I was at the church alone, doing some last minute checks on the lights and such and I just stood in the gym and looked at where those holes used to be and the patches that are there now.

It kind of all came together in that one moment.

Here is a group of teenagers living that out. Yes, they made the holes, but here they were actively doing their part in the repair.

We as The Church have made some huge holes in the world. We've hurt people. We've made messes. We've broken things, but are we going back to repair the damage?

We all have a part to play in patching up the holes we've all made. The best way to do that: Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.

Made Perfectly Imperfect

Sometimes Youth Ministry is frustrating and sometimes it's amazing.

I think God really does has a sense of humor. He really does know when to push my buttons and also gives me some reprieve right when I need it. One night at our Youth Fellowship was one of those nights.

I've grown reminiscent lately. I'm working on close to ten years of part time youth ministry and I find myself looking back upon some of the more relevant events that have occurred in this past decade.

Looking back on that particular night I really didn't want to go to Youth Group and I wasn't particularly jazzed about my lesson, but like we all do I sucked it up and trudged on.

Things were going pretty good, I was on auto pilot and during the lesson I really went into auto pilot. We got talking about the Roman Road, specifically Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God." This is one of those "youth ministry talk" standards. One of those talks that you could give in your sleep.

Mentally, I was asleep, but God always has a great way to wake us up.

I remember going on about how we are in desperate need of Love from the Savior. How we are all sinners, we've all failed, and no matter how hard we try we will never be able to earn our Salvation. It was at this point that one of the kids said something that will always stay with me...

Youth: "So, Jason, you're saying that we are made to sin?"

Me: "Well, not exactly, but God did create us. He did give us the ability to have desires and we inherited "Sin" from Adam and Eve.

Youth: "Ok, so God could've just created us without the capacity to sin. He could have, like, turned that off, right?"

Me: "Well, yeah, He could have..." (I'm not too sure on how to respond here)

Youth: "So, God made us Perfectly Imperfect. He knew we would sin and that we would need His Grace. He gave us a desire for Him because He didn't take away our desire to sin..."

At this point, I have no Idea what to say. All the other kids are shaking their heads, understanding his point. God made us Perfectly Imperfect. We are created with a desire to know Him because of our Imperfectness....That's deep.

I know I need to keep thinking about that, and to this day it still jars me. At the same time it makes me thankful for the time I have to spend with these kids. Now I go to church in anticipation for another such moment.

I know it will come, right when I need it the most.

Growing Up Asian

I've lived in Grove City my entire life. Whenever I interview for a job I always have this cute line I give when I'm telling the interviewer about myself.

I love Grove City. It's a great place to raise kids. Good School. Good People. I was born in Grove City, grew up in Grove City, and will probably die in Grove City.

I'm also half Filipino. For those of you who are of the um....more homogeneous persuasion or maybe you're just more Caucasian than anything else...growing up Asian in small western Pennsylvanian town is definitely a very interesting experience.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I really have no qualms about being self depreciating about my ethnicity. I've never taken myself too seriously and most times I will beat people to the punch in poking fun at my "differentness." That's not too say that sometimes the stereotypes stung a little.

I remember one fellow classmate that continued to call me "Gook." I have a high tolerance for ignorance and just general stupidity, but that word has always sat very wrong with me. This teen decided to make it his high school hobby to taunt me with this moniker.

As providence would have it, he ended up in my gym class one blessed school year.

Now, I was by no means a star athlete in high school, but I was blessed with enough coordination to compete in most sports. My "racist foe" was not. (We'll dub him "RF" from this point on.)

It was glorious.

Every Wednesday and Friday, I could compete against the RF.

First it was "Marty Ruley's School of Self Defense." That year I had the opportunity to bring RF to the floor two times. He was even wearing his Asic's Wrestling Shoes.

Second, it was tag football and of course I lined up opposite to RF. I was on him like white on rice and was even able to get a few cheap shots in. Ruley didn't seem to really want to throw a flag. (It being yellow and all, I'm sure Ruley was just being sensitive to my ethnicity.)

There was basketball, where I fouled the crap out of him every game. Volleyball, where I was able to serve it right into his head and the hits just kept coming all year long. Amazingly things never escalated to fisticuffs, but words were definitely exchanged in the gym and in the locker room.

Ironically, much like the Vietnam War, this "Gook" had combated the enemy and broke his resolve. He gave up and the taunts and the racial epitaphs ended. Score for this Asian!

Though it was a personal victory, the Asian community in Grove City still suffers. Here's my personal top ten list of what it's like growing up Asian:

1. Everyone thinks you should be good at math and science.
2. The assumption is that your dad is a Doctor.
3. You will be Chinese, no matter what kind of Asian you really are.
4. In every group project you will be the "recorder."
5. You will know EVERY version of the "Chinese, Japanese, Dirty Knees" rhyme.
6. The only sport you should really be good at is Tennis. (Thank You Michael Chang)
7. The only instrument you should play in band is the trumpet.
8. You squint when you talk.
9. You should be related to Data or Short Round.
10. If your parents aren't doctors, then that is what you should be going to college for.

So, next time you see your favorite Asian, give him an extra pat on the back. He's had a rough time of it...

Girl Games

I love my wife. For really. I do.

She's a great woman. She's everything that I'm not. Organized. Aware. Focused. She's a hard working woman who has the really hard job of keeping her crazy, flighty, and ADHD husband in line and going.

We have been dating for half of our lives. Doing life together, growing up together, and having fun every step of the way.

It's been challenging at times. We've had our fair share of craziness, but I'm thankful for how our marriage has grown and improved through each tribulation. The good has extremely outweighed the bad and if I could do it all over again, I would.

BUT...

Being a husband is tough. God has made us extremely different from the opposite gender. We process things differently and communicate differently. Men most times operate in the "black and white" while women thrive in the "grays."

I like to call this particular quality "Girl Gaming."

Instead of asking us to rub your shoulders, you make comments about how much your shoulders hurt. Instead of asking us to help clean up after dinner, you talk about what kind of a crazy day that you have had. All the while, expecting us husbands to pick up on these subtle hints. Then you get upset when we don't meet those expectations.

Ladies. Guess what. Stop "Girl Gaming" us! Honestly, it has taken my wife and I almost 14 years to finally get to the point where I'm beginning to understand this. Let me emphasize, BEGINNING to understand. I am in no way a professional in this area at all, nor do I play one on TV.

It's such a delicate dance and it takes a delicate, listening ear and a lot of patience to get through these girl games. Sometimes I wish that women came with subtitle translations. It would make our lives so much easier.


In many ways though, that's exactly how God communicates with us sometimes. God works in the subtleties.

There is that great passage that I continue to go back to throughout my life. Elijah has just brought down fire from Heaven in his confrontation with the prophets of Baal. God shows His power greatly through Elijah. Afterwards, Elijah flees. Jezebel wants his head and he goes on the lam. The Lord comes to speak to Elijah and comes not in the great wind, not in the earthquake, and not in the fire. Instead, He comes in a gentle whisper.

Listening to the Lord speak in our lives takes a delicate, listening ear and a lot of patience. Like women, God doesn't come with subtitles, even though it would make things that much easier.

God is in the Gray. And like my marriage, it's taken me a long time to realize this. I have to be listening well when both my wife and God is talking to me. When we do this our, relationships are so much more rewarding.

Now if you'll excuse me, I think Kelly's subtitles just said that I need to come cuddle on the couch with her.

Thoughts inspired from a "weak throw from left"

For those of you who don't know, I am a huge Pirates fan.

I've loved the Buccos nearly all my life.

I think it all started when I was around six years old and I began collecting baseball cards. Every week I would try and earn enough allowance to buy a pack or two of baseball cards. I remember collecting them and sorting them into teams and picking out my favorites. I remember the Pirates deck of cards that I had with John Candelaria, Kent Tekulve, and Tony Pena just to name a few. I especially was fond of John Candelaria.

My mother is Filipino and we would take a monthly trip down to the Strip District in Pittsburgh and go shopping at a few Filipino markets. On one of these trips I remember walking down the aisle of Sanbok, which was one of the best Filipino shops on Penn Avenue and coming across the towering presence of John Candelaria. I recognized him immediately and froze and stared in wonder.

Luckily my mom was with me and she started speaking with John Candelaria's wife, who was Filipino. They struck up a conversation in rapid fire Tagalog (a major Filipino dialect) and the next thing I knew John Candelaria bent down and shook my hand.

He looked at my Pirates hat and smiled and said "Good choice in teams...Nice to meet you." Finally shaken out of my daze I told him it was nice to meet him as well and that I had his baseball card at home. He patted me on my seven year old head and said, "Well, keep rooting for us." My mom and his wife ended their conversation and we all said our goodbyes and I've been a Pirates fan every since.

Most of that time has been in frustration though, as they have managed to have a losing record in the each of the past 18 seasons. Once again, as this baseball season comes to a close, I'm haunted by the memory of a "weak throw from left."



I'm also thankful.

Seasons end and ultimately begin over again. Like Roger Hornsby, "I stare out the window and wait for spring to come." And it does. Last year becomes a memory and the slate is wiped clean again. Hope is restored.

Everyday I am amazed at how this idea resonates in ALL aspects of life. In our relationships. In our professions. In our Spiritual walks. Seasons of our lives end. Our past mistakes, missteps, and deeds are wiped clean. Hope is restored.

My hope in Christ: That Grace continues to flow abundantly.
My hope in the Pirates: More wins than losses...

Reverse Trick or Treat!!

Here's my submission for the Compassion365's Halloween podcast on 10/31. Podcasting for Compassion is a daily podcast dedicated to raising funds and awareness for Compassion International. You can check them out and subscribe to their feed at
http://compassion.socialgivingpodcast.com .
The challenge is to write a 100 word story that infuses the theme of compassion with Halloween. At first I thought this would be cake, but as I started to write, I realized just how quickly 100 words can be thrown down.

These 100 words actually took me longer to write than some of my papers from college! I hope you enjoy and are inspired to participate. If you would like to submit a 100 word story of compassion and Halloween, you can email your writing to compassion365 {at} gmail {dot} com.

This story is dedicated to the Compassion Child that our youth ministry sponsors, Nsengiyaremye Sylvain from Rwanda.

Leaves rustled as Chloe and Corban shuffled past. Costumed children abounded in the neighborhood, going house to house gathering sweet confections, but the duo paid no attention. Behind them they lugged a large Radio Flier filled with plastic bags. They pulled this cart up to the only house not festooned with decorations and lifted it onto the porch and rang the doorbell. A boy answered, hobbling on crutches, the spinabifida hindering his mobility, his eyes wide as he spied the cart heaped with treats. Everyone on the street seemed to stop and stare as the two gleefully exclaimed: “Reverse Trick or Treat!”

You can sponsor a child through Compassion International: www.compassion.com

Crosswords and Soduko

I've become addicted. No, it's not smoking or drinking or even some other vice.

It's crosswords.

Strange, but I've come to enjoy solving crosswords. There's a satisfaction in finally coming up with that missing word that totally unlocks the crossword. It's also helped to expand my lexicon. Where else could I have learned words like: Alee, Aria, Roc, Melee, and Obi. There are more, but you get the idea.

One day I was feeling a little over confident and decided to tackle the the daily Soduko puzzle. For those of you that don't know, Soduko deals with numbers. I thought, hey if I can do a crossword I can figure this thing out.

Let's just say that I was proven wrong and pretty quickly. 30 mins into it and I was ready to snap my pencil in half and burn that paper. I've never really liked numbers and my hatred was definitely amplified with that experience.

I've come to learn that youth ministry is very much like my dealings with puzzles. There's a sense of accomplishment when we find that one little thing that "unlocks" a student. I relish those "Aha" moments when their eyes light up with understanding and awareness. On the other hand, I have also found that when I try something new it can fail miserably. When kids don't seem to be getting it or aren't consistent, I find myself wanting to break something!

I wonder if sometimes God feels that same about us. I wonder if He does a touchdown dance everytime one of us finally "gets it." I wonder if He clenches His fists when we really screw it up.

I don't know, but what I do know is that God keeps trying. He doesn't give up and He uses everything He can to try and unlock our hearts and minds.

This coming school year, our youth group will be looking at those different ways that God has been trying to reach us, more specifically how He has used certain objects to teach us about Him. We'll look at rocks, clay, water, sand and how all of these objects are used in the Bible to help us understand who God is and what He's all about.

Please join me in praying for these students and also for our leaders. Pray that hopefully these lessons will hit home and be that one thing that unlocks some puzzling things in these teenagers lives. Also, pray that my only frustrations will be with my attempts at Soduko and not with my dealings with youth ministry.

In the meantime, does anyone know a four-letter word that means Lummox?