Where does authority come from?

Just like with Foundations, authority comes from true knowledge.

You answer with shakiness if you are not certain. If you know the Earth is round, you do not hesitate to respond. You answer with confidence every time. “Of course it’s round.”

I believe that authority concerning God and his Word is the same way. Jesus displayed authority when he taught. He knows God intimately and ultimately. No one questioned Jesus’ answers after he spoke with authority. No one else was that confident in their question or answer.

If you have been in the Presence, you have seen God and have a measure of true knowledge of God. You don’t have to quote Scripture because you have something of more substance for you: experience.

Preachers who have not experienced the presence of God cannot have true authority in their teachings. They are quoting what someone else has seen or experienced. The Scriptures are to be a testimony as a reason to launch you into your own experience, not to rely on solely.

This is not to say that Scriptures are lacking in Truth or that they are somehow not for other purposes, like being useful for teaching and correcting. The point of Scripture is to get you to know the Author, not just memorize words or be familiar with the text to know where pieces of wisdom are.

It’s like the difference between reading Seth Godin’s blog and hanging out with him. You have much more authority on the subject of who he is and what he is like after you have spent time with him. It is the same way with God. You have much more authority to say what God is like and what he desires if you have spent time with him instead of only having read the book he inspired. That knowledge is secondhand.

This authority is necessary because you won’t always have the Bible handy to point to someone with authority’s retelling. Instead you can simply testify to what you truely know. That is the kind of authority that is lacking in my life, and I believe it is lacking in churches across the country.

Overwhelmed

There is something to say for being overwhelmed.

It puts you in a place where you have to accept that the world is bigger than you can possibly handle.  It makes you realize that there are more and greater ways that you could spend most of your time.  It also can be a great way to improve or destroy your life.

Being overwhelmed can be unhealthy if you look at your situation from the point of view that it should be easier and that you deserve somethign different.  Like the past was better.  Like I shouldn’t have to work this hard.  Like I am not supposed to feel like this until I have legit gray hair (right now it’s just creeping in).

Being overwhelmed can also be a very healthy thing.  It makes you take a step back and figure out where you are going.  It brings a new perspective that you wouldn’t have to face if everything were manageable.  The feeling of needing other people to complete a task is good for your friendships and for your friends.  Calling on people to help you puts value on them, and builds substance into your relationship.

I feel overwhelmed right now.  I hope that I make the most out of it.

Don’t underestimate the power of transperency/communication

Recently I realized that I have been under a lot of stress, mostly stemming from a combination of work, volunteering and moving.  I have had a lot of new stresses corresponding with the level of repsonsibilities that have been added to my life over the last two months.  I can already see how God is stretching me and causing me to step out of comfort/safety to actually lead.

I am learning that going ahead and admitting inadequacies and stresses to my co-workers and supervisors right now instead of burning out is a beautiful thing.  It is keeping me honest and humble, while building trust and team spirit.  It is always surprising to see how other people are ready and willing to step up and help shoulder weight when you actually ask for it instead of telling people from a position of power.  It seems like people respond better to an explanation and a request than an unclear/unexplained demand.  While that may seem like common sense, I think the natural tendency for leaders is to protect our position by keeping people at a distance and making them do what we wish instead of inviting them to be a part of what we all know needs to get done.

I have had two really amazing conversations that have really helped to lighten the stresses with my co-workers and student ministry folks.

Manage THIS!

In a surprise move, I was asked to step up into a managerial position at my job not too long ago.  I took the position after much prayer and consideration last Monday.  I have no clue what I am doing, but my boss is very gracious and patient with me.

I am beginning to realize that the position is a job in and of itself, it is not just added responsibility.  I have spent more time over the last week in meetings and fielding questions than with any other leadership role I have had so far.  It has been great, and challenging, but will take some time to really understand what I am supposed to do.

I find that I work well with a defined role, and a clear set of expectations.  This not only pushes me to meet requirements, but also gives me an edge to where I can safely explore options and alternative methods.  I like to see where I need to be, complete it, then move on to challenge myself and my supervisor’s expectations.  There seems to be something inside of me that wants to go above and beyond, just to see if I can do it.

I realized this morning that I need to make sure that between my full-time position at Frontier Label and volunteering with student ministry that I need to make sure that both of my supervisors have given me enough direction and have set clear enough expectations so that I can move forward with purpose and not get bogged down in juggling unspoken tasks/demands.  It hit me like a ton of bricks this morning.  Kind of crazy.

Back Breaking

I work out with a guy who is… how shall I say… a beast.  He crafts these amazing and ridiculous workouts for a few of us from work to kill ourselves with.  When we first started working out he told me that there is a decent portion of working out that is mental.  I didn’t know what that meant exactly, but today confirmed it.

This occurred in two differing ways.  The first was when the guys were setting up the weight to be lifted, they started putting a lot more on than I thought I could ever move.  I told them, half joking that I was gonna have to work out on a different aparatus, because of the low amount of weight I was expecting to lift.  They convinced me that because of the way we were lifting, the small motion with that big weight wasn’t gonna be a big deal.  So, I tried.  I had never done that exact exercise and did not know what I was capable of.  No preconceived notions of what was normal for me.  WHAT?! I actually lifted with the guys who had been at this for a few years longer than me.  I am slowly turning into a beast.  Not really.  When my mind was set that the weight wasn’t a big deal and I believed it, not just wanted to believe it, my body compensated for the difference.  It didn’t hold itself back in fear of failure or injury.  That was encouraging and awesome.

Exact opposite time.  I was doing an excercise that I knew I was capable of, and I normally don’t know how many reps I am supposed to do when I do my first set.  Jared (the beast) told me after my first set, try and get 10 on this one.  I confidently told him that I got 15 on the last set, so I thought that 10 would be no problem.  Then I said “now watch me struggle to get ten now that I know how many I am supposed to do.”  That is exactly what happened.  I was limited on that set to not quite reaching 10 reps.

I really believe that the mind is a very powerful tool and that God has made us with the ability to go beyond what we are normally capable of when we believe legitimately that we can do what we are called to.  Just like when I stepped up with no assumptions to the rack pulls, if I believe that what I am doing is well within normalcy and have no idea what is required of me, I can thrive.  When I put requirements and limits on myself, I will almost always fall short of them.  I believe this is part of the beauty of salvation.  The laws are gone, the requirements are not stated.  Simply: Imitate Christ.  Lift the weight.  Know that what is inside of you is made to do that work that you are called to, believe that you are called to it and don’t allow limits and requirements to drag you down.  In the Old Testament, limits were put on people and sin abounded.  In the New Testament, freedom from limits is given and grace abounds.

Freedom in Christ.

Quarter Century Mark

So, I am now 25. A forth of the way to the big C. A score and a quarter. I guess I get to look forward to lower rates on my car insurance starting soon. I think 25 is a solid age, well enough into adulthood to be legit and responsible, but not at the point where 30 is impdending doom on my youth. I hope to spend the next year figuring out what I was put on this earth to do and charging after it whole-heartedly.

I would like to thank my Mom and Dad for liking each other enough for me to be here. Also for loving me after I got here. I love you guys so much.

Work, and Work

Trying to balance work and ministry and get everything done excellently for both is really crazy right now.  By the grace of God we are receiving some favor and work just keeps streaming in right now at Frontier, but it is non-stop juggling phone calls and productivity with my assigned roll.

With student ministry, we are having some tremendous success, also by the grace of God.  Students keep coming back and they seem to be liking the event and are challenged by the video teaching and small group time.  It is pretty awesome.  I am trying to wrangle some pretty cool opportunities for the opening event, but am having a tough time getting it together because of the time of year and the reluctance of schools to partner with local churches, especially new churches without a local track record.

All I do know is that God is going to have to give me the mental clarity, rest and attitude of Christ if I am going to make it through all of this in a glorifying manner.