P.R.A.Y. A Prayer Recipe

“Praying Hands” via Pexels

SO LET’S TRY THIS. ALLOW ME TO GUIDE YOU THROUGH A FEW MINUTES OF PRAYER. BELOW ARE FIVE SIMPLE STEPS THAT YOU CAN USE TO HAVE A PRAYER TIME FOR YOURSELF.

01 Be Still

Take a moment and pause. As you breathe out, let the thoughts of the day leave you. As you breathe in, bring your focus onto God. Recognize His presence with you now.

02 Praise

Here’s a way you can praise God, pick three letters of the alphabet and then think of as many of God’s qualities as you can with each letter. For example, A: Awesome, able, adorable, amazing… B: Beautiful, bountiful, bold… etc. If you’ve got the time, use pencil and paper, go through the alphabet.

03 Repent

Be mindful of where you’ve fallen short today. If you’re comfortable, speak it out. Say, “Lord, I’ve been impatient,” or “Forgive me for my judgmental attitude”. We all have fallen short, and we all are invited to confess so that we may be healed.

04 Ask

This is when you can make your requests known to God. I mean he already knows, of course, but he invites us to name it. He invites us to ask. He cares for us in every dimension. Do you need money to pay for gas? Ask him. Do you need help in order to lovingly relate to a coworker? Ask him. Do you need direction for what’s next in your life? Ask. Say short, simple prayers out loud like, “Lord I need…” and “Lord, I want…”

05 Yield

This means submit; this means me aligning with God. Even Jesus said, “Not my will be done, but yours…” (Matthew 26:42). Yield means listening to God. The best kind of communication is back and forth. So far we’ve been the one doing the talking. Let’s take a few minutes and quiet our minds in the presence of God. This is that space where we become more like Him. Let’s listen for what He might say to us. Grab a pencil and write down your impressions of what God is saying.

1. God’s voice is described as a “still, small voice”, (1 Kings 19:11-12). Jesus says his sheep learn his voice, (John 10:27).

2. You might think that God speaking is a rare thing. Did you know that the most common phrase in the Bible is God spoke or God said? More than 3,000 times in the scriptures it describes God speaking.

3. It doesn’t have to be mystical; God can simply cause thoughts in your head. People use their lips, tongue, teeth and some air to cause thoughts in your head. God can skip the lips.

4. When God speaks there is often a sense of overwhelming peace.

5. When God speaks there is often a sense of authority.

6. God often speaks through the Bible. Sometimes God speaks in words, other times in pictures, or even a mini-mental-movie.

7. If you want to hear God more, read the Bible every day and yield to him.

Close your prayer time by thanking God for making it possible to be with Him.

Happy Praypril!

We’ve Renamed April to Praypril and We Are Focusing on Personal Prayer this Month

Photo: Tara Winstead via Pexels

We’ve been renaming the months in 2022 to help us focus on spiritual habits. So January became “Thank-You-Ary” and we focused on gratitude. February was “Remembruary” and we focused on remembering the things God has done. March turned into “March-itude” with a focus on solitude. Which brings us to Praypril and our focus on prayer.

Prayer is Communication

The essence of prayer is communication with God; and communication can be defined as the art of getting through. I think many of us wonder if God is there and if he really listens. Are we getting through? Over and again in the scriptures, God assures us that he listens:

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13

Prayer is Adoration

Prayer is meant to be loving. It can be an intimate thing between us and our Creator. Jesus encouraged us to pray to, “Our Father”, not some impersonal god. (See Matthew 6:9)

Prayer is Confession

When I pause to talk with God, I become more aware of my sin and selfishness. So prayer times for me include confession — I agree with God about my shortcomings and failures. I turn from this 180º towards Him. (See Hebrews 10:22)

Prayer is Thanksgiving

Every time I talk with God, I can’t help but recognize that He is good and He is taking care of us. It’s almost automatic to respond with gratitude, (Psalm 9:1).

Prayer is Supplication

This is a fancy Bible word that just means asking. In some ways prayer can be like making a grocery list. It’s asking God for what we need and what we want. God invites us to turn our worries into prayers, (Philippians 4:6-7), and to cast our cares on Him, (1 Peter 5:7).

Prayer Changes Things; Prayer Changes Me

I believe that our prayers are heard by God and He acts on our behalf. But more than that, I am seeing that prayer is the place where God changes me. It’s the place where the Holy Spirit is active within me. He invites me to align my needs, my wants, and my will with who He is.

“To say that “prayer changes things” is not as close to the truth as saying, “Prayer changes me and then I change things.” God has established things so that prayer, on the basis of redemption, changes the way a person looks at things. Prayer is not a matter of changing things externally, but one of working miracles in a person’s inner nature.”

— Oswald Chambers

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So there you go, Happy Praypril to you! Enjoy your communication with God!

Good March-itude to You!

This Month I’ve Been Exploring Solitude

“Solitude” by Rakicevic Nenad via Pexels

God is challenging me about my practices of faith. He seems to be emphasizing the daily rhythms of a life of discipleship. In January we practiced gratitude; see our Thank-You-Ary post here. We renamed February to “Remembruary” and focused on the many wonderful things God has done in our past. See our Remembruary post here. (And don’t miss Craig’s gallery of 25 years of Mission Adventures theme tee shirts here.)

This month I have been exploring solitude. There have been early morning quiet times, long solo walks, and even a day-long solitude retreat. Here’s what I’ve been learning.

A Few Thoughts on Solitude

Right now I’m on a day-long solitude retreat. Dear friends have offered me the use of their apartment near Encinitas. I’m reading, praying, listening, and writing. (I will limit my singing to in the car with the volume turned up).  

Sitting on the porch, listening to the waves and the breeze, I am rereading a bit of Dallas Willard’s Spirit of the Disciplines. Here is what I am finding:

Solitude Is a Foundation 

Purposefully removing myself from everything social for a day imitates Jesus. Pretty much every spiritual person creates this kind of space. The other disciplines of silence, fasting, prayer, etc. are built on this fundamental practice.  

Solitude Is Freeing

Today I don’t have to respond to texts, emails, or calls. Today I don’t have to fit into any social molds or meet any expectations. 

Solitude Is Scary

When I’m by myself, I become more aware of what Louis Bouyer describes as that unknown, dark, haunted abyss within… *shudder* My everyday interactions help me keep the focus off of that place, but here by myself I see it more clearly. 

Solitude Is a Place of Strength

Today I am able to place my focus on the presence of God in a way that’s more intense and for a longer period of time than in my normal routine. I feel like this is establishing, strengthening, and deepening my trust in him. 

As my retreat ends, I see that I want and need more of this purposeful time. I’m hoping to make this a regular practice, and I’m hoping to extend it to two or even three days away.

Remembering 25 Mission Adventures Themes

I’ve been posting pics of the Mission Adventures theme tee shirts on Instagram and Facebook all month.

Here they are in all their glory! Which one is your favorite?!

1997: Mission Possible

A collaboration with our friends at Truth Soul Armor and clearly inspired by a popular TV show and movie franchise, lol!

1998: Search & Rescue: Seek & Save the Lost

Another collab with Scott Brinson and Truth Soul Armor. Silver lettering was in shiny glittery ink. We were going for an ambulance vibe, haha!

1999: Route 99

This was the front of the tee… the next image was actually the back. (Sorry, no cool mockup of the back of a tee shirt). Can totally see these wings on the hood of a big old 50’s Chrysler, am I right?

1999: Route 99 To the Ends of the Earth

That big road sign was printed with the same 3M ink used on real road signs… Can you say, “Reflective”?! And that car is a drawing of an old Motorama prototype that never saw production. Peep the plate ;-)

2000: Metamorphosis - Molt • Morph • Multiply

We took the old bullfrogs and butterflies metaphor up a notch! We were inspired by Transformers toys (no movies at this point), Giant Robots and everything Japanese. Oh, and LOUD colors. The “Metamorphosis” lettering on these tees glowed in the dark — surprise!!

2000: Metamorphosis – Molt • Morph • Multiply

We took the old bullfrogs and butterflies metaphor up a notch! We were inspired by Transformers toys (no movies at this point), Giant Robots and everything Japanese. Oh, and LOUD colors. The “Metamorphosis” lettering on these tees glowed in the dark — surprise!!

2000 Metamorphosis – Molt • Morph • Multiply

This was an alternate tee. I think we printed a few of these for staff. No glow-y ink tho. Maybe if we do another print run?! Who’s in??

2001: One

This was our digital audio phase. After the chaos of the Metamorphosis theme, we were into cool blues, clean lines, simple shapes. The theme was all about Jesus, simplicity, and unity. See Eph. 4:4-6, John 17:21-22, and John 14:6. Oh, and not seen here, we had a small (1.5 in.) sweet woven label sewn onto the back chop between the shoulder blades of this tee. TLSE: That Little Somethin’ Extra

2002: Without Excuse

We got all tribal talking about how God reveals himself through what he’s made and that all us peeps are without excuse for not knowing and worshipping him. The little somethin’ extra was a 3d ink for the lettering. And that lettering is from House Industries… we went through a whole HouseInd phase bc that crew is unbelievably awesome.

2003: Burn – Set the World on Fire

Taken from Jesus startling statement in Luke 12:49 we totally got into the flames in 2003. We decided on a cleaner look, using House Industries mod typefaces. We printed the YWAM and MA logo on the sleeve this time.

2003 Burn: Set the World on Fire

This version was our staff tee and we printed it on some sweet mens and women’s garments. I called this one the “Map Matrix” version and it was def my fave design of the year.

2004: Worship - Every Knee; Every Nation

Clean, modern, and utilizing House Industries Neutraface fonts. I loved the cool grays and the hot oranges and how they worked together. The MA/YWAM Identity was actually printed on the back between the shoulder blades on these tees, not at the hem… again, no back of tee shirt mockup - sorry. We also made version of these tees for YWAM’s olympic outreach in Athens that year.

2004: Worship - Every Knee; Every Nation

This was an alternate version that I thought turned out pretty hot. We used it as a staff shirt at some locations.

2005: Bought

After all the cleanliness of the Burn and Worship themes, we had to get a bit grungy, a bit less sterile, and more hand-drawn. All the lettering was done by the amazing Wayne Shauan (who had also been helping with pretty much all the themes between 1997-2009). Note the MA/YWAM logo wasn’t printed on the chest, but on the back chop. (Remember, no good back of tee mockups — sorry!)

2005: Bought

This was our first “girls” tee. We offered it in a then trendy cap sleeved fitted version. Yes we used pink, but that’s because it looked sick on the brown tee, not because it’s only for girls.

2005: Bought

This was one of the two staff tees made that year. Sadly the art for the other tee has been lost to the ravages of time and a bad hard drive. My apologies.

2006: Detox

This is the controversial skull tee! Some felt like the art could be interpreted as glorifying death. We thought it was cool and skater-y and that it gave the gravity the theme needed to depict the seriously destructive nature of sin.

2006: Detox

This was another girls design on a cute cap sleeved tee. We loved playing with the ancient textures with the distressed lettering. I wasn’t quite done with brown yet, so that’s why this one was mostly chocolate on sky blue.

2006 Detox

This was a women’s staff tee, again with the cute and fitted cut. And the green inks on a heathered green tee was nice and trendy that year. Come to think of it, this may have been a ringer tee with a dark green collar and sleeves. Anybody got any photos of the real thing from back in the day?

2007: Lazarus

For ‘07 we wanted to tell the story of Jesus and his friend Lazarus and how in a similar way, Jesus calls us out of our tombs out into the light. We imagined that these theme tee shirts were the merch for a fictional 70’s style rock and roll band. This Lazarus Rocks tee was meant to be like an old concert tee shirt that you found in the back of your older sibling’s closet. Soft, faded, a little beat up, but ultimately cool.

2007: Lazarus

This “Raise The Dead” tee was on a sweet fitted ladies cut garment and the lettering was done by Wayne Shauan. We of course imagined that this was the name of the latest Lazarus album and that it was a total arena rocker that everyone sang along to while raising their fists and banging their heads… hahaha! Be sure to peep the MA/YWAM Identity along the hem… It’s sweeeeet!

2007: Lazarus

I’m pretty sure we never did print this one, but it looked so much like a band logo that I had to include it here. I’m catching vibes from bands like Weezer and The Strokes… not sure why. Anyone have an idea where we might have seen something like this??

2008: Trek

The Trek theme was about walking with God wherever he would take us. We were inspired by Micah 6:8. And this Do Justice tee was a big hit for us. It’s still one of my favorites. I love the crazy amount of illustrations, the distressed lettering and the simple command. There’s even a drawing in there by my then 7 year old daughter :-)

2008: Trek

The Love Mercy tee was the same color as those Product (Red) tees that were introduced in that same era. We printed the identity line inside the hem of the garment, so it was only visible to the wearer. I loved the contrast between the bold distressed lettering and the delicate flow of the spencerian script. It was meant to be pointing at the dual realities of the now and the hereafter, of our journey from temporary to eternal, our path from sinner to saint.

Trek: 2008

This walk humbly tee was fun to make. We stepped on ink with our Chuck Taylor’s and made dozens of impressions and then picked the best one to digitize. This one was used for staff, and it’s a rare example when we used four colors on a tee. The folks at Church Art Works did a masterful job on the gradient — thanks guys!

2008: Trek

This “Humble Jumble” tee was on a fashion fit garment for our staff and it was well loved even tho only a few were ever made.

2009: Re:Act

I’ve always loved drawing trees. All the branches in random directions all bringing the flow of life out to the leaves and fruit… But the crazy thing about this tree is that it wasn’t a tree… It was modeled after the network of vessels in a placenta — Crazy!

2009: Re:Act

This was my favorite color way of the Re:Act trio of tees. I’m a sucker for chocolate brown with a pop of bright orange.

2009: Re:Act

The tree is made up of all sorts of words that start with “re” and it’s kind of surprising how many “re”-words have such meaning in the Christian life… redeem, renew, restore, redo, re-up etc. etc. etc.

2010: Forward

We shortened “Forward” to “FWD” and tried to make our tees look like the icons on our phones. The idea was to go forward in every direction — whichever way God lined us up, we’d head that way and carry the Gospel with us.

2010: Forward

There’s a possibility that we did some of these tees on classy v-necks, but I can’t remember if we did it. We certainly planned to do it, but for some reason I don’t remember wearing a v-neck… anyone?

2011: Expand Heaven Here

Instead of waiting for heaven to come to us, let’s get on about the business of co-creating with God the best reflection of heaven we can right now. Definitely inspired by tattoos. Definitely about being heavenly of heart and action now and not waiting for the hereafter.

2011: Expand Heaven Here

More tattoo-y goodness. Loved the fancy lettering with all the swashes and the subtle gradients, Heaven on Earth indeed.

2012: The Basics - Love God, Love Others

We were trying to rebrand the Great Commandment. We thought of calling it “The Core” of our faith — to love God with all we are and love others as ourselves. But then, while munching on our favorite Basic Pizza in the East Village it came to us, “The Basics”! Duh…

2012: The Basics

Love love love the simple design and the MA Hexa-Logo. And the colors too. Mmmmm…

2013: All In

Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to sell all he had, give it to the poor and follow him. We don’t know what happened next, but we hope that guy did it — that he went all in. That he pushed his chips to the center of the table and bet on the Lord.

2013: All In

Two things, I can’t really remember what kind of gray tees these were on… darker I think. Second, I’m pretty sure these designs were printed with a gradient. I remember wanting more contrast and pop so for the summer print run we went with brighter inks. We were trying to evoke the design of money without making it about money. Also poker chips and playing cards. ;-)

2014: Inside Out

This one was done by the Amazing Zhenya Shulgin of St. Pete’s. We wanted to emphasize that wanting to see the world change starts inside of each of us. Not exactly, “Be the Change”, but more, “Be Changed So You Can Do Some Change”. We didn’t wanna stop with ourselves, but to pass it on to others, and together make a world that reflects love and kingdom.

2014 Inside Out

Wasn’t there a Pixar movie with this title? Wonder which one came first. We brainstormed this one in October 2013 in Burtigny, Switzerland. Also, there are a surprising number of purple shirts in this gallery. Never woulda thunk it.

2015: Unbound - Stand Up • Stand Out

We went maximum hipster with this theme. That seal with that script font and the birds tho, am I right? This one was all about the story of Hannaniah, Mishael, and Azariah and how they wouldn't bow down to the big bad king’s idol and then got thrown into that fiery furnace. They were unharmed and emerged, you guessed it, unbound!

2015: Unbound - Stand Up • Stand Out

You know what else besides birds can kinda go wherever? Ships! Ships don’t have roads, they can ply the seas in any which direction. Same with us… neat, eh?! Also that ship is bomb, as is the rope circle and that ribbon. All so very wow.

2015: Unbound - Stand Up • Stand Out

This was a staff tee that became so popular that teams were asking to buy them. So we made more. The phrase came out of someone’s mouth at our Theme Extravaganza when we were waiting on the Lord and brainstorming. Glad we wrote it down, because it captures the spirit of those three boys and their courage and how the King decreed that their god was THE GOD. Pretty cool.

2016: Exhale Inhale

This was all about exhaling all that sin and slavery and inhaling all that mercy that leads to freedom and full life. The MA Interlock logo became a favorite. I later saw it on mugs and hats on other continents. So that was cool.

2016: Exhale Inhale

I loved the lettering so much I couldn’t stop at one tee. Plus some people don’t like light blue as much as they like navy. So there you go… Navy. Also also, I’d seen for years these crazy Insurance Maps letterings from the late 1800s and early 1900s that used this crazy extravagant lettering with all this cray-mazing decoration. I had to try, and I think it turned out alright.

2017 Rockhound: Leave No Stone Unturned

Okay, so no one knew what a rockhound was at our theme team, but one guy kept lobbying for it. When we got the concept there was a collective, “OooOooouuu”, and we jumped on it. See Rockhounds are those amateur geologist types that go around looking for gems. Sounds like a good metaphor for evangelism and missions, right?!

Rockhound: Leave No Stone Unturned

I really loved the heather brown shirt, but this green was a close second. Crossed pickaxes, diamonds and a wolf howling at the moon — bangin’!

2017 Rockhound: Leave No Stone Unturned

Somehow the heather chocolate and heather green needed a buddy. So heather sand joined them, and then they were a trio of awesome tees.

2017 Rockhound: Leave No Stone Unturned

I’d seen these mono-weight line designs everywhere, and I thought Rockhound needed an example of that… on a bright green shirt. So the crossed pickaxes joined that lettering and soon we had a real diamond on our hands… ;-)

2017 Rockhound: Leave No Stone Unturned

While working on this design I felt it had kind of a retro vibe and I felt like the colors and shapes and lettering were all coming together. And when I was done I thought to myself, “Does this look like some Nature Valley Granola Bar logo?” And maybe it does.

2017 Rockhound: Leave No Stone Unturned

The Retro/Granola logo also looked sweet on the sand colored tee. So I did it. Boom.

2018 Thrive

My daughter told me small logos on the pocket were bomb and that I should do that. I did. No we didn’t take Inspo from Kaiser Permanente’s ad campaign. But we liked the word. And we liked the 80’s. So we went 80’s colors and neon-y style-y and came up with this radical message about abundant life.

2018 Thrive

Yeah so this was the MA logo staff tee for thrive. It was on a heathered purple rush tee.

2019 I Am

The wonderful Brecken Heft created the designs for our I Am theme. We felt like this was all about the incomprehensible God wanting to connect with us. It was about the mystery of Him being revealed, and that we can be a part of what He’s up to on this planet.

2019 I Am

The inks on these tees were silvery. The dye process on the garments is called ombre and there’s a subtle shift from lighter to darker tones. And it is awesome.

2019 I Am

This “Shatter” version of the art is killer… and before I forget, I think Sergio Montes may have done the lettering and let Brecken take it from there.

2019 I Am

The shatter idea is really about what happens to us when we come into contact with Him. We can’t stay the same. He remakes us as we can be. In a strange paradox, he himself took on our shattering so that we could be whole. Whooooaa.

2020-2021 The Movement of Sound and Fire

We shortened, “The Movement” to “The MVMT” because we are cool, and vowels are superfluous. Sergio did the lettering and the drawings and the flames and was an all around boss for this theme. I love this bullhorn on fire image.

2020-2021 The Movement of Sound and Fire

This Fist on Fire tee was so in your face! And it echoed our times with marches, protests, and pandemics. Oh and this is the only time in 25 years when we skipped a theme. I couldn’t imagine trying to hold a Theme Extravaganza via Zoom. And since almost no-one got to use this stuff in 2020, we held it over for a return in 2021

2022 Is It True?

This theme is from Isaiah 58 when the prophet was showing God’s people why their fasting wasn’t working… While they did the religious stuff, the poor were oppressed. True religion is caring for widows and orphans, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and breaking the chains of slaves. God is asking us, are we true?

2022 Is It True?

We felt like this year needed some color… some brights… some pastels to throw off the gloom and mark the rising of the light as God’s people align with his true worship.

2022 Is It True?

Of course we needed to do a navy colored tee… these are always everyone’s faves. And for me there’s a kind of photo-negative effect going on with the big 58… with the shadow being lighter than the numbers and all… Just me?

2022 Is It True?

We call this design the “58 Shadow” tee because of the big 58 and the shadow behind it. Also, this marks the return of House Industries to the tees… That gorgeous 58 and lovely ‘?’ is their doing.

2022 Is It True?

We call this design the “58 True” tee. Yes, I’m a total sucker for a sweet script with lotsa swash-ey goodness. Plus building up all the layers of shadow and outline on those pretty letters was delicious.

2022 Is It True?

I like the way the elements fall — it took many many many permutations to find a kind of balance and harmony for the positioning of everything.

2022 Is It True?

I learned a couple of techniques to distress the artwork using a texture from Ray Dombrowski… thanks Ray!

2022 Is It True?

All the color! Orange, pink, green, and blue all come together to make this tee rock! It IS true, haha!

Happy Remembruary!

This year marks 25 years of the Mission Adventures Network in Youth With A Mission. Kay Charlotte and I helped co-found this network along with Sean Lambert, Joe Matta, and Dave Meissner. It was (and still is) a privilege to be at the ground floor and see this come together. God used (and is still using) us to multiply the ministry we began in Los Angeles in the early 90’s.

I’ve also done some writing about how God encourages us to remember and how he can use it to shape how we think. Click the button below for more!

The Upside Down Kingdom

Power Is for Serving

A Talk I Gave to the Middle and High School Students at Eastlake Church

So two weeks ago, Kaelia introduced this topic for us and talked about how God’s Kingdom is crazy, backwards, odd, and upside down compared to what we think is normal. Last week, Teroa talked about how honor is greater than power. She told the story of how, when given the chance to take his life, young David showed honor to Saul — even though Saul was hunting him down to kill him.

So Who Is the Youngest in the Room?

Share your birth date with the person next to you. If you’re younger than your neighbor, stand up. Among those standing, pair up and compare birth dates. Youngest one stay standing until we have a winner… Okay, everyone, let’s celebrate the youngest one among us — wahoo! Haha… Wait, is this normal? Stay tuned.

Who Is the Greatest Of All Time?

Is this first guy the G.O.A.T? Six Super Bowl rings — is that what defines greatness? Okay, how about this woman? She can do things that no other woman can do, with power and grace. Is she the G.O.A.T.? Okay, how about this last one…?!

Jesus’ Disciples Wanted to Know the Answer to this Question Too

They often discussed who would get to “sit at Jesus right hand” when he came into his kingdom. They were all jockeying for the seat of honor, and for the attention of Jesus. They were concerned with their status. Even at the Last Supper, the night before Jesus was killed, they were still talking about it:

…They disagreed about which of them was thought to be the most important person. Jesus said to them, ‘The kings of the Gentiles hold power over their people. And those who order them around call themselves Protectors. But you must not be like that. Instead, the most important among you should be like the youngest. The one who rules should be like the one who serves.’ Luke 22:24-26 (NIRV) Emphasis mine

Let’s set the scene a bit:

• Earlier that evening, Jesus, their teacher and rabbi served them and washed their feet.

• Jesus had just finished showing them communion, you know with the bread and the wine?

• Jesus is distressed here, he knows that Judas is about to betray him. He knows he’ll be arrested and beaten.

• Isn’t it crazy that the disciples are arguing with each other?

• He overhears them and says the crazy-amazing upside down thing. The greatest is the servant.

Now it’s easy to criticize the disciples for not seeing the bigger picture. But often I think I’m not much different than them. I get caught up in my own self. I seek status. I want to be seen as the cool old…er guy. I want to have authority and power. And if I’m really honest, I love to be served. 

And here is Jesus turning all that upside down. 

The Way Forward Is to be Like the Youngest

So in this upside down Kingdom, we learn that the path to greatness is to serve other people, to love them even. We learn that we are to be like the youngest. Paul wrote a letter to his friend Timothy and said this: 

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIRV)

Sometimes when we get instructions like this it can be intimidating. Like, how in the world am I going to do all this? I’m just me… How can I be an example? In fact, I’m afraid to step out and serve… Welp, Paul also wrote this to Timothy: 

“God gave us his Spirit. And the Spirit doesn’t make us weak and fearful. Instead, the Spirit gives us power and love. He helps us control ourselves.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIRV)

The Spirit of God is in you and can help you to serve. 

Let’s Make This Real

<Pass out note cards and pencils>

Let’s take a next step here. Pencils and note cards are being passed out right now. Who will you serve? I want you to picture someone in your mind. Say a quick silent prayer to God and ask him, “Who can I serve? What can I do for them?” Take a minute to think into this. Write down a name. Write down something you can do to serve them. This does not have to be a huge thing at all. It can be simple. It can be pure. It can be you being an example in the way you live. You have God’s spirit in you. You can be great in serving. 

Before you leave tonight, show your card to someone you trust. Ask them to help you. Ask them to ask you later this week if you’ve done the service. 

One More Upside Down Thought

Jesus said another crazy upside down thing. “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.” (See Matthew 25:40). Serving others is serving Jesus. Now get out there and serve!

Pride, Humility, & Vulnerability

I gave a talk for the Eastlake Church young adults a few weeks ago. Here’s transcript, I hope you enjoy!

Check Out Eastlake.Young.Adults on Instagram for more pics of this ministry

Intro: Community Is a Theme Here

Community is a theme for us here. If you spend any time at all as part of this tribe, you’ll see that it’s something that we are focused on, something that we come back to, something that we are committed to creating. There are other themes. One of them is identity — who we truly are. Another is becoming more like Jesus — this is discipleship. Tonight our focus is on community. 

We Are Made for Community

Okay, let’s talk about connecting and community. This is why we are here tonight. We all have this perfect built-in weakness for one another. We need each other. There’s an on purpose, built-in need to truly know others and be truly known ourselves. Are you feeling this? I think the last year and a half has amplified this for me and for many others. So… How can this happen— how can we connect, how can we create community? And what can get in the way?

Let’s Define Pride

Let’s talk about pride for a second. I feel like this is probably the biggest obstacle to community. In fact, most sin can be traced back to pride — it’s like the foundation for many ways to go wrong. Let’s define it. What does pride mean to you? Discuss at your tables, come up with a definition, or even better come up with a story from your life when pride kept you from what you wanted. 

Craig’s Favorite Definition of Pride

Pride is disagreeing with God about who you are: 

“I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” Romans 12:3 (NLT)

Superior Pride

• Easy to spot in others

• Sometime hard to spot in ourselves, lol

• Thinking that you are better than you really are

Inferior Pride

• Can be hard to see, because it is camouflaged as “spiritual” 

• Thinking that you are worse than you are

• Can lead to becoming a doormat, to a negative cycle about your identity; poor self-image, poor self-esteem. 

• It leads to that never-ending hustle for worthiness. 

Let’s Define Humility

Okay, so if that’s what pride is, what then is humility? Can you grasp it — can you define it?

Humility is agreeing with God about who you are. 

I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.” Romans 12:3 (NLT)

But there’s more to it, somehow. When we agree with God about who we are, it can change our behavior. It can help us come to terms with the reality of our identity. We can be more free to be ourselves. There’s an element of exposure to it. 

Humility is being known for who you are. 

Humility is an awareness of both strengths and weaknesses, flaws and flexes. It’s seeing ourselves in the reality of who we truly are. This can be harsh lighting. This can reveal some less than attractive stuff going on in here. And somehow, humility also acknowledges the truth of our creation — that we’re made in The Image. That there is intrinsic goodness, and that there are talents and skills that reflect God’s character and ways. 

As far as community tho, It’s the being known part that matters most. When we can be ourselves. When we can let our guard down, when we can not “armor up”, then we can truly connect. It’s this vulnerability that allows us to form community. Yes, there’s the potential to be rejected. This is the price. This is the “necessary evil” that we have to risk in order to be accepted, to feel love, and to belong. 

I know a lovely woman who for years felt like she had to “dumb it down” in order to meet guys. She felt like she had to hide her genius in order to find acceptance. I tell you the truth, she never knew if the guy actually liked her for the woman she was, or for the silly girl she was pretending to be. You can be sure only if you make sure we know you…

If you are worthy of love and belonging, then set aside your pride. Let down your guard. Let us know you. Let us know your shortcomings — but more than that, reveal to us your superpower.  

The 1 to 5 Game

At your table is a bag labeled, “The 1 to 5 Game”. Pass the bag around your table and pick out a slip of paper from in the bag. Don’t peek! Rate yourself 1 to 5 on how strongly you agree with the statement you drew. Don’t overthink it, but have a reason for your number. 

1 is Strongly Disagree, 5 is Strongly Agree

I feel accepted by others (Romans 15:7)

I feel accepted by God (Romans 15:7)

I am a child of God (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1-2)

I am a sinner (Romans 3:23)

I am made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27)

God knows who I am (Jeremiah 1:5)

I belong (1 Corinthians 12:27)

I am chosen (1 Peter 2:9)

God is alive in me (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Share your statement with your tablemates, tell them the number you picked and why. 

Note that there’s a Bible verse referenced on your slip. Keep this, and make a point of looking this verse up before you go to bed tonight. 

The “Who Needs This?” Game

The following statements are written on separate slips of paper in a bag on the table. Table members each take a slip, and share it aloud with the table. Then together, the table decides who needs that particular slip of paper. The idea is that the group gives that slip with that sentiment to the “right” person. The slips of paper could even be credit card sized so they easily fit in a wallet so it can serve as a reminder…

You are a joy

You are allowed to make mistakes

Your needs are a delight

You have nothing to prove

You are lovable

It is good you exist

You are good enough

Closing Thought

So pride gets in the way of our community. If we think of ourselves as better than others, we’ll act like others are not worthy of our time and attention. They’ll see this, and it will push them away. If we think of ourselves as less than, we’ll struggle with our own worthiness of connection, belonging, and love. We’ll feel this, and we’ll keep ourselves away. Humility is living in the messy reality of who we are. It recognizes flaws, sees strengths, and gives permission to grow and become. It allows us to be ourselves, and when we are ourselves, we can be known. We can experience love and belonging. It creates opportunity for right relationship — and this is unity. Let’s embrace these truths we are learning about ourselves. Let’s connect for real.