Introverts and Extroverts.

I basically know nothing about Susan Cain, but I love her.

Her book "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking," now holds a place in my top 5 favorite non-fiction books of all time. 

Several chapters in "Quiet" are devoted to introducing (and then debunking) the myth in our society of an "extrovert ideal" - that in order to be well-liked, successful, or a leader, you must be an extrovert. She defines this ideal as: "the omnipresent belief that the ideal self is gregarious, alpha and comfortable in the spotlight...Introversion, along with its cousins sensitivity, seriousness and shyness- is now a second-class personality trait.

Cain introduces an incredible amount of psychological and medical research in many of her chapters, especially those on the idea of personality and temperament. She closes, appropriately so, with a few chapters about living as an introvert in an extrovert world (and succeeding at it).

At the end of the day, I won't remember the intriguing stories, insightful comments or surprising statistics about anything Cain discusses in her book. But weeks after finishing the book I think about it daily, because it has greatly encouraged me to just be myself. It's given me insight into who I am, and helped me see that I need to be honest with myself about how God has made me. I have to live out who I am, regardless of what the world may think or expect of me. Dare I say, neither introvert nor extrovert is the true ideal - God made them both, made people to be one or the other or a mix of both. And that's good.

If you're an introvert, or dating/married to one, or you have one in your immediate family, or if you don't understand them, (...or even if you think you do)... I suggest checking out "Quiet."

Parking Meters, Coffee and Independence.

I just saw an interesting commercial that got me thinking. The 30-second spot was about a guy going around town plugging meters for people, because he saved so much money on car insurance (from Progressive, if you are wondering). That would be fun to do, don't you think?

The city of Minneapolis recently installed new parking meters, so you can pay for parking not only with cash, but also with a credit/debit card. A very cool system, I have to say. But part of me feels like advances in technology and processes like this make it a lot easier for me to watch out for myself, and rely on God, or other people, less. Not that I'm dependent on someone to randomly offer to pay my $2 to park downtown - but I think about having to ask someone to borrow quarters to pay for my parking, and how ridiculous it is that I think that I'm imposing on someone if I do that.

When I think about this example, I think of it in a grander scheme. I think of the mentality that I don't need people in my life to get by; I can provide for myself no matter what I might need- or want.

A few weeks ago, I was on my way to work and I really wanted to stop at Starbucks - but I decided not to. Soon after I arrived at work, a coworker stopped by my cubicle and asked if I had any coffee yet that day - she wanted to take me out as a thank you for helping her with something earlier in the month.

Her kind and unexpected offer, along with our chat on the way to and from the coffeeshop, was much sweeter than the actual coffee she bought me. And it was way more fun to drink coffee with someone else.

Whether it's a parking meter or a cup of coffee, an unexpected gift can really brighten someone's day. But, this isn't a post about doing random acts of kindness. It's moreso a reminder that being too concerned with meeting my own needs and fulfilling my wants leaves less room for personal interaction in my life. And more importantly, less room for God to show me how he does care about me and can meet my needs (and even how he meets my wants!).

When People Are Big and God is Small

Every time I hear someone talk about John 4, the story of the woman at the well, I chuckle. There was a week in my life a few years back when God was really trying to get my attention through the story of the woman at the well. It just kept coming up in a variety of ways, (my pal JB can attest to this), and it was hard to ignore.

If I were to look back over the last year of ministry, I can see a couple prevalent themes that stick out like a sore thumb (thumbs, I guess). Especially as of late, one of these themes is strong - And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:1-2ish).

I have a natural tendency is to think about the ways I can be improving myself, and growing emotionally, mentally, spiritually, etc. It's a good thing, and something we should strive for as believers who want to continue to grow to be like Christ. But, there's something to be said about taking our eyes off ourselves and setting them on Jesus. When my eyes are constantly fixed on my flaws instead of the One who is the perfecter of my faith, my relationship with God becomes all about me.

This very topic is continually set before me this semester. My staff team is reading a book called "When People Are Big and God Is Small." I highly recommend it, even if you don't wrestle with people being bigger than God in your life. The author of this book points out that we can tend to make people bigger than they ought to be in our lives - for example, by fearing what they think of us, instead of what God thinks of us.

This has been an incredibly eye-opening book for me to read. It's my natural tendency when reading this book to make a list of all the ways I make people bigger than God in my life. But the author points out many times throughout the book that the way to alleviate this is to grow our view of God, and that will in turn diminish our inappropriately big view of people.

I love analogies, so let me explain with one relating this back to the woman at the well. My tendency when I hear that story is to make a list of my wells - all the places I go to satisfy my thirst that I shouldn't. There's the well of performance, knowledge, approval from others, etc. The point is not to focus on getting rid of these wells - the point is to continually draw from the well that offers living water. I will probably always be tempted by these other wells, but when I'm focused on the water Jesus offers, I will naturally continue to go to him instead of the other wells.

Hopefully that makes some sense! Seriously, check out that book if it sounds even a little appealing to you at all. You won't regret it!

Wedding Bells

Around 36 hours from now, I will be heading to my brother's wedding! I was talking about marriage tonight with my roommate, and how significant events change our perspective, passions and purpose in life. Marriage is one of those events for sure, and having kids. I can't imagine the sacrifice that goes into preparing for and being a parent. You're always a parent, forever. Irreversible life change that brings sacrifice and blessings and challenges and memories. I'm so excited to celebrate my brother's marriage to a great gal this weekend. (And, I finally get a sister after 25 years of only brothers!)

Perspective.

If by chance you're checking in to see if I've blogged lately about the summer projects returning... I haven't! Sorry. Well, I guess this one technically is about them, because I just wanted to leave a quick note that I am so amazed at the things God's done this summer through our six international projects. I was reading some of the project director prayer letters the other day and got the more extreme case of goosebumps I've had ever! Pretty soon tears were streaming down my face after taking in all that they shared through a simple newsletter.

The Gospel going out into the world to people who are destined for death without it is one of the most important things in my life. The redemption that is possible through Jesus is the best news ever, and I never want to lose sight of that.

It's ridiculous how often I lose sight of this mission. Even in the midst of my role in ministry this summer with our projects, I lost sight of the purpose: bringing glory to God through sharing the life-changing Gospel with others.

More on this later, because this is supposed to just be a quick note. Stay tuned for stories from all around the world ... can't wait to share them!

Day of Prayer

Today was the CCC Worldwide day of prayer. Being able to pull away from the craziness of ministry and gather with like-minded people to pray for our world was incredibly encouraging.

Last week was so busy, by the time Easter rolled around I was so emotionally and mentally spent I couldn't reflect on the significance of the day. I didn't get a chance to go to a Good Friday service, so getting to spend an hour or so this morning reflecting on the cross and events leading up to Jesus' death and resurrection really made up for that.

I was able to lead the group in 30 minutes of worship this morning. I can honestly say it was one of the best worship sets that I've ever experienced. I sensed that hearts were really engaged in worship; people were connecting with the heart of God, which was my prayer the whole time. And everyone sang so loudly, I could barely hear myself at times...and that just makes it fun. It was about as far away from a performance as you can get, which can be a struggle.

To stop in the midst of a super busy week and sit before God for several hours is very humbling. It leads me to admit that I am only able to do my job because He enables me to; and He can do more in a minute than I can do in a month. He doesn't need my work- He wants my worship. There are times that the two don't gel like they should.

losing to gain

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." -Matthew 10:39

Until recently, I've always thought of this verse in terms of confessing a saving faith in Christ. It's important to grasp the concept that Christ gave up His perfect life for us. We are to give up our sinful lives in order to find true life in Christ.

But this is important for the rest of our lives after we make that decision to live for Christ. The Gospel is not only for unbelievers, but for believers, too. God calls us to give up comfortable patterns of our our lives from the time before we believed. This is a process, and not one that we can finished on earth.

I hope I am making sense here. I don't think I can fully describe the new way that I understand this verse now, as a part of my life in Christ.

As Jim Elliot said, He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.

I think this quote has huge implications in the context of a way of life, being more than just a one-time decision.

Thoughts on Shane Claiborne's thoughts.

Tonight I had the privilege of hearing a lecture from Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution and Jesus for President.

He touched on a lot of different topics in 45 minutes, but the thing he kept coming back to, even during the Q&A section, was the radical way Jesus lived.

Jesus challenged the pattern of the world when he lived on earth. And he bids us the same. Shane listed a few of the patterns we tend to follow today. Our natural reaction to crime and suffering is to move away from it, into the suburbs. Our natural reaction to a bad economy is to stockpile our money in an effort for financial security. He had a lot to say about this pattern (or I just took more notes during this section).

Americans constitute 5% of the world's population and consume half of the world's material goods. We try to fill the void inside of us with stuff. But it just ends up controlling us. Some of the freest people in the world hold onto stuff the loosest.
Mother Teresa said "the best thing to do with the best things in life is to give them away." Shane goes as far as saying that the more that we have the less we become.

In general, we all stockpile things and over-consume, (yes, even Christians). We live in a world where over-consumption of food is literally killing some of us. One out of three adult Americans are obese. Thousands will die this year from complications from being overweight, while thousands of people die every day from starvation.

Jesus constantly challenged the norm. Shane does the same, and evokes a feeling of fascination that leave you wondering if there are ways you can challenge the norm in your own life.

You may not agree with Shane's radical ways, but at least he believes in what he believes in 100%. I didn't come away from Shane's lecture wanting to buy his newest book or gush about how great he is to my friends. I left wanting to know Jesus more, and to consider what patterns of the world I was conforming to that I wasn't aware of.

A Promise.

How's this for a legacy? (quotes from wikipedia)
"Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying older sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is now the world's largest breast cancer organization and largest source of nonprofit fund dedicated to breast cancer."

"Since its inception in 1982, Komen has raised over $1.5 billion for research, education and health services, making it the largest breast cancer charity in the world. Today, the Komen organization is recognized as the leading catalyst in the fight against breast cancer, with more than 100,000 volunteers working in a network of 125 U.S. and international affiliates. Susan G. Komen for the Cure received Charity Navigator's highest rating, four stars."

Perseverance.

I was pondering the list of books I've read this year, and came across this realization: I really like books about the the Holocaust, Hiroshima, Great Depression, etc. Don't be tempted to think I'm into super sad stories: I just really like books about people who persevere through tough times..REALLY tough times. It's hard for me to read trivial book sometimes about people overcoming 'trials' in life that just seem so...trivial. I can't really come up with a better word, but do you catch my drift? Anyway, if you have any suggestions of books on the above subjects, let me know!

the Isrealites

I woke up late yesterday morning, and had to rush to the office because I knew I had a lot going on today. Luckily the office is in my house, so I didn't have a long commute.

Anyway, after a few minutes of e-mail checking and organizing. I sat and stared at the computer, knowing what had to come next: preparation for making phone calls. To people I don't know and have never met. I got up to get some coffee, and sat back down. Deep Sigh.

The phone rang. I'm saved! (At least for a minute or two). It was my director, with encouraging news. I was immediately energized and re-focused; there is a point of all this ministry partner development stuff. I prayed a quick thank-you-God!, then remembered I was going to put extra emphasis this week on making my priorities my real priorities...and I'd already begun the day without reading my Bible or praying. I took some time to pick up where I left off last night in Numbers, and was met with several paragraphs of clarifications on offerings and sacrifices. Not atypical for the OT.

I know it's a very loose analogy, but in the sometimes monotonous readings of OT law and standards, I realized I can identify with the Israelites. There are elements of consistency and discipline in perform sacrifices and offerings to the Lord, which are elements of MPD. They were in a desert, MPD can be a desert. I could make a few more analogies, but they are even more of a stretch.

How To Sell Jesus

Do you act differently around non-christians than you do around your closest friends? I know there are times that I do. For a short period of time in college, I would say I probably put on a good face for unbelievers more than I'm actually honest with them. Then I got to a work environment where people were very real with me, and that made me want to be very real in return. And surprisingly, they appreciate this real-ness and I think they could tell that my life was actually different, and actually better, as a Christian.

I know there is a line between these two extremes: always acting like a good-little-Christian, versus living just like everyone else -- I just don't really know where it is. A recent article had this to say about it:

"The solution is for us to live like us … whoever we are. Here’s my strategy: whoever I am when I am alone or with my closest friends, is the person I’m going to be when I’m with non-Christians, too. That means I talk about my faith sometimes and sometimes I cuss, too. And in my experience non-Christians appreciate that kind of authenticity. They already know we’re not perfect. They just get annoyed when we pretend like we are."

It's a good article, check it out if you're at all interested in how we can best sell Jesus to other people (trick question--He sells Himself! Just don't get in his way).

power and change

Hebrews 4:12 is commonly used to describe the Bible, and for good reason: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." But why is the Word so special? Is it just another book, or is it something more?


I just looked up some verses about the word of God:
1 Peter 1:23 "...the living and abiding word of God."
Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"
1 Thessalonians 1:5 "...our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction."
1 Thessalonians 2:13 "(the word of God) is at work in you who believe."
Ephesians 6:17 "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

By no means is this an exhaustive list. But it makes me think about the reason the Word is so important in our lives.

Without the power of God behind it, the Word is merely the word- ink on paper, a collection of two thousand year old stories that have no real significance in our lives.

But the Word is a catalyst, and the more you read it, the most you know. The more you know, the more you apply it to your life. The more application that occurs, the more you change.

Sometimes, I don't want to get in the Word because I know that I'm wrong, and I'm pretty sure God will convict me of that wrongness. But, if you haven't guessed it by now, I'm all about change. Even when it stinks, I know I'll look back down the road and be glad I was made aware of my wrongness.

Even when I was a kid, I was into change. I wanted to know how tall I'd grown since the last time I was at the doctor. I wanted to know how many more words I could spell and define after surpassing another level in the Accelerated Reader program. I wanted to see how much farther I could shoot a basketball or hit a golf ball.

But the concept of emotional or mental lasting change is a bit more tricky. Real change comes not from legalistic rules, but from a change of the heart. And what better way to see your heart change than through meeting with the One who knows your heart? "Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence" (Ephesians 3:12), through His Word, which begins us on a path to lasting change.

From Talk To Action

One of the overarching themes of the last year or two of my life has been discovering the true meaning of the Gospel. I'm sure that I will continue to learn about it for the rest of my life, as I'll never fully understand how it works and why God designed life this way.

Lately I've come to a much deeper understanding of the Gospel; it's more than a one-time prayer that I know I should pray. The Gospel affects our lives in eternity, but is also life-changing while we are on this earth.

Under this overarching theme lies another issue that has consumed much of my thinking: good deeds.



Just by reading the accounts of Jesus interacting with people in the Gospels, one can see that He wasn't only about truth, and He wasn't only about good deeds. He had a unique balance. The Great Commission and The Great Commandment were both important to Him, and they should both be important to us.

Why do we shy away from helping others when we see they are in need? Why do we justify our lack of action? Why do we make the excuse that they may use this money I'm giving them for booze!

"When a Christian sees someone who is physically hungry, a Christian feeds the hungry person. Why? Because hungry people can’t understand the plan of salvation? No. Simply because that person is hungry. That’s what Christians do. And if a person is spiritually hungry, a Christian becomes “one beggar telling another beggar where he or she found bread.” Why? Because that’s what Christians do" (Steve Brown).

Books like Crazy Love and The Irresistible Revolution have also fed my interest in this area, along with many articles from Relevant Magazine and Worldwide Challenge.

Nancy Ortberg was recently quoted about this in an online Relevant article: "Many churches I come in contact with have all kinds of programs for banquets, and teas, and Bible studies, which in and of themselves are not bad, but there is not an equal amount of serving the poor, and getting our hands dirty, and coming alongside people in need. The Church has to go to them. Many people started clamoring around Jesus initially because He was healing people, and then when they got close enough, they began to hear His message. And His message was, “The Kingdom of God is available right now.”

Shane Claiborne is also quoted in the same article: "People are hungry, I think, for a Gospel that embodies a social, political alternative to the patterns of our world. To me, that is the very essence of what spread within the early Church— they were caring for the poor, preaching another Kingdom and another emperor than Caesar’s. And it was absolutely magnetic because the faith people had placed in Rome was at an all-time low, so when they were saying, “We’ve got another Kingdom,” people were like, “Yes, we’re ready, because the world as we’ve experienced it is not working.” The beautiful thing is, people are saying the same thing now."

How much more credible are our lives when people see our loving actions, then hear about the love that motivates us?

Now that I know this, what do I do about it?

What action steps can I take this week, this month, this year, to move toward a better balance?

the fast track.

Jesus was not born on December 25th. Huh. I never considered the idea that Jesus was not actually born on that date in history. How could we really know the date on which he was born? Does the date matter? Can we figure it out? Why do people say "Dec 25 is Jesus' birthday?" Would it not be more accurate to say, December 25 is the date on which we celebrate Jesus' birth. (Note- I did not end that sentence in a preposition).

I've been hung up on this thought for a good three weeks. I can't help but question the opinions and views about God, Christianity and the Church that I grew up with. (couldn't avoid that preposition).

And not only there, but here. I'm guilty of putting my current church on a huge pedestal. Hillside has made a huge positive influence on me and my relationship with God throughout the last five years. But no church is totally on mark, no Pastor is perfect, no church body is unconditionally unselfish. Hillside is no exception.

I feel like I've been on the fast track to a mature walk with the Lord. Lately I've felt the need to take a step back and ask How in the world did I get here? On the outside, my life up until college was on a great track for corporate, financial and career success. On the inside, I was a mess. I'm so thankful for the following things that God has used in my life over the last 4-5 years to bring me as far as I have come.

Discipleship
I met with Wendy, the Campus Crusade staff member who led me to Christ, once a week for almost four years straight- informally and formally over 100 times. In these times we laughed a lot, and she recited many, many, many lyrics from various 80s hits. But aside from rock'n'roll knowledge, I learned how to walk with God every day, what a relationship with Him means and how to be assured of my salvation and His love and forgiveness. I also learned a lot about Campus Crusade and the strategy behind the organization. While I could see the big differences in my life that God made my freshman year, I didn't really have a for going out of my comfort zone to share the Gospel. Wendy, a big fan of personal evangelism and a prayer warrior, helped me take steps of faith over several years, in both of these areas and many others.

Church Worship
Hillside Church was the first non-Lutheran church I'd ever been to for more than one service. To attend the same church every single week and consistently see people who love the Lord and were serious about their beliefs had a huge impact on me. I learned about a relationship with God through Campus Crusade, and met many college students who were walking with Him. But at Hillside I met people in various stages of life who had strong relationships with each other and with God. I met the Heckathorns, and various other people, who would show me things that I could not learn by being a part of campus ministry. Hillside was the first time I ever saw a guitar in a church- let along drums!- and I loved it. Various friendships built with worship band members helped me grow in my knowledge and skill of playing music.

Campus Ministry Opportunities The movement at USD my freshmen year was pretty small, maybe 10 student leaders and an average of 25 attendees at our weekly large group meetings. We had one men's bible study and one women's bible study. There were about 5 freshmen women who got involved in the movement and were put in leadership positions over the course of our freshmen year. Getting involved right away presented a great opportunity for me to learn about campus ministry, and grow up in it.

Student-Led College Bible Study The a fore mentioned student-led Bible was a great thing to be a part of. I'd never been around people my age, at any age, that knew their Bible and wanted to learn more. This was the first glimpse I had into campus ministry and Campus Crusade.

Bible Character Study at Hillside
Week after week, the Old Testament came alive at a Bible Study at my church. The leader, Chad, was incredibly knowledgeable with the perfect amount of humility. It was here that I learned so much behind the stories I'd heard forever- Noah & the Flood, Moses & the Exodus, Sampson & Delilah, among so many many more. God used this Bible Study to cultivate in me a desire to understand His Word and apply it to my life. Chad was humble and quick to admit when he'd made a mistake. But he was also incredibly serious about knowing the Bible and knowing it well, and knowing why we need to know it well. And he has a heart for helping others understand this, too.

Vespers
An hour of solid worship music every Sunday night, Vespers began my sophomore year of college and through this ministry I was able to enter into God's presence through live music like never before. I loved it! My junior year, Mike and Meghan took over leadership and I was asked to join them in leading a primarily college-student crowd in corporate worship. For ten years I had dreamed of learning to play guitar in a band, and this dream was realized through serving with Vespers. I even had the opportunity to lead the band last year, and grew in many ways. Now when asked to help with worship at various events, I feel incredibly secure in my abilities. I could not and would not have been involved in Vespers if God had not cultivated in me a true heart for worshiping Him.

perspective...

I thought that I'd have more freedom as an adult, but somehow I have less. How does that work?! I have more responsibilities and thus I have more obligations to do things I don't really always want to do and that limits my freedom and I don't really like that...

...and yet as I look at the bigger picture, I'm so blessed and free in this country I have -0- to complain about.

perspective...

There aren't many streets in Verm that I haven't driven down, and there are many I drive down a lot. I have probably driven one particular street in Verm about 20-30 times in the last 4 years. On one side of the street there was a house I always notice- kind of small, a bit run down, lots of junk/toys in the yard along with several cars in the driveway. For some reason, the house/yard interests me, and, for some reason, I would always stare at it (impolite, I know).

A few nights ago I was on said street. I happened to be running (definitely slower than I would drive) so I had some extra time to notice my surroundings. This time, I forced to look at anything other than said house. I noticed the lovely trees lining the streets, the way the curb is uneven and slantly, and the beautiful little home across the street.

How often in my life do I continually focus on the ugly, or the wrong, or even the 'bad,' instead of looking at the good?

One of my favorite words this year is perspective. Almost weekly, it seems, I am reminded about the way I look at the world around me. I'm always brought back to the wrong way I view situations, the beauty I miss out on, etc. But when I find a rare moment where I have a unique perspective on something, and can share that with someone, my search for a new view has renewed motivation.

Check out what is unseen in your world; it may surprise you!