Do Not Get Lost in Lost

I get that everyone in the world is stoked that Lost is starting tonight. I am too. As I sit here though I am more aware than ever how foolish it is to get over excited about Lost.

The same excitement we have for Lost we had for the series finale of Friends and Seinfeld. I can honestly say that neither of those “events” changed my life or moved me in a way that influences how I raise my kids or love my wife. Whether or not Jack Bauer saved the world or not did not comfort me when my mom got diagnosed with cancer.

The same goes for sporting events, a Lobo Basketball championship this season would be sweet and I would be tweeting about that for sure, but if and when tragedy strikes in my family that championship ring won’t offer help or hope. It will just sit there, I know I have one.

All this to say, that on our deathbeds we will not look back and highlight our time engulfed by fictional characters on TV or even enthralled by great seasons on the hard-court.

What will matter will be how we loved our kids, that risk that was taken where the outcome was not spelled out. What will matter is whether we told our wife that we love her so much and am so grateful to God for bringing her into my life.

What will matter most of all?

What we did with the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. What will matter will be whether or not we saw our need for a Savior before a Holy God, and the wrath that we deserve. What will matter is the love of God that has been poured out for us by His Son Jesus. The resurrection of that Son and His defeat of sin and death that has happened and one day will fully be seen.

With that said, get stoked about Lost, watch it, record it, talk about…but realize that 10 years, 1 year, 1 week from now, it won’t matter, and be OK with that.

When Trying to Convert a Non-Christian Advice

Jonathan McIntosh over at Rethink posted a video of a friend of his who is not a Christian, but gives valuable advice in how we should approach people when wanting them to meet and trust in Jesus.

I remember what it was like to be a non-believer and also what it was like for some to try to convert me in very unloving and unhelpful ways so I could not agree more with much of this wisdom as someone who has been on both sides of the fence.

Rethink is a great site dealing with what living in a missional way really looks like today.
Click Here to Check It out.

Josh Harris on Self Control

As I scrolled through my Google Reader, after checking my Facebook and Tweeting, I found this video from Josh Harris...conviction.

The Fight Against Lust

By Faith magazine has a great article called, Lust: A Life and Death Matter. I highly recommend that you check it out.

Here is a great excerpt on one of the outcomes lust has:

Second, lust distorts our vision and leads us to see people as objects instead of what they are—unique masterpieces created in God’s image

Read The Rest Here

Christianity Is Against Individualism

This quote is good prep for this coming Tuesday at The Well as we will look at the community that came from Acts 2.

From A Brick In The Valley

Cornelius Plantinga:

Christianity is against individualism. In the Old Testament God made his covenant with Abraham and his descendents, with a whole people. We now baptize persons not because they are individual believers or even because they belong to a family of believers, but because they belong to the extended family of believers – - the people of God. We are all baptized into this community, into a body that existed long before we did. We did not join this body. We are called into it.

When God’s people are called out of the world, they called into fellowship, into what the New Testament calls koinonia. Good words are associated with koinonia: “common,” “commune,” “commonwealth,” “community,” and “communion. We were called into koinonia, which means we have something in common with other believers.

Rather we have someone in common. . . . But, always it is Jesus Christ who is the fount of blessing, the broken bread, the life-giving vine, the head of the body. We belong to him – - and thus to each other. (Beyond Doubt, pages 116-117, emphasis his).

Religion vs Gospel

Last night at The Well I mentioned the distinctions between religion and The Gospel. I read from a list that comes from Tim Keller of what marks religion and what marks The Gospel. Below is some of the distinctions that comes from Tim Keller that has been compiled by The Journey Church in St. Louis.

Click here for the pdf. version.

Here is a few of the distinctions:

Religion
“I obey-therefore I’m accepted.”

Gospel
“I’m accepted-therefore I obey.”

Religion
Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.

Gospel
Motivation is based on grateful joy.

Religion
I obey God in order to get things from God

Gospel
I obey God to get to God-to delight and resemble Him.

Religion
When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or my self, since I believe, like Job’s friends that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.

Gospel
When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle but I know all my punishment fell on Jesus and that while he may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.

Religion
When I am criticized I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a ‘good person’. Threats to that self-image must be destroyed at all costs.

Gospel
When I am criticized I struggle, but it is not critical for me to think of myself as a ‘good person.’ My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ. I can take criticism. That’s how I became a Christian.

Click Here for the Rest

Props: Reformissionary

6 Essentials of College Ministry

Working in college ministry for over 2 years now, I could not agree more with these 6 essentials. Especially with #1, Jesus cannot be overlooked or understated in college ministry. He is our source of life, redemption and eternal joy, we cannot act like He is just a means to an end or that Christianity is about moralism and duty.

From The Resurgence:

1. Don't confuse the gospel with religion
To prevent doing this, talk about Jesus (who he is and what he has done) all the time. If you don't, students will think Christianity is really about something else, like morality, philosophy, piety, social justice, or a religious experience. If you start talking more about what they should do instead of what Jesus has done, you're preaching another gospel (Gal. 1:6-9), which is to put heavy burdens on them (Matt. 23:2-4).

2. Learn about sexual assault
The prevalence of sexual assault is staggering. At least 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men are or will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetime. And the numbers are much worse for college students. These young women and men feel crippling shame, deep guilt, and painfully alone because of what has been done to them.

3. Teach students how to read and interpret the Bible for themselves
This means being clear on the relationship between the law and the gospel. The law is "perfect, true, and righteous altogether" (Psalm 19:7-9) and "holy, just, and good" (Rom. 7:12), but it does not effect what it demands (Gal. 3:21). The good news is that on the cross Jesus took our penalty of law-breaking and fulfilled the law, so he could give us his righteousness. God then works in us to will and to do his good pleasure (Phil. 2:13). The very law that condemns us becomes the very thing that God fulfills in us through the power of his Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:18-23), not through our effort (Gal. 3:1-3).

4. Be prepared to comfort students because of divorce and death
College students are at a phase in life where their parents seem to get divorced, if they aren't already, now that their children are leaving home. This is also the age when grandparents begin to die.

5. Study apologetics
Many students still have brain cells left, and they've been reading and thinking about their world. They have legitimate questions about who Jesus is and what he did and why he isn't just a good example. They want to know why they should trust the Bible as reliable. The immense suffering in the world makes them doubt either the goodness or power of God or both. They think Christians are hypocrites and bigots, so why should they become one?

6. Be prepared to counsel students about what they're really facing
You must be prepared to counsel about eating disorders, pornography, cutting, abusive relationships, and the lingering damage of sexual sin. College students tend to be the shock-absorbers of the myths our cultural sells. Idols are brutal slave masters.

Truth On Campus

From Think Christianly:

“There is one thing a professor can be absolutely certain of: almost every student entering the university believes, or says he believes, that truth is relative.”—Allan Bloom

“To say of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what it is not that it is not, is true.”—Aristotle

“…You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”—Jesus

“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth—only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair”—C.S. Lewis

The Motions

I am praying that this song, The Motions by Matthew West, is our anthem for The Well. As we fight just going through the motions of ministry this year. That our all-consuming passion is Jesus, to love, follow, obey and make His name known to the city and campus. That our lives would be lived in such a way that He is all people see with how we risk and love.

That's my prayer for 2009-2010, I don't want to look back in May and say, "I wasted it."

Listen to this song, the story of Matthew West is a story of God's grace and love.

I was so stoked on this song that I bought his album, Something to Say, which is really good and worth a purchase. My buddy Zach also used to play with Matthew so that helped me like it even more.

Click here to purchase via Amazon

Also Check Out Matthew's Myspace

This Tuesday At The Well

Preview for The Well Aug. 25 2009 from Carlos Griego on Vimeo.

Piper Gives Advice for Back to School

Heading to college can be an overwhelming and challenging experience for a Christian. How do you answer the tough questions? How do you think through philosophies that seem to compete for attention with God's Word?

John Piper offers some great advice here:

Francis Chan Has New Book Coming Out

Pastor of Cornerstone Simi Valley Church, Francis Chan has a new book coming out about the role and authority of the Holy Spirit called, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.

If you have followed this blog or been to The Well you know how much I have endorsed Chan's first book "Crazy Love". So I am very much looking forward to this next book, especially since we will be studying the book of Acts this coming year at The Well.

Here is a video preview:


And further explanation

A follow up to the profound message of Crazy Love, Pastor Francis Chan offers a compelling invitation to understand, embrace, and follow the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and … the Holy Spirit. We pray in the name of all three, but how often do we live with an awareness of only the first two? As Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised to send the Holy Spirit—the Helper—so that we could be true and living witnesses for Christ. Unfortunately, today’s church has admired the gift but neglected to open it.

Breakthrough author Francis Chan rips away paper and bows to get at the true source of the church’s power—the Holy Spirit. Chan contends that we’ve ignored the Spirit for far too long, and we are reaping the disastrous results. Thorough ural support and compelling narrative form Chan’s invitation to stop and remember the One we’ve forgotten, the Spirit of the living God.

Props: Vitamin Z

Hospitality Is Not Optional

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” (Romans 12: 9-13, ESV)

I can remember walking into Desert Springs Church as an “outsider” as a former Catholic who had not wanted anything to do with church or “organized religion” for the past 5 years or so. I was a college student. I was new to this whole Christian church thing. I was overwhelmed and really confused.

“Why is there screens?”
“Does the priest here wear a robe?”
“Why are we singing so much?”

More than that I was petrified about what people would think. From an outsiders’ perspective Christianity is full of really moral, uptight and right wing people, well at least from this outsider’s perspective. I was petrified about what people would think about my life style. I was not pure. I was not home schooled. I was not Republican. I was not a straight edge kid, I had tattoos, tattoos that represented other religions, tattoos that did not in someway tell a Biblical story or have scripture included. I was usually hungover on Sundays, not singing or listening to a preacher.

What would people think...would I be welcomed or looked down on?

I think it was a kind of in between feeling after that first Sunday. I had a couple people come up to shake my hand, but I sat alone. I am naturally a shy guy, especially in new situations, so this was a totally overwhelming experience. I left the church, a bit confused by all that happened and still felt like an outsider. That feeling would remain for the next year.

It was not until someone at The Well, the new college ministry DSC had started, remembered my name did I begin to feel welcomed. That took a year. A year of Sunday attendance, a year of feeling like a round peg in a square hole.

Why did I keep coming back? Because I kept feeling this is what God wanted me to do, no other reason really.

My whole world changed though when someone remembered my name, when someone took the time to get to know me and my story. I felt part of the church. I felt welcomed. I felt love.

Could I have done more to get involved on my own? Yeah, probably, but honestly as a newcomer it was not my job to do that, nor to be honest did I know how to. It was the community of God who I was surrounded by every Sunday who needed to be the ones who reached out to me. And when that happened I felt love, the kinda love that the church is supposed to be. I just wish it had been faster than a year.

It is 6 years later. I am now on staff at Desert Springs. I am in fact the director of The Well. It is 6 years later and I often have forgotten what it is like to be a visitor, to be someone who does not know lots of people. I have forgotten what it is like to enter the building and be overwhelmed and feel unwelcomed and ignored.

I need to remember what that is like. I need to realize that it is on me as a Desert Springs member to seek out to show love and honor to guests and to all people in the church. This is not an option. This is not a “thing” to put on my to do list, this is a gospel implication type of thing.

We love, we show honor, we abhor evil because that is how we are to respond to the grace we have been given and love that has overwhelmed us from Jesus Christ. Jesus loves the unlovely (us), Jesus died to bring us into the family of God. None of us have any merit to stand on, no pedigree to flaunt over each other. We all have only the blood of Jesus to claim as our means to coming into the family to forever be with Jesus.

We are called to love like we have been loved, we are called to seek to love, to intentionally seek it out. To fail to do this is a fail of understanding the gospel.

If you are one of those who have felt unwelcomed, and unloved, take this as an apology. We are imperfect, we are messy, we will fail at this again. We forget about our mission and our calling to love others. We are in process. We are sinners saved by grace in the daily need of the blood of Jesus too.

For those of us who are members, who are “connected” and part of the family of God. May we repent of our self centered times when we seek comfort and ease over meeting someone new that may be a bit awkward. May we repent of our neglect of loving others and connecting them with the rest of our family cause we are too lazy or ignorant to do so. May we repent of our lack of love and honor to others.

Acting and Waiting On The Lord

John Piper talks about the tension between what it means to "wait on the Lord" and when it is time to take action.


For more John Piper media go to DesiringGod.Org

Fear

Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.

If someone were to ask me what I believe to be one of the biggest sins that we face as young adults I think the fear of man would top the list. I have found that many people live a life that is marked by an evident fear of how they are perceived or how their reputation is affected.

A good example of what I am talking about is this past Tuesday night at The Well. We spent the night at a local park where we had volleyball, soccer and basketball along with other various activities. We were all having a great time, then we gathered for a time of singing and listening to God’s Word. Here is where the atmosphere of the night changed. Instead of energy and smiles all around, now there was a sense of awkwardness that seemed to take over. We were scared to sing in public!

“What if someone heard how tone deaf I am? What if the neighbors over at the playground areas laughed at me? I better not be too loud or too expressive, that would be embarrassing.”

I am sure that went through peoples’ minds, I know it did mine. Why is that? Simple, we are afraid of what others think more than we are of what God thinks.

I mean we had the beautiful Sandia Mountains in front of us, an amazing sunset to the left of us. The Heavens were screaming “Glory!!! Glory!!!” and yet we were afraid for our friend to hear our voice. We were overcome by what others think more than what He thought and heard.

Our lives and culture are marked by this fear.

Why do we buy $40 T-Shirts with the name of the store we got it at on it?

Why do we shop at The Buckle for $100 jeans and not Wal-Mart?

Why are we afraid to tell our friends about a Holy God who they have offended, and how the ONLY way to salvation is through Jesus Christ??

We are petrified of others’ perception of us.

It is the same reason that the people of Israel wanted a king. They wanted to be like the nations around them, they wanted to fit in. They had a King, the King of Kings leading them and loving them, but they wanted something that made them blend in, something that made them fit in.

We do too.

By nature we are man-fearing creatures. This changes though in a beautiful way when we are saved. No longer are we enslaved to the views of this world or of those around us. We have had our eyes open to the beauty, Holiness and majesty of our Great God, the One, whose opinion of us really does matter. We begin to see how He sees. We see our sin and unworthiness and are brought low only to be lifted up by the news of His Son who has come.

We learn of a God who demands perfection from us, who demands us to fear Him above all else. We learn that we have failed at this miserably and deserve full punishment for this. We learn that God has taken our punishment on the cross in the person of Jesus Christ. That He rose 3 days after death and now to those who trust in His name and His work, He freely gives us His perfection and status. He puts His life on us because He took on our life and guilt on Himself.

This is grace that changes everything.

We are not perfect yet though. Like the night at The Park we will find moments that we fear man over God. Here we are called to repent (turn from that way of living and thinking) and trust in Jesus once again. We are called to fear God, love God and love each other in a way that is reckless, radical and sometimes embarrassing by the world’s standards.

I wish I could say that I have this fear of man thing whipped, I don’t. I do know though that “...he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6). And I look forward to that day when my fear, my love, my mind and my life will be captivated fully and completely by Jesus and only Jesus, forever!

Kyle Joins Ives

Kyle Moore is one of our leaders at The Well as well as a good friend and brother in Christ. Kyle recently joined the band Ives. This band is a young crew of fellas who are pretty legit. Kyle is a very, very talented musician and more importantly a Godly young man.

I recommend you check these dudes out, they will be opening for “The Glorious Unseen” on August 7th at New Covenant Church here in ABQ.

You can check out Ives on Facebook Here
Or Follow them on Twitter Here
They even are on MySpace, yes Myspace is still around


For now check out this video of their practice. (Kyle is the guitarist on the far right)


Also Check out Kyle's Blog..he has great taste in music too!

They Saw A Need-And Met It

At the beginning of summer at The Well we discussed the need to not waste our lives on things of this world. We talked about how a wasted life is one that is spent chasing after comfort and safety, after the white picket fence, after the safe home and 401k plan. Through God's word we saw that life is meant to be "wasted" on glorifying God in all things, by making him look Glorious like He is in our words, actions and money.

Students from The Well have taken that call literally and are doing something they call Job 29 Ministries. It is a simple crew that takes food to the homeless and shares the gospel and love of Jesus. They did not need a committee to gather and plan or brainstorm, they just did it, cause Scripture said to do it. They did not wait for people to get behind it or others to see the need, they saw the need and they went. And God is being glorified and spread throughout Albuquerque.

Below is an excerpt on what they do and look forward to in the summer and fall:

We want this ministry to grow! Due to the irregularity of the summer, it is hard to set a specific and regular time to go out and help the poor and homeless of Albuquerque, NM. Many will be out of town frequently this summer, but our hope is to begin going on outreach trips to feed the homeless once a week when school starts. Kelsey and I (Leah) normally take care of all the preparations and then let everyone know where to be and when. However, Kelsey will be moving to Boston come fall and I will gladly accept any help. I will be having a sign-up sheet at The Well (Desert Springs Church) for those who are interested in coming on our outings, to put days and times that are regularly good for you. I will do my best to pick a day and time that will accommodate as many people as possible. Our outings take at the most 3 or 4 hours, but if you take your own transportation you are not required to stay the whole time. I can guarantee you that even though it is hard, it is definitely rewarding. We also want to expand this ministry come fall and winter. We not only want to feed those who are hungry, but we also want to provide blankets, jackets/coats/scarfs, and socks for the cold seasons. We are anticipating great things from our God who is mighty to save!

Click here to check out more from what they are calling Job 29 Ministries

If you are interested in helping email me at carlos@desertspringschurch.org

Job 29:12 "I delivered the poor who cried for help, And the orphan who had no helper."

The Distinctiveness of God's Love

Here is a quote from D.A. Carson that I read last night at The Well. Carson is talking about the "love" found in Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians, a passage that is being used a lot right now in the midst of wedding season.

“If I must say in few words what is distinctive about God’s love for us, it is that it is self-originating. When a young man reveals his heart with a passionate declaration, “I love you!” at least in part he means that he finds the woman he loves lovely. At least some of his love is elicited by the object of that love. But God loves what is unlovely. If as John 3:16 tells us, God loves the world, it is not because the world is so lovely God cannot help himself: judging by John’s use of the term world, God loves the world only because of what he is. And derivatively, that is how Christians learn to love: they learn to love with love that is, like God’s, self-originating. Of course, unlike God’s love, ours is not absolutely self-originating; but it is self-originating in the sense that God’s grace so transforms the believer that his or her responses of love emerge out of the matrix of Christian character, and are correspondingly less dependent on the loveliness of the object.” (D.A. Carson, “Showing The Spirit”, pg. 65)

An Intentional Summer

Since we are on the topic of not wasting summer vacation, here is some good food for thought from the peeps over at Boundless.

When school would let out for the summer I'd take about two weeks to sleep off my exhaustion, get in the summer work routine and completely avoid talking to my college friends (by the end of the semester I always needed a break from my buds). But when I'd start my catch-up phone calls I'd ask how the summer had been so far and the answer I got most of the time was "hard."

"Being home is...hard" seemed to be a theme in my conversations with college friends during breaks. One of my best friends came to Christ in college. She got involved in campus ministry and grew exponentially in her faith. And for her, going home was a battleground. It seemed like all the old temptations and tendencies met her at the city limits of her hometown.

Maybe you're like my friend and going home comes with difficulties like getting out of your quiet-time routine or peer pressure from old friends. Today's article offers common sense advice about how to be faithful in what can feel like a dry time. Here are some of the tipsLindsay gives about how to have an intentional summer:

• Before leaving for break, make a commitment with a close Christian friend to check in at least a couple times a week. Think of things in advance that may be challenges for you and put them on a list of questions your accountability partner can ask you.
• Set a goal to work through your prayer list. I've found that nothing helps me become focused on God more quickly than pouring my heart out to Him in prayer.
• Think about which of your friends God has really placed on your heart, and spend time with them in an effort to show God's love to them. For example, instead of struggling at a party, ask a friend out to lunch.
• View your family as a ministry opportunity. Sit down and have a quality conversation with your mom or dad. Ask (and truly care) about what is going on with your brother or sister. Be the person to mow the lawn before people have to go on safaris just to navigate through it.

Most college students just finished finals. If you're one who's going to be home for the summer (or even if you're going to be somewhere else) this is a great reminder that summer may be a break from classes, but it shouldn't be a break from pursuing godliness.

Don't Waste Your Summer

Last night at The Well we started a series within the series of 1 Corinthians. The series is about living a radical life that has eternal significance. It is a call to forsake the allurements of this world that our culture tells us we need for happiness, whether it is technology, education, family, safety, comfort and money. Not forsake them completely, but forsake them as ultimate. Forsake them for the surpassing, ultimate and infinite beauty and joy of Christ and follow Him.

We talked that following Paul as He followed Christ (1 Cor. 11:1) means more than just being nice, hugging kids and not cussing. It is a drastic call to live in a way that sees others as more important and to seek their good, the ultimate good being for their salvation and enjoyment of Christ, one in the same.

Below are some quotes from John Piper's Book "Don't Waste Your Life":

"You don’t have to know a lot of things for your life to make a lasting difference in the world. But you do have to know the few great things that matter, perhaps just one, and then be willing to live for them and die for them. The people that make a durable difference in the world are not the people who have mastered many things, but who have been mastered by one great thing. If you want your life to count, if you want the ripple effect of the pebbles you drop to become waves that reach the ends of the earth and roll on into eternity, you don’t need to have a high IQ. You don’t have to have good looks or riches or come from a fine family or a fine school. Instead you have to know a few great, majestic, unchanging, obvious, simple, glorious things—or one great all-embracing thing—and be set on fire by them." (Piper, DWYL, pg. 44)

"God created me—and you—to live with a single, all-embracing, all-transforming passion—namely, a passion to glorify God by enjoying and displaying his supreme excellence in all the spheres of life. Enjoying and displaying are both crucial. If we try to display the excellence of God without joy in it, we will display a shell of hypocrisy and create scorn or legalism. But if we claim to enjoy his excellence and do not display it for others to see and admire, we deceive ourselves, because the mark of God-enthralled joy is to overflow and expand by extending itself into the hearts of others. The wasted life is the life without a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples." (John Piper, DWYL, pg.. 31)

You can buy this book here from Amazon.

OR

Download the PDF here for FREE!

For more from John Piper go to DesiringGod.org