Highlight from Convention (Pt 2)

The second highlight I experienced at MCUSA's Convention in Phoenix this year was being asked by Dustin Galyon of Hesston College to co-lead a workshop. It was entitled, "So Dude, You're a Mennonite". Neither Dustin nor I are from a Mennonite background yet we serve and worship in this context. We each shared our stories as to how we arrived here. The room was packed - mostly because Dustin has given this talk before and he is an energetic and passionate speaker. The youth love him!

We challenged the attendees not to get so caught up in the "Mennonite thing" (which can create obstacles and hurdles for people), but instead focus on what it means to follow Jesus and live as citizens of the heavenly kingdom. I challenged the group to elevate the conversation above denominations (because that tends to separate us and can lead to pride) - and to instead, focus on what we have in common; being eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

I referenced Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11 which state that "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, there is neither Mennonite or non-Mennonite" (OK, so I embellished the words of Paul a bit), "for you are all one in Christ Jesus". You don't have to be "Mennonite" to be a Christian (which means "little Christ"). We are called to imitate Christ.

You can listen to the entire workshop by clicking here

Highlights from Convention 2013 (Pt.1)

There were two highlights I experienced recently at MCUSA's Convention in Phoenix this year. In this blog, I will share the first one:

In the combined service on July 3^rd, Terry Shue and Nancy Kaufman invited all pastors and conference ministers to come forward to receive a blessing of affirmation. This was a nice surprise. We were each given a sticker with “I said YES” on it. People were encouraged to stop and ask us: Why we said yes and what keeps us saying yes.

Any pastor will tell you that you don't hear affirmation nearly as much as you hear criticism (and this eats you up inside). As I was standing up front, a fellow pastor leaned over said this was God’s answer to his morning prayer because he had been struggling with affirmation. He just wanted to know that he was doing a good job. He just "happened" to be reading Matthew 25:23 that morning that says “Well done, good and faithful servant..” With tears in his eyes, he said, “I guess this is God’s answer to my prayer”. 

As we walked back to our seats (after applause and thanks from the crowd), many people gave us high fives on the way back to our seats. 

Advice on Work, Career, and Success...

Speaking to a secular audience on MSNBC's Morning Joe show, Tim Keller offered the following advice on work, careers, and success:

When you make your work your identity … if you're successful it destroys you because it goes to your head. If you're not successful it destroys you because it goes to your heart—it destroys your self-worth. [Faith in Christ] gives you an identity that's not in work or accomplishment, and that gives you insulation against the weather changes. If you're successful, you stay humble. If you're not successful, you have some ballast …. Work is a great thing when it is a servant instead of a lord.