My last message

Tonight I gave my last message as the middle school director for BranchCreek Community Church. Preparing for this message was easy because I had so much I wanted to say. Let me rephrase that, so much still needed to be said.

I now realize that those lessons will no longer be shared by me. I knew this was coming. Isn't this what it should feel like?I thought to myself "but I'm not done." I will never be done. Sharing the truth about Jesus with middle schoolers has become an absolute joy for me. I have repeated the statement "I can't see myself doing anything else" so many times in the last year because I mean it. No matter where I am I will be sharing the good news of Jesus with middle school students.

I have never thought of myself as a great teacher and I still don't. I mean, I really don't. Because I'm not one. So to my surprise, my small group leaders, who have been listening to me teach for the past year and a half, tell me that they are really going to miss my teaching. They said that I really bring the message in a way that helps them talk about the "BIG IDEA" in small groups. 

I really appreciated the flattering comments but I had to assure them that my teaching skills had nothing to do with it. All I do is relay His message through how he changes my life, step by step, everyday. I assured them that whoever comes after me will be different and probably better than me. As long as he brings the good news with him. His good news is all that matters and if I leave my leaders and students with my messages and not His message I have failed as a teacher.

Don't get me wrong I think teaching is extremely important and I work hard at getting better. As should everyone in anything they do in life. But what really keeps the students engaged in the "BIG IDEA" of a lesson is that adults are investing the time to talk to them about it. In my eyes, small group leaders will always be the most important piece to student ministry. The words I share don't mean anything until my small group leaders breath life into them by the way they care for their students.

A direct quote from Barb Malanga (7th grade girls small group leader) "I don't give up my Tuesday night to just talk about nail colors and hair. I give up my Tuesday night to share the love of Jesus with my girls. I love them that much."

I was blessed with some amazing small group leaders this year and I have full confidence that Jesus will do greater things through them when I go.

Please leave a message after the beep Part 2

In the Gospel of Mark chapter 5 we read two stories. In one story we read that Jesus heals a demon-possessed man and in the other story we read that Jesus heals a woman and raises a girl from the dead. Both stories have something in common. After Jesus does something incredible he gives people instructions on what they should do. The instructions are if they should share what he has done with others or not.

At the beginning of chapter 5 we read that Jesus travels from the northwest side of the lake to the east side of the lake. The difference in locations here is key. The place that Jesus is at in the beginning of chapter 5 is somewhere in the region of Galilee. We don’t know for sure but we know they traveled to the other side and ended up in the region of the Gerasenes. Also known as the Decapolis. This is a region full of people that were not Jewish.

In the first story he casts out thousands of demons from one man and tells the man to go share this news with everyone. “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” Jesus is telling this man, who has just been given his life back, to go share it with his people. In this story he is in the Decapolis, a non-Jewish region. 

In the second story he tells everyone that saw him raise a girl from the dead to keep quiet about it. He tells them not to go tell this message to anyone else. In this story he is back in a Jewish region.

So why does Jesus tell the non-Jewish man to tell everyone he knows about him but he instructs the Jewish people to keep quiet?

I believe Jesus does this because the heart condition of the people sharing his message matters. 

The Jews would have taken what Jesus did and their hearts would have turned it into something its not. The Pharisees would probably want to kill him for making them look bad. The people would want to follow him because he can raise the dead. I wonder if the Jews in that room would have kept it a secret and thought about what it means for Jesus to actually be the Messiah, would it be possible that what they witnessed may have had a bigger impact on their hearts? Jesus is not about fame and power in the way most Jewish leaders were. This paints a brand new picture of the Messiah for those particular witnesses. He probably wanted this message to grow in their hearts before the thorns of the Pharisees choked it out in public.

On the other hand Jesus tells the demon-possessed man to share what happened with everyone. There was probably very little in this man’s heart that believed in a Messiah. Or at least he didn’t believe in the Jewish Messiah. The Jewish Messiah would have been exclusive but Jesus wasn't. On that day the demon-possessed man received a message from Jesus that was life changing. He probably thought to himself “my life was like hell but this man has given me a new life”. This is the kind of news that Jesus loves to spread. This is the message of the Gospel, the good news.

The condition of our heart matters when we share the message of Jesus Christ. Let’s never forget that none of us are worthy of the message of Jesus Christ. Not one person who ever lived can claim the message of God’s love like his son. We can only claim the message of life through the redemption of our messed up stories. We don’t deserve it. When our hearts accept the grace of Jesus Christ rather than trying to claim ownership of it we become messengers of His good news.

Is this not the message you want to leave with people? I sure do. 

Please leave a message after the beep

Before I left my last job all of my co-workers put together a gift for me. Each of them rolled up two small pieces of paper and tied them in twine. Then they placed them in an empty wine bottle. Like the ones you picture people stranded out at sea using to send out message's for help. One of the pieces of paper had something encouraging written on it, like something I did or said that they really appreciated. The other piece had something funny written on it, like a memory of me doing something embarrassing that gave everyone a good laugh. The messages in that bottle were very uplifting. I will never forget that amazing group of people I had the privilege of working with. 

When I was young someone close to me would be verbally abusive. She would tell me that I was a mistake. She would always yell at me for random things and I couldn’t figure out why. I felt like she always looked at me as an inconvenience. Like someone took a huge stamp with the word screw-up on it and put in on my forehead. She made me feel like it was hard to love a child like me. She left me with a message I wish I could forget.

One of my current co-workers always talks about health food. She was just explaining to me how to make this really healthy wrap filled with carrots, broccoli, and cabbage. I know, it sounds so yummy right? :) She loves it when you can make something really healthy and it tastes better than the stuff that’s not so healthy. I think she has been trying to send me these subliminal messages about how I need to start eating healthy or my life is going to be miserable. She laughs when I tell her I go to subway. It's funny because she is always coming in with these crazy foods I've never heard of for lunch. Sometimes they smell a little strange but I would be lying if I didn't say they usually tasted pretty good. It's undeniable that Julie loves to eat healthy because it shows through the way she lives. She is always sending a message of physical health and living well. 

Things you write down, things you say, and how you live your life always send messages to other people. These are just a few ways that happens. Everyday we make decisions to do things, say things, or type things that have weight in other peoples lives. 

Food for thought.

Leaving a good message is not all up to me. In my life I live for a message of love, grace, and forgiveness. I want others to have hope after being around me. Not because of what I've done but because of what Jesus Christ has done. My prayer is that when people read what I write, hear what I say, and see how I live, the message of hope in Jesus Christ is what they are lead to.

Have you ever taken the time to think through some of the messages you have left with other people?

Do you know what those messages are?

Do you know why you send those messages?

Are those the messages you want to send? Why or why not?