Perfectionist. Pros & Cons. Rituals.

Blog between achieve excellence and not being a perfectionist.

Perfectionist comes usually out of a heart of self-dependency/self-righteousness and leads to being legalistic.  However, Matthew 5:48 speaks of us being perfect like our Father in Heaven is perfect.  How do we do this as Christians, achieve excellence while not becoming a perfectionist?  The Scripture is speaking of how our perfection comes through Christ and not our own works or doing.  We are to pursue Christ and become more like him, which leads to acts that flow out of excellence. Being obedient to the Word and the Spirit is what God has asked of us and making decisions in accordance to His will is what continues to cultivate a heart like His.  He is the author and perfector of our faith so as we keep our eyes on him and work towards becoming more like him, excellence will be the outflow because of who He is in us, not because of us. As humans, we can not be perfect because of our sins, but through God’s grace we can pursue being perfect in Him knowing He is the only one who can perfect us.

Resources: Look through two and give pros and cons in the resources in the world of discipleship

Bringing Jesus Into My World: Relationships

Pros – The study begins with love and the individual.  It continues to move outward to loving your community and restoring broken relationships to resisting Satan.  The study addresses and elevates some core issues collegiate students deal with as well as aspects they need to deal with in their own lives.  It seems like a great resource for generating authentic conversation about daily struggles of love and relationships collegiates face. It seems like the study would be very relevant to students.

Cons – The content of the book is more than likely going to bring up past struggles and experiences. Students may not be ready to address such topics in a group or with people they do not know.  In some sections, some deeper questions may need to be created to help challenge students in specific areas.  Depending on the topic, the lesson may need to be broken down into two or more lessons in order to fully address everything in the text.

Connecting with His Outrageous Love: God

Pros – The study is great tool for going through the foundations of Christianity. It could be used with those seeking to know more about Christ and new believers.  The study would also be a great resource for student leaders to use for leading a Bible study. Additionally, it could be used to overview and see where one’s students are in their relationship with Christ and to establish cohesion on what Biblical truths the ministry is guided by.  The study also allow students to interact with the content and process what they believe and think about the different topics on God.

Cons – Deeper questions may need to be cultivated with specific lessons to help challenge students (depends on your students). It is a study where students who are spiritually mature may not be as engage because they have a foundation in those areas of Christianity.

Event: What is a ritual that you could use in your events?

Secret Parakaleo: 1 Thessalonians 5:11. Each student will be given a name of the same sex at the beginning of the year with information about that individual who they are to “secretly” encourage and pray for them.  The encouragement could come in the form of notes, gifts, words of truth.  The purpose would be to connect students and build relationships as they are starting the new year and to emphasize how God has call us to come alongside each other and help during our journey through life. 

Leadership & Missions

In class, we skype with Andy Haynes, a NANB missionary, in the New England area in collegiate ministry. He spoke about how collegiate ministry is different in the emerging regions than in the southeast.  He explain many collegiate ministers have to raise their support and develop a partnership to meet financial needs. He express how many college ministers are using collegiate church planting as the means to reaching college students and not the traditional BCM para-church ministry. The reason is in the northern areas collegiate ministry lacks facilities, sufficient funding, higher number of students in one area, and many have not heard the Gospel.  He approaches the campuses like missionaries reaching out and sharing the Gospel in new areas. He encounter much opposition to Christianity; therefore, he strives to build relationships with people and share Christ through those relationships.  Soularium is an evangelism tool he has found to be helpful. He also uses small groups to disciple and involves students in the ministry. Additionally, he uses mission trips as opportunities to develop leadership and pour specifically into them.

Leadership

·      Helping students becomes disciples who in turn become the disciple makers

·      Character: One can not lead without character. Autenticity and consistency are important to character. One has to be able to identify their pitfalls and work on those areas of life.  In other words, character (fruits of the Spirit) flow from that person; it becomes their DNA.

Missions

Missions can be a great opportunity to connect with students, to build leadership, for students to live out their faith, to serve and share Christ, and to help students to think about and become aware of those outside of themselves. The following are some points we discuss in class about missions.

1. The way you describe the mission trip is important.

·      Mission trips can easily become about the destination and not the purpose. How the trip is presented and describe will impact the view of the mission trip. 

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2. Since of Call: individuals motive for the trip

·      Talking through with students about their motives for attending the trip is important.  For some students, they will attend the trip for the opportunity to serve and “do good.”  As a collegiate minister, one has to decide if you will allow such an individual to attend and use the time to minister to that student or if you will not.  I believe the purpose of each trip must be determine through prayer as well as who should attend. Obviously, a sincere heart to serve Christ and to share him is to be the motive of the heart of individuals, but the trip can also be used to minister to those who do not know Christ.

3. Debriefing

·      Debriefing is vital to keeping the focus on Christ and the purpose of each element of the mission trip.  Every mission trip I have been apart of the debriefing has been the opportunity for students to share what God is teaching them daily through their experience as well as how they are going to take what they learn and apply it to their own life and community.

Cross cultural trips

“4 things that make a difference: Dissonant (creative tension), habituation (learn more on the second trip), modeling, community (richer: team)” – Article from Class

Missions are important to any collegiate ministry.  We must teach students the purpose of missions and what Christ speaks of missions.  Missions have to be more than a “free trip to do good deeds.”  They are to be intentional, Christ-centered, and purposeful. 

Shame

How does your own shame interact with your ability to help students through their shame?

Our own shame impacts how we guide collegiates. It is important for us individually to deal with our own shame and admit our downfalls.  These downfalls however become aspects in our life that God uses to strengthen our relationship with Him. We can use these experiences to help college students deal with their own shame and to enable us to know what it is like to experience shame.

What are some areas students may feel shame over?

·      Relationships

·      Laziness

·      Indulging (food, shopping, etc)

·      Body Harm

·      Sexual Sins

·      Habitual Lying

·      Family Situations

·      Childhood Experiences

·      Faking

·      Previous Life changing decisions (Abortion, Divorce, Trials of Suicide)

·      Addictions

What are some concrete ways to help students cope with shame?

·      Help students admit their shame and their true feelings about their shame

·      Share your own story and how you walk through the shame with Christ

·      Reading Scripture on Christ’s restoration of brokenness

·      Prayer and encouragement

·      Professional Counseling

·      Build a community of security where students can share in honesty their shame

·      Affirm truths of who individuals are in Christ

How can you use shame as a means of sharing the Gospel?

The Gospel can be shared through how all of humanity fell and how God restore our shame and gives us a new life in Him.  We see even with the fall of man how the effects of sin are still impacting us today, but Christ made a way for us to be anew. Experiences of shame will have its impact on us, but like the imagery share in class on Humpy Dumpy, we can be made whole again, but we will have those cracks that have impacted us.  God knows our cracks and cares about those, but He has also sent his son who was our propitiation for the cost of those sins. Therefore, we can walk free of shame because our God has set us free. Overall, help students connect their story with God's story.

Worship. Teacher Style.

Three "take-aways" from Nate on worship.

1. Worship is the whole experience.

·      Many times in ministry we classify “worship” as the music and singing time during any gathering. Worship is the whole gathering. Romans 12 speaks to worship being a lifestyle not just music or a gathering. Many collegiates have the same mind set of worship being only their time of singing, but we need to help change such a mentality.

2. Definition of what is worship?

·      “Worship is Spiritual disciplines: things that put us in the path of Christ to make us more like Him” – Nate.  I really like this definition of worship.  Nate truly spoke of how worship is not a building, but how we are to worship in spirit and truth.  John 4:23 -24: "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  

3. Not Be Busy

·      Nate spoke of how busyness in a worship service does not equal worship or a better worship experience. Too many elements cause people to lose sight of the focus, Christ. His advice is to use as many elements as one needs to “bring home the Truth.”

Nate’s last words of advice were, “Be creative but above all pray and rely on the Holy Spirit.”

Discipleship: Type of Teacher do you see yourself as?

I can see using all three types of guide, example, and facilitator in helping college students.  The type of teacher approach that would be best for a student depends on knowing who they are, their situation, and where they are currently in their spiritual maturity and life. Sometimes students need a guide to help them as they are journeying through, whereas other students need to see an example of someone truly living out how they are trying to live in a specific area.   Additionally, at times students will need a facilitator who can ignite the talks and walk side by side with them as they make decisions and strive to grow.  I would say most times my approach is to be a guide. I strive to help students as they are walking through new phases of their life and their relationship with Christ.  I love pointing them to new truths and challenging them to study and wrestle with how those truths play out in their own lives.  

How Far Do We Go

Mike Miller from FBC-Kenner came and spoke to our class about the emerging and emergent movement.  He focused on building relationships as the core of reaching out to others outside the church. I completely agree with Mike about relationships being the main way of meeting and share Christ with individuals. However, the question is how far do we go with meeting individuals were they are?

I believe we must be honest and real with people.  They need to know who you are and what you are about, showing them Christ’s love and helping them know him.  However I believe one mistake we make as Christians is not truly loving the person regardless of where they stand with Christianity.  Many times we become about our “agenda” and not about people. We are about sharing the Gospel, but not living it in such a way people know you love them where they are and who they are.  To me, this is authentic and real Christianity.  Loving them with the love of Christ even if they never come to know Him. However, I do not mean people should not change, but knowing and understanding transformation only comes from a relationship with Christ. I am not saying either that the Lord will not guide us away from specific people in order to invest in others. The point is we need to check our heart condition and motive when building relationships with people with the desire to share Christ with them.  Our heart condition needs to be a pure motive compel by the Holy Spirit from a perspective of seeing them as God does, lost, but needing Christ.

I also believe we are not to compromise who the church is in order to “better” relate to the culture. The church is to be different than the world because we have something the world does not have, Jesus Christ. It can use some more contemporary styles and methods to relate to non-believers, but we can not compromise the Biblical model and elements of church. A balance needs to be found in which we constantly ask if what is being done aligns with God’s will and Scripture.

The importance of this in relation to college students is we have to ask the question of what does it look like on a campus to meet students were they are without compromising who and what the church is or Christianity.  Again, I believe we are to show students how we are all humans and made in the image of God, but how our lives  are different than theirs because of our relationship with the Creator.  This can look many different ways, but I believe some ways it can look is:

·      playing sports with students

·      helping them with classwork

·      having coffee or lunch with them

·      attending musical concerts, or art galleries

·      painting pottery together

·      helping them do life things like fixing their vehicle

·      playing video games

In other words, we should go and do the things they enjoy that does not compromise our beliefs.  I do believe we have to meet people were they are, but we must be careful to not compromise who we are in Christ and to trust the Holy Spirit to bring about appropriate opportunities and settings to share Christ. Our role is to be ready and obedient seeking Christ and becoming more like Him ourselves. 

The Church

How can you help connect students to the local church in a campus-based setting and a church-based setting?

Connecting students to the local church can be challenging, but is important for their continual sanctification and being a disciple of Christ.

For a Para-church organization and church-base, it is vital to build a strong relationships with each other as a partnership. Local church leaders need to know the para-church organization exist to help students know Christ and to connect them to the local church.  Therefore, both can display what it means to work as one body by not competing with each other or duplicating the same type of outreach to students.

Campus-Based Connection to Church

• Having local church leaders come in and speak at the campus base gatherings as well as share about their church
• Encourage church leaders and members to attend campus base events
• Offering rides to students on Sunday’s to church as well as attending with them if needed  
• Taking students to outreach event hosted by the church
• Connecting students with church community groups
• Do a joint service project or mission trip so students and church members are working together and building relationships
• Have local church members come and share their testimony and the importance of why they are part of a church
• Teach on the importance of being part of the church, the Biblical role of the church, and why all of this is necessary for a believer (Why attend church? etc)

 Church Based Connection to Church

• Be on the campus
• Be intentional to meet students
• Have a place for collegiates. In other words, have someone that one lead collegiates, have ways ready at your church for college students to plug in, and know how you are going to guide them on their faith pilgrimage
• Build relationships with para-church organization and help them
• Be available and encourage students whom you connect with
• Develop opportunities for collegiates to engage in fellowship with each other and other members of the church

What are a few “nuggets” you took away from Michael and Beau today?

1.  Have fun with College Students. 
• Sometimes I forget how important it is to do fun things together with no agenda or purpose other than to fellowship together.  These times are important for building a deeper relationship together and to be joyful.
2. Develop aspects that reach new and different types of students
• It is so easy to get caught up in the same mind set and ways of doing things, while in the process missing out on reaching the campus as a whole. I feel like this is where it is important to utilize the different talents, gifts, and personalities that make up the collegiate ministry.  Have students reach out to those they connect with, those they have common majors with, those they have similar hobbies and interest, etc. and build relationships. It will still be necessary to reach out and learn about those students whom you and possibly none of your students have no commonality with, but what a great opportunity to learn about their passions in life and connect on something new and different.   
3. Acknowledge you do not know it all. 
• We do not have everything figure out nor do we know it all. Therefore, be humble and empower students to do ministry. They do not have to know it all in order to be used in the ministry by the Lord. I am not saying students shouldn't be held to accountability in leadership, but for us to recognize the limitation of their spiritual maturity (in other words their spiritual maturity is not the same as a 50 year old deacon who has walk with the Lord since he was sixteen) and know the Lord will use them despite what they may not fully grasp yet in their walk with Christ.  Besides, we are still in the sanctification process. 
4. We must teach college students how to be part of the Church
•   Many students do not understand the Church nor encounter life with many people outside their own age and/or stage of life. It is important to connect college students with the whole church and not just each others.  You can help them and encourage them to realize how much they can grow and learn in all areas of life from people in the body who are not like them (married, elderly, with children, single, deacons, etc).

Social Justice

What are the biblical implications of social justice?

Jeremiah 7: 5 -7; Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:17 -21; Matthew 11: 1 -6; Luke 14: 1-24; Romans 15:26; 2 Corinthians 9: 6 -15; Galatians 2:10; James 2:1-

Looking at Scripture, God tells us to remember the poor, the afflicted, the lame, and others in need.  He continues to tell us to give and help them in their needs in and through the power of His love.  Above all, we are to share the Gospel with them. The Bible gives numerous examples of individuals giving and helping those in need.  The second greatest commandment the Lord gives is to “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  It is important to remember God’s command of this does not mean when we feel like it or are “move” by emotions, but we are to live a lifestyle of loving our neighbors as ourselves.  Our neighbor includes those you are in need, poor, afflicted, and others.

How can you incorporate social justice into a college ministry?

First, I think it is important to understand social justice as something that is not solved in a one time trip on missions or inner city feeding of the homeless.  Social justice is more for a Christian. You can educate your students on the issues around social justice and how a Christian perspective and approach to social justice differs than a secular one.  The difference is the motivation of sharing Christ with them, to help them in the name of Christ, and to give not from us, but from God. Furthermore, social justice is not a time about self-glorification, but elevating the glory of God.

After some educating, have students search Scripture on God’s view of social justice and how He said we are to respond.  Then provide students with opportunities to act upon and help in areas of social justice.  Let the students plan, organize, and collect everything they need to assist in the local community, in State missions, or internationally.   Such opportunities also open the door for students to invite other collegiates to help out who are not Christians.  Christian students can use these times to witnesses to non-believers by showing a different motive for helping in social justice, Jesus Christ.

How does this information impact your understanding of past experiences?

The information discuss in class help me look at how easy in past experiences it is to lose the focus on Christ when helping and to become self-glorified motivated.  It also help me to plan how to keep the focus on Christ and not the organization or any individual, but to elevate the glory of the Lord.