It’s the time of the year where people make resolutions and say they are going to change…but by March or April they have quit. Part of the problem: They are not serious about change. This is part of the problem facing followers of Christ today. We are not serious about change because we are too entangled in civilian affairs. Everyone says they want to do great things for God but when things start changing or just working, people freak out at the loss of status quo and hide back in their comfort zones.

No one serving as a solider gets involved in civilian affairs-he wants to please his commanding officer. -2nd Timothy 2:4

One thing we need to realize is we are in a fight. It is against evil in this world. People are not the enemy. We are commanded to love people. That is our mission as soldiers of Christ. Love cures hurting people. Instead of judging people or hiding in our churches, we need to go out and get involved in people’s lives, taking a genuine interest in their lives. The more you go outside your comfort zone, the bigger it becomes. You become more comfortable doing the things that once scared you. We have to be their friends even if they do not want to be a Christian. God’s love can cure all things over time, if you let it work. 1 Corinthians 13

What are some of these civilian affairs?

• School: You are not in school just to get a degree. God has you there on a mission to reach others. Your degree is 2nd to the mission. It’s the Great Commission, not the Great Diploma. Matthew 28:16-20
• Work/Hobbies: God did not call you to neglect others so you could play more video games or work longer and neglect your family (Christian family is part of your family). It’s not about you. Luke 18:18-25
• Social Events: Are you using events to reach people or just to entertain people? Is it really praising God? Colossians 3:23-25

For me, I use to be engaged in the civilian affairs listed above. I wanted to be done with school so I wouldn’t have to go anymore, so I made it my priority. I put myself first thru hobbies and entertainment events because my entertainment was my priority. The problem was it didn’t glorify God, lives were not changed and I became lazy in my faith. Civilian affairs take you out of the fight. They take away from your focus, and the worst part is it can destroy your relationship with Christ. We have to stay focused on the big picture if you want to change eternity by changing today.

This New Year, 2nd Timothy 2:4 struck me. Cut loose the civilian affairs that hold you down, and be focused, one mind, one heart on Christ. We have work to do and I want to please my commanding officer.

How to love and forgive in the face of evil is something all people struggle deeply with. The Shack also asks the tough questions such as Where is God when a child is hurt? And How could God let evil happen? The Shack tries to answer these questions. Mackenzie may not always like the answer he gets, but he shows that if you are humble enough to try it Papa’s way instead of reverting back to your own way, the results can be stunning.

The appearance of God as a black woman and the Holy Spirit as an asian woman in the book upsets some readers I talked to. However, God has manifested himself in a burning bush. God also met Moses to kill him on his way to Egypt, but no hint at God’s form is given. Even when God is talking to Adam and Eve, it does not say if God was just a voice or took on some kind of formation. On page 95, Papa says “For me to appear to you as a woman and suggest you call me Papa is to mix metaphors, to help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning.” The purpose for this is to keep God mysterious and for Mack to not fall into his preconceived notions of God. It shows the readers that God is mysterious, but not about appearances. This sounds a lot like God in the Old Testament.

The Shack also speaks of the trinity being anti-organization or having an hierarchy of power or management.This is certainly understandable when looking at churches or people plagued with legalism and pride. The idea that Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God are all one and have no chain of command is also biblical (John 1:1-14).  However, Isaiah’s vision of God seated on a throne being worshiped in Isaiah 6 seems to be contradictory of The Shack’s anti-hierarchy theme. God in the Bible appears as the King, the creator and ruler of all. This may denote a pecking order in the spiritual or heavenly realm amongst angels and heavenly creatures that are not of the trinity, but a severe lack of organization can cause problems for humans. We need to avoid legalism and disorder that both hinder God’s work. The idea of no hierarchy or leadership structure is understandable, but questionable. While it is understandable that the Holy Trinity is equal, the rest of the world falls under them. Human leadership can be poor and lead to legalism and worse, but it can also lead to great achievements for God, with the right leader.

While living in a relationship of love with God can be messy, it may be more like the fractal Sarayu discussed with Mack. If you look at creation from Adam and into the whole Old Testament, there were messes and consequences that made the people of God look crazy or disorganized. But if you looked at the big picture, it had developed and formed into something very complex and orderly. David was an adulterer and murderer, but was considered a man after God’s own heart. Israel was a country that would be for God one moment and then divided the next. The heroes of the Bible and Israel are like people today, who seem messy and disorganized, but with God, they can be pruned and let a messy person become something beautiful.

When Mack first began talking to Papa, she said “This weekend is about relationship and Love.” God created the earth and instantly began a relationship with his creation. God dealt with sin and rebellion much more swiftly and harshly than it appears in The Shack, but the love and relationship were always there. God delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and began a relationship with them, but when parts of Israel worshiped the golden calf, those who were not with God were killed by the sword.

God is loving and desires relationships, but there are consequences for actions and bad ones for sinful actions. The man who killed Missy is forgiven by Mack, which is good, but he was still arrested to face punishment and prison for what he did. Part of what Mack learned was God does not arbitrarily hurt people to get other people’s attention. As God works in the world so does someone else. Job did not suffer so God could draw him closer, it was satan trying to sabotage Job’s faith. While God is about love and relationships, satan works to dismantle and confuse those paradigms, perceptions and emotions.

The Holy Spirit, or Sarayu in The Shack does not appear to be mentioned much in the Old Testament. However, there are several instances where the Spirit of the Lord came upon people in Judges or departed from Saul. Is the Spirit of the Lord the Holy Spirit? One thought is what other spirit could the Lord have other than the Holy Spirit? If both spirits accomplish and strive for the same goals, what does it matter? Either way, a holy spirit has part in both the Old and New Testament of the Bible.

The main theme in The Shack is that love can conquer all. With God’s love, you can learn to forgive an abusive father, a killer of children, and grow deeper more authentic relationships with family and friends. That theme is runs parallel with the theology in the Old Testament. The fractal concept is also relevant because Israel and the people of the Old Testament were messy, but in the big picture God achieved much through them. Mack learned  like Job to cope with his Great Sadness, and grow relationships with God’s love, which still cannot be stopped.

This book is so popular is because it asks tough questions and portrays God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in a way that is rare and unpopular with mainstream Christianity. If you go online, you will find many people who do not like The Shack because of how it portrayed God as a black woman, even though the book states it did so to mess with Mack’s religious stereotypes on page 95. I have heard of more people hating this book because of its human and anti-typical portrayal of God then people who enjoyed it. It asks a lot of hard questions people have buried inside and were afraid to ask because they were not sure if they would like the answer.

The shock value of the book portraying God as a black woman (who appears as a white old man in a later chapter) sold a lot of copies. Unfortunately, a lot of people claiming to be Christians today would rather be offended and argue than read a book and be challenged to think of God outside of the traditional, conservative box.

Another part of this book’s popularity is that it is actually a great book! These deep theological questions tied into a readable book is not easy. It asks Christians tough questions that they are afraid to ask. It makes people at least think about these issues and develop their own opinions. If they agree with the book or not is irrelevant. It helps develop or strengthen paradigms, which helps perceptions and creates a mature and authentic emotional response.

This book does accomplish teaching theology to the church because the reading level is not academic, but still asks the difficult questions that people need to address like If God is good then why do bad things happen? How do I forgive pedophiles and abusive parents? After reading this book, people must think and address their own issues with God and ask some questions that are theological in nature and help mature their relationship with Christ. The only better way to do is probably asking your brothers and sisters these questions directly or therapy.

I told people I loved The Shack. You may not like what you read, but you need to read it with an open mind and heart because it will make you ask some tough questions about your faith that will ultimately strengthen it. I would recommend this book specifically to people in the church who have been victims of abuse or relatives of these victims. If the church is honest, it will be a majority of them. It can teach them to forgive and live in freedom again, and not let the Great Sadness that is the result of their abuse hold them down any longer.

Last month, I got the opportunity to speak to the Southside Church of Christ in Lawrence, Kansas. If you are a fan of 12 minute sermons, here it is: Kyle speaks.

 

 

 

For my orientation to the master’s program, I have to read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Not exactly on the top of my reading list either. It sounds like a book made by a cheesy motivational speaker…perhaps played by Chris Farley.

But, it brings up an interesting point:  Be Proactive.

• Being Proactive means taking responsibility and affecting the environment around you.
• Being Reactive is the opposite of  proactive. Now yes, you react to different things, but having a reactive personality is different. It means not taking responsibility and being affected by the environment around you.

Now you almost always put yourself in most environments (work, family, friends, social settings), but you ultimately have the choice of how other people effect the way you act, think and feel and how you effect them.

Now, how do we respond to God’s Will? Are we proactive and do something about it? Or are we reactive?

I have been both. I think the easy way to act is reactively (Yes, it is a word now…). I have avoided taking responsibility, let the negativity of others influence me instead of responding with Truth and Love. Basically, I tried to make God’s Will about me when it clearly isn’t. I apologize if I have affected you with one of my habits of ineffective people.

Look at people acting Proactive in the Bible. It is all over the place!  Joseph: Sold into slavery by his brothers, ended up becomging the head of a household, thrown into jail, works his way up in the Jail, and eventually becomes #2 man in Egypt. Also: Gideon, Joshua, Paul, Peter, . The outcomes of all these people are different, but they all had one thing in common: They followed God and his will Proactively. Their lives were not about them staying comfortable. 

When I think of people being reactive to God’s will, I see the Galatians. They were letting people come in and distort the gospel by claiming circumcision necessary for salvation. Being reactive led them to sin. Paul’s proactive (and quite bold) behavior in the letter to Galatians led people out sin and into freedom in God’s will.

So basically, how do we respond to God’s will? You can even drop the proactive/reactive words. Do you act in a way that produces fruit or not?

In my last post, I talked about how we had not had many studies produce committed followers.

Well, in the last 2 weeks, I got the privilege of baptizing 2 people.

Coreen is someone I brought to the Tampa Christians In Action about 2 years ago.  She went on the mission trip this year and had been studying with some of the girls, and on the last night I got to baptize her down at Lake Tenkiller.

 

Mike was a friend of Peyton here in Corpus Christi. He has been enthusiastic ever since Peyton told him about Jesus and what we do.

After studying and talking with most of the guys, Mike gave his life to Christ this past Sunday.

So who’s gonna be next???

I head off to CMU tomorrow in Searcy. I’ll be back in Tampa after CMU for almost 2 weeks.  Lots of traveling and exciting things happening all over!

My first semester here at TAMUCC is done, but work continues. I got here in the middle of January and hit the ground running, which was good but didn’t leave a lot of time for blog updates! I’ll try to do better at updating this next semester and over the summer…

We had 20 bible studies with people over the past semester, and only 2 of those are still part of the Church here. That can be very frustrating! It helped me learn something:

1. You can’t base the success of your ministry on numbers alone.

Just because you have people in your group, doesn’t make them or you a better believer or follower of Jesus.  The work of God is not a numbers game!  If you have a lot of people show up to Church on Sunday but their rest of the week doesn’t resemble Jesus at all, is that really a group to be proud of?

In Luke 9:57-62 it says:

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.” Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Jesus didn’t want fans, he wanted dedicated, sold out followers!  He only started with 12 and it seems to have grown since then!

What makes a Christian group or church productive isn’t the numbers, but  the dedication of its members to Jesus. Luke 14:25-35

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.  And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.  “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’  “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

Following Jesus isn’t easy. Don’t be surprised if people walk away from your church or bible studies because you ask them hard questions about their life. It hurts when people walk away, but I still love them and am praying for them. I came to rely more on God’s plan and time frame. Maybe some of these people will become followers later, and we just planted the seed now.

Irregardless (yes, that is a word on this blog), Followers of Jesus will attract more followers in time. Patience and readiness to act for God are going to be crucial for growth. God’s plans are bigger and better than mine.

We still have 2 very promising studies going on right now and a mission trip to run a camp for inner city children from Tulsa. Even if numbers are “down,” we are in a target-rich environment.

 

John 8: 2-11

2 At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”11 “No one, sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

There is so many things to ask and ponder about this set of scripture!  What was Jesus writing?  Where was the guy who committed the adultery with the woman? What did the woman do after this?

But ultimately, I think the big question here is what truth set the woman free?

The truth that she was in an affair condemned her. Just like how our sin condemns us. The truth that the teachers of the law (the law that condemned her) and pharisees were sinners too saved her life for the moment. I believe the truth that set her free was that Jesus did not condemn her. The truth that Jesus saved her, set her free!

That wasn’t the end of it either. She had to leave her life of sin. Basically, she was told to repent.

So are we afraid of the truth for the same reasons?

Are we afraid to confront our sins and problems?

Why are you afraid to leave the complacent sinful miserable life you lead?

Are we afraid to confront others?

Do you feel like the truth sets you free or just means you got caught?

Do you confront sin or do you attack people unjustly like the pharisees ?

The truth is that Jesus can set you free, but you have to allow him to do so.

Alright, I’m one week into my living in her in Corpus Christi and it’s going great! Lots of working from the UC (student hangout area on campus) and running around town but it is 100% worth it! The whole church here is really doing great things and I’m excited and honored to be a part of it.

Last night we had a cross chat (short bible study with the group) talking about labels and is the past really behind us.

Isaiah 43:18-20

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen

I feel like a lot of people, like myself, often let the past rule over their future decisions. They let mistakes haunt them. Although we learn from these mistake, in Isaiah, we are reminded that we are something special, and something new when we are with God and the past cannot affect us! Only when I get in the way does the past haunt or negatively hurt me or others.

Without Jesus, you are stereotyped as one thing. The funny guy, the smart girl, the jock, the nerd, etc. But with Jesus, you are not just a stereotype, you are a new creation. You may still be smart, funny, athletic, but you end up being much more than just funny.  I’m funny and handsome ( a double threat!), but with Jesus, I am also a reader (smart), planter, extrovert (gotta tell people about Jesus). So basically, this world cannot define me and I can do all things in Christ! FYI SO CAN YOU

Philippians 4:13

“I can do all this through him who gives me strength”

I’m also doing this new thing with some of the guys here called exercising. We do some MMA type training where we learn some basic moves and a ton of cardio. Hopefully tonight I won’t be exhausted 15 minutes in…

Hi Everyone!

I am starting this blog to keep my close friends and family updated on my journey …and any misadventures I have in Corpus Christi.

God called me into campus ministry while working and going to school in Tampa, Florida. I spent 6 years with the Christians In Action (CIA) campus ministry on USF’s campus as part of the Bay Area Church of Christ. In Corpus Christi, I will train to be campus minister under Clint Hill, the campus minister for Texas A & M at Corpus Christi (TAMUCC).

Why Campus Ministry?
I grew up going to church and I made my decision to obey the gospel at an early age, but it wasn’t until I became involved in the CIA campus ministry in Tampa, Florida that I took my walk with Jesus seriously. I had read the Bible and even attempted to act on what it said, but it was my involvement in campus ministry when I started to grow spiritually and made my faith in Christ mine and not anyone else’s. I stopped going to church because I had to and began going to church because I loved it!  In the Christians In Action ministry in Tampa, I learned how to practically apply the Bible to my everyday life. I learned that using common sense to explain the Bible to people is a valuable tool that anyone can appreciate.

The most important thing I saw was people turning their lives over to God– giving up lives filled with addictions, abuse and pride. Currently, the Churches of Christ have active campus ministries on less than 200 of the 4,000 university campuses.  As I grasped the ‘good news’ of Jesus in my life and others, and as I began seeing the lack of campus ministries in our country, I realized I needed to answer that gnawing voice in my head.

My Goal
Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

My goal as a campus minister is to obey the commission given by our Lord and be involved in converting college-aged students to Jesus.  I am learning that the harvest is ripe and God is seeking people young and old.  I want to share and show the love God has given us to students by listening to their life stories, being involved in their struggles, and opening the Bible to discover the answers.  I want to show them that being a Christian isn’t a set of rules, but it is a secure lasting relationship which brings great joy and can be a lot of fun!

The Plan
I have been accepted into Campus Ministry United’s apprenticeship program (campusministryunited.com). This organization’s program is available to me and will facilitate a search for an appropriate ministry fit upon my completion.  I will spend the next two years as an apprentice in Corpus Christ, Texas with the campus ministry at Grace Fellowship Church of Christ. I will shadow their campus minister, Clint Hill, and learn all aspects of campus ministry. This apprenticeship will be a 60-70 hour-work week not leaving much time for a second job.

After a year, I will enroll in Harding University’s Masters of Ministry program online. The Masters of Ministry program should take approximately 12 to 18 months to complete. In this brief amount of time I will have gained hands-on experience and a Master’s degree equipping me to be planted in a campus ministry.

Support

Philippians 2:1, 2

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being likeminded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
I need your help to accomplish my goal.

If you are willing to help financially support my mission, my sponsoring congregation information is below.

Checks Payable to:
Bay Area Church of Christ/ Memo:  Kyle Fanning Support.

Bay Area Church of Christ
3905 Orange Street
P.O. Box 1657
Mango, FL 33550

Thank you for your prayers and support! I will try to keep this blog updated at least once a month.

-Kyle