This question went along with the reading of Ephesians 1:1-14 which is full of blessing.

• “Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms” v.3
• “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world” v.4
• “That we may be holy and unblemished in his sight” v.4
• “Adoption as sons” v.5
• “Grace that he has freely bestowed on us” v.6
• “Redemption through his blood” v.7
• “Forgiveness of our trespasses” v.7
• “Lavished on us all wisdom and insight” v.8
• “Revealed to us the secret of his will” v.9
• “Marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit” v.13

I find myself being reoriented in my relationship with Christ. The book, “The Divine Conspiracy” by Dallas Willard, is helping me see the Kingdom of God and how to live in it in a new way. I feel that I am being reoriented to the way God wants me to live in relation to him and his Kingdom. I wouldn’t say that it has moved from my head to my heart and will yet, but it is stirring in me the desire to draw near and live under his kingship.

I wouldn’t say that there are any major times when I have been away from God so long that there was a restorative event, but there all the more frequent times of restoration. Sometimes in worship I feel more connected with God then normal. It is then that I realize that I haven’t been as close to him as I have been. It is in the heights of worship that I realize that I haven’t been walking closely with him and return refreshed. Also, I would say that celebrating the Lord’s Supper also serves to restore me to him. Our church celebrates communion once per month. There are times when preparing my heart that the burden of sin is lifted off and I feel lighter and joyous again.

Interestingly enough, I think I was spiritually thirsty the year I was in seminary. This might be shocking, but you can spend a lot of time in the Word, studying it in depth and not connect to God. I think what also made this a spiritually dry time was that I wasn’t connected to close friends and particularly Samantha. We were engaged, and distance doesn’t promote intimacy. I attended classes with many great Christians, but they lived an hour away, so spending time with them wasn’t feasible. And although I took advantages of opportunities with the Young Adults Group I didn’t make any great connections. It wasn’t a desert the whole time, there were oases God provided–all-seminary spiritual retreats and God speaking occasionally to me in my studies–but overall it wasn’t an easy time.

Right now I am coming to the realization that God is in every place at all times. Yes, that is his omnipresence. But all too often we don’t really believe it. How could we boldly sin if we believed he was right there with us at the time? It’d be like cheating on your wife in her presence. Beyond sins, I feel that most of the time I don’t believe he’s right here. Certainly much of my past was the same way. I do know that in the times I really needed him to be there–when I felt the most alone and hurt–I was aware of his presence. For that I give thanks. My prayer is that I would come to the everlasting awareness that God is with me at all times and that I would live my life accordingly.

What marked the beginning(s) of your faith journey?

I would have to say that my faith journey is closely tied to my heritage and godly family. Yes, God calls individuals, but often we find him doing so to establish a people who are faithful to him. Certainly I have seen this in my family. So many of my relatives and ancestors walked closely with God. My own journey has benefited from the knowledge of God passed on to me. I consider this a blessing and as I now have children, seek to continue the legacy. 

The milestones of my personal journey:

• January 1984 – Accepted Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of my sins
• September 1989 – Baptized
• June 1995 – Made a commitment to go into full-time ministry
• February 1997 – Mission trip to Honduras
• 1997-2001 – At Crown College
• 1999 & 2000 – Camp counselor at Big Sandy Camp
• 2001-2002 – At Canadian Theological Seminary
• 2002-2003 – First ministry position at Hope Church in Apple Valley, MN
• 2006-present – Current ministry position at Faith Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, MN

“Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.”

As one who ministers in a church, that isn’t a viable option. However, most if not all in my church congregation have no idea of the conversation and don’t see the need to change, at least not at the level of creating new paradigms. So what am I to do? How do I introduce renewal? Of course, I am not talking about aesthetic features as some have misunderstood what’s happening. If it starts with me, I must set the example.

• Prayer and worship: These must prevade my life at every level, becoming the driving force for every action no matter how mundane.
• Authenticity: I must be real with others, sharing doubts, frustrations, and struggles with temptations.
• I must be living out my mission in the world, seeking out the needy and meeting them where they’re at.

From Jason Clark’s Blog review of Emerging Churches, by Eddie Gibbs, Ryan Bolger:

1. Re-centering on the kingdom of God.
2. Engaging culture with out a sacred and secular distinction.
3. Communal: Faith as communal experience.
4. Listening to the outsider.
5. Serving those in need without ulterior motives.
6. Involving participants in worship.
6. Valuing Creativity/Arts.
7. Leading through networks than top down hierarchies.
8. Ancient and Avant Garde

From exagorazo from an article on Urbana.org:

1. Having a high threshold for membership
(high expectations for believers)
2. Being real, not real religious
(being transparent, authentic, with one foot in “the world.”)
3. Teaching to obey rather than to know
(a practical faith)
4. Rewriting worship every week
(Creative, participatory Sunday morning services)
5. Living apostolically
(each believer as a missionary)
6. Expecting to change the world
(aggressively engaged in transforming communities)
7. Ordering actions according to purpose.
(Ruthless aligning of resources with mission)
8. Measuring growth by capacity to release rather than retain.
(Not megachurches but multiplying churches)
9. Placing kingdom concerns first
(in contrast to denomination first. Thus, cooperation with other churches)