Biblical Interpretation in Community

How often do you read the Bible in a group setting?  Before you think of your answer, eliminate the times the pastor at your church reads passages of Scripture out loud to the congregation.  Now how often do you read the Bible in a group setting?  You may have once been part of a Bible study, read through a book of the Bible or through a Christian-themed book, but now find yourself a part of no group of believers that feed on the word of God.  You only now occasionally read for yourself.

I'm talking to myself a whole lot here.  My Bible reading is either on my own in times when I'm alone, when the preacher says, "Follow along while I read," or recently when I have an assignment for my classes.  Nowhere in that list includes a time when I read the Bible with another human being in hopes to study, learn, interpret, and apply the word of God to my life.  "But Andrew, it's a good thing to spend time reading the Bible on your own, especially in quiet times."  I agree, this does often reveal a heart that longs more and more for a deeper relationship with the Lord.  However, I would like to use this blog to communicate the importance of reading Scripture in community and point out why it can be dangerous to avoid such a great opportunity.

One of my exam study questions asked for us to identify five reasons why biblical interpretation in community was important.  Here I go, without looking back at my notes.  First, our sin can cause us to approach Scripture willfully blind, seeing, reading, and learning only what we want to see, read, and learn.  This can warp our interpretation and can cramp our ability to apply the Bible to ethics in relevant ways without seeing the totality of a theme across Scripture.  Second, as brothers and sisters in Christ, we are our brothers' and sisters' keeper.  It is our responsibility to encourage and lift one another up in word and truth.  Third, we have the limitation of one human life's experience at looking at Scripture through our one lens.  Reading in community will provide many more perspectives in understanding not just "what this passage means to me uniquely," but rather "what aspects of the text am I missing or have an unclear understanding of?"  Fourth, everything that is written in the Bible, at its original written time in history, was meant to be read to the masses or specific churches, not individuals.  The body of Christ has many members, but is of one body.  If our personal application of Scripture does not stack up to the mission of the church as a whole, our application is misinformed.  Finally, the gospel message is meant for people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9).  If our reading of the Bible is with a group of believers with similar social, cultural, racial, historical backgrounds as you, this will also create some blind spots to interpretation.

I can get wrapped up in my own understanding of Scripture and haven't taken time to appreciate that different views people have of the word doesn't mean that they are necessarily wrong and that mine are right, it just means that they bring with them a unique lens in which to view Scripture, which shouldn't make interpretation foggier, but should reveal the richness and depth of God through Jesus Christ.

In hopes to go in the right direction, my wife and I are going to start attending a Bible study class at our church.  I'm excited because the group will be filled with fellow believers who look, act, and think differently than we do.  Please pray that going in this direction challenges us to learn more about God, our spiritual family, each other, and our own selves.

Meeting with Ruth earlier today on Skype right before she
was going on a roadtrip to meet with Jonathan.  Don't worry,
she drove safely and kept her eyes on the road.

For those of you who don't know, the executive director of 2nd Mile Ministries, Ruth, is in transition to step down and allow our new director, Jonathan Blackburn, step in to take over.  Their leadership will overlap so a successful handoff can occur.  For more about the new director, you can go to http://www.2ndmile-jax.com/ and read about his story.  Ruth will be missed by many, since she was one of the founders of the ministry all the way back in 2003.  There will probably be a future blog devoted just to her as she leaves for good.  Pray the transition goes smoothly.

In conclusion, think about creative ways in which you could read and interpret Scripture in community if you haven't already.  It could be as simple as starting with your own family.  Maybe your church provides small groups to join.  If not, maybe God wants you to step out in faith and ask people you know to start reading, with the intention of loving God and his people better.  I will pray for you, whoever you may be.

"Worth is more than a picture"

If you see a kid in your care standing up, facing the corner of the room, and crying, what would you do?

If you see another kid quickly sit to the ground with an pouting face after getting out at four-square, what would you do?

Semajah, a 4th grader,
getting ready to write a response
to what she read

Every year I'm with 2nd Mile Ministries, God blesses us with unique situations where we cannot trust in ourselves, only God.  Frustrating times as they may be, when the dust settles, God has us shake off the dust, and follow Him.

Like many people might do, I tried to talk to the first kid, ask what was wrong, or what happened.  Nothing.  No answer, no movement, nothing.  Even with asking him easy yes or no questions, nothing.  This went on for at least a half hour.  Seeing my own ability and strength to handle situations fail is very hard to go through and labels the day as "bad" when I go home.  With the second kid, every little thing bothers them.  Complaining and falling to the ground in disappointment rule their world.  It can get annoying when I see their reaction to something that is not a big deal.  I do remember crying one time that I got out in a fun family game of plastic baseball when I was like 5 or 6, not 4th grade.

Creation to Revelation spans a long time.  The events of Revelation haven't occurred yet, so we are chronologically between these two passages.  For anyone who has read the Bible, attempts to bridge the events to our current world are almost innate.  Either you go into a reading session trying to go from your circumstance to a nugget of wisdom from the word, or in your reading you realize that there are things in your life similar to the events of scripture.  This past to present or present to past path is what makes the Bible worth reading.  The Holy Spirit leads us towards wisdom when reading scripture (1 Cor. 2:6-16).  However, I've noticed that sometimes I'm quick with "knowing" what a passage is about when really, considering the original context, I have a very fuzzy understanding.

In my Biblical Interpretation class, I've seen the value in dissecting text from big to small.  Let me explain.  One of our assignments was to read the entire book of Acts and pick five possible themes.  I had never done this before.  I've read Acts in its entirety, but a chapter at a time, not altogether.  Then, after finding the themes, we were to dissect Acts 8:26-40, when Philip meets the Ethiopian eunuch on the road.  (Take time to read it).  If you were asked what the main point of this passage of Acts was, you may say that it was an account of when an old prophecy in Isaiah was explained by Philip to a man seeking to know the truth.  The gospel was shared and the eunuch, after being baptized, went on rejoicing.  Great story!  However, having read Acts altogether, I noticed that this section is the only time when one person shares the gospel with one other person.  All other places talk about the disciples preaching to crowds of believers, unbelievers, in the big cities, and before the authorities, but never to one person.  Seeing the bigger picture allowed me to more closely perceive why Luke included it in his book of Acts.  Salvation was no longer set aside for Jews, but was opening up to Gentiles as well, even the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).  The depiction of the eunuch's strange ethnicity and social standing would serve to declare that the gospel is to be shared with those outside our own understanding.

To go even further, reading the book of Acts in the context of the entire Bible would be quite the feat as well.  Knowing that the same God who wrote the Old Testament had plans to redeem his chosen through Jesus in the New Testament helps us understand not the main point of Acts, but God's main point.

We may read a blurb about David, a man after God's own heart, and hope to emulate his devotion (you know, before he went bad).  But the story of David isn't about David at all, it's about God.  Reading scripture with this new mindset I believe will help me understand more clearly the nature of God and keep me from reading scripture with my own point of views.

I turned in a paper yesterday for my Dynamics in Biblical Change that had me write extensively on a time in my life where I've experienced significant suffering.  It was hard to do, relive a painful memory.  However, when I started to remember a specific moment in my life, other memories from different times in my life popped up that were similar to that time.  My reaction to the "suffering", if not grounded in Christ, would lead to false interpretations of the world.

In similar ways, analyzing one moment in these kids' lives will not get me very far.  Understanding their patterns and the usual reactions to situations will slowly but surely provide more clarity on what they are experiencing and more importantly, what they are not believing about God.  How they react to whatever they may be experiencing and suffering may show a glimmer of what their false beliefs are.  For the first kid, this behavior is brand new.  Last year, they were so helpful, quick to be goofy.  We don't know what changed and why they feel the need to stonewall when "suffering."  For the second kid, we see this behavior a lot.  It's easier to see they may find their worth in being more athletic than everyone else and getting out in four-square (or plastic baseball) reveals flaws and weaknesses.

I'm excited to see how God shapes my story from birth to death, from completely separated from him to enjoying my new heavenly body in heaven (2 Cor. 5).  Pray as we seek to share the gospel with these kids.  Pray God would soften their hearts to receive him and that their "sufferings" would one day be given to a completely sovereign Lord.

Jovan, our other 4th grader, helping transport mulch during our Action Day.
He's a beast.  He probably did more work than the adults.

Take Some Time

I'm a person who is willing to open up, but often don't.  I keep to myself.  I'm quiet in big groups, even small ones.  However, if you ask me a specific question about something going on in my life, I feel blessed with the freedom to be open and share.

In the past two weeks, I've started my biblical counseling classes and the material I'm reading is transforming my approach on the word of God.  In just the past two weeks, I've already read more than probably the last year combined.  In CrossTalk, a book written by one my professor's, he concludes every chapter with discussion questions (either for the reader or for small groups to answer).  Despite not having direct communication with the author, taking the time to answer his questions helps me open up to myself, revealing things about myself that I don't often think about.

I want to ask you some of these questions, but more importantly, I want you to answer them.  These questions have much to do with your intake of God's word and are helpful to highlight tendencies and motivations.

-Which verses, passages, or books of the Bible do you tend to return to again and again? Why?

-Are there parts of the Bible you have never read? Why?

-What does your "intake" of Scripture look like? Do you have a reading plan? Do you tend toward reading larger chunks of Scripture or toward more focused study? Why might both approaches be important?

-Have you read the Bible for cover to cover? If not, what keeps you from doing so? If yes, do you continue that discipline on a regular basis?

I'll be honest, sometimes the Bible is not something I want to pick up and read.  Much of the book is confusing, even with a special study Bible.  I don't know where to open up and read, what reading plan to do, how much to read.  These questions are not to intimidate you, but to encourage you to be honest with yourself and with God about your relationship in accordance to Him and His word.  I've written two papers already for my classes and they have been a pleasure to work on.  My most recent paper's objective was simply What passage of Scripture has proved most significant for you, either lifelong or recently? What makes these words relevant? What do these words address in you and in your circumstances? What does it say about God that you needed to hear? How exactly does this passage make a difference? How have you been changed?  It felt like doing maintenance on my weary soul.  Taking the time to revel in the memory of a powerful interaction from my relationship with the Lord was like catching up with a good friend, remembering the good times, but so much better than that.

If you take the time to answer any of these questions, no obligation, but I'd love to hear about your time with the Lord.  It's good to share with brothers and sisters about what God is doing in our lives.  Let's encourage one another!

God has been speaking to me through these counseling classes and he isn't finished yet.

In reducing the amount of responsibility I have at the after school program in order to focus on these classes, I do miss seeing the kids on Fridays (Fun Fridays).  Last week the kids constructed houses, buildings, and other architectural creations out of boxes and cardboard.  Below is my favorite, for obvious reasons.

Check out this basketball arena that Jovan made during a building project at the after school program! Awesome!

So it begins!

Welcome to the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year!!!!  We are currently in our first week of school here in Duval County and the two:fiftytwo After School Program is underway.  We have 15 kids enrolled and 12 of them are returning students!  There were questions as to whether or not a few of them would come back due to some families moving away.  Thankfully, for right now, those few are able to continue in our ministry and continue to build relationships with us and God.  As the kids get used to structure once again at school and our program, please pray that they get acclimated smoothly and that our relationships with their families and teachers would help create a safe environment in their lives where they can Live the truth of the gospel, Learn as scholars, and Lead their community forward.

This is Amaria.  This is her second year with us and she is now in 3rd grade.  I had the privilege of reading a book called Pool Party with her Monday and Tuesday.  When we got to a part in the book where the dog couldn't see color, Amaria started asking questions about colorblindness.  She wanted to know what her dog saw when it looked at her.  Here are the pictures I showed her.  She giggled saying, "That's weird."

Something else that has been encouraging me lately is the number of former two:fiftytwo students there are in our Connect Middle School Program.  Now that I help out with the middle schoolers every Monday and Thursday, I get to continue those relationships and talk through some more "mature" subjects.  Middle school is another whole ballgame.  If you have taught both elementary and middle school, you know exactly what I mean.  At Connect, there are more advanced Bible lessons, life skills, cooking classes, art lessons, games and sports, as well as guest speakers.  While I was in Wisconsin a couple weeks ago, I received this picture in a text while the middle school program was going on.  There goes Diallo waving while they were in the middle of a cooking lesson.  Diallo was an usher at my wedding and I'm blessed to have the opportunity to spend time with him, at least a couple times each week.  Please pray that these middle school students start their year off with good first impressions, discover more and more about who they are and how God created them, and that they learn to put others before themselves.

For all you students, teachers, parents of students, parents of teachers, etc., may God bless your school year and may you acknowledge him in all your ways.

No Other Purpose Than This

What is it about nature that draws us to it?  Looking out into the ocean or staring up at a range of mountains.  Hearing a beautiful song played by a cello choir, seeing so many species of birds in one place, so many trees.  I envy the first man, Adam, at times.  He got to experience all of God's creation as it was intended to be, uninterrupted by cars, not torn up by paved roads.  Just Adam and the trees, the waters, the creatures of the air and the creatures of the sea, and God.  Growing up, my family would vacation frequently in Colorado.  I'd stare out the window in awe of the size of the rocks and trees as we drove through mountains to get to where we needed to go.  Not only on vacation, but I often imagine what an area looked like before all of man's creation took place.  Five hundred years ago, before this Target and it's huge parking lot and competing businesses were here, how tall did the trees grow?  What animals roamed the earth?  Because I grew up in the suburbs and now in the big city of Jacksonville, I can start to believe that most of the earth is now tainted with the works of man.  That thought get completely obliterated when I fly in a plane.  As we take off, people shrink as though ants, then invisible.  Cars shrink as though fleas, then invisible.  Streets, small neighborhoods, big neighborhoods, even big cities, become as small as insects.  I quickly realize that my problems, my network of relationships, my goals compared to the vastness of God's creation are nearly invisible.

I was fortunate in the past couple weeks to travel with my wife and her parents on an Alaskan cruise.  Talk about a large piece of creation barely touched by man.  There are many places that people live in Alaska that can only be reached by boat or sea plane.  Very few roads.  When Alaska was purchased from Russia, it was thought to be a dumb purchase, a waste of money (despite only paying two cents per acre), until gold, oil, and other minerals were discovered.  As we took a nine-hour long train ride one day, there were references to the 9.2 earthquake of 1964 that completely demolished certain areas.  From that earthquake, the trees created a time table based on where and when those trees began to grow again.  Dramatic shifts in the earth were pointed out by our guide on what altitude some land used to reside.  I just seemed very small.  Very very small.  In one hundred years, "Andrew Vollmer" will probably not be talked of again (referring to me, I realize I don't solely own that name).  I'll be gone, yet it will still rain, the earth will still rotate, life will carry on.  So what's the point of all this?  Why am I even here?  God sees a thousand years as a day and a day as a thousand years.  He knows when the next volcano will erupt, when the next forest fire will happen, where the glaciers will melt to.  We play but a very tiny role in eternity.  I like this quote from Dead Poet's Society. "To quote from Whitman, 'O me! O life!...of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless...of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life?' Answer. That you are here - that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?"

We are mortal beings.  We will die someday.  There's no getting around that.  I talked about the trees, the waters, the mountains, the animals, all that God had made.  But He made one thing is his own image.  Man.  As I've contemplated my life the past few years living in Brentwood, ministering to those that have needs and pains and struggles, I see so many metaphors running into each other in a beautiful symphony of colors and sounds and tempos and tones and timbres.  Ripples (my actions can impact my sphere of influence).  Mirrors (the light of Christ reflects off of me for others to see).  Instruments (we are to be used by God for his song).  Although it is tempting to move to Alaska, build a cabin, and hunt and fish in seclusion for the rest of my life, just me and God, that is not my purpose.  To put it plainly, my purpose is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, make it known to others that he exists and that he has come to walk on his creation to save his creation from the evils of the world and our hearts and is alive today, still at work.

As a new school year is around the corner, I'm excited at the opportunities to continue to build relationships with the kids, their families, and making Christ known in this neighborhood.  At times when I just don't think they are getting the gospel or making any progress, God blesses me with signs of hope.

Ripples grow.  Mirrors reflect.  Instruments play.

Check out this Alaska Cello Intensive cello choir all made up of kids between 6 and 16.  They are really good.  We got to see them play (but not in the snow).

One Year and Four

Today is Sunday June 21st, 2015.  Exactly one year ago, I married my beautiful wife and it has been an amazing experience since then.  It has been full of blessings and trials.  We definitely recognize more and more not only our differences, but also how selfish we each can be at times, especially me.  Some of our well-intentioned words and actions can be misinterpreted and create some conflicts.  Although many people have advised us of this, communication is definitely important in understanding each other's desires as well as intentions.  So why am I spending time today writing a blog and not spending time with her currently?  She has been working very hard at her job and has been doing lots of hours.  She is a much harder worker than I am and the people she works for love her.  She is working right now.  She often comes home tired but I feel her level of frustration has plummeted from a year ago.  I don't get to see her at work or everything that she does, but I'm proud of how she has grown this year.  Being married to me can't be a cakewalk either.

I love when we are goofy at the same time.

June 5th, 2015 also marked another less-exciting "milestone".  The two:fiftytwo After School Program completed its fourth year.  This past year was the first year that I led the program on my own and I definitely grew from the experience.  I've never talked in front of a group so constantly and consistently before.  I found that my biggest struggle was not getting sucked into one-on-one interactions when I had to oversee the whole program.  Despite learning a ton, I did recognize that being the front lead guy was not for me.  I know God had me there for a reason and I'm sure that the experience has helped me develop confidence and a voice that I haven't used as much before.  My future plans currently are to remain with 2nd Mile Ministries, attend the after school program and take a smaller role, start attending Connect (our middle program), and take a couple counseling classes.  I've been curious about counseling for a few years now and I'm hoping God will either open or close this door definitively.  At times I can be a very quietly opinionated and judgmental person, but often when someone is going through a difficult time, I've visually seen God's power heal people just through simply listening and praying with people.  Philippians 4:6-7 has become reality for some people in my past, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  Many kids in this neighborhood go through so much mental and emotional struggles that often translate into some very negative life decisions consequently.

Please pray for Missi and me as we approach our second year of marriage still learning the ins and outs of scheduling, communicating, resting, and being intentional with our lives and each other.

Lastly, I want to mention Summer Day Camp (SDC) coming up!  In exactly 8 days, approximately 65 kids between the ages of 5 and 12 will walk through North Pearl Baptist Church's doors to enjoy Challenge Circle, worship, healthy snacks, dancing, music, education, reading, sports, art, and Bible lessons.  The past two years, I've led the Sports Station and helped with the Music Station.  This year, I'll be venturing new territory by leading the Education Station, the Bible Station, as well as leading a circle in our loud and active Challenge Circle game.  Pray I don't lose my voice too many days.  I feel like this will be the very best year of camp so far because we will be focusing on continuing their learning, reading, math, and writing skills that are so often forgotten and not worked on over the summer.  Last year, we experimented with a Book Reading Program that had huge success, even awarding the top 6 student participants a day at Jacksonville's Adventure Landing (an awesome water park)!

If you have any interest in donating sports equipment, art supplies, or Dollar Tree toys/school supplies/etc., they can be sent to North Pearl Street Baptist Church at 4003 N. Pearl St., Jacksonville, FL, 32206.  If you'd like to donate financially to the camp, or even the ministry as a whole, you can at 2ndmile-jax.com and click the "Donate" tab and make a one-time or monthly donation.

Now that I've caught you up on the vague details of my life the past few months, I'd like to tell you about Boys Day.

Boys Day is just how it sounds, a day with just the boys, and male leaders.  All 7 boys were able to come which was the most we've ever had for a Boys Day.  Dionte, Mekhi, Ferrell, Christian, Jovan, Caden, and Agel were picked up, driven to Firehouse Subs where they paired up and shared sandwiches, then driven to the beach where they all ran into the ocean and began playing "Moss" with the football (to Moss somebody is to make an incredible catch with others going for the catch as well, like wide receiver, Randy Moss).  Unfortunately, some very dark thunder clouds caused us to leave twenty minutes later.  All of the boys were behaving, having fun, and including one another in their games.  In years past, the new kids to the program often got left out.  I'm glad we waited until the school year was out.  It was awesome to see certain boys previously exiled now included and building their friendships.  We drove back to the church and played board games and Moss outside.  Despite the unpredictable weather, it was an amazing end to a solid year of the program.  Although there were times throughout the year that I wanted to strangle a kid (figuratively), I left that year with a genuine love for each and every one of those kids.  It is incomprehensible the feeling of being clearly used by God.  He doesn't need us in this neighborhood to display His love and power, but I can see where Mekhi was in 2nd grade, often sad, medicated, occasionally throwing chairs in anger, fidgety and now he's going into 5th grade, often laughing, no longer medicated, creative, rarely angry.  I see a 2nd grade Challah, so kind-hearted and full of joy, now finishing 5th grade getting to put that kind-heartedness to use by making friends with some of the unpopular girls in the program.  Even though there are new 2nd graders in the program who have problems with conflict and their academics, I now have evidence, experience, and confidence that God can and will continue to use us in their lives as well as their family's to bring them closer to Jesus.

What kind of milk you drinkin?

Within the last year, 2nd Mile Ministries has put a lot of focus on health in our community.  In a neighborhood where cornerstores (convenience stores) are the closest and most accessible places to buy "food", we are hoping to tighten up our programming to include health education as well as better habits for the kids in Brentwood.  In the past year, we've been awarded three or four grants specifically relating to emphasizing health in our ministry and it has been a really cool thing to see materialize.  What this looks like is weekly health lessons at our after school program which teach about nutrition and exercise.  We are eating healthy snacks daily which could be anywhere from apples to mixed nuts or cheese and crackers.  Considering in previous years we would get the cheapest snacks at the grocery store, which unfortunately included many bags of hot fries and chips, this has been unbelievable progress.  At our Summer Day Camp, we've started daily health lessons which showcase which foods at GO, SLOW, and WHOA foods.  GO foods you can eat more often (fruits/veggies), SLOW foods are less often, and WHOA foods, well, that's your hot fries and chips which shouldn't be eaten often at all.

Recently during one of these health lessons, the students categorized different dairy products into GO, SLOW, and WHOA categories.  Coming from Wisconsin, I have a special relationship with milk.  If you are someone who is conscious of what you eat and drink, you may be disgusted to find out that I drink whole milk on a more-than-regular basis.  In college, I could go through a gallon, sometimes two, in a week.  The grocery stores at Madison had all kinds of different flavors.  Monkey Business (banana milk), strawberry, chocolate, and perhaps my favorite, root beer milk.  Our Wisconsin State Fair has (or had) other flavors you can try as well for 25 cents a cup including raspberry and mocha, perhaps not anymore though.  Regardless, milk is awesome.  Unfortunately, if I am faced with the health facts of whole milk, simply, it is a WHOA food.  I've recently gone down to 2%, which is slightly better but still not the best to drink at the rate that I do.  I don't have the healthiest habits.  I eat out, and exercise unintentionally (mostly just from pickup games).  Thankfully, I have life experience of being healthy that could encourage me to begin once again to get in the habit of eating better and exercising.

This next section is more just for my own reflection and enjoyment of looking back at past activities I've participated in.  No need to read if you don't want to.
Irving Elementary School Boys Club 3rd-6th grade.  Flutterball, basketball, soccer (all years)
Summer Rec League Elementary School K-6th?.       Teeball/Baseball
Little League 3rd-4th.                                             Baseball
Frank Lloyd Wright Middle School 7th-8th.             Basketball
West Allis Select team 8th.                                     Basketball
West Allis Hale High School 9th.                            Basketball
West Allis Hale High School 9th-12th.                     Track
West Allis Hale High School 10th-12th.                   Cross Country

My idea of having fun growing up was being competitive with family members in any and every sport possible.  I even remember playing street hockey in front of our house once.  I now appreciate my parents' decision to not have video games in the house growing up.

Anyway, the heart behind writing this blog did not come out of guilt because I haven't written in a while, or even a desire to share about the Health Initiative in the ministry.  I needed to write this after hearing this morning's sermon at Shiloh about 1 Peter 2:1-3.  It says, "So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.  Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation--if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good."

God has been whispering to my heart the past couple months about physical health as well as spiritual health and this message spoke so clearly.  I want to direct you to the short phrase, "long for the pure spiritual milk."  This phrase not only reveals what matter we should drink, but also in what manner that drinking should take place.  I don't believe Peter is making any sort of physical health suggestions to those Christians he was addressing, but I do believe that much of what he says relates directly to many heart issues I see not only in myself, but in other people who have been saved.  When a baby is born, what is the one thing instinctively that that baby knows he/she needs?  Milk.  The baby doesn't need a candy bar, doesn't need to borrow their parents car, doesn't need video games.  Just....milk.  That baby doesn't care if it's 3 o'clock in the morning.  They will cry until they get it (so I've heard).  Those of us who are born again, Peter says, should focus on what?  Pure spiritual milk.  Milk is the fundamental need for a baby to grow.  This pure spiritual milk should be the fundamental need for us as newborn disciples of Christ.  Everything else is unnecessary and can even spoil our appetite.  If you take away a baby's bottle before they are done drinking, they'll let you know.  They just can't get enough because it is so good to them.  Ever snacked before a nice meal?  You lose your appetite and then can't enjoy or finish the good that was prepared for you.

Peter tells us that we put pure spiritual milk in us and cast off/put away all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.  He also reveals the manner in which we should drink.  We are to long for or crave it.  As a newborn infant longs, so are we to.  I don't know about you, but I may drink pure spiritual milk, but I often don't long for it.  I try to get by with other things, survive on some sort of milk substitute.  There is junk food in my life that I "snack on" and it pushes me further away from Christ.  If you are not actively pursuing God, guess what, you are getting further and further away.  Our pastor said these words that left a normally active and vocally engaged congregation speechless.  "You are as close to God as you want to be."  If you are not feeling close to God, your desires are probably on other things.  It could be fears, sinful behaviors, perhaps even those things Peter told us to cast aside.  Feeling far from God?  Guess who moved.  Not God.  Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good.  Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."  Jeremiah 15:16 says, "Your words came and I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight."  Matthew 5:6 says, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

Caydince playing catcher

This is Caydince.  She is a fourth grader in our program and I had the privilege of taking a couple of our other girls to see one of her softball games this weekend.  It brought back a lot of memories of playing and watching relatives play in their games.  I don't see or hear of too many organized sports leagues in our neighborhood.  This particular league was about a 15-minute drive out of Brentwood.  She and her second grade brother Caden live approximately one football throw away from the program.  It is definitely interesting to see them relate to the other kids since race does play a big part in our neighborhood as far as generalizations go.  They are both very cool kids.  Very rarely do they get in trouble but they also have people-pleasing hearts, as many of us do.  Please pray that they would grow up to know God more and more and that they'd be a continued presence in our programs as we never really know which kids will return or move.

Caden got Employee of the Month for February

Taste and see that God is good.  He is the good shepherd and we are his sheep.  He loves you and is better than anything this world has to offer.  Please ask yourself these questions.  One.  Are you actively pursuing the Lord or are you drifting away?  Two.  What do you long for and is it pure spiritual milk?  Three.  Is there anything you need God's help in "putting aside"?  Just ask.  You will receive.

Challah, Caydince, and Chassidy

Pray that I'd intentionally be longing for God.
Pray for all spiritual "junk food" to be put aside.
Pray that we would take advantage of the six weeks that are left in the school year.
Pray for yourself and ask God to reveal to you what you need to throw off and long for.  Get in His word.  Taste it.  Eat it.  It is so good.

Unlike Me

This is unlike me, but I'd like to talk about a couple of movies I've seen in the past couple of weeks.  This is not necessarily a summary, recommendation, or critique, but rather an explanation as to how these films communicate so much about what I believe God's heart is for the lost, and I'm not only talking spiritually either.

Our two:fiftytwo After School Program was named after Luke 2:52, "And Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with man."  This communicates a desire to not only teach our students about God, but also focus on "total" growth, physically (in stature), intellectually (in wisdom), and socially (in favor with man).

The first film I'd like to talk about is Disney's "McFarland, USA."  Kevin Costner plays Jim White, a football coach who gets fired from his job and relocates (somewhat unwillingly) to McFarland, California, a predominantly Latino community.  Being of similar race as Costner, I found it compelling to see this culture change through his eyes, the challenges, the unfamiliarities, the lack of comfortable situations or acquaintances.  As he becomes McFarland High School's gym teacher, he often seems discontent with his situation and just lazily suggests to his class to "take a lap and we'll call it a day."  Through watching his class run and by randomly driving around town and seeing some of his students running to and from school, from early morning jobs (picking in fields), he starts to see some untapped talent.  With no experience of his own, "Blanco" (Coach White's given nickname by his students) decides to start a cross country team.  Perhaps the reason I loved this movie so much was because I used to run in high school, or maybe it's the fact that it reminds me of my own choice to live in a community unlike my own culture and race, but I think the main reason I enjoyed this movie was because of the growth you could see in the runners' character as a result of someone pouring in their time, love, and energy into them.  Any family struggles the students had, they had running as an outlet.  They could take pride in working as a team to achieve some amazing goals.  This film has real heart and determination.  It wasn't that Coach White came in and saved the souls of these poor Latino kids, it was Coach living their world and finding the merit in them as hard workers, fast runners, and very family-oriented.  Cross country was just the key to unlocking what they already had.

The second film is a different setting but a similar premise.  "The Chorus" is a french film about a Clement Mathieu, a new school teacher at a very strict all-boys boarding school for trouble-makers who is more kind-hearted than his harder-hearted colleagues.  He covers for the boys when they get in trouble, peeking their curiosity as to why he would defend them.  As the boys find out more about Mathieu's music background, they want to learn more.  This gave Mathieu the idea to start a chorus.  Rough at first, the chorus grew more and more support from his colleagues and even outsiders who didn't think anything good could come out of this particular school became interested in hearing the boys sing.  A boy named Morhange (pictured below) has been labeled "an angel on the outside but a devil on the inside" by previous teachers.  Often quiet in the movie with glitches of defiance, Mathieu overhears Morhange singing while cleaning for a punishment.  Inspired, Mathieu begins to teach him everything he knows and invests in him.  The film begins with Morhange as an accomplished conductor reflecting back fifty years prior on his times as a student at the boarding school.  It was no doubt Mathieu's influence that led him on a path towards a prestigious career in music.  It was a powerful film with some beautiful singing which you can see/hear by clicking this link.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya2mPO0f-uk&list=PL923B7CA2360CA7F1&feature=iv&src_vid=EXS5TiBYESk&annotation_id=annotation_199368

Those boys in the movie were not lost causes, although probably written off by many.  It's easy to not invest time, love, and energy in people when you are not around them, but even when you are living among them, a choice has to be made.  You could pout, hoping for better days, hoping for more money, a comfortable and prolonged oasis of peace and rest.  I pray that my eyes would not be blinded by bad behavior, imperfections, sin, but rather the love of Christ would allow my to see in people beauty and potential for great things.  Lord, help me take a chance on somebody that I wouldn't normally take a chance on.

Think in your own life someone that God wants you to pray for.  If you've been praying for this person, ask in what ways you can show a Christ-like love in order to bring them to the Lord and be used in beautiful ways.  They may be different from you in age, race, spirituality, cultural norms, or political opinions.  Pray for a listening and watchful heart, also a slow-to-speak or assume attitude.

Christian helping plant seeds at the Nutritional Garden

This is Christian with the light blue "And One" shirt on.  He's in 4th grade and this is his first year in our program.  I got the privilege of hanging out with him yesterday.  He gets headaches/migraines often and he takes medication for it.  Pray for his health.  He's very athletic and active so we make sure he stays hydrated.  He's always helpful and is quick with a "Yes sir" or "Yes ma'am."  He is cousins with Challah and Diallo so the family aspect is pretty fun to experience.  Please pray that his worth and identity is not in sucking up to people so that they like him.  He can be very nice but sometimes in selfish ways.  Pray that God would use him in my life to help me show grace, love, time, and energy in order for his betterment.

Our Duty

The first Action Day of 2015 was Jan. 31st, yesterday.  Action Day is where anyone can come and help make the Brentwood cleaner, either by mowing lawns, picking up trash, and sometimes both.  Nine of us walked on over to the Nutritional Garden to help Mr. Ron with whatever he needed help with for this particular Action Day.  We showed up and saw the above.  What's in the black buckets you ask?  That would be a mixture of dirt and poop.  What kind of poop?  Well, when you have the hookups like Mr. Ron, you can get all the free elephant and rhinoceros poop you need from the Jacksonville Zoo.  Luckily it had been sitting in compost for over a year so the smell wasn't quite as fresh.  Our task for the morning was to redistribute this...stuff into the different plant beds.  It was quite a bit of work, but it was great to see something considered "waste" to help in the growth of many fruits and vegetables to come.

Diallo getting creative with spray paint

In anticipation of Action Day, I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity to invite some of my younger friends.  I invited Diallo and his older brother Shavez, as well as Ferrell.  Diallo and Ferrell would compete to see who could carry the heaviest load of manure on the dolly.  They did a great job.  Afterwards, I invited them over to my house where we ate pizza, had a Nerf gun war, played some Sega Genesis, and got creative with some spray paint.  It was a ton of fun!  They seem to have an endless supply of energy.  Despite loving to have fun, it was also a ton of work to keep up with them.

Diallo and Ferrell.  It's about to go down!

Recently, 2nd Mile staff members have been reading "The Master Plan of Evangelism" by Dr. Robert E. Coleman.  This is a book about how Jesus discipled his disciples.  It explains his intentionality, his methods, his plan to teach on the Kingdom and have it shared to every tongue and every nation.  Not only does it teach on how Jesus discipled, but it also shows how Christians today should disciple.  From growing up in the church, I'd say this fundamental concept of discipling was often neglected and difficult to find in action.  Church to me was a bunch of believers coming together to sing songs, listening to a message, giving a little money, and going home.  In the past few years, I've repeatedly been asked these two questions by pastors, books, friends, etc.  "Who is discipling you?" and "Who are you discipling?"  I couldn't answer either of these questions.

I'm not trying to put any judgment on you, but I just want to ask you two simple questions.  If Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, that relationship and knowledge shouldn't go with you to the grave.  Who is discipling you? (And I don't think you can count the pastor you hear every Sunday from a distance)  Who are you sharing the love of Christ with?  We should be a reflection of Christ.  These disciples of ours are not following us but rather, Jesus.  I still don't know how to answer these questions myself, but in the past couple months it's becoming a little more clear who I should be investing time and life into, and those people include the above.  Please pray with me as I figure out the answer to the other question.  It's one thing to be intentional to seek out people to disciple, but for me it's another thing to seek out someone to disciple me.  I'm not picky, probably just prideful/shy.  Weird combination I know.

If you couldn't answer those two questions, just think about family, friends, coworkers, neighbors that you already interact with regularly.  Perhaps God wants you to build that relationship so you can tell them the good news that Jesus is alive and wash every single one of your sins away.

Agel trying to karate-chop a stone bench

This is Agel (pronounced like "Angel" but without the "n").  He's in 2nd grade and this is the first year I've known him.  His mom wants him to be around older guys as a role model.  I'm hoping that I can take him to the park every once in a while.  He's very active, sometimes doesn't know when to stop playing and running around, but he's fun.  He gets on some of the other students' nerves sometimes.  He isn't doing well in school.  He's gotten into some fights this year but he has more of a joyful heart rather than a mean one.  Please pray that our relationship with this family continues, as it's unknown when or if they'll move due to financial reasons.  Agel is 9 but is still in the 2nd grade.  Also in the 2nd grade with him is his younger sister Amaria who also is struggling academically.  She sometimes talks like an adult and can have a sassy attitude, but she can also be very kind and sweet and giggly.  Keep them in your prayers.  Pray that we'd find smart ways to help them improve both behavior as well as their grades.  Pray they learn more about who their maker is.  Their family is bouncing around the idea of going to church, but with two more small children (four total), I understand the struggle.

Blog post #100!!!!

Reflections

I've been told by music teachers that thinking about musical mistakes you made earlier in the song while you're still playing the song is a lot like going for a run but turning your head backwards; you might run into a pole, or make even more musical mistakes.  If life is one big song, I think there is something to that, not letting the past control your present.  But if I don't look back ever, I might not know where I'm going.

On New Years Day, 2015, the staff members of 2nd Mile Ministries went on our annual retreat where we discussed what we've seen God do in 2014 and what we hope to see happen in 2015.  Being a person that focuses much of his energy on what is going wrong and how to fix it, I was blessed with the time to reflect on all the good God was doing.  As I meditated and created a list, I realized that not everything on my list would be considered "good".  Let me explain.  After Thanksgiving, I could barely use my right wrist (from an intense racquetball competition with my brother).  That meant I couldn't shoot a basketball, throw a football, lift even mildly heavy objects, play piano for longer than a few minutes.  It was bad...but it wasn't.  About a month later, I went to the basketball court to just try and shoot around.  My wrist felt a lot better and I praised God for allowing me to go through so much physical and mental pain.  I would've never been thankful for God giving me a functional wrist otherwise.

When God revealed my idols to me.

Providing many new and interested families to the ministry.

Getting to experience the best day of my life, June 21, 2014.

Two new healthy nieces in my life.

Getting to experience a terrible 2013-2014 school year, contrasted by a great 2014-2015 school year.

Building relationships with many kids in our programs.

Seeing some improving and visible reconciliation with family.

These are just a few of them.  When I take time to reflect on God's goodness, man!, it's awesome.  None of these things I can say, "Yeah, I did that.  I made that happen."  It's all God.

At the library

Before winter break, we took our kids to the Brentwood Library where presentations were given about how different countries and cultures celebrate the holidays.  It made me think a lot about how I celebrate Christmas and why.  Why do we do the things we do?  Open presents, put a tree in the house, etc.  Although it may have legit reasons, I doubt we eat candy canes to remember Jesus.  The students had a great time learning, and especially eating all the different kinds of treats.  I feel very blessed to be working in a place that allows for so much conversation about God and who he is.  Pray that the kids would grow to learn not only what the gospel is, but that God would come into their lives and redeem them in some beautiful ways.

For the days leading up to Christmas, I got to spend them with Missi and her parents in Naples, FL.  This was my first non-Wisconsin Christmas in my life.  Sure I missed the snow and our traditional family gatherings, but it was very enjoyable.  We went to see the Packers play the Bucs in Tampa Bay.  As a family, we played some golf (also a first), and best of all, just got to spend more time with each other.  Getting married has been an amazing experience so far, joining two lives, two families, two different worlds together.  I'm excited to see how the journey continues.  On January 9th, 2015, Missi and I got the privilege to see my baby sister get married.  Erin and Michael had a beautiful wedding, but not because of the baby blue colors, not the snow-covered photos (thanks Erin), not the gathering of family and friends, and not even because Erin and Michael are a beautiful and happy couple.  No.  Their wedding was beautiful for the perfect reasons.  "But Andrew, what reason is that?  I really really want to know.  Could you please tell me what that reason is?"  Whoa, slow down.  I'll tell you after a short elementary-level science lesson.

Do you know why it is dark in outer space?  There are stars and the sun (which is a star), so why so dark?  Perhaps obvious, but because there is nothing in space for the light to reflect off of.  The fact is, anything that you can see is either producing light, thus shining into your eyes, or reflecting off an object and into your eyes.  This computer/phone/ipad screen is shining into your eyes.  If you turn off all the lights in your room, it may appear dark, but after your eyes adjust, you might be able to faintly see objects because of a weak light source somewhere (maybe a distant streetlight).  Certain things produce light, other reflect it.  A great example of this is the moon.  Light appears to come from the moon, but really it's just the sun reflecting off the white rock and towards earth into our awe-filled eyes.  Last Friday, we learned about the basic principles of light, that it was created by God, how to use it for different purposes whether it be a sundial for time, a torch for visibility, or a bug zapper for--well, you know.  To the left is a picture of our light activity we did on Friday.  We turned all the lights out and tried to bounce light from one spot of the room into this tunnel of tables.  Using flashlights, a mirror, and a piece of glass, the students positioned themselves in order to pass the most light from one object to the next.  The student that got to be in the tunnel did nothing but lay back and witness the light.

Me and mah wittle sis

What I saw at the wedding was not Erin and Michael's wedding.  They were more like the rocky surface of the moon, or the steady water from a lake that reflects beautiful mountains.  Although a long ceremony, every moment of it was beautiful.  I love you, Erin.  It's amazing to see how you've grown from an annoying tattle-tale who was destined for eternity without Jesus to a humble follower of Christ.  I was watching the image of the eventual marriage between Christ and the church, what marriage is a symbol of in the first place.  Why we throw bouquets and have flower girls and do the chicken dance is similar to hanging peppermint and glass balls on pine trees.  Not sure why we do it, but their wedding definitely brought attention to "why a wedding?", "why a marriage?".  "Glad you asked, this is about Jesus, not us."  Thank you guys for reminding me and letting us see something more beautiful and eternal.