Memory, Mind and Moving Forward

 

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things”- Colossians 3:2

 

Memory: (noun) “the power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned and retained especially through associative mechanisms”

 

Over the past few years I have acquired a growing fascination with the human brain. The thought that we think sometimes blows my mind. There is such complexity and mystery to the brain that anytime that I spend any amount of time at all contemplating it, I am blown away and in awe of how it all works, of course this leads me back to the very creator and engineer of this complexity.

As a group of friends and I were sitting in a house in Mebane, NC last night discussing some of the things that we were going through someone made the comment that “the fact that we can remember, or have the capacity for memory is an awesome blessing that God has given us.” In the context of our conversation we were discussing experiencing God and how often times, that is what our heart desires but we get discouraged because we go through times where we don’t feel him. And that is where memory comes in, in those times where we can’t seem to feel him, God has given us the memory of when we did.

Just yesterday I was looking back through some of my earlier blog posts and I found one that I wrote while still in college out in Kansas. In that blog I quoted Donnie Hinshaw who was the pastor of the church that I attended out there,

 

“To hope in something means the state of life you are in is a state of discontent”

 

In that sermon I remember him talking about living with a Holy Discontent. A discontent that says where I am is not where I always want to be, a “holy” discontent is when that discontent is focused on experiencing God and being in a relationship with him. Right now I would have to say I have a pretty holy discontent. Not because where I am at is a horrible place but for the fact that I want to know, experience and feel God more, then what I do right now. I can remember those time where God really moved in my life. Those times where what I was doing and how I was living was intentionally geared toward pursuing a relationship with him. Those moments moved me forward, allowed me to take risk and strengthened my trust in God.

I think sometimes we get these ideas that the life of a christian should be full of these mountain top experiences and everyday is going to be full of miracles. However, that is not how it works, granted we may have those mountain top moments where God blows our minds, but in reality God wants to be with us in every moment. God takes the mundane and fills it with meaning. Just look at the life of Jesus, the majority of his life was spent living with twelve men. He traveled around taking the daily things of life and teaching them with those things. He did miracles but there were days where he didn’t. He blew the disciples minds but there where times where they were confused because he wasn’t the Messiah that everyone was expecting. Jesus spent three years helping the disciples experience him and fill their minds with memories of his life with them, so that when he was gone they could share those memories with the rest of the world.

One of the things that really stands out to me about the early church is that they were in each others homes, they were building community, they were eating together so that they could share together in the memory of Jesus. At the last supper Jesus said “Remember me when you take this cup and eat this bread.” He didn’t just say this because he was going to the cross the next day he said this so that this moment would be written in the minds of his disciples, that they would remember all the moments they had with him and that memory would move them forward.

Moving forward. What I mean by this is that our minds have the capacity for an endless amount of memories. Jesus doesn’t just tell them to remember, but rather to go and make new memories, to go and make disciples. To go and live life with people just like he had lived life with them. The disciples could have just settled into the mundane. They could have just kept the memories to themselves and let those three years be the only memories they had with Christ. The apostle Peter even tried this by going back to being a fisherman after Jesus died, but Jesus showed up and reminded Peter of what he had taught him and asked him to do (John 21:15-25).

So what does this have to do with us. I think sometimes we settle for simply living off the memories of old rather then making new ones. In the context of the church I think this is why so many churches around america are on the verge of dying. They have stopped living, they have settled for the mundane, they say this is what we use to do and this is what we will always do and we can’t change. Those churches like to talk about the glory days, they like to talk about when all the pews were full and about all the things they use to do. They speak of these experiences like war stories, there is this feeling of it being a long, long time ago in totally different situation. What breaks my heart about this is that it leaves a feeling that there is no future, there is no hope, and any discontent there may be is a discontent for what once was rather then what could be.

We as human’s have this ability to get overwhelmed with what the world around us is doing. We focus so much on the crazy messed up world that we forget God, we forget we have experienced him, we forget he loved us, we forget he saved us, we forget how to be in relationship with him, we forget that church isn’t about the program, numbers or methods but about the people being in relationship with God and each other. We forget that we have the opportunity to experience him everyday. We forget we have hope. I believe churches will close their doors and they will figuratively dye because they refuse to move forward. A whole generation may wonder in the desert like the Israelites because they have a great fear of moving forward, a fear that experiencing God in a new way may challenge everything they know, a fear that everything might change, a fear that the new memory may be painful, hard and risky.

The memory of Jesus will moved forward not by the organized established church but by the people that are willing to say “the memories I have with God are not enough, I want more”. The people that are willing to move forward, pick up the cross and move toward Christ with the holy discontent, that where they are isn’t where God wants them to stay. I can say that is is a challenge for myself as well, I realized recently that I had been riding off of my memories of past experiences with Jesus and others rather then making new ones. I realized that I had settled with just being content with who I was and what I was doing, but when my wife pointed out something to me the other day that I need to change it challenged me to really look deep into my own heart and ask myself what I’m doing.

As I have thought about this I have tried to put this into a context of where I am at in life right now. Just this year I got married to a beautiful young woman that I love very much, it took a lot of risk on both of our parts to trust that this what we wanted for our lives. It forced us to change, it daily challenges us in the way that we live and how we see the world. I can’t live the same way I was living before I had a wife, I had been living alone, eating frozen pizzas and hamburgers, watching what I wanted to watch and doing whatever I wanted to do. Having a wife has made me realize how selfish that way of life is and providing for her and myself isn’t ever going to be easy but it’s totally worth it.

Another thing that I have realized recently is I can’t continue the relationship simply off of old memories. Where we are living is a whole new place from where we started dating, in almost every way. To strengthen our marriage we have to be intentional about creating new memories and doing the same things that we were doing while dating doesn’t always mean that much. We have to do new things, take new risks and say “what I know about you isn’t enough, I want to know you more.” Sometimes that is scary because that means we have to open up, be honest and move forward.

I have a holy discontent for life because I want to make new memories with God and those around me that I love. It starts with setting my mind on Christ. Setting my mind intentionally on pursuing a relationship and being willing to move forward. Right before the Colossians 3:2 passage Paul reminds the church at Colosse that they had been raised with Christ and Christ was seated at the right hand of God. In this he is reminding them that Jesus had already concurred death, he had already forgiven them, he had already saved them, and that setting their minds on things above was to set their minds on Jesus.

Going on from there Paul says in verse 3-4, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life, appears, then you will appear with him in glory”…

 

And in Verse 5… “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature”…

 

Then he lists all these things that aren’t what we need as followers of Christ for we wont find him in those things and in contrast he writes in Verse 12-17… “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievance you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

 

Paul reminds the church that Jesus is their life and then he reminds them of what that looks like to live as if Christ really was their life. He encouraged them to continue in the future to live this way, to continue to experience what it means to be God’s chosen people. The memories we have with God should move us forward toward more. We have to ask the question is Jesus just a memory or a story I read about or is he alive, seated on the throne and is he my life?

 

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the Life.

 

I am discontent with anything short of Jesus being my life.

 

-Caleb Hunter

When God Calls You to Hunt for Cars…

There are times in life that I think we get in our minds that we were meant to do something and we set out to do whatever that thing is and it ends up that that was just a small part of something else that God wanted us to be a part of. Over the course of the last few months I have been searching for a car, because the car I have been driving is my parent’s and they were hoping to get it back soon. So with the full intent of finding a car, I and one of the older men of the church, who I thought might know more about cars than myself set out one day a week to go to dealerships and test drive some cars. We drove a lot of different cars some a little to big, some way to small and a few that I thought I couldn’t afford. Every time we went out we would come back with a lot of new information, tired and a little discouraged because the cars that would work for what I wanted were to much. Honestly, it frustrated me a little that somedays it just felt like we waisted our time, but the more I thought about it and reflected on those days I realized there was a lot more going on then searching for a car.

The older man and I would spend the day talking and telling stories. I learned a lot more about his life because we just decided to go hunting for cars and it opened the opportunity to just talk. If you spend six to eight hours in the car with a guy thats three times your age your bound to hear about things you never knew about.  Those days of just driving along and listening reminded me of my passion for people and my belief that everyone has a story worth tell. I think sometimes we get so busy with doing things in life that we forget to stop and listen. We forget that the people around us have a totally different way they have experienced life and there is so much that we can learn and share if we just stop for a while and take it in.

On our trips to the dealers we met a lot of car salesmen, some of which were helpful and others who were not. But what was interesting to me was the conversations we had with some of them. Obviously there were a few times that they would try to sell me cars that I knew I didn’t want, but there were a few that were honest and open. There was one car that we took for a test drive that was pretty nice car until we went back to the dealership and the salesman pulled up the cars history and started to laugh. He said he couldn’t honestly sell me the car cause it had been in eleven wrecks and been totally rebuilt. For some reason growing up I got this idea that car salesmen weren’t always the most honest people and they would just try to sell you anything, however, I learned that that is not always the case.

The last day that we went out we met three pastors who had either retired or this was their side job or were just in transition looking for the next ministry opening. I found these conversations really helpful to me as one of the guys said he just felt like he was done with ministry which to me sounded weird because as a pastor I do not see ministry as a job but rather part of living life. Jesus didn’t call people to be pastors or elders he called people to be disciples and make disciples. Ministry is everything we do even if thats having conversations over our life stories with older men or the salesman who is trying to sell you a car. We communicate the gospel by the way that we live our lives. I believe that this was the way that Jesus carried out his ministry. He ate and drank with sinners, he called tax collectors (car dealers and IRS agents of our day) to come and follow him, he met people in their homes and on hillsides, he fed them with whatever they had, and he most certainly  did not settle to doing ministry within the bounds of the established traditions and institutions of his day.

For three hours we talked with one of the pastor/salesman about everything except cars. I found the conversation encouraging and

refreshing simple because we were sharing our passion for people and what we believe God has called us too. Being a car salesman was not exactly what he thought God had called him to do but out of that he was still finding ways to minister to others and start a

non profit to help children in africa. He and a few friends bought a coffee roaster and sell the blends they make as fair trade sending everything they make over to schools in Africa. Even though he may not be doing “traditional” ministry he is still doing what God called him to do for this time and place that he is in.

There are times in my life that I can be rather discouraged about where I am at or what I am doing, but when I stop and allow myself to center on what God is doing I start to see that he has this awesome way of using the places we are and the things we do. God used the simplest three hour conversation with a car salesman to remind me of the dream he has put on my heart for “Love Helps” and how there is no retiring from following Jesus and even when the place and the methods of ministry change the message is always the same, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself”. When we start to see our lives as a means to spreading the God news of God’s love for humanity our whole outlook on the way we live and what we are doing will change. It’s still a learning process for me and it takes time to really grasp that God can use everything.

I didn’t end up buying a car from any of the places that we went and checked out, however, maybe that wasn’t the point of the car hunting. Maybe God was using the time to remind me of what my calling is and how he can use conversations with salesman to encourage us to live everyday as the day he has given us to live for him.

-Caleb Ross Hunter

 

P.S. I did find a car and have since bought it with help from my parents up in Indiana.

Day 60 “A Year of Thoughts”: What If

What if the world really did need to know?

What if they really did need to know our life stories in memoir form so that they might learn from our joy’s and failures and be encouraged to live more open and honest lives. I hope the world does come to know the importance of story. To know their deepest needs and bloodiest wounds can be met and healed through countless life changing stories. For by telling our story, our whole story and nothing but the trust of our story despite the pain and open wounds the world might come to know the healing that we all so desperately need.

What if we took off our masks, spoke our insecurities as we turn them into confidence.

What if we know the world would end tomorrow would you want everyone to finally know who you are.

What if I told you all my lies and secrets to a world that would listen.

What if people could really see the things that have changed in my life over the past twenty-two years.

What if the ones who know me the best really knew my struggles.

What if I were Honest…

Then what if the world would follow.

What if a small honest life were all it took to change the mind of the world.

Wake up to What if?

-Caleb Ross Hunter

Day 10 “A Year of Thoughts”: What is your focus? Let Us Heal Together

“What you focus on here on earth will be your focus in heaven”

 

 

I went to dinner alone tonight because my girl friend was gone and most of my friends had already eaten, so I scanned the tables for someone to talk to. As I did I found an elderly man that that I knew use to live in town and had been a part of this community for a long time. Being a part of this college community in small town Kansas for three years now I had learned his name, but really didn’t know much about him at all. So I chose to go and sit at his table hoping that I might learn something from him.

 

I’ve found that almost all older men have a story to tell and often are waiting for someone to share it with.

 

In this case it held true.

 

Tonight I began to learn the story of Robin Johnston and the focus of his life.

 

There are just some people that you can look at them and you can see the kindness, passion, and love that they have tried to pour out for years. Robin’s smile and passionate kind eyes seem to say that as he reaches out his hand to introduce himself. There is nothing shy about him, he spoke to me as if he had known me for quite some time and as we talked we realized our lives had more connections than we thought.

 

Robin went to school here at Barclay College back in the days before it was changed to Barclay college. He told me about how after graduating he wanted to get more experience in ministry so he pastored out in Berkley, California. He said it wasn’t always easy because many of the people were quakers and christians by name only, however, he said that the four years that he had there were some of the best years of his life. From there he and his wife moved to Chicago, where he went on to get his master’s degree at Wheaten College. Another great learning experience that he said helped him to grow.

 

Eventually, Robin found himself back at Barclay this time as a professor. As we talked I learned that he had taught my mentor Paul Romoser, when Paul was a student here. It was cool to see Robin’s reaction to know that someone he had taught had in turn taught me. Some of the leadership and youth ministry ideas that he had passed on were still being passed on. I learned that much of Robin’s focus in life had been teaching others how to live life and do ministry.

 

He spent years investing in people in the United States and around the world. When I find people that have spent their whole lives striving to do what they believe God called them to do I’m honored to even know them, nonetheless, to carry on a conversation with them. Even in his old age Robin expressed his worries and his heart for the this generation and the next.

 

Over the course of our conversation, I tried to explain my vision of “love helps” and how I wanted to make the focus of my life about training leaders and helping people life life to the fullest. I believe often times in ministry or just any occupation, or way of life we can make our focus about doing things rather than trying to focus on what really matters. I don’t want my life to be about doing things but rather loving people. As we learn to love people then we will learn to do things. We can change the world.

 

In chapel today Derek Brown, was talking about how the world is full of tribes. Tribes that stand for different things, they have different purposes, different banners they carry, and different ways to live. Likewise the church is one of those tribes, but sadly the church has become an ineffective tribe.

 

See the early church was a tribe that understood that Jesus teachings and may of life were meant to be applied. They did apply them and the world was forever changed but why are we ineffective today?

 

 

Well because we have lost our identity and our community.

 

 

The early church did everything together. They ate together, they lived together, they shared life together. Derek made the point, “that the disconnected church today would call that a cult.” As followers of Christ our identity is in the suffering and love of what Christ did on the cross for us. That is what has really changed our lives and freed us to live, yet we have forgotten. We have forgotten our focus. We have forgotten how to live in community?

 

One of the thoughts that I have been going over for a while in my head is that Jesus and the early church never separated themselves from the broken hurting people of the world.

 

They were living with, eating with, sharing life with the broken and finding HEALING TOGETHER.

We have a lot of broken hurting people in this and the next generation. Yet they are longing for identity, a place to fit in a community and they long for healing. But the communities that should be called forth to love them and walk with them through the healing of those hurts and wounds are often to busy doing things to love them.

 

In Matthew 16:19 Jesus says, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and what ever you loosen on earth will be loosen in heaven.”

 

Binding and loosing is a matter of what we are focusing on. Where is our focus, because those things that are our focus, well they matter in the end. Is our focusing on loving people, sharing life, and living the way that Jesus did?

 

Are we finding the broken and hurting and finding healing in Jesus together.

 

Jesus was never disconnected from his world.

 

He knew the hurts, he knew people’s stories not just because he was God but because he spent quality time with them. He slowed down enough to listen and to care.

 

The church, we the church, we the people that claim to follow Christ and represent him as a tribe that stands under the banner of love has often been guilty of divorcing ourselves from the world that needs us the most. We stopped being an honest, real, open and raw community that wants to heal with the world.

 

We spend a lot of time and energy telling, teaching and educating the world about what we believe but do we show them with our lives. Do we invite the world to see our wounds and hurts and show them our healer? For many years the church has been so scared of Hell and made staying out of it there focus rather then facing their fears, asking questions, and exploring the world that God has placed them to love in, share in, and live in.

 

Where is our focus?

 

Is our focus on freeing and loosing the world around us so that we might allow them to see our savior in heaven or is our focus on condemning the world, divorcing ourselves from them and caring little about people that God created.

 

After talking to Robin Johnston today at dinner I believe his focus is still about learning to know God more, to love people, and to invest in their lives. It may mean just coming to the college to have a meal once or twice a month and talking to students. He doesn’t do a lot of the stuff that he use to. He doesn’t get up in front of a class and teach like he did when he was a college professor, but if he were to read this I would want him to know that he is effective in what he is doing now. Why? Because his focus.

 

In the span of a thirty minute dinner he ate with me, shared life with me and told me his story.

 

That is church.

 

Encouraged by his words to chase my dreams of learning to love and help the hurting heal I feel my focus is in the right place.

 

What is your focus?

 

-Caleb Ross Hunter