Lil’ Benjamin is One-Year Old!

It’s hard to believe but little man Benjamin Patrick Mitchell is one-year old as of April 17. I thought I’d give you a sampling of some of our latest pictures of him. If you want to see more, head to Lindsey’s facebook page and snoop around. Enjoy

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“Oh pastor, what a lovely sermon”

In Acts 4, Peter and John are preaching to a crowd when the religious elite put an end to it and haul the two off to prison. No matter, for many had already believed prior to their censure and arrest. The next day rulers, elders, and scribes ask a question they likely regretted asking, namely, “By what power or by what name do you do this [speak of Jesus and resurrection and heal a crippled]?” Then Peter–walk on water and start drowning, deny Jesus 3 times, get called Satan by Jesus…that Peter–is filled with the Holy Spirit and speaks:

“Rulers of the people and elders, ⁹ if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has  been healed, ¹⁰ let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. ¹¹  This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. ¹² And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” Acts 4:8-12.

The sermon is short and sweet and not seeker friendly. But it’s the response of the hearers where I pause and think of myself and other preachers: ¹³  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.

These are NOT Bible college, seminary-trained preachers (yes, preachers/pastors should be trained in my opinion). I highly doubt they debated finer points of doctrine. Rather, they had been with Jesus. For three years they walked with him and sat under his teaching and witnessed his ways. Then, to the best of their knowledge, they did what Jesus did. They preached boldly and healed the lame, by the power of the Holy Spirit. But it was made possible because they had been with Jesus.

After preaching a sermon I cannot recall ever longing to hear someone say to me, “You’ve been with Jesus.”

Ugh.

I’ve longed to hear, “The way you broke down that text made it clearer than ever before!” or “That illustration really struck me in a personal way.” or “You must have studied a long time to deliver such a detailed exegesis.” Other preachers long to hear, whether in person or through the grapevine, how creative or funny or engaging or passionate they were. Those are not bad things, mind you.

But I can’t imagine a more satisfying and simultaneously humbling response as someone saying to me, “You’ve been with Jesus.” The question it seems, then, is whether pastors and preachers spend time with Jesus or simply listen to and read the works of others who have been with Jesus.

In other words, if I quote Matt Chandler or  Dallas Willard or Francis Chan or Eugene Peterson more than I quote Jesus, I’ve not been with Jesus. They have. But I haven’t. Oh that our words and our lives would exude Jesus to the measure of Peter and John!That people would talk about us and have nothing to say except, “They’ve been with Jesus.”

 

Lessons in Waiting

If you’ve been on the blog lately, you have not been overwhelmed by the quantity of my posts. That is entirely due to my work load of late. I am working full time in guest services at the Mansion on Forsyth Park, teaching part time at Veritas Academy, and preaching part time at Islands Christian Church here in Savannah. With my current schedule there are periods where I won’t see my little Benjamin for two days in a row. Fortunately Lindsey keeps me in the know and sends pictures/videos of the little guy.

I wrote a post a while back called Waiting While Moving Forward that has to do with the season of waiting we are in as it relates to the history of God’s people–including, but not limited to, folks like Abraham and the disciples. I preached this past weekend on the same idea and wanted to share the two lessons my family is learning along the way.

(I preached from the context of Israel’s exodus out of Egypt, and their journey through the wilderness in particular).

Lesson 1. God has already prepared the place, but he has to prepare the people. For Israel, God had already prepared the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a place where Israel could fully become what God desired for his people to be. But each and every time Israel encountered an obstacle, rather than move forward, they stopped and grumbled.

Upon reaching the Red Sea, for instance, the people of God did not believe in the power of God to make a way where there seemed to be now way. Instead, they asked Moses why he didn’t just leave them in Egypt where life was predictable. Grumble. When they wanted water and what they found was too bitter, they grumbled. God added some Splenda for them and then led them into an oasis to satisfy their desires. Grumble. Then came the manna. God literally rained bread (of some kind) for the people, but just enough so that–in my estimation–they wouldn’t become self-reliant. After a while, to no one’s surprise, grumble.

Had God led this generation directly into the Promised Land, what makes anyone think they wouldn’t have turned it into a wasteland with all their grumbling and complaining? You see, the place had already been prepared, for God had the destination set in stone. BUT, the people weren’t ready. And if the people are not ready for the place, then the place will cease to be what God had intended it to be. This is why, I believe, Lindsey and I are not yet where we’re supposed to be. We’re just not ready. And God loves us too much to let us enter into that place unprepared. And he loves you too much to let you enter a place for which you are not ready either (should you happen to be in a season of waiting).

Lesson 2:Waiting on God teaches us to name our idols. Israel’s waiting and wandering brought to the foreground their idols, that is, those things which hindered their faith and kept them from moving forward in obedience. What idols might be named on Israel’s behalf? In the Red Sea episode, I would name the idol of security. Although they were captives in Egypt, Israel was secure in knowing what to expect each day and had no idea what God might be calling them into if they’d just move forward. But that would take a risk. It would take courage (yes, it takes courage to leave what is familiar, comfortable, secure). God was guiding Israel by a pillar of cloud and fire, and yet they felt threatened…kind of funny.

What other idol(s) might be named? For time’s sake I’ll name one more. When Israel was whining about the quality of the water, I believe God exposed the idol of preference. I want it how I want it, when I want it. God may be providing for us right now in a moment of uncertainty or waiting, but because it’s not exactly what we want, we don’t see God’s hand involved. Sound familiar? No, surely not…you don’t mean? Yep, us. We are Israel.

When God challenges our security, our preferences, and I would add, our control, we look a lot like Israel walking around in the desert…grumbling.

God is teaching Lindsey and me to name our idols: financial security, control–the prayer of “give us this day our daily bread” actually means something to us now, ego–’pastor’ is a much cooler title than ‘telephone operator’, and comfort–this can truly be an enemy of the Spirit’s movement in the life of a believer.

So those are lessons we are learning. If you have any questions or would like to add testimonies, please feel free to share. In the mean time, may we all be obedient to move forward in what we know rather than dwelling on what we don’t know. That’s the only way I know to keep waiting while moving forward.

PLM

A Lengthy Update on Life (with pics of Ben)

At present I am sitting in a small, windowless room at an upscale hotel where I work as a telephone operator/guest services representative. It’s a far cry from preaching every week and taking students out for coffee or lunch. And while some may say, “Patrick, what in the world has happened to you?” I like to think that God is happening to me.

In my brief 29 years I have rarely had to wait on God for anything. I’ve more or less known what was happening tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that—you get the point. That doesn’t mean there have not been moments of indecision on my part. Lord knows, as does my wife, that big decisions are not my strong suit. I can get wrapped up in a cycle of uncertainty faster than you can say the seventeenth word in this post (see what I did there? bought some time by making you count words).

All that to say, while I am not the world’s fastest ‘decider’, I haven’t had too many times where I wasn’t somewhat sure of what would happen…until now.

It has been four months since we made the trek back to Savannah from St. Louis–the home of the world champion, though it’s really just USA champion, Cardinals. I thought by now I would know exactly what the rest of life would look like, or at least the next several years. But what I know for certain at this point is that I don’t know what the next several years will look like, or the next year for that matter. As far as I know I could be working at the same hotel and continuing to teach at a private high school on a part-time basis as I do now. Practically, though, that won’t work because it drastically diminishes family time. Not to mention, there is a baby on board and that train is set to arrive mid-August. So daddy needs a full-time job that gives life to his soul and puts food on the table.

Over the course of these nearly four months, I have managed to panic very little. For the most part my confidence in God has been strengthened rather than shaken. The dramatic decrease in income would cause some people—even people of faith—to panic. The thought crossed my mind. But there is also a responsibility I have to lead my family in faith, and that’s what I’m doing to the best of my ability. And while I am no retribution theologian (i.e., God rewards good deeds with good fortune and vice versa), it is undeniable that God is showing the Mitchells some favor right now.

I’m comfortable enough to say that I bring home less than 50% of what I was previously earning. But in that time, God has taught me what it is to trust and remain steadfastly dependent on him. Upon returning to Savannah I applied for job after job after job with no response. I applied for a position at one hotel only to be called by a sister property for a job that paid even less. But hey, the family comes first, so I took the job.

Little did I know that I would meet a certain teacher who would later resign from his school, leaving me as the teacher of choice to take over his theology and humanities classes. And wouldn’t you know, the school day ends right when my hotel day begins. And who would have thought that this particular hotel position would allow me to prepare for class in my downtime? These divine details were pieced together, and regardless of how churchy that sounds, that’s the God I worship, One who is in the details at a level I cannot easily comprehend.

The government has also played its part in this difficult but fruitful time. Apparently when you don’t have insurance, babies don’t bring as much joy in those initial moments as when you do have coverage. That was the situation we were facing, and it was frightening (honestly the scariest part for me from the beginning). Well we received news recently that Lindsey and the baby will be covered. You may have heard the weight of the world falling off of my shoulders when we got the call.

God has repeatedly taken me under his arm and whispered, “You’re right where I am.” And that’s an answer to a prayer I’ve prayed for some time now, namely, that I never want to be where God isn’t. I don’t want to go off in my direction when God desires me to go another. I wholeheartedly believe God is leading our family somewhere we wouldn’t have ventured on our own.

So to those who have been praying with and for us, thank you and please continue. There are exciting days ahead. We find out on the 28^th whether we’re having a boy or girl. We are okay with a healthy whatever (though the lady portion of our duo is pulling hard for a boy). I will find out about a particular scholarship in a couple of weeks, the outcome of which could launch us down two different paths.

And for your viewing pleasure, I present Ben (who turns 1 on April 17)

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The Teachee has become the Teacher

It has been good to be back in Savannah. Not much has changed since we were here five years ago, but that is often the case with a city that prides itself on her history–and fried chicken by Paula Deen. What has changed is what I am doing in Savannah vocationally.

I am a strong believer in the providential hand of God. Now, I did not say deterministic hand of God. Though I leave room for God to direct events or circumstances exactly as he wants regardless of what I desire, I think providence is different. Providence is the ever-quotable Romans 8:28 at work. God is working out things for the good of those who love him and for his glory. In other words, I can make a dumb decision and there will be some good that comes out of it. That’s simplified for time’s sake.

Via a winding road of mutual acquaintances (and therein the hand of God), I will be finishing out this semester as a teacher of theology and humanities for Veritas Academy, a classical Christian school here in town. I am very excited for this opportunity and look forward to the experience of teaching and building relationships with students. I will have three classes: 8th grade, 9/10, and 11/12. This wasn’t something I could have predicted, but it’s absolutely something I am thrilled about.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare for class.

The Kardashians of Christianity

(I opted not to post a picture of the Kardashians lest it cause a brother to stumble or me to get sued)

Jesus says of the scribes in and around Jerusalem, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.” Whether you sided with East Coast or West Coast Christianity on the last blog, the issue Jesus is bringing to bear here in Luke 20 is one that everyone seasoned in church has witnessed, and perhaps to some level, of which we’ve all been guilty.

Let’s break it down for cursory understanding:

• Scribes: in the New Testament they were grouped in with religious leaders and would have done things like study the law, teach the law, perhaps settle some disputes in accordance with their interpretation of the law (Mosaic Law that is). But modern day, it almost sounds like they were religious socialites. The Kardashians of the synagogues and town squares. Let’s look at how they behaved.
• Walk around in long robes: so they dress nicely, maybe even a bit extravagantly. Very often I’ll hear talk that we don’t dress to impress at church but we DO want to wear our very best for God. But it seems with the scribes that their very best on the outside had nothing to do with the inside. And I can’t help but wonder if some of those who put up such a fight with what we wear to church aren’t dressing to impress other people, or something along those lines.
  
• Love greetings in the marketplaces: they loved to be seen, and they liked to stand out in a crowd. Ever get the feeling that certain people at church wouldn’t be there unless other certain people were there to acknowledge their presence? I’ll admit that I’ve been guilty of wanting to be seen, whether it be wearing my best new outfit or talking to someone important–even being seen walking into the sacred “green room” before or after service.
  
• Best seats in the synagogues: right side, 2nd or 3rd row…I notice preachers look that way and will see me. The scribes took the best seats–whether that means where they’d be seen or where they can see I’m not sure. But I notice certain people tend to sit up front week after week and appear to be visibly upset if their seats are taken.
  
• Places of honor at feasts: head of the table or at least close to whomever is hosting the feast (religious meals). Maybe this is Sunday night dinner or Wednesday night supper at the fellowship hall. But it doesn’t have to be limited to the church or to meals. Neither does the best seat in the synagogue. The principle spreads more broadly: do you have to be in a place of honor or visibility? Would you be happy and joyful and worshipful in the back corner and if nobody ‘important’ knew you’d made it to church that week?
  
• Devour widows’ houses: the scribes did all these outward, visible acts, but all the time ignored those most often ignored by society. Widows, orphans, homeless, oppressed, sick, imprisoned…they don’t add to my mystique or my resume, so what good are they? This one probably doesn’t happen today (read with thick sarcasm).
  
• Make long prayers out of pretense: they loved to be heard. I can’t help but think of the scene from Meet the Parents when Greg Focker prays for the meal. Classic. But long prayers are often a mask for lack of prayer in private. I’ve heard few people pray for a long time where I’ve thought, “This person spends a lot of time in the presence of God in private.” In fact, the most penetrating prayers I’ve ever heard have been short but filled to the brim with meaning. My undergrad New Testament professor Lee Magness is the best example of this I can think of. What I would give to have all of those prayers from class written down.

These scribes (which I’m reading as church socialites) will receive the greater condemnation. The most immediate application of this passage would be in regards to religious scholars, of which many are guilty of the above. But more broadly, church socialites fill pews or cushy seats week after week, lest they not be seen in their new outfit or be thought less of by others. We’ve all been guilty of one or more of these on occasions, but I hope Jesus’ caution makes us all pause and ask the right questions of ourselves, our motives, and our hearts.

God be with us.

Christians on the Coasts: Any Difference?

East Coast or West Coast, which is better? Of course that depends on who you ask. It also depends on what filters or qualifiers you use to measure betterness (not a word). Having lived on both coasts, and a couple of places in between, I wanted to speak briefly to the foremost difference I’ve noticed in regards to Christianity on the coasts, particularly as it relates to the practice of Christianity (obedience, strictness, joy, freedom, etc.). This will by no means settle the debate of which coast reigns supreme, but it’s food for thought.

To explain the main difference I’ve witnessed between the coasts, I’ll use the analogy of opening a closed fist versus making a fist out of an open hand. I spent a short two years in Southern California, but it was long enough to use my astute observation skills to write this blog. I was frustrated for several months in SoCal because of the laxity with which some Christians approached living a Christ-centered life. Crude/sexual jokes and innuendos, what I deemed excessive drinking, disregard for content in movies–these are a few of the big ones that really chapped my buns. Of course I was made fun of and somewhat written off for being Southern, but I wasn’t the one wearing deep v-necks and jeans so tight they could be jeggings.

The same people that frustrated me became great friends, and I also discovered they truly love Jesus and the church. The ones that didn’t become good friends still frustrated me, but I think they loved Jesus too, just not enough to change anything. I noticed after a while that conversations changed and became more Jesus appropriate, meaning not crude (much). “That’s what she said” was a big deal at that time and even that started to fade out. Not sure I ever made a dent in the movie selection, but who knows? Over all, I saw some Christians with a pretty open hand towards Christian living slowly roll up their fingers and hold more tightly to (what I would call) more biblical standards for living.

Now, contrast that with the East Coast (Midwest included…sorry for being nonchalant with boundaries). When I say East Coast, I’m limiting that to the southernmost states since I’ve never lived in the North East. Christians on the right coast–take it as you want–tend to possess a rather closed fisted way of living. So if drinking a moderate and healthy amount of alcohol is good, then drinking none is the best! If having an occasional cigar or pipe is nothing to worry about, then never striking a match might win you some points. You get the picture, right? Now this is an over generalization, but I think it’s true for Christians down here more often than not.

Around Christian friends and co-workers along this coast (and the mid coast) I find myself wishing they’d loosen up a bit sometimes–enjoy a joke that doesn’t have ‘Baptists’ or ‘Methodists’ as the punchline. Don’t judge people who have an occasional drink (unless it’s Zima; you can judge those people). You’re no holier for having never let alcohol touch your lips–it’s no badge to wear. These are things I want to say (and have said on some occasions).

All this to say, if you’ve ever tried to open some0ne’s clinched fingers it’s quite difficult. It’s much easier to close the fingers of an open hand. I know the West Coast gets a lot of flack from East Coast folk, but there’s something refreshing about their transparency. Plus, if you can show the open handed folk something in Scripture then they have to decide how much they really care. The positives lead to there being much less judging out West.

The East, however, sometimes reminds me of Jesus’ interactions with the pharisees. Harsh, right? I’m a Southerner so I can say it. Pharisees were upset when Jesus hung out with sinners. They gossiped when he was around alcohol. They didn’t like it if he preached something different than what they grew up with. I’ve lived these realities myself, which is why I feel confident writing them. There is good to both sides. If you live with a clinched fist forever, you will probably be safe from committing some sins, but I dare say it will be in favor of some choice others. As for the open hand, there IS liberty in Christ, but liberty is not license to live in sin. Therefore, there are cautions that must accompany both sides.

I’ve said enough. What I would love is to start a conversation, so please make some noise (but don’t be mean).