the page ceremony

To explain what this ceremony is all about you have to have a small understanding of the historical idea of a page.

In Medieval times a page was a young boy who was in the service of a knight or Lord.

In some cases for the purpose of becoming a knight. In others he was the son of a lord and this was his training ground to take the role of lord some day. 

The context of this ceremony is a page is a knight in training. 

I have spent most of my life asking a question that for the longest time I couldn't form words around,

Do I have what it takes?

As boys we ask this question we ask our fathers we ask men who are around us. 

We always get an answer and the answer will set us on a path to success or failure. 

in different ways one way is we ask men in our lives if we can help do tasks or activities that we see being done with skill and success. 

I heard alot growing up 

"Your to small"

"When you get older"

"I don't have time to teach you"

These are classic you don't have what it takes moments. 

The page ceremony says you have what it takes and we will help you to do it. 

The page ceremony is all about putting people in the life of a young boy who will influence him toward becoming what God created him to be.  

A friend of mine has four sons two of which I have had the privilege of participating in the page ceremony.  

It's a time when these boys are invited to enter into a group of men to be told you have what it takes we are going to walk with you and teach you how to succeed. 

This is one of the most intentional things you can do to train up a child in the way he should go, you can bet when he grows up he won't depart from the teaching. 

There are to many men walking with him who won't let him slip away. 

I heard a quote a long time ago 

"It takes a village to raise a child" 

I believe it takes a community, a group who stand togeather in faith and values to empower a child to become all they were created to be. 

Discipleship

That's a big word this year in sunshine hills, 2012 is the year of discipleship.

I like to think of it as the year of intentional discipleship.

But what does intentional discipleship mean?

To me as a man I look back at my faith journey and I see key people who guided me and loved me. 

In the absence of being fathered by my dad I was mentored by different men in all different stages of my life.

Where would I have been today if I didn't have strong men who came along side of me and held me accountable, or gave me sound advice, or who cared enough to look me in the eyes and tell me that I was valuable. 

Jesus came to earth he came to where we were. He lived with us in our pain and in our struggles.  Then He discipled. 

If you want to be effective in discipleship it's not good enough to have a good Bible answer for someone's problem you have to live with them where they are. 

I don't know many people who are taking the idea of discipleship as I have described it and are living it out but they that are have caused me to adjust how I view this subject.

I don't think we can be who God wants us to be if we are not taking discipleship seriously and making it a priority in our daily lives. 

Two questions. 
1) Who in your life through their involvement changed the course of your life in a positive way? 

2) Whose life through your involvement is on a positive course change?

If there is no one whose life you are investing in to make a difference for the positive then pray about where God would want to use you and watch how He changes you and them in the process.

the creativity killer

I have been struggling lately with the idea of what I want to do with my life and how that is going to affect how I influence the world.

Six months ago in my journal I wrote that I felt that I needed to let the creative part of me grow but the killer of that was TV. 

I love to write I get a lot out of it; it is how I process and its how I best express myself. It is in fact the thing that makes me feel alive. 

So why is it that I struggle so much with doing it more? Six months ago, it was TV and now guess what its TV. 

Its my creativity killer. 

I am not going to let another six months go by just to come back to the same place hence this blog. 

The fact that there is a battle going on inside me means that I have hope of being all that God has called me to be.

I know that I am not the only person who feels trapped by where they are and knows that there is more they should be doing and could be doing. 

Be brave my friend don't let what you were created for get killed by excesses or by apathy. 

Gods mercy is new very morning and his faithfulness is great. Lamentations 3:23

Today is a new day lets move today from where we are into where we can be just a little more.

Jesus said he would never leave us of forsake us even till the end of the age. Matthew 28:20. 

So with that in mind.

Is there something that stands in the way of you stepping out into your dream? 

It has no power over you. 

Is there something God is calling you toward?

Run to it.

Finally 

What choice will your next choice be and what will it open up into? 

"every right choice opens the way to ten more good choices and every wrong choice opens the way to ten more wrong choices."

I am excited friend because there is a new morning awaiting us and we have a faithful God who is with us.