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Beyond Sunday Morning

4/27/2015

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Today, it has been a year since the completion of my music ministry internship at the Fairfield Church of Christ in Fairfield, Ohio. It’s honestly hard to believe it’s been a year, because much of what I learned and experienced while I was there is still so fresh in my memory. Since this 3 ½ month experience was so vast to describe, this post is a compilation of my reflections on the experience from my writings. I hope that those of you that where a part of my experience there will appreciate these memories, and others will be able to appreciate what I learned about the ministries of the church from a different perspective.
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For those that may not know what I did on my internship, this first part is a compilation of notes from the presentation I did about my internship for my home church after I returned.

I completed my ministry internship at the Fairfield Church of Christ in Fairfield, Ohio, in the Cincinnati area. My internship was focused on music ministry, since that is the focus of my college degree and a requirement for the completion of my degree. My primary duties consisting of planning and organizing worship, working with the adult praise choir (as a member and as a director), and leading worship team practices. I was especially involved in planning of the Palm Sunday and Easter services. I was considered a part of the church staff while I was there and attended weekly staff meetings.
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"My office" - or my spot in Mike's office. Depends on how you look at it. lol
My mentor, Mike Dainton, was a great person to work with. He was very supportive and encouraging, and truly has a heart for the people he serves. From the beginning, he wanted to invest in me and teach me what he knew about ministry. I shared his office space and shared his days off. I felt that I was more than an intern or a college student to him: I was a partner in his ministry. I learned so much because he had confidence in me to do what he needed me to do.

In addition to my music ministry duties, I was very involved in the youth ministry, mostly because the youth minster is my cousin, Aaron Hibbard. Aaron gave me the opportunity to teach for one of the high school small groups for Sunday night youth group, because of requirements I had for an online class I was taking. I also enjoyed being involved in some youth group activities while I was there, such as a high school lock-in and CIY Believe.
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The Jr. Highers at CIY Believe Conference. I'm the the second to last on the left. In front of me is my cousin Aaron.
I also involved in our Easter production, called His Final Week. We took the audience through walk thru experience of the Passion Week through a tour of different rooms in the church building. We recreated scenes such as the cleansing of the temple, the last supper, the trial before Pilate, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and some the of the resurrection appearances. In addition to helping the production team, I played the role of Mary Magdalene in one of the four “Jesus groups” (cast groups that performed on rotation). This production was one of the best parts of my internship, both for the learning experience and the fellowship that happened behind the scenes.
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Our first rehearsal. I love how you can tell that most of us are laughing. That was the way many of our rehearsals went.
Since this internship was considered a credited class to finish my degree, I had to do a few written assignments. This is a reflective essay I wrote after I completed my internship, along with the questions I was answering according to my assignment’s instructions.

What was the best part of your internship experience? What was the worst part?

For me, the best part of my internship was the people of the Fairfield Church of Christ. All the people that I became close to, my mentor, the rest of the staff, my host family, the worship team, the choir, the kids of the youth group, the college age group (those around my age), and those that befriended me in other ways, all impacted my life in those few months I was in Fairfield. I enjoyed life and community in this church in a way that I had not experienced before, and I am so grateful for that experience. 
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I got to have these girls over for a sleepover, so we had a little fun with my webcam! lol
The worst part of my internship was learning how to deal with the unexpected changes that occurred often. My mentor Mike Dainton struggled with health issues related to the removal of the sciatic nerve in his right leg after a battle with cancer. Although he is now cancer free, he is still experiencing issues relating to the missing nerve which sometimes prevented him from coming into the office, which meant that a lot more responsibility fell on me and I had to trust the guidance of other staff members or other ministry volunteers. Although I learned a lot about working through unexpected changes, it was probably the most difficult part of my internship.

What are the three most valuable lessons you learned during your internship that you will use in your future ministry?

I learned many valuable lessons while I was on internship. The most significant was the importance and necessity of flexibility in ministry. Although it was something that I already knew I struggled with, I now see that in order to best serve others (one of primary goals of any ministry), we need to be willing to adapt to whatever situations may come our way. The times that I able to adapt and finish what needed to be done were some of the more fulfilling moments I had, and the most helpful to the whole of the music ministry. I hope to be able to learn more flexibility in my personal life, so that I can better serve others and it will natural overflow into my future ministry endeavors.
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The staff sign in board. It reminds me that they considered me to be another staff member while I was there, not "just an intern." I was grateful that they never made me do a coffee run! lol
The second lesson that I learned was about the ministry of the church as a whole. Early on, I observed that the staff is involved in each other’s ministries. They all seemed to understand the roles their ministries played and how their ministries related to each other. They were sensitive to the needs of each other’s ministries. These are things that I was aware of and had been told before, but I had never had the opportunity to seriously observe it. Because of this, I want to remember the part that music ministry plays in the bigger picture of the ministry of church as a whole. We are not just here to sing, play, make everything sound good, and keep the glory for ourselves. We are a piece of the puzzle that when put together points back to the reality of a Savior that is risen and redeems us from our sins. No music minister should ever lose sight of that, and I hope I never do.

The third lesson I learned on my internship is the importance of creativity in ministry. During my internship, I was enrolled in the online class “Creative Bible Teaching,” and I learned so much about the importance of creativity in the classroom, but I think much of this concept applies to ministry.
When we fail to be creative or think outside of the box, we are not growing, and most likely limiting the people that we can reach. Especially when it comes to the way we present or teach the Word of God, what we do should never be perceived as boring if we can do things to make it more appealing. I hope to be able to think and teach more creatively in general, so that I can apply this to my future ministries.

What impact has this internship had on your spiritual life?

This internship had changed my life in ways both big and small. I had to learn how to trust in the Lord more than had before, because in the moments that my mentor wasn’t able to help, I struggled with feeling inadequate for fulfill my duties. Through it all, I realized that Christ was able to help me in my inadequacies, and He also helped me to discover talents that I did not know I had that I have been able to use for ministry purposes. Trust in the Lord is an important lesson for anyone to learn, regardless of their situation in life.
I also found so much inspiration from my mentor. Mike is amazing man that loves his ministry and loves the people he serves. I know personally how much he loves the people he serves because of the way that he cared about me as a person and became a good friend to me in my time at the church. He genuinely wanted to invest in me from the start and I reaped many blessings from that investment. He especially inspired me through his health issues. Mike was experiencing extremely intense pain related to his missing nerve. Despite his setbacks, he still has his thoughts and prayers with his ministry and the people he served. I hope that when I finally get to my own ministry, I will come have a heart like Mike Dainton’s heart for the people I will serve.
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Me with Mike Dainton, at the end of my last Sunday
The biggest impact this internship had on my spiritual life was connected to my involvement in the church’s Easter drama, His Final Week…Portraying one of the first people to hear that Jesus is alive was one of the best experiences of my life. That is something that I want to spend the rest of my declaring to those that need to hear it. The impact of playing a part in this play is something that I hope to remember as I strive to serve Him with the talents He has given me for the rest of my life.

[If you want to read more about my experience during His Final Week, click here]

To give you a sense of the good, the bad, and the funny, this a selection and revision of a list I made for fun called “Things I Did Not Expect To Learn On My Internship” (This is 30 of the 48 I had originally)
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My Disney Twin! Love you Kendra!

1. Waiting until 3 days before you move to an area that you are not familiar is not the smartest idea. I don’t recommend it.

2. Interning at your mom’s home church means that you have people that remember you as a child, but you don’t remember them.

3. You know you found your long lost twin when as adults you both love Disney Princesses and have Rapunzel costumes.

4. When teaching in youth group small groups, you should probably just assume that you won’t make it through every discussion question. It’s easier to simply accept the fact that random, off topic discussion will occur every time

5. Impending ministry assignments sound scarier when your mentor makes a sinister laugh before he tells you what you’re doing
6. Don’t lock a filing cabinet if you lose your key. This lesson was provided courtesy of Mike’s forgetfulness. On the bright side, he showed me how to use a crowbar to open a locked filing cabinet! haha

7. The winter I was in Fairfield, we became God’s frozen people (Quote from Dave Hargrave, one of the other ministers on staff at FCC)

8. It is possible to someone to “smell like wisdom”

9. Reuniting with your babysitter from your childhood means that embarrassing stories could be revisited. Which ones where revisited, I shall not say

10. My hands are somewhat dyslexic when conducting. My hands had a hard time making two different motions at the same time. Somehow, I still managed to conduct the choir for one song on Easter.

11. You know you have spent too much time with your mentor when you almost order the same food at a restaurant. It was pretty scary.

12. The plural form of Jesus is Jesi
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Mike got to know me well enough that when his family when on a Disney Cruise for Spring Break, he got me a Belle pin for my Beauty and the Beast collection
13.  It is entirely possible to hold a production together with primarily the following materials: hot glue, foam board, tape (of many varieties), paint, and pipe and drape

14. You can use shower curtains as light gels for florescent lights (My mind was blown)

15. If you make yourself cry for theatrical purposes, you shouldn't cry so hard that you start hyperventilating, which I came close to doing. Don’t forget to breathe!
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This sign was on the door of the room I lived in during my internship. I was always conflicted about how this made me feel. lol
16. You realize that you are in a crazy awesome biblical production when any of the following happens behind the scenes: when Jesus is making references to classic TV shows that you like, when you and the apostle Peter start singing “Lean On Me” to pass the time, when your primary casts pray together before every day of performances, when you can actually have food back stage, or when you are attempting to plan the Sunday worship services between shows with the apostle John. It was a little crazy, but a whole lot of fun!

17. Applebee’s is basically the only restaurant in Fairfield that is open late. Thank goodness for half-price apps!

18. Jamming to Rich Mullins and Newsboys in the car is a blast! You should try it sometime if you haven't

19. Having a bathroom and a shower to yourself is a luxury that should never be taken for granted

20. When stamping hundreds of handkerchiefs, don’t press too hard on the stamp, or a blister could result.
21. When singing on worship team, don’t forget to turn on your microphone!

22. You know that people love you when you tell them your favorite flavor of ice cream (Peanut Butter and Chip from UDF) and they drop everything to go get it for you. This happened more than once!

23. I'm just as fun and crazy as the kids in the youth group. I guess that's why we get along so well.

24. Having your cousin on the same church staff is awesome. It was such a blessing to have Aaron in the office across from me.

25. On the other hand, you realize how weird you are when the first guy to ride alone with you in your car is your cousin…
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When Mike was gone on his vacation, he put this sign over his nameplate :)
26. “You’re never as good as they say you are, and you’re never as bad as they say you are. You’re usually somewhere in between.” – Dave Hargrave

27. Trial by fire is a good learning experience, even though it may be uncomfortable. I learned more through some of the unplanned parts of my internship then I did from planned parts.

28. Never take the staff of your church for granted. They are servants to the Lord and to you, and they deserve a ton more recognition than they get.

29. Community in Christ, especially in the context of a church body, should never be taken for granted. I was so warmed welcomed into the church and felt very much at home with them. If you find yourself in a church like that, consider it a blessing.

30. Do your best to be prepared for any situation that comes your way. That is when you are open for the Lord to use you, no matter where you are in your life.
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Conclusion

Prior to this internship, I had not had the chance to really experience the finer details of music ministry. Most of my experience up to that point had been singing on worship team and some worship planning. But after spending 3 ½ months going into the church office 4 to 5 days a week and often not returning home on those days until late at night, I became more assured of a fact I already knew: pastors, ministers, and those who are on staff at a church do so much more than their congregation will ever see. They don’t just work on Sunday mornings, and they often don’t work a 9 to 5 kind of job. Being in ministry is a devotion, a calling, and a lifestyle that demands more than many people outside of ministry can really understand. Even their volunteers only get a taste of the demands and devotion required to faithfully fulfill this calling. Being a pastor’s kid, I knew this truth, but I finally had the chance to experience it while I was in Fairfield, and that is something I could never experience in the classroom.

This is just a glimpse of all the things I learned in my time at the Fairfield Church of Christ. I am still grateful for all the things I learned and all the experiences I had in Fairfield. It was by far the best experience of my education. As I reflect on what I learned, my heart overflows with gratitude toward all the people that made my experience possible. I am still ever so thankful for the Fairfield Church of Christ, my mentor Mike, my cousin Aaron, the other staff members at FCC, the members of the worship team and praise choir, the leadership team for His Final Week, my host family, and the countless other people that befriended me, made me feel at home, and gave me opportunities to serve. I still miss them and thank the Lord from them often.

I am also reminded about what ministry is really all about. It’s not just about serving with our talents when were interested. It’s about contributing to the needs of the church so the body of Christ may be strengthened. Every person is a piece of the puzzle of that ministry, and each ministry is a piece of the puzzle of the church as a whole. I hope some of these memoirs from my internship have helped you see this truth and that you will find ways to strengthen the body of Christ by contributing to the needs of ministries in your own church. I also hope this will help you respect the work of whoever ministers to your own church, because their work extends far beyond Sunday mornings.
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1 Comment

Movies in Review: Ragamuffin

4/17/2015

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It’s crazy to think that a man from Indiana that usually walked around in white t-shirts, jeans, and no shoes became one of the greatest contemporary Christian artist of all time. It’s also incredible that his legacy has left such a huge impression on Christian music as we know it today, even 18 years after his death. Rich Mullins was a unique man with honest music and a reckless faith. He wrote several songs that are still all-time Christian hits, including Awesome God and Sometimes by Step. His life inspired the 2014 film, Ragamuffin. 
This movie is not your typical “Christian movie.” In fact, the filmmakers avoided using this term about the film. They explained that a movie can’t “be baptized and follow Christ,” but you can make movies about Christians. This movie is just that. It’s a movie about a Christian, a Christian that has struggles that many of us have. Here are a few things that I observed from this portrayal of Rich Mullins’ life.

Having An Estranged Father, Brokenness, and Loneliness Had Lifelong Consequences

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Young Mullins being yelled at by his father John
Mullins had a difficult childhood. His father was a farmer, and although he was the oldest boy, Rich (who went by his middle name Wayne as a child) was not suited for life on the farm. He was constantly making mistakes while working on the farm that drove his father crazy and drove a wedge further between them. His father was incapable of expressing his love toward Rich because he couldn't understand his musical proficiency and lack of ability in farming. This resulted in tension in their relationship that never healed in his father’s lifetime and had repercussions throughout the rest of Rich’s life. Rich struggled with being different and feeling inadequate. He had a lot of anger and bitterness, not just toward his father, but toward those in authority, especially when he didn't agree with them. He struggled with feeling alone, which sometimes drove those who were close to him away. When Rich finally found a man to be a fatherly mentor to him (Morris Howard), he passed away not very long after Rich moved to be close to him, which left Rich even more hurt and confused.
Because of the bad relationship he had with his father, Rich had so much personal brokenness, he didn't know what to do with it. It wasn't until the end of film when he goes on a personal retreat with his mentor Brennan Manning that Rich really has the opportunity to forgive his father and to start the healing process, and that healing process was inevitably cut short when his life ended not long after. Before this retreat, he repressed a lot of his hurt and it had major consequences. It’s an important reminder that when we as Christian recognize those kind of problems in our lives, we should do what we can to deal with them, not bottle them up.
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Rich Mullins on the road with his traveling companion, Justin

No One’s Perfect, Especially Christians

Because of his personal struggles, Rich struggle his whole life with loneliness. He never felt like he fit it, as much as he desperately wanted to fit it, which isolated him even when he was around people. As a result, he tried to fill that loneliness with earthly solutions that didn't work. He struggled with alcoholism and smoking, which is portrayed honestly in the film. He tried to fill that void with relationships, first with dating relationships, then with friendships. All of them failed to fill the void in his life. It was not until the previous mentioned retreat that Rich began to understand that God was the only one that could fill that loneliness. This is a powerful reminder for all of us that worldly pursuits cannot fill our loneliness. Only the love of the Lord can do that.
Probably the most powerful lesson portrayed in the film Ragamuffin is the reminder that no one is perfect. Rich Mullins was definitely not a picture perfect Christian. There are half a dozen scenes of him drinking and about nine scenes of him smoking. Because his father cursed, he also sometimes struggled with cussing. (Between him and his father, the word d---n is used about a dozen times, p--s is used once, and hell is used twice in a swearing context) When Rich finds out the girl he was in love with is engaged to someone else, he smashes the glass of the phone booth where he called her. When he shows up drunk to Morris’ funeral, Sam (Morris' son and Rich's friend) gets so frustrated with Rich that when he tried to confront Rich outside about it, Sam pushes him against the wall. Rich often disrespected authority. He would get mad when he didn't like the way things were going. He had a very difficult time coping with change.
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Rich smoking while working on his music
Some have been shocked that this content is portrayed in a “Christian film,” but as I said earlier, this is not a traditional movie in this category. The filmmakers painted the struggles of Rich’s life in an honest way on purpose and to great effect. This also is a reminder of what the concept of being a ragamuffin is all about. When Rich meets Brennan Manning, Brennan tells Rich that a ragamuffin is a beggar at the door of God’s mercy, and one that fully acknowledges their brokenness before God. That's an important lesson for all of us. We need to be aware of our own inefficiencies before God so that we can acknowledge that we are not capable of getting into heaven by our works. It was important for them to show the imperfections of Rich’s life in order for this truth to shine through. It really challenged me to think about what it means to live out my faith in the knowledge of God’s grace, not my own works.
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Rich speaking at one of his concerts

The Church Of Rich’s Generation Struggled With Legalism Over God’s Grace

One of significant points of the film that was somewhat disappointing to me was the way that churches and evangelical preachers of the time were portrayed. They all focused way too much on the rules and legalism of the Bible and not enough on God’s grace and forgiveness. The preachers in the film (except Brennan Manning) are all portrayed as “Bible thumpers” who didn't really understand the power of God’s grace as demonstrated through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. They instead focused way too much on the rules of the Bible, and not enough on demonstrating grace or helping the poor.

Now I was not alive for most of the time period of the film (I was born in 1990) and I was too little to really remember the rest of it, but I don’t think that all the churches and preachers of that time were like that. That was definitely Rich’s perception of them, but I don’t think they were all that ignorant of the truth of God’s grace and hardened by legalism and hypocrisy. It’s really rather narrow-minded to assume that there were, but I guess that was part of Rich’s personal struggle.

I believe that we need to be careful when we get harshly critical of our brothers and sisters in Christ in front of the unbelieving world (like in a film), because it’s that kind of judgment that non-Christians are afraid you will pass on them and turns them off to our faith. We are supposed to use judgment in accountability within the context of the body of Christ, but we must use this privilege with caution and for the purpose of edification. I think that is the spirit with which it is done in the film, but it is still wise to use caution when using this method to illustrate a point.

Rich’s Life Was Whirlwind

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Rich recieves the call that Amy Grant wants to use his song on her album
This film attempts to cover most of Rich’s life, focusing primarily on the 14 year timeframe of his music career. His life took him from Indiana where he grew up, to Cincinnati for college, then Nashville to start his career, Wichita for a time, and eventually he ended up moving onto an Indian reservation in Arizona to teach the children music. There was so much that happened in the 41 years of his life. However, because of the limitations of time, there were many parts of Rich’s life that were condensed or even omitted.

The girl he dates in the movie (named Jess) represents one of three women Rich dated in his young adult life, one to which he was engaged, but she called it off (The film only mentions Jess’ engagement to someone else). The character of Sam Howard was exaggerated for the film, so that people would have a better connection with his father when he died (Sam was never Rich’s roommate). The character of Justin (Rich’s touring friend) is a representation of several guys that toured with Rich. One of the most obvious omissions from Rich’s life was his friend David Strasser, also known as Beaker. Beaker was one of Rich’s best friends and collaborated with him often in the later part of Rich’s career. Because of Beaker's absence, there were also several of the songs they collaborated on that did not make it into the film (like Sometimes by Step). There is also only one passing reference to his Ragamuffin Band on a sign.
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Rich in his Jeep

Conclusion

This film does a great job of portraying the life and legacy of Rich Mullins. His brother Dave Mullins was one of the producers on the film, and I think it really shows. However, because of the language, drinking, and the PG-13 rating, I would only recommend the movie for children about 12 and up. For children younger than 12, use parental discretion about viewing it.

Although I did know some about Rich Mullins prior to seeing this film, I learned so much in this portrayal that really opened my eyes to not only the points I mentioned here, but also the way that his story has impacted the next generation of Christians and Christian artists as they pursue a faith that’s as genuine and reckless as his. I encourage all of you to watch this movie if you haven’t (available on Netflix and many video retails) and to remember God’s grace as you shape your life in response it.

[If you want to read more about Rich's life and how he personally inspired me, click here]
Content Ratings
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Sexual Content Rating: 1. None
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Violent Content: 2. Mild
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Language Rating: 3. Medium
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Negative Content Rating: 3. Medium. (Drinking, Smoking, Rich's un-affectionate father, Rich's anger management issues)
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Kid Friendly Rating. I personally think you should wait until your kid is at least 12 years old, depending on their maturity
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Teen Rating. I think this could be a great movie for teens to see. The only reason it gets a 4 is because most teens now a days don't know who Rich is and they may be unmotivated to watch a movie about him. If they are, then they should!
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Personal Rating. Aside from negative content that isn't found is most Christian movies, this is a powerful film that I would highly recommend
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RIch on the Indian Reservation where he lived the last years of his life
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Check out Ragamuffin on Amazon
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Ragamuffin, DVD

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The Easter Story Revisited

4/10/2015

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A year ago at this time, while I was interning at the Fairfield Church of Christ, I was given the opportunity to be involved in their Easter production, His Final Week. They recreated scenes from the Passion Week in different rooms in the church, which created a walk-thru experience. As an intern, I was given the privilege of working alongside our production team (who all did an incredible job!), but I was also one of many cast members of the drama.

One of the many things that stands out about the experience in my mind is that we had four different casts called “Jesus groups” that did the performances on rotation, which meant that we had 4 Jesus’ (or “Jesi” as they preferred to call themselves! lol). While we rehearsed for the drama, I was able to witness four men portray Jesus in their own ways (one of which happen to be my cousin). Because they each had different takes on Jesus’ character, and because I was involved so heavily in the production, I learned so many new things from this story I had know forever. I hope that by sharing these lessons with you, you will be able to understand the Easter Story in a whole new light.
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Me as Mary Magdalene

Jesus Had to Give Up His Control

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Jesus confronts the one of the chief priests in the temple
Having been raised as a pastor’s kid, I had heard the events of the Easter story literally hundreds of times. I could easy tell you the story forwards and backwards. It isn't always easy to see a story you know so well from a different perspective, but being a part of this drama gave me the opportunity to do just that. Especially after watching four men protray Jesus, it made me think a lot about His character and all the tracts that Jesus demonstrated throughout His life on earth. It is nearly impossible for an actor to embrace all of Jesus' tracts, so they usually end up emphasizing one through their performance. Of all the tracts I observed, one stands out from all the rest.

"My" Jesus embraced a different tract than the other “Jesi” – his authority and control. In the temple scene, after cleansing the temple, he confronted the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, and it was a powerful confrontation. It reminded me that Jesus taught as one who had authority. He commanded that authority with His confidence and control in every situation. That is one of the many reasons people were drawn to His teaching.
However, when the time came to fulfill the Father’s plan, He had to give up that authority, and it wasn't easy. When Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray, that was His primary struggle. Not only was He dreading the pain He was about to endure, but He also knew that He had to give up control in order to fulfill the Father’s plan. That is part of what made the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane so powerful. That is the reason His emotion was so intense, He sweat drops of blood, and an angel came to confront Him.

Jesus wasn't a “control freak,” but He does like to be in control of His situation. After all, He is God! He did give up some of that control when He first came to earth as an infant, but this was the moment when He was forced to give the rest of His authority back to the Father, knowing that it was not going to end well. That’s hard. I know that I liked to be in control of my situation, and if I knew things where not going to end well, the last thing I’d what to do is give up that control. Yet that is part of the sacrifice Jesus made for us. I will never forget coming to that realization as I watched the emotion that all of our "Jesi" put into their performance in this scene.
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Jesus praying in the garden

Jesus Actually Died

I have always known that Jesus died on the cross for my sin. I could have told you this from a very young age. I had seen many cinematic and dramatic portrayals of the crucifixion, but it never really sunk in. It wasn't until I was cast in this drama that I was faced with the reality of what my Savior endured for me on the cross.
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Jesus being hoisted up on the cross by the soldiers
I know that it was a drama with a friend pretending to be Jesus. I knew it was fake blood and we were standing on maroon carpet in the old santuary. But there was something so powerful and moving about physically kneeling before the cross and imagining I was in Mary Magdalene’s shoes. Imagining what she would have been thinking and feeling as she watched the One who had cast seven demons out of her expiring on the cross with His weeping mother by her side, I honestly think it was impossible not to be emotional moved in some way, shape, or form.

Now I am not the most experienced actress, but I amazed even myself during this production when I discovered that I could actually make myself cry, and I did for all the dress rehearsals and all the performances. It was almost funny to later receive compliments on my crying skills! (“You were really good at crying at the crucifixion!” and “Your crying made me cry. Good job!” were some of the many comments others made about it! lol) But in the end, I found that it was incredibly easy to internalize the feelings and emotions of Jesus dying for my sins.
This left me with a powerful thought: how differently would we live our lives if the sacrifice of Jesus really impacted each and every Christian like that? If you believe that Jesus died for you, how would that impact the way you live your life? Even those of us that struggle with self-worth could stop and realize that Jesus demonstrated His love for us by dying for our ransom. We all could start living like we believe it. 

This mentality would affect everything, literally everything. We would all be compelled to obey out of gratitude and not obligation. We would view ourselves as worthy of the price Jesus paid. It would affect the way we present ourselves, for we wouldn't need the approval of the world to know our worth. It would change the way we value everyone around us, because we would remember that Jesus died for them too. It would turn our lives upside down!

This view truly would change everything, both for each of us individually, and for the church as a whole. It would empower us to make big chances in our broken world. Because of this, acting in this scene was one of the most humbling experiences of my life.
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The women weeping after the crucifixion. Look at my crying skills! Those are all real tears for me! lol

His Final Week Wasn't Really His Final Week

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The angel announcing the resurrection to his mother and Mary Magdalene
To me, titling the production His Final Week was ironic in a few ways. First, only about three-fourths of the drama was the events of the Passion Week. Second and most important, it really wasn't His final week on earth! Aside from portraying the resurrection, this production also portrayed a few of the resurrection appearances (like the men on the road to Emmaus, and Jesus asking "Peter, do you love me?") and the ascension. It was such an incredible experience being able to portray one of the first people to hear the news that Jesus is alive. Tears of sorrow turned to tears of joy as we ran to declare the truth to everyone else (literally, since I was still catching my breath from crying in the crucifixion scene! lol). It was such a powerful reminder of the real ending of the Easter story.

So many try to end the story of Easter either at cross or at the empty tomb. Although these are important parts of the story, this is not the end by any means. The truth is that the important part of the conclusion to the Easter Story is the resurrection appearances, especially to the apostles. Jesus could have risen from the death, and then immediately ascended to the Heavenly Father, but He didn't. Why is that?
Because He knew that the testimony of those would bear witness to His resurrection would be His most powerful asset in building His church, and it would debunk the rumors that were spreading around about what really happened to Him. His appearance is the only explanation for what could have made His disciples change from men who were cowering in fear behind locked doors to courageous men willing to give up their lives to declare their message of truth and hope the world.

This truth was so powerful to me, that this year for Easter, I wrote a drama that specifically focused on Jesus’ resurrection appearances for my home church called “The Door.” I think it’s important for us to remember how incredible it is that these men became emboldened by Jesus' resurrection to declare to the world that Jesus is alive. It’s still true today. Without them, we would not know the truth either. 

Conclusion

His Final Week was such an incredible part of my internship experience, and I am still so grateful to have had the chance to be a part of it. I hope I never forget that the hope we have in the resurrection of Jesus Christ does not end on Easter Sunday, and I hope you won't forget either. It continues through every day of our lives. It compels us to continue to declare to the world that Jesus is alive.

[If you want to read more about my internship experience, click here]
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My Jesus Group
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Me with "My" Jesus (Grant did such a great job!)
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How to Exegete A City

4/7/2015

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It’s hard to believe that it has been two years since I had the chance to visit New York City. It was the experience of a lifetime. Aside from all the fun I had as a tourist, I learned so many incredible things, because I went for a seminar class called “Exegeting the City.” For those of you that many not know the word exegete, I will try to simply the definition as much as possible: to find the original meaning or intended purpose. For Scripture or even other literature, we find what the author meant to say to the original audience. In this class, we were trained to find and understand the “cultural texts” that gave us insight into urban life and trends. If that explanation confused you, I hope you will understand by the end of this post.

This class was structured differently from any other class I had while I was in school. It was much more experiential that most other classes have the opportunity to be. Some of these experiences were organized activities we did together as a group. Others, we had on our free time in the evenings. I hope that by sharing about my experiences, you will see the difference of the culture of city life, and hopefully come to better understand the major cities in our world that so desperately needs Jesus. There were three main experiences that stood out from the rest, and gave a new way to relate to different types of people, especially the people of the city.

Theology of Traveling Culture – Airports and Subways

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View from my window seat on the flight from Dallas to Newark.

Flying to and from NYC was quite the experience for me. Prior to this trip, I had only flown once round trip (from Chicago to LA with my family to go to Disneyland), and that was when I was 15. By this trip, I was 22, and was pretty nervous to fly again. I was grateful to be traveling with 6 other OCC students, most of whom had traveled before. We drove from Joplin to Tulsa, flew from Tulsa to a layover in Dallas (Fort Worth), then from Dallas to Newark. From Newark, we rode a train to the subway, rode 2 or 3 different subway trains, then walked a few blocks before reaching the hostel where we were staying. 

Did that just confuse you? It certainly confused me at the time! But it amazed me how many people in the airports and in the city itself were comfortable with this traveling culture. While it was weird to be eating in the airport restaurant next to my suitcase, it wasn't weird to most of the other people in the airport, like the businessmen or the seasoned vacationers. Although I was nervous, I had a good flight with a beautiful view.
But it was exceptionally weird when we got to the subway, and we were trying to swipe our Metro Cards properly and get through the turn stiles with all of our luggage. And even when we finally got out into the city, it was weird to drag my suitcase behind me for several blocks. But the locals, both in the subway and on the street, didn’t give our suitcase caravan a second thought. Throughout the rest of my time there, I encountered many people on the subway and in the street alike hauling their luggage all over town. It was just a natural part of life in this city.
And learning how to ride the subway was a crazy experience unto itself. Aside from learning how to find to the right train or standing while riding, the people we encountered on the subway were something to behold. Performers, business people, fellow travelers, and every other type of people you could imagine. Most of them, especially the locals, would tell you that they prefer living in the city with the subway, so they don’t have to have a car. It was so easy to see the brokenness in some of their lives just by looking. As I traveled and lived life in this environment for about a week, one of my favorite songs kept coming to mind. 

Are these people going somewhere? Why have I never cared?

Give me Your eyes for just one second, Give Your eyes so I can see, Everything that I've been missing, Give me Your love for humanity. Give me Your arms for the broken hearted, The ones that are far beyond my reach. Give me Your for the ones forgotten, Give me your eyes so I can see.

This gave me an important perspective about those around me, and helped me to be a better traveler. 
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Inside of a subway car (from the internet, because I was too scared to take one inside the car! lol)

Theology of Fashion – Berdorf Goodman’s

This part of our class was one of our first activities we did together on our first full day of class. Together we traveled to Berdorf Goodman’s, a VERY high end department store. The men went into the men’s store on one side of the street, and we went to the women’s store on the other side of the street. We were given instructions to go to the formal wear department and try on the expensive evening gowns they had there. The men were told to do the same with the suits and tuxes. Needless to say, we were all a little hesitant! We all had fears of getting in trouble because we were not rich. For a while, we (the girls in my class) were all afraid to ask to try the dresses on, but I knew I would have to ask sooner or later, so I asked first (which if you know me, is totally not me! lol). After I asked, the other girls found the courage to do the same. I definitely felt out of my element in that fancy dressing room, but I was so glad that I found the courage to try it on! 
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Four grand for a dress? That’s worth more than my car! I though my dress was priced high, but I was floored when the next day, one of the other girls told us that she found a dress that was the most expensive clothing item that has even been tried on for this assignment. And the totally was:
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Almost 27 grand!!! That's so crazy to think someone would pay that for a dress! 

But doing this was a powerful reminder for all of us that the wealthy are people just like us. There is definitely a significant cultural gap, one that our professor attempted to help us bridge with this assignment, but they are still just people. Unfortunately, bridging this gap is easier said than done. Even Jesus acknowledged the difficulties of a rich man coming to salvation. Although they are harder to reach, they need Jesus just as much as anyone else. I will never forget what it was like to wear that dress, and the powerful reminder that we are all still just people.

Theology of Worship – Different Worship Services

The other experience our class had together that stood out from the rest was experiencing worship at two churches of contacting styles and demographics. In recent years, I have found great value in being able to observe the way other churches worship. It was even more valuable to see their services on this trip, because we happened to be in New York on Easter Sunday (March 30, 2013). Churches in the city are drastically different than many of us in rural settings are familiar with, and getting to witness this difference was incredible.
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The slides translated the songs into both Spanish and Mandrin
That morning, we went to the Lambs Church, and that was unlike anything else I have ever observed. The main thing that stood out about this church was it was multi-lingual. They offered services in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. It was good to see a church reaching out to these ethic groups in this way. The service we attended was English and Spanish simultaneously. Things were usually said in English first and then translated into Spanish. Most of the songs were sung in English but translated on slides.

During the sermon, it was a husband and his wife delivering the sermon as a team. He would say something in English and his wife would translate into Spanish. But, there were a few moments that they switched. He would say something in Spanish and she would translate into English. It was so cool! 

Because it was Easter Sunday, they also did a simple drama while a woman sang a song in Spanish. It was beautiful. And the energy at church that day was incredible. They were so warm and friendly, and it was great reminder of every tongue, tribe, and nation that will be worshipping around the throne in heaven.
That evening, we went to Redeemer Upper West Side, and had a good but totally different experience. The Lambs Church almost didn't look like a church, especially on the outside of the building, while Redeemer was much more polished and “church-like”. There were even pews in the sanctuary, which is rare is most city churches, aside from cathedrals.  

They had a totally of 5 services on Easter Sunday, 3 in the morning and 2 in the evening. The one we attended had a worship set that was somewhat jazz-like in its feel. If I understand correctly, they have different worship styles for the different services. What the other styles are, I don’t know, but jazz isn't a style I would have considered for a worship service. But they did the same songs for all the services. They even had the melody lines of the songs written out in the program.

The service itself was much more like services I was used to, except that there were so many testimonials throughout the service, testimonies of how Jesus and Redeemer Upper West Side had changed their lives. It left me thinking about the elements of a church service that are adapted to the culture around them. 
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The brass section of the worship band at Redeemer Upper West Side. There was a drummer and two guitarists on the other side

Other Experiences

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Inside St. Patrick's Church (Borrowed from fellow traveler)
I saw so many other things while I was in New York, so I want to make an honest attempt to list the other highlights of what I saw.

-  We went to the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art). Among all the awesome artwork we saw, we actually got the see the original painting of “The Scream.” We also looked around at some Post Modern architecture.

-  We got to see St. Patrick’s Church, an old cathedral that was in the process of being restored. There was scaffolding all over the place, inside and out.  While we looked around, we overheard some of their Good Friday service going on. It was pretty cool!

-  We looked around/ate at Dean and DeLuca, Eataly’s, and Chelsea’s Market

-  Our whole group had dinner at a restaurant called Liberty View, a great family style Chinese restaurant (for the other meals on the trip, we were on our own to find food). This restaurant was named such because we could see the Statue of Liberty from the front window! It was far away, but before dinner, we took pictures of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
-  Our last night in the city, we went to see a Broadway play together! We got to see Spiderman Turn Off The Dark, and I enjoyed it so much! I want to fully review this musical in a separate post, but it was amazing! I had seen several Broadway musicals before this point, but I had not had the chance to see one in New York City! I enjoyed getting to finally see a musical on Broadway, and it was a fun group activity to end our time together.

-  I got to see many of the famous sights in New York during our free time, including Central Park, Rockefeller Center, Union Terminal Station, the Brooklyn Bridge, Trinity Church (although we could hardly see it because it was dark when we got there), and Wall Street (including the Wall Street Bull!)

-  My favorite place of all in New York was Time Square! I got to see many of the different stores, my favorites of which were the Disney Store and Toys R Us. I also got to see the fronts of many of the theaters, my favorite of which was the Gershwin Theater where Wicked the Musical is currently playing (a play I have seen twice on the national tour). It was so much fun!
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Me in front the poster at Foxwoods Theater, ready to see Spiderman Turn Off The Dark
-  Aside from all the fun, we also had a great class with challenging lectures. We received great hospitality from the Metropolitan New York Baptist Association (MNYBA for short), the hostel where we were housed. We also were welcomed warmly by the Orchard Group, a church planting organization that facilities the class. We had our class lectures in a meeting room in their office space. 

-  One of the awesome parts about the class was that not only was there seven other students from Ozark Christian College, but there were also eight others from Lincoln Christian University! It was great to not only experience the city together, but also make new friends along the way.
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Our Exegeting the City class in the Orchard Group Office, March 2013. The guy in the front was our professor, Gordon Venturella

A City in Need of Jesus

New York City is a culture in and of itself. It is so different than what I am used to in the Midwest. Before my trip, I stereotyped New York as a city of violence, crime, and sin. I was reminded that there are some Christians in New York City. They are a minority, but there are there. And while there is a high crime rate in the city, not everyone is a criminal. And although it is true that certain types of sin are prevalent in urban settings, they were still just broken people in need of a Savior. It made me so grateful to know that organization like the Orchard Group are investing their efforts into reaching these people through church planting. 

My biggest takeaway from this trip is that I learned how to find “cultural texts” that taught me how to better relate to those who live in urban settings. Our professor urged us to learn how to have a situational awareness and cultural agility in all areas of our lives, and that is something for which we all should be striving. I hope that these memoirs from my trip will encourage you to pursue the same.

(Enjoy a few more pictures from my time in New York!)
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Me on the Brooklyn Bridge. I know you can't see my face very well, but this was the best picture I have of the view from the bridge
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Me in front of the Wall Street Bull! I didn't even know it existed until we saw it! lol
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(Left) Me with Gordon's wife. She's a really sweet woman. (Right) Me with my friend Natalia from Ozark
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The best view I found of Time Square, at the top of the red staircase. It was rainy that day, but it was beautiful
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My favorite picture of me in Time Square. It sums up the way I was feeling! lol
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​Bethel Grove is a Christian young woman who loves to read and write, eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzards, and disciple teen girls as a youth leader. What started as a hobby of writing book reviews and doing deep biblical studies eventually led her down the path of self-publishing and helping other Christian authors launch their books. She hopes to someday be a vocational youth minister and well-known author.
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