Through the Storms

Tonight in Joplin we had a decent little storm brewing.....some thunder...lightening...and lots of rain.

Not to get to poetic and mushy...but man, doesn't life seem like storms sometimes?

Life get hard...life gets rough....life doesn't seem fair...and life is soooooo tough sometimes. I know we have all been there. I know I have. Zustiak told our Crisis counseling class that atleast 80% of Americans experience depression some point in their life. I remember 2 times in life when I had no idea what to do next--one serious, and one absolutely ridiculous.

My very first girlfriend was a girl that we will call.....Leigh ann(okay thats her real name). We dated my freshman year of highschool, and I knew from the moment I met her that WE WERE DESTINED TO GET MARRIED! Ever felt that way? First "love" in middle school or high school? Sure we fought more than we seemed to get along, but that just "shows our love!" And then it all came crashing down...My world was ruined! This girl I hadn't even known a year broke my heart. I laugh when I think about how sad I was after we broke up. ok...she broke up with me. I remember not being able to sleep or eat--the woman I was supposed to have kids with was out of my life--atleast until l 3rd hour anatomy class.

And then another time in high school, I experienced the biggest storm in my life. My grandpa was the best man, other than me dad, I have ever known. If you have known me for very long, you know most of my stories start with.."One time, my grandpa.." or "Do you remember when Grandpa..." I still remember the date--January 3rd--I was sleeping out in the living room when my older brother, Charlie, woke me up with some news...."Grandpa is dead."
I remember sitting up, and just starting at nothing--no questions, no emotion, just shock. My grandpa took his own life and my family seemed to be brought to shambles. A hole would be the correct way to put it--The funeral came and was gone--my grandpa was gone.
Complete apathy would be the best way to describe how I felt. I never asked God, "why"....I never blamed him...I never talked to him about it--in fact, I quit praying altogether. It wasn't that I was mad at God--I just didn't care. Why should I? I hear that when most people go through times similar to mine, they question God or give up on their faith all together...but for me....I just put it on the back shelf of my mind. My life took a downward spiral..my morals took a downward spiral...why? cuz i just didn't care anymore.

I snapped out of my funk eventually--which is a story all itself--and now when I think about my grandpa, very seldom does tough emotions come up...I always think about the times that he took my brothers and I out to eat--or would jokingly threaten an old lady who cut him off--Or about the time he was having a heart attack and still tried hitting on the good looking nurse on the way to the hospital. I spent hours doing yard/house work for him--and the whole time he would just watch. Not so much that he cared about what kind of work I was doing, but he wanted to spend time with me. He was in terrible healthy most of my life, but he still found a way to make it to most of football or baseball games. And although he never really played sports--he would always try to give me pointers on how to hit more home runs or how do score more touchdowns.

I get caught up telling these stories (hence the rambling), but the point is that we All go through these storms--we all feel the rain. We all fight the tears, and experience the pain.

BUT

Through the storms...and through the pain...through the tears...and through the pain...we need to know the fact remains--that we will see the light of day.

If there is one thing I see in Gospel of Jesus Christ--it is hope. Not for an easy life. God never promised an easy life--in fact, looking through ALL bible characters, I see great amounts of pain. Moses--questioned and depressed, David--betrayed and devastated, Peter--rebuked and ridiculed, Paul--beaten and killed. All these men experienced great storms--great pains. But if there is one thing I see in all their lives--it is Hope. Hope for the light of day. Not because they could create a better situation for themselves, but because they depended on someone who promised and always brought better days.

I don't know how many times I have laid down in my bed, unable to sleep, and thought--I am tired of it all--I don't want to do this anymore--I can't really do what I am training to do. But there is something that keeps me going--someone that keeps me going. I guess that is what moves Christians when they sing--the hope and promise of Jesus. I assume that is what keeps Christians moving--The fulfillment of Christ. And I suppose that is what brings joy--the life, death, and resurrection, the Gospel--of the Lord and Savior.

One thing I have noticed about storms--is that no matter how terrible, horrific, and paralyzing the storm--the sun always comes back. And at the end of time, there is no storms--because Jesus already won.

Revelation 21:4, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

The Gee

School and life has been crazy of late. It is my senior year and the time I have spent at Ozark has went by like a blur. I have met some great people and have had some memories that I will take with me for the rest of my life. Some serious, like the time spent with guys in the dorm talking about issues. And some....not so serious, like thinking of new ways to beat 3rd floor in a game of halo. Either way, I love all you guys who have been a part of my life. And I am excited to see what is to come in the future.

But this blog goes out to my homies from Muskogee. I spent the summer as a intern at Boulevard Christian Church in the "gee". I was blessed to be under such a great staff. Mike Havens might just be the best youth minister I have ever worked with. He is kind, caring, and loves youth ministry. He gave me freedom and also taught me so much in the process, and for that, I am thankful. Some of my summer was spent with the high schoolers-- loved staying up late talking and making videos. I also see some of those "high schoolers" prowling around Ozark's campus now. Jessica and Courtney, I am very proud of you for all that you have done and wanting to do with your life. The Blumenberg sisters kept showing me what faithful Christianity looks like...thanks for that.
Summer would not have been the same with out my boys. WAY to many of you to name here, but please know that you guys have a special place in my heart (IN A MANLY WAY!). You guys are leaders and I am very honored to have been apart of you guys lives in some way.

Most of my summer was spent working with the Junior Highers. WOW, is the first word that comes to mind. When I tell people I love working with that age group, they give me a funny look and normally say something like "You are very special and crazy for working with those kids"....and i have no idea why! I mean, if you have ever worked with a junior higher than you know how much fun it really is! They always keep you on your toes, and love being crazy...what is there not to like?!
I had fun with you guys just playing four square before "Chaos" started. You guys are the first thing I talked about when I mention my summer in Muskogee. Having Alex help me plan for Wednesday Nights, or taking a trip to Tulsa for Lazer Tag were the best parts of my summer...you guys rock.

I guess I am randomly writing this blog about Muskogee, because....well...I miss it!! Doesn't get much better than getting up every morning and going to an office that is full of amazing people. Than either going home to great host family like the Roberts (Which ALWAYS came with a home cooked meal ready and waiting for me), or spending the evening hanging out with people who love Jesus. This is a short blog, and nothing really much to say except, "I miss you, and hope to see you soon!"

Much love to all my homies in the GEE

WORSHIP > me

Tonight was a fun night....Some of the guys from Boulevard held a worship service at one of the churches in town. They held this for a couple reasons--to raise money for active water....to bring some youth groups together... and to worship!

It was crazy timing, because I was thinking about writing a blog about worship and the whole night's theme was surrounded with the idea of worship. Worship is a funny word. It's also a scary word...and an awesome word...and a tough word..Worship brings so much to the table, but I wonder if sometimes we don't truly understand what it means to worship.

Ever since I started going to church, worship was always a word described for the singing in church. Being a guy that was never gifted (actually cursed) with singing ability, I never was that into "worship" time. But good thing worship is so much more than singing. It's bigger. and stronger. and more powerful. Worship is a lifestyle-not a specific time at church. I would be willing to bet that if we told God we worshiped before the lesson/sermon, and than maybe a little bit before we left church, he would be upset. Upset might be the wrong word, how about...depressingly nauseous to think that his bride, the church, only "worshiped" on sundays. But thankfuly, my ignorance of what worship really meant cleared up.

God calls all creation to give him glory, to praise him, to...worship him. I wrote my massive exegetical over a passage in Romans 12. The first verse really captures for me what it means to worship... "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of WORSHIP."

(insert punch to the gut here)....ouch. I can still feel that one. According to Paul, and to the Holy Spirit, worship is not just limited to singing, or what we do while at church, but we actualy worship with out entire lives. I remember meeting with Zus, a proffesor at OCC, and we were talking about my passage and he said, "you know what the problem is with a living sacrifice? It's always trying to crawl off the altar." (insert another punch to Jim's gut)....of course we can honor God with our lips, but are our actions so far from him that he cannot even recognize who we are? (thank you Isaiah). And final thought on worship, is...what are we worshiping? Are we worshipping ourselves? (oh man, I hope not). Are we worshiping a God who is so far away that when we udder his name we don't even feel any emotion? (scary thought) OR are we worshiping the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for the goodness brought into live? The same God who created the world, who was with Moses, Gideon, Elijah, and Jeremiah lives in us. The same God who brought Christ back from the grave..That same God is exactly who we are worshipping everyday with every action that we decide to do. That means who we are when we are with beleivers, or non beleivers, but also what we do when we are all alone. The decesions we make, actions we carry out, and thoughts that we ponder, all show our lives as worshippers of God.

My guess is that if you are not to good at this "worship" thing, maybe its beacuse, you really don't know who God is. Because if we grow to know God, experience God, and pursue God, then worship will automatically happen. He is good, and that is a great reason for us as the church to worship.

Thanks Dad

It is Father's Day....and I love my dad. I know that a lot of people grow up with either no dad, or a terrible excuse for a fatherly figure...My heart goes out to these kids and even adults who are still effected by the empty hole of not having a good father. Dad, I hope you are reading this, because I love you to death.

A lot of people think I look and act just like my dad. We are both big guys, with quite study facial hair. We are not the best lookings guys, but people say "your eyes light up just like your dad's when you smile." And that is one of the greatest compliments I have ever gotten.

My dad, Tim Landis, didn't only give me life, but he taught me life. I know that my dad cares for people, you can see it in his life and his actions. He started teaching Sunday School for the 5th and 6th graders when I was in the 6th grade. Dad believed he would only partake in this ministry until my younger brother Sam promoted to the junior high. However, he is now the "head honcho" still today. This will be his 10th year as a Sunday School teacher for the little guys. While I know they may fear his disciplinary style, I know from experience and others that it taught them well. My dad loves teaching about apologetics (defending the faith) against evolution. He has been doing a series on, "someone is making a monkey out of you," for quite some time. One of my best memories of my dad teaching is when we helped make a life sized Goliath. The students would then put a tennis ball in some sort of sling and try to defeat the nine foot giant. Kids ate it up. He brings snacks for the kids, takes them to breakfast, and gets to know about their families. Again, my dad, whether he admits it or not, loves those kids.

The greatest thing my Dad as done for me is how he taught me how to love your wife. My parents have been happily married for years and I know his love for her won't stop until one of them takes their last breath. He taught me how to throw a football, hit a baseball, and shoot a basketball, how to try hard and never give up, how to attempt to change a tire, how to ride my bike, how to rep Jayhawk pride above personal pride, how to handle my life when things get tough, how to make fun of Kstate and Missouri fans, and to keep my family above all other relationships I make. Some people say that when you are younger you dad is your superhero, but when you get older you realize he is not perfect. Although my dad is far from perfect, he is still my superhero.

Dad, I love you to death. Thanks for teaching me how to be a man. and a Jayhawk fan.

Muskogee or Bust

Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever guessed that I would be spending a summer doing in internship in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

At the beginning of last semester, I started calling around to different churches looking for an internship. I have a deep passion for inner city youth, so I started calling churches in the LA area, Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta. I distinctly remember being in between calls with Downing Christian Church and Real Life Church (both in LA area), when a man by the name of Mike Havens called and asked if I would be interested in applying for an internship at his church in Muskogee. I explained him that I was looking into doing an internship in a city, but told him I would give him an application and resume anyway.

The more churches I called, the more "sorry, we just don't have enough money for an intern"s I got. What was crazy is that every other day, I seemed to be hearing about how good of a church Boulevard Christian Church (the church in Muskogee)was. I prayed and prayed that God would put me in an internship that he wants me at. And He answered.

I have been in Muskogee for close to two weeks now, and it has been a trip. I am staying with a very sweet older couple, Dave and Pat Roberts. Pat and my first conversation went something like this, "Well, I love to cook," and I replied, "Well, I love to eat" and it has been a perfect match ever since! I could, and probably will, write a blog just about Dave and Pat and all the adventures and ministries they have been apart of. They are very God honoring people that show his love with everyday that comes. The Church staff is amazing. Mike Havens and company made me feel welcomed from the first time i set foot in the office. The church runs about 800, and that staff works very hard to bring God's will, love and truth to the city of Muskogee.

I wrote down a list of things that happened to me the first week while I was here. and here is that list:

-partook in a 4 church program called "Paint the Town". 8 houses were painted by 100 teens for people in the community. I ruined 2 pairs of shoes...real smart Jim
-cleaned over 100 paint brushes with Harrison, an intern from another church in town. This took us close to 3 hours.
-People in Muskogee love alarms--and I have set 3 of them off in the first week alone. Even after putting my code into the alarm at church, 4 cops showed up questioning this "intern from Topeka, Kansas."
-I was asked "who are you" by Eve atleast 20 times in one night. Eve is a 2, almost 3, year old great granddaughter of Dave and Pat.
-The youth group does this thing called wake up calls. It is actually very terrifying. They go to kids who are "new" to CIY and wake them up in the middle of the night. However, they don't do the Momma Landis rub your back and sing you a song to wake you up...They put on terrifying gorilla masks and try to fit 5-10 people in your room and wake up by screaming at the top of their lungs. To add to the humiliation, they bring a video camera and record your reaction. I decided to participate in this event, and I can still see the terror on these poor kid's face.

It was a very fun first week, and the fun has continued.

However, I know that Mike did not want me on staff for the summer to just participate in wake up calls or to set off church alarms. And I know that God put me here for the summer for more than that.
I am working a lot with junior highers this summer, and still spending time with high schoolers. If I could bring one thing to the teens at Boulevard this summer, it would be the fact of Jesus is real. Not just that he was a real person, but he is real today. He desires a real relationship with his people, he wants us to live a real life with him. The fact is that Jesus' life and death on the cross demands a real relationship with him today.

I recently got a tattoo on my arm (irrelevant, but informational) and I got the scripture Galatians 2:20 above a cross on my arm. Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ, and I no long live, but Christ lives in me. . ." That is why I am in Muskogee. Muskogee or Bust? MUSKOGEE IT IS!

Life is a Story

Tell me your story.

What is it about stories that generate so much power, emotion, and truth that we cannot help but turn an ear to someone who is telling one? Stories are powerful, because we all have one. Real stories. Fiction stories. Personal stories. Dynamic stories. Funny stories. Short stories. Long stories. They all carry something special. Something real.

Everyone has a story. Every story has a plot, setting and characters. Events in our lives stack on top of each other; and every story has this effect on the next thing that happens in our lives. Maybe something or someone has effected your story in such a big way, that you cannot help but let it show throughout the rest of your life. Some of these are sad stories--lives ruined by divorce, changed by abuse, filled with sin, taken away by cancer, or pulled away by death. Or perhaps they are happy stories-- new lives created through marriage, changed by children, crowded with successes, filled with purpose, and lives lived by fulfilling faith. Everyone has characters in their lives that have brought joy or depression: a father, a girlfriend, a neighbor, a preacher, a friend, a stranger, or even the mail lady. If you cannot tell by now, I am a big believer that this life that we live is filled with and continues to be a story.

But there is a story that effected us all before the world began...

Whether we recognize it or not, God is the creator of the story. He created this story called life. The beauty of God is found in the fact that although he created this story in us, he loves us enough to not write it. He brought story to life--so that that story can bring real love and glorification to him. God also owns an eraser. When our stories go so wrong, and mess up so much--he doesn't count that against us. Instead, he wrote an addition to the story and called it salvation. And the main character was Jesus. (follow the cheesy analogy for now)

The main point of this blog is to get across the idea of seeing life as a story. We all have one don't we? And they all mean something. The great thing about stories is that they never end. Some may seem stagnant, but they never end because our stories carry on through out history. Every story has an effect on another story that carries on after we breathe our last gulp of air.

I have heard people say, "I hate when people ask 'what is your story'". But i cannot help but wonder why. Stories are beautiful and real. The thing about stories is they are always changing. What you decide to do today and tomorrow can and will effect other stories until Jesus returns. Your story may feel like a dead end or a wrong turn, but it only takes a decision to turn it all around. And Vice Versa, life is going so great and ONE change in the story and take a turn for the worst. Life is a story--

tell it, change it, and live it