For over a week, I have felt like I have nothing worth writing.
Not being in active ministry is like slow torture. I have done everything that I can do while I am out of a job... We went up to York, NE for a week while I taught a class for high school students at Soul Quest. I have kept up with students through Facebook and AIM. I even taught a last minute Wednesday night class for 5th-7th grade students when we were visiting Mel's grandparents' church when I heard there was some old crusty guy preaching... I just miss being with students.
I thought that I could burn off some of this energy through putting all of my thoughts into my blog, but lately I have come up with nada.
7.22.2007
7.11.2007
It's Been A Hard Day's Night.
Whew. Isn't that what you're supposed to say when you finally get a moment to take a breath of fresh air?
We have been travelling like none other, and I am glad to say that we are finally "home."
The past few months have been a real journey for Melissa and I. Well, actually the past 2 years have been a REAL journey for Melissa and I.
We have been travelling like none other, and I am glad to say that we are finally "home."
The past few months have been a real journey for Melissa and I. Well, actually the past 2 years have been a REAL journey for Melissa and I.
Through this journey, Melissa and I bathed this journey in lots of tears and lots of prayer. I must say that over the past two years God has taught me lessons in patience that I did not know were possible to learn. I can also honestly say that I have not prayed as earnestly in any other period of my life as I have with my wife over the past two years. There is lots more I could say about this, but sometimes less is more.
On another note, Soul Quest at York College was amazing! This was the 25th anniversary of SQ...fittingly we gave it the theme this year of Legacy. The speakers were amazing...we brought in Mike Myers, Phil Treat, Kimball Matkins and Toby Slough; all guys who have had a big part in making Soul Quest what it is today. We also brought in Andy Spell who led us in amazing times of worship...can I say WOW...what a truly nice guy!
On another note, after Soul Quest, we travelled down to South Central and Southwest Oklahoma for two weeks amidst the rain and flooding, and here are some of the pictures I shot while down there (got to throw a few in of my son!).
7.10.2007
Class at Soul Quest
Well, I thought I would post some excerpts from my class that I taught at Soul Quest. This and other info is also available at the Soul Quest group site on Facebook.
Living a Christlike Life - Responding to Human Injustice
(These are only excerpts from my class, Holy Lives - Forever Focused, taught at Soul Quest 2007, for a full transcript - email me.)
Class Theme - "Our lives today should reflect the life our Savior lived because we are focused on living in eternity with Him."
Class Text - Hebrews 13 (selected verses)
At the core of His nature Christ was concerned about human justice and the underdog.
- Those who were suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed (Matt. 4:24)
- The poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3)
- Those who mourn (Matt. 5:4)
- The meek (Matt. 5:5)
- Those with leprosy (Matt. 8:2-3)
- Tax collectors and “sinners” (Matt. 9:10)
- A woman who bled for 12 years (Matt. 9:20-22)
- The dead (Matt. 9:18-19, 23-25)
- The blind (Matt. 9:27-30)
- The mute (Matt. 9:32-33)
- Those who are weary (Matt. 10:28-30)
- Those with shriveled up body parts (Matt. 11:9-13)
- Those who are hungry (Matt. 14:13-21)
- Those who are from “enemy” nations (Matt. 15:22-28)
- The lame and the crippled (Matt. 15:30-31)
- Children (Matt. 18:1-6 and Matt. 19:13-15)
- Those who are single (Matt. 19:11-12)
- Those who are financially incapable of approaching God because of man’s religious rules (Matt. 21:12-13)
- Those who dwell on the streets (Matt. 22:1-14)
- The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, those who need clothed, the sick, and those in prison (Matt. 25:34-40)
- The deaf (Mark 7:31-37)
- The widow (Mark 12:41-44)
- A woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11)
What would it look like for us as Christ followers to live a Christ-like life?
Is it just about living as a “good” person? Is it just about worshipping? Is it just about “going to church?” Is it just about leading others into a relationship with him, you know...fulfilling the Great Commission?
All of these things are certainly part of being followers of Christ, but without living a life that imitates His, we fall short of what it means to truly follow Christ.
What would the world look like if nothing else changed except each one of you went home and began to change how you respond to the issues of human injustice that are all around you? What would it look like if everyone from Soul Quest went home and did the same?
It might create a safer space, a kinder place, a better world for the folks living under the overpass near your house, or the kind old man living in the nursing home down the street from your home, or the next door neighbor who has been dealt a disorder or handicap and doesn't get many visitors...
How do you go about actively being the hands and feet of Christ to those around you and to those whom you’ve never met? You start by releasing yourself of the fears and prejudices that you have built up in your life. The fears that keep you from touching those who are crippled, diseased, or handicapped. The prejudices that keep you from reaching out to someone in a different socio-economic group, or someone with different colored skin than yours. The fears that keep you from holding the hand of someone that is dying of old age, or AIDS. The prejudices that keep you from sitting down to get to know someone you perceive as ugly, or someone who is a practicing homosexual.
Next, you have to align yourself with the mind of Christ. You must begin to search your surroundings and find opportunities to make rights out of wrongs, to introduce Christ, to show love and mercy.
Lastly, it is not simply enough to identify injustice in the world, you must actually do something about it! You have to get off of your rear and start making waves!
So, what can you and I do? (Here is a short list...I will post links in the coming days where you can find more!)
- Fight world hunger (any way that you can)
- Fight hunger in your community
- Support legislation that provides better education in impoverished areas
- Support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
- Speak out against prejudice
- To fight prejudice: include everyone regardless of their race, gender, color, religion, disability, or orientation
- Raise awareness by talking about social justice issues
- Write letters to your governors and congressmen
- Join a human rights organization
- Recycle
- Don't buy from companies that use sweatshops
- Don't buy from companies that use child labor
- Be a volunteer
- Go on a mission trip, or 2 or 3
- Have a servant's heart
- Eat local foods
- Use search engines that donate money per search to the charity of your choice
- VOTE!
- Donate blood or plasma
- Collect canned goods for a local shelter
- Collect eyeglasses and ship them to a missionary in a 3rd wolrd country to distribute
- Donate your hair to Locks-Of-Love
- Be a Big Brother/Big Sister
- Don't waste gas, drive gently
- Participate in community service projects and events
- Visit the homebound; find a "good news" story and bring it along for them to read
- Become a penpal with a teen in Africa or Mexico. Send them a couple of bucks so that they can afford to send the next letter back to you.
- PRAY!
- Host a screening of Murderball to raise public awareness about people with disabilities
- Donate to the Paralympics
- Volunteer at Special Olympics events
- Organize a Shoe Drive for Soles 4 Souls
- If you have athletic shoes you can no longer use, send them to Nike Reuse-A-Shoe
- Walk instead of drive when possible
- Support the various missions of the Carter Center
- Join the Freecycle Network at Freecycle.org
- Recycle your cell phone at a charity that will give it to a victim of domestic abuse
- Make donations to the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School to support the education of Ugandan children who have lost a parent to AIDS
- Educate yourself and read! Visit www.gutenberg.com to free access of tens of thousands of books online!
- Drink fair trade coffee and eat fair trade chocolate
- Consider organ donation
- Fight for the Invisible Children of northern Uganda - Buy a bracelet online!
You have been summoned to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in this world. This is your personal call to get up and begin living the life of Christ, breathing his love and mercy into this broken, hurting world.
These are only excerpts from my class, Holy Lives - Forever Focused, taught at Soul Quest 2007. If you would like the full transcript, please email me at the address listed below. Please remember to be responsible with this information. I will not be held liable for the websites listed here, if they were for some reason to go defunct and sell their domain to someone with a less honorable purpose. If you would like to use this information for a class or a devotional, feel free to do so. If you have the intention of quoting this for use in a publication or for other uses, please email me at gregbukovatz@yahoo.com.
Living a Christlike Life - Responding to Human Injustice
(These are only excerpts from my class, Holy Lives - Forever Focused, taught at Soul Quest 2007, for a full transcript - email me.)
Class Theme - "Our lives today should reflect the life our Savior lived because we are focused on living in eternity with Him."
Class Text - Hebrews 13 (selected verses)
At the core of His nature Christ was concerned about human justice and the underdog.
- Those who were suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed (Matt. 4:24)
- The poor in spirit (Matt. 5:3)
- Those who mourn (Matt. 5:4)
- The meek (Matt. 5:5)
- Those with leprosy (Matt. 8:2-3)
- Tax collectors and “sinners” (Matt. 9:10)
- A woman who bled for 12 years (Matt. 9:20-22)
- The dead (Matt. 9:18-19, 23-25)
- The blind (Matt. 9:27-30)
- The mute (Matt. 9:32-33)
- Those who are weary (Matt. 10:28-30)
- Those with shriveled up body parts (Matt. 11:9-13)
- Those who are hungry (Matt. 14:13-21)
- Those who are from “enemy” nations (Matt. 15:22-28)
- The lame and the crippled (Matt. 15:30-31)
- Children (Matt. 18:1-6 and Matt. 19:13-15)
- Those who are single (Matt. 19:11-12)
- Those who are financially incapable of approaching God because of man’s religious rules (Matt. 21:12-13)
- Those who dwell on the streets (Matt. 22:1-14)
- The hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, those who need clothed, the sick, and those in prison (Matt. 25:34-40)
- The deaf (Mark 7:31-37)
- The widow (Mark 12:41-44)
- A woman caught in the act of adultery (John 8:1-11)
What would it look like for us as Christ followers to live a Christ-like life?
Is it just about living as a “good” person? Is it just about worshipping? Is it just about “going to church?” Is it just about leading others into a relationship with him, you know...fulfilling the Great Commission?
All of these things are certainly part of being followers of Christ, but without living a life that imitates His, we fall short of what it means to truly follow Christ.
What would the world look like if nothing else changed except each one of you went home and began to change how you respond to the issues of human injustice that are all around you? What would it look like if everyone from Soul Quest went home and did the same?
It might create a safer space, a kinder place, a better world for the folks living under the overpass near your house, or the kind old man living in the nursing home down the street from your home, or the next door neighbor who has been dealt a disorder or handicap and doesn't get many visitors...
How do you go about actively being the hands and feet of Christ to those around you and to those whom you’ve never met? You start by releasing yourself of the fears and prejudices that you have built up in your life. The fears that keep you from touching those who are crippled, diseased, or handicapped. The prejudices that keep you from reaching out to someone in a different socio-economic group, or someone with different colored skin than yours. The fears that keep you from holding the hand of someone that is dying of old age, or AIDS. The prejudices that keep you from sitting down to get to know someone you perceive as ugly, or someone who is a practicing homosexual.
Next, you have to align yourself with the mind of Christ. You must begin to search your surroundings and find opportunities to make rights out of wrongs, to introduce Christ, to show love and mercy.
Lastly, it is not simply enough to identify injustice in the world, you must actually do something about it! You have to get off of your rear and start making waves!
So, what can you and I do? (Here is a short list...I will post links in the coming days where you can find more!)
- Fight world hunger (any way that you can)
- Fight hunger in your community
- Support legislation that provides better education in impoverished areas
- Support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria
- Speak out against prejudice
- To fight prejudice: include everyone regardless of their race, gender, color, religion, disability, or orientation
- Raise awareness by talking about social justice issues
- Write letters to your governors and congressmen
- Join a human rights organization
- Recycle
- Don't buy from companies that use sweatshops
- Don't buy from companies that use child labor
- Be a volunteer
- Go on a mission trip, or 2 or 3
- Have a servant's heart
- Eat local foods
- Use search engines that donate money per search to the charity of your choice
- VOTE!
- Donate blood or plasma
- Collect canned goods for a local shelter
- Collect eyeglasses and ship them to a missionary in a 3rd wolrd country to distribute
- Donate your hair to Locks-Of-Love
- Be a Big Brother/Big Sister
- Don't waste gas, drive gently
- Participate in community service projects and events
- Visit the homebound; find a "good news" story and bring it along for them to read
- Become a penpal with a teen in Africa or Mexico. Send them a couple of bucks so that they can afford to send the next letter back to you.
- PRAY!
- Host a screening of Murderball to raise public awareness about people with disabilities
- Donate to the Paralympics
- Volunteer at Special Olympics events
- Organize a Shoe Drive for Soles 4 Souls
- If you have athletic shoes you can no longer use, send them to Nike Reuse-A-Shoe
- Walk instead of drive when possible
- Support the various missions of the Carter Center
- Join the Freecycle Network at Freecycle.org
- Recycle your cell phone at a charity that will give it to a victim of domestic abuse
- Make donations to the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School to support the education of Ugandan children who have lost a parent to AIDS
- Educate yourself and read! Visit www.gutenberg.com to free access of tens of thousands of books online!
- Drink fair trade coffee and eat fair trade chocolate
- Consider organ donation
- Fight for the Invisible Children of northern Uganda - Buy a bracelet online!
You have been summoned to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ in this world. This is your personal call to get up and begin living the life of Christ, breathing his love and mercy into this broken, hurting world.
These are only excerpts from my class, Holy Lives - Forever Focused, taught at Soul Quest 2007. If you would like the full transcript, please email me at the address listed below. Please remember to be responsible with this information. I will not be held liable for the websites listed here, if they were for some reason to go defunct and sell their domain to someone with a less honorable purpose. If you would like to use this information for a class or a devotional, feel free to do so. If you have the intention of quoting this for use in a publication or for other uses, please email me at gregbukovatz@yahoo.com.
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