Gimmicks

I apologize for the way my previous post reads. While I support the content ideas, the way I presented it is not sitting well with me. I cannot trust in gimmicks or edgy marketing to build a responsive and loyal readership, I can only rely on the Holy Spirit, moving in me and in you, to communicate ideas that will help us all grow into Christ who is our Head.

I am still young and new at this. I tried a different hat on for size and it didn't fit. I will own up to that. My next post will be along similar themes, but done in a more sincere and reliant fashion. Thank you for your understanding.

God is Unjust

I hope that title grabbed your attention! Before we get to the meat of this post, allow me to throw out some definitions so we are all on the same page.

Justice - giving someone something they deserve or not giving someone something they do not deserve.

EXAMPLE: Jimmy worked hard all week, Jimmy gets a paycheck or

Jimmy did not work this week, Jimmy does not get a paycheck

It would follow, then, that Injustice would be the opposite of Justice, right?

Injustice - giving someone something they do not deserve or not giving someone something they do deserve

Do you know what we call injustice in the church? Grace and Mercy.

Grace - God giving us things we don't deserve, like forgiveness

Mercy - God not giving us things we do deserve, like judgment

"Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith..." Ephesians 2:4,5 and 9

I am absolutely gripped by this passage (which is good because I am preaching on it this Sunday). God loves us so much that He broke the rules. We were "dead in our transgressions." We deserved punishment and condemnation and yet, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to be the atoning sacrifice for us so that God could shower us with grace and mercy. I realize my title is incomplete, it should read "God is Unjust, but only to believers."

God's justice came full force upon the person of Jesus, this is why he cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" All of the sin, all of the punishment that should have been ours to bear by right was charged to His account. I have never been so thankful to be cheated out of my rightful inheritance! Mercy is the outgrowth of God's love and grace the overflow of His kindness, thank you, Lord, for both. Mercy triumphs over judgment, hallelujah!

If this is the example set forth for us, can we really withhold mercy and grace from one another? Go be unjust today. :)

Giving

I appreciate all of you who have been asking about how to support Amy and I. I am sorry this has taken so long, but I needed to track down some details about tax information so that I can be as clear as possible (and legal too). There are three ways that you can support us, but I have one other bit of information first.

I am planning on going full-time the first of October. However, I am asking some of you who are willing to start supporting us in September. This is going to be a pretty big change for Amy and I financially and I would like a bit of a cushion to work with until everything gets sorted out. Also, for those of you who do decide to partner with us, I will be contacting you via phone or email to nail down some details. These details include: is this a monthly or a one time gift? Would you commit to giving on the same day every month - sorry to be so particular, but we need a certain amount of information to make sure our bills get paid on time. :)

Ok, on to the official business.

OPTION ONE: The first, and easiest, way to support Amy and I is to write a personal check, payable to Ben Dau and send it to our apartment. Due to privacy issues I cannot give out our address online, but if you email benamydau@gmail.com I would be happy to reply. As far as the IRS is concerned, this type of donation is termed a "gift." As such, it is not taxed on my end, but it is not a tax write off for you. This means I get the full amount because you are paying the tax.

OPTION TWO: Similar to option one, you will write a check and send it to me. However, the check will be made payable to "IHOPE House of Prayer" and you will simply write my name in the "memo" portion of the check. I will accumulate these checks and bring them to IHOPE to be processed by our accountant. Since IHOPE is a 501(c)3 non-profit this is a tax deductible donation. That means taxes are taken out on my end and it is a tax write off for you. This will reduce your taxable income. If you are more tech savvy, see option three.

OPTION THREE: This option functions exactly like option two, but uses a secure Internet payment method called Pay Pal. This means you still send money to IHOPE to make it a tax deductible donation, but rather than writing me a check and waiting to cash it, you wire the money electronically to IHOPE's bank account. It works like this:

1) Go to www.ihopehop.org

2) Click on DONATE on the far right-hand side of the screen under the Facebook icon

3) Scroll down and click the gold button that says "DONATE"

4) Enter your donation amount in the blue box and click "Update Total"

5) The page will re-load. Now enter your credit card and billing information

*NOTE* PayPal is a secure company. They are the leader in Interest safety payment options. Your personal billing information will be secure.

6) Click Review Donation and continue, a new page will load

7) You will see a blue box with a white + in it. Next to it will read "Add special instructions for the Merchant". Click this icon and a white box will pop up.

8) In this box write something to the effect of "Attention Ben Dau", "Care of Ben Dau" or simply "Ben Dau". This will ensure the money gets funneled into my account.

As of now, I do not know how to automate any of these options, so you will have to do one of the three every month. I will be keeping track of your giving and sending you an invoice around tax time so that you can take your deduction if that applies.

Thank you so much for your support! God has truly blessed us with great friends and family. I hope this has streamlined the process for you. If you have any questions, or would like our address so that you can send a check, please email benamydau@gmail.com

Faithfulness

There is an old Russian proverb that goes something like this:

The quality of a man's character is not defined by the intensity of his emotion,

but by its duration.

In our context, talking about Christianity, that translates (approximately) to this:

I don't care how much you love Jesus now if you don't love Him in a year.

God doesn't care about your religious pedigree. He cares about your current faithfulness. When the Pharisees and Sadducees came to John the Baptizer, he said to them, "Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that our of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham..."

It didn't matter if one of those men or women were children of Abraham in the flesh, they needed to be children of Abraham in the spirit. Our justification as believers cannot and must not be separated from our sanctification, the "working out our salvation with fear and trembling" as Peter puts it so well. For too long, Christianity has sold salvation as a 'get out of hell free' card, like we are playing Monopoly with people's souls. Yes, we were justified once for all by the work of Jesus on the cross, but that statement makes no sense apart from transforming our lives to be like His. HE, Jesus, is the Truth - He is the standard against which we discern wether or not something is good or evil. We must be faithful to Him, even if it costs us our reputations, social status or livelihood.

Salvation is not a vaccination. You don't get one shot of Jesus and are then let loose to do as you please. Salvation is a continuing process. It is a daily crucifying of our sinful nature and conforming ourselves to the character of Jesus, as revealed in the Scriptures and illuminated by the Spirit. For "if we die with Him in a death like His, we will surely be raised with Him in a resurrection like His." Amen. This is the hope that that we confess - that Christ has died, Christ is risen and that Christ will come again! Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

cvshepherd

Just a quick post for today. :) I thought I would explain what "cvshepherd" means. It stands for Cedar Valley Shepherd. Cedar Valley is the area I live in which is comprised of Cedar Falls, Waterloo and Waverly and a handful of smaller communities. Shepherd is what I believe I am called to do. Whenever I talk about who God has made me to be, this is the word I will probably use. I shy away from "Pastor" because that word, in recent years, has taken on a meaning akin to Corporate CEO. It brings to mind administration rather than shaping and maturing the lives of believers. Here is a story to tell you more of what I mean.

I was in Tanzania for a two-week ambassadors program in 2000. While we were driving we had to stop because a flock of sheep were crossing the road. A man was following after them waving a stick over his head and yelling (I assume profanity, but it was in Swahili). I asked the driver, "Why is the shepherd yelling at the sheep? Is that the only way to get them to move?" He looked at me and laughed. I wondered if he understood my question or if I really was that ignorant. After his laughter subsided, the said to me, "Shepherds lead from the front - that man is the butcher!" Then he started laughing again.

That image has stuck with me. Shepherd lead from the front, the sheep follow. Shepherds go into a place first to scout it out, to make sure it is safe and a good place for the sheep to find food, water and rest. The shepherd is the first line of defense - any thing in front finds him first. Shepherds don't put the sheep in front to protect themselves. Read about David and his shepherding adventures. He fought bears and lions. He was willing to die for the stupid things!

Now, I don't want to imply that I have some exalted and glorified view of who I am called to be. But here is the deal: I will never ask my sheep to go somewhere I am unwilling to go into first. I wont ask them to do something I haven't. I want to be the guinea pig so that they can benefit from my mistakes. But more than anything, I want to speak from experience. I want to say "This can happen. This is real." Not everyone is called to this, I understand that. But I want to lay this on the table so that you all know where I am coming from as I continue to write and share my experiences. Thank you for bearing with me this far.

Success

Confession: This is my second attempt at writing this entry. The first time I spent a lot of time lambasting the Church for the way it was/is doing ministry. God stopped me in the middle of it and said: "Ben, I don't need you to criticize the ways I had my Church minister in the past. What I need you to do is articulate a way of ministering to this generation." Ouch... So, now being humbled, I will try my best to articulate how I see God ministering to my generation.

What is success in the Church? How do we measure and recognize it?

Success in the Church needs to be about quality, not quantity. The number of people in your church doesn't matter if their lives are the same now as they were when they first walked in. I have said for a number of years now that Jesus commanded us to make disciples not converts. Loving God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength is the definition of success. Becoming more like Jesus everyday is how we measure that.

God is in a season of restoring the first commandment to first place in the lives of His children. All else pales in comparison for this generation of believers. God is calling for simplicity and focus and the ministers of this age need to understand that. My generation recognizes Truth as it is lived out. Jesus is THE Truth, so if we are to give my generation something worth living for, we need to become more like Him.

Pastors, you need to live lives of transparency and authenticity if you want to evangelize my generation. We don't need you to be perfect, we are all too aware of our own imperfections. If you insist on keeping up a facade, you will lose us. We can smell farce a mile off. We want something to live for. We want something to give ourselves to. We want a Reality to be welcomed into. We want to be immersed in the Kingdom so that we can learn its ways, its language and its heart. Hospitality is the way to reach us. Open your homes, open your lives and invite us in. Model what it means to be the Church. Teach us by example. We are not asking for a list of self-righteous regulations - we are looking for faithfullness to the One you call LORD.

Faithfulness, that is the key. We don't need any other reasons for you to do something other than "God told me to." We respect that kind of boldness. We don't want you doing or not doing something because it might be "bad for business." We want you doing and not doing things because that is what God has called you to. We don't want a religious front, we want a living, breathing, vibrant servanthood.

I am a champion of the small church. I want to know and be known. I understand that large churches can do a lot of good. I get that, but my mind always goes to a story that Jesus told. He said, "In that Day many will come to me and say 'Lord, Lord we cast out demons and preformed many miracles in Your name (or we fed many hungry, built many wells, etc.)' and Jesus will say to them 'Depart from me you evildoers for I never knew you.'"

We want to do good things, don't get me wrong. We are sold out on the idea of social justice. But to what end? If there is no lasting impact, if we spend ourselves for naught, what is the point? Knowing Jesus is our model of success. Because the more we know Him, the more we are captivated by Him. We are drawn in by the beauty of His character, by His compassion, by His ability to heal. That births within us the desire to be like Him and since He is the God-man, the very essance and representation of God here on the earth we find ourselves loving God more - wanting to be like Him too. We find ourselves thinking about Him and how we can partner with Him in advancing His Kingdom here on the earth. That is something we can give ourselves to. That inspires us. That calls us further in, further up.

A recent Gallup poll indicates that most ministers spend an average of 5 minutes in prayer each day. That wont do. That hardly gives one the juice to get through the day, let alone have anything leftover to share with another. Pray. Get to know Him. Let Him rock your world.

The Great Giveaway

I am currently reading a book called "The Great Giveaway: Reclaiming the Mission of the Church from Big Business, Parachurch Organizations, Psychotherapy, Consumer Capitalism and Other Modern Maladies. It is available from Amazon.com for about $20.

This is no easy read - let me throw that out at the start. While I believe that he has some really great critiques of the church and how we can do things differently in the coming generations, it is dry and laborious reading. Since this is the case, I will try to distill his points to the best of my ability, because they really are good. I may have to correct myself in future posts as my understanding of the material grows, but I trust that you will bear with me.

For the sake of clarity in future posts, I need to define some terms.

Modern (Modernity) - The philosophy that was dominant from the Renaissance until the last ten to twenty years. Modernism is characterized by individualism, consumerism and the elevation of science. It tends to be humanistic (Man is the measure of all things) and bound to what can be seen, perceived and handled in the physical world.

Post-Modern - The current emerging philosophy of life that is the combining of reactions against modernism and new realities brought about by changes in technology. Post-modernism is hallmarked by distrust of authority, desire for community and experiential reality. This is a very rough approximation because post-modernism is still in its formative period. I will not attempt to be a spokesman for the movement as a whole, though I would consider myself more in this camp than the other.

Ok, terms are done for now. Another post will follow soon to get this discussion started.

NOTE: Your participation in these posts is highly valued. You can comment on them by following the links at the bottom of the post.

Three Themes

I would first like to thank everyone who has taken an interest in this so far. Your support as family, friends and people I respect is really moving. Thank you.

There has been some interest already in what the specific duties are that I will be responsible for at the Vineyard and IHOPE. I will have this list by Saturday afternoon. I apologize that I can't send it out sooner, but things have only finalized recently. Your patience is appreciated. If you would like to receive this emailed list, please contact me at benamydau@gmail.com.

That said, I can discuss the three major themes that have surfaced over the past few days.

Teaching: Both the Vineyard and IHOPE have asked me to teach some classes. This is an area I am extremely excited about. As it stands now, I will be teaching basic biblical literacy courses (what is in the Bible and where to find it) and discipleship courses (maturing and equipping believers to minster the love of Christ in varied situations). These are both expressed needs in these communities and I am very honored to be able to serve in this way.

Prayer: I hope many of you are thinking "DUH!" right about now, as I am working in a House of Prayer. Even still, I have been asked to help develop a prayer culture in my local congregation and much of my research and development will happen in the prayer room. This is, in many ways, my most challenging assignment. What do you say when you have said everything to God that you can possibly think of? How does one spark the desire to pray in another? These are questions I don't know, but that need answering if prayer is to establish its rightful place in our congregations.

Discipleship: I want to see people in a better, more fully developed and more fully mature place than they are currently. Wherever you are on your walk with Christ, you can benefit from discipleship. Unfortunately, the only ones who realize this are the ones who are ready to disciple. I want to train up leaders for today and tomorrow. "Aslan is on the move" and we had better have people who can keep up.

There you have it. The three areas that God is highlighting for me to grow into. Again, a more formal listing and explanation of duties will come on Saturday afternoon. If you would like to receive it, please email benamydau@gmail.com

Thanks!

up-rooted

Amy encouraged me to explain what "up-rooted" means and why it is the title of my blog.

I first encountered the name in a book called "The Great Giveaway" by David E. Fitch (more on this book in later posts). It is the name of his young adult ministry. The name jump off the page to me.

When I first read it an image popped into my head that has stuck with me ever since. It is the vision of a tree turned upside down, planted in the sky if you will. As its roots sink deeper into the heavens the tree grows downward towards the earth. The tree matures and grows and eventually bears fruit which is easy pickings for the humans below. I treasure this vision because it is the heart of every believer - to grow closer (more rooted) in Christ so that there is a harvest of righteousness, the fruit of the Spirit and the saving of souls.

God continues to layer on meaning for me. Just this morning He reminded me of Abram, called by God to leave his home and journey to the Promised Land. Abram left his home, everything he was familiar with, and followed this voice into the wilderness with nothing more than a promise - the promise that he would become a great nation and walk with God. I can relate to that call and promise. While I may not be leaving my geographic location, I am certainly pulling up stakes and moving into uncharted social and spiritual territory. I don't know where I am going, I only hear the Voice. The Voice calls me onward. Maybe that seems a little trippy to some of you, I am comfortable with that. I can only relate my experiences in the language given to me.

Finally, up-rooted is a reminder to me. A reminder that I am only a pilgrim here on this earth. My home country is the Kingdom of God and I have been away a long time. up-rooted speaks to a longing to go home, a longing for the Person who makes home home. While I am here on the earth I will find joy in what I can, but I will only hold on to things loosely. I know these things and people aren't mine alone, but are rather gifts from above meant to bless me and those around me.

So, up-rooted is a vision. It is a promise. It is a longing for home. And my prayer is that God would instill those things in your heart as well. Thanks for reading. Amen.

Decision

I have wanted to be a pastor since the summer before 5th grade. I had been involved in church before that, but this particular summer really set things on fire.

Ever since I could, I went to EWALU Bible Camp in Strawberry Point, IA. It is a beautiful place and filled with wonderful people. This is where I learned to sing songs, do skits, hike, cook over a campfire and love Jesus.

I was a Trailblazer this particular summer. This meant I was out across the river and had to walk... a lot. My counselor for this week came from Tanzania. He was a Pastor/Missionary and left his congregation and family to come to Iowa for the summer. While I can't remember his name, I remember much about his character. He was king, gentle and spoke with quiet passion. He had an authenticity that was captivating and drew me into his stories.

Every Wednesday night at EWALU there is a campfire where the counselors get to pray one on one with their campers. It is a very special, very sacred time. Needless to say, when my turn was up I was a little nervous. I had been to camp the year before, but had been too awestruck by the whole week to really understand what was happening. For whatever reason, I was very present at this particular time.

We went away a short distance and my counselor laid hands on me. He prayed for me, thanking God for our week and asking God to fill me. I don't remember exactly when I broke down, but I remember crying for a good long time. Even when I returned to the larger campfire I was crying. (Now, I am not a really emotional person, so this sticks out in my mind pretty clearly.) When I had stopped, I thought long and hard about our bible studies that week. I knew then that Jesus was a Reality I could not deny. That is when I first made my decision to follow him.

Since then, my relationship with God has grown and changed tremendously, but that child-like sense of certainty has never left me. Certainty that God is real and certainty that I am called to be a minister of his love to other people. I have fought it for a long time, taking some advice from a friend. He (who was in seminary at the time) said to me, "Ben, if God wants you to be a pastor, it will happen. Until then, run as far away from it as you can." Well, God has finally caught up with me. He reminded me of my camp story this morning, so I thought I would share. I am constantly amazed at how much God cares for His people and how we can hear things from Him on a daily basis - if only we will listen.

Vision

This blog is a ritual first step for me. This is where I lay my thoughts, feelings and emotions bare about the things that God has called me to. This blog is designed to be a method of updating my friends, family and sponsors about the things that are happening in my life, but I hope it will come to reach a larger audience as well. Who knows? Perhaps a reader will catch the vision and entrust themselves into God's care as well.

Sometime in October I am going to take the plunge into full-time ministry. I am going to quit my job and raise support. God has called, for this season, to work full-time in advancing His Kingdom. As of now I am going to be splitting my time between the Vineyard Community Church of Waverly, IA and the IHOPE House of Prayer in Waterloo, IA. I have strong ties with both of these communities and I think they are two sides of the same coin - discipleship fueled by intercession which is itself fueled by the desire to see God's Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

This is a scary thing for me. I was raised to work hard at a job, whatever it may be, to support my family. Now I am relying on God to provide financial support for me through His body. In the big picture, He is more reliable by far, but my small frame rarely sees from such perspective. And so, I come to you, reader. If you are already a supporter, thank you. Words do not adequately express how much your investment in me means. If you are not yet a supporter, please pray about becoming one. I would love to talk to you to more fully share my vision.

Yours in Christ,

Ben