All posts tagged Christ

Tactics for Defending Your Christian Faith

Posted
February 5, 2014
Categories
Spiritual Insights
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Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian ConvictionsHey everybody, the Storming Jericho crew is back with an update and some thoughts we wanted to share. Linds and I continue to get acclimated to the realities of “normal life”—or everybody else’s definition of a normal life, at least—which has presented both some unique challenges and some awesome opportunities.

A few of those opportunities include getting involved in a church with consistency and regularity, having a car we can take to the grocery store, and getting to shower on a daily basis. You’d be surprised at how good a shower can feel when the memories of multiple days without showers still linger in your mind.

But for as nice as it is to have those things again, there are also some harsher realities we’ve come back to in this “normal” world we’ve reintroduced ourselves to. One of those harsher realities is the challenge we’re facing as Christians with a desire to be bold for Christ.

Our entire goal with our walk across America was to teach ourselves to trust and rely on God for provision while also spreading God’s word and sharing with others the incredible ways God took care of us on our journey. Throughout our walk we felt like we were able to do that successfully (at least by our standards of success). We were blessed with opportunities to share with church congregations, youth groups, families, and random individuals we met along the way.

But now we’re back in normal life, where it almost feels natural to scale back boldness and try to “fit in” to the world around us. We see things on Facebook criticizing and condemning Christianity, and it’s harder to speak up. We meet people we disagree with, but, for the sake of “normalcy,” we reserve our words of opposition. We don’t want to “cause a scene” or stir up trouble.

But the truth is, Jesus stirred up trouble. He stirred up trouble because he believed what his Father (God) had taught him. Jesus wasn’t afraid to cause a scene. And I’m not just referring to the turning of the tables in the temple. Jesus caused a scene when he criticized the Pharisees in public for twisting God’s laws for their personal benefit. He caused a scene when he defended the woman at the well. He caused a scene when he had every ability to save himself from crucifixion with just a few simple words but chose instead to die for our sins.

So why are we so afraid to cause a scene ourselves? As Jesus says in Matthew 10:34, “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (New King James Version). If Jesus wasn’t afraid to bring a sword, why are we so afraid to even bring words of disagreement to a discussion that belittles or condemns our faith?

I personally feel like one reason we don’t stand up for ourselves is because many of us don’t know how. Many Christians grow up hearing the important stories (Noah and the ark, David and Goliath, the Christmas story, etc.), but are never taught how to defend our faith when it’s attacked.

Thankfully, this is by no means a lost cause. One of the first Christian books I read upon returning from our walk was a book called Tactics: A Game Plan for Discussing Your Christian Convictions by Greg Koukl (I’ve included a link to Amazon where you can purchase it). Here’s the description of Tactics, according to its Amazon page:

In a world increasingly indifferent to Christian truth, followers of Christ need to be equipped to communicate with those who do not speak their language or accept their source of authority. Gregory Koukl demonstrates how to get in the driver’s seat, keeping any conversation moving with thoughtful, artful diplomacy. You’ll learn how to maneuver comfortably and graciously through the minefields, stop challengers in their tracks, turn the tables and—most importantly—get people thinking about Jesus. Soon, your conversations will look more like diplomacy than D-Day. Drawing on extensive experience defending Christianity in the public square, Koukl shows you how to: – Initiate conversations effortlessly – Present the truth clearly, cleverly, and persuasively – Graciously and effectively expose faulty thinking – Skillfully manage the details of dialogue – Maintain an engaging, disarming style even under attack. Tactics provides the game plan for communicating the compelling truth about Christianity with confidence and grace.

Lindsie and I can both say with 100% certainty that Tactics is absolutely worth every penny, whether you buy the ebook version or the paperback version. Christians are going to continue facing challenges to their beliefs in the future. The Bible tells us so on several occasions. Jesus says in Luke 6:22,

“Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man’s sake.” (NKJV)

It also says in John 15:20b-21,

“Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.” (New Living Translation)

Jesus tells us plainly and clearly that things won’t get any easier for us. They’re most likely going to get harder in the future. That’s why it’s so imperative that we not only have a firmly-rooted foundation in our beliefs, but that we also have the knowledge and tools to defend our faith.

As 1 Peter 3:15 tells us,

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you…”

Jesus knew we’d face challenges after his death, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven. We’re called not to shy away from those challenges, but to stand up to those challenges and defend our faith.

So if you are the kind of person who feels more and more compelled to stand up for your beliefs and defend them in the face of adversity, Tactics provides an easy-to-follow game plan that gives you the foundation to achieve that goal. Of course, there will always be more to learn, but Tactics is a great start, so Lindsie and I both recommend it highly.

Thanks for reading, everyone. We’ll try to keep posts like this coming in the future. We’re also excited to share that we’ve begun writing the book chronicling our journey across America, the amazing miracles we experienced, and the incredible lessons we learned. We’ll have more info on that as we get closer to finishing it. For now, we encourage you to check out Tactics (or any other works from Greg Koukl and his staff at Stand To Reason).

God bless, and we’ll be back with more soon.

-Mike and Lindsie

Happy Birthday to Jesus!

Posted
December 25, 2013
Categories
Updates and News
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Lindsie and Mike at ChristmastimeHey friends and family, we’re finally back with a new blog update! What inspired this return to the blog? The birth of our Savior, of course. We wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and we also thought we’d share a little news about what’s going on with us now that our journey is complete.

We’d like to start with a reminder of how blessed we are to have a Savior that our Heavenly Father sent down to earth for us. As we go about opening our presents, spending time with family, and probably eating too much delicious food, make sure you keep in mind that the little baby born in a manger would go on to give His life on the cross for our sins. The fact that God loves us that much is worth more than any presents we could unwrap or stockings we could unstuff.

We also wanted to let everyone know that we have officially gotten ourselves settled and situated in Springfield, Missouri (for at least the next 5 months). I, Mike, took a 6-month contract with an awesomely creative marketing agency in Springfield called deep group, and we’ll be figuring out our next steps from there.

Lindsie has enjoyed getting to spend a little time getting settled and doing things that people with a normal home do. She’s also working on getting certified as a medical coder, which will provide an opportunity for her to work from home part time, which we both think is a pretty good plan.

On a final note, we’ve officially started working on our book, which will both tell the story of our journey and also share with people the amazing things God did for us and through us spiritually as we traveled across the country. There’s still a long way to go, but we’re happy to be started, and we’re already enjoying the stories and adventures we’re reminiscing about while we write.

We’ll have more updates in the near future, especially now that we’ve gotten settled, so be on the lookout for an update from the Storming Jericho crew soon. Until then, we hope you have a blessed and very Merry Christmas!

-Mike, Lindsie, and Jaeda

Lights In The Darkness

Posted
April 19, 2013
Categories
On The Trail
Spiritual Insights
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Candle In The Dark by Don McCulloughHey everybody. We’re still waiting for weather to warm up, but we’ve at least made it part of the way out west. We’re staying with Lindsie’s wonderful Uncle Charlie (who came and rescued us in Colorado when winter hit back in November) in Wyoming until the snow and below-freezing nights go away for good.

While we wait, I wanted to share something I read recently in a book called Dreaming With God by Bill Johnson. Dreaming With God was recommended to me by my brilliant friend and business partner Jared Soundy. The book itself is about unleashing the God-given creativity within us to impact our world in a positive way for Christ’s Kingdom. The book is FULL of fantastic points, insights, and thought-provoking ideas, and I wanted to share at least one of them here.

In the chapter “Invading Babylon,” Pastor Johnson talks about how, in the midst of the darkness that surrounds us here on Earth, it seems like the only solution is to give up, run away from it all, and wait for the Rapture (which, according to many people, has to be coming soon based on the state of the world right now).

But according to him, that’s not the path we should take. And I tend to agree. Here’s what he says about our role as Christians in society.

“…anywhere we do not invade becomes darker in our absence. We are the ‘light of the world’ (Matt. 5:14). The realms of society that we fail to invade are hopelessly lost to darkness. Invasion is the responsibility of light.”

Week by week, it seems this world is falling into a state of ruin. This week alone we’ve witnessed the Boston Marathon bombing and a shootout and manhunt on MIT’s campus, both of which have left people dead. And it’s SO easy to think, This snowball is already picking up too much downhill steam and growing too big—there’s no way to keep society from falling apart now.

But, as Pastor Johnson points out, it’s not just possible to prevent that decay—it’s our RESPONSIBILITY. He later writes, “In crisis, people will always turn to those who are stable. Integrity will be a beacon of light to those wandering through this land of disappointment and shame.”

With God behind us, we have all of the strength and stability we need to be a light for others. As Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7-8, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.”

This world needs beacons of light to invade that darkness. Matthew 5:14 tells us, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.”

WE are that light. So in the face of the darkness we confront on Earth, let’s shine as brightly as we can for the Lord. I don’t want to leave my future children and grandchildren to inherit a planet that has forever fallen into darkness. It’s our job to be warriors for Christ, not just semi-believers who have read His Word but don’t truly believe in the authority God has given us.

Let’s use that authority to start confronting the darkness in this world. The brighter we shine, the less power darkness has against us. Light will always overcome darkness under any circumstances. It’s our job to shine radiantly for Christ.

-Mike and Lindsie

Photo by Don McCullough

Checking In From Our Hiatus

Posted
December 19, 2012
Categories
On The Trail
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1 Comment

Us, in the mountainsWell, after a few weeks of getting situated back in South Dakota and getting our lives in order, we’re back with an update! While things aren’t quite as exciting these days as they are when we’re out on the road, we’re incredibly thankful to be back with our families for the holidays (and the rest of winter as well).

The transition from walking down the road every day and camping on the side of the road at night to “normal life” has been an interesting one, to say the least. On the one hand, it’s wonderful having a real bed to sleep in every night. On the other hand, many of the challenges that were forcing us to rely so heavily on God have been made much easier to handle ourselves by living in the “regular” world. For starters, we can drive wherever we need to go these days. And we’re not exactly wondering if we’ll find a safe place to sleep at night or have enough food/water to make it through the day.

What this has taught us is that, while it’s easier to rely on ourselves instead of Christ, it’s up to us to continue making Christ the focus in our daily walk. For me (Mike), this has meant surrounding myself with Christians who will continue to push and challenge me in the right ways. One benefit of being in a city like Sioux Falls is that it’s much easier to get involved with Bible studies led by uplifting Christian friends than when it was just the Storming Jericho crew (i.e. – me, Lindsie and Jaeda) on the road. And having gone so long without being involved in a traditional Bible study, it has been fantastic to see how that daily challenge of studying the Word and developing a better understanding of God’s will have improved me spiritually.

I know Lindsie has also enjoyed the opportunity to escape from the world and find her personal quiet time with the Lord. She’s a little bit more of an introvert than me, which means she enjoys her alone time. Unfortunately, there’s not a ton of true “alone time” to be had when you’re with your husband 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And while I’m sure Lindsie loves me dearly, she also loves being able to spend time one-on-one with the Father, and we’re both thankful she has more of an opportunity to do that these days.

Now that we’re in the groove of things, we plan to update much more frequently than we have the past couple of weeks. For now, we just wanted to share a little bit of what’s going on in our worlds and let you guys know that we’re still fired up about this cross-country journey and we’re looking forward to continuing it as soon as winter is over.

On a final note, we’ll be speaking with the youth group from Lindsie’s church in Watertown, SD, tonight, so please pray that God gives us the right words to speak and the right thoughts to share with the youth. It’s such an honor to even be asked to share our journey with a group like that, and we want to be sure we make an impact for the Lord. As mentioned, your prayers are welcome.

Thanks again for the support, even during our hiatus, and we’ll be back with more soon.

-Mike and Lindsie (and Jaeda)

Simple Peace

Posted
September 20, 2011
Categories
Uncategorized

Today was one of those days where, even though nothing went wrong, stress managed to keep piling up. And as I reached the end of this slowly stressful day, and all of those individual stresses were adding up into one big knot in my stomach, I managed to save over the wrong file and I lost a document I’d just spent about an hour and a half working on.

At that point, I was starting to feel a little bit of despair. I would now have to go home, work on this work project in my free time at home just to finish it up on time, and that would end up pushing back a personal project I’m already working on in my free time.

As I walked in the door of my house, I wasn’t sure what I should even do next. It seemed that, no matter what action I took, it would culminate in some sort of stress for me. I mean, the rest of the day had gone that way, so why would it change now?

And for whatever reason, I decided that my next step, before I did anything else, was going to be reading my Bible. I figured it was the only possible thing I could invest my time in that wouldn’t end with me feeling worse about things.

I was right. I didn’t find the “perfect verse” to help me relieve my stress or anything like that. I wasn’t blown away or amazed by the two chapters I read in Isaiah. There was nothing about reading my Bible (this time) that totally rocked my world off its axis.

But it did help me clear my head. And I think that might be what God was going for this time. He doesn’t always have to rock us to the core to have an impact on our lives. Sometimes He just wants to remind us he’s there.

So thanks for being there, God. And thanks for being a blessing, not a stressing. (I know stressing isn’t a noun, I really just wanted that to rhyme.)

If you’re feeling stressed about something, open up your Bible. You might not find that “perfect verse” it seems like people in stories and sermons always manage to find, but you might be surprised at what you do find in there.

-Mike

Photo by Baer Tierkel. Thanks Baer!