List in your journal endings, in-between times, and new beginnings that you have experienced in the past 10 years. I have found for me that I don't experience a whole lot of beginnings and endings. I have a lot of in-between times in my life, where I am just going along with the day to day "drudgery" of life, if you will. I can point to new career experiences, deaths and births, and changes in relationships, but I think that these things often blend in to the average, ordinary, everyday things. I am reminded of a song by the Orange County Supertones called "Jury Duty", and the chorus goes "Every single moment whether sleeping or awake its your creation, and what you made is good. I don't always thank you for the rough days and the hard times in my life, even though I should." I think we just live life, missing the things that we should be thankful for, in good and in bad.

The effort that I am willing to put into this course and into my own spiritual formation during this module is best described by the word… Struggle. I think spiritual formation is the most difficult thing to teach, train, and build in the Church. It sounds so simple: "Just go read the Bible". Well, how? "Just go and pray". Well, how? Even when the principles and ways of getting into a devotional happen are learned, the commitment to do those things is difficult, if not impossible sometimes. Spiritual formation is a struggle, a struggle between growing in our knowledge and relationship with God, and taking care of the responsibilities and pressures that our family, friends, careers, and life in general put on us. God give us the strength to grow in our love, knowledge and understanding of who you are.

This is a bit of a worksheet from an intercessory prayer guide. My ministry of intercession: Specific people, concerns, needs I want to lift to the Father. The one burden laying on my heart today is for a couple of young men who were recently killed in a car accident. Their deaths were abrupt and unexpected, and as I attended the funeral of one of these young men today, I couldn't help but feel very sad for the loss they were experiencing. I know these kind of things happen in everyone's life, but it is just such a great tragedy when the very act that brought their death could have been prevented.

Based on the discussion of servant leadership, if I could accomplish three measurable objectives in the next 10 years that would make a 50 percent difference by the end of my life, what would they be? I think the first objective that I could measure would be in my personal time spent in devotion with Jesus. If I can maintain a daily, directed devotion time, I am almost certain that would make a 50 percent difference in my life. Secondly, I would measure time spent praying with my wife and children. If I engage on this in a regular basis, it would make a 50 percent difference in my life. Finally, I would measure time spent engaging in works of service. If I can engage in consistent, regular acts of service, I know it would make a 50 percent difference in my life.

"Christian ministry is the extension of the service of Jesus in our world, incarnating the healing, guiding, sustaining, reconciling work of Jesus in the lives of those with whom we work and live. If you are a Christian, you are called to Christian ministry. ·A servant is one who gets excited about helping someone else succeed. ·Christian leadership is humble service to others in the community of faith whose head is Christ for the purpose of enabling them, through modeling and teaching, to live their lives under the Lordship of Christ, and to understand, accept and fulfill their ministry to each other and their mission in the world. ·If our philosophy of life is based on a biblical theology of church and ministry, then our style of leadership will convictionally focus on the qualitative growth of the led as ministers of Jesus Christ, called to serve others in His name." I love the point made that leaders are to help individuals do three things with their ministry. First they are to help them understand their ministry to each other and their mission in the world. I think it is difficult to arrive at a destination if you do not know the means of getting there. You can certainly try to go, but without the an understanding of how to get there, you could be easily lost. The same is true for ministry. If you do not understand what God is calling you to do, how can you even expect to effectively play a role in the building of the kingdom? A leader must point people towards the mission of God, helping them explore their talents and gifts to understand what God has in store for them. The next point is accepting their ministry and mission in the world. I think this one can be tricky sometimes, because I think the idea of doing something in the name of Jesus can be challenging or scary. I think of a friend who gets shell shocked at the idea of speaking in front of a group of people. In the same way, the thought of stepping out of our comfort zone and getting dirty for the Lord can be tough! The leader must walk alongside these individuals as they test the waters of ministry and mission. Finally, we are called to fulfill our ministry and mission in the world. We understand what God has called us to, we have tested the waters and have accepted his call, now we must be proactive and get out and do it! I think this can be a tough part, often because our lives are filled with so many other obligations and responsibilities, we have a tendency to place the calling of God on level with all the other activities we engage in. We have a mighty calling in serving Jesus Christ, and we must not overburden ourselves with other things in the world to take away from that call.

What is the difference between a manager and a leader? I believe that a manager works to achieve a task or a goal. A manager facilitates assets, including equipment, money, and labor, and uses those to achieve a task, usually to make money. A manager cares only about the bottom line; individuals or assets that no longer benefit the task are upgraded or completely replaced. Accomplishing the task is the bottom line for the manager. A leader, on the other hand, is in individual who is often working in the trenches with those being led. They are usually setting the example for what is expected of the group being led. Even though they are leading, they never lord their leadership over those being led; they are often approachable and willing to pitch in whenever work is needed. Leaders recognize that assets are important and need to be taken care of, they need to be molded and shaped into better workers and better people.

In your experience, whom have you considered the most influential leader? What did that person do that you consider characteristic of a good leader? This could be someone in the church, from work, from school, etc. Since this is a public posted blog, I will refrain from naming a leader, but I will describe the characteristics that I see in a good leader: Compassionate - A genuine love and concern for others. Friendly - Someone who is approachable, and easy to talk to. Driven - Sets out goals, challenges people to partner in the task with them. Flexible - Sees bumps in the road as things to work through, not things to get frustrated at. I think a good and influential leader needs these traits (among others) to be able to lead effectively.

"Every aspect of Wesley’s relentless focus on an individual’s holiness was for the purpose of making that individual an agent of perfect love to those around him or her." I love the connection stated between holiness and love. These concepts are unmistakably connected; I don't believe one can exist without the other. Sure, there are the world's definitions of love: sexuality, passion, having someone make you "feel good", but these are fleeting at best. True, perfect love comes from a unique connection to loving God with our inmost being, and loving others in response to our love for God. In doing this, we are able to live our lives in love the way God is calling us to, no longer thinking about our own needs and feelings, but thinking about other people as well. This is the perfect love God is calling us to.

"Through saving grace we are Christian through and through. And yet we are always in the process of becoming Christian, becoming what we are. Wesley has given us a model that allows for our intentionality that cooperates with God’s gracious initiative. Progressive sanctification, then, is crucial in the Christian life; the process is a crucial follow-up to important moments of commitment. The Wesleyan understanding of the means of grace aims at Christian maturing, which never ceases in the journey." I think this is a point that a lot of Christians miss out on. They claim the salvation power of Christ, but that is as far as they go. I think the great misconception is that accepting Christ as Lord and Savior is the end of the Spiritual Journey, moving simply from death in sin to life in Christ. Truly it is just a small part of the journey. The growth and maturity of faith and relationship with Jesus is something we should engage in for a lifetime, continually being willing to lay on the altar of Christ anything that might get in the way of our ability to serve him in the way he is calling us to serve. I think when we remove ourselves from the equation and let God fill in the blanks, that is when we truly start to see that we are still becoming what God wants us to be.

"It could be said that the experience of entire sanctification is as unique as each individual. While we must certainly find ways to keep the articulation of entire sanctification dynamic, relevant, and realistic, and to allow for differences from person to person, to blend—unite—entire sanctification with progressive sanctification is to separate ourselves from what it means to be a Holiness church. Reemphasizing Wesley’s understanding of the “means of grace” is absolutely crucial to a balanced and healthy proclamation of God’s sanctifying work in the lives of God’s people." I have struggled with a good way to articulate entire sanctification in a way that makes sense. I stumbled upon a good example from the work of H. Orton Wiley: "Peace with God. This peace is the result of a change relationship between God and man. If follows when the sinner surrenders to God, is forgiven of his sins, and restored to the favor of God. This experience is known in both theology and the Scriptures as justification... The Peace of God. This peace is given as a bestowment - that which Christ has in himself, and which He bestows upon us in such a manner that it becomes ours... The peace of God is that which dwelt in Jesus' own breast, the deep tranquility of the soul which springs from resting wholly in God. As peace with God is called justification, so this peace of God is sanctification. It is communicated to us through the gift of the Holy Spirit, which removes all the carnal contradictions of the soul and enthrones in the purified heart the Prince of Peace." I think peace is something that everybody can relate to, and when you put it in the terms of Peace, it seems like an easy way to explain and understand what God is trying to do for us, in us, and through us.

"If we affirm that the reality of what is known as “holiness” or “sanctification”—which we believe was faithfully preached by Wesley and his successors—transcends time and space, we must see it as a vital message to be passed to future generations. This is the challenge: to regain or recreate an ethos, a vision, and a distinctive spirituality as we attempt to articulate the doctrine of holiness in the next century. This is not a task, however, for one theologian or one preacher or one teacher." I have struggled with this as I work with young people. How do I teach them about this idea of Christian Perfection, that Jesus teaches to be "perfect"? How do we tell young people to seek to live their lives this way in the midst of all of their busyness, their (sometimes unrealistic) expectations that are set by them, their families, their teachers, or coaches? How do we tell kids who are constantly told that they are not good enough that God wants them to live a perfect and holy life? How do we show the love of Jesus, and have it translate into growth towards a holy lifestyle? This is certainly a task made out for the Church to engage in!

[Godly] love is as new as every new moment. I love this concept. There is something so comforting about knowing that at each and every moment of the day, God is there, loving me regardless of my shortcomings and failures. Chris Tomlin, who has become the forerunner of modern worship music, portrays it perfectly: "This one thing remains: Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me." If I lose all that I am, all that I have gained in this world, I know one thing will always remain, his great, mighty, powerful, and unyielding love for me. It was that love that led to the suffering on the cross. His love never fails!

Getting Back Into Wesley's Journal: "About a thousand people stood patiently (though the frost was sharp, it being after sunset) while, from Acts 28:22, I simply described the plain, old religion of the Church of England, which is now almost everywhere spoken against, under the new name of Methodism. " I love the satire that I get from these words of Wesley. His work in England was largely chastised by the Anglican Church, although he never yielded his foundational loyalty to the Church of England. Wesley surely laments the fact that the Church of England did not view Wesley's Methodist movement as being a part of the their team. I think we can fall prey to that in our modern day. We live in a consumer-driven world, where people can come and go to restaurants, stores, even churches as they meet or do not meet specific needs. We can become resentful of other denominations or churches that seem to be attracting more people. The truth is that all who claim Jesus Christ as our God, our Lord and Savior must recognize that we are all on the same team! We are all living this life to further the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and to that end we must respect and applaud the work that others are doing in the name of Jesus. I remember Jesus' rebuke of his disciples, who told a man not to cast out demons in Jesus' name because he was not "one of them". How many are there who are not "with us" that have the power to do great things in the name of God, that we hinder because of our own pride, vanity, or ambition?

It is a divine evidence and conviction, first, that God hath promised it in the holy Scripture . . . It is a divine evidence and conviction, secondly, that what God hath promised He is able to perform . . . It is, thirdly, a divine evidence and conviction that He is able and willing to do it now. And why not? Is not a moment to Him the same as a thousand years? He cannot want more time to accomplish whatever is His will. And He cannot want or stay for any more worthiness or fitness in that persons He is pleased to honour . . . To this confidence, that God is both able and willing to sanctify us now, there needs to be added one thing more—a divine evidence and conviction that He doeth it. If you seek it by faith, you may expect it as you are; and if as you are, then expect it now . . . Expect it by faith; expect it as you are; and expect it now. To deny one of them, is to deny them all; to allow one, is to allow them all. I love that point of sanctification: expect it by faith, as you are, right now! We have the ability to live a life of holiness and honor unto God right here, right now! We don't have to wait until we are "mature" Christians, we don't have to wait until we have graduated from the Sunday School curriculum. We have the ability and the power to live a life worthy of God right now! We have the ability to go out, seeking God and serving him with all we are, loving him and loving others with all that we are, in the here and now. God is so good!

It is extremely important to know that the doctrine of holiness is a biblical doctrine. It is no less important to see that it is also a historical one, sewn securely into the fabric of Christian orthodoxy from the beginning. I think the point in this statement about holiness being historical is very significant because I believe that when Holiness has been the focal point of the Church, it has resulted in the great change in the lives of humanity. Often times Christianity gets a pretty harsh treatment in the Historical Context; issues such as the Crusades, Slavery, and Civil Rights have at times thrown Christianity in a pretty poor light. But on the other hand, there are many instances in history when individuals have thrown themselves on the Altar of God, submitting to his will above all else. I think of people like Xavier, Zwingli, Luther, Wesley, and others who, forsaking all else, found no higher calling than to follow God and follow him alone. I think when we set ourselves aside and do the great work that God has called for us, then we have the ability to seek his perfect and pleasing will.

The interpretation of issues such as righteousness, holiness, sanctification, and perfection are non-negotiable in maintaining our theological integrity. They are at the very heart of the “analogy of faith,” the primary lens by which Wesleyans interpret Scripture. I like this quote, because I think it points to the fidelity that Wesley had towards the scriptures. Above all else, Wesley maintained his integrity to the word of God: Love God, Love Others, Be Perfect as your father is Perfect. Through this lens, it is easy to see why Wesley thought the idea of Christian Perfection was attainable. If I love God with all that I am, and if my love for him also extends to the people I encounter, then I have no reason to believe that would flow. The issue arises when I allow myself to get in the way, when I start to consider my own interests above God's or other people I am supposed to be showing love to.

The Bible finds its authority in its faithful witness of Christ and in the fact that its truth of salvation and sanctification through Christ has been experienced and verified by believers through the centuries. I think verification is a very important word in this phrase. The Bible by itself is a powerful story, telling the tale of a loving God revealing himself to all the world through a chosen people, culminating in Jesus reconciling the world through a sacrificial death on a cross. Its narrative, drama, and poetry are the things that Hollywood movies are made of; further, many of the Biblical stories have even found themselves on the big screen. The thing that makes the Biblical story greater is the fact that its theme, the message of God reconciling himself to humanity, has been shown and proven in the lives of countless individuals over the last 2000-plus years. The story is living! It lives in the hearts and lives of all of those who have received the loving power of Jesus Christ. Verification is crucial to the credibility of the story, and it has proven to be verified by the experience of individuals across time.

"We do not seek holiness for our own sakes, but for the sake of loving God with our whole being and loving our neighbor as ourselves. When we do this, we are being who God created us to be." I think this is a great way to sum up what it means to seek holiness. The tenets of holiness run counter to the views of this world. The world trumpets personal accomplishments and extravagance, while the viewpoint of holiness is simple: to love God, and loves others, so much that we place our own interests and personal accomplishments on the side as we seek to serve others.

Its a new Class, so its time to restart the old Blog. This term's class is called "Becoming a Holy People". I will freely admit that I am excited for this course. I think it is easy to throw terms around like "Holiness" and "Christian Perfection" and "Entire Sanctification" without knowing how to clearly communicate those in ways that people can understand and hold as their own. My hope is that this course will help me to be able to better explain not only what it means to live a lifestyle of holiness, but what I it is especially beneficial to do so.

Reflect on where you are today in your journey of Christian maturity compared to where you were when this module began. For this particular module, I am thankful that it is over! I took the first section of this course in 2009, and finished the second section almost three years later. I put it off for so long because the content overwhelmed me. In retrospect, I am glad that I did, because I was able to get three more years of maturity and study under my belt before I embarked on the second component of this course. Thankfully, the course work was not as overwhelming as I remember. Further, I found that things were clicking better for me. I don't know if it was a place of maturity, or if I was less stressed out, but I am thankful for taking this course and learning more about who God is and how much he truly loves me.

Have you been exposed to the idea that Satan is the personification of evil? What do you think of the idea? How do you respond? How much of what we think about the devil comes from Milton’s Paradise Lost? I have been exposed to this idea before, and I think a lot of what we see in evil is personified in Milton's portrayal of Satan. Satan had the arrogance to think he could overcome God; humanity has a flair for the prideful and arrogant. Satan is persuasive, as he depicted in the Biblical text as a sneaky snake that can convince humans of doing wrong while thinking it is all right. I think Milton does a great job of showing what truly is difficult about evil: That evil is a very tricky path of life that is filled with deception. Crops up in good intended people doing bad things, all in the name of what they think is right, even though they are very wrong. Far too often do we travel down the road of good intentions, simply seeking out our own best interests, only to fall into a trap of despair.

Reflect on a time when someone reached out to you in loving-kindness. When was the last time that you saw someone in need and responded in loving-kindness? I remember when I was younger, being ministered to by a youth leader. He genuinely was interested in me; he built a relationship with me, got to know me, shared himself with me. I think that is missing in a lot of relationships these days. Many people are hesitant to share themselves with others, I think for fear that they might lose something of themselves. This person looked in a different way, sharing himself for my sake. That is loving-kindness. I think when we are building relationships, we have a variety of opportunities to reach out to others in loving kindness. Too many times we are too busy to look around and see the need around us. I recently went and visited a friend in a nursing home, just to cheer them up. It was a blessing to me that I could be a blessing to them. Often times we don't recognizes the benefits we get of being a blessing to another.