The Cost of Discipleship

Is there such a thing as cheap and easy discipleship? Because in all honesty, my discipleship has been both cheap and easy by any standards. This makes me question whether or not it is discipleship at all. Let me share with you the fate of the initial twelve.

1. John died of extreme old age in Ephesus, but they tried to kill him by boiling him in a vat of oil.

2. Judas Iscariot, after betraying his Lord, hanged himself.

3. Peter was crucified, head downward during the persecution of Nero.

4. Andrew died on a cross at Patrae, in Achaia, a Grecian colony.

5. James was thrown from a pinnacle of the temple and then beaten to death with a club.

6. Bartholomew was flayed alive in Albanopolis, Armenia.

7. James, the elder son of Zebedee, was beheaded at Jerusalem.

8. Thomas, the Doubter, was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel, in the East Indies.

9. Philip was hanged against a pillar at Heropolis, a city of Phrygia, in Asia Minor.

10. Matthew was slain by the sword, in Ethiopia, Abyssinia.

11. Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows.

12. Simon died on a cross in Persia (now Iran).

I am thankful that it is unlikely that this will be the fate of any American reading this post. However, that does not mean there is no price to pay. I am one of the most comfortable people I know. Stephanie and I live without very little--sure we could have more, but we could have a whole lot less. Somehow the devil has convinced me that I am entitled to comfort--that I deserve the amenities we enjoy. In other words, my attitude would aptly be described as the antithesis of what it ought to be according Philippians 2:


Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Christ, who in fact created the world he came to visit, made himself nothing.
I, on the other hand, have never created anything and damage what I touch am convinced that it is my right to be comfortable, have what I want, and do what I wish when I desire.

God opposes the proud and therefore opposes me. Lord, break me of my pride.

Ohio, it is pronounced "ofn"

I miss blogging. Today, I was in the classroom of a very well qualified 6th grade reading teacher. One of the kids I was talking to while the teacher was out of the room said "ofTen". I corrected her and had to prove myself with the dictionary. When the teacher returned the students asked her to say the word spelled "O-F-T-E-N". What did she say? She pronounced it how everyone else in Ohio does, "ofTen". I would say 75% of MN, gets this right, but only about 2% of Ohio. Shape up Ohioans...

Back to School Jumping Through Hoops

I went back to school today. As is a common problem at regional campuses, the course offering this quarter were not adequate for my needs. If I waited for every class to come through Lancaster, I would be in school for two more years. So, for the next 10 weeks, I will be commuting over an hour each way to Athens, OH 5 days a week. In all honesty, it will probably be more like 4 days a week. Today I ran from corner to corner of the campus to get a parking pass, a TB test, a background check, opt out of their health insurance, and attend class in the different buildings. It is amazing the number of hoops education majors have to jump through!

Initially, when Stephanie and I decided that Athens was a must, I was imagining it to be the worst 10 weeks of my life. I am happy to report that this is no longer how I feel. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". Typically (sadly), I rarely feel I have to call that verse into action. I am excited to lean heavily on that truth this quarter. I am excited to forget my own power and lean heavily on his. I know it is only day one, but I feel great, and am already a week ahead. Praise the Lord!

It has been forever since I posted. Hopefully, I am back.

Orange Peel Resolved

So I have tried getting a hold of Jonathan many times and things always fall through. I was worried that we weren't going to resolve things in time if I didn't hurry up and get the ticket info from him and call the park back. Well, I finally got a hold of Jonathan, and found out that the guy I had spoken with took the initiative to call Jonathan himself and tell him to tear up the ticket. Praise the Lord, all is resolved, and Jonathan is not broke.

Orange Peel Update

I just called the National Park Service and they connected me to the Law Enforcement Division. I began by telling him our story and interjected that in my opinion, $275 seemed awfully excessive for an honest mistake. After all, this wasn't an act of defiance, it truly was a misunderstanding of the law. I went on to state that the real issue I was calling was to address the mismanagement of out ticket by the ranger. He knew the ranger as soon as I said his name and did confess that he was quite the rookie. He empathised with us and more or less stated that the intent of the law is to fine campers who leave sites littered with trash and other more serious offenders. He was extremely professional and understanding. I did not have the ticket in hand, so we could not take care of everything, but he said that when I call him back with necessary info he will speak with the appropriate supervisor and see what he can do. he made no promises but certainly led me to believe that he would work something out in order to lessen or eliminate the penalty. I love it when I call some place ready to really fight and the people on the other end are so awesome that I don't even have the opportunity Enterprise is like that... I have had problems with 3 out of 4 rental experiences and every time I go in there armed to verbally destroy them they take care of it and then some before I get 5 words out. Mad props to good management!

Heaven and Hell

I was recently asked how I know that heaven and hell exist--how do I know that there is something beyond death

My short answer to the question is that a reliable source told me so.

If I wanted to know about how the cell functions, I would talk to a biologist. If I wanted to know what the strange growth on my elbow is I would go to a dermatologist. If my car is broken, I go to the mechanic. If I want to know about China, I will talk to someone from there or at least a well-versed visitor. There are few things I enjoy more than consulting experts. I am always so amazed when someone can spend 30 seconds with something and then tell me exatly what is going on. I love DIY projects, but willfully admit that if I can do it in 12 hours, an expert can probably do it in 2. It is true, that sometimes two experts disagree, or that someone who claims to be an expert is not. Angie's List, the BBB, and conversations with other experts help us discern who we can trust and who we can't.


So, if I have questions about the after life, where do I turn? Well, I am limited to people who have been there, or someone lives outside the physical realm to tell us about it. A few people do claim to have experienced heaven through NDEs (near-death experiences), but many of those can be explained biologically. A Christian, Din Piper, wrote the book 90 Minutes in Heaven. His experience is very different from the typical NDE. I have read the book and it is very convincing, but I am still a little skeptical.


Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." He also stated, "But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca', is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell."


It takes little searching to know that according to the Bible, Jesus certainly believed in both heaven and hell. This leaves us with a couple questions of validation. If Jesus indeed said these things, and if He is a reliable source, then I can trust that heaven and hell do exist. Here is where I can confidently refer to the work of others. I could regurgitate logical and historical reasons to trust the scriptures, as well as reasons to believe that Christ knew what he was talking about and had no motives to make the stuff up. But, we do what others have already done so well. Read Lee Strobel's book A Case for Christ for an excellent defense of these and other matters.

Orange Peel

I am currently at the Denver Int'l airport awaiting our flight home from the FLY Convention. It was an incredible week and many came to know the Lord. On Thursday, our church took a couple of vans into RMNP to enjoy God's creation. On the way down the mountain Jonathan began to peel an orange. He was going to throw the peel out of the window while we drove by a overlook, but I told him to wait until it was some place where no one would see it. He tried to throw it over a wall, but didn't quite make it. A few hundred feet down the mountain, we heard sirens and pulled over when possible. After 30 minutes, a dyslexic park ranger newb issued Jonathan a ticket. We all thought it was pretty ridiculous, giving a 15 year old who had never been in a National Park before a ticket for one small orange peel. As we drove away, Jonathan began to examine the paper work and discovered that he owed $275! He snapped. That boy has never had $275 in his life.

The story really got interesting last night. While at the Convention, I got called into the office. Somehow, the park ranger figured out how to contact me through the YMCA. I was told that we had something of his that he needed. I tried calling, but the number was apparently wrong. Since then, he has left voicemails on both Jonathan and my cell phones. It sounds like he forgot to keep his copy of the ticket. So, what do we do with this? I am committed to advocating for Jonathan through this whole ordeal even if it means trying to raise some money. My question is this: Do you think it is possible to use the ranger's mistake as an opportunity to get out of the fine? What is he going to do? Ask us to mail it to him? Would we (Jonathan) be obligated to comply? What do you think?