Mikessocalledlife

What can I do.

Today I was eaves dropping on a ladies conversation with what I believed to be her daughter.  From my experience and her wordage I think she was in some sort of rehab center for drugs or alchohal.  My heart went out to her and her family.   You see I know alot of people in this situation.  They are trying to help themselves with some sort of issue, drugs, alcohol, sex addiction, joblessness, and other issues.  I find myself in a weird situation.  I talk to these people alot.  You see for some reason it seems strangers talk to me alot about weird things like there past, drugs there trying to get off of or other things I know are very personal but for some strange reason it seems they share these things with me.  Every once in a while I will talk to someone in a public place and find myself standing next to them in a supermarket or home depot with them balling there eyes out telling me about there problems.  What am I supposed to do with that?  Usually I would invite them to church and they would come and enjoy themselves and then get eaten up and rejected out the revolving door of judgementalism.  Left with me trying to explain the church does not equal God. (even though it should or at least be a better representation of Him)  Now I am in a situation were I don't attend a "church".  I meet as regulary as I can with friends and run a Youth Church in my basement that is basically filled with students who have been rejected by society or church or both.  But My question is what do I do with these people I meet?  Do I invite them to UNDERGROUND (my basement student Church)?  Do I just ignore them?  what am i supposed to do?  There are people in my life who, I know, feel the same way and we have pooled are resources together and actually helped people in need.  (the way church should be)  But here I sit and wonder what can I do with all the hurt in the world I come across?  I know its not my job to fix everyone but I do feel its my job to do what I can and I guess I struggle with the question How much can I do? 
Another example is a younger guy I saw at walmart today.  He was my check out guy and I recognized him from the guy across the streets house.  I asked him how he is doing and suprizingly he said not real good.  He started to tell me he moved to California and got involved with alot of drugs and alcohol had to come back and wasn't allowed to move back to house he was in so he is now living with his grandma in wonder lake.  (he hates it by the way)  I asked him if he still went to my neighbors.  He said no they all get high there and hes tryin to stay away from that.  Thats were I start to think about what can I offer this person to help him.  I was once in his situation maybe not exact but I needed help and people stepped up now how do I step up for him.  What r ur thoughts?  How do we live life aware of those around us as Jesus did and still accomplish all the things we need to do like provide for our family, spend time with friends and family and do all the other stuff we need to do? How do we live our lives so were not just keeping our head down hoping no one recognizes us?  How can we change the world? well thanks for listening.  Sorry its so long.

Later,
MIKE

Stuck in the middle

Sometimes I feel like I am not only fighting sin and for the spiritual life of people in my life but I feel like I am fighting the So called church as well.  Let me give u some history.  I didn't grow up in Church at all.  I was raised by an alcoholic father and a mother who was amazing and did everything she could to keep her marriage and us kids happy.  I was heavily into drugs (hard and Lite), alcohol, and just about everything a teenager can get into.  I have spent time in jail and had what alot of what people told me was a great life.  I had alot of friends and partied all the time.  I was empty and frustrated with life.  One day I went to a church with my friend who partied with me I sat and listened to what the Pastor had to say and was not real particularly moved by it or even really remember what he said I just remember thinking to myself I'll give this God thing a shot.  Now we can fast forward I started working with students  and went to Bible College.  After, I started doing student ministry (professionally) and had horrible experiences with churches. a few years Later I was interviewing for a few Churches to do student ministry for and I found one by us that seemed to be a good fit for us.  I was told they wanted me to do student ministry for them and I immediately told them we were interested only if they want us to reach (unchurched) students.  They said that was exactly what they were looking for.  The only catch was they couldn't pay me a full time salary for a year.  So I talked to my wife (Juli) and we decided we could make some sacrifices for a year and I could work part time and give the church the other part for 1 year until they could take me on full time.  At the end of that year we found out we were lied to.  They couldn't afford us and not only that the "medium sized growing church"  was actually a medium sized choking church but  The leadership had been spending more (Alot More) money then they brought in.  At the 1 yr anniversary for us we were  met with a we can't afford you and we are not willing to afford you and also we want you to start "babysitting" (my word not theirs) for our church students. They didn't like the (sinners) we were reaching.  In the end we were forced to leave the church.  hoping they would create something for these students coming every Thursday night they started a holy huddle were they basically asked any students who don't attend Sunday morning service to not come to youth group.  NICE.  So we (my wife and I) were left with a choice.  Do we let these students just go there way and we go ours or do we try to intervene.  (even after all this we still had 5-10 students coming by our house to hang out every week)  So we did what we thought any self respecting Christ follower would do.  We started a Church for students in our basement.  For once in our lives we had people but no ministry to put them in so we made one.  It has been a month and I still don't know what to think.  Our students are amazing.  They are not your usual group of Church kids.  In fact most places we go with other churches there it seems like we totally crash the place.  People just don't know what to think.  So here we are trying to love and care for the students in our lives that have been mistreated and abandoned by the "church" and as I talk to more and more of these "church" people the more discouragement I get from them.  They all tell me You can't do it that way or you can't start a church with just students how will you get money, how will you get paid?  To all of that I say screw off jerk bags.  When and were is it found in Jesus' teaching were we are supposed to get into ministry for the money.  Maybe I'm wrong but I really feel like we are doing what God wants us to.  Is it easy?  not at all.  Do we know what it supposed to look like?  Of course not.  All we know is we have a basement full of students who are on a journey with us to find out what it means to follow God in 2008.  We have formed this big family feel mostly dysfunctional but these students amaze me on a regular basis with there love for each other and for others.  they take care of each other and help  each other in ways I have never seen a church do.  I am in the middle of this battle and i feel pressure from both sides the church and the world.  I'm stuck in the middle right were I feel Jesus was and it sometimes sucks but you do get to see amazing things if you keep your eyes open for what God is doing.  Thanx for reading give me your comments or questions.

Later
MIKE

Heres my new way to rant and complain about things in my life

Hey everyone.  Really thats probably no one cause no one knows about this blog.  Welcome to mikes so called life.  I am making no promises on the amount I will blog but when I do, I hope u will enjoy it.