The Enchanting, Intriguing, Electrifyingly Wondrous realm known to DJ as “The Land Called Gospel"......Known To Us as HOUSEBOATS!!!!

This week I read through and edited and re-edited the 2017 Super Ultra Packet and Devo Guide.  With my self-imposed immersion into the culture of Christ’s gospel lived out on houseboats, I found my “drenched in ultra packet and devo” mind and heart connecting with these two thoughts in the sermon:

Thought # 1 -  The gospel of Jesus Christ creates a new polis. A new culture, kingdom, life, & empire.  We are citizens of the gospel polis and Jesus Christ call us to primarily His gospel culture.

Thought # 2 – Paul exhorts me to radical focus on Christ where every fiber of my being is seeking to know Christ and be found in Christ and  every fiber of my being longs for understanding and living the mind of Christ.  DJ uses  Philippians 2:5-11 as a passage that expresses the mind of Christ and refers to it as the national anthem of Heaven.  He uses this passage to conclude that the pattern I am called to follow is the pattern of servanthood.   DJ proclaims that there is no other pattern that helps human beings live.  No other pattern but servanthood.   He then portrays heaven as being about self-serving love and the eternal joy of self-emptying love!

These two thoughts for me capture the mind of Christ and the unifying mind/heart of us as we seek to live out His kingdom come on the water! 

A few quotes from the Super Ultra Packet that resonated with me as having a tie to the theme of this sermon are as follows:

“The love of God which forgives sin, envelopes shame, and inspires self-sacrifice emits not from prayer alarms, big goals, and impressive promises.  Instead, God’s unique love to us and through us erupts from that most simple moment where we behold the definitive manner of LOVE the Father has given to us. “

“You want to be a great leader?  Commit yourself to being slaughtered on behalf of your team so that they might live.   Heart of sacrifice = strong leadership. “

“Loving others involves giving myself away in self-giving-sacrificial-servant-love.”

This sermon and this series in many ways provides some terrific theological and biblical depth to the definition we use for the term relational ministry.  In the Ultra Packet we present the definition to relational ministry this way:

RELATIONAL MINISTRY

Sonshine Specialized Camping Ministries is a relational ministry. What we mean by "relational" is that we are developing relationships with students in order to:

I.   Befriend others with the love of Christ

II.  Help encourage Christ-like identity

III. Model a Christ-centered lifestyle

IV.  Invite them to deeper intimacy with Christ

Houseboat ministry is very unique. It really can’t be explained, only experienced. The reason for the ministry is simply to provide an atmosphere where Christ is Lord and people are invited to grow in Christ and in their interpersonal relationships.

For me, some of life’s most superlatively richest moments are rooted in this opportunity we have to invite students and staff to the enchanting, intriguing, electrifyingly wondrous realm known to DJ as “The Land Called Gospel.”