Category Archives: Faith

September 2, 2011

Getting To Know…@mikeschmitt

By Patrick Reyes

This week’s “Getting to Know” features Mike Schmitt.  I first met Mike through Twitter and have come to appreciate his selfless and humble attitude.  If there was ever someone to model what Jesus Christ might be like today, it’s him.  What he does with CommuniD BBQ is amazing.  I asked Mike to share what CommuniD BBQ are meant for:

CommuniD BBQs happen every Saturday in Detroit and once a month in Flint and Mt. Clemens. They are put together by an organic network of churches, community groups and individuals from across Southeast Michigan called elevate Detroit. At CommuniD BBQs anyone is welcome to come as we share an afternoon and a meal together. It is not an opportunity to volunteer or to go “love on people”. It is a chance to share love with others and allow them to share love with you. It is an opportunity for people from all walks of life to come together, get to know each other and be people together.  We are all beautiful images of a creator God.

The video below (originally shared on Dan Sadlier’s blog) show’s Mike in action.

Mike was also kind enough to answer my questions and I am so glad he did!

Who is the most influential person in your life and why?
From my past: Mom. As she was diagnosed with terminal cancer, her husband and my dad of 25 years left her and our family. As literally our world and lives fell apart, she never questioned God’s goodness and never lost her joy. Her faith, trust and love for Him was inspiring to myself as well as everyone who knew her. As a testimony to her faithfulness, there were hundreds of people at her funeral and the procession went on for over a mile and a half.

Currently: Tony Stallwarth. There is a video called Homeless Karaoke (www.homelesskaraoke.com). The way Tony talks about people in that video has strongly shaped the way CommuniD BBQs have been formed since almost day one.  I have had the chance to meet and talk with him a couple times now. His vision of the Kingdom and love of people is inspiring and transforming.

Guilty dessert pleasure?
Crème brûlée. But there is no guilt in anything that good. It simply must be heavenly.

What is one piece of advice you would give someone?
Don’t spit into the wind. And if you want to change the world, you won’t.  But what you can do is change the world for one person at a time.  Together, if we all do what we can, the world will be a very different place.

If you want to keep up with what Mike is doing, you can follow him on Twitter at @mikeschmitt.  Check out his blog, Shoes For The Hopeless, and if you want to follow what is going on with CommuniD BBQ, check out the Elevate blog and “like” the Elevate Facebook page!

I’d like to leave you with these verses from 1 John 3: 16-18:

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us.  So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.  If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?  Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

Now that you’ve read that, think about Mike.  He lives out God’s love every day.  Get to know Mike.

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August 11, 2011

Are You Qualified?

By Patrick Reyes

Best status update I’ve seen yet…

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August 10, 2011

Fan the Flames

By Patrick Reyes

As a parent, I often think about the stories I’ll pass on to my kids.  Pouring into the next generation has become more important to me especially as my kids get older.  Am I helping pass along the Filipino heritage of my mom and dad?  Am I instilling into my kids the work ethic of my parents and Julianne?  More importantly, am I sharing my faith with my kids so that they are able to decide for themselves what their faith means to them?

I recently heard at Kensington Orion that we are only one generation away from either losing the knowledge of God or from making life changing impact through the stories we tell the next generation of how Christ impacted our lives.  Through how we are living our own lives, are we creating stories of impact that can be an influence to future generations to carry on our legacy as parents as well as the message of Jesus Christ?

Think about it terms of the history of the United States.  Have we really done a good job at passing down the spirit of those that founded this great country through the stories that made this country so great?  Simple things like the history of U.S. Presidents, capitals of the states or even more recent events like 9/11 have lost some of  their meaning to those that never experienced them.  These stories remain important and shouldn’t be minimized.

If you are in any position of leadership, I believe it’s vitally important for us to constantly think about what it is we want to pass along to those that come after us.  Are we providing every opportunity for those that we lead to learn and grow?  I think about my own faith and how that has come to shape my life over the last 5 years.  I get so excited when I think about how God has blessed my life and my family.  I am now thinking about the stories I want my kids to tell my grandkids so that they will able to feel the influence Jesus Christ had on my life even after I’m gone.  I’m reminded of Paul’s message to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice.  And I know that same faith continues strong in you.  This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.  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. (2 Timothy 1:5-8 NLT)

What stories are you preparing for future generations?  I hope they are good and memorable, otherwise you might be left with this…

3 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Faith, Leadership

August 7, 2011

Lukewarm and Loving It

By Patrick Reyes

The following is an excerpt from Francis Chan‘s latest book, Erasing Hell.  Makes me think…big time.

The most terrifying images of hell occur, as we have seen, in the book of Revelation.  But let’s remember the context in which John writes this book.  This isn’t an evangelistic tract written for unbelievers-the hell passages here weren’t designed to make converts and scare people into the kingdom.  They were designed to warn believers to keep the faith in the midst of adversity.  In fact, the descriptions of hell in Revelation 14 and 20-21 were first written with the seven churches of Revelation 2-3 in mind.  In these churches, there were those who had left their first love (Rev. 2:4), followed the heresy of false teachers (v. 20), and become complacent and “lukewarm” because of the earthly wealth they hoarded (3:15-17).  It is to these types of people-people who confess Jesus with their lips but deny Him by their actions-that God reserves the most scathing description of hellfire and brimstone.

I hate to sound as if I’m always singling out the church in America, but it’s where I live.  And I have seen enough of His church in other countries to know that not everyone lives like us.  In fact, few do.  We have become dangerously comfortable-believers ooze with wealth and let their addictions to comfort and security numb the radical urgency of the gospel.  What’s encouraging is that there seems to be a growing number of American believers who recognize this and are making changes.  Be encouraged by the statement Jesus made while addressing the church in Sardis.  He addresses the “few” who refused to succumb: “You have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy” (Rev. 3:4).

I would love for Jesus to grace me with those words: You are worthy.  Wouldn’t you?

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August 4, 2011

Privilege = Responsibility NOT Entitlement

By Patrick Reyes

Kirk Cousins continues to define the model athlete for me.  I’m not just saying this because he is a Michigan State Spartan.  I’m saying this because of the following video where he spoke and represented the Big Ten players at the Kick Off Luncheon.  The video is worth your 8 minutes of time.  Much of what he talks about is applicable not only to athletes but to all of us as well.  Regardless of what you think, we are privileged individuals…most of us have homes, jobs, families, good health, etc.  I continuously go back and think, am I being responsible with what God has given me or do I view what I’m given as some sort of entitlement?

Kirk mentions Luke 12:48 in his speech…

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Does your privilege give you a sense of responsibility or a sense of entitlement?  It’s obviously your choice, but one makes a difference and the is just plain selfish.

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July 30, 2011

The Great Harvest

By Patrick Reyes

The one thing that I’ve come to appreciate lately is taking the time in the morning to read my Bible (well the Bible on my iPad) and pray. It’s during these times that I get the inspiration for blog posts plus it’s a great way to start my day. Last week, during this time I came across the following verse from Luke:

“These were his instructions to them: ‘The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Luke 10:2 NLT)

As I read this it made think about the great harvest of the Christian life. I look at the stories many of us have to share of how God has truly impacted our lives. In essence these are our harvest tools and yet many of us don’t use them often enough, thus the workers to share the Gospel “are few.”

My hope and prayer is that all of us that have a passion for something, whether it is sharing our faith or redefining a city (like Detroit) will take to heart that the only way this can happen is if we ourselves USE our tools and go out and harvest so we can have more “workers in his fields.”

Have a great weekend everyone!

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July 27, 2011

This You. That You.

By Patrick Reyes

How do you grow?  Whether it’s in your job, in your marriage, as a parent, or in your faith, are you growing?  Are you taking steps to move beyond what you know now to a place that you don’t know yet?  The journey is not comfortable and often times a little rocky with a misstep here and there.  As a leader, you should require this of the people that work for you.  As a husband or wife, you should continuously look to grow in your marriage to each other.  As a parent, you should challenge and encourage your children to take that first step into becoming the person they were meant to be fulfilling the purpose God has in store for their lives.

We all know “this you”.  We’re comfortable with this you.  It’s not until you see “that you” that you realize the growth you have yet to see.  I love this video from my friends at Soul City Church in Chicago.  They expect their community to grow regardless of where they are in their faith.  Take a few minutes to watch it and then think about “that you” that you want to be.

3 comments   |  tags: , , , | posted in Faith, Leadership

July 24, 2011

Holier Than Thou

By Patrick Reyes

“But the Pharisees and experts in religious law rejected God’s plan for them, for they had refused John’s baptism.” (Luke 7:30 NLT)

Reading this passage today, I began to think about some of the things I’ve been experiencing with fellow Christians lately. It saddens me when these believers become so focused on a particular issue and begin to question the character of one of their brothers or sisters in Christ.

I’m not sure what the future holds with what is going on but I can only hope my family and I follow in the wise words that are on the bracelet Joshua is currently wearing, “WWJD”…what would Jesus do?

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July 12, 2011

Where is the honor?

By Patrick Reyes

I’m back from vacation and do I feel refreshed!  I took a much needed break from life and the internet (although I wasn’t completely disconnected) to spend quality time with Julianne and the kids.  Along these same lines, you might want to see what my buddy Gini Dietrich wrote about today about creating white space…although geared towards business, it’s very appropriate for taking time away and focusing on your life!

OK…so why do I have you here today?  Last week at Portage Lake Covenant Bible Camp, Craig Swanson from First Evangelical Covenant Church walked us through a timeless classic, the 10 Commandments.  What was amazing to me was how relevant these continue to be today especially when you really dig into what they mean and just how interconnected the 10 are together.  There is a depth and breadth to them that when you really sit down and study them, they come to life.

For today, I want to focus on the 5th Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12 NIV)

At face value, I think we all grew up as children understanding we needed to respect and obey our parents.  This is what we know of as “honoring” them.  However, it’s becoming more and more common to discount what those that are older and wiser have in experience just because we think they don’t get it because “it’s not relevant” today.  Why do we do this?  Those that have come before us, whether in life or in business, have so much to offer!  There is something to be said from “learning from my mistakes.”  Most of us have access to leaders that are willing to invest in our lives so that we can be successful and not make the same mistakes that many have made before us.  Craig Groeschel from LifeChurch.tv beautifully communicates what this can look like in his talk from Catalyst last year.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
What happens when we do this?  Let me take you back to my vacation from last week.  PLCBC is an intergenerational experience.  You see families that have been going to camp for almost 50 years.  The grandparents went as kids and then sent their children.  Those children are now adults with families and they are now sending their kids.  Each of the generations interacts with each other and you see the children and young adults go to those that “have been there” and honor them.  In return, you are seeing the “sages” pour into the lives of the younger generations.

From an organizational perspective or family perspective, are you honoring your “father and mother” or those that came before you?

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July 2, 2011

A Camping We Will Go

By Patrick Reyes

Our family is about ready to head to our yearly visit to Portage Lake Covenant Bible Camp in Onekama, MI.  Our kids just finished a week at Spring Hill Day Camp.  I mention this to you because, as a parent, there is a huge value in sending kids and family to a summer camp.  What’s even better (in my opinion) is if you can send them to a Christian camp.  Take a look at the following video.  I’m amazed at the statistics!  If you’re a parent, consider sending your kids to camp!

Source: www.kidsneedcamp.com

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