Thoughts Along the Way

Thoughts on the interaction of God, people, truth, and our world

 

 Michael Armstrong

For over 27 years, I have worked in student ministry at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Working on a university campus has given me an opportunity to look at life from many different angles. I have been married to my incredible wife, Gina, for almost 30 years & have two wonderful daughters - Erin & Stacy. I have also served as a track & field official for almost 20 years, working meets from high school through masters & elite & local through international levels.

Friday, April 16

The KC Royals, me, and God


Below is a "re-post" from almost five years ago. Sometimes I need to be reminded of this. Maybe you do, too.
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I'm a Kansas City Royals fan. There. I admitted it. I have been since they played their first game in 1969. There really isn't much reason to be a Royals fan now-a-days. Especially in Arkansas. This is Cardinal country. It's easy to be a Cardinal fan. They spend a lot of money. Have a lot of good players. They win. They are easy to love.

But it's not easy to be a Royals fan. They haven't won anything since about 1985. They have lost 8 of their last 10 games. (They didn't lose tonight! But then, they had the night off.) They have more losses than any other major league team. I probably couldn't name five players on their roster. The Royals aren't an easy team to love.

But I'm a Royals fan. This summer I'll probably head to Kansas City and watch them play (and probably lose) a couple of games.

Sometimes I'm sure God thinks of me like the Royals. I'm not always easy to love. I can put on a good show sometimes. But you don't have to watch too long before my failures begin to show. I am often self-centered. I'm impatient. I'm not loving. Not pious. Not zealous. Distracted. The list could go on. I'm not an easy person to love. But God is a Mike Armstrong fan. He loves me in spite of my inconsistencies and failures and sin.

And he loves you, too. Sometimes it is easy to forget that. Sometimes we get distracted by our failures and forget that we are loved. Regardless of our test scores. Regardless of our "relationship status." Regardless of how we rate on the financial scale or the looks scale or whatever other scale people measure each other by.

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
I John 4:9-10

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39

Back in 1982, a Christian singer named Bob Bennett released "A Song About Baseball." The song never mentions the name of Jesus. Never mentions the name of God. But it is all about his love for us "no matter how we play." It's a great song. I bought the CD just for this one song. Stop by my office sometime and I'll play it for you.

posted by Michael T | 4/16/2010 12:23:00 PM | 0 comments

Thursday, April 1

Road Trippin' - Campus Ministry Thoughts

Christ on Campus staff and students have been hitting the road for Spring Break to help out around the country (and Mexico) for over twenty-five years now. Our first trip, in 1985, was to work with a church in Juarez, Mexico. Over the years we have taken hundreds of students to:

Mexico (about 20 times to build houses, a children's home, and such)
Atlanta (to do inner-city ministry)
North Carolina (hurricane relief)
Louisiana (hurricane relief)
Mississippi (hurricane relief)
Kansas (tornado relief)
Florida (evangelism)
Arizona (projects at an Apache Reservation)

Though these trips require a lot of time, money, and effort we are firmly convinced of their value. And, though we hope that the groups we work with benefit from our labor, we believe that their greatest value is in what our students gain from the experience.

* They gain a broadened view of the world. They begin to see beyond just their experience and see how others live, how others think, and how others serve God. They begin to experience other cultures, worship in new ways, see need up close and personal. Their eyes and hearts are opened.

* They gain a greater appreciation of their ability to serve and meet needs. They contribute to the lives of others in ways that pull them out of their comfort zones and stretch their faith. Our prayer is that they carry the experience with them as they leave the UofA and that they will continue to find ways to serve and meet needs wherever God leads them during the rest of their lives.

* They experience God in deep and fresh ways. For those who are already Christians, they often return revived and closer to God. For those who aren't Christians (and there are often those with us who aren't), they get a chance to see the lives of Christ-followers up close and personal - both those they are traveling with and those they are serving. It is not unusual for these to later give their lives to Christ because of the seeds planted during a trip.

* Many begin to sense God's call on their lives on Spring Break trips. As I think of those who have left here and are now in ministry in the US and internationally, at least 90% of them took part in at least one Spring Break mission trip. I am sure that each would speak of the impact that experience had on their life.

I often tell our staff and students that there isn't anything that we do that can't be changed - but I can't see us ever not having a mission trip over Spring Break. The benefits are just too great for our students and for the places they will serve through the rest of their lives.

posted by Michael T | 4/01/2010 05:04:00 PM | 0 comments

Wednesday, March 31

"Why do bad things happen to good people?"

This is the first of what I plan to be a regular Wednesday series on here - answering "Ask Mike" questions. Feel free to submit questions either on here or via email. I won't promise that I will get to all of them on here, but I will try to respond to each in one form or another.

One note on these blog posts - they won't be as complete an answer as some would want. It is my goal to keep the response fairly short and readable. There is much more that could be said about any of these questions. I'll just be hitting some of the "big ideas."

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My first reaction to this question is why shouldn't bad things happen to good people? Why should we expect that good people should only experience good things? Our belief in this comes from several sources - poor theology that results in inaccurate preaching and teaching, our own sense of "justice"or "fairness", the concept of Karma, etc.

But the fact is that the Bible never promises that this would be the case:

Apostle Paul - "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him." Philippians 1:29

Apostle Peter - "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you." I Peter 4:12

Jesus - "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble." John 16:33

People suffer bad things for many reasons. We suffer because of our own bad choices. Some of the consequences are fairly minor. You get a speeding ticket or slide off of a slick road because you drive too fast. You pay an overdraft fee to the bank because you spent more money than you had in your account. Others are more severe - broken marriages, financial failure, job loss, jail time. But much of what we suffer comes by our own choices.

But we also suffer because of a fact of history that many choose to ignore: We live in a fallen world. The world that God created as perfect - environmentally, relationally, and spiritually - has been marred by mankind's rebellion against God and desire to assert self. You cannot grasp what you read in the newspaper without understanding this fact. We live in a fallen world with broken people on a broken planet.

So sometimes we suffer because of the bad choices of others. Innocent people suffer because of others' greed and cruelty and hard-hearts. Sometimes we suffer because we live on a planet that has marred by the Fall and damaged by mankind's lack of stewardship to care for that which God interested to us.

And sometimes we suffer because we have an enemy whose goal is to "steal, kill, and destroy" (John 10:10).

We are not going to avoid bad things in this life. What we can do is take heart that Jesus is with us and he has overcome the evil one.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

We can also choose to let God use bad circumstances in our life to build maturity.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4

posted by Michael T | 3/31/2010 04:31:00 PM | 0 comments

Friday, March 19

Grandma Armstrong

On Tuesday, I spoke at the funeral service of my grandmother - Juanita Armstrong. She was my father's mother and was 91 when she died - sixteen years to the day after my dad. She spent her life in southeast Kansas and was a farmer's wife, at least until 1969 when she and Grandpa moved into town. I have so many memories of singing with the family around the organ in their living room (with Grandpa playing along on his harmonica), of playing on their farm or in the lot north of their house in Girard, and of holidays in their home. Grandma was an avid reader and her Christmas list (even through this last one) was always full of books. I probably caught that bug from her. I remember being at her house over the summers and reading the books she had there. Over the years, she passed many of those on to me, including a set of books written by Harold Bell Wright, a Kansas writer and minister from the first part of the 1900's. Some of those books - first editions - are now over 100 years old, including one of my favorite novels: The Shepherd of the Hills. But probably the greatest trait of her life was her love for and generosity to her family. She loved her family - her sons and daughters-in-law, grand kids, great-grand kids, and great-great-granddaughter. I am so thankful that she got to see and visit with all of them during Christmas this year.


With Grandma's death, all of my grandparents are now gone and the dynamics of the family will change just as they did for the Huber side. The ones who held the aunts and uncles and cousins together are no longer there. My hope is that we will find ways to stay connected, but I know that is difficult and will take effort. Our lives and our society make those extended family connections difficult. We tend to get too scattered and too busy. But without them, we lose some of who we are and miss out on the stability and sense of belonging that we all need and for which so many are looking.

posted by Michael T | 3/19/2010 12:25:00 PM | 0 comments

Monday, March 8

Traits of Effective Leaders

One of my goals is be more organized and active on this site. Hopefully, that will make it more useful for those who are interested in its contents and easier for me to prepare posts. My intention is have a different topic for each day of the week. I won't promise that they this will happen every week. Much of it will be based on schedule, travel, and if I have anything I feel is valuable to say. But, as of now, here is how I picture the schedule:


Monday - Leadership Thoughts
Tuesday - Misc. Thoughts
Wednesday - "Ask Mike" Thoughts
Thursday - Campus Ministry Thoughts
Friday - Spiritual Formation Thoughts
Weekend - Track and Field Thoughts


I will also add this disclaimer: I don't intend to re-invent the wheel. If others have written or posted information that I feel can express and idea better than I can, I will point you to them. Hence, today's post.


Michael Hyatt is CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing. He is an active blogger and tweeter (@MichaelHyatt) and shares a lot of valuable information on productivity and leadership. He recently posted an article on "Five Marks of Authentic Leadership" that was very good. Those marks:


Insight
Initiative
Influence
Impact
Integrity


Which of these marks do you feel is the most valuable? The most needed today? Where have you seen one or more of these marks demonstrated by a leader you respect?

posted by Michael T | 3/08/2010 02:38:00 PM | 0 comments

Wednesday, March 3

Ask Mike Night, Part II

Last night was the second part of our annual "Ask Mike Night". Below are some more of the questions asked. I share them with you just to give you an idea of some of the things that students are wondering about. I am posting the questions just as they were asked. How would you answer them?

* What is your favorite food and why?

* What event/person/question has presented you with the greatest challenge to your faith and how have you overcome it or reconciled yourself with it?

* How do you make fasting beneficial to your spiritual life?

* In the process of writing the Bible, would the writers throw in their own interpretations of what God told them instead of writing exactly what God said?

* People seem to be either obsessed with Revelation and Bible prophecy or ignore it completely. What do you think? How important is it to spend time on Bible prophecy?

* How do you reconcile the well-evidenced support for evolution with the supposed "specialness" assigned to man? What makes us special enough spiritually to seek God if we are merely descendants of "lower" animals?

* How old is the earth? Does it matter?

* David Crowder wrote a song and book called "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven, but Nobody Wants to Die." This is often how I feel. I want to be with Jesus in Heaven, but I don't want my life to end yet. Is this selfish?

* How do I know whether I get to go to heaven?

* Can you lose your salvation?

* We are taught to respect our parents, but how do you stay respectful when they are truly not being fair?

posted by Michael T | 3/03/2010 01:56:00 PM | 0 comments

Monday, March 1

Beyond a Form of Religion

The SEC Track & Field Championships (both indoor and outdoor) always finish on a Sunday. Because of that, there has traditionally been a chapel service offered on the Sunday of the meet. Over the years, I have attended services at Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and Arkansas.

The highlights of yesterday's service were the testimonies shared by a couple of athletes: Jager Livingston of Auburn and Dylan Roberts of Arkansas. Jager spoke of God's purpose in our lives even when things don't turn out the way we had them planned. Dylan shared with us about the changes in his life since he chose to start following Christ during his freshman year. Both of them demonstrated that their faith was more than just a religious habit, but something that affects how they live and what they value.

Today, my cousin sent me a link to this article from yesterday's Kansas City Star about former KU basketball star Wayne Simien. (Considering my cousin and his family are K State people, it is especially meaningful!)

The common thread? That faith in Christ is a life-changing decision that affects how you live and how you see the world. Unfortunately, there are many who profess a faith in Jesus whose lives give no evidence of it. Nothing has changed in their lifestyle or language, in their relationships or their values. Because of that, many look skeptically on them, the faith they profess, and the God they claim to follow.

This isn't a new problem. Here are words written by the Apostle Paul almost 2,000 years ago:

"But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, ... lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power." II Timothy 3:1-5



"They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him." Titus 1:16

It is always encouraging to see lives that go beyond a form of religion and are living out the faith they profess. But the question is: Do you have a faith that is influencing the way that you live and the things you value or do you just have form of godliness with no power? One is transforming and life-giving. The other is just deceiving and dangerous.

posted by Michael T | 3/01/2010 12:47:00 PM | 1 comments

Tuesday, February 23

Ask Mike Night, Part I

Tonight was our annual "Ask Mike Night" at Christ on Campus. I don't know when we began doing this, but it had to be at least fifteen years ago. The basic format is pretty simple:

1. Students can anonymously submit any questions on any topic.
2. I randomly draw the questions, written on paper or note cards, out of a basket.
3. I have three minutes to complete my answer to the question.

It is always a fun and interesting night. A couple of things I have learned over the years:

* Every question has a context. Somebody is asking that question for a reason. So I need to be sensitive to the contexts that the question may represent.

* I will always think of something I wish I would have said when I finish. The combination of not knowing exactly what questions will be asked and having a short time limit doesn't always allow me to give the "perfect" answer.

But the questions get me thinking and get conversations going. Plus, they give us a chance to deal with the questions and issues in the lives of our students in a way that is safe and fun for them. Here are some of the questions asked tonight:

* How can I not get in a relationship?

* What happened to people who died a long time ago without knowing God? Did they go to hell? Isn't that unfair?

* What person's words or writings have shaped you, as a Christian and as a human being?

* What was your most difficult moment as a pastor?

* Is killing in war murder? God used battles to punish civilizations in the Bible many times. Also, God destroyed entire cities and the world once. Is it murder for God?

* When I make choices, how do I know where that's what God wants me to do?

* Why is sex before marriage wrong?

* Sex?

* What is the best way to relieve stress?

* Why do bad things happen to good people?

* What are your thoughts on the Westboro Baptist Church? Do you think their method of "spreading the truth" is really effective in representing God and drawing others to him?

* One student clipped a question from an actual ethics exam and taped it to a note card!

As you can see, it was an interesting night. Of course, we didn't get through all of the questions tonight. So next week will be Ask Mike Night, Part II.

posted by Michael T | 2/23/2010 10:12:00 PM | 0 comments

Thursday, February 11

Spiritual Spontaneity

From Mark Batterson's book Wild Goose Chase:

"They were so busy loving God that they didn't have time to love their neighbor. And that is when our routines become counterproductive. Let's be honest. We can get so busy doing 'ministry' that we don't have time for ministry.... In fact, as I read the gospels, it seems to me that most of Jesus' ministry was unplanned.... Spontaneity is an underappreciated dimension of spirituality. In fact, spiritual maturity has less to do with long-range visions than it does with moment-by-moment sensitivity to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. And it is our moment-by-moment sensitivity to the Holy Spirit that turns life into an everyday adventure." pp. 57-58

posted by Michael T | 2/11/2010 02:26:00 PM | 1 comments

Sunday, January 3

It's Snowing on the Outside ...

Snowy days of worship, like we have today in NW Arkansas, always bring to mind a song I heard for the first (and only) time in January of 1983. It's amazing that after 27 years I can still remember the lyrics. That's a tribute to the one who wrote it - Doug Eltzroth.

That January, he was leading worship at a retreat in Como, CO - high in the Rocky Mountains. When we reconnected via Facebook a couple of years ago and I mentioned the song to him, he didn't remember it. He probably wrote it on the spot during that snowy retreat. But I have never forgotten it and still sing it to myself on days like this ...

It is snowing on the outside
Of the building where believers
Have assembled all together
To escape the world once more.


And they're rejoicing
For they realize that this
Group of blood-washed sinners
Is much whited than whatever
Is outside of the door.

posted by Michael T | 1/03/2010 11:20:00 AM | 0 comments

Monday, December 21

Young Adults and Spirituality

From the Ivy Jungle Report. The thoughts are mine ...

Most Young Adults Think They are Spiritual: A survey conducted by LifeWay research indicates the vast majority of unchurched young adults consider themselves spiritual. This contrasts a view of young adults as uninterested in God or spiritual matters. 73% of 20-29 year olds said they think they are spiritual and want to learn more about "God or a higher supreme being." Among those 30 and over, that number is only 62%. 89% of 20-29 year olds said they would be open to a conversation about Christianity – 14% higher than those over 30 years old. 63% said they would attend church if it presented truth to them in a way that "relates to my life now." 58% said they would be more likely to attend if they felt the church "cared for them as a person." (Lifeway.com September 16, 2009)

These numbers reinforce what has been said in other places - the vast majority of young adults are interested in spiritual matters and have a very positive view of Jesus. But those who aren't involved in a church tend to have a negative view of the church. As someone once said, we have a message that young adults should want t0 hear - it's about something they are interested in and someone they admire. But our "delivery system" needs work!

Some things that we who are Christians need to think about:

* We need to listen more and talk less.
* We need to care more and judge less.
* We need to demonstrate in visible way how the message of Christ affects our lives.
* Relationships based on trust and love are the bridge over which the Gospel travels.
* Spiritual conversations are not taboo. People are interested if they know you care.


posted by Michael T | 12/21/2009 03:13:00 PM | 0 comments

Friday, December 18

A Small Church Doing Big Things

It was in the auditorium of Oak Manor Christian Church, in April of 1982, that Gina and I were asked to come to Fayetteville and begin the ministry of Christ on Campus. It was there that the first pledges of financial support were given. A few weeks later, folks from Oak Manor moved our meager belongings to Arkansas and stored them in the church basement until we moved in to our apartment. Until we began having Sunday services at the Rockhouse in the Fall of 2005, Oak Manor was our family's church home. And, in many ways, it still is.

Oak Manor has never been a large church, or even a medium-sized church. Their attendance right now probably runs at about 40-50 on Sunday mornings. But they have proved themselves to be a Body that reaches far beyond what most would expect and that has a vision and a heart that is Kingdom-wide.

In regard to our Christ on Campus ministry, they support us in important and personal ways. Yes, they give financially. But they do much more than that. For 28 years, they have provided and prepared our Thanksgiving Banquet. What began in our living room in 1982 now serves about 300 students each year. It's a huge undertaking for a small group of people, but one that they do joyously and abundantly. They also provide "Finals Survival Kits" for our students each Fall and Spring. And they do these things, knowing that the vast majority of the students who are served will never attend their services and may not remember the congregation's name.

When our Board discerned a few years ago that God was leading us to start a service geared for students next to campus, Oak Manor graciously sent us out. They saw what we were doing on campus as an extension of God's Kingdom and their part in it - even though the change meant that they would lose some key people from their congregation.

But their vision is bigger than just that. My wife is a kindergarten teacher. Her school is one that faces many challenges. At least 75% of the students don't speak English as their first language. But more than that, about 95% are on a free-lunch program and many return to homes where hunger is often the norm. So Oak Manor decided to adopt the school. During this school year, this small congregation with a huge vision and heart has supplied hundreds of pounds of food for families in the school who are in need. This week, they provided Christmas gift bags for each of the over 600 students in the school, as well as the teachers.

Keith Mackey, the pastor at Oak Manor, will probably never be invited to preach at big conferences or interviewed by Christianity Today magazine. Those things are reserved for mega-church pastors with big attendances and buildings and budgets. The congregation will never make a list of the largest or most influential churches in the nation. But in the lives of those 600+ children, they make a huge difference. In the lives of the college students they serve through our ministry, they make a huge difference.

The title of this post is a misleading. To call Oak Manor a small church is inaccurate because it uses the wrong standard of measurement. My guess is that in the eyes of God, they are huge. After all, God is in the habit of judging people (and churches) by the size of the heart.

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7



"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Matthew 25:40

posted by Michael T | 12/18/2009 04:11:00 PM | 1 comments

Monday, December 14

Changing Attitudes Toward the Bible

This fall, the Barna Group released research on the differences between generations and how they view and use the Bible. The study found that the younger generations (especially those who are labeled "Mosaics" - 18-25) are more skeptical of the Bible and what it teaches than those of older generations. That probably isn't unexpected by any of us, especially those who spend time on a college campus. There are many ideas valued on a college campus that can work against one giving the Bible serious consideration. Some of these are:

1. A dichotomy between science and faith and the belief of many that one can't be committed to both. This is unfortunate because I believe that all truth finds its source in God. The exploration of science just helps us more fully understand God, His truth, and His nature. Sometimes we cannot see from our perspective how the truth fits together, but I believe that it ultimately does. We need more people who are committed to God and to the exploration of creation involved in science at all levels - but especially at the university level.

2. The elevation of the kind of "tolerance" that pushes to affirm that all religious or spiritual perspectives are equally true. (This relativistic tolerance may well be the "highest value" of today's college campus.) We do need to practice the kind of tolerance that shows respect to those of other religious perspectives, but it is foolishness to believe that all religions can be equally true. You don't have to study comparative religions for long to see that they teach very different things about the nature of God, man, sin, and salvation. But our world has bought in to this view of "tolerance" so that many see all religious perspectives as equal without any exploration.

The fact is that there is much evidence to attest to the reliability of the Bible and the truths it reveals to us about God, man, our world, and our lives are unique and life-giving. We who are older need to be diligent in helping those who are younger see their world from a spiritual perspective, using God's Word to help them understand what they are hearing from science, society, and other religions. We don't have to be scared of any of those things. We just need to see them from a perspective that includes God and His Word as that by which everything else is evaluated. (Note: This where we have to be careful not to let our presuppositions become as authoritative as God's Word. History is full of religious people who let their interpretations of the world or sacred tests - or their prejudices - lead them to acts of atrocity or foolishness.)

Though Barna's study may seem bleak (and the trends aren't encouraging), there are many in this generation of students who are diligently seeking to know God through His Word - who are reading and studying and learning. I'm excited to be serving with them and helping them discover the truth of God's Word and see how it can enlighten their view of science, business, education, and more.

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On a lighter note:

Here is one place I probably will never go to on vacation unless there is another way to get there.

What do you think of this list of the 20 Best TV Characters of the Past 20 Years? Any other suggestions?

posted by Michael T | 12/14/2009 03:16:00 PM | 0 comments

Wednesday, November 18

Messages Available ...

My apologies for not being more active on here, but things will pick up soon. I do want those interested to know that this semester's messages should now be available for download at the Christ on Campus website (www.christoncampus.org).

posted by Michael T | 11/18/2009 04:45:00 PM | 0 comments