John 1: Who do you say that Jesus is?

Key verses:

vs 1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

Breaking the Surface: John immediately connects Jesus with God and as being with God since the “beginning” and as BEING God.  There is no flowery introduction.  John is obviously making the point that everything he writes from here on out is predicated on the fact that Jesus is God.  In Revelation 19:13, John again uses this term in reference to Jesus.  “He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood and the name by which he is called is The Word of God”.  No mistaking who John is referencing as he begins writing in John and who he concludes writing about in Revelation.

Digging Deeper:  Why is this important for the reader of John’s Gospel?  I mean, it’s the very first thing he inks.  As we read on we realize that understanding and knowing WHO Jesus is, will be the central subject of his gospel account.  I would argue that it really is the central subject of all of Scripture.

So, what are some of the things that people said and are saying about Jesus and his identity?  They called him many names-prophet, teacher, Rabbi, friend.  Today, He’s called those same things.  Additionally, with the advent of the internet where everyone who has a keyboard and a thought can be an expert, you can find an article or supposed “proof” about Jesus being all of those to being a “myth” as a young man and I discussed recently.  If someone thinks it, you can find it.  But John is making sure that those who read this understand exactly who He is writing about.  John is definitive in his sentence and leaves no room for doubt.

Later in Jesus ministry, after denouncing the Pharisees and Sadducees for their insincere request of a sign from Jesus as proof of His deity, Jesus uses a previous miracle to make his point to the disciples.  When they found themselves without bread, Jesus  Jesus gave them a rather and seemingly tangential response to their dilemma, “Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”  They were very confused.  Jesus then explained what he meant by admonishing their faith in talking about physical bread and wondering why Jesus would be warning them about the leaven that the Pharisees and Sadducees would give them.  Jesus meant (and clearly explains to them) that he was not talking about being aware of the leaven they might provide for the making of physical bread but about the “teaching they would provide for the soul.”

So, then Jesus asks them 2 questions:  In Matt 15:13-14 Jesus says, “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say z Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”   I don’t believe that Jesus was as interested in their response to this question but, rather, he was using this question to set up the next question, which was and is the KEY question He asks all of us”.  He asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Matt 15:15, ESV).  Simon (Peter) responds with the correct answer, “You are the Christ, the son of the Living God” (Matt 15:16, ESV).

So What?: John establishes immediately that he is writing about the Son of God, Jesus.  There is no mistaking who he will spend the next 21 chapters writing about.  Despite the fact that many will call Jesus different names or claim he doesn’t exist, John is staking his integrity on the fact that the One he is writing about is Jesus, God incarnate, who was and is and is to come.  Today, and every day, Jesus asks us the same questions He asked the disciples.  Who do others say that I am?  Who do YOU say that I am?  I think it’s important for us to ask them together of ourselves each day.

By asking the first question, we are reminded that there are many who do not believe, teach or live as if Jesus is the Christ, the son of the Living God.  Then, Jesus asks us, “who do YOU say that I am”?  He says it to us daily.  The first time we understand and believe and respond as Peter did, our lives are changed forever.  Then, every day we take a breath and we answer that question, our lives should reflect that truth and we can be a catalyst for changing others lives forever.

So, who do YOU say that Jesus is?

Filed under: daily living , Devotion, Jesus Identity, John 1, The Word

CSU – Day 7 (Wed, July 22)

As I stated in the first of these *cough*cough regular journal entries re. our CSU 09 experience, daily entries are a challenge.  Grade: D.  I’ll try to do some catch up here.

Day 1 of the conference:

• Tim Keller spoke to us in the morning.  A great message entitled The Gospel In You (listen by clicking the title)
• Later in the afternoon, Tim Keller held a special session re. Gospel Poor and a follow on Q&A session
• Steve Sellers, Campus Crusade’s President of US Ministries addressed the throng with the message, Embracing the Culture of Our Calling
• Throughout Steve’s message, tremendous stories of those who are leaving a lasting legacy for Kingdom impact were shared (listen here)
• In addition to these events, I (Jeff) participated in our first online push to use Social Networking tools DURING the conference.  I was part of a team that monitored Twitter feeds, Facebook updates and Text Messages that came in during the morning session.  We had the chance to share some fun, interesting and powerful messages the staff was sharing live.  It was a privilege to participate (even got my ugly mug on the big jumbo-tron screen .

Some photos from Day 1:

Those were the highlights for day 1 of the US Staff conference.  We’ve been able to connect with some wonderful friends that we’ve made who are on staff with CCC in other ministries as well as some of our friends at FamilyLife that we don’t see regularly.  Day 1 was a success!

Filed under: Events , "Campus Crusade", "Tim Keller", CCC, CSU

CSU Update – Days 4-6

Given that the actual conference doesn’t officially start until this evenings “county fair” event, there hasn’t been a whole lot to journal.  Here are a few highlights of the last few days:

• Sue and Jaclyn had a chance to experience the “wild west” on some slow and deliberate horses in Estes Park. 
• We helped set up the FamilyLife booth that will be open to the rest of the Crusade staff most of the time during the conference.  The intent of the booth is to provide other Campus ministries a taste of what is happening at FamilyLife and what resources are available to help them in their marriages and ministries.
• Trying out some of the restaurants near our hotel.
• Enjoying the wonderful scenery and time together as a family.  Though she’s been a good sport, I’m sure Jaclyn will really enjoy it even more when the conference starts so she can gather with her “homies” . 
• Finding interesting places to write, think and prepare for my upcoming seminar.  I will be co-leading a seminar on using Social Media/Networking tools to share the love and truth of Christ with a whole new generation of people.  Currently, I’m sitting at a coffee shop that was meant to make me feel like I was back in the “Razorback” nation–The Wild Boar Coffee shop  (see pic)
• Major storm last night in Fort Collins with over 2 inches of rain with some hail in about 2 hours.  Drying out this morning/afternoon.
• Sue’s doing the laundry today.  Pretty riveting stuff.  Would take a picture but not sure she would appreciate that much so I’ll keep it to text .

So, that’s about it.  Ready to begin the conference tonight at the “fair”.  The parking lot of Moby Arena is cordoned off so they can turn it into a “county fair” feel.  Some rides, carnival food and a place where we can all connect and fellowship to kick off the Conference.

By the way, if you want to follow along with some of the conference, you can check back here regularly (I’ll try to post some pics and maybe even some video), check out the CCC Conference Facebook Page or follow on Twitter.

Filed under: abramovitz , "Campus Crusade Staff Conference", "Campus Crusade", "Colorado State University", "Fort Collins", CCC, CO", CSU

CSU 2009 – Days 1-3

Journaling and I haven’t been fond friends over the years.  Maybe this time it will be different.  I thought I’d try to give some updates on our CSU trip this year.  For those of you who don’t know what this trip is all about, let me fill you in.

Every two years most of Campus Crusades US Staff members converge on the campus of Colorado State University
View Larger Map (thus, CSU) to participate in the bi-annual staff conference.  During the 9 days of the conference there are various times of corporate gatherings, team meetings, seminars and down time.  All of it is designed to refresh the staff and recast the vision that sometimes gets lost in the daily battle.  The vision that compelled most of us to leave our family and friends and, sometimes, our careers, to invest our lives fulltime in providing the world with the hope only found in and through Jesus Christ.  In our case, it’s been through the ministry of FamilyLife (a division of Campus Crusade for Christ).  FamilyLife’s mission is to effectively develop Godly marriages and families that change the world for Christ one home at a time.  It also serves as a gathering point for many of the ministries that don’t see each other much because they are field staff on location at their various ministry designations.

At CSU we get a chance to worship God through powerful musical praise times, impactful teaching (this year Tim Keller is our keynote speaker during the first two days of the conference) and other times of connecting and fellowshiping with other like-minded Brothers and Sisters in Christ of all ages, races and denominations.  We get to see friends that we haven’t seen for a long time (often it’s since the last CSU) or those who have left one ministry of Crusade to join another within Crusade.  In any case, it’s a time of fun, fellowship and personal growth.   By the way, if you’re interested you can follow along on the general haps at CSU on Twitter (you have to have a Twitter acct) or on Facebook.  For Twitter users click this tag: #csutweetup09 For Facebook users, follow by clicking here: Global Christian Blogference)

Our journey….

Our trip started a little early this year.  We left on Thursday, Jul 16.  The conference doesn’t officially kick off until Tuesday, July 21.  I’m co-leading one of the 15 seminars that will be offered during the week so I came up to prepare for that as well as help set up and be available as part of the CSU design team that I helped with this year.

We drove a little more than 800 miles the first night and stayed over in Colby, KS (no, there was no cheese that I found).  After a restless night’s sleep, we got up and headed for Fort Collins.  We arrived a little after noon.  Unable to check in, we met some friends for lunch.  We went to downtown Fort Collins during the afternoon as well.  It’s a wonderful downtown area with a lot of shops and places to eat.  For those who experienced Woodstock, there is an overriding sense of being in the 60’s throughout much of the city.  Plenty of old VW vans riding around town.   Then, Sue and Jaclyn went back to the motel after checking in and I went to help set up the electrical connections in the ministry fair booth (not quite as impressive as it might sound…I laid extension cords so that each booth had a cord available).   Last night was a pretty uneventful night as we had dinner and then crashed in our hotel.

This morning we enjoyed the hotel breakfast and then Jaclyn and Sue went on the one event we would categorize as a “vacation item”.  They went horseback riding.  I’m here writing this blog and preparing for my seminar next week.  Later in the trip, Jaclyn and I will ride the waves (whitewater rafting).  Hopefully, I will stay in the raft this year and avoid the blackened bottom I sustained on a large river boulder two years ago.  In the meantime, I’ll jot down some of the things we are doing, learning and experiencing during this time at CSU.  Thank you for your prayers.  Specifically please pray that:

• We would hear from God during this time.  There are some significant things we are making decisions about and we need God’s direction.
• Our time with each other as a family (this is the last CSU that we will experience with any of our children)
• our family not with us will experience God’s presence (Erin in North Carolina where she is working at a KOA Kamp and ministering to the campers as well and Bryan who is visiting a long time friend in Chicago and then will be holding down the fort (Fort Abramovitz, not Collins) until we return.
• the seminar I will be co-leading would provide valuable information and would be well attended, or at least, well received.
• Our vehicle will hold up.  It’s our newest vehicle and it’s been a blessing but we’ve already put on more than 14,000 miles in 4 months.

Until tomorrow…

Filed under: abramovitz, adventure, fellowship , "Experiencing God", "Fort Collins", "ministry refreshment", "US Staff Conference", "whitewater rafting", campus crusade for christ, Colorado, CSU

TechnoTrouble

Well, it was a good idea…maybe.  Though we didn’t anticipate much participation we certainly thought we would be able to at least produce our first live webcast from our home.  Having successfully tested the free Livestream online video application the day before, there wasn’t any reason to believe that we would run into difficulty doing a simple video shoot.  But, there was.  So, after sending out over 300 invitations and creating an event on Facebook, the event never quite took off.  I’m sure we were live for a while but the audio created feedback loops that we couldn’t resolve.  A friend of mines son who is proficient in video was here to help but neither one of us could figure out where the feedback was coming from.  We’ll try again this weekend with the hope of getting something recorded to put on the AbesTV channel for viewing at the viewers convenience.

If you were one who tried to “dial in” and saw only our attempt to rectify the audio problems, our apologies.  Hopefully, we’ll get it figured out.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Stand to Reason: The Faith of Our Fathers

There’s been a lot of rustle in the press lately–and in many Christian publications–about the faith of the Founding Fathers and the status of the United States as a “Christian nation.” Home schooling texts abound with references to our religious heritage, and entire organizations are dedicated to returning America to its spiritual roots. On the other side, secularists cry “foul” and parade their own list of notables among our country’s patriarchs. They rally around the cry of “separation of church and state.” Which side is right? Oddly both, after a fashion.  Read the entire article by clicking below

Stand to Reason: The Faith of Our Fathers

Posted using ShareThis

Filed under: Uncategorized

Clay Shirky: How cellphones, Twitter, Facebook can make history

Great video on how cellphones, Twitter and Facebook are shaping history!  Now, imagine if you will (a little Rod Serling for you Twilight Zone fans) the Gospel being lived out in truth and grace through these tools into the lives of more people than we could ever have reached before in the history of the world…Hmmm. Thank you, God for technology that you developed way before time began.

Filed under: Technology and social media tools , cellphones, china, clay shirky, facebook, printing press, shaping history, twitter

Weekly Update

It’s so hard for me to do anything that takes discipline. At the risk of overcommitting and underdelivering, I’m at least going to try and a blahhhg entry that shares some benign family updates and looks ahead to the week. That way, I hope to get in the habit of capturing regular thoughts, putting them into a blog entry and adding others as God brings them to mind. So, here goes week 1 of our weekly update.

We had a great time as a family going to the Arkansas Traveler’s baseball game on Saturday. Full schedules rarely permit us to do things as a family anymore. We don’t have many days left so we need to be more intentional about making those times a priority. After the game, we enjoyed fireworks over the Arkansas River. Great seats from inside a very nice AAA minor league outdoor ballpark. If you visit us during the summer, we’ll make sure to take you out to the ball game.

Have you ever had one of those projects you envisioned completing over a long day or even a weekend but found yourself weeks later still working on it? I have and do. We’ve had erosion over the past four years and it’s caused our backyard to retain water (no mitol jokes). What started as a relatively simple task of digging a couple of long ditches and digging some holes for drywells has become the project from h… However, all good things must come to an end, and we are nearing the end of phase I of this project. If you want to see how it looks or what I’m referring to CLICK HERE to see some photos. Anyone have a few weekends free for phase II?

Bryan house sat for friends of ours from FamilyLife, worked on some yard projects for a neighbor and is working full time as a maintenance car porter at a nearby Toyota dealer.  Jaclyn just returned from Guatemala and contunually enjoys time with her “homies”.  Erin is working in North Carolina all summer at a KOA camp as part of a Summershine ministry/work program.  She’s working hard and experiencing God in new ways!

Sue and I are holding the fort at home.  We are in the process of throwing our hat into the ring of a new Singles minstry at church.  I’m a little more called than she is but we are looking forward to seeing how God might use us “aged” folk in the lives of these 20-30 somethings.

Finally, we are experiencing God’s goodness and truth daily.  He’s stretching us in new and old ways.  Finances are still an issue for us as we seek His direction for our support.  Our staff balance has diminished to a level where we will get a short paycheck beginning August 1.  We are very content and that has to come from His peace that passes understanding.  Thank you for praying for us!

Until next post….

Filed under: abramovitz , abramovitz, Arkansas Travelers, camp, campus crusade for christ, discipline, familylife, fireworks, ministry, north carolina, summertime, toyota, update

Father’s Day Fast Forward: “I hope you remember that…”

This is the second of three posts in the Father’s Day Fast Forward series- things the DadPad authors would like our children to remember about us when they write their Father’s Day memories years from now. This installment from Jeff Abramovitz

On the surface, it’s kind of a sobering thought to envision that day whenyou will be eulogized or talked about by others in the past tense. Yet, there will be a day when we will all be a memory to someone. So, Bryan, Erin and Jaclyn, I know one day you’ll share the life and times (both the good and challenging) Abramovitz family with your family and friends. When the sun sets on my life and I’m ushered into the arms of Christ, in addition to the outrageous, frustrating, and sometimes dramatic memories we shared together, I simply hope you remember that…:

• I prayed for you before you were born and I always knew you weren’t ours but you were on loan from God, kind of like the Blues Brothers (you may have to rent the movie to get it).
• Loving your mom was the most important thing in my life. Though I didn’t model it well all the times, she was my best friend and you were the result of that deep, covenant love. I prayed the same for your marriages each day of my life.
• You weren’t the only ones to be prisoner to my corny “fly fishing” type jokes. Sad story is that I started telling those long before you were born.
• Those times I lost my cool (like the time when the toilet overflowed and you laughed when I dumped the gallons of water in the light fixture all over the kitchen) and asked for your forgiveness…I really meant it.
• When we wrestled on the floor, I didn’t want to be anywhere else.
• I was always so proud of each of you as continued maturing in your faith and relationship with Christ
• The words from friends, family and neighbors about your lives always brought me more joy than I could express.
• All those lectures I tried to mask as “teachable moments” came from my heart, even when I knew all you heard was “blah blah blah”.
• Though we didn’t always have the “stuff”, I was always satisfied with what I had in you.
• My heart literally ached when you left our house. It was right for you to “fly” with your wings to begin the life God gave you, but the imprint of your lives on your mom’s and my heart was indelible.
• God was my delight.
• In my imperfection and often sinful life, God’s grace reached down to cover my sins through the blood of Christ, so I could serve and love you and others out of gratitude and love because He loved me first.
• We had a LOT of fun together and I liked to laugh with you and to make you laugh.
• We also had times of tears and that was OK too.
• Every time I stomped around the house upset because you didn’t pick something up that I stubbed my toe on…I was upset and DID want you to pick it up J.
• When I saw your name come up on my cell phone from a call or text, I always smiled.
• I always loved you unconditionally. Nothing you did ever diminished my love for you. NOTHING.
• I didn’t give up fighting the good fight until my last breath and prayed you would do the same.
• I LOVED YOU and can’t wait for our reunion in heaven.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Father’s Day Memories – Weekly Dad

(originally posted on the DadPad blog)

My birth father wasn’t in my home growing up, or at least not for very long. I don’t remember living with him. My parents divorced when I was 3 and, therefore, I don’t recall ever waking up and walking over to my dad while he lived in our home. Yet, unlike many with a very similar tale, my dad was in town and did make the effort to see me on a regular basis as I grew up.

My earliest memories of my dad are of him arriving to my house on a Sunday morning. He and my mom had an unusually amicable relationship (it wasn’t unusual for me as a child since it was all I knew but, obviously, I have come to find out that it was rare). After a few minutes of “chat”, we would leave. Most of the time we would stop by a place to pick up lunch and then it was off to his apartment.

When I was 10, my dad purchased his first set of Minnesota Viking season tickets. I remember sitting in old Memorial Stadium freezing my yammers off but loving every minute of it. I learned to love football through my dad. We still spend a lot of time criticizing the Vikings each season .

During the summer of my 13th year, we took our first of many summer vacations. We drove up to the lakeshore city of Duluth, located on the banks of Lake Superior (Lake Gitchegoomy for you Gordon Lightfoot fans). I don’t recall anything that transpired that weekend but I remember it was with my dad. The trips got more extensive (and expensive for him) as I got older. Road treks included jaunts to Seattle, Los Angeles, the Bay area (SF and Oakland), Cleveland (yes, that Cleveland), and a pre-bicentennial trip to Boston, New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia. There were blown tires, overheated radiators, lost contacts in a pool, bumpers ripped off by exposed fence posts and other mishaps. Those only served to make the trips more memorable.

Despite all of the good memories of times with my dad, latent longings began to develop inside. Later in life, I realized how much of my life my dad missed. I never recall him attending a baseball game. When I dated I missed having him readily available to counsel me about things to avoid (or look forward to . I couldn’t sit down and just tell him about my day. As I contemplated college and career, he provided no input. Feelings of a missed childhood filled my thoughts and I was sad.

During these years, my mom remarried. My stepfather was a provider for the home but we were never close. He wasn’t a bad man, just not a great father. They divorced after 15 yrs of marriage and I have seldom seen him since. We are friendly and cordial when we meet. But, my “dad” hole was never filled by him.

Now, as a nearly 50 year old father of three nearly grown children I look back on time with my dad with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I have some very fond memories of those times together in his apartment, eating strange foods that I still have an affinity for, bonding through football and our trips. Yet on the other hand I wonder what it would have been like had he been more “fatherly” in my life. Might I have persevered through some personal challenges and decision making around a broadcasting career instead of wilting and giving up? Would I have had a healthier view of dating and relationships if he had spent more time teaching and coaching me in that arena? I’ll never really know the answers to these questions.

And, maybe it’s not really relevant. I’ve moved on and love my dad for who he is. There’s no resentment, only wonder and some sadness. His childhood, which was a mystery to me until recently, was not something to be emulated either. Fathering for him had to be a challenge since he missed a father who was active in his life.

So, for this Father’s day, I just want to say, “thank you, dad”. Thank you for introducing me to football and sports. Thank you for the great road trips we took which gave me a love for the road and travel. Thank you for wanting to spend time with me and staying close so that we could be together weekly. Thank you, dad, for loving me and caring for me and loving my family. Happy Father’s day, dad.

Filed under: abramovitz, family , "fathers day memories", "impact of divorce on children", "Minnesota Vikings", abramovitz, divorce