The Vertical Self [book review]
The Vertical Self by Mark Sayers is an insightful read. Mark establishes early on that our identity ought to be found in our vertical self as opposed to our horizontal self which is what our present day society places emphasis on. At the core of the vertical self is an identity found in God—He is our creator and we are created in His image. Conversely the horizontal self is more concerned about our image of being sexy, cool and glamorous.
I found this book to be very beneficial in my own life. It was the type of thing that came at the right time. As a matter-a-fact, I was en route to speak at an event this past weekend at a University campus church in Chattanooga, TN when I came across this paragraph:
A respected pastor and I were having a conversation. Because I’m involved with young adult ministry, she asked me about her son. She was worried about his connection to his faith. She told me she couldn’t understand how someone who’d had such profound encounters with the Holy Spirit could seem to be walking away from his faith. I told her not to overestimate the ability of young adults today to simply consume and then discard experiences without allowing them to have any effect on their view of the world whatsoever. She seemed genuinely dumbstruck by my response. But think about it. Teenagers watch a horror film at a sleepover to enjoy the fear and suspense of murder without the carnage and cost… A group of guys watches a heavyweight bout to enjoy the thrill of physical combat without the risk of injury or personal cost. The entertainment age and the horizontal self have led us to divorce what we believe from what we experience, see, and feel. The elephant in the living room of contemporary Christianity is people’s ability to simply sit in church, to consume the experience the way one would a great sporting event, a thrilling movie, or an exciting theme park ride, and then to dispose of it, totally unchanged at the soul level, as they leave the sanctuary. Sure, they might feel challenged, encouraged, or even moved, but the horizontal self simply “feels” the experience and moves on. ~ page 51
Sayers points out that before the modern era, people in Western civilizations by and large lived in very rural settings where everyone knew each other and family units were still intact over several generations. The value was placed more on who you are, not what you do. Whereas today, much value is placed on what you can produce in a short amount of time. People aren’t concerned as much about your character as much as they are about your performance. Additionally we move away from our families into larger cities. As a result we become anonymous by most and can get away with almost anything. This obviously has huge repercussions as it pertains to our relationship with Jesus.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is in ministry as well as anyone who loves God and desires a deeper walk with Him. Your time will not be wasted, rather enriched as you read!
Enjoy!
Sydney, Australia - Kellyville SDA Church
This week I am here in Kellyville, Australia speaking at the Kellyville SDA Church. The theme this week is TAKE. We are looking at a various aspects of this topic as not only does God desire to TAKE us on our journey, but we have to be willing to allow Him to TAKE us on that journey and part of that is TAKEing up our cross daily and following after Him.
The schedule is:
SABBATH AM - TAKEup: Luke 9:23
SUNDAY - TAKE2: John 21
MONDAY - TAKEhold: Ephesians 1
TUESDAY - TAKE(this)hand: Marraige
WEDNESDAY - TAKEme: Testimony
THURSDAY - TAKEtime: Psalm 46:10
FRIDAY - TAKEoff: Sabbath
SABBATH - TAKEon: Ephesians 6:10-18
If you have any questions or comments along the way, please don’t hesitate to either post a comment here or fire me an email to vagabondservant@gmail.com. My Australia mobile is 0434 559 682.
Blessings and thank you for joining us when you can!
Courage,
Matthew
A Sustainable Faith
This weekend I am attending the A Sustainable Faith Conference in St. Petersburg, FL. The keynote speaker was Shane Claiborne of The Simple Way in Philadelphia, PA.
A Sustainable Faith Conference is “A conference themed, ‘Justice in the Real World’ - How to be sustainably committed to justice over the long haul and not become overwhelmed or disenchanted.” What I appreciate about being here is that it is full of people who are living their faith by putting it into action. I have to confess that maybe I am the odd ball out as I don’t feel that I am doing anything for the betterment of underprivileged around me. For instance one group from Texas shared yesterday how they just returned from Rwanda where they started digging wells to provide free clean water to an entire village. I just spent two months in Uganda and hardly did a thing for people in need aside for look them in the eye and smile and talk to many strangers.
What I am torn about is that my calling and giftedness seems to be in the area teaching and preaching. I am fully committed to doing that with all my heart. At the end of the day, I am hoping to start preaching with action. As one person said, preach always, but if necessary, use words.
Thank you to all who made the past two days very encouraging, challenging and thought provoking. BIG UPS to my man Ryan Becker who is a huge asset to this church and the Body of Christ.
Courage on the journey!
Matthew
from the A Sustainable Faith Conference
St. Petersburg, FL
Men’s Conference | London, Ontario
This weekend I will be in London, Ontario speaking at a Men’s Conference entitled, “Freedom in Christ”. Specifically we will be exploring the negative impact of pornography and lust. Starting Friday night I will be sharing my STORY, followed by a full day on Saturday exploring what the SCRIPTURE has to say on the subject, as well as STATISTICS and SOLUTIONS for overcoming the addiction to porn/lust.
If you are in the area and are interested in attending please contact Pastor Alex by calling (519) 281-9706 or emailing him at pastor_alex7@hotmail.com.
STORY - Friday 7-9pm
SCRIPTURE - Saturday 10am
STATISTICS - 11:30am
SOLUTION - 2pm
Q&A Panel Discussion - 4pm
I look forward to seeing you all there!
Blessings and courage!
Matthew
Monterey Bay Academy Week of Prayer
This week I am at Monterey Bay Academy just south of Santa Cruz, CA. It is an amazing campus here right on the ocean! Today was the opening day of the week of prayer that will run each day this week, concluding on Sabbath morning. As we were discussing the direction of the week it was decided that the issues of addictions should be addressed.
In this day and age, addictions run rampant with everything from external addictions such as drugs, alcohol, video games, and internet to internal addictions that are based in pride and lust. Jesus says that you shall know the truth and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). What is the prerequisite for knowing the truth? He simply says that we must abide in the Word. Jesus is the Word and we can read about Him in the Bible. As a result, we’re going to be diving deep this week.
If you’re reading this and you are a student or teacher at MBA, please let me know if you have any questions or comments that you’d like me to address.
As I mentioned today, I don’t know the end from the beginning, but I do know that Jesus will show up in powerful ways. I am simply stoked to see Him reveal His good and perfect will to us this week.
Blessings to you Monterey Bay Academy! Thank you for having me here!
Matthew Gamble
From the office of Brain del Valle
(The guy who hit me in the face with a racquetball)
Judgement | Kampala, Uganda Feb-Mar, 2010
I am thinking of judgment on a completely different level. I am here in Kampala, Uganda for two months and stick out like a very, very soar thumb. Bus and “boda-boda” (motorcycle) drivers are constantly vying for your attention. As you walk by peoples homes/huts they are frequently yelling out “muzunga” (slang term for a white person… like cracker, although I don’t take it offensively at all). Some parts of the city have such strong poverty it is overwhelming. The needs are beyond describable. Simple care at the hospital is not afforded and as a result people die that had they had treatment in the States they would’ve easily lived.
The other day while walking through the slums people looked at me differently. No longer was I hearing the “muzunga” term being belted out, rather people watched in silence as I walked by. It became quite evident quickly that white people don’t walk through these parts of town. I felt convicted to look people in the eye to treat them with the dignity that they deserve as a human being. Deep down inside I wish that they only knew how much I wanted to be their friend; to share life together, to truly get to know one another, to trust one another. Could it be that their needs are the same as mine? I think so…
Judge not.
BOOK REVIEW: Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
Love and Respect: The Love She Most Desires; The Respect He Desperately Needs by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs establishes both biblically and through research that men desire respect more than love and that woman, by nature, desire love more than respect.
This book is really a quick read whereby the reader obtains the insight early on. In other words the premise is simple that men desire respect and woman want to feel loved. I don’t want to me too critical (see next paragraph) but once you’ve accepted this reality the rest of the book seems a bit fluffy to me, almost as though the author was hunting for filler.
The reason why I don’t want to be too critical is because I found the book helpful and beneficial in my own life and marriage. You will find practical nuggets throughout the book on how to make your wife fill more loved and for wives, how to make your husband feel respected. An example of this is where Dr. Eggerichs suggests to husbands to ask their wife, when she starts spilling her guts, to simply respond by asking, “Are you looking for my advice on the matter, or do you want me to just listen?” Unbeknownst to my wife that I had just read this, I tried it out and it completely worked! That being said, I give the book a 4 out of 5 because the practical insight is priceless!
Remember that Ephesians 5:33 says, “let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
“Where Are You?” | Series in Richland, WA January 17-23
This week I have had the great privilege of returning for the second time in less than a year to present a week long series of messages at the Richland SDA Church. I am really excited about this series as we are covering the bases with this theme, “Where Are You?”. That question can have multiple meanings as it could be implying where are you as a human being, where is God, maybe God is asking you where you are as He hasn’t heard from you lately, and the list goes on. Specifically speaking we are wanting to address this question from two primary angles, where is God with you and where are you with God. As always we will try to cover our bases to address this theme through the week by looking at it from the perspective of a life-long follower of Jesus, to someone who may not even believe in Jesus. Regardless where you are on the spectrum, we want to invite you to join us.
Each evening we will be closing with a Question and Answer period, or if you’d like, feel free to post comments/questions here on this site.
Courage to you all! I look forward to seeing you this week, each night at 7pm and Saturday morning as well.
Matthew
Richland, WA
Bible Study
It is difficult, at times, to study the Bible. It can be more entertaining, or at least easier to watch TV, get on the internet, etc. Here are a couple of things that I would suggest (Some of this if found on the attachment)Make an appointment with God - Literally set up a time to meet with God where you will not be distracted. Maybe go to a favorite spot and get comfortable. Sit in silence for a while and really center on God and connect with Him through prayer, even if it means telling Him how far away you feel.
Open your Bible - Look for a passage in one of the Gospels that you enjoy. Don’t worry about studying a complete chapter, rather look for a section (aka a pericope). These are often identified by bold headings contained within the chapters. Find a story and read it over and over again. Typically this should just be 5-15 verses of the Bible. As you read the story, each time try reading it from a different perspective, maybe using your senses (i.e. hear the story, feel the story, taste the story, see the story, smell the story). I know that it may sound a bit crazy, but try it. Get into it.
Rewrite the Story - Take a journal and now rewrite the story in your own words. Don’t hesitate to use the Bible as a cheat sheet. Look at it and write it in your own words.
Write a Prayer to God - Now that you’ve spent some time in this story, write a prayer to God based on that story. What is He telling you? What is frustrating to you? What questions to you have? What insights have you gleaned? etc....
Write a Response from God - Stop and listen to God. Now that you’ve written a prayer to God, what is He saying back to you? Write that down. What do you sense Him telling you based on what you’ve just read.
Reedy Creek Church - Gold Coast, Australia
I just returned from the Reedy Creek Church located on the beautiful Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. The series I conducted ran nightly from December 6-11 and concluded Saturday morning at the 11am service. We had an amazing week as we explored the Great Controversy. Starting in the book of Genesis, we looked at how the Great Controversy is more than just a cosmic battle, but a very personal battle that is raging in our lives. The final message was based out of Revelation 3 as we looked at the condition of our lives as Jesus calls us out as being lukewarm. Throughout it all, we discovered that the solution is a life surrendered to Jesus, but more than that, a life filled with the very Spirit of Jesus!!!!
I must say upon reflection of this amazing week, that I was thrilled to see the diversity of generations represented at each meeting. The majority of audiences that I speak to these days are young adults (18-40’s). I cannot begin to tell you how my heart was warmed to have many folks in their later years (how do I say that politely?) come up to me and tell me how much of a blessing the messages were to them personally. Please know that I am not boasting in my flesh as through my years as an evangelist I have received my fair share of criticism. While I am sure that the messages, or better the methodology in which I preach, didn’t sit well with everyone, I am deeply appreciative that God used this broken vessel to deliver His message of hope and comfort.
God bless you Pastor Geoff and the Reedy Creek. He is up to something amazing amongst you all. It is my hope and prayer that He will see fit to arrange something for 2010!!!!
Until then… May He who began a good work in you, complete it!
In His Service,
Matthew
