Thursday, May 28

I do what I want


We are all busy. That is a statement that applies to nearly every single person. Whether you are a minister, a student, a stay at home mom, the president or a volunteer at a church -  the bottom line is that we all have things to do, places to go to, and people to see. We are all busy!

That brings humongous challenges for our development as individuals and as leaders! What are we going to do with the time we have on our hands? Where you invest your time speaks very loudly of what your priorities are. The hard truth is that we all make time for the things that we want to do and choose to neglect the things that seem trivial to us. We do what we want to do. I do what I want to do.

Once we place our time usage into this perspective; some of the excuses that seem so holy and appropriate begin to whiter and fade. We are shallow, selfish, and negligent. We have time to talk to people, visit with someone in need, run the errands necessary to plan the next church event, dive aimlessly into our favorite social media outlet, fix up our youth room, etc… we take care of our ministry. 

We don’t really have time to pray and study the word, or follow up with that person that is kind of annoying. We don’t really share Jesus with our neighbors; we are in a hurry to drive across town for our small group. We just don’t have time.

Sometimes we hide behind all of the stuff that we are doing for the kingdom, to avoid facing the reality that we are becoming strangers to the King. 

Sometimes we hide behind all of the things we have to do for the next service, to avoid going out of our way to love on the people we are supposed to serve.

Sometimes we hide behind the fact that we are taking care of the needs of others, to avoid admitting that we are not taking care of ourselves.


I am challenging myself and maybe it also challenges you to admit that I do what I want. That I need to be a better steward of my time, stop making excuses, and start honoring God not just with words but with my time…

Tuesday, September 2

La Kryptonita del Cristiano



Uno de los desafíos mas grandes de la vida Cristiana es el siguiente: Como mantener con vida un mover de Dios en nuestros corazones? Este problema también es conocido como el síndrome del lunes por la mañana. Vamos a la iglesia, Dios nos habla de una manera clara, tangible, real. Estamos desafiados a hacer cambios, avanzar en nuestra caminar, cumplir sus propósitos para nuestra vida y nuestra generación… las lagrimas corren en ese altar! Esta vez va de enserio! Lo vamos a lograr… Ahí es donde la kryptonita del mundo cristiano aparece… el lunes por la mañana!

No se si a ti te ha pasado… pero yo he sido victima mas veces de las que me gustaría admitir de este síndrome. Lo que Dios me había hablado, las decisiones que había tomado, la determinación de acero que tenia en el altar de cambiar, se transforman en simplemente un buen recuerdo cuando llega la hora de actuar… salimos a la cancha de nuestras vidas y nos da pánico escénico.

Entonces llega la pregunta… como romper este circulo vicioso de nuestra vida cristiana, y comenzar a vivir la vida victoriosa que Dios tiene para nosotros? Como detener los efectos de la kryptonita!

Las disciplinas espirituales requieren disciplina

Todo buen atleta sabe que para poder tener cualquier tipo de éxito en su deporte, se requieren una disciplina extrema en múltiples frentes. Tienen que cuidar su dieta, ejercitar, trabajar en el perfeccionamiento de sus habilidades, y desarrollar una buena conexión con el resto de sus compañeros de equipo!

Pablo nos desafió a correr la carrera mas importantes de nuestras vidas! (2 Timoteo 4:7 y Filipenses 3:12-14) pero no le prestamos la mas minima atención a nuestra preparación y desarrollo espiritual!

Que estamos consumiendo?

En cuanto a nuestra dieta, consumimos cualquier basura menos el alimento que Dios prescribió para nuestras vidas! Y no le podemos echar la culpa a nadie mas que a nosotros mismos… nadie elije la música que escuchamos mas que nosotros, nadie nos da las revistas que estamos leyendo, nosotros las agarramos, nadie pone en el buscador de Internet las cosas que nosotros miramos… nosotros decidimos consumirlo. Es tiempo de que entendamos el porque de las palabras en Salmos 119:103! Debemos cuidar nuestra dieta! Busca un buen libro devocional (En pos de lo supremo y Jesús Llamando son dos buenas opciones), descárgate la Biblia en tu teléfono y  utiliza sus planes de lectura, balancea la música en tu teléfono con algo que edifique tu vida!


Ejercicio… que ejercicio?

Durante mi infancia en Argentina, había una propaganda de una marca llamada Mr. Músculo donde un hombre vestido de superhéroe trataba de limpiar un plato con grasa y no podía ni mover la esponja. A veces me pregunto si esa no es una representación apropiada de nuestras vidas espirituales. Caminamos vestidos como superhéroes pero en realidad vivimos vidas sin un poder genuino en el ámbito espiritual.

Si no comenzamos realmente a orar y establecer un vinculo de comunicación y cercanía con el Rey! Como pretendemos tener cualquier tipo de musculatura espiritual. Desarrollar una vida de oración requiere tiempo y requiere disciplina. Pero a menos que estemos dispuestos a hacer la inversión requerida para ejercitar esta área de nuestras vidas, la kryptonita del lunes por la mañana nos va a seguir destruyendo. Es una locura hacer el trabajo del reino sin una relación con el Rey! Es una locura querer cumplir los propósitos de Dios para conmigo sin una vida de oración!

Una buena formula para quizás ayudar a comenzar tu régimen de entrenamiento es lo que llamo “Dame esos cinco” – Cada mañana por que no le das al señor cinco minutos leyendo tu Biblia y cinco minutos hablando con el? Practicando esto de manera cotidiana  puede ayudarte a comenzar a desarrollar cierta musculatura espiritual!

Desarrolla tus habilidades!

Cada día tenemos la oportunidad de compartir acerca de las buenas noticias del amor que hemos recibido. Sin embargo decidimos mantenernos en silencio. Si Dios te ha estado desafiando a que comiences a hacer algo por El, no necesitas una plataforma y un micrófono para hacer una diferencia. El lugar donde te encuentras en este mismo instante leyendo estas palabras es un sitio de oportunidad par que comiences a ser alguien que se ha decidido a ser diferente. Sonríele a alguien, pregúntale como les esta yendo en este día, ofrécele a alguien algo de comer o tu asiento en el metro o bus. Las cosas pequeñas que hacemos representando a Cristo en esta tierra comienzan a prepararnos y a marcar la pauta para las cosas grandes en nuestro llamado. Se fiel en las cosas pequeñas de tu vida.

Si sientes que Dios te esta llamando a servirle en un contexto ministerial o social, te animo a que hables con tu pastor o con tu líder de jóvenes! Cuénteles lo que esta sucediendo en tu vida y las cosas que Dios te ha estado hablando. Es muy importante permitirle a las personas que Dios ha puesto en nuestra vida un rol de autoridad a que sean parte de este proceso! Consulta donde puedes servir y continuar creciendo. Ellos te van a guiar y ayudar a conectarte en algún lugar donde vas a poder continuar desarrollando tu liderazgo y habilidades!


Los llaneros solitarios… mueren en el desierto.

Algo súper importante que debemos comprender como generación es de que en el cuerpo de Cristo no hay lugar para llaneros solitarios! Fuimos llamados a embarcarnos en este viaje juntos como comunidad de la fe. Si nos aislamos y tratamos de alcanzar los planes de Dios para nuestra vida solos, no vamos a sobrevivir los embates del enemigo en contra nuestra.


Rodéate de gente que pueden declarar vida sobre tu llamado y sobre los planes de Dios para con tu vida! Trata de establecer vínculos con gente que pueden darte un consejo o que pueden con sinceridad ayudarte a corregir áreas de tu vida que necesitan ayuda. Fuimos creados para ser parte de una comunidad, y no hay mejor lugar que la familia de Jesús!

Wednesday, August 20

Culture Browsing

One of the main objections Christianity faces today is the misconception that following Christ in the XXI century means to have checked your brain at the door. It seems that you have made a conscious decision to disconnect yourself from the world and chosen to live a life of cultural isolation, social segregation, and complete intellectual obliteration. Welcome to a post-Christian world!

The challenge gets amplified when we read the words of Paul in II Timothy 2:5, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” Many times we limit the implications of this passage to being well versed in the Bible alone. Although hermeneutics and solid theology are of paramount importance, if we are to be a lighthouse to this society we should to be willing to step up our game and be like Paul standing tall on Mars Hill (Acts 17:22-31).  We have to be able to feel the pulse of our time, read the culture and understand the trends. We must be 21st century equivalents to the sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32).
What’s the answer?
We have to become better-informed consumers.
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the immeasurable amount of information being thrown at you every day? Social Media, news, ministry resources, blogs, printed media, etc! So much available and so little time to sort through the piles and piles of stuff!
Here are some ideas and steps that I have applied to my own life to help me widen my cultural worldview and pursue a well-rounded approach to ministry. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
1. Wide but Narrow
Most of us have already established somewhat of a pattern in our content acquisition routine. Naturally we have the tendency to favor certain outlets or writers that we feel best represent our worldview or opinions. Unfortunately, unless we make an intentional effort to widen our scope and expand the reach of our information intake, we will remain secluded and utterly culturally irrelevant.  We can’t expect to understand what society looks, sounds or feels like if we try to just stare at it with binoculars from inside our Christian bubble. Some of us ministers have been living inside our Christian sphere for so long that we don’t even notice it.
Take on the challenge to add some extra sources to your routine. If you favor a particular news outlet, try to also listen to or read from somebody across the sidewalk. It will be very enlightening (Fox News, meet the Huffington post and vice-versa).  Explore different publications that may help you get a different read on social or cultural issues (Rolling Stone could be a good starting point). Take advantage of different groups that are already trying to help the church understand the development of new social and cultural trends (Barna Frames is a very effective and versatile resource that would meet this criteria).
Enriching and diversifying your data intake will only help you navigate the fast-paced and always changing ministry landscape of our time. Explore, discover, and grow.
2. Maximize your Social Media Utilization
Social media can either be one of your greatest assets or greatest disruptions. We all know that it is extremely easy to aimlessly browse through our feeds simply to kill time… and that is killing us. We are cluttering our minds and time with a very shallow sense of reality.
It’s time we turn our social media outlets into true ministry allies. Get on twitter and search for some different authors that are engaging followers with great content and resources. Multiple movements and organizations share great information and statistics on a regular basis. There is nothing wrong with the occasional cute puppy picture that makes most of us smile while looking at our newsfeed. But we must deepen and enhance our social media usage to also help us lead and serve better.
3. Engage
One of the greatest resources to help you navigate the oceans of culture is the young people sitting in the pews of your church week in and week out. Invite a few college students over for some pizza and ask them a few questions that help you get on the inside. Which bands are hot right now? Have you seen anything crazy on YouTube lately? Simple questions like that will give you a good head start.
A second element that could be beneficial to your ministry outlook as you engage young people is to embrace dialogue regarding some of the issues defining society today. Listening to their opinions regarding the legalization of marijuana and gay marriage, or talking about the cultural relevance of the gospel in the XXI century could help you widen your understanding of what the beat on the street really feels like. However, as you engage, be careful to maintain open communication lines. Some of the questions or opinions you will encounter may seem in direct opposition to some of the values or beliefs that you and I hold dear. It is vital for them to know that you love them, that you value their opinions, and that you are glad they are in this journey alongside you. Do your best to offer your opinion and even correction while still respecting what they have to say. There is a difference between telling them they’re wrong and creating dialogue that points them in the right direction! Don’t be afraid of the scary questions and opinions they have…God isn’t!

Wednesday, March 14

Some thoughts on worship

Worship is more than just the music that is being played while we attend our churches. It goes beyond the emotions that you or I could be feeling, or the hands that get raised high in a sign of surrender.  Worship is deeper, but at the same time it’s so simple. We make it complicated, and we are the ones that came up with the hoops that newborn believers have to jump through in order to be spiritual!

Worship could be summarized in this statement “appropriate response to God’s presence.” The realization that the King of the universe is right here, right now, in the airplane where I’m typing these words. Right now in the room where you are reading these words. in that church service where you gather with your community of believers on a weekly basis. It does not matter if the worship is loud or soft, hymns or contemporary. It goes beyond the music, the setting, and the stage. It’s all about the heart—your heart and my heart.

For so long we have taken worship for granted. We have limited it to the four-song set list that is played at church and we have shamelessly forgotten all about the fact that worship is a lifestyle. It’s the full awareness that the King of the universe takes delight in you, in me. My worship is not just reflected in my singing or your dancing at church.  It’s also reflected in our giving, and again, get out of the box please, not just your offering or tithing.  When was the last time that we did take care of a widow or an orphan like we were called to do, or when was the last time we broke bread with the ones in need? Our worship is reflected in our priorities. We could sit down and talk for a long time about this item, but lets just encapsulate it in the fact that God has little to no room in our busy schedules when he ought to be the centerpiece upon which our lives should be built. 

I believe it is time that this generation of followers of Christ comes to the realization that the way we live, our work ethic, the way we treat our families, our intimacy, even our secrets are acts of worship—and it is up to us to present our lives to our king like an alabaster jar that is completely and fully poured out in His presence daily. After all, we were called to worship in spirit and truth. How can we truly say that our hearts are wholly surrendered to him unless we do begin to worship him with the entirety of our life? Turn off the music, turn on you heart.
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This work by Max Barroso is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.