The Donald Miller Hatred

One thing that has been bothering me lately is all the criticisms of Donald Miller I come across online.  For those who don't know, Donald Miller is an author who wrote non-theologically deep books on Christianity and how it relates to his life, books like "Blue like Jazz" and "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years."  It's not that they are criticizing him that bothers me.  It's the way that people do it that can get under my skin.

There really seems to be a hatred among many Christians against Donald Miller.  It is not just a "I disagree on this issue because of what this scripture says."  Many times, there is a hatred that burns through their writings.  I'm all for being firm with people when they claim to be Christians but are out of line with what scripture teaches but there is a way to do it and a way not to.  If you are going to correct your kids, do you do it out of hatred?  Do you do it in a hateful way?  Nope, hopefully, you do it in a loving way.  Isn't that how God deals with us?  I'm sure thankful God has dealt with my shortcomings in a loving way.

Unfortunately, that's not the way Donald Miller or those who like to read DM have been treated.  No, they have been attacked and bullied by brothers and sisters in Christ, by preachers and pastors.  It's embarrassing and disappointing.  It's like I'm watching a bunch of middle schoolers gossip and bully...or maybe even like watching pharisees.  Instead of lovingly coming with scripture, they use the scripture to bash Miller and those who like to read him over the head.  Yeah, that always makes people listen.  He is at times treated as if he is not even human.  We need to remember that whenever we correct someone, that they are human.  They are not some tin can that you can just kick down the road.

Often times, they also attack him without actually quoting him.  They tend to use quotes from other people about him to do the attacking.  A lot of he said/she said has been used to attack Miller.  Rarely do you even find someone use actual quotes by Donald.  "Well, I talked to this person and they said this about Miller and his book.  They said that about his book."  But what do you say after reading it?  Oh, you didn't read the whole thing?  Well, maybe you should read the whole thing before judging the whole thing.  Judging a book by only a few pages is not much better than judging a book by its cover.

I often times hear arguments from people condemning Miller for things he never said or wrote.  But somewhere, they heard someone else say they heard it from someone.  They take it and run with it.  Let the attacks begin.  That kind of stuff doesn't fly very well in a court of law.  Why do we allow it elsewhere?  If I'm on trial, I wouldn't be very happy to be convicted on the testimony of a 4th-hand "witness" who heard about it 4 generations down the line but didn't actually witness it.


This is not just about Donald Miller.  This kind of thing happens a lot in Christianity.  Just google your favorite Christian big name author or favorite big time nationally known church and you will come up with sites calling them antichrists and heretics.  We beat our brothers and sisters in Christ down and push them away instead of trying to encourage and build people up.  When you beat someone down, you don't just beat that one person down...but you beat down those who associate with them.  On the other end of the spectrum, when you build someone up, you build up those who associate with them.  Instead of beating people down, you could be encouraging them and building them up even during times of needed correction.

If I'm a boxer, getting beat down doesn't make we want to stay in the ring.  That changes though if I've got a coach in my corner suggesting corrections or ways I could improve.  My resolve also changes if I've got fans cheering me on in the stands.  I don't need the people who should be in my corner to beat on me as well.  When that happens, many just walk out of the ring and never come back, spiritually speaking.

I get that it's a bit different with DM being an author that can lead people astray.  But every author has the power to lead his or her readers astray.  That's why we should always pray for discernment and test what we read and hear with the Word.  Whether it's Miller or Tozer, it should light a fire under our butt to get into the Word and find out if it's true.  We can't take the authors word for it.  We can't take the reviewers word for what the book says.  If you want to know what the book says, actually read the whole thing.  If you want to know how that stacks up against scripture, dig into the Bible.  Actually read it.  Then, whatever you find, learn to convey it, not out of hatred, but out of love.  The world is watching how we treat our brothers and sisters.  Let's not scare them away.  We are to represent and reflect Christ to this world, not embarrass Him with prideful infighting and hatred.

Christian Challenge June/July Philippines Update 2013!

Hello Team!  We hope you guys are having a great summer so far.

Rachel and I have certainly had a pretty amazing summer.  We actually just got back from the Philippines not too long ago.  We’re still adjusting to life back in the States.

With that, we’re working on getting caught up on post-trip things.  It may be summer but things are definitely not slowing down.  Enough of what we’ve been doing since we’ve been back, though.  I’m guessing you’d rather hear about the trip.

Well, the trip was amazing!  It was an absolute success!  It certainly was not without surprises, though.

The biggest surprise to me was the climbing.  I really thought it was going to be less difficult.  We were lower in elevation than what we normally climb so it should be easier, right?  Yeah, not so much.

I have never sweated so much and for so long as I did on the climb.  You just never dried out.  It was actually cooler if you didn’t stop because at least you had some wind on you.  If you stopped, there was no wind and you just became hotter.  It was extremely difficult and trying.  Living in Colorado, there’s just no way to prepare for that heat and humidity.

Ministry wise, things went much better than we could ever imagine.  God is good!

Rachel, Kala, Meagan, and Cody worked with the children’s ministry.  One of the most touching moments came as our team was leaving one of the villages.  The kids lined up for school and began singing “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know,” a song our children’s ministry had taught them the day before.  They then continued into a song thanking the mission team.  It was certainly a very special moment I’ll never forget.

Rachel had the opportunity to also work with the medical ministry.  She would meet with each patient to pray with them after they had met with the doctor.  It wasn’t what Rachel originally saw herself doing but God had a better plan.  In all, initial reports were that the team saw around 81 patients.

I was blessed to be able to work with the Bible ministry.  We started off meeting with local pastors surveying them as to how many Bibles were in their churches, and how many Bibles in the local language they needed.  Most churches had a Bible or two in the church...and for the most part, they weren’t in the local language.  Our team was able to bring 71 new Bibles in the local language to the area.  This will revolutionize the way Christianity functions in the area for generations to come.

I had many highlights along the trip.  From leading a devotional and some worship, to preaching in one of the churches with a translator, to divine appointments...there are too many highlights to list.

But one does stand out.  One of the days we were distributing Bibles, we had many villagers come to us asking for a Bible.  Some were from nearby but some actually were from very far away.    Two of those were mothers with children in their arms.  When asked why they wanted a Bible, they replied that they wanted to know God, they wanted their faith to grow.  Praise God for that!

After having traveled the same tough paths in the same hard conditions as these women, it was clear how important the Word of God was to them.  They didn’t take it for granted.  They overcame great obstacles for God’s Word.  To me, it reaffirmed why we were there.  We were there to bring God’s Word to people like these women so desperate to know Him on a much deeper level!

Prayer Requests:

-Praise for an extremely successful mission trip!

-That the Holy Spirit would continue working on the hearts of the local villagers.

-That God would raise up young pastors through discipleship as there is no one to step in for the “retired” pastors we met with still preaching and running their churches 10-15 years after their retirement.  The younger generations need to step up.

-That God would provide more Bibles for the region as there is still a great need.

Thank you so much for making this trip possible with your prayer support and financial support!  Cheers and God Bless, Mike & Rachel

P.S.  One last very important prayer request:

 -Pray for "N", an FLC student I have been discipling.  He was a student who had contemplated going on the Philippines mission trip but in the end, God closed that door.  Anyway, he became ill losing 15 pounds while we were away on the trip.  His doctors told him that had he not been so young, he probably would have died.  They still don't know what it is.  Pray for healing.  Pray that God would give the doctors discernment on what is causing the illness and wisdom so that they can treat whatever the illness might be.  Also pray that God would continue growing and encouraging "N" in his faith during this time of rest and recovery.  Thanks!

C4C Mission: Philippines 2013 Video

C4C Mission: Philippines 2013 from Mike Wall on Vimeo.

Christian Challenge/Mission Philippines-May 2013 Update!

Hello Team!  We hope this update finds you well!

Rachel and I are just putting the finishing touches on our Philippines mission trip coming up June 2nd-17th.  We wanted to give you a quick update on the trip and some bio’s on our students who are joining us.  We are absolutely stoked to be able to take these students overseas to serve alongside their Filipino brothers and sisters in Christ in order to reach villages in the high mountains of Luzon.

Our plan is to head into the mountains north of Manila.  We will travel by foot to villages that can only  be reached by hiking to them.  With us, we will carry Bibles in the local language, discipleship materials, medical supplies, and school supplies.  Once in the villages, we will be able to share the Gospel with the villagers, distribute the materials we backpacked in, and put on theatrical performances in order to share stories and truths from the Bible.  We will have dispatches hopefully updated daily online where you can follow the trip at: http://www.climbingforchrist.org/Articles/tabid/545/ID/756/categoryId/89/DISPATCHES-Philippines-June-2013.aspx

Thank you so much for your support!  Keep on praying! -Mike & Rachel

Team Bio's:

--Meagan Prins is originally from Broomfield, Colorado.  She comes from a basketball family.  (Her sister was just drafted by the WNBA.)  Meagan now plays basketball for FLC and is one of our FCA student-athletes.

She originally didn’t think she  would be able to go on the trip due to basketball but God opened the door for her to go when her coach gave the okay.  She is extremely excited to experience her first mission trip.

For more info on Meagan, feel free to check out the following link: http://climbingforchrist.org/Articles/tabid/545/ID/727/Meagan-Prins.aspx

--Cody Wells went to high school in Cortez, Colorado.  Though he has spent some time overseas, he has never had the chance to spend it in the context of a mission trip.

We got to know Cody hanging out on campus with him and through some of our international ministry events.  He is a possible late addition to the trip.

His money is in, and we have his plane tickets purchased but we’ve barely heard from him since despite our best efforts.  We pray that he can get the many vital things done for the mission so that he can still go on the trip. *Update-We finally heard from Cody and Lord willing, he will be there.

--Kala Matzdorf went went to high school in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  She now attends college at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

We met Kala through one of our FCA student-athletes who had gone to high school with her.  Kala was looking for an internship for the summer with a Christian organization.  With that, we are excited to have her be able to intern with Climbing for Christ this summer.

For more info on Kala, check out the following link: http://climbingforchrist.org/Articles/tabid/545/ID/719/Kala-Matzdorf.aspx

Prayer Requests:

-That God would open doors for the Gospel to be received and understood.
-That the Holy Spirit would be working on the hearts of the local villagers.
-That God would keep our team safe and healthy.
-That God would give us strength and keep us in good spirits despite a possible lack of sleep.

Some Thoughts on the Old Testament

Over the past couple of years, I've been making my way through the Old Testament again.  It is a part of the Bible that most people never read.  There is a dangerous movement within the church which tells us that we don't need the Old Testament anymore.  "Jesus came and gave us the New Testament so we don't have to pay attention to the Old now."

Maybe it's because it scares people, pastors included.  There is a lot of stuff in there they don't know how to deal with.  Hey, I don't understand it all either.  I may never fully comprehend it all in this life but that's okay.

Despite all the excuses people come up with, Christians going down the path of dismissing the Old Testament can often be the first seed in a forest of basing truth off of your feelings and not off of what God actually said.  When there is an absence of an answer, people tend to come up with their own answer.  It's another very dangerous movement that is plaguing Christianity today.  The problem is that, well, there is an answer already.  People just don't like it so they come up with their own.  Maybe they're scared of what the answer is going to be and what it will mean to their life so they do their best to ignore it.  It's not a far stretch to see that these scenarios, this moral relativism can certainly happen when we only accept half of the Bible.

I don't know how you throw out the Old Testament when the New Testament is built upon it.  It's like removing the foundation of a house.  That's certainly not a house I want to live under.  It's only a matter of time before it comes crashing down...or blown away.  It's a shame really because you miss so much when you don't crack the Old Testament.  There is so much to be learned from it.  For me, it really helped build my faith.  Sure, there were a lot of questions and a lot of stuff to work through but my faith is stronger for it.

In the end, you shouldn't just dismiss it.  You shouldn't ignore it.  It's time to deal with it because when you ignore it, you're ignoring the Word of God and that's not a good place to be as a Christian...not in you're personal relationship with Christ and not in your church.  Without a good foundation, it's really easy to be shaken or knocked down.  At the same time, a foundation doesn't do much good if the house on top of it is non-existent, or poorly constructed and poorly kept.  We can't neglect either.  We need to pay attention to both the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The New Testament is great but together with the Old Testament, it is so much more.  Both are so extremely important to our faith and our walk with Christ.  We mustn't ignore such importance.  We truly can't keep ignoring such importance.

Christian Challenge and FCA 2012-2013 Video!

Feeding Ourselves

I've been touching on the Word of God a lot lately.  Welp, I'm not done just yet.  I've got a bit more for everyone.  In actuality, I'm pretty much saying the same thing in every post.  I'm just finding new ways to say it each time.  This post won't be any different in that respect.  It's on, you guessed it, getting into the Word.  Just a few last thoughts on it...at least that's my plan.  God might throw a curveball, though.  So no guarantees on my end that these will actually be my last thoughts on the subject for awhile.

As Christians, all too often, we will only get spiritually fed if someone spoon-feeds us.  We need a preacher talking to us to take anything in.  We expect that to be all we need.

We haven't learned to do anything else except sit in a high-chair with a bib on while our pastor makes airplane sounds with his mouth as he "flies" the spoon of scripture into our mouths.  That's all cute and actually pretty hilarious when I picture my pastor from the pulpit doing those motions in front of the congregation.

The only problem is that most of us aren't six-month old babies in our faith.  We would claim to be much older, much more mature.  When you put it that way, it's not cute anymore.  It's just kind of sad and embarrassing when I get the mental picture of a perfectly capable adult sitting in a high-chair with a bib on getting spoon-fed.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I'm not saying it's bad to go to church and listen to your pastor preach.  That's actually fantastic.  What I'm getting at is that so many never get fed any other way.  We rely on others to feed us because we don't feed ourselves.

Sure, having your significant other give you a bite of their food while on a date can be cute, even romantic to some...but if your significant other is always feeding you by putting the food in your mouth for you, it's just really weird.  Hopefully, the majority of the food you put in your mouth comes from you putting it in there, not someone else doing it once every blue moon.

All too often in Christianity, we have failed to learn how to feed ourselves.  That's a pretty serious problem because most of us can only have someone spiritually feed us once a week.  Yeah, that 30 minutes to an hour, where the pastor is actually preaching.  And we expect that to sustain us throughout the week.  If you did that with actual food, you sure wouldn't last very long.

We can't just mooch off of what our pastor preaches on Sundays and live only off of only that.  Sadly, a lot of Christians don't even get fed on Sundays.  Only getting fed once a week or none at all will leave a very malnourished and ineffective Christian.  We cannot expect to be alive spiritually if we don't ever feed ourselves.  As Christians, we need to learn to feed ourselves throughout our days and weeks by actually reading the Bible.

There are two kinds of Christians though concerning this topic...at least two that I will touch on.  Those who just don't care enough to read the Bible and Christians who come up with excuses as to why they don't read the Bible.  It can really show where someone's priorities are.

If you're starving to death, you don't go to a fancy restaurant, have them bring you food, then refuse to eat it because you don't know how to use a fork.  No, you just start eating because you're about to die of starvation.  It doesn't matter how sloppy you are or if you use your fingers, you're at least eating and putting food in your belly.  You're keeping yourself alive.  That's your priority.  You don't make excuses as to why you can't eat.

Hopefully, we will stop this fasting from scripture.  We are starving but rarely realize it.  We have food at our fingertips but don't eat it.  We have tons of excuses but in the end, they just don't hold water in a country where good, spiritual food is so easily accessible.  It's not like we're living with some undiscovered tribe in the middle of nowhere.  We are so blessed to have access to the Word...but what are we doing with that huge blessing?  Aren't we wasting it by not digging in?

I'm going to take this spiritual food concept a step further.  If all we do is spiritually eat but don't exercise our faith and what we learn, we become unhealthy and ineffective as well.

Rachel's cousin used to have to eat something like 8,000 calories a day.  That's nuts if you ask me.  Try eating that with no exercise.  That's not going to work out well for a person.  So why did he do it?  He was a competitive cyclist.  Eating that many calories allowed him to put more work in on his bike.  He was able to train better which allowed him to compete better.  Without all that food he ate, he would have been weak and ineffective in chasing the goals he set before himself.

God sets goals for us too.  Do we even know them?  How can we reach those goals if we don't know them?  How can we achieve them if we don't feed ourselves the nutrition our faith needs?  The solution is to get in the Word more...or maybe even for the first time.  Only then will we be able to truly feed our faith, grow, and move towards those God-given goals.