Jason Salamun

Christopher Columbus is often credited with discovering North America.  The only problem was, it was already inhabited with Native Americans who had made the discovery long before he did.  In fact, he wasn’t even the first European to land in North America. Leif Ericson had done so about 500 years before him.

What Columbus did was stumble into a discovery of this discovered land, spread the story across Europe, and the rest is history.

Like Columbus, I made a discovery of something that was always there several years ago. Others had seen it before me but for some reason, I never saw it. When I did, I felt as if I found new land when really my eyes were opened to an already settled land.

What did I uncover?

The grand narrative of the Scriptures.

I had viewed the bible as information and at best, a collection of stories.  That’s true, but it’s so much more than that. It’s all about Jesus. In fact, it’s these words from John 5:39-40 that led me to look at the common thread throughout the bible, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”

The Scriptures are a narrative of God’s epic story and it all points to Jesus as the hero of the Story and the plot is his passionate pursuit of his people. This is the heart of the gospel.

This has radically shifted my studying and teaching of the bible.  Seeing how particular passages fit into the meta-narrative found in the scriptures has opened my eyes to things I had never seen before.  I had been careful to quote verses in context but had neglected the context of the greater story that verses and passages are embedded in.  Not to mention the context of the story of my life.

This has helped me better connect the Old Testament with the New Testament.  It has opened my eyes to see Jesus in places I never expected in both the scriptures and in culture. It has shaped how I view the church in light of God’s great pursuit of his people.  It has also helped me to gain perspective of my story and how I fit into the greater story.

Since this shift, I’ve sought to write, teach, and preach by storying the scriptures.  I’m learning that stories work better at penetrating the heart and mind than mere information alone. Storying is our way of packaging information so that others can grab hold of its meaning.  When our quest for truth treks through the frontier of our imagination it produces compelling stories.

Within each of us is a longing for a story.  This is why we search and explore and why we tell others about our discoveries. History is full of amazing storyers and is how history has been passed along from generation to generation. This is why we consume books, films, and television.  This why we have conversations over food and drinks.  This is why we even ask others, “How are you doing?”  That’s nothing more than a launchpad for a story (or in most cases, an odd way of saying, “hello.”)

Whimsical writer and thinker G.K. Chesterton wrote, “I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a Story-teller.” I agree. Every tale has an author. Every story-casserole is baked in the oven of someone’s imagination. And God is the source of all stories.

His epic story is found in the Scriptures and the epic story he’s called us to live out is wrapped up in His.

This is my great re/discovery and it has awakened my soul, opened my eyes, and changed how I look at life.

I pray it will do the same for you.

If you didn’t know, I am in the midst of a challenge called “This Must Change!” where I’m losing weight over 3 months for six amazing causes and asking friends, family, and my online community to give a buck for every pound I lose.  Visit the website for more information.

I weigh-in every Monday.  My initial weigh-in on August 17 was 280 lbs.  Here is today’s weigh-in.

Week 4 Weigh-in from Jason Salamun on Vimeo.

A shot of my desk in action.

Project Church is beginning a new rendezvous for those interesting in discussing current events, theology, and various hot topics.   All while enjoying a frosty beverage.

If you’re in the Rapid City area, you should hit us up.

Too many dudes are ignoring proper men’s room protocol these days. Especially in public places like restaurants, businesses, theaters, churches, airports, etc. I don’t know if it’s because they grew up without dad’s, brothers, or what? But something’s gotta change.

To help I’ve compiled some guidelines for proper etiquette in the restroom.  I’m not a big “rules” guy but in this case, it seems necessary.  Feel free to add to it in the comments section.

Urinals

1. Never saddle up next to another dude unless absolutely necessary.
2. Always take the urinal farthest away from another guy.
3. If the option is to stand between two guys or take an empty stall. Take the stall.
4. Don’t talk.
5. Always look straight ahead.
6. Avoid eye contact.
7. If there’s a line, don’t stand behind someone using the urinal. Give them lots of space.
8. Aim (You’d be surprised. Well…maybe not).

Toilets

1. If it’s locked, don’t knock.
2. Don’t talk.
3. Don’t tap your foot or you might be arrested.
4. Don’t reach into another stall.
5. Don’t whistle.
6. Don’t externalize a sigh of relief.  Keep it inside like all good men.
7. DO courtesy flush.
8. Don’t call someone while doing your business.

And for the good of all mankind, wash your hands with soap. Especially in a public restroom.

To make this world a better place we need to make the men’s room a better place.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Respect Others. Aim Straight. And make this world a better place.

Your life is like a ship.

Some days are smooth sailing.

But inevitably, a storm hits.

What will you do then?

How will you make it through?

That’s what we’re exploring this week at Project Church

“The Storms of Life & the Fury of Faith”

A message of hope from Matthew 14:22-33

Join us for The Jesus Sessions.

Sunday. 10am. Alternative Fuel Coffee House. Downtown Rapid City.

All around us are shattered hearts, broken lives, and fractured stories.

Clearly, this world is not as it should be.

Have you ever felt like there was more you could do?

Me too.

As a human being, I want to stand up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.

As a recovering hypocrite, my aim is to decrease the gap between what I believe and how I live my life.

As a communicator of the gospel of grace, my desire is to follow the example of Jesus and not just proclaim good news but also be good news.

During a recent teaching at my church we came across Matthew 25:35-40 where Jesus talks about the least of these.

How when we feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, take in a stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit those behind bars, we’re essentially doing it for Jesus.

Or as my 7-year-old daughter puts it, “When we give people a hug, we give God a hug.”

How right she is.

I reflected on that passage, looked at myself, and thought, “There’s gotta be more I can do.”

I looked at myself even more and thought, “I’m fat and need to get in shape.”

So I started thinking through this idea:

What if I set a goal to lose weight and get in shape in the next 3 months, and during that time, encouraged others to donate a dollar for every pound I lose directly to a cause relating to Hunger, Water, Shelter, Clothing, Sickness, and the Enslaved?

So this is my mere attempt to be what I believe.

I know we can’t change every story but together, we can help make some better.

And some is better than none.

Will you join me?

Visit thismustchange.org to discover more.

Add your name to the list and spread the word.

This effort begins August 17 and runs through November 16.

It’s never too late to get on board!

Frankly, it can’t happen without your help.

Let’s do this!

Grace and Peace,

jason salamun
Project Church

When two become one flesh and express their love through intimacy it may be the most harmonious and wondrous acts we humans can experience.

It’s profoundly beautiful.

It’s a gracious gift from the Creator to his beloved creation to be enjoyed.

The tragedy is how scandalously we’ve treated the gift of sexuality.

Religion has stained it with stigmas, limits, and regulations.

Self-centeredness has emptied it of its potential for meaning, beauty, and love.

What if we embraced the gift as it should be?

Two becoming one.

Naked and unashamed.

Hearts in harmony, bodies in rhythm, eyes in ecstasy.

Seeking to please one another, enjoy one another, for one another.

Marriage is the canvas in which we paint exotic portraits of passion.

We have liberty to explore new colors, try new shapes, or use familiar strokes.

Free from the shallow waters of self-interest and the nasty skid marks of religiosity.

Like heat is an expression of the sun, sexuality, like all of life, is to be an expression of the gospel.

The gospel calls us to live not for ourselves, but for others, beginning in our relationships.

We love recklessly knowing we drink from the endless fountain of God’s love.

Gospeling one another in everyday moments leads to gospeling one another in our intimate moments- and this produces magical moments.

The essence of gospel sex is this:  Love first.

We love first because Christ first loved us.

The raging waterfall of gospel sex comes from the rushing river of God’s love.

Our capacity to love one another is deeper than we can dream, more vivid than we can envision, and more exciting than we can imagine.

Our challenge as husbands and wives is to be selfless, passionate lovers who desires our beloved, cares for our beloved, and continually pursues our beloved for the rest of our lives.

All to the glory of God.

To Jerks for Jesus from a recovering Jerk for Jesus.

You know who you are.

You quarrel over opinions.

You poke at others with your nit-picky stick of religion.

You sit in castles of exegesis and rarely mingle among the villagers.

You are a jerk for Jesus.

You dissect every word of the preacher and every fault of the people.

You argue the finer points of theology with a knowing grin on your face.

You proclaim your criticisms in the public square about people you don’t even know.

You are a jerk for Jesus.

You believe you’re to watch for the missteps of others.

You talk of your own sin in the past tense.

You are a soldier of destruction, not an engineer of edification.

You are a jerk for Jesus.

You are a coward who hides behind keyboards, big words, and hearsay.

You attack your neighbor when Jesus says to love them.

You smell like ungrace.

You are a jerk for Jesus.

Despite that, you are loved and forgiven.

God’s grace is bigger than your snobbish self-righteousness.

Exchange your big finger for a big heart.

And ask someone for a hug.

Because I think you could really use one.