Wilky

Summer Address

I am on my way to Ohio to work at Marmon Valley Farms this summer for two months as a camp counselor/program staff/horse trainer/etc. I plan on pulling a Bonhoeffer and writing a ton, so if you would like to write a letter, it would be fantastic. Because I love letters. Here’s my address:

Mattew Wilky Wilkinson

Marmon Valley Ministries

7754 State Route 292
Zanesfield, OH   43360

I’ll still be on Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr some on the weekends. Be praying for the kids who come to camp that they may meet Jesus Christ and follow Him. 

See you in two months!

“Bonhoeffer” and What I Learned

I just finished Eric Metaxas’ second biography, called “Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.” His previous biography covers the life of William Wilberforce. Although it was a beast of a book to read through, I have been extremely blessed to read about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life (read the first paragraph on his Wikipedia article to get a glimpse of his life).

Bonhoeffer lived a life of radical discipleship to Jesus Christ. He believed, in opposition to the Lutheran-saturated academia of his time, that Christianity was more than theology and Biblical scholarship. It is discipleship to Christ and engaging in a personal communion with Him. This is summed up best in one of his most well known quotes: “When Christ calls a man, He bids Him come and die.”

He is known for his ecumenical views of the church, his then-radical view that Christians should whole-heartedly engage the culture around them, his commitment to his personal devotional life, and his many books including “The Cost of Discipleship.”

Bonhoeffer thought and taught that it was essential, even in theology and Biblical scholarship, to always be meditating on Scripture, singing the Psalms, praying fervently, and spending time in deep thought about Christ. Christian living is inseparable from theological study. 

“It is much easier for me to imagine a praying murderer, a praying prostitute, than a vain person praying. Nothing is so at odds with prayer as vanity.”

He believed that Christians should be radically involved in the world around them. As opposed to the academics who would write their lives away in a classroom, he taught his students and congregation that the Incarnation (God becoming man) meant that God wanted Christians to live Incarnate in the world and redeem it.

“Our marriage (his then fiancée Maria von Wedemeyer) must be a “yes” to God’s earth. I must strengthen our resolve to do and accomplish  something on earth. I fear that Christians who venture to stand on earth on only one leg will stand in heaven on only one leg too.”

He believed that the Word of God should speak for itself. He focused on preaching truth in his sermons and was far more confident that the truth of God’s Word would do more impact than his trying “arguments” and “clever stories.”

“We must be able to speak about our faith so that hands will be stretched out towards us faster than we can fill them… Do not try to make the Bible relevant. Its relevance is axiomatic… Do not defend God’s Word, but testify to it… Trust to the Word. It is a ship loaded to the very limits of its capacity.”

I pray that I can live a life such as Bonhoeffer’s. He preached the Word faithfully, cared for his congregation and his students, loved his family and fiancée, reformed the German church,  and followed Christ to death by hanging for participating in one of the Hitler assassinations. 

“Why should it always have to be the bad people who make the revolutions?”

—Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Follow-through

I’ve said this a lot, and I’ve thought about it a lot today after disc golfing for 5 hours.

Following-through is absolutely necessary. It’s used in every part of life, and I think it’s one of the most important concepts humans, especially Christians can learn to do well.

You follow-through in almost every sport.

I was terrible at ping-pong, until I learned to ‘push’ the ball by following-through it.

I was terrible at disc golf, until I learned to follow-through with the disc instead of jerking my arm to a stop

I will still be terrible at golf, until I learn to ‘push’ the ball and follow through with the club

To gain the most control, accuracy, and power. Following through is crazy important:

—kicking a soccer ball,

—hitting a golf ball,

—throwing a base ball,

—batting a baseball,

—calling a friend back,

—maintaining a friendship requires constant follow-through, or it fades

—discipleship requires follow-through, or growth becomes stagnate

I’ve learned that in just about everything, I can’t ever just stop at contact. If I want to make a good putt, or slam a ping-pong ball, or build relationships with the guys on my hall, I have to follow-through. Sure, the game can still be played with sloppy throws and stunted hits, but the game will be terrible. Following-through makes me a better player  and a more consistent and effective minister.