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Archive for the category “Josh Klos”

22 Apr 2013
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Midday blog: Walking Together

“Oh how good it is

On this journey we share

To rejoice with the happy

And weep with those who mourn.”

I fought back tears as I sang those words, surrounded by the congregation at my church. The words were taking on new meaning for me. I hadn’t received any emails, text messages, calls, no updates of any kind…I was fairly certain of what was coming.

My grandfather had been admitted to the hospital less than 48 hours earlier, and since that time I had received regular updates on how he was doing. Things did not look good, and the last updated I had received on Saturday said, “Not a lot is different.” At Christmas I had talked with my mom, we were wondering if my grandfather’s health had started a downhill slide, and now we had an answer, his healthiest days were behind him.

After the service, I talked with friends as if everything was normal, but I knew that things were not. I said goodbye to my friends, and as I was preparing to leave the church parking lot, I got the call. My mom was on the other end of the phone line; my grandfather had passed away earlier that morning. I cried there in my car. Then I texted my friends and told them that I had changed my mind; I would join them for lunch. I knew that while my inclination might be to go off by myself, I needed other people to walk alongside, and that I had people who I knew would walk alongside me during this time. At lunch, my closest friends protected me from the larger crowd of friends who were out eating lunch together. They took care of me, gave me hugs, and sat with me. A friend who had recently lost her grandfather gave me a hug and simply said, “I’m sorry friend.”

So why am I telling you all this? Because the words that start off this post are true. We need to be people who are there in both the good times and the bad. And we need those who will be with us in the good times and bad. God designed us to be a diverse, and yet whole community. I know that community is lacking for many people…but I would encourage you, that it is worth whatever the cost to build that community of fellow believers, for as the movie my friends and I went and saw that afternoon reminded us, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” We are God’s ambassadors, messengers, outworking in each other’s lives here on this earth.

So thank you. Thank you Aaron, Natalie, Jonathan, Kirsten, and David. Thank you for walking beside me, both then and now.

Josh Klos is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Radio Communications, he has served as the engineer for Midday Connection since 2010. He is also a part of the volunteer College & 20’s group staff at his church and enjoys spending time outside, as well as at libraries, bookstores and various coffee shops. He’s busy these days with graduate school, where he studying communication and culture.

To learn more about Josh and read his blog, please visit his website.

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25 Mar 2013

Midday blog: Sitting in Darkness

This Friday I will end up sitting in the dark for a while. My church does a tenebrae style service for Good Friday. For those unfamiliar with this style, it slowly gets darker throughout the service as candles are extinguished, until at the end the sanctuary is in complete darkness.

Going to Good Friday services was not something that I experienced growing up, however I have grown to appreciate in recent years the role that a Good Friday service plays in the liturgical calendar. We seem to often skim over the fact that Christ died as we rush toward His resurrection. Stop and think about that, the son of God…the creator of the world…died. This was a real death, and so I’ve learned that by celebrating “Passion Week” in more of it’s fullness, I understand that better.

This Friday I will end up sitting in darkness, a period to reflect on the death of Christ, and to mourn His death. Part of mourning His death involves reflecting on the reason that it was necessary. Sitting with the gravity and weight of this event is important. It makes the light that is coming on Sunday morning that much more joyful. There is a day though in-between Friday and Sunday, and I try to make a point of continuing to focus on remembering Christ’s death on Saturday as well because Easter is not here yet…it’s coming, the light is starting to break through.

This is a time when we can also look forward to our eternal hope, right now much of our world is still shrouded in darkness…but we can see cracks of light breaking through and in the end, we will live in a world that is encompassed in light. In the meantime we must be the light of the world. So while we sit in the darkness, let us contemplate Christ, the great cost that he paid, and look for those points of light.

As one song I appreciate puts it:

Deep in the darkest night,

when there’s no spark of hope,

we must be points of light

piercing the darkness.

Bright as the dazzling stars

in an indifferent sky

and in our cruelest hour when hope is gone,

we’ll raise our heads

and we’ll journey on.

Josh Klos is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Radio Communications, he has served as the engineer for Midday Connection since 2010. He is also a part of the volunteer College & 20’s group staff at his church and enjoys spending time outside, as well as at libraries, bookstores and various coffee shops. He’s busy these days with graduate school, where he studying communication and culture.

To learn more about Josh and read his blog, please visit his website.

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25 Feb 2013
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Midday blog: Paperman

A couple of weeks ago I was captivated during my commute when I stumbled across the following video, and I’d encourage you to take just a few minutes to watch it:

Some of my thoughts and questions after watching it…

Isn’t love beautiful?

Do I ever give up too easily? Or miss what God is trying to show me?

Am I fully living my life?  Am I willing to chase after beauty, love, dreams?

How about you…how does this video strike you? How does it point you too God? Doesn’t the simplicity of it all make it that much better?

Josh Klos is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Radio Communications, he has served as the engineer for Midday Connection since 2010. He is also a part of the volunteer College & 20’s group staff at his church and enjoys spending time outside, as well as at libraries, bookstores and various coffee shops. He’s busy these days with graduate school, where he studying communication and culture.

To learn more about Josh and read his blog, please visit his website.

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28 Jan 2013

Midday blog: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Recently I was reading through the book of Luke. If you haven’t read Luke recently, I highly recommend it. It is full of statements that will catch your attention and challenge your commitment to Christ.

As I was reading I came to the parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector. It’s a familiar parable, one that I’ve heard referenced many times. Yet this time I saw it in a new light. Often we focus on what is said by the two characters, but this time as I read, I heard one of them say something different. The tax collector repeated the words of the Pharisee, just inverted. The tax collector thanked God that he was not like the Pharisee.

Now I know that’s not actually in the text, but it seems to be something that I hear more often these days. We thank God that we are not like a certain religious group, or the people who attend that church. Yet it is that action that is being condemned by Jesus in his telling of the parable. It’s cause for examination of our own hearts as to what it is we are saying. And if we find ourselves echoing the prayer of the Pharisee then instead let us go back to the original call of the tax collector, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

Josh Klos is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Radio Communications, he has served as the engineer for Midday Connection since 2010. He is also a part of the volunteer College & 20’s group staff at his church and enjoys spending time outside, as well as at libraries, bookstores and various coffee shops. He’s busy these days with graduate school, where he studying communication and culture.

To learn more about Josh and read his blog, please visit his website.

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17 Dec 2012

Midday blog: New Year Transitions

As Christmas approaches I’ve found myself thinking about the New Year already and what changes might happen at this natural transition point. Below are simply some thoughts about the transitions happening for me in the coming year, and I hope they might help you as you think about entering the new year well.

1)      Not continuing something just because you’ve been doing it. For the past year I have led a small group at my church. However transitions are happening with several the members of the group. We decided that the wisest decision was to disband the small group. I was tempted to try to keep the group going because it has been around for several years. In the end however, sometimes the wisest decision is to let something “die.” As I go into the New Year I’m excited about the new opportunities that will open up as my schedule changes. What is difficult to for you to give up that might actually create more space in your life?

2)      Looking forward to finishing. Right now I am looking forward to January as at that point I will be done with the classes portion of my Masters degree and will simply be focusing on my thesis. This next year will require more discipline from me, and yet at the same time introduces new motivation of getting close to finishing my degree. What is something that you’ve been working on that you can finish this coming year? What will it take to make that happen?

3)      Moving to better health. Given the craziness that has been my life the last couple of months with work, school and church all contributing much to my life,  one of the casualties has been that I often find myself grabbing “convenient” food. This year I am looking to make my own meals more often and to make them healthy meals. It will also be healthier for my wallet. For you this might look like moving to better spiritual health, or actively seeking improvement in another area of life.

Josh Klos is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Radio Communications, he has served as the engineer for Midday Connection since 2010. He is also a part of the volunteer College & 20’s group staff at his church and enjoys spending time outside, as well as at libraries, bookstores and various coffee shops. He’s busy these days with graduate school, where he studying communication and culture.

To learn more about Josh and read his blog, please visit his website.

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19 Nov 2012
2 Comments

Midday blog: What are you missing?

In case you’ve missed it, we are now solidly in the midst of the holiday season. However this is not a happy time for many. There’s one group of people that I want to draw your attention to those who are alone during the holidays. When you look around your church who do you see? Maybe your church is like many out there and is made up of primarily of families. Look around the edges though, is there a college student who doesn’t have a place to go for Thanksgiving? Maybe there’s an international student who will stay in the United States for Christmas. Maybe there’s an older single in your church who has no family in the area.
So this year I’d like to challenge you: find someone who doesn’t have a place to go for the holidays and invite them to join your family for part of the day. Not just the days around it, but also the holiday as well as those can be the hardest for those who are alone. Everything is closed down, no one is around to spend time with, and everything in the media is focused around that holiday. It can be a hard day but you can make it a positive experience and a happy memory for someone.
Singles, I’d like to challenge you if you are going to be alone this holiday season. Start thinking now about what you can do to serve others this holiday season. Do you see others who will be alone for a holiday? Invite them over and start new traditions. Go serve with a non-profit in your area…maybe serving food at a homeless shelter. Look around in your community to see where you might be able to serve this holiday season.
I’d like to encourage you to seek to serve others this holiday season, it might require sacrifice but don’t let that stop you. Remember that Christ came to serve, and imitate his example.

Josh Klos is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Radio Communications, he has served as the engineer for Midday Connection since 2010. He is also a part of the volunteer College & 20’s group staff at his church and enjoys spending time outside, as well as at libraries, bookstores and various coffee shops. He’s busy these days with graduate school, where he studying communication and culture.

To learn more about Josh and read his blog, please visit his website.

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15 Oct 2012
1 Comment

Midday blog: Things Unseen

I spend a lot of time thinking about social justice issues for my grad school program. However there’s one issue that is not talked about, at least not currently, and that is human trafficking of boys. Actually, that’s not completely true, there’s information on human trafficking of boys who are trafficked for labor purposes, but not those who are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Here’s what we know: we know that approximately 1 in 6 boys is sexually abused. We also know that human trafficking for sexual exploitation is more prevalent than we even realize in the United States. According to Emmaus ministries the number of male prostitutes has doubled in the past 30 years. It does not take a huge leap of logic to realize that it can’t just be girls that are trafficked for sexual exploitation.

However, this issue has not been recognized…yet. Maybe I’m crazy and it’s truly not an issue, but I find that hard to believe. Thankfully in Cambodia there’s a ministry that is recognizing what is going on and starting to help boys who are being exploited sexually. I hope that soon we’ll see more recognition of this issue in the US.

The larger question that I want to raise is, are we looking for the issues that aren’t visible? There are enough facts about sexual abuse and exploitation that we know that trafficking of boys has to be an issue, and yet it’s not widely recognized.

What would happen if we started to connect other dots, would we find other issues that the church (or just simply our church) is currently missing? There are people who desperately need the gospel but we don’t realize what kind of bondage that they are in. I challenge you to take some time, look around and notice the little things, do a little research. Maybe it’s as simple as realizing that sex trafficking is a problem in your small town…or that there are those living in poverty or are homeless in your area…notice, and then get involved. Help raise awareness so that we can help these people find freedom from whatever bondage that they are in. May the things that are currently unseen become seen.

*Special thanks to Marla Taviano who helped point me to some of the limited resources on this topic that exist.

Josh Klos is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Radio Communications, he has served as the engineer for Midday Connection since 2010. He is also a part of the volunteer College & 20’s group staff at his church and enjoys spending time outside, as well as at libraries, bookstores and various coffee shops. He’s busy these days with graduate school, where he studying communication and culture.

To learn more about Josh and read his blog, please visit his website.

 

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17 Sep 2012
4 Comments

Midday Blog: Loose Thoughts: Books

I told Lori that I would write a blog post for today and I keep running into a wall, so after several false starts I decided I would just throw out some random thoughts, not necessarily in any order, about reading and books.

I love books.  I just finished re-reading Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card for a book club that I’m in, such…a…good…book.

While I own an e-reader and use it regularly I’m still not sure how I feel about e-reading.

Pros:

+  You can store a lot of books in a small space

+  Convenient

+  Can always have a new book with you

+  Lighter than some books that might be on it

+  Classics are free!

+  You can adjust the font size

+  You can easily search the book (very helpful during book club discussions)

Cons:

-  You forget what books you have

-  It’s harder to remember the contents of a book as less of your senses are engaged in reading

-  I just like the feel of a physical book

-  Depending on the type of screen, reading right before bed makes it harder for you to get to sleep

(I just realized that the first sentence of this post is probably technically a run-on sentence…oops.)

I have a shelf-full of biographies that I need to read…what’s your favorite biography?

Why read? To go on adventures, to learn new things, to make new friends, to gain a mentor, to be warned about things, to travel around the world, to be challenged, to learn that evil exists but that it can and will be defeated, to escape for a little while, because reading is a good thing to do.

–

This post pretty much shows the state of my mind right now, slightly scattered and trying to hold on to my sanity. The joys of doing grad school, working full time, and leading a small group all at the same time. I hope you enjoyed this peek into the brain of Josh.

 

Josh Klos is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Radio Communications, he has served as the engineer for Midday Connection since 2010. He is also a part of the volunteer College & 20’s group staff at his church and enjoys spending time outside, as well as at libraries, bookstores and various coffee shops. He’s busy these days with graduate school, where he studying communication and culture.

To learn more about Josh and read his blog, please visit his website.

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13 Aug 2012

Midday blog: Don’t know much about history

I’ve been taking a course in American church history recently and I was struck by how little I know about history in general and the history of churches specifically. I was also struck by the understanding I’ve gained as I’ve learned why different denominations have developed the way that they have. Why a specific denomination does and that tradition’s understanding of scripture is often shaped by surrounding historical events.

Methodism in the United States has been greatly affected by the second great awakening and specifically events that happened in Kentucky during the second great awakening. During the era of the colonies Catholics were often persecuted and Catholicism was not welcome, it is only in the past century that Catholicism really started to grow and find a foothold in the United States (as opposed to Canada where it played a large cultural role until recently). Presbyterians, Anglicans, Baptists, Quakers, Shakers, 7th Day Adventists all have their own individual stories to tell.

So why should we care about the history of a denomination? Well, I would encourage you to explore your own denomination, see what truths you have accepted were shaped by a response to historical events. Gain a better understanding of what may be cultural. Learn about other denominations and start to understand where they are coming from. Traditions, doctrine and the ways we live our lives have all been shaped by where we come from. Learn from the mistakes in our past, appreciate the good intentions behind some of the tragedies in our history (in my opinion, after learning the full story of what happened with the Salem witch trials, it is actually quite understandable why they happened). It’s been said that “those who can’t remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (George Santayana). Let’s learn our past so we can remember it, pass it on, and learn from it.

(Bonus assignment: Study your family history, ask your parents or grandparents about what type of family they come from…what life was like growing up…it is a great exercise to understand what makes them who they are.)

Josh Klos is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Radio Communications, he has served as the engineer for Midday Connection since 2010. He is also a part of the volunteer College & 20’s group staff at his church and enjoys spending time outside, as well as at libraries, bookstores and various coffee shops. He’s busy these days with graduate school, where he studying communication and culture.

To learn more about Josh and read his blog, please visit his website.

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09 Jul 2012
1 Comment

Midday blog: Where’s the Church?

I have an exercise that I often do, and often do it unintentionally, when I’m watching a movie, or go to the theatre, or really any time I’m engaging with a story. I ask myself “Where’s the church?” It’s a challenge to me to see how the author of a piece portrays the church in the story and what that might mean. Do they see the church and Christians as judgmental, crazy or something else entirely? Or is the church even present?

One story in particular stands out to me that left me wondering, where is the church? The first one was written in the early 1990s and deals with a community that is being hard hit by poverty and AIDS. This story was heavily influenced by the author’s own life experiences, and when I got to the end I was struck by the complete absence of the church (except for one part where there’s a funeral).

I wondered after seeing the story what the author’s personal experience had been when it came to the church. Did he see the church reaching out to those who had AIDS, or those who identified themselves as gay? I almost wish that he at least had the church there and as judgmental rather than the church so isolated that it was irrelevant.

I end with this challenge: Let’s make the church visible, and show the love of Christ. This will require work, and effort, and sacrifice. There will be times we’re misunderstood, and seen in the wrong light, but let’s be seen.

Josh Klos is a graduate of Moody Bible Institute with a degree in Radio Communications, he has served as the engineer for Midday Connection since 2010. He is also a part of the volunteer College & 20’s group staff at his church and enjoys spending time outside, as well as at libraries, bookstores and various coffee shops. He’s busy these days with graduate school, where he studying communication and culture.

To learn more about Josh and read his blog, please visit his website.

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