restless faith

:( Sports (:

2012-01-26T23:19:00.000-08:00

Sports are my life. Well, it's fair to say that a lot of my life has been consumed by athletics. I was a three-sport athlete in high school and went on to play college baseball. This was family life as well. My mom and dad met when he coached her fast pitch softball team. My sister played college softball. And the coaching gene passed on to me. I’ve coached high school baseball for 9 years and football for 5. In the McDaniel family sports = life. Did I mention our family obsession with Nebraska football? I can’t go there. I need to move on.

In a culture obsessed with sports it’s easy to get caught up in the madness. I saw this piece the other day at Youth Culture Report in response to a Texas school district that has decided to boost academics by “banning sports.”

What is your reaction to this announcement? What impact will this truly have on the youth of this school district?

Let me be clear. My own participation in sports has been mostly positive. As a coach, I’ve felt my ability to influence young men in the areas of character, integrity, commitment, teamwork, and leadership. As an athlete I learned these things through the ups and downs of competition.

But I’ve seen and experienced some, well, pretty messed up things as an athlete and coach. I’ve seen kids get belittled, broken, and used by coaches. I’ve seen kids and families throw A LOT of money, time, and energy away to chase the dream of scholarships and stardom. And I’ve been one of those kids.

I have hindsight on my side. I’ve chased the dreams. I’ve seen athletics for what they are at their best: Education, character formation, and entertainment, and their worst: Proud, arrogant, manipulative.

I don't know why this thought just came to my mind, but you know what, no one really cares what my batting average was in high school and college. No one really cares about the great high school football and baseball teams I was a part of. At the time all that seemed VERY important. That was my identity. Stats. Numbers. Playing time. Stardom. But for some reason, no one cares today. And for some reason, for some weird reason, it bothers me that no one cares what Chad McDaniel did on the baseball field in 1999. Why do I care? Why should anyone else care?

I hope to provoke some discussion on our culture’s obsession with sports. I hope to provoke some thought on my own participation in a culture obsessed with sports.

But what about you? What is your experience? What do you see?

there's more to come…trust me, i'm going somewhere with this...at least i think i am...

"Tools" of Ministry

2012-01-23T23:02:00.000-08:00

Before reading on answer this question: What are the essential tools of ministry?

[Don’t cheat. Think about the question!]

I’ve just finished Eugene Peterson’s classic work, Working the Angles, and I’m personally challenged. Peterson claims the tools of pastoral ministry – the timeless tools – are Prayer, Scripture, and Spiritual Direction. These are the essentials. How do these line up with what you named, or, if you’re involved in ministry, what you DO? I find myself asking, “Eugene, what about fundraising, chairing committees, recruiting leaders, making videos and PowerPoint presentations?”

I’m trying to strike a balance in my own life and realizing that it’s up to ME to cultivate the essentials. It’s too easy to get caught up in the other tasks. It’s up to ME to keep what’s important, important. It’s too easy to busy myself with the tasks that have a beginning and end, that can be measured. The three tools Peterson speaks of can’t be quantified. How much prayer is enough? How much time in the Word is enough? Have I spent enough time with people? These three tasks – prayer, reading, and direction – have no end.

But what challenged me the most is how profoundly simple these 3 tools really are. Prayer. Scripture. Spiritual Direction. As a pastor, if I’m not about these things, then what am I doing? If I’m not spending my “work” time doing these hard to quantify acts, then what am I doing? How many of you reading would feel or have felt guilty putting your computer away to spend time in Scripture or in prayer while at work?

Hopefully you’ve hung on and read the entire post, even if you’re not a pastor. Why? Because these 3 “tools” are not sanctioned for those in pastoral ministry alone. These are for all who identify as Christian. Scripture, Prayer, and Spiritual Direction. Yes, pastors have a specific calling, or as Peterson says, “The pastor’s responsibility is to keep the community attentive to God. “ The pastor, in his/her reading, praying, and directing is to be pointing the community back to reading, praying, and directing. However, all of us who claim to be in relationship with Christ are called to prayer, reading of Scripture, and spiritual direction.

So, what did you think? If you examined your life, what are the “tools” of faith are you relying on the most? What are the roles of Prayer, Scripture, and Spiritual Direction in your life?

I Love Religion (aka, The Church)

2012-01-16T21:27:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen this video yet you either A) Aren't an Evangelical Christian, B) Don't have a Facebook account, or C) Don't know how to find The YouTube. It has over 12 million views already, so I guess a couple people have seen it. If not, here you go...

Youth Ministry blogger, Ben Kerns, over at Average Youth Ministry, has a great post on this very topic. It's what gave me the final, internal nudge to post this. I'll confess, I wanted to write this post last week, but didn’t have the guts. I doubted whether I could articulate my feelings without sounding arrogant, cynical, or elitist. My self-doubt was only increased after I read this reflection and felt as thought it was the exact tone I wanted to avoid, yet sprinkled with a little truth. I wondered, can I communicate my feelings about the ideas expressed in the video without hating on the dude in the video? Well....here goes nothing...

I've watched the video, and I keep asking: Is Jesus really against religion? Did Jesus words, "It is finished," have anything to do with abolishing religion? Is personal faith in Jesus Christ more important than the corporate, historic faith expressed in the body of Christ, the Church?

You see, I can't help but sense this video is just another passionately sentimental and severely oversimplified attempt to somehow show that we don't really need religion, a.k.a. the Church, we JUST need Jesus. I'm an evangelical too. I'm familiar with sentiments such as these and have heard them often, even from pastors like me (especially anti-establishment, "cutting edge" youth workers!).

Call me annoying and snarky. Call me esoteric or idealistic, but I believe the Church matters. In fact, I'm willing to say that I believe religion matters. I need a set of beliefs, behaviors, values, practices around which to organize my words, thoughts, and deeds. I need something that gives order and purpose to my life. I desperately need something to help me overcome my selfish ambitions and self-serving motives. I need a group of people who know my struggles, share in my joys, and remind me of who I am in Christ. I need religion. I need the Church. I need Jesus.

But for some reason, when I watch this video I feel as though the idea being presented, even glorified, is that Jesus and the Church need to get a divorce. The Church has too much blood and ugliness in its past, and that's not to mention its present. Maybe that's not fair. Maybe that's too harsh. But what I hear is that we need less rule following, less telling us what to do and how to do it, and less annoying, outdated, tradition. We just need Jesus.

While that may strike a chord with some, it leaves me uneasy. This post, and my thoughts about this video, aren't even so much about this video as they are a call, a cry, an urging to all my brothers and sisters in Christ to embrace Christ's body, the Church. My hope is that we can get back to our identity as followers of Christ; a people rooted in the Church; to remember and identify with those like Cyprian of Carthage who famously claimed,

“Anyone who cuts themselves off from the Church and is joined to an adulteress is separated from the promises of the Church, and anyone who leaves the Church of Christ behind cannot benefit from the rewards of Christ. Such persons are strangers, outcasts, and enemies. You cannot have God as Father unless you have the Church as mother.”

Cyprian knew this religion called Christianity was important. Cyprian knew that it was impossible to claim God as Father without Church as mother. Cyprian knew what it meant to proclaim, "Jesus is Lord." He knew what was at stake if he continued in his role as Bishop of the Church in Carthage. He knew the Church was worth it. He was martyred in AD 258.

Likewise, Saint Augustine, in a Sermon to the Catechumens on the Creed, said,

"But you begin to have God for your Father, when you have been born by the Church as your Mother."

Here it is again, the Church as Mother. The Church as nurturer and "birther" of faith. The Church is the place where faith is communicated, enfleshed, and preserved. The bride of Christ. The people of God. The community of faith. I love the Church. I love my religion. And I love Jesus - the One who died that we might live.

The Church certainly has its blemishes and blind spots, but isn't that largely due to the fact that the Church consists of people like you, me, even Jeff Bethke? We are the Church. We are God's people. We are Christ's ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation to a broken and hurting world.

I love the Church, and I love Jesus.

Pausing to Pray - Experiential Prayer Stations

2012-01-05T14:51:00.000-08:00

Last night we created a space in our church gym for prayer. There were opportunities for receiving prayer from our Prayer Team as well as engaging in 15 different "Experiential Prayer Stations" spread throughout the gym. What a night! It is incredible to see how God moves when we pause to pray. It is incredible to see young people slow down and engage when the setting is right and space is created to pray.

Mostly, I was shocked that I was shocked by the response of those who participated. I have been part of services like this at our annual high school retreat, and every time God shows up, students are moved, and I'm surprised by the response. Tonight was the same. I find myself once again saying the words Jacob said long ago, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it!"

I encourage you to create space in your life to be surprised by God's presence. I encourage you to create space to meet the Lord.

Anyone else ever participated in a worship experience like this? What stations were used? What was the response?

Christmas Celebrations

2011-12-23T22:55:00.000-08:00

it's been fun watching Youth Ministry blogs and Facebook pics to see the ways youth pastors across the country celebrate Christmas with their students. i'm not talking about youth talks and other lessons on the meaning of Christmas, but that not-often-blogged-about FUN and GAMES side of youth ministry!

so what do we do? our Junior Highers participated in a quick "Decorate-A-Student-As-If-They-Are-A-Christmas-Tree" game.

and the Senior High loaded the shuttle for our annual Christmas Extravaganza! what the heck is that? it's a progressive dinner, white elephant gift exchange, ugly Christmas sweater, fun night. we even throw in a little "Wright Family Christmas" game so that a few lucky kids can win some Starbucks' gift cards! cheeayyyyy! here's some pics...

so what do you do to celebrate with your youth?

Everyone Needs a Banana Suit

2011-12-21T14:47:00.001-08:00

guest blog on the CHIC 2012 website written by me! check it out...

Everyone Needs a Banana Suit

"The Lord's"

2011-12-14T22:55:00.000-08:00

Isaiah 44:5

"Some will say, ‘I belong to the LORD’;
others will call themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, ‘The LORD’s,’
and will take the name Israel."

tonight i asked our students to consider this text. this, as i posted before, is about identity. this is about a people living in exile - living in a land not their own - surrounded by foreign customs, religious practices, foods, etc. this is about this exilic people holding their heads high, remembering where their hope, value, and self-worth come from - "I belong to the LORD."

so i challenged our students: "who do you belong to? would you be willing to write 'The Lord's' on your hand? would you, as a sort of exile in this world and in your school, be willing to stand up for your faith - be willing to answer for the hope you have?"

we busted out the Sharpies. i asked the students to only write, "The Lord's," on their hands after they thought about how they might answer that friend or acquaintance at school the next day when he says, "what's that on your hand?"

i remember the days of rockin' the WWJD? bracelets, and i even remember wearing some hideous Christian t-shirts to school in my "too on-fire for Jesus to know i was too fanatic, very nerdy, and most likely annoying" years. but i think this is different. this is straight out of the Bible y'all!

"some will write, 'The Lord's,' on their hands."

what would you say? are you willing to put your identity in Christ - to really put it out there that you belong to God?

Good News - Gospel

2011-12-12T14:15:00.000-08:00

what is the Good News? what is the Gospel? i've been thinking about how to define this over the last week or so. it all began when i thought i was teaching on the concept of "Gospel" for our 7th and 8th grade Confirmation class. "what is the Gospel? how should i define it for Junior Highers?"

then as i was planning Sunday school on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, the JOY Sunday, i found myself again asking, "What is the Good News? What is it about Christmas time that is so joyful?"

there is a handout i ran across a few years ago with many definitions of the Gospel form past and current theologians. it's quite interesting (if you want to see it, i can send it your way). i'll try and summarize these definitions:

the Gospel is Jesus, God in the flesh, who came to save humanity from sin by dying on a cross and raising from the dead. in dying and rising, Jesus cancels our sin and makes it possible for humans to once again be in relationship with God. and finally, Jesus ascends to the Father where he is seated on the throne. those who believe in him have access to eternal life through the forgiveness of sin, and are privileged to participate in God's kingdom. this is Good News!

but there's something that appears to be missing, or at least underemphasized in this "classic" Gospel message. something subtle, but something that i believe matters - especially as we communicate the Gospel to young people. it is the invitation to BELONG. it is the sense that God is again calling a people to follow him, to participate in something bigger than individual fame or fortune.

i've been reading through Isaiah this Advent, starting in chapter 40. i'm struck by the language God uses to remind the people that they are his - they belong to God. today i read Isaiah 44. verse 5 caught my attention, and i connected it to verses 21-22. check this out. remember, i'm reflecting on the Good News, the Gospel, and communicating it to young people.

"Some will say, 'I belong to the LORD';
other will will themselves by the name of Jacob;
still others will write on their hand, 'The LORD's,'
and will take the name Israel."

there's the identity, the belonging, piece. and then, verses 21-22:

"I will not forget you.
I have swept away your offenses like a cloud,
your sins like the morning mist.
Return to me,
for I have redeemed you."

The Gospel: We BELONG to God. He created us. He formed us in our mother's womb. Though we've strayed, he has not forgotten us. He is calling us to repent, to RETURN to him. And he has REDEEMED us. This work of redemption is DONE. Jesus did it - he accomplished it - it's done.

The BELONGING piece is huge. Think of the parable of the Prodigal Son. This is about a father welcoming his son; it's about a father throwing a party for the child who returns; it's about a father who has already forgiven the son before he can say a word. And this is the story some say is "the Gospel in a nutshell." And...this is the story JESUS tells.

How do you define, or how would you present, the Gospel? What "Gospel presentation(s)" do you remember?

Contemplative Youth Ministry?

2011-12-07T22:59:00.000-08:00

it's been awhile since i've read Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli. the book was published in 2006, and i quickly devoured it - this book spoke my language. for example, Yaconelli writes,

“[Contemplation] comes as a medicine to a church culture obsessed with trends, efficiency, techniques, and bullet-point results.”

contemplation as medicine. i like that.

tonight we gave a dose, albeit a small one, of this medicine to our youth. it's funny how easy it is for me to forget that contemplation, slowing down, creating a quiet, slower-paced space WORKS. now, when i say it "works," i'm not suggesting this as a formula, but that this is something we are all hungering for. we are hungering for moments where we can present with God and others, free from distractions. we are sick. the things we spend our time doing - the frantic pace of life - are making us sick. we need spiritual medication.

so tonight we practiced Lectio Divina, sacred reading. it was slow. we dimmed the lights. we lit candles. we read Mark 1:1-8, 14-15. we sang music from the Taize community. students and leaders connected with God.

i was reminded of how much of my life is spent in front of screens - TV, computer, iPhone. screens. visually trying to process all this data, but not taking enough of it in to justify the time i spend in front of screens.

so instead, tonight we listened. we listened to the Word. we listened to God. we believed that God would speak to us through his Word, for in Hebrews the Bible is described as "living and active."

how can you slow down? how can you make sure you get a dose of this medication?

have you had similar experiences with young people? what other creative ideas are out there for introducing the medicine of contemplative worship to students?

not another youth ministry blog...well, maybe

2011-12-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

i'm trying to get back in the saddle here folks. i find myself seeking a creative outlet for writing, thinking, processing, sharing, and other words that are good that describe what i want to do here.

recently, i was asked to "guest post" on a blog i frequently read and felt quite honored. you can read that post at Average Youth Ministry, the blog of fellow Youth Pastor, Benjamin Kerns.

so here we going again, attempt #3 at bloggety blogging!

Leviticus...really?

2010-02-23T23:51:00.001-08:00

after cruising through Leviticus in the Bible reading "scheme," i had to pause. at our home group we found ourselves asking the question, "What?," as in, "What is this about? What are we to do with this?"

i was quickly reminded of two things:

1) A quote from Shane Claiborne in Jesus for President,

“God would save the world through fascination, by setting up an alternative society on the margins of the empire for the world to come and see what a society of love looks like.”

2) A presentation from TED.com, A.J. Jacob's Year of Living Biblically. take the time to watch the video below, it's only 18 minutes!

reflect. "What is the point of Leviticus?" i'm interested in your answers!

Genesis 18-21

2010-01-25T14:34:00.000-08:00

Gen 18:12

"So Sarah laughed to herself..."

I love that she laughs. I love it more that she is called out on it in verse 15 and, because she is human, denies it! Sarah, like Abraham, realizes how crazy this whole notion of her bearing child really is. She realizes that it would be a miracle for her to bear a child.

Sometimes hope seems crazy. Sometimes people look at the hope we have in Christ and think, "That's crazy. You really believe that?" Yes. I do. I have hope in Christ because there's nothing and no one else who can save. There is nothing and no one else in which I trust with my hope for the future. But sometimes we have to laugh because we are human. Sometimes we think about our hope compared the hopes of the world, and we have to laugh. We must look crazy! We are fools for Christ! We are, as Paul said, putting our faith in what is foolishness to the world. And there is no better place, more right place, to place our hope! Praise be to God.

Gen 19:16

God's mercy exhibited. God's promise to Abraham fulfilled; that is, if he could find anyone who was righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah he would save them. So even when Lot is "lingering," the Lord "seizes him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand." Why? "The LORD was merciful to him." For all the times God gets painted as one who is full of wrath and smite in the Old Testament, there are texts like this one. There are texts that say, "God is merciful. God is full of grace. God is slow to anger. God is love." Again, God, who created all of this, has every right to wipe it all out, but God, because he is merciful, loving, and full of grace, chooses to extend pardon. God chooses to embrace people who don't deserve it. This is grace. This is the Good News!

Gen 19:38

Quick note to cap off a pretty messed up story involving incest...Look at the nations founded through this messiness: the Moabites and Ammonites. Look at Jesus' genealogy in Matthew. Ruth, the Moabite, is among the ancestors of Jesus. Once again God shows that he can take messy situations, sinful situations, and redeem them. Praise God that he is able to redeem and restore us. He heals our brokenness.

Blogging the Bible

2010-01-24T23:53:00.000-08:00

Genesis 11-17

I'm finally caught up to where I'm supposed to be on the Bible reading scheme. If you haven't joined the crew reading through the Bible, there's still time! You're not too far behind yet...

Abraham is the man. Honestly. He begins his journey with the LORD when he is 75 years old. He sets out unaware and uncertain. What does he have? God's promise. This is no small thing!

Gen 12:2

"I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing."

Don't overlook the "so that." Don't miss it. Why has God blessed Abraham? So that he will be a blessing to others. Abraham is to be the father of the people of God. Abraham is chosen. We aren't told why he is chosen, but we know that he listens to God and takes God's promise seriously. He obeys. So...God blesses Abraham so that others might be blessed and receive God's promises.

God's blessings are not ours to store up and/or take for granted. Any attitude that says, "God blessed me because I am so amazing, " is flat out unbiblical. God blesses his people so that they can bless others. God gives us gifts, talents, resources so that we can serve and use those gifts, talents, and resources to work for the Kingdom that it might be realized "on earth as it is in heaven."

Gen 16:13

"So she named the LORD who spoke to her, 'You are the God who sees me..."

Hagar names God, "The One who sees me." This is beautiful - to think that the God of the universe sees us. God looks upon us and is actually interested in knowing us, in relating to us. God enters into our lives because he wants to. God initiates the knowing; the seeing; the relationship. Thank you God because you see me, you see us!

Gen 17:17

"Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, 'Can a child be born to a man who is 100 years old?'"

The Covenant is renewed with Abraham time and again. God reminds Abraham of his promises just as we are in constant need of reminders about God's faithfulness. Finally, Abraham laughs at God. I thought this was rude of Abe at first, but then I realized, homeboy has been waiting 25 years for a son to make the promise come true. He has been following and obeying God for 25 years. He trusted God for 25 years; he left his home and his people; he survived famine and a time in Egypt; he tried to make the promise happen on his own by having sex with Hagar. Abraham has tried everything. He has really tried to believe God, and finally he simply laughs. He is now 100 years old. The thought of he and Sarah having children is hilarious. Let's be honest, it's ridiculous. But God is able. God is "able to do exceedingly more than we can ask or imagine" (Eph 3:20). God doesn't make empty promises.

Genesis 8-10

2010-01-23T23:52:00.000-08:00

Noah, the Flood, the Covenant, and Noah's boys...

In these three chapters, above all, I am struck by the "tribal" nature of those times. The family tree mattered. Were you a son of the cursed Ham? Maybe you could trace your lineage to Nimrod, the first great warrior who was also numbered among Ham's descendants.

Lineage mattered. Family mattered. Why? Family trees tell stories. They talk about what "our people" have been through and how we ended up here today. They tell us, in part, why we function the way we do.

For Noah and his family, their primary identity above all the messiness, is that of Covenant people. They have been saved from the Flood and are allowed to enter into a Covenant relationship with God. Their identity - their existence - is a result of God's mercy. They are because of God's provision, protection, and providence.

Genesis 1-7

2010-01-22T23:50:00.000-08:00

Day 1 and 2 - Genesis 1-7

I already started two days behind, but catching up is fun. I’ve found that reading large chunks of the Bible is particularly helpful for me.

Genesis 1 and 2

I realize any comments on the Creation account are potential fodder for an ensuing messy debate. Please refrain from getting ugly! Why do I say this? As a youth pastor, it seems at least once a month I am encouraged by well-meaning authors and others to teach the kids the right way or else. “Or else what?,” you might ask. Or else they will leave the church. There is a popular sentiment right now that kids are leaving the church in droves because they don’t know how to stand up against the “evolutionists” in the public schools – both high school and college. That is one of many reasons some youth leave the church. Unfortunately, there are many others, almost too many to count. As a pastor to youth, I wish it were as easy as solving one issue involving belief in one issue. What do you think? Why are kids leaving the church?

Genesis 3:6

“So when the woman saw that it was…

good for food

a delight to the eyes,

to be desired to make one wise,

she took of the fruit and ate.”

The tree was desirable; it was beautiful, just as the things that tempt us seem so attractive, desirable, and alluring. We are all tempted in different ways by different things. What is attractive and desirable for me may not interest you whatsoever.

Genesis 3:8

“They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze…”

Last weekend at the high school MUD retreat, we were asked to do a fire watch in the night. During the 15 minutes of silence we could hear the wind coming from a distance. It was awesome in the truest sense of the word; that is, it provoked an eerie awe. I could hear it far off and then when it was upon us we could see the effect of the wind on the trees and feel it on our faces. It was as if God was “walking among us at the time of the evening breeze.” Don't worry, we were already clothed!

Genesis 3:16

“Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

This comes as a direct result of sin entering the picture, so why would people try and make this normative in Christian relationships? Some say this is something to aspire to in our relationships. In Mark 10, when Jesus is pressed on the issue of divorce, he basically says, “Don’t look to Moses’ time for answers as to how God intended relationships to work. Instead, look to Creation; look to the beginning, before sin."

To use this text, as some do, to argue that it is natural for women to desire men and men to rule over women, I seriously wonder whether they believe in redemption. In Christ, we are new creations. The old has gone, the new has come. We are set free from sin to live under the principles of the Kingdom of God. We are no longer slaves to sin; we are no longer to live under the rules of sin. Instead, we are to live as redeemed people, as Kingdom people. We are to live as God created us to live - in mutuality and shared purpose.

Genesis 6:5-6

“…every inclination of their hearts was only evil continually.”

Those words “every” and “only” are troublesome. How could this have happened? How did they get there? How did they forget God? The real question is, “Why did God have mercy?” For those who like to say the God of the Old Testament is mean, let’s be honest, if everyone were only evil all the time, wouldn’t you have a problem with that? Wouldn’t you want to change that? Instead, God made a way to establish a promise with Noah and his family, in order that God’s Creation wouldn’t be completely annihilated. God turned to good what people meant for evil.

My Bible Reading Scheme...Buddying Up With the Bible

2010-01-22T22:46:00.001-08:00

i've recently started another round of a "read through the Bible in a year." this time i'm joined by my small group [which includes my lovely wife], and hopefully some youth from our church. to all you youth who read this and take on the challenge: YOU ARE AWESOME!

i'm hoping that this time around i can create a space for discussion and interaction with the text. as we read and encounter the text together, i invite you to share you insights, questions, and places where you are flat out stuck.

my own posts will not be a commentary or exhaustive by any means. i will be posting what i read and what stood out in my reading. i hope you feel encouraged to share and interact, and i sincerely hope i can stick with posting on an almost daily basis!

when it comes to reading the Bible, we desperately need each other. the Bible is an historic, communal, and living text. we would do well to treat it as such! please join us...

if you need a copy of the "read the Bible in a year" plan, follow the links. we have chosen to read the text Genesis-Revelation rather than a bit of Old and New Testament simultaneously...

may we encounter the Lord together as we enter into his Word. and may we allow ourselves to be changed by the text.

as Johann Arndt wrote in True Christianity,

"God did not reveal his Holy Scriptures so that they might externally on paper remain a dead letter, but that they might become living in us in spirit and faith and that a completely new man might arise. If this does not occur, the scriptures are of no use to us."

Haiti: a response

2010-01-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

while i should have developed my own response to the crisis in Haiti at this point, i want to share a New York Times op-ed piece by David Brooks that caught my attention this morning...

read, "The Underlying Tragedy."

reflections? thoughts?

what does this say about world mission efforts, specifically, Christian world mission efforts? i know of groups who have gone to Haiti for years. does this raise any questions about the effectiveness of short-term mission projects abroad?

mcgwire on roids! who can you trust?

2010-01-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

no way! Mark McGwire was on steroids? i don't believe it. i thought he was clean because he said he was clean. oh wait, no one, and i mean no one, honestly believed Mark McGwire was clean. come one!

so today, when i came across this article on ESPN.com i had a nice chuckle. way to go McGwire! way to tell us what we already knew. thanks for waiting. oh yeah, and thanks for lying.

in the article, McGwire says "You don't know that you'll ever have to talk about the skeleton in your closet on a national level," he said. "I did this for health purposes. There's no way I did this for any type of strength use."

we're supposed to believe that after he lied to Congress and everyone else?

bigger issue here...

can we trust anyone anymore? who isn't lying these days? distrust is almost an American value because lying seems to be an American value. scandals, lies, cover-ups - that's what our country is about. we love it. it fuels our media crazed, sound-byte lifestyles.

so how does the Church build trust, and expect people to put their ultimate trust in Jesus Christ, in a low-trust culture?

college football ratings part II

2009-11-15T15:07:00.001-08:00

not that i'm an expert like those at ESPN, but i have some things to say about college football. well, i have one thing to say: GIVE US A PLAYOFF!

this season once again proves one thing - crowning a champion in college football is guesswork and extremely biased. it also proves that the rankings are extremely nebulous so long as teams refuse to play a schedule filled with legitimate games.

let's look at the current standings:

how is Iowa ranked behind Penn State? didn't they beat Penn State? doesn't that imply they are better?

and doesn't USC's loss to Stanford confirm their "overrated-ness"? i'm still trying to figure out how they were ranked higher than Oregon last week after getting demolished by Oregon and lowing to powerhouse Washington!

not to toot the Big-12 horn, but if Oklahoma State were USC, they'd probably be ranked 4 this week. the Cowboys only losses are to Texas and Houston. somehow USC stayed at number 8 last week with losses to Washington and Oregon.

finally, a plea for my Huskers. how are they not ranked higher than Miami? they have two common opponents: Oklahoma and Virginia Tech. they both beat Oklahoma and both lost at Virginia Tech. Nebraska should have beat Virginia Tech while Miami got destroyed. how is Miami ranked higher? how is Miami ranked higher than North Carolina who has the same record and just beat them? confusing...

i demand a PLAYOFF!

conducting an orchestra as a model for leadership

2009-11-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

stumbled across this video from TED [ideas worth spreading]...watch the video...

"when you love something, you give it away."

what does it look like to lead as a conductor leads an orchestra? here's what I think...

*the conductor has the overall piece in mind, but also understands and appreciates each part.

*the conductor is almost like a coach. he/she participates and leads during the performance, but the real success is based on preparation and cohesiveness of the group as a whole.

*the conductor, when confident in preparation, can "give it away."

*the conductor, by his/her body language, can give praise or criticism to individuals to help them help the group be successful.

*the conductor is the leader. if the performance goes awry, he/she will be held responsible.

what do you think? what principles would you deduce?

i'd be very interested to hear from any who have participated in orchestra, choir, ensembles, band, etc...

how do/did you view the leadership of your conductor?

retreat ministry

2009-10-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

just had a weekend retreat and it got me thinking about my life and the importance of camp on my spiritual journey. there are so many people who have influenced my faith and have given of themselves for me. thank you to everyone who has taken time to influence me!

i thought of this as i had the chance to be part of 17 students' lives this weekend. retreats are great opportunities to connect with each other while we're disconnected from life's normal distractions. thank you to all of you - students, adults alike - for trusting me and allowing me to speak into your lives!

check out some highlights from the retreat...

psalm 119

2009-10-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

read through all of Psalm 119 today (it is a joyous chore!)...

i am struck by the Psalmist mentions of loving the Lord's commands, laws, decrees, statutes, rules, etc.

it almost makes me wonder, is he trying to convince himself he really loves the Lord's laws? have you ever felt that way? have you ever tried to convince yourself of something you ultimately knew was good for you, but had a really hard time acting on? surely we can all think of things we know we shouldn't do but we do anyhow because in the moment it feels/tastes/looks so good.

as i read Psalm 119 in the New Century Version, i finally came across verse 131 and felt more at ease. finally, the Psalmist was speaking my language. it reads:

"i am nearly out of breath.

i really want to learn your commands."

we all want to obey. we want to know the right thing to do. we want to follow God and reap all the benefits. we want badly to draw nearer and nearer to God and godly living. sometimes, we get in our own way. sometimes, we run after things that aren't good for us and flat out ignore God's commands.

and then, we are nearly out of breath - nearly to the point of having nowhere else to turn - we say, "ok God, i guess i'll give you a chance."

we cannot do this thing called "life" on our own. we need God's commands because they give us life. read Psalm 119 and see how many times the Psalmist links God's rules, commands, decrees - God's Word - to LIFE. God's rules give us life; help us live an abundant life.

so i conclude: Lord, help us - make us - to WANT to WANT to learn your commands.

college football ratings

2009-09-27T22:44:00.001-07:00

WARNING: this is a rant. it may be irrational. it is a bit biased. but i've always wanted to rant about college football, so why not now.

the rankings are a joke. obviously, being a Nebraska Cornhusker fan, i'm biased, but see if this logic makes sense...

Nebraska has one loss. to who? Virginia Tech who is currently ranked #6 in the entire nation. Nebraska barely lost, should have won, and it was AT Va Tech. so where is Nebraska ranked? #23.

Oklahoma has one loss. to who? Brigham Young [BYU] who is currently ranked #20. Oklahoma's loss was AT home as well. so where is Oklahoma ranked. surely below Nebraska right? #8.

please, someone explain how USC is still in the top 10 after losing to Washington? Washington just got beat by Stanford people. that's not even a loss to a quality opponent [sorry Husky fans but you did go 0-14 last season; you're not quite "quality" yet, but you're getting there and i have hope as a current Washingtonian].

do i need to go on? probably not, but i will anyway. hopefully you're with me and you're enraged!

Penn State has one loss. to who? Iowa who is currently ranked #13 after previously being UNRANKED. so Iowa beats an untested, unproven Penn State team at home and jumps to #13? surely they must have some other quality wins, right? wrong. they barely beat powerhouse Northern Iowa at home [they had to block to field goals to win], and they held off perennial clunker Iowa State. but don't worry, Penn State kept a #15 ranking. after all, they have beaten Akron, Syracuse and Temple, all HOME games.

i'm begging for consistency. i'm begging for sanity. in the end, i'm begging for a PLAYOFF system that puts an end to all this nonsense...

Scripture 'N Youth Ministry

2009-09-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

ran across this short video from Youth Specialties a few weeks back. simply put, i was challenged and inspired. the role of Scripture in my own life, especially as a youth, is a major factor in my desire to follow Christ and my call to ministry. without the Bible, i don't think i would be where i am today.

i hope you watched the video. it's only 1 minutes and 24 seconds! amazing ideas. things i want to implement and see happen. how? how do we get kids to fall in love with Scripture? i think it's nothing short of a miracle that i did.

thinking specifically about traditional "youth group" and "Sunday school", how do you think kids should be introduced to Scripture? what is the best way to get them to fall in love with God's Word?

"old school" U.S.A.

2009-09-15T22:13:00.001-07:00

in New York Times opinion piece, "High Five Nation," David Brooks weighs in on the U.S. then and now. specifically, he writes of the attitudes and sentiments following victory in WWII. it was a moment of humility, of awe, and, as war correspondent Ernie Pyle expressed, "I hope that in victory we are more grateful than we are proud."

why don't we hear more of that today? have we lost our sense of gratitude and thankfulness for life and all its little joys? have we lost the sense of privilege and gift that is each new day? instead, we complain about the little things. instead, I complain about the little things that bug me, annoy me, and that need to be fixed or else. or else what? or else i'll shrink away in self-loathing and self-pity...

from the article:

But that humility came under attack in the ensuing decades. Self-effacement became identified with conformity and self-repression. A different ethos came to the fore, which the sociologists call “expressive individualism.” Instead of being humble before God and history, moral salvation could be found through intimate contact with oneself and by exposing the beauty, the power and the divinity within.
Everything that starts out as a cultural revolution ends up as capitalist routine. Before long, self-exposure and self-love became ways to win shares in the competition for attention. Muhammad Ali would tell all cameras that he was the greatest of all time. Norman Mailer wrote a book called “Advertisements for Myself.”

Brooks ends the article with a line that caught my attention and continues to scream out to me:

It’s funny how the nation’s mood was at its most humble when its actual achievements were at their most extraordinary.
what about us? as followers of Christ, are we humble? are we willing to celebrate adversity and an opportunity to grow? are we pursuing Christ's vision and Christ's Kingdom goals, or are we after wealth, fame, and self-grandeur?

i ask these questions as a fellow traveler. i ask these questions as a 21st Century American Christian struggling to find the answers and make some sense of it all...

join me on the journey!

health and

2009-09-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

stumbled on an interesting article [read full article here]. it caught my attention because it isn't just about the need for health care reform and the ongoing debate, but about the need for prevention and education on healthy living in the United States of America. why do we spend so much on health care? there are a number of reasons, one of which is our general lack of healthy living. this is something the church can and should address. our bodies are gifts from God. we ought to treat them as such.

my specific reason for posting this is that the article mentions the the increase in the U.S. of those diagnosed with diabetes. this hits home. this is real for me and my family. my sister has been diabetic since age 2 and my dad had adult-onset or type II. eventually, complications from diabetes are what ended his life over 3 years ago.

read this paragraph from the article:

The market for prescription drugs and medical devices to manage Type 2 diabetes, which the Centers for Disease Control estimates will afflict one in three Americans born after 2000, is one of the brighter spots in the American economy. As things stand, the health care industry finds it more profitable to treat chronic diseases than to prevent them. There’s more money in amputating the limbs of diabetics than in counseling them on diet and exercise.

do you find that shocking? don't hear what i'm not saying. i'm not blaming the "system" for poor lifestyle choices. i'm not blaming my dad either. i'm suggesting that the need for change in the health care system goes beyond whether people are "happy" with their current plans. it goes beyond whether America is the best and other countries suck. i'm talking about making sure every person gets the care they need to live healthy, holistic lives; to do our best at allowing all of God's children to flourish. i'm suggesting that helping people live in the bodies God gave them shouldn't be about PROFIT.

will we have to sacrifice? yes. will we have to give up some of "our" money? yes. will the transition be awkward and imperfect? yes.

call me idealistic. call me a dreamer. i just know we can do better.

Glenn Beck in Mount Vernon?

2009-09-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

have you been following this? do you have an opinion?

Glenn Beck is coming to Mount Vernon, WA and getting a "key" to the city...

it made the news in Boston [read about it here] read more at goskagit.com

i'm pleased to say i don't really know much about this character, but i'm confused as to why a political analyst would receive a "key" to the city. what has he done for Mount Vernon? is it worth dividing a town?

weigh in...

radicals

2009-09-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

read this article...

To Father Kabat, the nuclear issue — and his protests — remain essential. The building of weapons continues to drain money that could be used to fight poverty and hunger, he says, adding, as if caught in a time warp, “There’s still a real threat these things could go to the U.S.S.R.”

is this man a "radical"? is he being faithful to the gospel and a call to follow Christ?

stuff...enough stuff...

2009-09-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

fascinating article in New York Times this morning...

"The Self-Storage Self"...worth your time. enjoy this excerpt; check out question at end...

“A lot of the expansion we experienced as an industry was people choosing to store,” Litton told me. A Self Storage Association study showed that, by 2007, the once-quintessential client — the family in the middle of a move, using storage to solve a short-term, logistical problem — had lost its majority. Fifty percent of renters were now simply storing what wouldn’t fit in their homes — even though the size of the average American house had almost doubled in the previous 50 years, to 2,300 square feet.

Consider our national furniture habit. In an unpublished paper, Schor writes that “anecdotal evidence suggests an ‘Ikea effect.’ ” We’ve spent more on furniture even as prices have dropped, thereby amassing more of it. The amount entering the United States from overseas doubled between 1998 and 2005, reaching some 650 million pieces a year. Comparing Schor’s data with E.P.A. data on municipal solid waste shows that the rate at which we threw out old furniture rose about one-thirteenth as fast during roughly the same period. In other words, most of that new stuff — and any older furniture it displaced — is presumably still knocking around somewhere. In fact, some seven million American households now have at least one piece of furniture in their storage units. Furniture is the most commonly stored thing in America.

The marketing consultant Derek Naylor told me that people stockpile furniture while saving for bigger or second homes but then, in some cases, “they don’t want to clutter up their new home with all the things they have in storage.” So they buy new, nicer things and keep paying to store the old ones anyway. Clem Tang, a spokesman for Public Storage, explains: “You say, ‘I paid $1,000 for this table a couple of years ago. I’m not getting rid of it, or selling it for 10 bucks at a garage sale. That’s like throwing away $1,000.’ ” It’s not a surprising response in a society replacing things at such an accelerated rate — this inability to see our last table as suddenly worthless, even though we’ve just been out shopping for a new one as though it were.

“My parents were Depression babies,” Litton told me, “and what they taught me was, it’s the accumulation of things that defines you as an American, and to throw anything away was being wasteful.” The self-storage industry reconciles these opposing values: paying for storage is, paradoxically, thrifty. “That propensity toward consumption is what fueled the world’s economy,” Litton said.

do you have a storage unit? why?

are you defined by your stuff and how much you have?

do you have Ikea stuff [i do!]?

socialism n health care

2009-09-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

"socialism is the enemy of all free people"

have you seen this bumper sticker? what does it mean to you?

interesting New York Times editorial today by Nicholas Kristof, read it here.

"Throughout the industrialized world, there are a handful of these areas where governments fill needs better than free markets: fire protection, police work, education, postal service, libraries, health care. The United States goes along with this international trend in every area but one: health care."

and check out this video:

perspective

2009-09-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

finished What is the What...

gained perspective on life.

the final chapter begins with these words from Valentino Achak Deng,

"I will reach upward. I will attempt to do better. I will not be a burden upon those who have helped me too much already. I will always be grateful for what pleasures I have enjoyed, what joys I have yet to experience. I will take opportunities as they come, but at the same time, I will not trust so easily. I will look at who is at the door before opening it. I will try to be fierce. I will argue when necessary. I will be willing to fight. I will not smile reflexively at every person I see. I will live as a good child of God, and will forgive him each time he claims another of the people I love. I will forgive and attempt to understand his plans for me, and I will not pity myself."

so much wisdom. how can someone who has been through so much still trust in God? honestly. how can you see what this man has seen and still believe there is good in the world and a divine presence?

but by the grace of God. because there is nothing else which gives HOPE. there is nothing else which gives meaning. there is no other God who can put up with us and continue calling out to us.

praise God for understanding us; for forgiving us; for loving us...

and praise God for those who survive and cling to faith in the midst of insane life circumstances. and praise God for those who truly have compassion for these individuals and peoples. may our hearts break for the things that break God's heart. and may we be moved to make a difference in our world that the Kingdom might be seen in and through us.

what is the what

2009-08-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

almost finished with the book What is the What by Dave Eggers, the story of a Sudanese Lost Boy named Valentino Achak Deng.

i'm captivated by the story. it helps remind me of the reality of life on this planet; that is, life on this planet is not glamorous or remotely safe, secure, comfortable for many. while we worry about what to wear, or what brand of toothpaste will get our teeth the whitest, there are people wondering whether there will be a meal today or whether their fellow traveling companion will get eaten by a lion. seriously. we need perspective.

as i've read the story another thing stands out...the dates, years he describes. when i read stories like this of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing their homes; when i read about genocide; when i read about families separated and teenage boys taking on the role of "burial team" for a refugee camp; i think to myself, "wow, the world was different back then; back when people weren't civilized." but then i see the date and it grabs me: 1994. this happened in the early 90s, and continues today.

just like when i saw Hotel Rwanda for the first time and realized, this happened during my lifetime. where was i? where were we? as people were slaughtered in Africa, where were we? as people waste away in refugee camps, where are we?

health care II

2009-08-22T16:12:00.000-07:00

not to belabor the point, but Scot McKnight's Jesus Creed blog has been hosting some great discussions on health care reform.

one commenter, Scott Lyons, recently posted this response on whether health care should be a "right" for all Americans [you can read full post and comments here]:

That being said some of our arguments make no sense for us as Christians. For instance, (1) We need to look for other means or look to other institutions to provide health care reform or assistance for those who need it. Why are we discussing this only now that the government is seeking to solve the problem? The bottom line is that most Christians don't want the government telling them they need to be righteous - forcing them to be righteous. I figure, if you ain't already righteous, someone's gotta help you. And if you already is, shouldn't be a problem for you to be giving the money to those who need it (if you got it). Catholic social teaching couples subsidiarity with solidarity. And a good central government's subsidiary function is to step in and assist when other institutions or local governments are insufficient. And the American health care system is insufficient.
(2) Some people do not deserve care because of bad personal choices. This line of thinking turns away from the essence of God's mercy. Compassion is not merely for the innocent - indeed, mercy and compassion are divine when they are directed toward those who don't deserve it. This Theology of Desert is typical in conservative circles, but it's the theology of the unmerciful servant and not of Christ. Showing mercy and compassion ought not to hinge on the good decision-making history of the recipients. The man shown mercy by the King (in Christ's parable of the unmerciful servant) was in debt because of his choices. We are debtors because of our choices and are continually shown mercy, but we cannot show mercy to an overweight person who continues to overeat? Or a smoker who is slowly, consciously killing himself? This is disheartening. So what if the system is abused by some. Isn't it better to be used than to be unmerciful?
(3) People from all over the world come to America for top-notch health care. This only tells us that we have top-notch health care for those who can afford it.
As to the secondary question about raising taxes or not to pay for it. This is the crux of the argument for many of us, I suppose. Not, What is the right thing for me to do? But, What is it going to cost me? I am not suggesting that money and taxation are unimportant. But it shouldn't be a counter-argument to the provision of health care for those who need it, especially when we can "afford" unjust wars and trillion dollar bail-outs.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? IS HEALTH CARE A RIGHT, OR A PRIVILEGE?

will you be my friend?

2009-08-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

facebook, myspace, twitter, etc.

i'm beginning to learn something about myself through using these online social networking tools...I WANT PEOPLE TO LIKE ME. in fact, i want lots of people to like me. i want to know that people care about what i think and what i do and what i ate yesterday and what i'm about to do and why i'm going to do it.

it's an astounding, mind-blowing truth i've discovered - we all want people to like us!

while i think being like is a worthy endeavor, i'm discovering it can't be the end gain. to what lengths will we go to be liked? what will we do to ensure people like us? what will we suppress, hide, or lie about so that others won't notice our blemishes?

i am a conflict avoider. there. i admitted it. i hate conflict and would rather see others be happy or get their way so that they'll continue liking me. there are times, if i'm honest, that i'd rather be liked than be honest with someone. i'd rather maintain our perceived friendly relationship that speak harsh words. the crazy thing is - they are usually not harsh words! somehow i've told myself they might possibly be perceived as being harsh, critical, or judgmental. so i suppress these words in order to be liked.

through this discovery i'm finding we have a deficit in the area of vulnerability in our society. when we all look out for ourselves and make sure people like us, we don't allow ourselves or others to be real. we protect, suppress, and even lie. in the end, the potential consequences are scarier than telling the truth!

so who's with me? who wants to begin by confessing everything and getting vulnerable! just kidding! please don't spill your gets via facebook or blogs. but honestly, let's get honest. let's get real with each other people. i promise, i'll still be your friend. but will you still be mine?

health care...here goes nothin'

2009-08-14T22:18:00.000-07:00

dare i mention health care? dare i bring it up? dare i ask tough questions about health care in a time where all sorts of crazy myths, propaganda, talking points, etc are flooding the internet?

YES.

i feel as though i have to. and here's why. my sister is diabetic. she has been since age 2. she cannot get affordable health care because of this "pre-existing condition." in fact, she had to have her insulin pump removed because she could no longer afford it once she finished school and came off my mom's health coverage. i guess it sucks to be her. she should have been more careful at age 2 and not got diabetes. now she has to pay for her poor lifestyle choices and unfortunate genes.

that may seem crass and unfair, but it's pretty much the way our current system works. at least she is employed and can afford her insulin without going into debt. why can't she get affordable health care? simple. she costs too much for private insurers to carry. she is too expensive. they won't make as much money. if you don't think that's fair or i'm misinformed, then why can't she find affordable health care?

so you don't like what's being proposed by the current administration. you fear SOCIALISM, EUTHANASIA, RATIONING, ____________ [insert other fear-mongering buzz words]. please, if you don't like what's being proposed, come up with a better plan. something needs to change. we have to learn from the global economy; learn from those who are trying universal systems and create our own.

why do i care about this issue? it affects my sister. it affects the poor. it is clear that God cares deeply about the poor and so should we. how we treat the poor is an excellent reflection of the success of our society. so how are we doing?

finally, my biggest concern - will anyone, including myself, do anything about any of this? i'm talking to people on both sides of the political aisle. will we do anything? will we have civil discourse? will we admit the system is flawed and be intelligent and compassionate enough to fix it? do we care enough about those without access to affordable health care? do we care enough to do anything? OR, will those of us with excellent health insurance sit back and say, "i don't want to pay for them."

evangelism

2009-08-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

attended a great discussion group today on the topic of evangelism with other area Covenant pastors. wow! amazing things happening and so much more to be done...

what did i walk away with?

tough questions. tough reflections. some thoughts...

[old question] when you die will you go to heaven?

[new question] when you die will you be remembered?

do we [pastors] have authentic, growing relationships with Christ SO THAT others can have authentic, growing relationships with Christ?

if so, do we bother to tell anyone?

overarching questions: what is the role of evangelism in the church today? that is, what does evangelism look like? what are the roadblocks/challenges? what are the successes? who does evangelism? how many church activities are outward focused vs. inward focused? do we tell others how we came to Christ? how much of our church budgets are focused on local outreach/mission? what events/programs are we doing that are outreach focused?

and finally, how do we appropriately celebrate and affirm those things we are already doing? that is, how can we do those things in which we already excel better or with more frequency?

grief

2009-07-10T15:58:00.001-07:00

"There's a fine edge to new grief, it severs nerves, disconnects reality - there's mercy in a sharp blade. Only with time, as the edge wears, does the real ache begin."

-Christopher Moore, A Dirty Job

i'm not going through grief, but ran across this quote in a hilarious book and thought i'd throw it up just to remember it...hmmmmmm.

youth ministry: where's it going?

2009-07-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

i just read some thoughts over at internetmonk.com on youth ministry and thought i'd share them. i'm particularly struck by number 2 on his list:

2. It all rolls on how you view the church and how you see the overall church carrying out the mission of Jesus. Young people are not a subset of the church’s mission that just happen to be handed over to twenty year olds and people with guitars. Whatever the church is doing needs to be relevant to young people: worship, pastoral care, teaching, mission, evangelism, stewardship. The scary thing for a lot of youth workers is the possibility that they might have to give up their cool outreaches and trips in order to be more like the church/follower Jesus wants. We’ve been told that we can use any tool to make church interesting, so youth workers like myself were allowed to run a program of fun, trips, food, sports, recreation, etc. in order to keep young people hanging around for whatever the church was doing. We now know that those young people simply insisted that the church become like their youth group and, ta da- there is today’s evangelicalism. Oh…and there’s a bunch of our kids, never coming back to church again because they eqaute it with juvenile, shallow entertainment.

what do you think? where is youth ministry going? it seems like this is a never-ending quest for the "right" way to raise up kids in the church and bring new kids to Christ. will we ever figure it out? probably not, but we keep trying!

again. what do you think? where is youth ministry going?

the better question may be:

where should youth ministry go? what should we leave behind? what should we keep?

read your Bible

2009-06-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

over a year ago i came across some advice from a pastor on Scot McKnight's blog [Jesus Creed]. 15 years or so into ministry he he realized that people in his congregation were extremely capable and surpassed his abilities in the areas of finance, administration, building, recreation, you name it, but the one area in which they hoped, or expected, him to be competent and knowledgeable was the Bible. so he began reading and re-reading the Bible 2 or 3 times per year.

i began a year ago by reading the Bible through once in a year, and now that i'm on year 2, i hope to read the Bible twice in a year.

maybe you think this could make Bible reading obligatory or a bit legalistic, but that hasn't been my experience. i need discipline. i need something to pursue, or i simply won't make time outside of preparing for sermons and youth messages to read God's Word. i'm just being honest.

after reading the story through and beginning all over again a month ago, i'm amazed at how the story of stories never gets old. i'm amazed at how i find myself entering the story.

so, if the Bible, the Word of God, is alive and active, let's get some of that life and let's get going. the Word of God has the power to transform our minds and move us to action for the glory of God's Kingdom; let's get in on some of that!

so stop what you're doing and read your Bible.

seriously.

"guns and God"

2009-06-26T14:34:00.001-07:00

i think i'm getting to this story late, but i came a cross this article in the New York Times today,

"Pastor Urges His Flog to Bring Their Guns to Church,"

read the first few paragraphs of the article linked above for context...

"'God and guns were part of the foundation of this country,' Mr. Pagano, 49, said Wednesday in the small brick Assembly of God church, where a large wooden cross hung over the altar and two American flags jutted from side walls."

he continued, “I don’t see any contradiction in this. Not every Christian denomination is pacifist.”

no contradiction? guns and God? can you love your enemies while simultaneously sticking a gun in their face? can you bless those who persecute you while pulling out a handgun?

but Pastor Pagano goes on,

“When someone from within the church tells me that being a Christian and having firearms are contradictions, that they’re incompatible with the Gospel — baloney,” he said. “As soon as you start saying that it’s not something that Christians do, well, guns are just the foil. The issue now is the Gospel. So in a sense, it does become a crusade. Now the Gospel is at stake.”

so the Gospel is at stake if we can't have funs in the church? really? if we can't exercise our 2nd amendment rights as AMERICANS, we can't be CHRISTIANS. i see. that makes perfect sense.

i guess i'm just a liberal sissy who thinks guns kill people and Jesus doesn't want us to kill people. someone help me understand what this guy is talking about. does anyone get it? what does God have to do with guns?

"the primary social task of the church is..."

2009-06-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

from Stanley Hauerwas', "Ten Theses Toward the Reform of Christian Social Ethics."

#5 - The primary social task of the church is to be itself - that is, a people who have been formed by a story that provides them with the skills for negotiating the danger of this existence, trusting in God's promise of redemption.

The primary social task of the church is to be itself.

i like that. i can live with that.

but what does that mean for us? what does that actually look like?

what do you you think?

Getting Fired for the Glory of God...

2009-06-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

just finished the collections of essays, talks, and other writings by Mike Yaconelli entitled, Getting Fired for the Glory of God. amazing!

where do i start? this is one of those books every youth pastor should read. it includes Yaconelli's tender thoughts, streams of consciousness, rants, etc. they are challenging, refreshing, honest, and most importantly, filled with his hope that young people will come to know Jesus Christ.

youth ministry is about pointing youth to Jesus. youth ministry is not about bigger and better. it is about drawing student into a deeper relationship with God or introducing them to Christ for the first time. it's about seeing the Holy Spirit grab hold of students' lives and changing them little by little.

his final essay, "Caring for Your Own Soul While Ministering to Others," really hit me. in several of his essays he talks about the need for time with God, intimacy with Christ. his son, Mark, also an author and youth ministry minded guy, talks about his dad "loving Jesus; weeping because of his love of Christ." i want that. i want to be unashamedly in love with Jesus; so much so that people notice and see him in and through me.

back to the essay. this quote stuck out. i'll leave this post here...

"If your youth ministry begins with your relationship with Jesus instead of theirs [students], then working on your own soul isn't periphery or extracurricular - it's central to your ministry. Your soul is your ministry.

"Real ministry is not what you do, but who you are."

Exodus 4 - Moses' Call

2009-05-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

preparing for sermon on May 31 and the text is Exodus 4:1-17, the continued story of Moses' call...

i wonder, does anyone have a story to share about being called by God?

could be you answered the call, could be you didn't! i'm just wondering if anyone has a story to tell [well, we all have stories to tell, but what's yours?]...

peace!

surprised by hope

2009-05-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

just finished NT Wright's, surprised by hope. yes. yes. and yes. great stuff.

let's see, what to quote in a 290 page book that i couldn't put down. i guess that's why people book blog chapter by chapter, huh? anyway, where do i start?

what is God's plan? heaven? life after death? yes, but......

heaven is life after death, but resurrection and new creation is life after life after death, and this IS OUR HOPE!

we have a hope in new creation! we have hope in resurrection bodies; in being made new in Christ! hallelujah!

Wright connects the strains of Christianity with which i've had some experience. he argues from the Bible and tradition for the middle ground between the conservative, "it's all about souls, so forget this world and look toward the next," and the liberal, "forget going to heaven, we need to help folks right now." it's about both people!

i'm going to pose a question here, in hopes that someone out there might at least think about it...Wright says that if Jesus is really raised from the dead, then the new creation, the new world has begun in part. and we, those who declare Jesus as Lord, are responsible for living in that new world under the authority of our King, Jesus Christ, even though we wait for the ultimate fulfillment of the new creation...in light of this reality; in light of the fact that we are supposed to live in the power of Christ and under the principles of the Kingdom of God, he asks why we aren't changing the world and challenging the world more often.

he says, "If the gospel isn't transforming YOU, how do you know that it will transform anything else?"

so i ask, is the gospel transformative? do you really believe it? where do you see the gospel transforming the world, your world? what can you do to live in the power of Christ and be transformed that your world might be transformed?

peace and power [sermon 4.26.09]

2009-05-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Peace and Power

I looked at the text today and two words stuck out: Peace and power. If you like points to follow get ready because I only have one: the Peace of Christ is Power. The Peace of Christ is Power for those who believe. In reflecting on these words, my first thought was that they are opposites. So I created a research team out of my high school Sunday school class to see if my observation was correct. We formed two groups to write all adjectives, images, people, etc. they associated with their group’s word. Here’s a sample of some of their findings.

You can see there are exact opposites represented in these lists. What I found is that for some reason in our culture we associate peace with weakness. It’s unfortunate, but we need to be aware that when we talk about turning the other cheek, admitting our weaknesses, confessing our sins, we might be perceived as weak. Some people consider faith a crutch. Some say faith itself is for weak-minded people. Turning the other cheek, admitting your faults, that’s weak.

Let’s look at how peace is used in our text. Jesus’ followers are in a room; it’s possible they are hiding; it’s probable that they are scared, depressed, angry, confused. The Messiah, or at least he One they hoped was the Messiah, the one who they left everything to follow, has just been killed. The ride is over and it was too short. The excitement; the anticipation; the thrill of it all is done.

But some say he is alive. Some say they’ve seen him! The tomb is empty. Then news comes that others have seen Jesus. Peter has seen him. The two on the road to Emmaus have seen him. Could it be? Is Jesus really risen? As they are discussing these things Jesus appears. “Peace be with you.” What! Is that all you have to say for yourself? “Peace.” I’ve always pictured Jesus saying something more like, “Yeah, that’s right! Who defeated death? Take that!” Then the party would start, right? Instead, he says, “Peace be with you.” And instead of a party breaking out, the text says that the whole group thought they saw a ghost and became terrified. Even though Jesus told them he was going to do this, they never really expected a real bodily resurrection – a flesh and blood resurrection. This is a new thing! When God raised Christ from the dead, the whole game has changed. The resurrection is peace and power. Ephesians 2:14 says, “He himself is our peace, who has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility.” With the resurrection, God’s power breaks into the world, busts in and a new day begins. Now there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for all are one in Christ Jesus. Jesus’ sacrifice, his willingness to suffer and complete the task for us and for the salvation of the world, brings peace. But that peace is power.

What can we say about Jesus’ offer of peace? Why is his peace powerful? Look at Jesus’ next move. He allows them to touch his wounds. Jesus offers a peace that is tangible. “Here, touch my hands and my feet. Go ahead, see that I’m real. The peace I give you is real.” The peace of Christ isn’t fluffy clouds; it isn’t a feeling or emotion; it is for real. The early church practiced the passing of the peace. In his letters, Paul instructed people to “greet one another with a holy kiss.” To kiss someone you need to be right with that person. You don’t kiss your enemies. Today we more often give holy handshakes or something like that, but do you seek to make peace?

I recently read a reflection on this text that suggested when we offer the peace of Christ we imitate Jesus. Jesus offers his peace, recognizes the situation of doubt, fear, and disbelief, and immediately allows them to touch him and see that he was broken for them. He doesn’t cover up his wounds. He allows them to see that he is real, and he is present. What if we did the same? What if, in passing the peace, we showed people that we are present for them? What if we were willing to show our wounds to one another and accept the peace of Christ that has the ability to heal our wounds? Financial troubles, family troubles, sin, brokenness, self-doubt, emotional distress, disease, addictions. Christ offers us a peace that is real – a peace that overcomes the world – a peace that overcomes our sin and broken relationships – Christ’s peace is power because Christ’s peace heals. Christ’s peace restores our relationship with God and our relationships with one another. Christ’s peace is tangible, real, and it is power. The peace of Christ – Christ’s presence; his sacrifice; the showing of his wounds – helps the disciples move out of their despair. He moves them and gives them a new task. Sometimes that’s what we need when we’re in a tough place. What else, but Christ’s peace, can help us move beyond the pain and troubles of our world? When loved one’s die; when people we love make bad choices; when finances get crazy; when nothing makes sense, when injustice goes unchallenged, allow the peace of Christ to wash over you because the peace of Christ is power for those who believe. How does peace move to power? What is the new task?

How many of you want a faith that is more than a feeling; a faith that moves and transforms lives; a faith like dynamite? The Greek word for power is “dunamis.” Sound familiar? Dynamite. When Jesus says, “Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high,” I get excited. Jesus says, “You are my witnesses. Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power.” The new task is to be Christ’s witnesses to the world; to be witnesses that proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins in the power of the Holy Spirit. The image of the Holy Spirit coming on these people, clothing them in power is unbelievable. The peace of Christ is power. And we know that they believed it and it happened. So when the Holy Spirit came and clothed them with power, the disciples couldn’t stop talking about Jesus. They aren’t content with a faith that only looks to the life to come - to a heavenly home - they want to change the world now. According to Acts 2, the immediate result of this power in action was that there were people being saved daily.

Then in Acts 3, Peter and John are walking into the temple and they see a crippled man begging at the gate. This guy had been this way since birth. Peter looks intently at the guy and says, “Look at us.” Now that he has his attention, he says, “I don’t have money, but I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ get up and walk.” Bam! The man is healed. That’s power. Of course the Pharisees don’t like this display, so they haul Peter and John in. Look at what they ask them in Acts 4:7, “By what POWER or what name did you do this?” They recognize that there is a power at work here, but where did it come from?

Have you ever been asked that question? “By what power or what name did you do this?” I’ll be honest, I haven’t been asked that question. I don’t generally do things that elicit that question being asked. “Why not?,” I asked myself. Do you believe the same power available to Peter is available to you and me? I believe that God is still at work and still active today. Do you rely on, and call on, the power of God living in you?

I was reading Ephesians and I came across some verses in chapter one, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Now listen as he describes this incomparable power available. He says, “That power is the same as the mighty strength which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms…” The power that raised Christ from the dead is available to us. We are clothed with the incomparable power of God. We wear the power of God!

I came across another that spoke of God’s power that shook me. Go with me to 2 Timothy 3:1-5…Read. Listen to that phrase in verse 5 again, “having a form of godliness but denying its power.” Is that not a message for us today? If I allow myself to be honest, that’s how I feel most of the time. I became really good at this from an early age. Allow me to explain. In 8^th grade, I was taught and told that being a Christian wasn’t cool; rather, swearing was cool and talking about what you did with girls or at parties was cool. I learned that and quickly adapted to my environment, and I still fall into this trap at times. I still find myself trying to be someone I’m not at the baseball or football field. I have to remind myself that I need to live differently, set a different example, behave as Christ would. But sometimes it’s easier to blend in so we can “earn the trust” of others. Sometimes I would rather blend in. Putting yourself out there and talking openly about Jesus makes some uncomfortable. But we need to get uncomfortable.

That seemed to be the theme of the men’s retreat this year. We are too comfortable in our faith. In the 1800s, Christian philosopher Soren Kierkegaard said, “To proclaim Christianity is to make sacrifices, to be willing to suffer. If there is such a one or if there are several such, then Christianity will once again begin to become power.” But what does suffering and sacrifice look like for us? The obvious is money, but what about our time? What about safety? We have built our lives around being safe and secure. We avoid pain and suffering at all costs. I was reading an article recently where the author questioned the prayer life of the church. He says that Jesus specifically calls us to pray for enemies in his name, but “I’ve never heard a really good intercession for Osama bin Laden.” Martin Luther King, Jr. knew the power of God. He relied on the power of the peace of Christ to confront and topple an unjust system of racial oppression. And for his efforts, he came to know sacrifice and suffering as well. But what about us? What about you and me? What might happen? What would we be called to sacrifice? How might we be called to suffer? To be completely honest, I’m a little scared to think about those questions, but I’m convinced that to see the power of God at work - to see the power the disciples called on in Acts – Christians must be willing to make sacrifices and be willing to suffer. We must be willing to admit we need the power of God; we need God to be in control; we cannot do it on our own. Our own power is temporary, fleeting, and will fail us.

Go back with me to our friend Kierkegaard for a minute. Before we get too excited, and I hope you’re excited, he warns us of a trick the world likes to play. He knew that a life of suffering and sacrifice isn’t an easy calling. He warned that the world gets freaked out when the church gets powerful. He writes, “The world has also taken care to protect itself so that Christianity does not through proclamation become a power, a power with the right to engage a person’s life, and therefore, this world requires the trustworthy guarantee that the proclaimer’s life turns the proclamation into shadowboxing. The world wants to be deceived…” Isn’t that true? “The world has taken care to protect itself so that Christianity does not become a power, a power with the right to engage a person’s life.” This is where I sometimes buy into the world’s trick. I buy the lie that I don’t have the right to engage a person’s life. I fear many of us have. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to sacrifice anything and I know I don’t want to suffer. Besides, tolerance is easier to sell than Truth. My faith is turned into shadowboxing. That’s a fascinating metaphor he uses. There is no opponent. We have eliminated the opponents not by bringing them into the kingdom, but by ignoring them.

For me, I convince myself that I’m just a coach. I’m just supposed to do my job and make these kids better athletes. In the end, I have a form of godliness – I know the right things to say and do – but often I deny the power of God living in me. I rely on my own strength. I have too much pride. I’m selfish. I might ruin a relationship. The conversation might get awkward. I don’t have the time, the energy, the right words. If God wants this person to know him, he can make it happen. Yes, I have godly desires, but I deny the power. But I am called to be more than a baseball coach. We are called to be witnesses to truth. We are called to preach the gospel of peace with power. Jesus gives us the task of being his witnesses, of imitating him. We are called to live in and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit. In order for God’s power to become transformative in our world, we need to sacrifice and be willing to suffer. You see, the world doesn’t care about our faith as long as we don’t live like it matters. They would rather be deceived.

What about you? What would it take for you to see the power of God at work in the world? One thing I’ve tried to do is pray, pray, and pray some more. Ask God to reveal his power in and through me. Another thing is to trust that God is putting people in my path for a reason. We all have a sphere of influence. We all have a “world” we can change. What impact are you making on your “world”? Are you trusting in God’s power? Do you believe God will answer when you call on Him? We claim allegiance to a Lord who plays by different rules. Our Lord is willing to lay down his life. Our Lord speaks truth because he is The Truth. Our Lord touches the untouchables and sits down for dinner with sinners. Our Lord searches and seeks that which is lost. Our Lord is the Great Physician, the Prince of Peace, the Provider, the Author of Life, and the Creator. Our Lord is powerful. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that can be invoked. God placed all things under his feet, and we have the awesome privilege of calling on that name. Let’s do it more often and see what happens!

We are witnesses. We are called to proclaim the good news of forgiveness of sins and reconciliation between God and humanity. We are called to shout to the ends of the earth that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. We are called to be Christ’s ambassadors, representatives of Christ to a world in great need of the powerful peace of Christ. May you be clothed with the power of Christ. May you come to know and experience the peace of Christ as it reigns in you. May the Holy Spirit empower you to transform your world through Christ’s message of peace and forgiveness. Amen.

the youth at worship

2009-03-25T22:55:00.000-07:00

we've been experimenting with worship at our weekly youth group meetings, and i've been very encouraged. i hope the students have too! we started with an Ash Wed service which i posted about, and have since help an baptismal affirmation service and a Taize Communion service.

when challenged; when given the opportunity; when trusted...

students respond.

can Junior Highers sing Taize songs seriously? can they focus for 30 minutes?

YES they can!

tonight was special for me. i long for moments when young people can be freed to worship, encouraged to express their faith, and opened to new expressions of Christian worship. my hope is that Sunday mornings can be the same; that on Sunday mornings they would feel truly included and engaged in the larger church. they are, after all, part of the church right NOW.

praise God for our students and for His work in their lives.

enough is enough

2009-03-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

reflecting on the current "economic crisis."

it seems that there is a big concern for placing blame on someone. during the election both parties said it was the fault of the other. not enough regulation. not enough support for the administration. not enough of this, not enough of that. enough already.

is it the banks' fault? is it the governments' fault? is it the greedy CEO's fault? is it my fault? is it your fault? what if we quit pointing fingers and admitted our complicity in this mess. we're all at fault. we're all living on money we don't actually have. all of us.

it brings me back to the concept of ENOUGH. when do we have enough? when will we be satisfied? when?

can The Church speak to this, please? can we share? can we practice hospitality in radical ways? does every Christian need their own lawn mower; their own plasma screen; their own copy of every popular Christian book published; their own espresso machine; even their own cars? why? why can't we, those who were taught to love our neighbor and love one another, figure out how to share?

what resources might be freed up if we shared? what sort of radical community might develop if we shared our resources more freely? if we all had to actually watch TV together, borrow each other's cars, law mowers, etc. try it. i dare you!

haze - teen drinking

2009-03-03T23:36:00.001-08:00

what can i say. i watched this short documentary [30 minutes] and was outraged. i thought of all the stupid parties i went to in college and high school. i can honestly say that this sort of story doesn't surprise me. that's really sad. that's really hard for me to admit. it's hard for me to admit that i've been around people that were harming themselves with alcohol while the rest of us stood around like it was a show.

this is serious stuff. this is real life. if you think this doesn't or won't impact students you know, please think again. binge drinking is a reality on most college campuses. yes, even Christian colleges. binge drinking is a reality in many high schools. yes, even Christian schools.

are we willing to talk about it? are we willing to acknowledge the problem? will we have frank, honest conversations with young people? are we willing to admit our own short-comings, or will we chalk it up to "kids being kids"?

watch the film....weep. get frustrated. think. educate. tell someone. have a tough conversation. peace.

h/t http://rethinkingyouth.blogspot.com

ash wednesday

2009-02-26T22:56:00.000-08:00

we had a wonderful ash wednesday service last night with our students. i was moved and impressed with how focused they were. maybe they fooled me and they were just texting in silence the whole time, but i was honestly moved. it's pretty deep and amazingly moving to look someone in the eyes and tell them, "remember you are dust, and to dust you will return. repent and believe the Gospel."

remember you are dust.

remember.

you are dust.

the reality of death is gripping. we live in a culture that fears death and tries to defeat death. little does our culture know, death has been swallowed up. where, o death, is your sting?

the Blue Parakeet II

2009-02-23T11:24:00.000-08:00

what's the purpose of the Bible? what is the overall theme of the Bible? is there one?

i like how one of the pastors i work with says it: "the Bible is the story of God's relentless pursuit of us." how true!

in the Blue Parakeet, McKnight talks about the Story in 5 parts [and no, he's not crazy exclusive about this!].

1) Oneness - creation

2) Otherness - sin

3) Otherness expands - sin expands!

4) One in Christ - redemption

5) Perfectly One - consummation

there is a Story in the Bible, and sometimes we forget that it is a BIG story. the Bible isn't about grabbing a verse here and there to make ourselves feel better on a particular day. the Bible isn't focused on making us feel good. the Bible is about us locating ourselves in the Story. it's about helping us come into contact with the God who pursues us.

McKnight says, "God's idea of redemption is community-shaped."

is our idea of redemption and, therefore, our reading of the Bible too narrow? have we made it all about us? we have a scary tendency to do just that - to make everything about us. let me tell you, in working with students and in my own life, the desire to make everything about me is there. but the Bible is about the Story; it's about the BIG picture.

the question remains, how do YOU and I fit in?

the Blue Parakeet

2009-02-18T23:21:00.000-08:00

great read. Scot McKnight's, the Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible.

"God did not give the Bible so we could master him or it; God gave the Bible so we could live it, so we could be mastered by it. The moment we think we've mastered it; we have failed to be readersof the Bible..."

amen! are we honest in how we approach the Bible and what baggage we bring? are we honest about our "picking and choosing"?

how can we develp a consistent hermeneutic? do we read to master the text or be mastered by God's Word?

proverbs 14:31 NLT

2009-02-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

"Those who oppress the poor insult their Maker,

but those who help the poor honor him."

really? well. it's in the Bible. must be true! what a thought! the way we treat the poor, or those in need, is a direct reflection on how we relate to God.

in fact, those who oppress the poor INSULT God. those who help the poor HONOR God.

can it be any easier than that? it's plain. in the relationships between God and neighbor, how we relate to our neighbor is a direct reflection on how we really feel about God. and this is why Paul is able to say that fulfilling the command to love our neighbors as ourselves fulfills all the commands of the Law and the prophets.

loving your neighbor = loving God and vice versa...

why do we fight? why do we wage war?

2009-01-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

next post. same book. everlasting man, G.K. Chesterton...

why do we fight? we do we wage war? what's in it for the soldiers? a good question. something i've asked myself before. what causes men/women to go to war? why risk their lives? pride. bravery. defense. what causes people to take up arms and kill others?

G.K. writes,

"In nothing is this new history needed os much as in the psychology of war. Our history is stiff with official documents, public or private, which tell us nothing of the thing itself. At the worst we only have the official posters, which could not have been spontaneous because they were official. At the best we have only the secret diplomacy, which could not have been popular precisely because it was secret. Upon one or other of these is based the historical judgment about the real reasons that sustained the struggle. Governments fight for colonies or commercial rights; governments fight about harbours or high tariffs; governments fight for a gold mine or a pearl fishery. It seems sufficient to answer that governments do not fight at all. Why do the fighters fight? What is the psychology that sustains the terrible and wonderful thing called war?"

later he says, "It is always stubbornly and stupidly repeating that men fight for material ends, without reflecting for a moment that the material ends are hardly ever material to the men who fight."

in war...who wins? how is the winner decided? are the winners content, happy, satisfied? were the sacrifices and losses incurred worth it? how do we decide the worth of human life?

in the last election there was a great deal of argument, usually hostile and irrational, about abortion. now, abortion is never good. it is never right. it is always bad, horrible, evil, murder, etc. however, when i brought up to people that war and guns kill people as well, they said i was crazy. in fact, they rationalized, God sometimes wants us to go to war. sometimes war is necessary. so, therefore, sometimes the loss of human life is necessary. hmmmmm....

who gets to decide? why do we fight? why do we kill?

G.K. is right. we need to look at the psychology of war. especially in times like these. in times where more and more men and women are returning from war with minds that are beaten. with spirits that are tired and tortured. what will we do? thank them, then forget about them?

why do we fight?

the everlasting man

2009-01-22T20:38:00.000-08:00

reading, the everlasting man, by G.K. Chesterton. the book is, some believe, a direct response to H.G. Wells', outline of history. Chesterton's writing and polemic is almost hilarious! it's refreshing. he says things that make you go, "yeah, i guess he's right!" he makes you think, and anymore, that's a really great thing. we need to think!

here's some inspiration. for free. be inspired. but please, do something with this inspiration. [inspiration that doesn't inspire one to actually do something is pretty much worthless]

Chesterton is talking about "comparative religions," and he basically says: "you can't compare religions. it's not a level playing field." that's what i love about G.K. he just says what he thinks. he doesn't deny or gloss over the Truth. maybe not the greatest evangelism tool, but it's got my attention. in his look at world religions, Chesterton notices that almost all religions have an idea of a Supreme god who is in charge of the other gods. every religion has the one god who is over the other gods. he is also refuting popular theories of evolution where, he rightfully argues, everyone becomes a god.

Chesterton writes, "In short, there is a feeling that there is something higher than the gods; but because it is higher it is also further away...For them what was truly divine was very distant, so distant that they dismissed it more and more from their minds...As the Jews would not degrade it by images, so the Greeks did not degrade it even by imaginations. When the gods were more and more remembered only by pranks and profligacies, it was relatively a movement of reverence. It was an act of piety to forget God."

"it was an act of piety to forget God."

the big, supreme being, became so scary, other, holy, that it was too much to think about or talk about. this being was unreachable. so it was an act of piety to forget God.

unfortunately, we do this today. dealing with God means dealing with sin. it means we have to deal with God's holiness. in the end, we come out like Isaiah, "i am unclean and i live among a people who are unclean. i'm not worthy."

let us confess. let us turn to the God that reaches down to us even when we ignore him or believe he is far off. and, let us be sure that he will bend down and listen. thanks G.K.!

retreat-ing

2009-01-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

back from the annual high school retreat at Cascades Camp.

i love retreats. i love retreat-ing. getting away from the junk that clutters my life; the distractions; the stress.

it seems like every time i go on a retreat or go to camp, i'm reminded of my call. i'm reminded of why i work with youth.

if i'm honest, there are days i wonder, "why am i doing this?" those days where i'm at church until 10 pm. those nights, weekends, weeks away from family. the pain of watching kids make bad choices. the feelings of inadequacy...

that's what makes my camp experiences so meaningful. camp reminds me of why i work with youth. camp re-energizes me. at camp, God reminds me of the call on my life to serve youth.

God reminds me to be attentive;

to listen to the stories of students;

to let loose and have fun [be vulnerable];

to worship;

to give thanks for creation;

to be joyful instead of cynical.

for me, God shows up when i'm retreat-ing. God shows up when i'm out of my element.

what about you? when does God show up for you? what are the places in life where you go to unwind and be renewed?

romans 7

2009-01-05T23:03:00.000-08:00

i've been off and on this "read the bible in a year" program of sorts since last May [i think]...

today's readings [i'm a week behind] were from Romans 6 and 7. i can't get over Paul's honesty. Paul, the know-it-all, Pharisee of Pharisees, admits he does what he doesn't want to do. it's these sorts of honest reflections on the human condition that make the bible more real for me. Paul admits that there are things he wants to do but doesn't and things he does do but doesn't. Paul is imperfect. Paul is like me. Paul is human.

but.

Paul also recognizes God's kindness. Paul recognizes that God is the instigator of the reconciliation. in the New Living Translation which i've been reading the translation says that we were enemies of God, but now God calls us friends because of the reconciliation made through Jesus Christ.

do you want to be God's friend? do you want to be in relationship with the Creator of all that is? it is available. God is available. Christ came to point us toward God and reveal God's grace and kindness.

prayer in the new year

2009-01-01T20:33:00.000-08:00

why is it that though i believe in prayer, i pray so infrequently?

why is it that though i believe in prayer, i teach and lead others in prayer so infrequently?

i believe prayer changes things. i believe God cares. yet i neglect to pray. why?

i began thinking what i was taught about prayer as a kid. from a young age i learned that prayer was private, or something an adult did out loud for a meal or in church. in these cases, the prayer must use lofty words and be sure to say the right things, be a professional pray-er. every night i would go to bed and say a prayer. at the beginning of the week i would say my prayer asking God to protect my family from robbers, tornadoes, etc. then each night after that i would simply say, "God, i pray the same prayer i prayed last night." i kid you not. i figured that if i at least said the full prayer once a week God would honor my requests.

in high school and college i learned about "popcorn" prayer where pray-ers say "just" a whole lot and usually repeat some sort of title for God such as "Father God" or "Lord Jesus" a thousand times in the course of a prayer. does anyone really know the actual definition of the word "just" anymore?

then there was seminary. i learned about lectio divina and praying the Psalms. someone even said it was okay to be contemplative and imaginative in prayer. people talked about reading the Bible and praying what you read; the idea that God might actually speak to us through Scripture. i learned that praying in church could be participatory.

why did it take seminary for me to learn these practices? well, for the same reason my youth group students don't know these things. people like me don't tell them! sad. but true.

i've been reading a book by Mark Yaconelli, Downtime: Helping Teenagers Pray. i see that theoblog looked at this book some time ago....i love the suggestion of encouraging teens to be imaginative. use your imagination. be present with God. talk to God. imagine that God is actually doing something about your prayer. imagine that God might actually speak to you. i think i knew and believed all these things, but it sure would have been nice to have someone help me experience and express these types of prayers.

now the task it to incorporate these ideas into ministry. that's where the New Year comes in. i am challenging myself to pray for students and encourage and equip them to make prayer a bigger part of their lives. otherwise, i guess i just keep praying the same prayer i prayed yesterday...good enough, right?

cancelling church

2008-12-20T23:21:00.000-08:00

it's been snowing like crazy here in the pacific northwest. we don't usually get this sort of snow in the GREATer Seattle area [i'm an hour north, so barely the Seattle area]. we have probably seen a legitimate foot of snow in the last week, and that is rare.

it snowed last Saturday and less than half of our regular attenders showed up for church. anyway...i grew up in the midwest [nebraska], so a little snow is no big deal. when it snows in the midwest the plows come through and life goes on. here, everything shuts down, including church-going.

tomorrow is Sunday. after a week of snow, it is again snowing outside right now. it's supposed to be another big storm. we're NOT cancelling church. some churches are. will anyone be at church? i'm not optimistic.

Hebrews says, "don't give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing?" snow is one thing, but we experience regular attenders who define "regular" as once a month or less. seriously? once a month is "regular?" once a month is good enough? why are people "giving up meeting together?" why has church become just another thing to do? especially for Christians. i can understand why the rest of the world would look at us and say, "what a waste of time." [reference Marva Dawn's book, Worship: A Royal Waste of Time].

could it be that it actually pleases God when we show up? could it be
that God actually blesses those who show up to give him praise?

i can already hear the arguments and counter-points...

am i off base? is it right to suggest or believe that God blesses
those who show up to worship?

"put the Christ in X-Mas"

2008-12-16T23:35:00.000-08:00

well....you can guess that this post is about making "Jesus the reason for the season."

it's about "putting the Christ back in Christmas"

it's about "advent conspiracies"

it's about the "war on Christmas"

honestly...what is Christmas about? what do you tell people? is it about Jesus being born? is it about presents and trees and lights and Santa? is it about family and friends? what is Christmas? honestly.

i recently thought about my own family's traditions. my family is openly and unashamedly Christian. we go to church regularly and talk about faith with one another. however, in practice, our Christmas celebration is more about family than it is about Jesus. it is an excuse to eat food, play cards, and exchange gifts. yes, Jesus is important; after all, we're Christians, but our practice says otherwise.

is family more important than Jesus for most church-goers? look at our practices, our language, our church programs, our church attendance. is it about Christian community; the body of Christ; growth; discipleship; evangelism? or, has church become another agency or educational institution for the betterment of the American family?

i reflected on the end of Mark 3 recently and was shocked. Jesus' family thought he was crazy. they thought he was "out of this mind." others thought he was possessed. what does Jesus say to this? "who are my mother and my brothers? those who do the will of God are my family." blunt. to the point. my brothers and sisters in Christ take precedent over my blood relatives. [check out Derek Webb's song "King and a Kingdom" for some great lyrics on this issue]

what is Christmas about? why do we spend it with family? why don't we celebrate with our bros and sis in Christ? maybe you do. that's awesome! why don't more churches have worship on Christmas day? i remember two or three years ago when churches actually closed doors on Sunday, Dec 25. wow. seriously? has blood trumped our unity in Christ?

so. honestly. what is Christmas about for you? how do you practice Christmas?

This American Life: "heretics"

2008-12-13T22:23:00.001-08:00

i just stumbled upon a program called "this American life."
it is a weekly show offered by Chicago Pubic Radio and available via Podcast.
this past week [my first listen] there was a story of a prominent Pentecostal Pastor named Carlton Pearson who was recently booted from his high position in conservative Christianity and deemed a heretic....

WHY?

another pastoral scandal. Pearson recently discovered he does not believe in hell. he explains that God came to him on a trip overseas and told him that hell as he preached it does not exist. there is no fiery place "down there" where bad people go when they die. you have to listen to the program.

from this epiphany of sorts, his stance on evangelism has changed drastically, to say the least. he was ousted from his place of prominence, lost his church, his support, and finds himself black-balled by the Christian elite of America. because he doesn't believe in hell, he is shunned...shun on.

what do we do about this? what, after all, does Christ say about Hell? there are numerous references in Scripture about Hell, or the place for the wicked. observations. in speaking about the reality of Hell, Jesus is usually talking to "religious folk" and not unbelievers. he does not use Hell as a scare tactic or tool for manipulation. Jesus doesn't scare people out of hell. instead, he talks to you and me. he tells us know-it-all religious folk to watch out. also, Jesus tells story about being invited into the Kingdom banquet based on readiness. what is readiness? did you feed me when i was hungry[matt 25]? did you pay attention to the begger at your gate [Lazarus and the rich man]? did you obey my commands? did you love your enemies? etc.

what makes a heretic? someone who claims to follow Christ, yet fails to obey his teachings and tell others about him. telling others about Christ is about inviting them into the Kingdom. it is more about inviting than it is warning. to be sure, Christ offers warnings. Christ says to be prepared. be ready.

i'm interested in your opinions:
1) is it our job primarily to warn about hell, or invite into the Kingdom? is there a difference?
2) if Hell doesn't exist, what changes about how we present/live the Christian faith?
3) is Pearson a heretic? what makes a heretic?

youth ministry 3.0

2008-12-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

i am a youth pastor, so i figure i should say something or share some thoughts about what i do...finished reading the book Youth Ministry 3.0 by Mark Oestreicher.

the premise...youth ministry is making a shift [needs to make a shift] with the shifting cultural trends of youth. the 3 dynamics of adolescence are identity, autonomy, and affinity. whereas youth ministry in the past focused on identity [who we are as Christians in relation to the rest of culture] and autonomy [language of owning their faith emerges] today's youth are particularly interested in affinity.

what is affinity? commonality. like-interests. attraction.

what does this mean for youth ministry? the book suggests we must look toward being Missional and Communional [yes, it's made up...community and fellowship centered]. we must break down program-driven, big-event-focused ministry in favor of smaller groups that engage in common activities. if there are kids that like to serve, get them together to serve. kids that are skaters, get together and skate.

i hope that summary is fair [if not, oh well, that's what i got!]. i enjoyed and found thought provoking. some questions emerged for me:

1) isn't the Church, the body of Christ, the one place where people who have no business gathering should gather because of one affinity: common faith in Christ and unity in the Spirit?

2) there is a push in the book to lessening the focus on program - right on! however, isn't encouraging "affinity groups" to go out and do their own thing just another program that further sub-divides the body of Christ? we're not just dividing young/old, traditional/contemporary, now we're talking about dividing the youth into skater/prep, service-oriented/Bible study, etc.

3) finally, is this just another shot at defining "youth culture's" needs? i greatly appreciate the work done in this book and the conversation it begs [and is getting]. as a somewhat cynical youth pastor, whenever i pick up material about youth and the changing face of youth culture, i say, "really? let's ask them."

after reading these works, i usually go straight to the source, the students themselves, and say, "is this true for you and your peers?" i'm excited to see what they think!

if you're in youth ministry or support those who are, check out this book!

way of the pilgrim

2008-12-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

just finished reading the way of the pilgrim, the classic story of a Russian nomad who discovers the "Jesus Prayer."

the prayer involves repeating the words, "Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" while focusing on one's breathing.

not so difficult, right? not so life-changing or mind-altering, right?

why does the pilgrim discover this prayer? he is on a search for an answer to the question, "how is it possible for one to pray without ceasing? Paul talks about praying endlessly, so how is it possible? the Jesus Prayer is the pilgrim's answer...

is it possible? would praying this prayer really have the power it has over the pilgrim?

i have tried to practice this prayer myself as a way of centering my thoughts before reading Scripture, and it has proved worthy. it helps calm one's thoughts and focus not on personal needs or wants, but on Christ and our need for mercy.

what do you do to pray? have you found a way to pray without ceasing? are you like me and you just need to find a way to pray, period?

what's the magic formula people?!!

certainly this is going in the wrong direction...

come back to Elfland - "we have sinned and grown old"

2008-11-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

in a chapter on the "Ethics of Elfland," Chesterton talks about the monotony of the universe. some say the monotony [the sun rising and setting, tide ebbing and flowing, cycle of water and life, etc] of the universe is proof that their isn't a creator. the monotony shows us that all things are set and ordered and cannot be changed because their are Laws of nature in charge, not a creator. he says, "The modern mind rests upon an assumption; an assumption that things that repeat themselves are dead." there is no life, all things are determined and set in place. there is no purpose. there is no use in trying to fight against the system or choose a different path, for the whole world is set in motion and cannot be changed. action is wound like a clock and let go to do what it must...

Chesterton argues against this sort of nihilistic view. he says,

The thing I mean can be seen, for instance, in children, when they find some game or joke that they specially enjoy. A child kicks his legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, “Do it again”; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, “Do it again” to the sun; and every evening,“Do it again” to the moon. It may be that he has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, our Father is younger than we.

wow. i picture God, the Creator of all that is seen and unseen, almost giddy over the sun rising everyday; excited over each breath a human being, made in his image, takes; glowing when the snow falls and the flowers bloom. he is, after all, the Creator, maker, and generator of all these things. without God's divinely spoken word; without God's say, these things would not happen. they don't happen because of Laws. they happen because of God's will.

"we have sinned and grown old."

Father, forgive us. make us young again. give us child-like faith.

chesterton's "orthodoxy"

2008-11-17T22:50:00.000-08:00

a student loaned me his copy of G.K. Chesterton's, Orthodoxy. i'm into the 2nd chapter and so far i have to say i'm fascinated and ready to keep reading...

highlight thus far...the question, "what keeps people sane?"

the answer:

"Mysticism keeps men sane. As long as you have mystery you have health, when you destroy mystery you create morbidity. The ordinary man has always been sane because the ordinary man has always been a mystic. He has permitted the twilight. He has always had one foot in earth and the other in fairyland."

i'm excited to see where he's going with this. i see "mystery" as a sort of throwback concept in recent years. they say [i don't know who "they" are, so don't bother asking!] that younger evangelicals are embracing the mysterious elements of Christian faith. younger folks are turning more and more to Orthodox and Catholic faith. younger folks are interested in liturgy and the church year.

is it true? speaking as a younger evangelical who has interacted with many of my peers, YES. we are seeking authenticity, and in that quest for authentic faith we are finding that entertainment driven expressions of faith and worship not only do not represent our hearts, but do not represent well the heart of the gospel.

have you seen this shift? how are we doing with "mystery"? are we fighting or embracing mystery?

personally, i'm enjoy keeping one foot in "fairyland"!

a fascinating faith

2008-11-09T23:17:00.000-08:00

i went down to Seattle tonight at Quest Church with some students and leaders from church to hear Shane Claiborne speak...

something to which Shane kept referring caught my attention and reminded me of a quote from his book, Jesus for President -

"God would save the world through fascination, by setting up an alternative society on the margins of the empire for the world to come and see what a society of love looks like.”

that word, fascination, keeps grabbing my attention...

Shane referred to Christianity as a religion that only works when it is embodied or lived

he used the passage from Luke 7 where John the Baptist is in prison and sends his disciples to ask Jesus whether he is really the Messiah.

how does Jesus respond?

[my paraphrase] "tell John what you see, tell him how i live"

how will people know if we're Christians? the way we live...

my question, sometime down the road, when my daughter asks why she can't have everything she wants and do all the things the other kids do, what will i say?

what will i have shown her? will i have shown her what it means to love Jesus? will she be equipped to show others about Christ?

update: you can find the audio at Eugene Cho's blog...

biblical leadership

2008-10-28T23:32:00.000-07:00

what is biblical leadership?
can we look at the Bible and the traits of biblical leaders to make decisions on how we are to vote?

you can try.

but then we come to this guy named Jesus...
John 13 tells us that Jesus has authority, he has power, and how does he use it?
he takes a towel and washes his disciples' feet...
look how John puts this statement about Jesus' authority immediately before the foot washing...

so you want a model of biblical leadership? you want the president to be a "biblical" leader?

let me ask you this, "will he wash your feet?"

when he has power, will he admit his faults? ask for forgiveness?
when he has keys to nuclear codes, will he turn the other cheek?
will he pray for his enemies?
will he consider the poor and needy?
will he live in harmoney with his neighbor?

privilege, right, responsibility

2008-10-21T23:59:00.000-07:00

the ongoing debate...HEALTH CARE...is it a Privilege, Right, or Responsibility?
this was the way a question was framed in one of the presidential debates...
i wonder, what is the Christian response?

some say privilege...really?
it's a privilege to have basic health care coverage in one of the wealthiest nations on earth? really? it's a privilege to be able to get well without going into debt? really?

only the privileged get to have access to the best health care?
only the privileged get speedy attention to their health needs?

surely the privileged must have done something special and significant to have achieved this status and earned this health care, right?

well, who are the privileged? people like me. but why am i one of them? why do i "deserve" these privileges? what makes me better? my skin color? my "hard work"? my education? my morals? my character? my voting record? my driving record? my citizenship? how did i become one of the "privileged"?

how does Christ deal with privilege?

kindgom principles

2008-10-09T21:14:00.000-07:00

"this king rules with a towel, not a sword...
in the kingdom of God we DESCEND into greatness."
-Shane Claiborne, Jesus for President

tough concept:true concept...
but do we practice this kingdom principle?
not really.
honestly.
i rarely try and "descend" in life...

i mean:
who wants to "DESCEND" into anything?
who wants to lower themselves or their status?
who wants to see others be promoted while we stay put?
who wants to put others first when we know we are really more "worthy"?

the answer to the above questions? JESUS...
the kingdom of God is about downward mobility.
what?
Paul says in Philippians 2 that when Christ lowered himself, became human, became a servant, died on a cross, he was exalted to the highest place...
Christ was exalted to GREATNESS because he DESCENDED to be with us...
now we must follow our Savior and "descend into greatness."

good luck...

readers and do-ers

2008-10-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

back in the day, my Swedish ancestors were referred to as lasare, or "readers"...

they were asking, "Where is it written?"
they were devouring the Scriptures to find meaning; to find life
they were entering God's story and learning about who God is
they were turning their hearts to God
they were experiencing new life in Christ and the Church
they were serving their communities

these "readers" were not simply on a quest to find the hidden meaning in life. they were not trying to get a leg up on their opposition so they could thwart them in debate. they were finding God. they were experiencing new life.

but what's even better is that after experiencing this new life in Christ, they changed their lives. they served people around them. they walked the footpaths of their communities and looked for the hurting, the lost, the least of these. they built houses of mercy, hospitals, schools.

you see, they were not simply "readers", but they were do-ers as well. they saw that faith requires action; it requires obedience; it requires a change in attitude and behavior. faith in Christ transforms who we are. in some ways, faith in Christ helps us draw closer to the person God created us to be.

i wonder, are there any "reader" left? look at the list above...
are we asking, devouring the Word, entering the story, turning hearts to God, experiencing new life, and serving others?

presidential debate I

2008-09-27T13:55:00.001-07:00

one commentator put it best after the debate...if anything, you can see that McCain represents the "old" school and Obama represents the "new" school. i'm not necessarily saying "old" is bad and "new" is good in this situation. at least that's not the way people are perceiving thngs.

how was this represented? two things i know about John McCain after listening to the debate: 1) he has a long 'record' in politics/government 2) he has been to a lot of places and knows a lot of important people. great. he's also quite a bit older than Obama. congratulations! on the other side, Obama kept referring to: 1) we need a 21st Century approach 2) the mantra of change in contrast to the politics and policies of the current administration.

i don't know that either candidate won; rather, they both put forth their positions firmly and showed their differences clearly.

what do i think we need? we definitely need a change. anyone who thinks the last 8 years have been an improvement for the US is seriously ill. will the "old" school, 20th century mind-set of McCain/Palin bring change?

no way.

the 1 and only legitimate knock on Obama has been his lack of experience. last night Obama made it clear that he understands foreign relations and he gets the intimate connection between foreign relations and the economy. in the global economy the two are wed.

what say you?

no handlebars

2008-09-23T23:16:00.000-07:00

wow...so this song is really catchy, but now that i've seen the music video, i'm amazed...
the way the tone and demeanor of the music changes from beginning to end is captured almost perfectly by the video...
take your path - power or peace...

the imagery of power (war machines, demolition ) destroying images of peace(doves)is provocative. what do you think?

where's your hope?

2008-09-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

in ranting about politics over the last few weeks i was reminded by a good friend of where my hope lies...

My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.
Refrain
On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale, My anchor holds within the veil.
Refrain
His oath, His covenant, His blood, Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay.
Refrain
When He shall come with trumpet sound, Oh may I then in Him be found.
Dressed in His righteousness alone, Faultless to stand before the throne.
Refrain

for the music go here...

where's your hope?

for fun...

politics, palin, polar bears

2008-09-21T17:06:00.000-07:00

why haven't i heard about this until now...
seriously? suing the government to keep polar bears off the endangered species list?
is anyone else aware of this?
can you really find anything more ridiculous than suing to keep a species off the endangered species list? wow, Sara Palin must really have something against polar bears...
wait, they just happen to live in a "Drill, baby Drill" zone...
too bad polar bears, find somewhere else to live, we need the oil...
we have SUV's that need the gas so we can take the kids to soccer practice...
gotta love politics!

footpaths?

2008-09-20T15:17:00.000-07:00

a word about this blog. i need a place to share my thoughts. i've known that for a number of years, and have blogged before. why a new blog? my old blogs were all about starting discussion. i tried to provoke emotion and get people riled up. that was fun! but it wasn't always honest...

this time will be different; that is, for this blog to survive, it has to be different!

the quote at the top is from My Father's Testament, the translated memoirs of Carl Johan Nyvall, an early leader in the Swedish Mission Covenant Church. "resurrecting footpaths" is about connecting people to Christ and to one another. in a time when bigger is better, i'm finding strength in the small things, on faith founded on footpaths rather than mainroads. it's the side-streets, hiking trails, and back roads that bring me closer to Christ. it's about being with people. it's about walking the paths with others in good times and bad.

but we need to resurrect these paths before they are forgotten. we need to remember and carry forward history and tradition as we write new history and make new traditions.

in irresistible revolution, Shane Claiborne writes, "A lot of things start small and grow smaller.” he says later, “God’s kingdom grows smaller and smaller as it takes over the world.” the footpaths are key to keeping us connected to one another, to the importance of tight communities. footpaths are a link; they are, as Nyvall says, vital to culture and religion. we use footpaths to communicate faith and share life in Christ with one another. there is great strength in "smallness" and footpaths are a key to that strength...