"Hey, what's the big deal about going to some building every Sunday? I mean, isn't God everywhere?"
"I believe children are the future... which is why they must be stopped now!"
"I'm not a bad guy! I work hard, and I love my kids. So why should I spend half my Sunday hearing about how I'm going to Hell?"
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Monday, March 19, 2007
New look
In preparation for Spider-Man 3, I decided to go with a new look for my blog. There are 46 days left until the movie comes out. My anticipation level is pretty high. There aren't many movies that get me particularly excited, but anything to do with Spider-Man will get me out to the midnight showing. Yes, I am a nerd.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Why I avoid ATF
I haven't taken youth to Acquire The Fire for quite a while. I've had some serious issues with their approach and just wasn't comfortable with their strategy and the fact that they view themselves as culture-warriors.
I say that only because I came across this article. I have no doubt that they are doing what they think is right, but I disagree entirely on the approach.
I have a quote on my desktop by Rob Bell that states: "Why blame the dark for being dark? It's far more helpful to ask why the light isn't as bright as it should be."
I say that only because I came across this article. I have no doubt that they are doing what they think is right, but I disagree entirely on the approach.
I have a quote on my desktop by Rob Bell that states: "Why blame the dark for being dark? It's far more helpful to ask why the light isn't as bright as it should be."
Relevance
At a church meeting today, someone gave a very stern warning that we have to be careful about not focusing on becoming a “relevant” church because there are all kinds of “relevant” churches out there that aren’t making a difference. (Though I wonder what kind of church he’s comparing them to, because I’m not convinced that our non-’relevant’ church is really making that big of a splash.)
Something about that statement struck me as having a partial truth, yet for me it somewhat helped underscore the tragedy of the world-view and attitudes that are rampant throughout Western Christianity.
The statement seemed to infer that so-called relevant churches are either offering a false Gospel, or at least a watered-down, ineffective one. To be sure, there definitely are churches that present a Gospel that is much less than the call for life transformation and total allegiance that Jesus and the early church presented. I share the concern for depth of commitment and solid biblical foundation.
I don’t, however, think that those churches set out to be shallow. Most people who start ministries do so with the desire to honor God and to connect people with him. They use tactics that bring in the people, yet many - if not most - churches, ‘relevant’ or not, have a very poor approach toward discipleship.
I guess the issue comes down to what or what is not relevant.
Somewhere along the line, the American church got this idea that to be relevant we have to make everything easily palatable for our target audience and we have to sacrifice our ‘sacred’ gatherings for pop-culture-laden, big-production, rock-star led events, complete with laser light shows to wow the masses.
So, when people hear the term relevant in that context, it elicits a wide range of responses, from a warm welcome by church people who are bored with their church-going experience, to a cold rejection by those who think culture is the enemy of the church.
Honestly, church services that are relevant, or seeker-friendly are generally not reaching unchurched people. Nor are churches who hold onto traditional forms of worship and church services. Relevance, as understood in the church, has a lot more to do with style than it does with interacting with and transforming culture.
People from both camps genuinely want to experience God. Both camps tend to think their style is better. Neither camp, in my opinion, is effectively transforming people and culture.
I thought it might be helpful just to get out a dictionary and look up the word relevant. It means closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand. Wow. Using that definition, I want every part of who I am and my ministry to be relevant.
Maybe our attitude toward relevance needs to change, because I do believe that the Gospel is very relevant, and that God is very relevant to people of every time, culture, and world-view. The good news is for humankind, and if we are going to relate that good news to humankind, we have to be willing to interact with people and share our lives with them - every nook and cranny.
It’s not supposed to be a ‘sacred vs. secular’ battle. Paul, when in Athens, referenced poets - not Christian poets, pagan poets. He looked for areas in the culture where people were genuinely searching for meaning - for God. He used that as an avenue to communicate about the kingdom of God. He wasn’t concerned about whether or not he was being too worldly. He was concerned about helping people connect with God, in a relevant way.
Real relevance is not an attempt to make the Gospel easy. It is not about a style of worship or short messages interspersed with video clips. It is about being closely connected with God and his mission, and understanding and knowing the people with whom we are sharing Jesus and his kingdom. It is about embodying kingdom values and transformation, and extending it into the lives of those around us. It’s about removing whatever barriers we can so that we can engage with people, and they can engage with God. It’s about being selfless in regards to our style preferences because God’s heart and his mission are much more important than hymnals, pews, lighting, and PowerPoint.
We also must speak in terms people understand. I like technology and media, and I do think they have their place in the church because it’s a language of people today. However, there are other more powerful ‘voices’ that people understand. People understand authenticity. They understand being cared for. People grasp spiritual truths best when they are connected with people who are seeking to live out those truths. That is relevant. That is what we are called to be.
Something about that statement struck me as having a partial truth, yet for me it somewhat helped underscore the tragedy of the world-view and attitudes that are rampant throughout Western Christianity.
The statement seemed to infer that so-called relevant churches are either offering a false Gospel, or at least a watered-down, ineffective one. To be sure, there definitely are churches that present a Gospel that is much less than the call for life transformation and total allegiance that Jesus and the early church presented. I share the concern for depth of commitment and solid biblical foundation.
I don’t, however, think that those churches set out to be shallow. Most people who start ministries do so with the desire to honor God and to connect people with him. They use tactics that bring in the people, yet many - if not most - churches, ‘relevant’ or not, have a very poor approach toward discipleship.
I guess the issue comes down to what or what is not relevant.
Somewhere along the line, the American church got this idea that to be relevant we have to make everything easily palatable for our target audience and we have to sacrifice our ‘sacred’ gatherings for pop-culture-laden, big-production, rock-star led events, complete with laser light shows to wow the masses.
So, when people hear the term relevant in that context, it elicits a wide range of responses, from a warm welcome by church people who are bored with their church-going experience, to a cold rejection by those who think culture is the enemy of the church.
Honestly, church services that are relevant, or seeker-friendly are generally not reaching unchurched people. Nor are churches who hold onto traditional forms of worship and church services. Relevance, as understood in the church, has a lot more to do with style than it does with interacting with and transforming culture.
People from both camps genuinely want to experience God. Both camps tend to think their style is better. Neither camp, in my opinion, is effectively transforming people and culture.
I thought it might be helpful just to get out a dictionary and look up the word relevant. It means closely connected or appropriate to the matter at hand. Wow. Using that definition, I want every part of who I am and my ministry to be relevant.
Maybe our attitude toward relevance needs to change, because I do believe that the Gospel is very relevant, and that God is very relevant to people of every time, culture, and world-view. The good news is for humankind, and if we are going to relate that good news to humankind, we have to be willing to interact with people and share our lives with them - every nook and cranny.
It’s not supposed to be a ‘sacred vs. secular’ battle. Paul, when in Athens, referenced poets - not Christian poets, pagan poets. He looked for areas in the culture where people were genuinely searching for meaning - for God. He used that as an avenue to communicate about the kingdom of God. He wasn’t concerned about whether or not he was being too worldly. He was concerned about helping people connect with God, in a relevant way.
Real relevance is not an attempt to make the Gospel easy. It is not about a style of worship or short messages interspersed with video clips. It is about being closely connected with God and his mission, and understanding and knowing the people with whom we are sharing Jesus and his kingdom. It is about embodying kingdom values and transformation, and extending it into the lives of those around us. It’s about removing whatever barriers we can so that we can engage with people, and they can engage with God. It’s about being selfless in regards to our style preferences because God’s heart and his mission are much more important than hymnals, pews, lighting, and PowerPoint.
We also must speak in terms people understand. I like technology and media, and I do think they have their place in the church because it’s a language of people today. However, there are other more powerful ‘voices’ that people understand. People understand authenticity. They understand being cared for. People grasp spiritual truths best when they are connected with people who are seeking to live out those truths. That is relevant. That is what we are called to be.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
starting a new book today...
Over the last couple months I feel like I've lost a lot of momentum in terms of my vision for what church could look like in this day and age, and how we can engage in God's mission in the midst of it all. I have to admit that it's probably more to do with my fear of disappointment than anything - well, that and maybe I haven't really figured out how to do this kind of church yet.
I just got a book by Alan Hirsch called "The Forgotten Ways: reactivating the missional church". Maybe this will help energize me again... or maybe I just need a vacation for that. Regardless, I am looking forward to reading the book, and I'll share my thoughts as I read it.
I just got a book by Alan Hirsch called "The Forgotten Ways: reactivating the missional church". Maybe this will help energize me again... or maybe I just need a vacation for that. Regardless, I am looking forward to reading the book, and I'll share my thoughts as I read it.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Friday, March 2, 2007
defeat
usually, it's not hard for me to accept when things don't go well for me. for some reason throughout my life i've just come to expect that. normally i just attribute that to the fact that i'm not perfect, and maybe somehow God isn't pleased with me or what i do with my life (that's an area i constantly struggle with). i haven't had a rough life by any means, so when trouble comes my way i typically handle it with the realization that i have it pretty well in comparison with the lives of others, and so my suffering isn't all that significant.
however, what does get to me more than anything else is when i see other people suffer or when wrong-doing happens to them. over the last couple of weeks, i have been walking with a family that has went through a tragedy the likes of which i can't even begin to get my mind around for the surviving children. one of them is in my youth group, and he and i have had a relationship for the last year and a half that has been more like brothers than a youth pastor/kid in the group relationship.
his first choice was to come and live with us. it seemed entirely right. but it didn't go that way. he did not want to end up living where he is for reasons too numerous to count. but there's nothing i can do about it. i feel like i let him down, the government systems let him down, and i feel like God let him down. i know that seems like a pretty drastic statement, but that's what i feel like.
it's hard to say, "everything will be ok" or "God is good, and loves you", when clearly not everything is ok, and he doesn't feel like anything is working out for his good the way he had had hoped.
so today i feel defeated. i hate losing. i can hardly bear losing for someone else.
however, what does get to me more than anything else is when i see other people suffer or when wrong-doing happens to them. over the last couple of weeks, i have been walking with a family that has went through a tragedy the likes of which i can't even begin to get my mind around for the surviving children. one of them is in my youth group, and he and i have had a relationship for the last year and a half that has been more like brothers than a youth pastor/kid in the group relationship.
his first choice was to come and live with us. it seemed entirely right. but it didn't go that way. he did not want to end up living where he is for reasons too numerous to count. but there's nothing i can do about it. i feel like i let him down, the government systems let him down, and i feel like God let him down. i know that seems like a pretty drastic statement, but that's what i feel like.
it's hard to say, "everything will be ok" or "God is good, and loves you", when clearly not everything is ok, and he doesn't feel like anything is working out for his good the way he had had hoped.
so today i feel defeated. i hate losing. i can hardly bear losing for someone else.
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