Have to admit that this year of AI has been what I had always expected it to be! I wonder if this year is actually the norm and the last couple of seasons have just been good despite the voting public!? This year, of course, has reflected the incredible taste of the general public (whoever said groupthink is always good should pay attention to this years AI).
However, now that Sanjaya is finally off I can actually stand to watch the show and not shrug it off as a joke! As Dwight would say, "Unshun!"
On an even more cynical note . . . I wonder how others feel about AI getting on board with the whole Africa thing. AI is obviously a business, so I wonder what the motivation is here? I am not claiming that intentions are bad, just asking a question! Whether the intentions are good or not is somewhat beside the point, if it helps others!
I do know that the church should learn something from AI, VH1, and MTV (man that is a lot of acronyms). All three of these empires knows who their audience is, and they know their audience wants to make a difference. AI is getting on the Africa bandwagon (MTV has been on it for a long time), and MTV spent the end of February and beginning of March last year encouraging students to spend spring break in New Orleans helping to rebuild. The church rejects the influence of MTV, VH1, etc., but we have something to learn from them. The younger generations aren't as interested in propositional truth as they are in reaching out and making a difference in the world! This is at the heart of Jesus' message, the church just needs to do a better of living it and empowering others to do the same!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Little Decisions or Little Indiscretions
Pastor Tom and I meet with a group of Senior’s every Wednesday to study the book for Romans (many of you have been a part of that group)! Yesterday Tom was talking about his experience of going to High School reunions and recognizing that for the most part people as adults were the same as they were in High School. The students that struggled with drugs, continued to struggle with drugs, etc. It was interesting hearing the seniors respond incredulously that “people that old (Tom’s age) still act like that!” The truth, unfortunately, is yes they do!
I have been studying Mere Christianity by CS Lewis with my small group and the reading from this past week spoke directly to this subject. I will share it with you:
“Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make everyday are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.”
I am always frightened and saddened when I hear people state things like “I will start living better when I have a family”, “While I am young I am going to enjoy my freedom”, “This small thing will not hurt me or anyone else”, etc. I know this to not be true!! It sounds cliché but the habits of tomorrow begin as habits today. And, even if it were easy to begin living a “good” life after years of living “however one pleases”, why would you waste those years? If a person knows that is ultimately not the kind of life they want to live, why live that way now?
For some of you, you have been living lives that fall short of the lives that God desires for you and that you desire for yourself. For you, I offer this encouragement: While I recognized some of the same things that Tom talked about at my 10 year High School reunion (yes, I am that old), I also witnessed the redemptive hope of God’s love at work in some of my classmate’s lives! The greatest thing about God’s love for us is that it is available to all!
I have been studying Mere Christianity by CS Lewis with my small group and the reading from this past week spoke directly to this subject. I will share it with you:
“Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make everyday are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.”
I am always frightened and saddened when I hear people state things like “I will start living better when I have a family”, “While I am young I am going to enjoy my freedom”, “This small thing will not hurt me or anyone else”, etc. I know this to not be true!! It sounds cliché but the habits of tomorrow begin as habits today. And, even if it were easy to begin living a “good” life after years of living “however one pleases”, why would you waste those years? If a person knows that is ultimately not the kind of life they want to live, why live that way now?
For some of you, you have been living lives that fall short of the lives that God desires for you and that you desire for yourself. For you, I offer this encouragement: While I recognized some of the same things that Tom talked about at my 10 year High School reunion (yes, I am that old), I also witnessed the redemptive hope of God’s love at work in some of my classmate’s lives! The greatest thing about God’s love for us is that it is available to all!
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Worldviews
Don't know if you have taken a Perspectives course or not. If not, you should! I took the class, and now have friends going through it. The course is focused on missions in the church (history, theory and Biblical mandate). The class starts with the Biblical mandate, and it is interesting to see how shocked people are to learn that the Biblical mandate starts in Genesis and not at the Great Commission. When I took the class I heard people ask, "Why haven't we heard this before?". My friends are now hearing and asking the same question. The immediate answer to the question is that practical christianity has beaten out Biblical Christianity (which is practical) for some reason. We hear more sermons on how to be a good: employee, father, mother, etc. and how to be: blessed, rich, comfortable, etc. I don't know why or how that has happened, but it seems to be the case!
If you can take Perspectives, do it!!! At least attend the first two or three classes! If you can't do that, start with this article from Christianity Today.
If you can take Perspectives, do it!!! At least attend the first two or three classes! If you can't do that, start with this article from Christianity Today.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
One more thing . . .
OK, so this may seem like I am obsessing, but there has been one other question that has been nagging me with this whole bulletin (I am no longer capitalizing the word). I wonder how much responsiblity we as pastors should take when a group of congregational member's focus is so out of whack. Andy Stanley has said something along the lines of "you are achieving the results that you are set up for" (I have totally butchered that, but you get the point). Are we preaching, teaching, programming, etc. in such a way that we should expect nothing less (or more) than what we see reflected in our congregations? Is this what keeping the status quo is going to produce? Is the way we are doing church not just making it comfortable for congregants to stay self-centered and me-oriented but encouraging it as well? In some ways I think the answer to these questions is obvious but very uncomfortable, and I am afraid we don't ask these questions enough for that very reason!
Bulletin Bullies and the Exodous of Young People from the Church
I try not to rant on my blog, but feel that I have been forced to do so.
Recently the church I attend made a decision to change the layout of its Bulletins (I capitalize Bulletin, because it seems as if it is that important)! As soon as we did we have gotten a small handful of emails, and I have heard comments about how upset some people are over this change. Now, I know that people are entitled to their opinions (I certainly have mine). What is amazing to me is how strongly people feel about this! We even had a couple that left the church over this (seriously)!!
Do you want to know why young people are leaving the church en masse??
I had been resistant to reading George Barna's latest book simply because I knew that it would remind me of some frustrations that I have with the state of the church (general). I finally gave in and breezed through it this week to find that it addresses the misplaced focus of many churches (programs, polity, traditions, etc.). Barna makes the observation that the congregants have chosen to "go" to church instead of "be" the church. (The post that follows this one contains an excerpt from this book).
My problem/frustration isn't that we have problems in the church (it will always be made up of humans), but that there is no desire to grow. The Bulletins are not the issue! Perpsective and identity is!
Some friends and I came up with some solutions to this specific problem. I will state my two favorites:
1. Collect all the bulletins from area churches and present them to the complainers, let them pick their favorite, and then send them away! That way they can be happy with their bulletins!
2. Start First Tulsa Church of the Bulletin. At this church the Bulletin would take it's rightful place at the center.
Recently the church I attend made a decision to change the layout of its Bulletins (I capitalize Bulletin, because it seems as if it is that important)! As soon as we did we have gotten a small handful of emails, and I have heard comments about how upset some people are over this change. Now, I know that people are entitled to their opinions (I certainly have mine). What is amazing to me is how strongly people feel about this! We even had a couple that left the church over this (seriously)!!
Do you want to know why young people are leaving the church en masse??
I had been resistant to reading George Barna's latest book simply because I knew that it would remind me of some frustrations that I have with the state of the church (general). I finally gave in and breezed through it this week to find that it addresses the misplaced focus of many churches (programs, polity, traditions, etc.). Barna makes the observation that the congregants have chosen to "go" to church instead of "be" the church. (The post that follows this one contains an excerpt from this book).
My problem/frustration isn't that we have problems in the church (it will always be made up of humans), but that there is no desire to grow. The Bulletins are not the issue! Perpsective and identity is!
Some friends and I came up with some solutions to this specific problem. I will state my two favorites:
1. Collect all the bulletins from area churches and present them to the complainers, let them pick their favorite, and then send them away! That way they can be happy with their bulletins!
2. Start First Tulsa Church of the Bulletin. At this church the Bulletin would take it's rightful place at the center.
Barna Excerpt
The following is a powerful excerpt from a book called Revolution by George Barna (stick with it! The last paragraph is the strongest):
“Human behavior is a series of complex negotiations among our self-image, character, values, sense of purpose, and cultural parameters. Each choice we make is our best attempt to somehow balance the competing interests of those dimensions to optimize an outcome. Who we believe ourselves to be is a major determinant in our ability to be competent in our endeavors.
Your capacity to connect with God intimately and, therefore, to follow through on the challenges posed by the cause of Christ is inextricably bound to your self-image. Simply accepting Christ as Savior and have a respectful but casual relationship with Him do not give birth to a Revolutionary life.
To be a Revolutionary requires understanding the role of every human being within God’s plan. You realize that you are a special creature in His universe—created for the purpose of knowing and loving God, reproducing additional lovers of God, and living in ways that reflect being made in God’s image and for His pleasure. Amazingly, we have been invited to be His partners in developing and advancing His Creation-minority partners, certainly; not so much peers as associates—and as such we can take heart in the fact that we matter to God.
We are valuable because God considers us to be so. We need not earn our stripes—in fact, He has made clear that we cannot earn status in His eyes, except through our relationship with His Son. Our worth stems from our commitment to loving and serving Him. Our relationship with God helps us comprehend the purpose of our life and defines the direction to pursue that will please Him and thus provide us with the greatest fulfillment.
Wrap your mind and heart around this realization: You are a slave to Christ, and ambassador of God, a servant of the King, a soldier in the invisible battle of purity and evil. You will find inner peace only when you know who you truly are. Only at that point can you be authentic. Joy escapes many believers because they don’t fully grasp their identities as Revolutionaries; they labor in vain as halfhearted disciples. The emotional and spiritual ecstasy that Revolutionaries experience is linked to an awareness of their true role in the Kingdom of God. Until you become obsessed with imitating Christ and honoring God, your journey is moving in a dangerous direction. Devoting yourself to the Revolutionary way is a big step toward experiencing God’s pleasure.
Let me also point out that a major reason why most local churches have little influence on the world is that their congregants do not experience this transformation in identity.”
This was powerful for me for a couple of reasons. One, is the simple reminder of who I am and who I am called to be. Second was the reflection on the way that joy and proper understanding of identity are tied together. Do I experience joy as a Christian, or do I find that joy escapes me? And how are joy and my identity in Christ tied together? These have been questions that I have been living with since reading this.
“Human behavior is a series of complex negotiations among our self-image, character, values, sense of purpose, and cultural parameters. Each choice we make is our best attempt to somehow balance the competing interests of those dimensions to optimize an outcome. Who we believe ourselves to be is a major determinant in our ability to be competent in our endeavors.
Your capacity to connect with God intimately and, therefore, to follow through on the challenges posed by the cause of Christ is inextricably bound to your self-image. Simply accepting Christ as Savior and have a respectful but casual relationship with Him do not give birth to a Revolutionary life.
To be a Revolutionary requires understanding the role of every human being within God’s plan. You realize that you are a special creature in His universe—created for the purpose of knowing and loving God, reproducing additional lovers of God, and living in ways that reflect being made in God’s image and for His pleasure. Amazingly, we have been invited to be His partners in developing and advancing His Creation-minority partners, certainly; not so much peers as associates—and as such we can take heart in the fact that we matter to God.
We are valuable because God considers us to be so. We need not earn our stripes—in fact, He has made clear that we cannot earn status in His eyes, except through our relationship with His Son. Our worth stems from our commitment to loving and serving Him. Our relationship with God helps us comprehend the purpose of our life and defines the direction to pursue that will please Him and thus provide us with the greatest fulfillment.
Wrap your mind and heart around this realization: You are a slave to Christ, and ambassador of God, a servant of the King, a soldier in the invisible battle of purity and evil. You will find inner peace only when you know who you truly are. Only at that point can you be authentic. Joy escapes many believers because they don’t fully grasp their identities as Revolutionaries; they labor in vain as halfhearted disciples. The emotional and spiritual ecstasy that Revolutionaries experience is linked to an awareness of their true role in the Kingdom of God. Until you become obsessed with imitating Christ and honoring God, your journey is moving in a dangerous direction. Devoting yourself to the Revolutionary way is a big step toward experiencing God’s pleasure.
Let me also point out that a major reason why most local churches have little influence on the world is that their congregants do not experience this transformation in identity.”
This was powerful for me for a couple of reasons. One, is the simple reminder of who I am and who I am called to be. Second was the reflection on the way that joy and proper understanding of identity are tied together. Do I experience joy as a Christian, or do I find that joy escapes me? And how are joy and my identity in Christ tied together? These have been questions that I have been living with since reading this.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Problem of evil from a different perspective
This is one of the best things I have read lately! Get past the grammar, the content is beautiful!
After Christmas reflection . . .(lame title, but the best I could do)
For the last month I have been struggling with a thought that I have not been able to shake. As we have celebrated Christmas during the month of December I have not been able to ignore the word savior. It seems that during Christmas we like to celebrate the birth of our savior. We read the passage in Luke that tells us “today in the town of David a savior has been born to you”. The music department even did a music program called Saviour.
My struggle is that the passage from Luke continues to say that this savior that has been born is “Christ the Lord”. What strikes me is how easy and comfortable it is for me to call Jesus savior, but how difficult and uncomfortable it is to call him Lord. The word Lord communicates a position of power and authority. If I call Jesus Lord, then I am saying that Jesus has authority over my life. That I will be obedient to his direction and leading. We all want Jesus to be our savior, but do we want him to be Lord?
Romans 10:9 states, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is a passage that has always been important to me in discussing my salvation with another person and it is a verse that many of us have memorized. However, I think we tend to stress the second half of this verse. If you believe Jesus was raised from the dead, you will be saved. However, this passage makes it clear that we must also confess Jesus as Lord (in the world and in our lives). This means that we are making a confession that Jesus has authority over our lives. And, if this is our confession it must also be our ethos.
I was discussing this thought with the other pastors and Dub Ambrose gave this analogy: Imagine that you are lost in dark forest and can’t find your way out. You are trapped. Now imagine someone comes along and says, “I am here to save you”. This is great news!! However, the next words out of the man’s mouth are “follow me”. The point is obvious! If you are to be saved you must also trust this other person to lead you and grant them the authority to do so.
So many of us say that we desire salvation (and I am not talking about salvation after we die, I am talking about salvation today), but we are unwilling to follow the one who offers the better way. We want to escape the darkness of our own lives, but we are unwilling to follow the one who will lead us to light.
Do I trust Jesus as my savior and Lord? This is the question that I have been asking myself!
My struggle is that the passage from Luke continues to say that this savior that has been born is “Christ the Lord”. What strikes me is how easy and comfortable it is for me to call Jesus savior, but how difficult and uncomfortable it is to call him Lord. The word Lord communicates a position of power and authority. If I call Jesus Lord, then I am saying that Jesus has authority over my life. That I will be obedient to his direction and leading. We all want Jesus to be our savior, but do we want him to be Lord?
Romans 10:9 states, “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is a passage that has always been important to me in discussing my salvation with another person and it is a verse that many of us have memorized. However, I think we tend to stress the second half of this verse. If you believe Jesus was raised from the dead, you will be saved. However, this passage makes it clear that we must also confess Jesus as Lord (in the world and in our lives). This means that we are making a confession that Jesus has authority over our lives. And, if this is our confession it must also be our ethos.
I was discussing this thought with the other pastors and Dub Ambrose gave this analogy: Imagine that you are lost in dark forest and can’t find your way out. You are trapped. Now imagine someone comes along and says, “I am here to save you”. This is great news!! However, the next words out of the man’s mouth are “follow me”. The point is obvious! If you are to be saved you must also trust this other person to lead you and grant them the authority to do so.
So many of us say that we desire salvation (and I am not talking about salvation after we die, I am talking about salvation today), but we are unwilling to follow the one who offers the better way. We want to escape the darkness of our own lives, but we are unwilling to follow the one who will lead us to light.
Do I trust Jesus as my savior and Lord? This is the question that I have been asking myself!