Moving

I am moving my blog to this site:

http://pettus.wordpress.com/

Electing a President (Part 3)

The Environment

The environment has become a big issue this year and much of that is because of high oil prices, T. Boone Pickens, and Al Gore. I don't know if I believe in climate change. Climatologist disagree why temperature change has occurred. Some says it is because of man's destruction of the earth others because of cyclical patterns. I have no idea.

Here is what I do know. God made the heavens and the earth and he placed man to watch and tend it. We are stewards of what God has given us. It amazes me how many Christians teach about being good stewards of money that God has given us and then say who cares what we do concerning the world God gave us.

Much of this is probably because we have seen extreme people and want to protect a tree or an owl and chose them over human jobs. And because companies have destroyed the land in due to progress and never reclaimed it but left it desolate and bare. I grew up in a coal mining area and I can tell you companies left areas looking like a war zone.

My personal view is that God has placed me on this earth to watch and tend over his creation. It is my duty to take care of what God gave me. I believe he has given us natural resources like oil, natural gas, wind, etc. There is nothing wrong with using them but we need to do it in the most responsible way possible. To do so seems to be disrespectful to God. I am all for solar, wind, responsible drilling, and maybe nuclear although it scares me. I don't like the idea of drilling in Alaska no more than I like the idea of coal mining in the Grand Canyon (thank God for Teddy Roosevelt for stopping that).

I think churches need to build green. It saves money in the long term that can later go to funding the Lord's kingdom. Spring Meadows went geothermal in their new building and their heating and cooling bill will be 90% less than traditional methods. That is a lot of money saved. They are using their rain water to irrigate the grass. Some places use rain water to flush toilets. All these save resources and money so why would anyone object?

As Christians what responsibility do we have concerning the environment? What does being good stewards really mean? How does being a good steward of money compare to being one of the environment? When we look at building new buildings should we build green? Is this a theological issue or just an ideological one?

Electing a President (Part 2)

Helping the Poor

It is estimated that 12% of Americans live in poverty. That means that a single person makes less than $10,400 a year and a family of four makes less than $21,200. That means that if you make minimum wage and work 40 hours a week and work 52 weeks you will make $10,400 and be in poverty.

Now my first job out of college was working a vending route at Pepsi. I made about $425 a week. So that means I could have had a family of 4 and not considered impoverished. That 425 was before taxes and without insurance. I made about the same my next job as a youth minister in Lawrenceburg and I can tell you as a single guy with no room-mates living in an ok apartment (next to the ghetto if lburg has one and a great view of the cemetery)times were tough. Money was tight. So I can't imagine 12% of people living in poverty being able to survive in America. Of the 12% in poverty seniors make up 1.2% so the other 11% are 65 and younger.

So here is my thought. To live in poverty in the US is horrible. No one should be impoverished in a country that is so blessed. In a country where most of us have so much even if we think we don't we should never have people this poor. The big question is why are people in poverty? What is our responsibility as a government to help people get out of poverty? What is our responsibility as a church? How do we accomplish this? As Christians are we asking the government to do what God called us to do? Is the government having to do what the church is refusing to do?

I am not a believer in income distribution. It has never worked in any government system over a long period of time. I am also a believer in a benevolent government that helps it citizens to have a better life and a helping hand to have the opportunity to get ahead.

I can't help to think that the church as advocated its role in helping the poor and so the government is now asked to do what we don't. In the early years of America the church started and maintained the education system, the hospitals, the welfare department, etc. Today not so much. Many that bear a religious name are no longer associated with the church.

As Christians we have a responsibility to help the poor. It is what Jesus did best. Are we doing it? Why are some Christians the most opposed to the government helping the poor? How does this issue impact how you vote?

Electing a President (Part 1)

Well it is political time as we get 20 days till the election so I thought I would throw out my 2 cents worth. First I am a about 50% Libertarian and 25% Republican and 25% Democrat with a strong Federalist philosophy. So that is my bias.

Abortion
This is a topic that many people hinge their entire vote on. So let us look at the record. There are 9 supreme court justices. Currently 7 out of the 9 were appointed by pro-life presidents. So why has Roe v/s Wade not been over turned? What makes you think that the next president will select the justice that tips the balance and over turn this? Do you really think that 9 out 9 by pro life presidents will overturn this?

If you are basing your vote only on this issue then you are a fool. Sorry but the facts don't lie. Tonight in the debate McCain says abortion will not be a litmus test and Obama basically said he will only appoint a pro choice justice.

I personally am pro life but believe this should be a state issue and not a federal issue.

Free Book

Thom Rainer is the author of Simple Church and many other books. His new book is called Essential Church? and is aimed at how do we keep our 20 and 30 year old's connected and active in church. The cool thing is that this book can be downloaded for free by going here.

Year Book Yourself

This is a great waste of time that you will want to share with all your friends. It is called Year Book Yourself. Below are some of me and my favorite years.

1952, 1956, 1958, 1960



1964, 1968, 1970, 1974



1976, 1978, 1980, 1982



1990, 1994

Sunday Colthes

Every Sunday morning I go to church and put on my Sunday best. I have always wanted to know what makes Sunday morning so special that we have to wear a coat, tie, dress, or the like. What is it about that magical hour that makes us all dress up? Why is it that 7 hours later we can worship God wearing jeans? I have been trying to discover the theological reasons for this. I know it must be scriptural for it transcends denominational lines.

1. It is the reverse of sack cloth and ashes. In the Old Testament to show signs of repentance you would tear your clothes and put on sack cloth and ashes. But being New Testament Christians we must do the reverse. So we put on skirts, dresses, ties, coats, etc. Sunday is the first day of the new week so we put on our best clothes to show God how holy we want to become that week. We feel fresh, revived, and ready to be the perfect Christian. 7 hours later we have had a fight with our wife over being late for church, watched football and enjoyed the beer commercials, took a nap instead of visiting the hospital. In just 7 hours we basically realize that we have sinned and that God knows we are not holy so we wear jeans and pray for grace.

2. Soiled Garments. Every self respecting Christian eats out on Sunday. You go to church, give mom the day off, and go out to eat. You enjoy a good meal, condemn the waiter for working on Sunday, and then you spill salsa on your clothes and you can't wear them again that night. So we throw on our jeans and polo.

3. The Angels Dressed Up. Luke 24:4 ...two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. You see this was on a Sunday morning. So here is the Biblical example. They dressed up in dazzling robes not dingy ones. Now later on in Luke 24 we find 2 men traveling and they meet and ate with Jesus. Everyone knows that you don't travel in your Sunday best so the Sunday night meeting with Jesus must have been informal. They were likely wearing there every day robes not there dazzling robes.

Discipline

If you don't know I have adult ADD. I have a very hard time concentrating and often find myself trying to do 5 things at once while thinking about 6 other things. I am never still in that I am always moving my toes, legs, rubbing something with my hands, etc. I get bored quickly and look for something else to stimulate me. So I have to work very hard to get things done.

I can begin reading and find myself surfing the web for something that I normally can't remember 3 minutes later then spend an hour looking at blogs, sites, etc.

I find that I do better when I have a schedule, a list, and the like. So I spent part of Labor Day making out my reading list. I like reading but if I don't have clear cut goals I get side tracked, distracted and the like. I am trying to read Knowing God for the 4th time. I am on chapter 4 today. I just have a hard time getting into this book. But I am determined. I should finish it on September 30 (chapter a day). This is how I normally read, one chapter a day in about 4 books. Would do one at a time but can't concentrate that long on one book.

If anyone else has tips on how you deal with this let me know.

History in the Making

There are a few times when you know that you have lived history. Today is one of those days. We are seeing history in the making. Either Barack Obama or Sarah Palin will make history. Obama will be the next President marking the first African American to hold this office or Sarah Palin will be the first woman Vice President.

Last night I watched Obaman accept the democratic party nomination and couldn't help think that 45 years ago he wouldn't have been able to attend the same school or eat in the same restraunt with me. Today he may be the next leader of this nation.

Palin could hold the same job as other men and make less just because she is a woman. Now she may become the VP.

We are living history and one day we will be telling our grand-children about this election. Our nation will never be the same come January 20, 2009.

Democrats and Jesus

Don Miller was invite to offer a benediction at the Democratic National Convention on Monday night. Here is his prayer in video and in text

"Father God,

This week, as the world looks on, help the leaders in this room create a civil dialogue about our future.

We need you, God, as individuals and also as a nation.

We need you to protect us from our enemies, but also from ourselves, because we are easily tempted toward apathy.

Give us a passion to advance opportunities for the least of these, for widows and orphans, for single moms and children whose fathers have left.

Give us the eyes to see them, and the ears to hear them, and hands willing to serve them.

Help us serve people, not just causes. And stand up to specific injustices rather than vague notions.

Give those in this room who have power, along with those who will meet next week, the courage to work together to finally provide health care to those who don’t have any, and a living wage so families can thrive rather than struggle.

Help us figure out how to pay teachers what they deserve and give children an equal opportunity to get a college education.

Help us figure out the balance between economic opportunity and corporate gluttony.

We have tried to solve these problems ourselves but they are still there. We need your help.

Father, will you restore our moral standing in the world.

A lot of people don’t like us but that’s because they don’t know the heart of the average American.

Will you give us favor and forgiveness, along with our allies around the world.

Help us be an example of humility and strength once again.

Lastly, father, unify us.

Even in our diversity help us see how much we have in common.

And unify us not just in our ideas and in our sentiments—but in our actions, as we look around and figure out something we can do to help create an America even greater than the one we have come to cherish.

God we know that you are good.

Thank you for blessing us in so many ways as Americans.

I make these requests in the name of your son, Jesus, who gave his own life against the forces of injustice.

Let Him be our example.

Amen."

Why I'm Not Watching the Olympics

Rusty's Reasons Not to Watch the Olympics

1. We have no arch enemy. When I was growing up it was always the USA versus the Soviet Union. It was like your bitter rivalry and struggle for world dominance every four years. You hated those red uniforms with CCCP on them (still don't know what that stands for). Today who cares? We need an arch nemesis. Until we do the NFL preseason is more interesting.

2. Time Zones. Who wants to set up until 1:30AM to see the USA play basketball. I could watch the replay but ESPN, Fox News, CNN, and the Today Show tickers already told me who won.

3. Who Are These People? OK I know the basketball players. I know who Michael Phelps is because he must be the only USA athlete since he is all they ever talk about. I even know Shawn Johnston. But seriously, I have never heard of the rest of these people and after these games are over, Phelps goes on every TV show program, and the Wheaties box goes back to normal, when will you ever hear of these people again? I know, in four years when the Olympics is in London. It is hard to cheer for people you don't know.

4. Could we get some real sports? I am the last to criticize something as not being a real sport but this is ridiculous. Yes these events require skill. They require amazing skill and I could never do them. I'll even give events that have been events for 100 years plus a break. But are the following real sports: Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline, Hand Ball, Badminton, Synchronised swimming, Table Tennis, Synchronized diving? In 2012 softball will no longer be an Olympic sport I think they had to scratch it to make room for paint ball or laser tag or maybe fishing. This morning I turned on the Olympics to see Badminton. Are you kidding me?

So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore (Part 2)

Just finished the book and here are my thoughts:

Many times we can get so wrapped up into supporting any system (church, a business, relationships, etc) that we forget the reason they exist. Sometimes church becomes more about sustaining church than fulfilling Jesus purpose for the church. Sometimes church becomes a substitute for real spirituality. We can substitute a relationship with God for a program, event, or a chance to get involved in something. These are not bad things in and of themselves. If we aren't careful we can get us busy doing church things and forget about doing spiritual things. We can teach a Bible class but not spend time letting God's word speak to us. We can attend a give-away day but not help those in need in our own neighborhood. Sometimes all the programs and events give us a false sense or security and feeling like our involvement equals a relationship with God.

We define commitment to God by commitment to the church's programs and events. I never thought about this but it is true. If someone isn't involved in a program we can look down on them for not being committed or desiring to grow. But it could be that they live a busy life, are involved in things they don't parade out in public, going through personal struggles, or maybe they just can't make the meetings. It could be a reflection on their commitment to God but probably not.

You can find fault in everything. There is no perfect church, ministry, minister, Christian, etc. Some things need reformed but if you focus on all the faults you will find that you will never be happy or satisfied. This book highlights every fault of the church. Sure they exist but come on if I wanted I could highlight all the faults of his religious views.

Don't treat the symptoms treat the problem. If we helped people fall in love with Jesus all the other will take care of it self. We can treat symptoms (attendance, prayer life, bible reading, etc) all day long but the problem is someone's desire to love and know God.

Everyone is on a journey and there is no cookie cutter answer to life. The solution to our love, trust, and desire for God will be different for each of us. We will all connect to God differently and we all have different lives and responses to them.

Don't scrap everything. He suggest that real Christianity is best lived separate of any structured system. I could tell you 50 things wrong with our church if I had enough time to get out the microscope and highlight every fault but that doesn't mean you should just quit and throw it all out.

Read people that take extreme views from your own. I loved this book. I disagreed with allot of it but it made me think and grow. If we never read alternative views we will have little perspective and cheat ourselves from chances to grow.

Olympics at Their Best

This is a qualifying swim meet at the 2000 Olympics. The commentary is great!!

http://www.todaysbigthing.com/2008/08/08

So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore

"So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore". I saw this book title and thought I have to get this. How many of us have not wanted to go to church anymore? I have quit in my past and some days I just want to quit. Dan Kimball wrote a book "They Love Jesus not the Church" I feel like that sometimes. So I buy the book off of Amazon, get the book, and discover it is a book about a minister. Wow! So I am hooked and begin to read and it is messing with me. It is a thought provoking book and sometimes hits a little too close to home. It is provocative and almost hyperbolic or maybe he is just that radical but it is about a minister who is struggling with his faith and he meets the apostle John. It is based off of Jesus saying "If I want this one to remain alive until I return then what is it to you." So John is trying to help him find God but in the meantime causes nothing but turmoil in his life. Here is a little of my favorite section so far (only on chapter 5).

"You are so caught up in a system of reward and punishment that you're missing the simple relationship he (God) wants to have with you."

"How are we going to know how God feels about us if we don't live up to his standards?"

"That is where you have it backwards. We don't get his love by living up to his standards. We find his love in the most broken place of our lives. As we let him love us there and discover how to love in return, we'll find our lives changing in that relationship."

"How can that be? Don't we have to walk away from sin to know him?"

"Walking toward him is walking away from sin. The better you know him the freeer from it you will be. But you can't walk away from sin. Not on your own strength! Everything he wants to do in you will get done as your learn to live in his love. Every act of sin results from your mistrust of his love and intentions for you. We sin to fill up broken places, to try to fight for what we think is best for us, or by reacting to our guilt and shame. Once you discover how much he loves you, all that changes. As you grow in trusting him, you will find yourself increasingly free from sin."

"It sounds so easy when you say it. But learning to live that way would be the opposite of everything I've been taught."

"That's why it is called good news."

The Shack

I bought The Shack a few weeks ago because everyone seems to be reading it. It takes a while to get into this book. The first four chapters lay the backdrop and most everyone I talk to agree these are not the best reading. The rest of the book will have you hooked and you will not want to put it down.

The Shack is about a man (Mack) whose daughter was abducted and murdered. They were able to track him down to a little shack where they recovered his daughter's dress and could see her blood. They never recovered her body and Mack and his family never recovered from this tragedy. Four years later Mack receives a letter inviting him to the shack signed Papa or his wife's favorite name for God. Mack decides to go while his wife and kids are away for the weekend. He arrived at the shack and there he meets and spends the weekend with God.

The conversations he has with God are amazing and the author blends theological concepts into the story. A few things that he discusses in the book is: the role of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; the problem of pain and suffering; forgiveness; our relationship with God and his with us; and the need and role of relationships.

The book is about one man's journey to be healed from the pain he has lived through the death of his daughter and a bad childhood. His conversations with God will stimulate your mind and you will want to discuss it with others and pass the book on to others.

You can get the book on Amazon for $9 or at any bookstore. This is a good read and I would recommend it to anyone. Just be patient through the first 4 chapters.

Preaching

Every week I listen or sit through 2 to 4 sermons a week. I hear two at church and then listen to a couple more via the internet. I like to listen to different people to learn how to be a better speaker. I love listening to Andy Stanley. He is the only speaker that I think is consistent in delivering a powerful message week after week. I listen to a wide variety of other guys on i-tunes: Rob Bell, John Piper, Tim Spivey, Kieth Davis, Matt Chandler, Don McLaughlin, Joel Olsteen ( I need encouragement), and others. Sometimes I just listen to a random person to see what I discover. I have been trying to break down what makes some guys good, others OK, and some just terrible.

Application. This is what separates the good from the bad. They all have different ways and styles of conveying the gospel but the one common thread is application. The best spend at least 30% of their lesson telling you how God's word applies to your life. They help you see how God's word looks when it is lived out in everyday life. They illustrate it and walk you through common situations that you will face this week.

Too many speakers give a 3 minute application at the end of the lesson and the average person has to go home and try to figure out what to do with the lesson. The best tell you what to do with the lesson. When you leave, you know how to apply God's word to your life and when you will need to use this information.

The amazing this is the more I read Paul the more I see that this is what he did. He addressed a problem and then illustrated it to give the readers insight into what this looked like in their life. You can read Paul and know exactly what he wanted the readers to do and how it looked in their world.

So what do you think the best do?

I'm Bringing Serving Back

It has been a while since I have blogged but you will not be disappointed with this video. We have all seen how people take a popular song and turn it into a "Christian" song. You know "You down with OPP" turns into "You down with GOD". Or baby got back to baby got bible. Well give it to these guys for "Serving Back" a spin off JT's "Sexy Back".

Song Leader Guidelines

Chances are you have been setting in church when you are asked to sing a song that you have no idea what it means or it uses old english language. Why do we sing songs in old english or holy king james language? Doest thou thinkest this to be quiet atypical?

What is a night with ebon pinion and why is it brooded o’er the vale?

The other day we sang a song about how in heaven the polish on the door knobs will never fade.

I think there needs to be guidelines for song leaders to know if they can lead this song.

1. There can’t be more than 5 old english words. I know it is unrealistic to cut them out all together and sometimes we need a Thou to rhyme with how but there has to be a limit.

2. If you have to explain it or you don’t understand the words then you can’t sing it. I asked a song leader one day what a phrase in the song meant and he had no clue. This is just wrong to make us sing these songs.

3. It has to have a good melody. We are not some monks in a secluded space so we shouldn’t be chanting or singing some song that has a choppy melody.

4. You can never lead all the verses of the song. If you have to sing all the verses to get the meaning of the song then don’t lead it. Let’s face it many of the songs are weird and there is nothing worse than having to sing that awkward chorus 4 times.

5. Invitation songs can’t be about sinners coming. There is nothing worse than hearing a sermon wanting to come forward and then the song is “come sinner come” or “sinners God will receive” or “though your sins be like scarlet”. You already know you’re a sinner, if you come forward everyone else knows you’re a sinner (chances are they are trying to figure out what you did) the last thing you want is to come forward while the church tells you that you are a sinner.

Prince Caspian (Part 2)

Lucy is the first to see Aslan. She is asked why they couldn't see him and she could. Lucy replies, "Maybe you weren't looking for him."

Later this conversation takes place:
Susan "Why do you think I didn't see Aslan?"
Lucy "I don't know. Maybe you didn't really want to."
Susan "You always knew you'd be coming back here, didn't you?"
Lucy "I hoped so."
Susan "I'd finally just got used to the idea of being in England."

Are you looking for God? Can others see Him in places that you can't?

How do you see God? How do we become like Lucy and see what others can't?

Paul tells us to anticipate the day that we see Jesus and remember that heaven is our home and not this world (Phil 3:20).

When we are anticipating a reunion with God and we are looking for him was are more likely to see him everyday in our world and not get used to living here but looking forward to living with Jesus.

Prince Caspian

I just got through watching Prince Caspian and it was a great movie! There was so much action and my heart raced through so much of the movie. It also had so many biblical themes and I am going to take the next few blogs to write about the ones that impacted me.

When Prince Caspian first meets King Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy he is shocked that they are children and says that he was expecting grown up kings and queens. How many times do we find that God uses the unexpected to do great things. Think about all the people of the Bible who were young when God did great things with them (David, Jeremiah, John, Mark, ..).

At the end of the movie Lucy says that she wished she was able to be more like the older one and have more courage and fight. She has a little dagger as her weapon while the others have swords and a bow and arrow. But she is the only one who sees Aslan and has faith that he is there and can help them.

God constantly reminds us that age is not a factor in serving him and age is not a factor in him using you to do great and powerful things. Many times we let our own doubts and logic get in the way of letting God use us and sometimes as an excuse not to do things for God.

1 Timothy 4:12 was one of those verses I hated growing up I think it was because it was theme of every camp and youth rally or any speaker who thought he would dedicate a sermon to the youth. But I have gotten over my bitterness for it and grown to appreciate the fact that Paul is telling Timothy two great messages.

1. God has given him a great gift and is ready to use him to do great things. He is to live up to God's standards and lead people who are much older than he is.

2. He can't use age as an excuse or a fear not to do what God is calling him to do.

If God's kingdom (Narnia) is to survive and thrive it needs young people (another term I hate but don't know a better way to say it) to step up and use the gifts that God has given them. We can't let age hold us back, back us fearful, or use as an excuse to wait.

BIble Wars

(A Take off of Stuff Christians Like)

We have all been in a Bible discussion when a scripture war breaks out. We trade verses that prove our points in hope that we will somehow prove the other person wrong and that they will convert to our way of thinking. The problem is that at the end there is no defined winner. It is like the presidential debates both sides return to their corners and they think and spin how they won. So we need a scoring system to help us be able to declare a winner. So the following is my proposed scoring system:

Old Testament Verses +3pts

New Testament Verses +2pts

Bonus points for:

Quoting it from the KJV or ASV +2pt

Levitical Law +2pts

Minor Prophet excluding Jonah +2pts

Giving book chapter and verse +2pts

Proof texting to prove your point +2pts

Red letter verses +3pts

Verses quoted in New Testament +3pts

From God +3pts

Referring to the Holy Spirit +3pts

Verses from Revelation +3pts

Verses that you can illustrate or explain with a scene from a movie +3pts

Verses that refer to some obscure practice that now brings out the junior high reaction in all of us (Examples: Ezekiel 23:19-20 and Deuteronomy 23:1) +5pts

List of all the things that will send you to hell +5pts

Penalty points for:

Verses from VBS stories -3pts

Verses found on a sign at a football game, a Thomas Kincaid picture, a coffee mug, etc -3pts

Quoting it from the Message -2pts

Quoting an evil person -3pts

Being caught proof texting to prove your point -4pts

Verses that are a common song -5pts

Thinking it was in the Bible but its not (cleanliness is next to godliness) -10pts

So no you know the rules and have a way to know if you won or lost your latest Bible discussion.

Fasting

Over the last eight years I have been intrigued by fasting. I was never taught about this in church outside of the fact that it was something they did in the Old Testament and then Jesus condemned how it was done in the new. So I began reading anything I could on it, and discovered very few people write about it. So here are some of my thoughts on what I have learned.

Fasting was done for many reasons religious and not. It was a way to show that something in life had been altered (death, plans, etc) or something needed to change (your life, your relationship with God, etc). Over a period of time the Pharisees made fasting a badge of honor and taught that every good Jew would fast on Monday and Thursday. To them fasting equaled godliness and the more you did it the more godly you were and you wanted to make sure that others recognized how godly you were so you made sure people could know when you fasted.

The original religious purpose of fasting was to give up something that you believed you had to have (food) and when you took it away you would realize that you could live without it but what you couldn't live without was God. When Jesus was traveling through Samaria in John 4 the disciples went to get food and when they returned they found Jesus talking to a Samaritan woman who brought the whole town out to meet Jesus. They offered him food because he hadn't had any and he told them that he had food they didn't know about (4:31) and that it was doing God's will.

My schedule is pack full of going from one task to the next and filled with so many distractions from reading blogs, facebook, text messaging, talk radio ( I love ESPN radio), and tv at home. Many times I loose my focus on God due to these things. Over the weekend I didn't watch tv or have the internet because I was at my parents and I was going crazy not checking my messages. But it also allowed me to go out by the creek and set on the dock and meditate and pray. I wouldn't have done it if they had tv or the net.

We need to return to the practice of fasting. Maybe not the tradition of not eating food but maybe turning off the phone and computer for a day or two. The purpose of fasting is to help us regain control of our life from the things that dominate us. It allows us to realize that the things we think we need are not all that important. It allows us to spend more time with God. The purpose was to help us hunger and thirst for righteousness. Sometimes we spend more time texting than reading the Bible and praying. Sometimes we read blogs, post messages on facebook, and the like and forget to meditate on scripture.

So let me challenge you to unplug for a day and spend the extra time with God and reconnect and remember what it is like to be free of distractions and focused on God.

Splitsville

I was 14 years old when the church across town went through a split. When I was 18 I witnessed another church split in Florence. And when I was 26 I got to see a third split. I was not a member of any of the churches. I don't know all the details I only know the results. Here are some of the things I have learned over three splits.

Its always personal
Every split turns personal. The original split may begin because of a difference between doctrine, philosophy, or carpet color but at the end of the day it always turns personal. I call it church on church slander or brother on brother hatred. Every split I have seen two villians emerge. The person who lead the split and their antagonist. The antagonist may be an elder, minister, a member, or decorator. These two represent the cause and people start to spew hatred toward them and their family. In the name of standing for truth and leading a needed reform the people and supporters begin to slug it out with words. I have heard of hate mail sent to family members, u-haul boxes placed on lawns with a for sale sign planted in the yard, newspaper articles or ads telling everyone in the region why the other group is terrible, snubbing people, etc.

It always leaves people in the middle
My 10th grade math teacher went with the split group and people said nasty things to her. Later she and her family reconsidered their decision to leave. The problem was where do you go when you have been told by so many how you have denied Jesus, are going to hell, and have disgraced you family name? How do you return and set next to them in worship? She couldn't see how this would work. I have seen the same in other areas.

There are others who have friends and family who attend the split church and the original church and if they don't pick sides they are weak and not willing take a stand for truth. If they pick a side they alienate a family member. If they try to stay out of the mix people will do their best to draw you in.

It doesn't end at church
The split never ends at church it goes everywhere. If there is a Christian school they will be forced to deal with this. Church camp is never the same. Any major event that involves the local churches is impacted. Everyone has to pick a side and one side is the winner and the other the looser.

It never ends
It has been 18 years since I witnessed the first split and the controversy is still going on. Everything the split church does is analyzed and dusted for prints to see what heresy must be involved in their latest plan. The original church is always second guessed and every decision is yet another affirmation that they had to leave that place. 18 years later and this is still going on.

God Hates Division
I don't know how many verses in the Bible deal with unity, peacemakers, and getting along but when you see the aftermath of splits you can understand why God hates division. God knows how it looks to the community around us, how it impacts the people involved and the innocent bystanders who happen to live in the area, and how it leaves a path of destruction.

I have seen many church people do ungodly things in the name of Jesus when a church undergoes a split.

The Pope Text Messages

Pope Benedict will text message thousands of young Catholics on their mobile phones during World Youth Day in Sydney in July, hoping going digital will help him connect better with a younger audience.

The Pope will text daily messages of inspiration and hope during the six-day Sydney event while digital prayer walls will be erected at event sites and the church will set up a Catholic social networking Web site akin to a Catholic Facebook.

The Catholic Church said it decided to use technology to connect to the estimated 225,000 young Catholics expected to attend the World Youth Day (WYD) celebrations that start on July 15. (Reuters Press)

A Guide to Knowing When to Pray

This is another classic from Stuff Christians Like

SCL Guide to Food Prayers:

1. The Stand Up Rule
If you have to stand up while eating, you don't have to pray. Regardless of what you are eating, standing up makes the food feel very light and insignificant. It's impossible to cut anything while standing too. You end up just spearing chunks of fruit or meat awkwardly while trying to keep the plate from tipping over onto the carpet, further upsetting the hosts whose dog you just made urinate on the couch because you got it too excited at the Christmas Eve party. That just got personal, but trust me, no prayer required here. Use this easy rhyme to remember: "if you can't sit, prayer forget it, if you have to stand, God understands."

2. Wedding food
This rule actually works for any big event where one person prays for the whole room. Listen carefully to that person's prayer. If it's good, dig in. If it's a little weak, you better double up and pray for yourself just to be sure. No offense to the other person, but it's better safe than sorry. Plus, it makes you look extra holy which is never a bad thing if you're single and trying to meet a bridesmaid.

3. Drive in
This actually depends on which fast food restaurant you go to. If you go to Chick-fil-A or In-n-Out you probably don't have to pray because those are Christian restaurants and the holiness is applied like barbecue sauce to the food items. You're covered. Taco Bell, Burger King and other restaurants are questionable. At the bare minimum, turn your back in the car while they use that bean and guacamole gun at Taco Bell and say a prayer. Chances are you'll need it. (By the way, if you're partaking in Taco Bell's "Fourth Meal" or the food they feed you between dinner and breakfast, you better pray. Lots. You've just introduced a grilled, toasted, roasted, 17 layer, bean bandalero to your stomach at 2 in the morning.)

4. Progressive Dinner
A progressive dinner is where you travel with people from house to house having one course at each. The question is, where and when do you pray? Is it before the first house or at each house? Good question. I pray at the beginning and then at each house that serves something that might need a little God. When I used to be a bag boy at a grocery store we called it "spot mopping." You didn't mop the whole floor, just the few areas that needed it. Same thing applies here. If one house has a fresh manadarin spinach salad, hold the prayer. If the next one has some sort of homemade sausage that may or may not be squirrel, you better start praying.

5. Gas Station Snacks
Nougat? No prayer. Beef jerky? Depends. If you do regular jerky, no problem, you don't have to pray. If you do that jerky, cheese marriage thing where there's a tube of orange cheese spooning the jerky, you better pray. Or if the logo on the bag is a guy in overalls or a barrel with rope suspenders, you should pray.

6. Before or After Appetizers
The best way to get a waiter or waitress to come to your table is to start praying. They'll materialize out of thin air like some sort of prayer interrupting phantoms. I suggest praying in the parking lot before you get in the restaurant. That way, you eliminate any possible chance of the staff trying to crash your prayer party.

7. Eating contests
I weigh about 160. A few years ago, a coworker challenged me to an eating contest at Fuddrucker's, a hamburger joint. I accepted and ended up doing just fine in the "1lb throwdown." I was able to stomach a one pound cheeseburger without a problem. But then he suggested we do a "2lb showdown." Have you ever seen two pounds of meat on a plate? It was gross. It was like eating two 1lb meat frisbies. I finished it, but ended up getting the meat sweats and eventually throwing up at work. I am dumb. If you ever find yourself in an eating contest, please pray. Constantly.

I hope today when you sit down for lunch or dinner you'll consider these pearls of wisdom. I also hope that you won't take this seriously and email me with comments like "how dare you tell people not to pray when they eat nougat. You heathen."

Worker Saftey

I found this gem on Marko's blog and thought it was great.
It starts a little slow then it really become funny in a sick kinda way.
There is one profanity in the subtitle.

Stuff Christians Like

There is a great blog call Stuff Christians Like.
You will want to make this part of your daily routine.
Here are a few great ones:

#154 Breaking Up After the Retreat

Next to unpacking, dumping your boyfriend or girlfriend is our favorite thing to do after a church retreat. We can't help it. The retreat speaker always tells us on Saturday night, "If there's anything you need to lay down before the cross tonight, to give up to God, come down and do it. Don't wait, this is your chance." And you are the first thing we think of. So we decide with our retreat friends that we are going to do it. This relationship is over. And then on Sunday afternoon when we get back, we call you and have the following conversation:

Girl:"The retreat was good, it gave me a lot to think about."

Guy: "Really? Like what?"

Girl: "Well, I think you and I have grown apart."

Guy:"You've been gone for 44 hours and were 119 miles away, what do you mean?"

Girl: "God just really laid it on my heart that I should focus on him and not this relationship."

Guy: "God told you to dump me?"

And so forth. The moral of this story is that if your girlfriend or boyfriend is going on a retreat, you better go too. Unless it's an all girl's retreat. And mission trips are even worse. Your girlfriend is going to start seeing Mark, that awkward but kind of cute guy, in a whole new light during that mission trip. It's a light called, "Look at Mark feed hungry children in Africa while my boyfriend plays Xbox back in Ohio."

Don't say I didn't warn you.

#137 Holding Retreats in Locations that Could Double as a Horror Movies
It's possible that all your church retreats were held in lovely fields of flowers. After making friendship bracelets with your best friends you had a big tickle fight with baby deer and bunny rabbits before eating smores around the amber glow of a bonfire.

My retreats were different.

Especially the ones that were held at Cape Cod Sea Camps. During the fall this otherwise full camp, pressed hard against the ocean, was empty. And we must have received a good deal on it, because for a few years running that was where my youth group went. Until the whole "demon possession" thing.

Walt Mueller was the guest speaker and in typical Saturday night retreat fashion, he had told us to go off alone to think about what we had heard that night. I wasn't thrilled. Cape Cod Sea Camps is a series of concrete bunker type buildings hidden in the dunes and sea scrubbed forests of New England. Steps from any door you are swallowed by darkness and ocean air and sand.

After a few minutes in solitary thought, we were supposed to return to the basement entrance of the building we were meeting in. When I came back there was a single candle lit in the middle of a circle of chairs. (I need to post about youth group "special effects.") When we all finally came back we realized that someone was missing. That's when we started hearing the screaming. It got louder and louder and louder, slowly circling the building. Youth leaders scattered like my grandma at the opening scene of the movie American Beauty.

In the only window in the basement I saw Karen, a dog groomer by day, lean back and slap a girl in the forehead. She passed out. They drove her home. We all went and had ice cream and pretended nothing had happened.

Turns out it was a nervous breakdown. She was fine. We talk about it to this day. And maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you had the field of flowers experience, but I have to believe that somewhere down the road your youth minister saved the church some money by booking your retreat in the most terrifying place in your state.

Interpreting the Bible

Tony Jones is one of the headliners in the emergent movement and this book is his take on why we need to rethink traditional Christianity. This is not a critique of the book but just some thoughts about one section.

Over the last two years I have become increasingly interested in how we interpret the Bible and why we do it that way. The difference between all the different churches is the philosophy or method of interpreting the Bible. Two people can read the same scriptures and come up with completely different views because they interpret the Bible differently.

Jones says three things impact our theology: it is local, conversational, and temporary. It is local in that we have a limited world view and where we live, where we went to school, and our life will bleed over into our view of scripture. If you are raised to see things as black and white then this will impact how you see scripture. If you were raised to be conscious of the social injustice in the world then this too will bleed over into your view of scripture. We know people who changed their theology on divorce when a family member or close friend got divorced.

Second, it is conversational. The books I read, the people I discuss scripture with, the relationships I have all impact my theology. Every one of us has a friend who makes us think about things differently or read a book that shaped your belief or understanding of something.

Third, it is temporary. When we look at the last 2,000 years we see a number of methods and philosophies of interpreting the Bible and we find some to laugh at, cry at, and celebrate. Jones' encourages and humble hermeneutic or a "don't think that you have the absolute right answer" hermeneutic. You may be right but history may prove you a fool.

One of the things that I appreciate about with the emergent movement is that they profess a humble hermeneutic and believe that we should be well read and talk to people of all backgrounds to help us understand the Bible better. I have been with many people where Bible discussions centered on proving why their interpretation of scripture was right and others were wrong. They refused to listen to others or to consider that they could be wrong. Some worry that this is a slippery slope that leads into relativism, and if taken to the extreme it could. But I believe we need to listen and be willing to learn from people who have opposite view points and try to discover how they came to that conclusion and to think could they be right and I'm the one who is wrong. This isn't relativism but being humble in thinking that I don't have all the answers or the market on truth.

I can't help but to think about Origen and Augustine who believed that parables should be interpreted allegorically. This view dominated the Biblical world for 1800 years. Today we laugh at Augustine's interpretations of parables. His most famous interpretation is that of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). The man represented Adam; Jerusalem, the heavenly city from which he fell; Jericho, the moon as a symbol for our mortality; the thieves were the devil and his angels who stole his immortality; the priest and the Levite were the Old Testament Law that could save no one; the animal represented the incarnation of Christ; the Samaritan was Jesus himself who bound up his wounds by dying on Calvary; the inn was the church; the inn keeper was the apostle Paul; two denarii, the two commandments of love or the promise of this life and the one to come.

History shows us that over the centuries our philosophy of interpreting scriptures changes and who knows that in the year 2250 people may be laughing, crying, or celebrating us. I am a strong believer that we need to look at scripture from all angles, discuss it with as many people as we can, and pray that God will lead us to truth. I also must be humble in knowing I could be wrong no matter how strongly I believe that I am right.

Graduation Songs 2008

Here is a list of songs that we have played at for our Graduation Videos. Love to see you comment on ones you have used.

Anyway (Martina McBride)

Breakaway (Kelly Clarkson)

Dare You to Move (Switchfoot)

Dream Big (Ryan Shupe)

Extraordinary (Mandy Moore)

Good Riddance (Green Day)

Graduation (Vitamin C)

I Hope You Dance (Lee Ann Womack)

I’m Not Gonna Cry (Corey Smith)

In This Diary (Atari’s)

It’s My Life (Bon Jovi)

It’s the End of the World as We Know It (REM)

Meant to Live (Switchfoot)

My Wish (Rascal Flats)

Photograph (Nickleback)

These Are Special Times (Christina Aguleria)

These Are the Days (10,000 Maniacs)

Unwritten (Natasha Bedingfield)

Wherever You Are (Bon Jovi)

Whenever You Remember (Carrie Underwood)

Yesterday (Boys II Men)

Religion Influences Self Esteem

And who is the most important influence when it comes to how teens feel about themselves? Not mom or dad, not even their friends....it's their boyfriend or girlfriend (if they have one). Interestingly, religion comes second:

- Your girlfriend/boyfriend (84%)

- Your religion (82%)

- Your friends (79%)

- Your parents (74%)

- Your teacher(s) (72%)

- TV shows you watch (51%)

- Celebrities (e.g. actors, athletes, musicians) (49%)

- Magazines you read (38%)

- Advertising you see (on TV or elsewhere) (33%)

- Other kids in school (31%)

You can go to YPulse to read all the results from the survey.

The Art of Handling Complaints

I came across this training video to help you know how to handle complaints. I would love to see comments about how this can apply to student ministry in dealing with student, parent, and leadership complaints.

Hey Baby Let's Go to Vegas

I have been waiting for the movie 21 to come out at theaters ever since I heard they were making a movie about the MIT Blackjack team. The movie is good but only took a handful of truths (the students were from MIT and there is an art of math to winning) and Hollywood took over. The History Channel did a documentary on the real MIT teams and it is amazing to see how these gifted students worked.

While watching anything I try to look for spiritual cross overs and this story is loaded with them. They had a series of rules and charts to guide them in playing the game. If they followed the rules they had a great chance at winning but if not they would loose big. They were also told three principles to help them. #1 Never get caught up in the emotion of the casino. While playing the game it is easy to get caught up in the emotion and excitement of winning, people crowding around you, and the whole atmosphere. They knew what to do and when to do it, but if they ever let their emotions get the best of them they would make poor decisions. How many times have we let our emotions get the best of us and we end up making poor decisions. We get angry and say things we know we shouldn't. We buy something we know we don't need or can afford. We make a rash choice and regret it later. We agree to something only to regret it later. We do something that violates our values or ethics because we just got swept up in our emotions. Jesus rode into Jerusalem with the crowds shouting Hosanna and then a few days later the crowds cry crucify him. I am sure many just got swept away in the emotion of the moment and later realized what they did.

The second thing is to never give into the temptations around them. They were not allowed to drink, party, etc. They had to remain focused at all times. They couldn't give into the temptation to make more money and not follow the charts and the rules. It is hard not to fall into temptation. We may want to discount the truth, take shortcuts that cost us in the end, not work at some relationships, and the list goes on and on. Temptation is a reality for all of us, including Jesus, but if we give in (and we will) it can be devastating.

The last thing they were told is to never trust themselves over the system. These guys were the best and brightest. They were MIT students and many were straight A students. It would be east to think that they could know what to do and forget the rules. Paul tells us to be careful and not become too prideful because our temptations are the same as other people and they fell so why do we think we will be the exception (1 Cor. 10:12-13)? We have to be careful not to think that we can do things that we have seen lead to others demise because we have some special gift, knowledge, or ability. It is easy to think that just because others got addicted to pornography, had an affair while counseling, burned out, over scheduled, didn't spend time with their family, etc.. but we want. We know better, have some skill that they didn't.

Did you know that if you bet a $1,000 on every NFL football game and only picked the favorite that you could make $60,000 a year? This has been true for 18 of the last 22 seasons. You know why Vegas always wins. People get caught up in the emotion of picking their team and loose. The temptation to pick the underdog and beat the odds to make great amounts of money cost them. Someone always believes they know something Vegas doesn't and their pride or arrogance causes them to lose.

The first MIT Blackjack team made 1 million dollars and they also lost 1 million dollars. The second team made 4 million dollars. Everyone else goes to Vegas and looses because they can't play by rules. Many people in ministry and in life lose because we forget these same three simple rules: Don't let your emotions control you, Don't give into temptation to make unwise choices, and Don't get prideful thinking you are the exception.

Musical at the Mall

I would have loved to have been in the mall where this happened.

Changing the World

I am currently reading The New Christians (Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier). On page 17, Tony Jones writes, “The church that doesn’t challenge its members to face the core ethical issues that confront them every day at work is the church that has abdicated its responsibility.”

This statement has been playing a match of ping pong in my head as I have been having a constant back in forth. There are many ethical issues and I don’t know that I have addressed them with my students and the church. Prejudice is very real and exists in our world. We are prejudice based on race, education, finances, schools, religion, and the list could keep going. What is our responsibility to help the poor, the homeless, those with addictions, and who are abused and hurting?

I have always felt guilty about doing mission trips that help us confront many of these issues only to return home and return to the status quo. We may go to the inner city only to return home and not talk to another person of color and every stereotype that was broke down is quickly rebuilt. We may go to Latin America only to return and never ask the question, what is our responsibility to help Latinos in our own community? I love mission trips so don’t get me wrong, but how do we merge the lessons we learned on these trips with our everyday life and make the church confront these issues.

Jesus constantly confronted the ethical issues of the day. He made his disciples work through them. I think about the lesson of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. He challenged his disciples to see beyond race, gender, and morality and to see a child of God. Later on Peter would be challenged by God to accept Gentiles and then he would challenge the church to do the same.

So how do we challenge our students and churches to face the core ethical issues that confront us everyday in our county, city, schools, and circle of friends? What do we do when our students, parents, leadership, etc push back and reject it? Looking forward to reading your comments.

Desperate

This is a great video by the Skit Guys. It is a spoof of E-Harmony.

Leadership

In 1 Samuel 8:5 the nation of Israel comes to Samuel and ask for a king to rule them so they can be like all the other nations. In the past when I have read this I have always seen this as a passage that warns of the dangers of wanting to be accepted and trying to fit in to the point of compromising and dismissing God. This is true because God does see this action the nation rejecting him. But have you ever looked and saw why the nation of Israel rejected God and wanted a king?

If you go back to 1 Samuel 2 you find that the priest Eli was ruling Israel. Eli son were terrible. They had no respect for the Lord (2:12-13). They treated the Lord’s offerings with contempt (2:17). They seduced the young women who worked at the tabernacle (2:22). Eli, the spiritual leader of the people, did not discipline his sons (3:13). Because of this God has them all die on the same day.

Samuel becomes the ruler and is a great man of God. The people respected him and knew that God was working in and through him. As Samuel was getting older and knew that he could no longer serve as the ruler of the people he appointed his sons to be the next leaders of the nation. The problem is that his sons were not godly men. They were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice (8:3). The people of Israel knew this and they come to Samuel and tell him they do not want to be lead by his sons because they are ungodly and terrible leaders. It was at this point that they asked for a king to be like all the other nations. Samuel is upset over this and he goes to seek God’s counsel and God tells him the rebellion is against God not Samuel.

I think there are three lessons we can learn from this story. First is that when we want to be like everyone else and not trust in the system that God has put in place we have rejected God and not a failed system. When we rebel against elders, doctrine, the church we are rebelling against God. The people, doctrine, and church may be flawed, even corrupt, but there is a way to correct this and not rebel and want to be like everyone else around us.

The second thing is that bad leaders cause people to rebel. The people didn’t rebel against Samuel they rebelled when his sons were going to take over the leadership. They probably remembered the days of Eli and his sons and didn’t want that type of leadership. Why not be like the other nations when your only alternative is corrupt leaders. Samuel made a terrible choice of placing his sons as the next leaders. He basically helped the people choose to rebel against God.

The third lesson is when do we go to God for counsel? The Bible doesn’t say that Samuel asked God who should be the next leader of Israel instead he put his corrupt sons in power and when it backfired he went to God. Could the outcome have been different id Samuel went to God first and asked who should follow him as the leader of Israel?

If you are in a position of leadership this is a passage that should speak volumes to you. Who are you placing in leadership positions (Bible class teachers, leadership roles, camp staff, etc)? Are these people drawing people closer to God or do they push people away from God? When the people see the leaders do they see a contrast between them and the people of the world? We need to be careful who we place in positions of leadership. We also need to evaluate our own life. Are we causing people to want to follow God or are we pushing them away from God? When people see me do they see love, grace, mercy, acceptance, truth, integrity, and have a deep passion for God, or do they see someone who is judgmental, cliquish, and likes God? Finally when do you pray to God? When you need to make a decision or after you made one? Do we ask God to show us they way and give us guidance or do we ask God to bless the decisions we already made and to correct the bad ones? What if Samuel went to God first? I doubt God would have told him to put his sons in power. The nation wanted to be like everyone else but there was no difference between corrupt priest and corrupt kings. What choices are giving the people we lead?