... about the comfort of our Christianity

Network probs yesterday and today. Only have time for a short post before our router kicks us off again...

I read an interesting thing yesterday in a religious journal I receive.

"People today want to feel moral. But they do not want objective, transcendent absolutes - such as the Ten Commandments - whose authority comes from God... they prefer to construct an ethical system that does not make them feel guilty." (Gene Vieth, World Magazine, January 14, 2006)

My only comment is: since when does anyone want some sort of system that confronts, challenges, and changes us? Never! We may not want it, but we have it. That's how God chose to keep us on track. Not with rules mind you, but a relationship with him. We follow those "rules" because of our redeemed relationship with him!

Have a great day!

... about looking good on the outside

Beijing's mayor wants to speed up of the demolition of poorest neighborhoods in China's capital as part of preparations for the 2008 Olympics. Part of the effort targets destitute areas known as "inner city villages" — where many of the residents are rural migrants. The Beijing Daily, the authoritative (and only, I believe) newspaper of the city's Communist Party committee, said about a third of these areas designated for destruction have been torn down, with the rest to be finished by the end of 2006.

We have to look good at all costs!

No mention is made in the article of what the people that lived there are going to do now? Wow.

It brings to mind 1 Samuel 16:7, Samuel is asked by God to anoint the next king of Israel. After looking at Jesse's first son, Eliab, Samuel remarks, "Surely this is the Lord's anointed." God replies: "Looks aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature. I've already eliminated him. GOD judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; GOD looks into the heart."

Do we concentrate too much on what's outside?

... if our speech is seasoned right (with grace)

I have been asked on more than one occasion lately to comment on what seems to be an overabundance of literature and media focusing on disproving Jesus, “new” findings that cast doubt on long-held beliefs, and other “attacks” on Christianity. I must say right at the beginning that I do not believe we are heading for the apocalypse or end times because of any of these things. If you take a look at church history it doesn’t take long to find that these kinds of happenings have been happening since the 1st century.

It is odd how Da Vinci Code, The finding of the Gospel of Judas, books like Bart Ehrman’s “Misquoting Jesus, all seem to have produced at one time. I do not think this is an organized attack, however. It seems like everywhere I turn I find Christian people in a war of words (not in a respectful way either). This only succeeds in causing a great rift between believers and unbelievers in America to get even bigger.But I do believe we need to stand for the truth. I do believe we need to respond. Here's what I really believe though:

I believe it is a test and a challenge for Christians:
To step up to the plate,
To reach down deep and find some missing-until-now boldness,
But mostly an opportunity to engage anyone and everyone in a dialogue about our faith in a respectful, caring, gentle way!

Listen to what Paul says to the church in Colossae about engaging their culture in a discussion about Christ, or the opening of doors to tell of the mystery of Jesus:

Pray diligently.

Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude.

Don't forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ…

Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders.

Don't miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity.

Be gracious in your speech.

The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation,

not put them down, not cut them out.

(Col. 4:2-6, MSG)

... about vigilante justice and Jesus?

Today, just a comment and a question or three. In the news this past week, someone (I'm afraid to say a fellow Canadian) found the sex offenders list on a website for the State of Maine, traveled there, apparently took the law into his own hands and murdered two people. Wow, scary. Now believe me, I want justice for extreme offenders like anyone else but we are in the 21st century I believe, not the Wild West of the 1800's. I have worked with sex offenders as a therapist when their presenting problems were drugs and alcohol, and they were court-referred. Not a real hopeful and happy population to work with. But...

What do we think about what this young man did?

What does Jesus say about how we treat people? Even these offenders? And the killer?

What do we do with the killer now?

... about the dangers of playing God

For all of you video game fanatics out there, I found this bit of information. It seems like there is a new game that could turn every American into an omnipotent creator. The game- designed by Will Wright, who also developed the popular game SimCity- allows players to build their own universe. The creator of the hugely popular Sims game is working on an ambitious title in which you can truly be God. Called Spore, the game allows players to determine the evolution of a species, from an amoeba to an inter-stellar race. Beginning with a swirl of gasses, players induce a series of chain reactions to create stars, planets, life forms, and societies. Beta testers said, “You (players) can zoom in on a unicellular organism or zoom out to watch the birth of a galaxy that is 100,000 light years across.” If playing the game is anything like creating it, it could become, to use Wright’s description, “almost a religion”.

OK, I have one question (maybe 3): haven’t we already done a marvelous job in Western culture of making the average person believe that they are already an omnipotent creator? Aren’t we already good at playing God? Now we need more practice from a game? Oh well. It may be just me, but I think man has already elevated man to a position far above God's intention.

... about Phil. 2:5-8?

I’ve included this story today from Donald Miller's, Blue Like Jazz. It is a extremely open, vulnerable book about finding God (actually more God finding him). He talks honestly and frankly about his search and how different events helped shape his view of God. This story is one of those events.

A long time ago I went to a concert with my friend Rebecca. Rebecca can sing better than anybody I’ve ever heard sing. I heard this folksinger was coming to town, and I thought she might like to see him because she was a singer too. The tickets were twenty bucks, which is a lot to pay if you’re not on a date. Between songs, though, he told a story that helped me resolve some things about God. The story was about his friend who is a Navy SEAL. He told it like it was true, so I guess it was true, although it could have been a lie.

The folksinger said his friend was performing a covert operation, freeing hostages from a building in some dark part of the world. His friend’s team flew in by helicopter, made their way to the compound and stormed into the room where the hostages had been imprisoned for months. The room, the folksinger said, was filthy and dark. The hostages were curled up in a corner, terrified. When the SEALs entered the room they heard the gasps of the hostages. They stood at the door and called to the prisoners, telling them they were Americans. The SEALs asked the hostages to follow them, but the hostages wouldn’t. They sat there on the floor and hid their eyes in fear. They were not of healthy mind and didn’t believe their rescuers were really Americans.

The SEALs stood there, not knowing what to do. They couldn’t possibly carry everybody out. One of the SEALs, the folksinger’s friend, got an idea. He put down his weapon, took off his helmet, and curled up tightly next to the other hostages, getting so close his body was touching some of theirs. He softened the look on his face and put his arms around them. He was trying to show them he was one of them. None of the prison guards would have done this. He stayed there for a little while until some of the hostages started to look at him, finally meeting his eyes. The Navy SEAL whispered that they were Americans and were there to rescue them. Will you follow us? he said. The hero stood to his feet and one of the hostages did the same, then another, until all of them were willing to go. The story ends with all the hostages safe on an American aircraft carrier.

Isn’t this what God did? Isn’t this the metaphor that describes John 1:14 and Phil. 2:5-8? What a great visual to remind us of Jesus and what he did and what he is doing through the Spirit!

... and Reading More Troubling Questions About Jesus!

OK, after yesterday's post, I was reading in McLaren's The Secret Message of Jesus and I found even more troubling questions about Jesus. Here are just some of them:

What if Jesus was right - more right, and right in different ways, than we have ever realized? (then yesterday's question) What if Jesus had a message that could truly change the world, but we're prone to miss the point of it?

What if we have developed a religion that makes reverent and honoring statements about Jesus but doesn't teach what Jesus taught in the manner he taught it? What if the religion generally associated with Jesus neither expects or trains its adherents to actually live in the way of Jesus?

What if the core message of Jesus has been unintentionally misunderstood or intentionally distorted? What if many have sincerely valued some aspects of Jesus' message while missing or even suppressing other, more important dimensions?

What if many have carried on a religion that faithfully celebrates Jesus in ritual and art, teaches about Jesus in sermons and books, sings about Jesus in songs and hymns, and theorizes about Jesus in seminaries and classrooms... but somewhere along the way missed rich and radical treasures hidden in the essential meaning of Jesus?

What if Jesus had actually concealed his deepest message, not trying to make it overt and obvious but intentionally hiding it as a treasure one must seek in order to find? If that's the case, why would Jesus ever do such a thing? How would we find his message if he had indeed hidden it?

What if Jesus' secret message reveals a secret plan? What if he didn't come to start a new religion - but rather came to start a political, social, religious, artistic, economic, intellectual, and spiritual revolution that would give birth to a new world?

What if his secret message had practical implications for such issues as how you live your daily life, how you earn and spend money, how you treat people of other races and religions, and how the nations of the world conduct their foreign policy? What if his message directly or indirectly addressed issues like advertising, environmentalism, terrorism, economics, sexuality, marriage, parenting, the quest for happiness and peace, and racial reconciliation?

Would we want to know what that message is? How much? Would we be willing to look hard, think deeply, and search long in order to find it? Would we be willing to rethink our assumptions?

What if the message of Jesus was good news - not just for Christians but also for Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, New Agers, agnostics, and atheists? And what if the message of Jesus also contained warnings - for Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, New Agers, agnostics, and atheists - and for Christians too? What difference could it make in the lives of individuals, in their families and neighborhoods and circles of friends, and in the world at large?

WOW. Good questions. Hard questions. But it's always good to ask, struggle, and wrestle with questions. It's what makes our faith stronger! If you want to find out where McLaren is going with all of these questions, you'll have to buy the book (or borrow my copy when I'm done with it!).

... If We Are Getting It?

Brian McLaren, in his new book, The Secret Message of Jesus, challenges readers with a million questions about Jesus’ central message. It is a demanding read about the search for what Jesus was really teaching, are we getting it, or could Jesus say to us like he did to his disciples so long ago, in Matthew 15:16, “Are you still so dull?” He asks this question is his first chapter, “What if Jesus had a message that truly could change the world but we were prone to miss the point?” Here is a short excerpt from a chapter on revolutionizing the Lord’s Prayer that was made available on his website and was not included in the book. He said that the feedback he got on it made him put it out there for everyone.

The average person—committed Christian or non-Christian, Catholic or Orthodox or Protestant—most often first encounters the secret message of Jesus in a line of what we often call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Sadly, the prayer has been so often recited in such a bland, thoughtless, autopilot monotone that few people realize what a revolutionary, challenging, and well-crafted work of art it is. How many millions of people have mouthed the words, “Thy kingdom come” with little or no idea of what they were saying?

The prayer, you’ll remember, comes in the section of Jesus’ kingdom manifesto (Matthew 5–7) dealing with three spiritual practices—right between giving to the poor and fasting. Jesus emphasizes the secrecy needed for these practices to have their full impact. Don’t do them for show, Jesus says, to be seen as pious by other people. Instead, do them secretly, with God as your only audience. Then, your spiritual practices will be truly rewarding. Jesus then gives specific guidance as to the content of prayer for participants in the kingdom of God—and in that context, “The Lord’s Prayer” is presented. Interestingly, in other Gospel accounts, the prayer comes in answer to a specific request from the disciples: “Lord, teach us to pray.” In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus answers their request with these words:

This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

If you want to read the rest of this chapter go here

It will ask for your name and email, and then you can download the whole article.

Have a great day serving our Savior.

... How Jesus Would Respond to a Homosexual?

I don't often do just a link to someone else's site about issues, but I had to today. Mike Cope's article homosexuality on Wednesday at his site, preachermike.com, was really good. It is challenging, it will make you think, it might make you uncomfortable, but the call is the same. "Love God, Love Neighbor..."

I have been doing a lot of studying lately about Jesus and the people he was around. It's an interesting and convicting look. Interesting because he chooses to hang around with no one of status. In fact, most of the people Jesus came into contact with were people in the margins, the outcasts, misfits, as Rick McKinley puts it in his book, Jesus in the Margins,(jesusinthemargins.com). It has been a convicting look because it confronts my status quo, my comfort zone, my convenient life! Would the "sinners" that he ate with be the homosexuals in today's religious climate? What should I do about that? What should the church do? If we, as individual Christ-Followers and His Body here on earth (the church), are serious about things, when do we go out and live as he lived? Read Cope's article.

I hope to find some useful articles about relevant Jesus-Follower issues that I can post every once in a while (mostly on Fridays - Hey, it's my day to reconnect with Mr. Fairway, Mr. Green, and hopefully, Mr. Birdie!)

Have a great weekend!

... About the Dust of my Rabbi?

(I had a request recently for me to put my "Apprentice" sermon on this blog, so here it is. I've edited it down a little but left the main points. This sermon appeared during my "God's reality" series last fall when I used different Reality TV shows as a springboard for each lesson.)

This week we want to use as a springboard the show The Apprentice. Donald Trump’s (and now Martha Stewart) attempt to get into the reality TV biz, with a competition style show with the prize being a “lofty” appointment to one of Donald’s many businesses. I guess it’s a good opportunity for someone to fight tooth and nail for a prize. It misses the mark as far as the Old World definition of what an apprentice is though.

An apprentice was someone (usually a young male) that signed away his life for a couple of years to learn a trade. After finishing, he was gainfully employed and took on the responsibility of the job. With the technological revolution, our mobile society, and public schools taking on a lot of these ”Industrial Arts” programs, Our culture has gotten away from that whole concept of “learning at the feet of” someone else. It is making a comeback though. There are a lot of corporations that want to start doing this type of program for younger potential employees. It’s an interesting aside here but some of the driving forces behind getting “apprentice” back in our vocabulary are video games such as Star Wars (Jedi apprentice).

There is a biblical word that fits pretty closely to the definition of apprentice. The words actually have a similar ancient meaning. The word is: disciple. Now, I know that over the last generation this often-used-in-scripture word has taken on some extra meanings, not all positive. A long time ago disciple would bring to mind “winning souls to Christ – evangelism” but for others it meant social action, doing what Jesus would do for others. In our fellowship, some reacted so strongly to the use of the word by movements within our group that the word is no longer used in some circles. This is unfortunate.

I would like to study DISCIPLE today and find a challenging common ground where we can look at how to be a follower of Jesus at a deeper level. The way to do this is to embrace the word as scripture does. Some definitions – a learner, a follower of one’s teaching, not only a pupil but an adherent, accepts the teaching AND puts it into practice.

My favorite definition comes from an old Jewish blessing called the “Dust of the Rabbi”. Part of it reads this way: “May you always be covered by the dust of your Rabbi”. Think about following Jesus this way. Some of you may be wondering though, “Hey Jim, that’s fine for the super-Christian that can grow, and learn and do all of that, but I have trouble with that. Well, let me answer the Super-Christian thing by looking at Jesus disciples: who they were and who they weren’t. Do you remember picking teams at school – some were the ones you wanted and others were left to last – even now – we still choose the best. And when Jesus was picking his team of twelve he probably could have had the pick of the crop at the time. He could have influenced society through its key leaders –But it seems he didn’t go chasing those guys. Other Rabbis were also keen to select their disciples from only from those who were strong adherents to the Law – the ceremonially clean – those with sufficient intellect to study the Torah - who had shown themselves to be potential future rabbis themselves. The intellectual and religious upper crust. Not Jesus!

But Jesus seemed to bypass the elite of society and the elite of the religious system and he picked ordinary blokes. And just by the way, if he were around today I think he would have had some women in his group as well – (he would have had to otherwise the equal opportunity board would have been on his case!) But the fact that its an all bloke squad is a 1st Century cultural thing and not a gender bias in Jesus – just in case you are wondering.
Ever looked at who Jesus did pick? If we’re honest it’s a pretty mixed bunch – a fairly motley crew – an unusual group to change the world with. Some were down to earth fishermen – maybe tradesmen types. James and John were sons of a zealot. The other Simon, not Simon Peter is almost certainly believed to have been a zealot himself. There was Matthew a tax collector and considered a traitor to his country men and we know that there was probably a mix of ethnicity with there being both Jewish and Greek names among the list. Just a cross section of society.

This was no elite crack squad – but Jesus chose them. He spent a night in prayer and then hand picked them. These were the ones he wanted. Ever wonder why?!Let’s look at some NT characteristics of disciples
• Love for the each other. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." JOHN 13:35
• Love for Jesus. "If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.” LUKE 14:26
• Be like Jesus. "It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master.” MATT 10:25
• Commitment to Jesus. "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” LUKE 14:27
• Abide in Jesus. "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “JOHN 15:4
HOW ARE WE DOING?

Kierkegaard once said, “To become an ‘admirer of Jesus’ is much easier than to become a follower. ”You can admire from a distance and be relatively unaffected – but followers have their lives turned upside down. If the gospel doesn’t turn our live upside down then we need to ask why? Quaker writer, George Fox, “We are involved in taking people off men and onto Christ.” You never get fired following Jesus! And you’re not ultimately hired either, you’re loved!

Well, how do I grow, learn, follow and keep doing this over the long haul? My answer is to put one foot in front of the other and follow in the dust of the Rabbi – Jesus.

... About the New Lefty Domination at the Master's!!

I love golf. I love watching golf on TV, reading about it, studying the game, and learning the history. I am a golf geek (I am thankful for my Tivo).

OK, I just had to do it. After all, a left-handed golfer has won three of the last four Masters! Phil Mickelson wins again. For those of you who are not aware, I am left-handed (I know, I've heard all the jokes at the first tee - "You mean you're "wrong"-handed?" and my favorite: "Hey, you're on the wrong side of the ball, why don't you turn around and swing the right way") . I know that all the joking is good-natured but I have never understood why there is so much prejudice in golf, and why lefty golfers weren't winning as many tournaments as "proper"-handed golfers.

Well, if winning three of the last four Masters (the best show of whether you can play at the highest level or not) means anything, I guess, and I quote Bob Dylan here: "The times they are a changin'..."

... Why Things I Liked Were Discontinued?

Just some fun today. Name a product that you absolutely loved but they (whoever “they” are) discontinued it on you. Here are some of mine (in no particular order):

NIV Bible, One Column, NO Study notes, NO cross references, Just the Text, Man! This really burns me. I’m using a Bible that is taped together. I just don’t like all that stuff in my Bible! Zondervan doesn’t make them anymore! (the pic isn't the one I have: They don't even have a picture of it!)

Adidas Stan Smith Tennis Shoes. Somewhere in the late 80’s these disappeared. I was incensed! I loved my Stan’s! I know, I know they made a comeback last year (albeit with a new “Urban” marketing scheme and fruity colors, not just the white with green), only to disappear again I believe!

My Favorite Daytimer© Format. I used the same format for about 20 years. I know, I know, I need to get with the times and geta PDA. I do have one and it is my phone too, but I still like writing things down.

(this isn't the format; Again, I can't even get a picture of the one I like!)

Flying Toaster Screen Saver. Mostly a MAC thing but I did have a PC version about 7 years ago. There were great, fun screen savers. Anyone know where I can get an updated copy?

Do you have anything that was discontinued that you really liked?

You know, this exercise just made me realize I don’t like change as much as I thought I did. I thought I could handle new things. Truth is, I like my stuff the same (at least for a while).

... Why some people have the need to explain away Jesus?

Hey, check out this Article

No explanation needed. This is amazing! Ice?

OK, wow, after all these years we have the answer to everything.

What do we do now with this incredible bit of information?

I know what I'm going to do.

Trust even more that Jesus was who he said he was.

Believe that God is sovereign.

Tell others to believe.

... if Someone Could Make the Bible More Convenient For Me to Read? (my tongue is firmly planted in my cheek!)

I was reading one of my emails the other day. You know, the emails that come weekly that are supposed to help me in my ministry. This one came from Michael Duduit, editor of PreachingNow online:

In an age of declining attention spans and busy lives, British churchman Martin Hinton has come up with a solution: a Bible you can read in 100 minutes.

The 100-Minute Bible, in the words of Hinton's website, "picks out the principle stories of the life and ministry of its central character, Jesus Christ. The social and theological context of these stories is provided by outlining the ups and downs of the history of his nation, the Jews. It then proceeds to record the story of the growth of Christianity during the first century; firstly amongst the Jews themselves; then amongst the other peoples living in Israel and then throughout the eastern Mediterranean, even as far as Rome."

Hinton adds, "The 100-Minute Bible is primarily intended for people who have an interest in Christianity but not the time (nor tenacity!) to read the whole Bible. As the title indicates most people will only take 100 minutes to read it, making it ideal for an upcoming rail or aeroplane journey." (Click here if you'd like to read a sample -- a brief sample)

In the spirit of The 100-Minute Bible, I thought of some other literary works that could be abridged for a modern, attention-deprived reader. Perhaps I should publish The 10-Second Classic, with such entries as:

Romeo and Juliet. New version: "Two crazy Italian kids from warring families fall in love, sneak off to get married, then die."

Don Quixote. "A crazy old Spanish guy tilts at windmills to right wrongs."

The Iliad. "Greeks fight Trojans because of a woman, then ride a wooden horse to victory."

Moby Dick. "Captain Ahab chases a great white whale to the ends of the sea. The whale wins."

My thoughts: When will we realize that there are some things that we cannot and should not make short-cuts on (i.e. "In the age of declining attention spans and busy live"). Scripture is one of those. Part of becoming a disciple in today’s world is to learn to slow down, take scripture, pray about a passage, and let it work on you for a little while, in order to bring about the transformation to be like Christ. Now, don't get me wrong, I know that somebody will read this Bible and get something out of it, possibly even coming to Christ because of it, I don't want to limit God here. I just want to make sure we move to the "real" thing eventually. While I am all for conveniences, making the Word of God "convenient" to read, like some time-management tool, misses the point… (I do like the 10 second classics idea though…)

... what the future holds?

In the March 15 edition of the Dallas Seminary Daily Devotional, Chuck Swindoll writes: "It had been a long time since Horace Walpole smiled. Too long. Life for him had become as drab as the weather in dreary old England. Then, on a grim winter day in 1754, while reading a Persian fairy tale, his smile returned. He wrote his longtime friend, Horace Mann, telling him of the "thrilling approach to life" he had discovered from the folk tale.

"The ancient tale told of three princes from the island of Ceylon who set out on a pursuit of great treasures. They never found that for which they searched, but en route they were continually surprised by delights they had never anticipated. While looking for one thing, they found another.

"The original name of Ceylon was Serendip, which explains the title of this story -- 'The Three Princes of Serendip.' From that, Walpole coined the wonderful word 'serendipity.' And from then on, his most significant and valued experiences were those that happened to him while he was least expecting them.

"Serendipity occurs when something beautiful breaks into the monotonous and the mundane. A serendipitous life is marked by "surprisability" and spontaneity. When we lose our capacity for either, we settle into life's ruts. We expect little and we're seldom disappointed.

"Though I have walked with God for several decades, I must confess I still find much about Him incomprehensible and mysterious. But this much I know: He delights in surprising us. He dots our pilgrimage from earth to heaven with amazing serendipities."

Call them blessings. Call them what you want. I like that word: serendipity. It helps me with something I have a hard time with: spontaneity (I like things planned). Seeing the spontaneous and serendipitous things that come from God is an amazing blessing!

... about the power of prayer (for 2.4 million dollars)

Prayer doesn't work, if you can believe a pair of medical researchers whose paper appears in today's edition of the American Heart Journal. Then again, what it may instead prove is that the Templeton Foundation's grant review process isn't working quite as well as it should.

A March 30 Associated Press article reports on the $2.4 million study which involved 1,800 patients at six medical centers. Apparently, the research team decided to test the effect of having three groups of Christians pray for particular patients, "starting the night before surgery and continuing for two weeks. The volunteers prayed for 'a successful surgery with a quick, healthy recovery and no complications' for specific patients -- their identities known only by first name and first initial of the last name."

What was the result? "The study looked for any complications within 30 days of the surgery. Results showed no effect of prayer on complication-free recovery. But among patients who did receive prayers, 59 percent of the patients who knew they were being prayed for developed a complication, versus 52 percent of those who were told it was just a possibility." (Click here if you'd like to read the AP article.)

The primary outcome of the study is actually the recognition that some people don't understand prayer. Apart from a few televangelists who may describe prayer as a magical or mechanical process that can be turned on and off (if you've got the right prayer cloth to lay atop your TV), most believers know that prayer is an intimate communication with God, and that the God we serve doesn't participate in research studies.

(FYI - the article last week on John Wooden was written by Rick Reilly of Sports Illustrated)

... how we can be heard in this world?

The following story came from Em Griffin’s, The Mindchangers, Tyndale House, 1976, p. 151. It is a pretty compelling experiment.

“We conducted a three-phase experiment at Rockford College, and used over 100 college graduates who were preparing for youth ministry.”

In the first phase: We took a young volunteer from the room and blindfolded him. We simply told him that when he returned, he could do anything he wished. He remained outside the room while we instructed each audience member to think of a simple task for the volunteer to do. When the volunteer returned, they were to shout their individual instructions at him from where they sat. Prior to this, we privately instructed another person to shout a very specific task at the blindfolded volunteer as though it were a matter of life and death. This person was to attempt to persuade the blindfolded volunteer to climb the steps at the back of the auditorium and embrace an instructor who was standing at the door; he had to shout this vital message from where he sat in the audience. The volunteer was oblivious to all instructions and previous arrangements. The volunteer represented our young people, the audience represented the world of voices screaming for their attention, and the person with the vital message represented those of us who bring the message of the Gospel to youth. The blindfolded student was led back into the room. The lecture room exploded in a din of shouting. Each person tried to get the volunteer to follow his or her unique instructions. In the midst of the crowd, the voice of the person with the vital message was lost; no single message stood out. The blindfolded student stood paralyzed by confusion and indecision. He moved randomly and without purpose as he sought to discern a clear and unmistakable voice in the crowd.

The second phase: We told the audience about the person attempting to get the volunteer to accomplish the vital task. At this point we chose another person from the audience to add a new dimension. This person's goal was to, at all costs, keep the volunteer from doing the vital task. While the rest of the audience was to remain in their seats, these two people were allowed to stand next to the volunteer and shout their opposing messages. They could get as close as they wished; however, they were not allowed to touch the volunteer. As the blindfolded volunteer was led back into the room, the shouting began again. This time, because the two messengers were standing so close, the volunteer could hear both messages; but because the messages were opposed to each other, he vacillated. He followed one for a bit, then was convinced by the other to go the opposite direction. In order for young people to hear our message we must get close to them. Even then, there are others with opposing messages who also are close enough to make their messages clear. Sometimes they are peers, relatives...The main lesson: only the close voices could be heard. Even though the volunteer took no decisive action, at least he heard the message.

The third phase: The response to the third phase was startling. In this phase everything remained the same except the one with the vital message was allowed to touch the volunteer. He could not pull, push or in any way force the volunteer to do his bidding; but he could touch him, and in that way encourage him to follow. The blindfolded volunteer was led into the room. When he appeared, the silence erupted into an earsplitting roar. The two messengers stood close, shouting their opposing words. Then, the one with the vital message put his arm gently around the volunteer's shoulder and leaned very close to speak directly into his ear. Almost without hesitation, the volunteer began to yield to his instruction. Occasionally he paused to listen as the opposition frantically tried to convince him to turn around. But then, by the gentle guidance of touch, the one with the vital message led him on. A moment of frightening realism occurred spontaneously as the one with the vital message drew close to the goal. All those in the audience, who up to this point had been shouting their own individual instruction, suddenly joined in unison to keep the volunteer from taking those final steps. Goose bumps appeared all over my body as students began to chant together, "Don't go!" "Don't go!" "Don't go!" So many times I've seen the forces that pull our youth in different directions join together to dissuade them from a serious commitment to Christ. The chant grew to a pulsing crescendo, "Don't go!" "Don't go!" But the guiding arm of the one with the vital message never left the volunteer's shoulder. At the top of the stairs in the back of the lecture hall, the one with the vital message leaned one last time to whisper in the ear of the volunteer. There was a moment of hesitation, then the volunteer threw his arms around the instructor and the auditorium erupted in cheers and applause.

When the volunteer revealed how he felt as he went through each phase, it became apparent that if our message is to be heard, we cannot shout it from the cavernous confines of our church buildings. We must venture out and draw close to those with whom we wish to communicate. If we really seek a life-changing commitment from our young people, we also must reach out where they are and in love, gently touch them and lead them to that commitment. We asked the volunteer why he followed the one with the vital message, the one who touched him. After a few moments he said, "Because it felt like he was the only one who really cared."

... why I feel so proud?

OK, I feel somehow like a proud daddy when his kids take their first step (yeah, I know, like he had anything to do with it). I feel that way because of developments in some young people’s lives over the last few years. These young adults were in my youth group in Michigan some twelve years ago. Just in the last few months I have heard of some of their accomplishments. Sadly, it hasn’t all been great news because of some life choices, but most have been positive, even incredible. So it makes me proud (yeah, I know, like I had anything to do with that either). It makes me feel good that God called me to participate alongside their growth as young Christians.

What led to all this discussion of me being proud (of what I'm not sure), was that I wanted to include an excerpt from an article published recently at the Youth Specialties website. It is written by Brian Brophy, one of my youth group guys, now a youth minister himself in KY. In this article he talks about why we love stories, the Bible being God’s story, what it is like to be in God’s story, and then telling it. Good stuff Brian.

How would you tell the story of your life? Would you start with the details of your birth then tell about your childhood? Maybe you’d describe in detail the day you first experienced God’s saving grace. Perhaps after that you’d describe how you met the person with whom you fell in love. It would be your life, your journey, your story. Now think about the story of the Bible. How would you tell it? Would you start with “In the beginning God created…”? Would you then explain the centuries-long revelation of God to the Israelites? Perhaps after that you’d describe how Jesus came to earth to ultimately save the people from their sins. Then maybe you’d explain how he still works in people’s lives today. It would be Jesus’ purpose, his actions, his story. But what would happen if God took the story of your life, and the story of the Bible, and told them both as God’s story?

In the beginning I created…and one day I created you and you were born…before you were ever born I spent centuries revealing myself to the Israelites…so that as a child you could learn all of those stories and begin to understand my character…ultimately my son, Jesus, came to earth to save the people from their sins…and one day you realized the power and truth of what Jesus did, embraced my love, and were forgiven of your sins…I am still at work in peoples lives today…I worked in your life when I answered your prayers for a godly spouse.

The biblical text isn’t some dusty, ancient book of cute stories written long ago in a far off land. The Bible is the very story of God at work in our lives. It’s the very essence of what God is doing in our lives today. “In the beginning” was the first line of the story of God’s work in this world, and the story has not yet reached “The End.” God desires each person to become part of this story. We have to teach teens that in a world that values the superstar, the leading man, and the hero, God invites us to become one member of the cast of the greatest story ever told. God tells us to forsake the glory of our own story and become part of the glory of a heavenly story. God asks teenagers whose worlds revolve around themselves to become characters that will be immortalized not for who they were, but for the role they played. God asks the lonely soul to join a band of characters millions wide and centuries deep. God asks each member of the cast to share billing with such great names as Moses, Elijah, Peter, Paul, and Jesus. I believe God created us to connect with stories for the sole purpose of drawing us into God’s story.

You can read the entire article here by following this link: http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/story/aa.php
Have a great day living out God’s story in your lives!


(Sorry about the old pic;
Brian I don't even think you're in this one,
but it is the group at Livonia )