Tuesday • March 09 • 2010

equipping, resourcing, and educating today's youth ministers

Dr. Dean Blevins expanding international leadership responsibilities...

By Mike King

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:36:26 -0600

My friend and Chairman of the Youthfront Board of Directors, Dr. Dean Blevins continues to expand his scope of international leadership in theology and Christian Education. Here is the Press Release announcing his two new leadership roles; Dean G. Blevins,...

Being Fully Present is Tough for me.

By Lars Rood

2010-03-09T10:00:00-06:00

Catholic YM News 03-09-10

By Scott

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:36:22 +0000

Not so much news today. More like editorial. In this week’s edition of Newsweek, the cover stories take on the state of education. And, we in youth ministry must be attuned to what is being said. As a profession, we are “lumped in” to the education field, so much so that often our salary base [...]

landscape of desire - exhibiting at adelaide festival fringe

By jonny

2010-03-08T20:26:36+00:00

so we (cheryl, blythe and i) have spent two solid days creating the installation landscape of desire with more to do today. it's coming together. it's part of the adelaide festival fringe and is at pigrim church. the photos i...

By Will Penner

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 23:31:41 +0000

Stop 4 on Devin’s college tour was Lycoming College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Here’s the interesting thing about how this tour has gone: it’s just gotten better and better. Both Devin and I have liked each place we’ve been just a little better than the place before it. The other cool thing, though, is that he’d [...]

re-emergence

By jonny

2010-03-05T20:47:04+00:00

re-emergence in belfast march 16-18 looks like it's lining up to be a good gathering and will include the debut of the forthcoming insurrection tour. [sadly i can't go personally]

Random Randomness

By Array

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:20:25 PST

- After spending the better part of 3 days with middle school youth workers at SYMC, I am (once again) convinced that many of the sharpest minds in youth ministry are found in middle school ministry!

- At a conference like SYMC (or YS or any other large gathering of youth workers) you meet lots and lots of people. It’s always such a great reminder to me that God uses an amazingly vast array of people to pour into students. I’m so thankful that the stereotypical youth worker (young, cool, plays guitar, surfs, rides skateboards, has a tattoo….) is no longer the “norm”.

- We are starting a 3-week series this weekend called “STUFF”. We are using household stuff as object lessons to teach a biblical truth. It’s a series we have done once before with great success. This week’s lesson: Take Out The Trash!

- Quite a few people tracked me down at the conference to ask me about regional campuses (basically church plants that are still part of the mother ship). Questions about how we structure etc. My simple answer: “Treat them like a franchise with freedom” They are a franchise in that there are certainly some things that they have to do in line with the main campus because they are the same church. But there shouldn’t be an overly large amount of control…they need freedom to tweak the ministry to their context.

- Dear Denver Broncos, Please get rid of Brandon Marshall.

- Dear senate and house leadership, Please either sign [...] Continue Reading "Random Randomness" Related posts:

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A Seat for Every Child

By Scott

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:51:39 +0000

It’s the promises that we make. Yesterday, it was a seat for every child in the land of ArchBalt. This week, Archbishop Edwin O’Brien announced plans to revitalize Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The plan, detailed in a new report entitled, “Preserving the Tradition, Transforming the Future: The Rebirth of Catholic Schools in [...]

Devin’s College Tour Leg 3

By Will Penner

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:33:59 +0000

Stop number three on Devin’s college tour was at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. Our first reaction to the weather was pretty negative. It was quite cold and windy–apparently not unusual for several months there. We also ran late because we got lost–three different times–even though we asked for directions twice. All of that turned [...]

reflecting on mission

By jonny

2010-03-04T23:32:32+00:00

cms have created a book called 40 days of yes that is a series of short readings and reflections on mission. it's going down well with lots of people as they consider the new cms community. whether or not that...

Slant33 Unveiled

By Mike King

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:33:50 -0600

Recently Barefoot has unveiled a new website called Slant33 - "designed to help challenge, inspire and equip youth workers through thoughtful dialogue and varied expression from youth ministry’s leading thinkers and doers." Every week three people will weigh in on...

The Best Day to Take Off While in Ministry

By Adam

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 20:29:12 +0000

A few days ago, I posed the following question on Facebook/Twitter: “For those in ministry: what day do YOU think is the best for your day off? And why?” Since getting back into ministry, I’ve realized that, first of all, I’m pretty bad about actually trying to take a day off. During my first year, [...]

Podcast Future

By Array

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 08:34:11 PST

As many of you who read this blog know, I have had a junior high-themed video podcast for a few years. If you’ve never seen one of them, you can check out the archive right here.

As I get ready to “crank up” the frequency of the podcast, I would love to have your input into what it looks like as it moves forward. Here are a few options (I would put a slick survey tool here but don’t know how!):

1. Keep it as it is: Me in front of a camera talking about one topic for 10 minutes. Short, sweet and to the point.

2. Kurt and Guest: Me and a guest in front of a camera talking about one topic for 10 minutes. Short, sweet, to the point with one other perspective.

3. ”Steal” the Simply Youth Ministry Podcast format: Create a 3-4 person team and make the podcast more like a radio show lasting about 30 minutes focusing purely on Junior High topics (the SYM podcast is typically about an hour).

4. Keep us guessing: Make it a random mash-up of all of the above.

Would love your thoughts in the comment section or you can email them to me at kurtj@saddleback.com

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Devin’s College Tour Leg 2

By Will Penner

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:55:41 +0000

Stop two along Devin’s College Tour this week was Albion College in Albion, Michigan. The campus has an intimate feel to it, and the faculty were very nice. The tour guide was a whole lot better than the guy at Cornell; he seemed bored the whole time. The head football coach was definitely on the ball; [...]

photo in need of a caption

By marko

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:00:01 +0000

i had a busy and somewhat stressful day yesterday. so i think i need a few chuckles generated by a photo in need of a caption. no big prize — just the pride of knowing you’re a WINNER! best caption, judged subjectively by little ol’ me, wins a pile o’ pride (the [...]

March Forth

By Scott

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:00:09 +0000

So, here we are… In late January, I got past the March for Life and hauled off to the NFCYM’s annual membership meeting. It was the marker towards which I had been aiming throughout most of 2009. It meant that all the “big ticket” items were off my plate and that breathing space / light [...]

Youth Ministry Ideas for Lent '10: #5 Recipe for You

By Brian

2010-03-03T19:39:00.004-06:00

Lent is a season of self-reflection. Challenge youth to take stock of who they are and whose they are with this creative project.
I am leading a creative spiritual journaling group during Lent and tonight we sent the participants off with a writing challenge borrowed from the excellent Soul Pancake website that would work well with teens.
Ask youth to think about what it would be like if we walked around with t shirts on all day that broadcast to others the basic gist of who we are. What would your t shirt say -- 50% confused, 30% spiritual, 5% musical, 15% distracted? Or imagine you are expressed as a recipe. What would be your ingredients? A dash of humor? Two spoon fulls of doubt? A cup of sweetness but two cups of sour grapes?
Invite youth to spend some time thinking about themselves, both as they imagine others perceive them and as they would like to be perceived. You could approach this as a writing project, an art project or even have teens bring blank white t-shirts on which they describe themselves. When finished, spend some time talking about what it was like having to think more deeply about themselves and what makes up who they are. Where is God in that mix of attributes and ingredients? What part of their life includes their faith? What attributes or ingredients do they wish they could change or add? Given who they see themselves to be, where might God be calling for them to use their unique talents, gifts, shortcomings, and personalities in ministry and mission?

Note: For any version of this activity, you might want to include a time of affirmation in which youth contribute to each other's creations by adding positive descriptive words about one another to each person's writing, art, or t-shirt.

connecting haitian pastors and american churches

By marko

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:16:13 +0000

adventures in missions has some very cool stuff brewing along the lines of a meaningful connecting between american and haitian churches. but, for now, here’s a wonderful video from our first trip to haiti (with the youth ministry advance team: haiti), talking about the strength and movement of god stirring in the haitian church.

take up your cross : midday prayer

By Gavin Richardson

2010-03-03T12:03:03-06:00

Take up your cross, the Savior said,
If you would my disciple be;
Deny yourself, the world forsake,
And humbly follow after me.

Take up your cross, let not its weight
Fill your weak spirit with alarm;
His strength shall bear your spirit up,
Shall brace your heart and nerve your arm.

Take up your cross then in his strength,
And ev’ry danger calmly brave,
To guide you to a better home,
And vict’ry over death and grave.

Take up your cross and follow Christ,
Nor think till death to lay it down;
For only he who bears the cross
May hope to wear the glorious crown.

To you, great Lord, the One in three,
All praise for evermore ascend;
O grant us here below to see
The heav’nly life that knows no end.

Blog posted here.

Plugging In Without Shorting Out

By Adam

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:00:03 +0000

I wanted to share with you about an event that I’m going to be at next month in Des Moines. The Presbytery of Des Moines is putting on an event called “Plugging In Without Shorting Out.” According to the brochure, the leadership for the three day conference will cover topics like: Using technology to help congregations communicate [...]

By Brian

2010-03-01T23:26:00.001-06:00

Devin’s College Tour

By Will Penner

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:23:41 +0000

My 18-year-old son, Devin, and I are trekking around the country a bit this week, visiting 5 or 6 colleges that are currently at the top of our interest list. I’m so proud of how Devin has really taken hold of this college search process, applying to many schools, applying for many scholarships, and putting his [...]

Youth Ministry Ideas for Lent '10: #4 Post Secret

By Brian

2010-03-01T23:10:00.005-06:00

Use the idea behind PostSecret to invite your youth into the spiritual practice of confession as part of their Lenten journey.
For many protestants, the spiritual practice of confession only finds expression a few Sundays a year during Lent in the form of responsive readings in worship. I'll admit that I generally refuse to participate in these "Dear, God...we are so wretched and unworthy of your love" type of liturgies. Yet, the practice of confession is a powerful way of reminding us of the unique relationship we have with God. It's not that in the confessing that we share secrets that God does not already know. Rather, it is in the act of confessing that we are reminded that God knows us completely, even in our brokenness, and yet still loves us unconditionally.
It's no great revelation to say that teenagers struggle with identity and self-worth and may find the notion of God's unconditional love difficult to accept. After all, they live in a culture that constantly tells them they are not good enough -- unless of course they buy the right car, the best brand of toothpaste, make the highest grades, win the ball game, or earn more money than the next person. I have to imagine the world would be a better place if we could help people learn to both be honest about their brokenness and also accept that despite their "sin" they are beloved of God. What better place to start than with our youth?
You could invite your group into a conversation and practice of confession by tapping into the popularity of PostSecret -- a blog that features confessional postcards sent in by real people. Some of these confessions are funny, some touching, and some sad and tragic. Perhaps show the group some of the postcards from the PostSecret website (or one of the PostSecret books) and then set out a variety of art materials (paint, markers, crayons, magazine images, glue, etc) and provide each teen with a large blank index card. Ask them to find a spot where they can work quietly alone as they create their own confessional postcard. You may not want your youth to confess deep dark secrets. Instead, invite them into a time of introspection. Consider offering them some sentence starters like these:
Something I don't want anyone to know about me is...I wish I could stop....I always lie when someone asks me...I think people wouldn't like me if they knew...I feel guilty when...One thing I wish I could change about myself is...I hope no one ever finds out that...

It's important to maintain anonymity in a project like this. When students finish their work, perhaps have them place all the postcards in a lidded box. If you plan to display the cards later, tell students who do not want their card displayed to fold it in half before placing it in the box. Finish this project with a time of worship together in which the box of postcard confessions are placed in the center of the worship space as an offering. Invite youth to reflect on the experience of confession and finish with an assurance of God's unbounded, unconditional love for all. Close by sharing Romans 8: 38-39 which declares that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
--Brian

speaking to middle schoolers with “the wayne” in the audience

By marko

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:22:34 +0000

a few weeks ago, i spoke at forest home’s middle school winter camps. the middle school director at forest home is my friend, nate rice, a fantastic middle school youth worker and a deeply good guy. but in a great quirk of life, nate is in a role that was once — decades [...]

Carrie Newcomer’s “Before and After” Album: A Review

By Adam

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:00:03 +0000

I was really excited to get a new Carrie Newcomer CD in the mail a few weeks ago. About two years ago, I had the chance to interview Carrie and also got a chance to see her perform in a small venue in Philadelphia. The show was really great and definitely got me hooked on [...]

Got Teens? Pre-Teens? Engage is for you!

By Mike King

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:06:21 -0600

Parents, mark your calendars for Thursday, March 25th, 2010 because this night is for you! It's no secret that parenting can be tough, especially during the adolescent years. If we're honest, we might even admit that there are times it...

landskapes - new grace album

By jonny

2010-03-01T08:49:23+00:00

landskapes is the new album from grace. it's been a long long time since the first grace album - 13 years?! but this is well worth the wait. it captures the electronic sounds of grace and journeys through ambient to...

Social Media Evangelization

By Scott

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:00:13 +0000

Ana Roca Castro, founder and CEO of Premier Social Media, recently offered eighteen ways that social media can be utilized for evangelization as past of a series of article for the National Catholic Register. She reminds us that “Social media is all about relationships, community and content.” Some key suggestions include define your goals, develop [...]

Youth Ministry Longevity

By Lars Rood

2010-02-28T19:51:00-06:00

haiti: now what?

By marko

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:11:10 +0000

i’ve been home from haiti for more than a week. but i’ve had a hard time figuring out how to re-engage blogging. it’s almost like i used so many words that week, and so much of what little emotional bandwidth i have, that i haven’t had reserves left for whatever this — post [...]

The Death of the Handshake and the Rise of the…Curtsy!

By Adam

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:00:44 +0000

It should be noted that this post is written in the words of guest-blogger Sarah Walker Cleaveland, as she said “I have an idea for your blog” while she was half-asleep. It seemed like a good idea at the time – we’ll let you be the judge now. I think you should use your influence to [...]

watch me

By jonny

2010-02-26T07:21:15+00:00

[via trying to follow | photo via ivan amezcua]

me speaking & talking : here & there for your amusement

By Gavin Richardson

2010-02-25T20:28:00-06:00

next week i'll be doing some of that speaking thing that i do.

wednesday thru friday i'll be in and around the dallas area for the united methodist reporters communicators conference. i'll be leading a churchy discussion based off the keynote speakers thoughts on new media strategy. the possibilities of that conversation could be amazing, so i'm excited to get to lead that. the next day i'll sit on a panel with a bunch of social media geek / church nerd friends on, what else, social media. that will be easily enjoyable. hope we can bring some stuff to the table that challenges everyone in the room. that's the task i'm giving myself.

flying back on friday and then on saturday is up early to volunteer with podcamp nashville and put on my session of 'sex, lies, and social media.' that's going to be interesting & a whole lot of fun. vegas is betting my awkward statement and subsequent blushing will be an over/under at 4 (its just 20 mins of talking otherwise it'd be much higher).

unfortunately, if you are not already signed up for the communicators conference then you'll have to miss me this go round, but you can still sign up for podcamp & check out me and some of the other fabulous minds of technology and what they are thinking about.

a moment of levity in port-au-prince

By marko

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:04:48 +0000

in the midst of an otherwise intense day in haiti, i had this moment of sheer levity, punk’ing adam mclane, who was sitting on top of the bags of rice and beans we’d just purchased for a poor community. maybe it was the tension of that day that made me laugh so hard; maybe [...]

Youth Pastors, bring your adult volunteers and leaders for $5

By Mike King

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:27:19 -0600

This training is designed for Youth Pastors to bring your adult volunteers and leaders. Join us on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 for affordable, practical and inspiring youth ministry training. Barefoot Ministries and Youthfront will be hosting a $5 Training together...

Convergence: Where Faith and Life Meet – A Review

By Adam

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:00:35 +0000

Just recently I became aware of Convergence: Where Faith and Life Meet, a new study for small groups. I got a chance to watch some from the DVD Sampler tonight, and think it’s a pretty cool new resource. This is how they describe it on the website: Convergence is a new DVD series designed specifically for [...]

Jeremy Affeldt is so much more than the Baseball's best Relief Pitcher...

By Mike King

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:57:25 -0600

My friend Jeremy Affeldt was interviewed about his nomination for the Jefferson Award, his amazing season last year with the Giants and his passion for Youth Ministry and Justice work. I am so proud of the way Jeremy and Larisa...

half way to ninety...

By jonny

2010-02-25T07:25:33+00:00

that's me!

womadelaide and other events down under

By jonny

2010-02-24T15:39:20+00:00

next week i am headed to australia for 10 days. i'm looking forward to it a lot though it's crept up on me quicker than it should... i am taking part in various things in adelaide organised by craig mitchell...

a few 40s...

By jonny

2010-02-24T07:13:15+00:00

i think it's a good idea to follow something, one thing to help you reflect during lent. the danger is that we all feel the need to follow too many things and lent just gets busy! so don't feel obliged...

Lenten Reflections #4-6: Fasting, Praying & Giving

By Adam

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:06:44 +0000

3 days into my Fast, Pray, Give Lenten discipline, I got lazy. To be clear, I didn’t really get lazy from following the Fast, Pray, Give Lenten Calendar: I was following most of the things they recommended throughout the days and was enjoying a sense of rhythm to each day as I got up in the [...]

deadline for youth ministry coaching program

By marko

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:19:51 +0000

i have 9 of 12 spaces filled for the youth ministry coaching program. if anyone else is interested, the application deadline is a week from friday – march 5. email me (mark.oestreicher@gmail.com) if you want an application.

1Chr. 16:11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

By Lars Rood

2010-02-23T13:51:30-06:00

Random Randomness

By Array

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:24:34 PST

- LATELY, I have been thinking quite a bit about the need for junior high youth workers to be willing to do the tough work of getting into the minds of our kids instead of asking students to get into our minds. It seems that we often try to get students to laugh at what we think is funny, go “wow” at what we think is cool, want to talk about topics we find interesting etc. It’s easier to minister that way, but it’s not as effective. As adults, we need to be willing to go to their level instead of hoping they will come to ours.

- QUESTION: Do you know your teaching style? Andy Stanley posed this same question to a group of pastors a few weeks ago and it has stuck with me ever since. While I definitely seem to have a style, I’m not sure I have ever really dissected it to see if it’s the most effective style for communicating to junior highers. I am in that process now. Note: this feels much more important when I take seriously the whole “Me entering their minds instead of expecting them to enter mine” idea.

- FINGERS; I’m glad I have ten of them. I am spending a few days with my good friend Scott Rubin, and yesterday I had the first-time experience of operating a snow blower to clear his driveway and sidewalks. I naively assumed that a snow blower was just a big vacuum that somehow sucked the [...] Continue Reading "Random Randomness" Related posts:

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#runrevrun Update as Week 3 Begins

By Adam

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 06:17:04 +0000

Today began week 3 of the #runrevrun training for the American River Parkway Half-Marathon. Week 3 is a big week because that’s normally the limit for my workout/fitness stuff. I do something for a about 3 weeks and then…I just get lazy and stop. So, it’s important to push through this week and keep [...]

Youth Ministry Ideas for Lent '10: #3 Making Room

By Brian

2010-02-22T23:22:00.000-06:00

Encouraging youth to give up something for Lent is just half the challenge.
A week ago, my brand new iMac work computer died on me, taking with it years of youth ministry files. When asked why I hadn't backed up the files, I responded, "Who expected a brand new Mac to crash and burn a week after buying it!?" My initial reaction was to be angry. I was ready to march down to the Mac store and declare war. And then a new feeling came to me. It's the same feeling that I get when I do spring cleaning and finally get rid of a bunch of junk I've been carrying around with me for years. It's that feeling of release that comes when you let go of "stuff" that was actually crowding your life...and make room for something new.
Lent can be a season for encouraging youth to let go of some of the stuff in their lives. But I'm suggesting going beyond challenging them to give up some temptation such as chocolate or coffee or video games. Too often this sort of practice simply turns into a demonstration of one's willpower. Rather, the challenge of Lent is to give up some of the stuff in our lives in order to make room for something new -- perhaps even making more room for God. Invite your youth to rank the top ten things that they spend time on in a given week. Where does their faith rank? After school, homework, job, video games, socializing? Which one of these would they be willing to lay aside during Lent in order to give more time to their faith? Which would they give up in order to allow more time for prayer, Bible study, serving others, going to worship or youth group? What might they lose in taking up this challenge? What to they think they might gain?
One other thought: If some of your youth want to give up something that costs money -- such as junk food -- challenge them to use the money for something else. Here is an idea shared by a colleague of mine from seminary that challenges us to take stock of our lives during Lent as a way to give an offering to a worthy cause.

Five Dollar Training

By Mike King

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:10:09 -0600

Kansas City Youth Workers! $5.00 Training Join us on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 for affordable, practical and inspiring youth ministry training. Barefoot Ministries and Youthfront will be hosting a $5 Training together at the main offices of Youthfront. This training...

sweet notions

By jonny

2010-02-22T07:22:30+00:00

shannon hopkins sweet notions has been revamped...

Cowboy for the weekend...

By Mike King

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 08:40:14 -0600

I am at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch outside of Amarillo, Texas with fellow Youthfront staff members Erik Leafblad and Micah Thomas. Mike Wilhelm, Sr. Chaplain of Boys Town read Presence Centered Youth Ministry and asked me to come train the...

Lenten Reflection #3: Dairy #FAIL

By Adam

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 06:02:55 +0000

Today’s Fast, Pray, Give had to do with milk and prayer. It began with an interesting quote from a J.D. Salinger short story, “Teddy.” The quote had to do with finding God in all things and it had to do with milk. You can read the full quote here. And then we were given our [...]

youth gone wild : stats can be misleading

By Gavin Richardson

2010-02-19T22:00:00-06:00

as youth pastor i do a lot of news filtering on the state of, trends of, and all the ills of today's and future youth culture. if you do some news search for teenagers it isn't a very promising picture (especially globally). one of the trends i see in the news is a whole lot of angry kids in the england. but as with any news reporting as with any statistic there is always the 'other side.' so my heart was lightened by the latest from asbo jesus.

its nice to think of the other side of all the statistics that we hear about and fear over. truth is, i have over 100 kids from ages 12-18 in our youth community and, though i don't know the intimate details of every moment of their lives, i pretty confident they are all on the positive side of every bad statistic.

it reminds me of some parenting education i used to teach on. i used to coach folks on doing a paradigm shift in their viewing of their children. to stop looking/seeing the bad stuff but to look for those positive pieces and celebrate those (even if they are minute).

well, enough of the preaching. its time for some music this whole thought process made me think of.

welcome you umc.org peeps : a little history

By Gavin Richardson

2010-02-19T07:44:00-06:00

i want to welcome you folks who find this little corner blog in the interwebs via the umc.org website. i was somewhat dumbfounded when i saw my face on the frontpage of my tribes denominational website. you see, when a more mainstream/mass media interface acknowledges us fringe blogger types it gives us some semblance that we are legitimate. like an internet pat on the back.. or a digital trophy..

well, for newbies here (i guess there could be many). i've been part of the methoblogosphere for, well, since the beginning. this blog has been somewhat dormant in '09 so most of the readership are hiding away in rss feeds. so if you find the post navigating away from the post you found your way here with, you'll notice my stuff lately is kinda campy, satirical in nature. that in part because over the last five years or so i ran out of stuff to say.. it feels that way anyhow. but within these links and many connected through the methoblog you will find a lot of commentary challenging & commenting on the state of our church we live our faith within. i encourage you to check that stuff out.

resource weekend in leeds on transforming community march 12-14

By jonny

2010-02-19T12:39:48+00:00

Download now or preview on posterous resource leeds flyer.pdf (313 KB) resource next weekend is in leeds hosted by andrew grinnell and simon hall. here’s the flyer. as well as people signed up for the whole course you can book...

Lenten Reflection #2: I complain a lot

By Adam

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:00:16 +0000

Today’s Fast, Pray, Give seemed easy enough: try and take some of the focus off yourself and focus on others and praying for God’s help. Fast from self-pity and complaining. Pray for God’s help in handling something difficult in your life. Give a kind word to someone who lacks confidence. However, while I think that it did work like [...]

Patheos Theoblogger Challenge: “Who/What is God?” in 100 Words or Less

By Adam

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 19:35:56 +0000

Patheos offered a challenged to some “theobloggers” (I guess that would include me…) to try to describe God in 100 words or less. You can read more about their challenge here. I’m sure there will be some really great responses because there are some very cool folks who are also responding. While I’m sure that [...]

interview with archbishop rowan williams

By jonny

2010-02-18T09:30:25+00:00

tim nash is doing the resource course – and i think loving it! he is part of a small missional community in nottingham. one of the things they have done is develop a podcast - http://www.nomad.libsyn.com/ . it is building...

Youth Ministry Ideas for Lent '10: #2 Prayer Stations

By Brian

2010-02-17T23:38:00.002-06:00

Lent is the perfect season to invite youth into a special focus on prayer. The prayer station ideas below might introduce your teens to a new prayer practice that they can continue throughout the Lenten season. Each is tied to a phrase from the Lord's Prayer. Several of these ideas were adapted from resources all over the internet so feel free to use them, tweak them, and share them.
"Our Creator in Heaven..." At this station, participants lit a candle as a prayer for those who are struggling in the journey of life right now -- those struggling with health, relationships, or decisions.

"Hallowed be your name..." Participants spent time listening to various styles of quiet or contemplative music on cd players while considering how beauty in music can remind us of God's goodness.
"Your Kingdom come, Your will be done..." Here worshipers contemplated God’s dream for how the world could be. Using the art supplies, each created an image or symbol of God’s dream of how the world would be if peace, love, and forgiveness were at the center of all life.
"On Earth as it is in heaven..." Participants watched a slide show of photographic images depicting the neighborhood around the church, including both the places in need and images of those who are working for healing in our city. As they watched, they prayed for those who struggle in the inner city and sought guidance to be part of bringing wholeness to the neighborhood.
"Give us today our daily bread..." At this station, participants focused on bread as an example of God providing for our basic needs. They offered thanks for all that God provides and prayed for those who do not have enough. Each person was invited to eat from a loaf of bread as a reminder of all that God provides on the faith journey.
"Forgive us our sins..." Focusing on the sins we carry around (those things that disconnect us from the source of God's love), worshipers wrote words to represent their sins on a stone and dropped the stone in a bowl of water to symbolize asking God to help them carry the burden. Each person also took a stone with them as a reminder that God is present even when life's burdens weigh heavy on us.
"As we forgive those who sin against us..." Here participants prayed about those with whom they needed to seek reconciliation -- those persons who they struggle to see as fellow beloved children of God. They wrote the names or initials of these persons on a paper doll cutout. They then walked across the room and layed these as prayers at the foot of a large wooden cross.
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..." Reflecting on Jesus' temptation in the desert, worshipers were asked to consider which aspects of the Christian life and the Way of Jesus they find it most difficult to follow. They then crafted "postcards to God" confessing the temptation to stray from the path of faith. They laid these cards at the foot of the cross.
"For the Kingdom, the glory, the power are yours..." Reflecting on the truth that all we have comes from God, participants spent time in silence while using this breath prayer.
"Now and forever..." This prayer station focused on God's unending and boundless love. Worshipers focused their prayer thoughts on this truth while contemplating images of Celtic knots which are designed with one continuous (eternal) line. Some traced the design with their finger or colored in the design. Lots of images of these knots can be found with a simple Google search.
"Amen." Worshipers used a text-based mandala (found on this page by scrolling down to the heading "More Ideas") to contemplate Paul’s challenge to “pray without ceasing.” As they meditated on this phrase, they considered how they might be more attentive to God’s presence during the Lenten journey ahead and offered a prayer of openness to God.

Ash Wednesday

By Matt Kelley

2010-02-17T21:06:00.000-06:00

Ash Wednesday is one of my favorite liturgical holidays. Maybe it's because the corporate world hasn't found a way to squeeze greeting cards, furniture sales, and faux controversy ("keep the Christ in Christmas") out of it. Or maybe it's for the same reason one of my seminary professors talked about existentialists loving Fall "because of all this beautiful death around us".

Actually, the reason I love Ash Wednesday is how its symbols remind us of the cyclical nature of the liturgical calendar, and more broadly, the impermanence of life. Each year, we save the palm fronds from Palm Sunday, let them dry for eleven months, and then burn them to make the ashes we use to mark the beginning of another Lent. As bright and colorful as those palm fronds were last year, and as great as the children's procession into the sanctuary with them was, they end up dry and brittle, and one small spark turns them into a thick, black, ashy dust.

"Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return..."

Last year, Ash Wednesday took on a new significance for me because it was the first time I put ashes on my daughter's forehead. She was just a few weeks old at the time, and was asleep when I did it, but it was still very sobering to think that even Kate, that energetic little girl with her whole life ahead of her, is just as mortal as any of us.

That lesson was brought back to me again this year, because she's now so mobile and active like a big person, and she was awake and looking at me curiously, wondering why I was smearing something on her when that's usually her job, and I'm the one always cleaning her off! She, too, will one day shuffle off his moral coil, though I pray that it's long after Jessica and I are gone.

I think our congregation was also much more aware of the impermanence of life this year. Our beautiful, historic church building was reduced to ashes, to dust it returned. Before we cleaned up the site, I went and collected some of the ashes in a jar, and I mixed them with the palm fronds this year. It served as a reminder to all of us that despite all the time and energy we're putting into the new building, one day it, too, will return to dust, as will we all.

Lenten Reflection #1: Lent is good for dogs too

By Adam

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 02:00:31 +0000

Today’s Fast, Pray, Give focused on being aware of the beauty in the world around us. It encouraged us to take a moment to slow down, to pray that God might show us something beautiful that we haven’t noticed before, and to give some time to enjoy art or nature. So when Sadie came bounding in [...]

Lent 2010: What to do…?

By Adam

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:31:02 +0000

“What are you going to give up?” That’s a pretty popular question during the days leading up to Lent. And it’s certainly been talked about a lot today on Twitter/Facebook and it’s been interesting to see what people are doing. Some folks are giving things up, some have decided to take something on…everyone has their [...]

ashes on your forehead : a little diddy for those with dirty foreheads today

By Gavin Richardson

2010-02-17T14:26:23-06:00

this was just too cute. my buddy eric coomer sent it to me. i haven't checked out jonathan rundmans's other works, but eric says they are really good as well.

gold, silver, bronze : top methodist moments on youtube

By Gavin Richardson

2010-02-17T12:35:08-06:00

so why not!

on monday i gave out medals for the top john wesley moments on youtube. figured i'd give out medals for methodism realized over youtube.. why not!

this list i couldn't help but get onto some of my soapboxes, so i hope you don't mind some of my subjective judging.. feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments

gold medal: the methodist clayride - i was pleasantly pleased to see this back on youtube. years ago i had a copy of it that i uploaded to youtube but was asked to take it down by a certain agency. i felt that was a real loss at the time because the video then created a lot of buzz and nostalgia amongst us methoblogger types. not to mention, its a great video for sharing the history of the methodist church. if i remember correctly it had over 15k views (mind you this was the early days of youtube as well). so i hope the clayride gets to ride on & as the methodist presses in the early days of the movement shared its stories, theology, sermons, etc. maybe you all can help share this gold medal of methodism.

silver medal : methodist amendments maxie dunnam - whoa the scandal!! maxie gets the medal for this one because his video showed up on my radar first, though eddie fox put his up a few days earlier. these videos struck off the biggest abuse of the youtube medium by methodist pastors at large. seriously, lets take our sermoning communication medium to a media medium that is short, sweet, entertaining, and engaging (see how youtube community reacts by how they mashedup maxie). still, in the metho-nerd circles, this was scandalous to take the churches business outside the authorities of the general/annual conferences. which, may or may not be a bad thing.. not to leave them out, bishop jones & tex sample took notice and made their counter arguments as well. for stirring the pot and getting a whole lot of amendment mush on youtube, maxie gets the silver medal.

bronze medal : hallelujah chorus by mute monks - okay, this is silly, its only methodist because this one happened to have happened at a methodist church and the youth basically ripped off an otherwise other youtube sensation, but with a hit count of 100k and just observing the reaction of the congregation (or lack there of) and the pastor (what was that?) at what i assume was a christmastide service.. oh boy. bronze medal for having the cajones to try it pine castle umc

standing looking up : patriot guard - this a news report, from united methodist news (i assume), on the methodist pastor who helps with the patriot guard. for those that don't know what the patriot guard is there is just a simple search on youtube and you will get countless videos, some even by national news coverage. this gets the honorable mention for a couple of reasons, 1. it tells the story of how some have take their community into action for the forgotten and the fallen of our culture. 2. it has a pretty decent hit count (i have a version of same video on my youtube channel) which almost doubles it. yes, #2 is not nearly as noble as #1.

so tell me who got robbed from the podium. there's lots to choose from

lent begins - morning and evening prayer and ash wednesday prayer

By jonny

2010-02-17T17:40:28+00:00

it was pancakes last night and tonight grace gathers for an ash wednesday service... i have grown to like the season of lent. it's a time for reflecting on faith and following christ. several members of grace are reading along...

And the winner is...

By Matt Kelley

2010-02-17T10:11:00.000-06:00

The random person who spammed me in Mandarin with links to websites whose content will not be repeated on this blog!

Just kidding. Seriously, though, don't do that. Kids read this blog.

Bradley J. Smith of Pulaski, TN wins a free copy of Hear No Evil! Congratulations, Brad!

Thanks so much for all those who commented and retweeted. This was fun, and I'll do another giveaway some time soon. In the meantime, I hope you'll keep coming back to The Truth as Best I Know It and interact as much as you can.

Vocation Reform?

By Mike King

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:28:27 -0600

Given my overwhelming interest in "late adolescent" development the issues of college, education, vocation, apprenticeship and formation are on my radar screen. We are trying to address some of this through our Youthfront School of Formation. Youthfront School of Formation...

joining the CMS community

By jonny

2010-02-16T09:15:33+00:00

after several years of planning and negotiating and dreaming cms is finally ready to launch out into the future as a community rather than just an organisation. i have alluded to it before that cms has been officially acknowledged as...

Weekend Wrap Up

By Array

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 15:07:19 PST

I have gotten out of the habit of posting a recap of our weekend program each Monday. Let’s see If I can get back in the swing.

SERIES: This was week two of our “Cup Of Joe” series in which we are taking a look at Bible characters whose names start with “JO” Week one was Jonah, and this week was Joseph. Our theme and stage decor is a coffee shop setting. We are trying something new and making the entire program a play of sorts with everything happening in the context of a day in the coffee shop. My lesson takes place over coffee with somebody different each week. It’s been pretty fun.

ATTENDANCE: Below average. The holiday weekend combined with about 50 kids gone on a missions trip made this a fairly light weekend.

MUSIC: Music struggled a little bit. Mostly, it was just really inconsistent.

VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT: Volunteer involvement was a little low due to a lack of volunteers at church and our program is a little more “stage driven” than usual during this series.

FUN FACTOR: Overall it was a pretty fun weekend. Students seem to like the fact that we are trying something new and mixing things up a bit.

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Weekend Wrap Up Lesson Topic: Week Two of our Series: SCARRED…Life Hurts; God...

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Review of Hear No Evil and Giveaway

By Matt Kelley

2010-02-15T12:18:00.003-06:00

Matthew Paul Turner's latest book, Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost is a very enjoyable followup to Churched, his previous memoir about growing up in and eventually out of fundamentalist Christianity.

This book surprised me a bit. I was expecting a standard memoir, where Turner tells the story of a certain portion of his life, covering all the major events in that period and more or less allowing the reader to take whatever themes from it they will. While Hear No Evil generally fits into this category- it begins when Turner is a teenager and ends in the present day- the narrative jumps around a bit. Conversations with friends pause to show flashbacks. Major events of Turner's life, such as meeting and marrying his wife, Jessica, the birth of his son, Elias Jude, and what are undoubtedly many interesting anecdotes about his time as a student at Belmont University, manager of a Christian coffee shop, and editor of CCM Magazine, are left out.

This may sound like criticism, but it's not. The fact that Hear No Evil doesn't follow the standard linear memoir format is what makes it stand out from the plethora of enjoyable memoirs by gifted storytellers out there. These episodes in Turner's life serve as vignettes to chart the emergence of Turner's understanding of the relationship between religious faith and popular culture, specifically "secular" music. Hear No Evil is a literary version of a concept album: someone who comes to it expecting the standard fare may not get it, but will probably find something to enjoy nonetheless.

Sidenote: if this is a concept album, what happens if I read it backwards while I'm watching the Wizard of Oz?

Regardless of what you're looking for, you're going to find something to like about Hear No Evil. Matthew Paul Turner is an excellent storyteller. His love and compassion for all the people he writes about is clearly evident, even when he's describing things that made him mad or frustrated him at the time.

Some highlight include: a group of Pentecostals loudly praying over him at a restaurant for deliverance from his acid-reflux disease, all the while trying to hold back a massive belch; buying and throwing away an Amy Grant album several times because of the guilt over its supposed "ungodliness"; and the heartbreaking story of his publisher at CCM rewriting an interview with Amy Grant to make her apologize for getting a divorce.

His somewhat sarcastic (some might use the word "snarky") sense of humor is only off-putting to those who take themselves way too seriously, and these are the folks who are in the greatest need of what Matthew Paul Turner has to offer. The kind of Christianity he describes is genuine, full of hope and free from fear and judgment. The church would be a much better place if more people understood Jesus the way Matthew Paul Turner does.

OK, now for the freebie! Want to win a free copy of Hear No Evil? Of course you do. Here are a couple ways to get one:

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Follow my blog by clicking the button on the right.
3. Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/matthewlkelley
4. Speaking of Twitter, retweet this:
RT @matthewlkelley: win a free copy of Hear No Evil: http://matthewlkelley.blogspot.com/2010/02/review-of-hear-no-evil-and-giveaway.html

Each of these actions will get you an entry, and I will randomly select a winner Wednesday morning.

Disclaimer: This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group. The opinions expressed in this review, however, are my own.

gold, silver, bronze awards : top john wesley moments on youtube

By Gavin Richardson

2010-02-15T11:35:05-06:00

as i look over the church landscape & how they use technologies, i started wondering.. how is our church founder, john wesley, being represented on youtube? and with looking over all this (and the winter olympics in play right now), i decided to medal the top wesley moments on youtube.

gold: john wesley chapel linebacker : the young folks at houghton college put this satirical parody of the terry tate office linebacker commercials together & they are just brilliant. involved a bunch of the students and some of the faculty. they reflect some of the core wesleyan theology tenants within the video mixed into a bunch of "ouch" and laughing moments. clear cut gold medal winner!

silver: john wesley sermon, thoughts on war : mark topping is apparently know as a john wesley impresonator. this excerpt is taken from his dvd doing his shtick. the except is posted on the or more about the methodist church of great britain channel which has a few other cool videos. this sermon has the most hits of the excerpts. what i think is funny is quickly wesley would be run out of a pulpit in todays umc for preaching the way he did. the solid silver winner!

bronze: john wesley a heartwarming story : this is our dark horse that came out of no where in the medal podium to sang the bronze. i give you the history of john wesley via the confirmation class of first united methodist church of mercedes, texas. what are you doing with your claim the name curriculum? bet it is not as cool as a silent movie motif of wesley's life. anyways, this campy funny approach to sharing wesley's story is by far more entertaining than any of the other powerpoint movie presentations (though some of the foreign language, to me, ones were pretty cool).

standing looking on: relcaiming wesleyan tradition : yup, we tried to see if this thing could go viral for kevin some time back, so it had itself on the 'watch' list, but in the end, it couldn't pick up the medal. this little diddy by the gbod spins off the guinness commercials, which i suppose it okay since wesley had some guinness influence.

**look for the top medalists videos for the united methodist church. that's going to be a tight competition

filtered truth

By jonny

2010-02-15T07:25:43+00:00

do be 5, originally uploaded by jonnybaker. grace on saturday was amazing... when you arrived you were given a set of home made glasses with either red or blue filters. an exhibition was hanging with a set of images and...

Fly the Plane

By Mike King

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:05:48 -0600

I read something this week that stuck with me. The first rule for the pilot of a single engine plane when the engine stalls in flight is "FLY THE PLANE." Too often, the pilot panics when the engine dies and...

oceans into paragraphs - the amazing kate tempest

By jonny

2010-02-13T11:29:18+00:00

Kate Tempest at Apples & Snakes in Soho Oct 09 from Apples and Snakes on Vimeo. kate tempest spoken word poetry is a whirlwind. harry and i went to see her at the albany last night in with a mix...

Youth Ministry Ideas for Lent '10: #1

By Brian

2010-02-12T16:31:00.001-06:00

The season of Lent begins this coming week with the observance of Ash Wednesday. Though many protestant churches pay little attention to the seasons of the church year, I think we really miss out when we ignore the instropective season of Lent with our youth. This forty day season (not counting the Sundays) is a time to reflect on one's journey of faith, to examine our relationships, and to become a part of the story of Jesus' journey to Jerusalem and the cross. By observing this season, we invite youth to step out of regular time (school...jobs...dating...) and into God's time for awhile. In the coming weeks we'll share some new ideas for engaging the themes of Lent with your youth. In the meantime, you may want to peruse some of highlights from previous year's posts about Lent:
What is Lent? A Bible Study Creating prayer flags Creative Lenten Worship Ideas Prayer Stations for Lent More Prayer ideas for Lent The H20 Challenge
You will find additional ideas for Lent by using the "Search this Blog" box to the left.

Radicalis was….Pretty Radical.

By Array

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:18:11 PST

Today, we (Saddleback Church) are wrapping up our first 4-day “Radicalis” conference, and I have to say it was really, really good! Here were a few highlights for me:

Andy Stanley’s message on preaching was full of wonderful nuggets; some of which I will paraphrase here:

- “If you don’t have a ‘burden’ for it, don’t preach about it until you do.”

- “Find a compelling passage, rub their noses in it, drive it home and make it stick, and send them out with one way to apply it to their lives.”

- “Going long doesn’t prove how smart you are, it proves that you are under-prepared.”

- “Don’t memorize the whole thing…just memorize the ‘flow’ of the message; where you want to go with it.”

Mark Driscoll’s message about the cross, coupled with Rick Warren’s message on Radical Compassion, was a very powerful experience. What stuck out most to me was the simple reminder that at the end of the day our theology is nothing more than this: The Cross.

Spending three days with youth workers in the youth ministry track was so much fun. I’m not sure anybody will ever be able to convince me there is any other group of Christian leaders who are more fun to hang around than those who work with teenagers! I met lots of new friends including a wonderful woman who has taken “Kurt and Scott’s Junior High Adventures” and turned it into a 12-hour training session she uses to train youth workers all throughout Egypt!

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hoping the church prioritises mission [part 2] - not just a fad

By jonny

2010-02-12T09:25:03+00:00

following on from my post reporting on the church of england synod report reflecting on the impact of the response to mission shaped church - hoping the church prioritises mission - here's a little more... steve taylor helpfully posted from...

do be

By jonny

2010-02-11T16:42:39+00:00

this saturday looks like it will be a wonderful grace. i have been on the planning group for it and there are some fairly crazy ideas being prepared (crazy in a good way). i don't want to spoil the fun...

50th Anniversary of the Nashville Sit-Ins

By Matt Kelley

2010-02-10T18:37:00.000-06:00

Today marks a significant anniversary for the Nashville community. Fifty years ago today, the lunch counter sit-ins began, protesting legalized segregation in many places in Nashville, including lunch-counters, water fountains, bathrooms, etc.

I wasn't alive during this time, and I'm white, so it may sound strange to say that this is a very meaningful anniversary for me personally. But these sit-ins played a major role in my own faith development.
First, one of my teachers in high school was a student at Fisk University during this time and participated in the sit-ins. He would tell his story to students, sparing no detail about the verbal and physical abuse he suffered at the hands of white people who feared sitting next to him at a lunch counter. I had read about the Civil Rights movement in text books, but hearing someone who was there tell his story, and seeing the scars on his arms from being dragged off by police, made social injustice more real and less theoretical to me at an early age.
Also, my seminary, Vanderbilt Divinity School, played a central role in the Nashville sit-ins. James Lawson, a divinity student at the time, was the organizer of the sit-ins, and the controversy his involvement in civil rights and subsequent expulsion created nearly shut down not only the Divinity School, but the entire university. The events of these years were so significant that there is a whole chapter devoted to them in the official history of the Divinity School.
There is also an amazing book about the sit-ins by the late David Halberstam, called The Children. James Lawson and many others are brilliantly profiled by Halberstam, who was a reporter for The Tennessean at the time.
So I wish all those who have fought for equality these last fifty years a happy anniversary. Thank you for making this world a better place for me and my children to live in, and for inspiring us to do our part in the struggle for a nation where all are truly accepted and loved for who they are.

for you liturgical nerds : little black spot on your forehead

By Gavin Richardson

2010-02-10T14:00:58-06:00

couldn't resist posting this gem. what does one get when you combine the police with 40 days of lent? thanks ironic catholic

so long my friend : nashville no longer talking

By Gavin Richardson

2010-02-10T10:33:00-06:00

noticed today that nashville is talking is ceasing to exist as the blog portal for the nashville blogging community.

truth be told, it probably ceased to be the main portal some years ago when brittney left and the whole chaos ensued at nit & music city bloggers was birthed for a short while.

i enjoyed that community of folks at that point, some of the people i'm still in conversations with today. {in fact, have to thank newscoma for tipping me off to this.} back then you looked for the 'fresh rolled blogs' and knew when your site got linked because hits & comments would take off (well, for someone small time like myself). i remember going to the first barcamp cause all my blogger friends were planning on going, which was the first time i met many folks.. remember sitting next to rob robinson & recognizing him immediately because his hat & outfit was exactly like his thumbnail pic on his blog (yes i teased him about that one). met kate o in line with john carney (john whom i've known for years) we were all first in line (well, kate was actually first).

fast forwarding: that medium, that town square, we all met & built our friendships and community on ceases to exist. since those days of nit i can safely say that twitter, facebook, or anything since has garnered the loyalty & passions that the nashville is talking site did for us some four or five years ago. (gosh, has it really been that long?).

i would love some new place find some of that community. but alas, not all good things are forever & nashville is talking served a great place in my cyber musings life. so much so that it impeded into my real life, which i was more than okay with (it just took some explaining to the wife). so long my friend, nashville is talking. (i want to say some 'long tail' ulogy comment, but its just not quite there, so assume i said something clever & smile)

Youth Ministry Bible Study for Valentine's Day

By Brian

2010-02-09T21:00:00.004-06:00

How lucky can you get with Valentine's Day falling on a Sunday this year? Here's your chance to focus on a love that goes beyond chocolates, corny greeting cards, and roses.

Getting Ready - Distribute bowls of candy hearts and food safe marking pens. Invite youth in small groups to take some time to both read and contemplate the messages on the hearts and to use the pens to write new messages on the reverse sides that reflect the kinds of messages about love they would like to see. After a few minutes, and perhaps some sharing of their creativity, ask youth how they might describe what "love" is. What is difficult about trying to define love? Would they say that there are different kinds of love?

Digging In - Read together 1 John 4: 7-12, the passage that tells us that "God is love." Ask: How does this passage define/describe Love? What does it mean to you to say that “God is love”? Could we also say “Love is God?”

Play for youth the song or video version of “The Face of Love” by Sanctus Real which talks about the different ways we've envisioned Jesus throughout the centuries. Discuss: According to the song, how was Jesus “the face of love” to those he met? The song says of Jesus that "there was no one too lost for him to love and no one too low for him to serve." ASK: What stories from Jesus’ life come to mind that show how he loved others?

Reflecting - Pass out one of the following Bible passages about love to each person and have them spend some time creating their own interpretation of the text, offering up their idea of "the face of love." Youth might choose to show their interpretation through a writing a poem, drawing a picture, painting an image, creating a collage from magazine images, sharing a song, or sculpting something from playdo: 1 John 4: 16; 1 Cor 13: 4-7; I Cor 13:13; Song of Songs 2 : 2-3; 1 John 4:11-12; Matt 5: 43-45; Gal 5: 13-14; Matt 22: 37-39; Lev 19: 18; 1 Peter 3: 8-9; 1 John 4: 20-21; Matt 5: 44, 48; Song of Songs 2:10-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:15. As youth finish, invite them to display their creations and their texts in a special space in the room where others can see them.

Wrapping it up - The song "Face of Love" concludes by saying to God/Jesus "Let us be your face." Ask: As Christians, how can we be “the face of love” at school/home/with friends/in the world? Is it even possible for us to be like Jesus? Why or why not? Finish with a silent time of prayer for each person to commit to trying to be “the face of love” in a particular situation or place in the coming week.

Undercover Boss

By Mike King

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:08:49 -0600

I saw some of the new show Undercover Boss which premiered after the Super Bowl. The new CBS reality series follows high-level chief executives as they slip anonymously among the rank and file employees to examine the inner workings of...

FirstThird -- quickly before it's too late...

By Mike King

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:46:00 -0600

Luther Seminary is bringing together two of the leading voices of theological reflection within youth ministry, Dr. Kenda Dean and Dr. Andrew Root, for three days of dialogue around the issues that concern youth workers most. The setting will be...

#runrevrun Half-Marathon Training Begins Today!

By Adam

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 17:00:11 +0000

Today begins my 12-week training for the American River Parkway Half Marathon. It seemed like a good idea a few weeks ago to sign up for it. It’s on May 1, just about 2.5 weeks after my 30th birthday. The last time I ran a race it was a 5k and I’m pretty sure I [...]

Witness to Love

By Matt Kelley

2010-02-05T19:29:00.000-06:00

This week, I was privileged to be part of a unique, grassroots event. On Wednesday night, Judy Shepard spoke at Austin Peay State University. Fred Phelps and his followers from Westboro Baptist Church were planning to be there spreading their hatred, so a group of students organized a counter protest, welcoming Judy Shepard to Clarksville and witnessing to the fact that not all followers of Jesus are have hatred and fear as their primary motivation. I went, wearing my clerical collar to represent all the loving, tolerant pastors who couldn't be present.

The crowd was fairly diverse, and since it included lots of college students, there were a number of creative and somewhat snarky signs. Here are few of my favorites:
This last photo is my favorite, because it shows a small portion of the crowd, but it gives a sense of just how many folks showed up. It was very peaceful, and organized entirely by the students. Those of us who were older and out of school were very impressed!

Even though they've been following Judy Shepard around the country, Fred Phelps and his followers didn't show up to protest. I was a little disappointed, because I wanted to see that circus in person, but I was overjoyed to see how the crowd stuck around for the purpose of affirming something and someone, and not just protesting against a particular group.

My Friend Zack Attacked by Glenn Beck

By Mike King

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:49:14 -0600

My friend Zack Exley came by the office yesterday to see me. After catching up on our busy lives he asked if I had heard about Glenn Beck's recent attacks on him. I hadn't because my schedule has been a...

Engage featuring Marv Penner

Kate's First Birthday

By Matt Kelley

2010-01-28T11:28:00.000-06:00

Kate is one year old today! For a detailed wrap-up of her first year, check out Jessica's blog.

Happy Birthday, Kate! I'm so lucky to be your daddy! I love you!

Life Time Fitness

By Mike King

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:13:35 -0600

One of our Youthfront Board members Jess Elmquist is a Vice President of Life Time Fitness. Life Time Fitness is an excellent company that create amazing health clubs. Kansas City will soon get its second Life Time Fitness location in...

Syncretizing Youth Ministry?

By Brian

2010-01-27T15:35:00.004-06:00

"Syncretizing youth ministry." If that phrase doesn't get your heart racing, I don't know what will. So, what does it mean? The word syncretism implies "the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion." What could it mean to apply this term to youth ministry?

Let me give you an example. I help lead a discussion group of students at a seminary here in St. Louis. Occasionally we go on outings to local churches to hear about their ministries and to analyze what they do and why. Recently, we attended a large, affluent suburban congregation. When we entered the front doors of the church, my immediate reaction was "I think I've been here before," even though I knew that I hadn't.

The main room was a wide open space which led into the sanctuary. Off to one side was a "bookstore" and off to the other side was a mini version of a food court and a coffeehouse. On the tour, we were taken through the children's wing. On the walls were murals that carried along the aquatic theme of the Sunday school program. These were clearly not murals painted by children or any ol' church member. They were professionally done. In fact, they were so well done, along with some well-placed plastic palm trees and life preservers that it looked just like the children's areas of Disneyland.

Next, we were taken down a long hallway, the entire length of which was lined with what appeared to be framed "coming attractions" movie posters, just like you would see in a movie theater. Sure enough, they were movie posters -- or at least, faux movie posters of Bible stories made up to look like real movie posters. Very slick.

Finally, we were taken into the youth area which opened into a large "garage grunge" themed space with faux spray-painted graffiti on the metallic walls, a stage for a band, theatrical lighting, and a DJ booth up in a balcony. Branching off from this main space was a coffee lounge, a video game lounge and a small movie theater.

Had you knocked me unconscious, dragged me to this space, and woken me up by throwing cold water on face, I would have had no idea I hadn't been kidnapped and taken to the local mall. In fact, that is why I had the sensation that I'd been there before. In a sense, I had -- because it looked like every big city mall I've ever been in before.

Which makes me stop and wonder:

What are the implications of trying to attract youth into the Church using the exact same methods our culture employs to sell them sex, violence, video games, and junk food?
Are youth able to discern a distinct difference between our values/identity as Christians and those of advertisers trying to sell them a product as consumers?
Does ministry with youth cease to have a distinct identity if it is too immersed in the symbols and practices of corporate/entertainment/capitalist culture?
Which is the more radical move in youth ministry: to make our ministries fit seamlessly into secular culture or to lead ministries which offer alternatives alongside (not necessarily over and against) secular culture?

While you ponder all that, check out this either amazingly clever and relevant or particularly distressing example of attractional youth ministry, depending on your point of view. HT to Stuart for finding the above image.

Update: Here is an interesting and related post from the Methobaptist Musings blog on the plusses of developing a minimalist youth ministry.

--Brian

Merge

By mark

2010-01-27T09:41:00.002-05:00

I have something important to share with you.

This fall I wrote 7 blog posts about how we gather which continued off the blog with a lot of folks who host conferences for church leaders or for students. These have been personally encouraging conversations for me as people begin to explore a framework in which transformation happens for people in communities.

This summer (June 27-July 2)Mark Novelli and Kelly Dolan (Imago Media) and Michael Novelli (Echo the Story) are hosting an experience called MERGE. It maybe the most unique, teen empowering, discipleship experience I've heard of for high school kids.

They are combining both the story of God (specifically a 16 story arc from scripture) and a way of gathering that cultivates transformation of communities.

It isn't a camp where you hand off your kids to strangers, the framework allows for you to bear the responsibility of leadership of your group, but also allows for the teams to own their own faith and the responsibility for it.

The MERGE team plays host and facilitator.

The experience will work because the folks like you will be there and the MERGE are great guides.

Michael, Mark and Kelly are on my short list for people I think are/will truly change the church. They are pioneers of ministry and thinking.

So go check out the MERGE site. Take your kids to MERGE. Then email me and thank me for sending you their direction.

Ordination Update: Finally, A Decision

By Adam

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:25:39 +0000

Many of you know that while I had planned on being ordained in December of ‘08 – things didn’t really pan out how I thought they would. It’s been over a year now since it all began – and while I haven’t wanted to rush into a decision concerning next steps, it became more and [...]

Volunteers No Longer Needed

By Jacob

2010-01-25T13:32:00.002-06:00

Each year, the church I currently serve has both baby dedications and baptisms (for teenagers). Over time, I have started to view these events as a rite of passage—both for the participant and the congregation. The congregation is asked if they will help raise this child and guide them in the Christian faith. Such questions take seriously the notion that as a community of faith we are all required to help raise disciples of Christ.

But all too often it is only a small group of individuals who work with our children and youth. For the past several weeks, I’ve been rethinking the notion of what it means to have volunteers in youth ministry.

What if we no longer had volunteers, but instead focused on spiritual mentors. Spiritual mentors, from all ages and spectrums of life, could be with our youth through all of the years that they are growing up in church. What would it look like to have a spiritual mentor as someone who participated in the entire spiritual formation and Christian education of our youth?

Spiritual mentors could: be present at rites of passage in the church, pray for our youth on a regular basis, accompany and be present on mission trips, summer camps, and retreats, and even just be present in Sunday School or youth group.

How would your church respond if you put this headline in the church newsletter with an accompanying article: Volunteers No Longer Needed --Jacob

Random Randomness

By Array

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:30:06 PST

- Today is cold, wet and windy. Having 3-4 days of rain in a row in Southern California is really rare and a fun change of pace! I’m holed up in Starbucks doing some writing and getting ready for “Staff Camp”.

- “Staff Camp” is our team’s 3-day getaway where we do lots of long term planning, lots of work and have lots of fun. That’s the plan, anyway because this will be our first one.

- I am really excited about, and having trouble finding the time to write, a new book that should release in early fall. The Best Practices In Youth Ministry takes a look at an extensive study that was conducted to determine why some churches seem to have more success fostering “mature faith” in their students. I am co-authoring with a long-time buddy of mine, and it has been really fun to take a massive study and break it down into a user-friendly youth ministry resource.

- Want to contribute to the book? One of the features we would like to include in the book is about ten, 300-400 word, essays entitled, “I Hate When That Happens”. These need to be stories of something that has gone horrifically wrong in your youth ministry! It can have to do with a program that went bad, a relationship scenario, a volunteer story, a youth group vs. “big church” story etc. If you are interested, please contact me at kurtj@saddleback.com

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give to who was there, because they will continue to be there : desparate times in haiti

By Gavin Richardson

2010-01-20T15:58:55-06:00

received word the other day that one of my high school buddies was taking a team of doctors down to haiti for relief efforts. there was quite the bit of news coverages because, since our time in high school he's been able to wedge into the media market place. i saw another news article where a number of children who were up for adoption to american families were rushed to their pennsylvania homes with the political people showing smiling faces as if patting themselves on the back.

no slack on my friend & his medical team, they will do a lot of work and a lot of good work i am sure. but it had me wondering. slight slack to the political players who lord over visas and all these international adoptions.. it had me asking, "why now?"

sure, there was an earthquake & it is devastating, but long before that, there was extreme poverty & suffering... where was the anderson cooper's & media police alarming us to the worlds ills? chasing tiger woods?

i share my thoughts to say this one thing. as you are compassioned to give to help with relief efforts, give to the people who were already there, because, they are most likely to be there long after everyone is gone.. and they will be dealing with the aftermath of not only a physical earthquake, but a systemic poverty.

this is why i am so pleased to say that i am a part of the united methodist church & its continued work under the UMCOR banner. they were there before the earthquake, sadly some died in the earthquake, and will be there long after the earthquake. i applaud & more with the folks at highland park umc who have kept a long standing clinic in haiti since the 70's, but lost one of their church members in the earthquake.

learn more about the stories happening in haiti, long after the news vans leave & continue to help those who will be there long after cameras turn off and go home.

visit: www.umc.org/haiti

creative ideas for praying for haiti

By Lilly Lewin

2010-01-20T13:47:58-05:00

with yet another quake hitting haiti today, i thought you might need some postive ways to pray for this country and all that is happening there.
on sunday night at thinplace we remembered haiti by passing around a box of raw sugar and pouring out some and holding it in our hands as we prayed for the nation, for relief workers, for order in the midst of confusion, for those in need of basic things like food and water. then we tasted it to remind us that God is still good in the midst of this painful tragedy.we took home small packets of sugar to carry with us in our pockets to remind us to pray for haiti throughout the week. we closed with a prayer
We pray for peace for those in need tonight. We pray for hope for those losing hope here and abroad. We pray for order in the midst of disorder. We pray for wisdom in the midst of chaos. We pray that your love and comfort will fill Haiti and all who are seeking to serve there. We ask that you help us to be compassionate to those in need there and here at home. All that I love into your keeping. All that I care for into Your care. Be with us by night; and as darkness closes our eyes with sleep. may we waken to peace of the new day. AMEN

my friend chris cummings, the director of youth ministry at forest hills UMC in tennesse, and his wife joanna have created several interactive prayer stations to remember haiti that they used with their youth group on sunday and will curate for their entire church tonight.

chris has given me his blessing to post these here. i hope that you are encouraged to pray creatively for haiti and for other places of poverty and pain around the globe and around your neighborhood.

prayer stations for haiti by chris and joanna cummings:

INTRO 
Often times, we here about disasters and tragedies somewhere else, we have a moment or two of sadness, and then we change the channel. But this is not what we are called to do as Christians, we are called to respond in prayer, love, and many other ways.

Tonight, we will experience prayer stations which will help us spend some time thinking and praying for those in Haiti. Let all of it sink in, don't try to quickly push it away.

Take this time now, and pray for Haiti…

Hall of Prayer set up:

Print out 20-30 different pictures of the Haiti earthquake, include some of people, destroyed buildings, and even pictures of rescue teams organizing and helping.

Tape them all up in a hallway or on one wall. (If wall, make sure you re-title to "Wall of Prayer") Place pillows on the ground around the pictures. Post the sign explaining this station where they would first walk up to it.

For Part 2, have a basket of pens and stack of note cards, and have an empty box or basket for them to place their cards when they are finished.

Here is a good link for from pictures Katu.com (http://www.katu.com/news/81498907.html)

Hall of Prayer

Part 1 – Start Here

Take time to look deeply at what is going on in Haiti. Look at all the pictures. See what the current living conditions are like. See the damage done by the earthquake. Put yourself in the shoes of the Haitian people. What do you think this experience feels like?

When done reflecting here, continue to all of the other stations and then return here for Part 2.

Part 2 – End Here

Now that you have looked at all of these pictures, and prayed in many ways for the situation in Haiti; take time now to write down your own questions. Write down the questions that come to mind when you think on these events and as you see them in pictures and on the news. What struggles do you have with what has happened in Haiti? What doubts come to mind about justice? What questions are raised about God? What are the things that deep within you cry out when you hear of this? What can you do to help?

Take as many note cards as you need. Write each question on its own note card. When you are finished, place the questions in the box.

Prayer for those who are suffering set up:

Print out several small or have on large map of the world (with Haiti marked) and of Haiti close up. Have a basket of pens and stack of "post-it notes" for them. Once again use pillows, chairs or couches for them to be able to sit and think on these things.

Make sure you post the sign that explains the station.

Prayer for those who are suffering

Touch the map. Look at where Haiti is located in relation to us. See how close it really is. Take post-it notes. Write prayers for those who are there hurting right now. Pray for those who have been injured during the earthquake, those who have lost loved ones, those who need food, water, and shelter. Write your prayers for them and stick them to the map.

Prayer for those who have not been heard from set up:

Set up an altar, table, or anything else that will hold dozens of candles (the number of candles depends on the number of people who will go through the stations, if the candles all become lit simply quietly go over and blow out a few so that everyone can light one.) It would be good to have a cross or another Christian symbol as part of this station.

Once again, post the station sign that explains it.

Prayer for those who have not been heard from

There are thousands who are still not found and have yet to be heard from. Thousands of families are waiting to hear and see if their own have survived.

It is an ancient Christian practice to light candles in memory of loved ones and those who need the love of Christ.

Light a candle in memory of those yet to be found, think of their families, and pray for them. Watch the flame of your candle while you pray.

Prayer for those who have gone to help Set Up:

Set up a large canvas or sheet of butcher paper on the ground. (You will probably want a tarp under it) Place paintbrushes, cups of water, and paints on paper plates on or around the canvas or paper. It would be a good touch to paint "Haiti" very large and in the middle.

Post the sign describing the station in a place where they can see it.

Prayer for those who have gone to help

There are thousands of people and millions of dollars and supplies being shipping into Haiti, even now. Take time now pray for those who are going into Haiti to bring help and hope and healing. Pray that God may use them to help the Haitians.

Be creative and paint this prayer to God. Use symbols, pictures, words, letters. And as you paint, continue to pray for support and help for those going and those who will go to help.

Prayer through Scripture Set Up:

Set up a place with chairs or on the floor with several Bibles. Different translations are good too. Give them a space where they can have their own little spot to reflect on the scripture.

Post the sign explaining the station where they can see.

Prayer through Scripture

Scripture is often used in times of teaching and for rejoicing, but it also has purpose in times of pain. Reflect and meditate on the scripture verses below.

Read Psalm 60:  - What do you make of this scripture? 

- Does it truly reflect the character of God or does it reflect the feelings of the writer? Or Both? Maybe it is how you feel?

Read Psalm 143:  - How is our prayer for help here being answered in Haiti right now?

Remembering: It’s Too Easy to Forget

By Adam

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:00:34 +0000

Today I received an email from my buddy Keas Keasler, who is currently on a study trip in the Middle East with Princeton Seminary. The email directed me to a post he wrote entitled “A Pilgrimage (of many sorts) to Israel.” Reading through Keas’s post, as he was exposed to the stories and lives of [...]

Nipple Cracker (2005)

By mark

2010-01-19T05:07:00.000-05:00

This is an essay I asked my wife if I a could publicly post few years ago.
It's a very intimate conversation about breastfeeding, but more importantly, about the amazing devotion my wife has to our kids. 2005 was a time in which I started writing about things outside of the church. This is still a work in progress and is more David Sedaris than youth pastor. I've often thought about compiling some of these into a book one day. We'll see. It's purely an exploration of writing for me.
Enjoy.

================================================

Zach wants to give me a "nipple cracker". I know this because the words, "Dad, would you like a nipple cracker?" just came from his 8 year old mouth.

Mental pictures flood my mind. None of them pretty. Images of Ritz and Saltines crackers specially shaped like nipples fly through my mind. Then I think of my wife.

While Pam was nursing our daughter Mikayla, they both got "Thrush". That’s what the Dr. said, “Thrush.” I don’t know where a person gets this ailment or who got it first, but the infection that sounds like an elephant running through a long tunnel of palm leaves has invaded my family.

The symptoms of “Thrush” are, and bear with me here, large cracks across a woman’s nipples.
Imagine a nipple with the equivalent of the Grand Canyon running at a 45 degree angle through a fully erect nipple. Please, don't imagine my wife's nipple, just a generic nipple will do. And though I’ve never personally been to the Grand Canyon, I hear it takes your breath away. Which is what “Thrush” on my wife’s nipple did to me. That and make me exclaim, “Oh my God!” wincing back like a little girl, my hand covering my face.

So when my Zach inquired about my interest in a nipple cracker my first thought was, “uh.. no.”

They tell me “thrush” is a yeast infection. When a woman is breast feeding and the baby develops a yeast infection in her mouth, the mother is infected in the breast, and it has a pretty dramatic effect on the nipple. Both of Pam’s breasts were infected, but the infection had a certain fondness for her right breast.

Of course it doesn't help that my daughter was still learning to nurse and often confused my wife with a chew-toy, thus, helping with the canyon effect. Lift and separate maybe often be a desirable and sexy look for a woman, but not within a nipple.

Imagine a duck facing you, head tilted to the side, its’ bill open wide open.

Yep. That’s pretty much it.

Let me tell you about my wife. She loves her kids. She believes in breastfeeding and the health of her baby. So when she was diagnosed with THRUSH it was only something to work through. Did I mention that THRUSH is painful?

"My nipple feels like it's on fire!" My wife would complain.

"So, it burns around your nipple?" I would ask.

Her face screamed wrong answer.
She calmly spoke words I’ll never forget, words that echo in my male mind as if it were a nipple canyon.

“My nipple feels like it's on FIRE! And when Mikayla nurses it feels like there is glass on the inside of my boob!”

Then Pam looks me at me, chin forward and moves her jaw in a chewing motion.

“She bites you?!” That’s me cringing in the corner, with my ears covered.

Pam is relentless. “And it feels like there is broken glass on the inside!”

“Broken glass? Are you kidding me?” I can’t go there. “Is it like a burning ring of fire?”

She’s steady. “Fire and glass buddy. Broken glass.”

I suddenly feel compelled to do something for her. “Um… Would you like a glass of water?”

Nipple cracker? More like nipple crater.

Pam shows me the Royal Gorge right there again before she attempts to “latch” our daughter on.

The doctor says we have to treat Pam and Mikayla at the same time for this “Thrush”. The treatment involves oral medication for Mikayla and lotion for Pam.

Before I was married the ideas of boobs and lotion took on a completely different meaning for me. If you had told me there would come a time, 11 years into our marriage, when I’d be talking about my wife putting lotion on her breast, I’d have thought something completely different was going on. I assure you it did not include a nipple torn asunder.

Life as parents is an adventure and it’s harder than you think it’s going to be. You view parenting differently from an immaculate vacuum of inexperience as a young person. It’s an innocent and naïve perspective, void of mammory trauma or bloody suckling. I had always known parenting would be hard, but not nipple cracker hard.

Single guys reading the last sentence only see the words, nipple and hard. Their world does not and can not involve cracked nipples. The closest thing they come to this kind of thing is wearing a loosely fitting life-vest at the lake and getting that kind of nipple chaffing after a long day on a wake-board. Dude, trust me, my wife was totally wishing for a little chaffing. Wake-board nipple rash tickles. My wife thinks you are a pansy surfer dude. (Ok. So I made that line up.)

I won’t get into the calluses. Nor will I get into the long healing process necessary for a lotioned up nipple cracked, bleeding and being sucked 8 times a day by an infant we have nick-named “chompers”.

I tried to avoid making eye contact with the nipple for a while. I just couldn’t look. A man can only take so much broken nipple views in his life before a tear takes place in the space-time continuum and the male fascination with mammory glands comes untethered, this connection men have with breasts can not be tampered with. This connection that confuses so many women, this love of the booby.

The doctor told Pam she could stop breast feeding. That the pain would get better and it would keep Mikayla from passing it to her over and over again. But Pam who knows the benefits of breastfeeding said no. Some women would walk over burning coals or broken glass for their kids. Pam actually did, on her breasts, because she continued to breastfeed our daughter.

Now you all know a bit of married life as well. But that’s for another essay.

Zachery is waiting for an answer. “Dad!” He pokes me in the chest as I sit next to him.
“Do you want a nipple cracker?” I snap out of my dazed nipply daydream.

“What’s a nipple cracker son?”

Wild eyes look back at me. “It’s when you grab someone’s nipple, pinch and twist.”

Laughter.

“Oh. I see. Where did you learn about a nipple cracker son?”

“School.”

“No. I don’t want a nipple cracker and Zach I don’t want you to ever give one to your brother!”

“Come on dad! Please?!”

“Go ask your mom if she wants one.”

Scrolls we need to hide (2004)

By mark

2010-01-18T05:15:00.000-05:00

I wrote this after visiting the dead sea scrolls when they visited Grand Rapids, Michigan. Rereading this I love the idea of writing that will be forgotten then re-remembered. I'm asking myself this today.

============================================

Saw a few of the scrolls on Sunday. Very cool.
Written by the Essenes, the 900 scroll they discovered in a dozen or so caves outside of Ancient Qumran.
Looking at a 2000 year old writing is a bit confusing. Part of you thinks... It's just writings on paper (or animal skin)
Then another part says. A piece of paper in a clay jar in a cave shouldn't last 2000 years. The faintest whisper of a breeze or the slightest repeatative movement would destroy a scroll in a century or two. these lasted 2000 years.
These pre-christian, folks lifestyles make Pharasees look like Frat boys. Cultish activities including fence laws that would convince the most conservative baptist pastor he was destined for Hell. But they are my brothers. Men who cared about scripture and God's desire for their lives. Men who, when Romans had destroyed Jericho 10 miles away, ran to hide their most prized possessions. Their scrolls. They were good hiders. The researchers got to a point where they could identify the handwriting of the various scribes and that they had become "old friends".
You and I stand on tall shoulders... we get caught up in the here and now and throw around terms like ancient-future alot.
Mostly meaning we need to do things like we used to. Icons, and desert father stuff. But we are all about having an IMPACT right now. but maybe.. just maybe.. part of being ancient future is about creating things that will be forgotten. Things that make a difference over time. Being insignificant today... but shoulder for others to stand on. Maybe we are called to hide some scrolls for our brothers 2000 years from now. I wonder what those scrolls look like.

Haiti Relief

By Matt Kelley

2010-01-16T09:30:00.000-06:00

At the risk of adding to everyone's compassion fatigue, I want to make folks aware of a couple opportunities to participate in relief efforts following this week's earthquake in Haiti.

Most of the immediate needs are financial, so that relief organizations can purchase supplies through their normal networks. In-kind gifts are often slowed by transportation and customs issues, but will be useful in the weeks and months to come as efforts shift from rescue to rebuilding. Organizations like the Red Cross, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), and Conduit Mission, an organization that a good friend of mine from college is passionate about, are good places to start.

If you want to find out about opportunities to physically participate in rebuilding efforts, UMCOR is currently exploring options for sending teams. It probably won't be safe until at least March, but you can sign up on their website to get updates on teams as they become available.

Lastly, the Bahamas Methodist Habitat is uniquely positioned to play a huge role in relief efforts due to their proximity to Port au Prince. The Habitat is run by my friend Abe McIntyre, and right now they're flying in food and water, surgical supplies, and transporting several missionaries out of the country for transit back to the US. To do this, they need money right away.

We're taking up a collection for their efforts at Bethlehem tomorrow, and I hope you'll consider supporting them, as well. In the coming months, the Bahamas Habitat will probably also have opportunities for hands-on service.

None of us can individually meet all of these needs. If you haven't already given, please consider one of these or one of the literally hundreds of other worthy organizations. It may seem like a drop in the bucket, but every little bit counts.

New Layout

By Matt Kelley

2010-01-15T13:37:00.000-06:00

Thanks to The Design Girl and my lovely wife, Jessica, The Truth As Best I Know It has a new look!

If you're reading this post in Google Reader, on Facebook, or another aggregator, click on over to see the new design.

Thanks to all the readers who interact with my musings and continue to make this project worthwhile. I hope you enjoy the new look.

Youth Ministers: Drop Everything this Sunday!

By Brian

2010-01-14T14:44:00.002-06:00

This weekend, Let go of your carefully-planned Bible studies, game nights, Wii tournaments, and study programs and just sit with your youth and talk about what is happening in Haiti. Print out some of the news photos of the devastation and place them in the center of the group. Give the youth a chance to share what they've heard and seen about the crisis. Tell about what your church or denomination is already doing and talk about what you can do together to help. Spend time in group or silent prayer.

Some possible discussion questions:

Where do you think God is in this disaster?
How would you respond to televangelist Pat Robertson's comments that the earthquake happened because the Haitian people are cursed for making a pact with the Devil? Is this disaster the result of sin or the shifting of a fault line?
Read Psalm 60, a psalm of lament. What do you make of this passage? Does it truly reflect God's character or does it reflect the feelings of the psalmist? Or both?
Read Psalm 143, a cry for help. When we ask God for help, how do you think the prayer is answered? In what ways do you think prayers for help are being answered in Haiti right now?

Consider setting out a world map and indicate the location of Haiti. Surround the map with votive candles and sit around it in a circle. Share a little about life and culture in Haiti. In silence, pass a candlelighter around the circle and invite each youth to offer up a silent prayer for the people of Haiti, light a candle, and pass the lighter to the next person. Close by sharing all or a portion of Psalm 27.

Copy Driven Churches (2004)

By mark

2010-01-14T04:52:00.000-05:00

What I remember about this post is the snarky title. But re-reading today I'm taken back by my comments on experts. I don't think I really knew what I was saying, but today I really appreciate what I said then. I think I was on to something then. Whatever it was 6 years ago that inspired me to write that has really been developed since then. There's a reason I Peter Block's writing so much. I guess it took me 6 years to prepare for reading books like "Community".

It seems I really think it's cute to mix and match the church names at the time.
I like that I'm an equal opportunity critic.

Today what unnerves me about all of these articles is my willingness to write and speak about such things. To this day I wrestle with the arrogance associated with writing this kind of thing. Yet, I still write and continue to do so. hmmm...

-------------------------------------------------

WillowCreek. Saddleback. It’s all a lot like Islam. Thousands of pastors pray toward South Barrington and Mission Viejo several times a day. And at least once in their lives they must make a pilgrimage to the sacred mecca.

How many Purpose Driven pastors are there out there?

Almost as many “seeker-driven services” I’ll bet. It’s amazing how many people have accepted Rick Warren / Doug Fields / Bill Hybels into their hearts. They may have more disciples than Jesus, at least in America, where leading a church can be broken into 5 easy categories starting with “M” or “C”.

I went to a Saddleback Service 5 years ago. I heard Rick speak. It was good stuff. What I didn’t like was the other 4 times I’ve heard the sermon at various churches around the country. (No kidding.. 4 times) You know what? Saddleback seems to be a great church. It’s the little clones that are annoying. I will say this. Rick, Doug, Bill and the like are brilliant God-fearing guys. They try some fun stuff. God love ‘em! But to every other pastor in the World. You are not these guys. You are you. Don’t short-change your ministry for a formula. Don’t short-change your people by trying to be someone else. Your people need you to show them God. You are uniquely S.H.A.P.E.D. to reach the Community, Crowd, Congregation, (another ring representing a group smaller than congregation), and Core in your local church.

Oh. And to all the hip, cool and post-modern pastors out there who are cheering “yeah!” When inviting people to be “an apprentice of Jesus” in your “church for emerging generations” re-read the above paragraph. Only insert Len Sweet and Brian McLaren in for Bill Hybles and Rick Warren. We are as guilty of talking philosophy of “emerging ministries” without really ministering to people as anyone. (Perhaps more guilty) Some of my favorite churches in the US are churches you have not heard of, or will never hear of. Why? Because they are just doing ministry to post-moderns. Imagine that!? There is a church in Arlington TX and Moore OK that are meeting real needs in real ways. There are no super stars there. The ministries are not flashy, but they are messy. And you know what. They are one of the few churches I can say with all honesty are reaching people who are not believers in large numbers.

Hey! I’m not saying everything has to be original to you. But how about SOMETHING different! I understand that there are new words coming to express the “new paradigms” that arise. I understand needing a common language. But let’s be thinking people as we talk. It’s not bad to use other people’s stuff. (Especially since you pay for it.) But let’s think outside the box! Let’s let God use these leaders to groom us for our ministry to people. That’s what a great mentor does.

Being true to your context is not easy. In fact, it may be the most difficult thing you ever do. Deep thinking and lots of listening. Frankly, our culture is so mobile and pastors so transient that the hard work of a pastor understanding context, almost has to be neglected and replaced by formula’s to function. But is that the way it should be? Perhaps we should look less to experts for understanding our context and more to our community. Perhaps we should look into staying closer to home then moving every 2 years. Perhaps there are other models yet to be explored. Why have we not done this local exploration? No experts have told us how. But you are the expert!

Here’s an idea. (Look out) Almost DAILY I’m having conversations with pastors about how they no longer fit into the average church or the above average church. These people feel as though they are ministers without a place to serve. They are lost.

They are among the first of a growing wave of pastors who will no longer settle for less that total reckless attempts at faithfulness to God and his Bride. Many of these pastors work with youth and have been mentored by guys like Mike Yaconelli, who are challenging pastors not to settle for a comfortable job and a paycheck. They truth is all the advice they are getting is freeing them and simultaneously making them feel lost. They verbalize their hesitancy to plant a church. (At least as the currently understand it). What they don’t know is that they are the beginning of the revolution. (Here comes the idea) To administratively gifted people: Set up a way for people to raise support to minister to city’s experimenting with new ministry ideas and planting dozens of home-style churches in their cities. If I were wanting to work with YoungLife, Campus Life or aborigine’s down under I could raise support easily. Why can’t we be missionaries to Tulsa, Dallas, DC, Seattle, San Diego…etc. ? A loose organizational network needs to rise up to help legitimize micro-ministry as we re-define church. Who will it be? You? A friend?

Or maybe we are destined to be clones.

CULTURE WATCH: The Problem with "Avatar"

By Brian

2010-01-14T00:47:00.003-06:00

The new film "Avatar" would make for a great youth ministry discussion. But what exactly is the film teaching?

Like any good science-fiction, Avatar is at least in part a commentary on the culture and world we live in today. The story focuses on the plight of the Na'vi, the tall blue-skinned inhabitants of the moon Pandora. The Na'vi seem to live a very peaceful and nature-centered existence. At least, they do until ex-military mercenaries from Earth, hired and directed by some greedy corporate no-gooders, arrive on Pandora to steal its natural resources. To do so, they conclude the only solution is to uproot the Na'vi and take away their land, even if it means destroying their culture and way of life.

I can see this plot being a great basis for a thoughtful conversation with teens about justice, compassion, the sacredness of creation, and the world as it "is" as opposed to the world as it "could be." It also opens up the possibility for a critique of history. The plot of Avatar carries echoes of the Exile in Hebrew history, the plight of Africans torn from their countries and sold into slavery, the attempt to destroy the culture of the indigenous peoples in the history of the United States, the Holocaust, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan -- the list could go on and on.

Where I would actually argue against the film is in its violence. If you've seen the trailers, it's not giving much away to say that the film eventually winds up being a hardcore and bloody battle between the humans and the Na'vi. In fact, the video game based on the movie is completely focused, not on the beautiful world and peaceful life of the Na'vi, but on the battle with the humans. Even as this seems inevitable, I wondered why the filmmakers couldn't have been more creative. Is the only answer to violence more violence? Couldn't the Na'vi's spiritual life have offered them another choice? What should be the Christain perspective on this? Is there another way to respond to violence or is the vision of the Kingdom of God that Jesus offers simply an unattainable dream? Now, there is fodder for a great conversation with your youth!

Update: Check out this interesting post on Avatar and other recent films by fellow blogger Jason Fisher.

-- Brian

Oh, you were finished? Well then allow me to retort!

By Matt Kelley

2010-01-13T20:28:00.001-06:00

This is my 200th post. That has nothing to do with its subject, I just thought I'd mention it.

Most folks in the blogosphere have probably heard about Pat Robertson's comments regarding the massive earthquake in Haiti earlier today. If you haven't, Google it, because I'm not dignifying that man or anything he says by embedding the video here.

In fact, I am a bit hesitant to blog about this at all, especially when so many people who are smarter and more articulate than I are providing thoughtful responses.

All I'll say is this: Pat Robertson ironically proves that the kind of god he worships doesn't actually exist. If God, as Pat sells him (and Pat's god is clearly a petty, insecure, impulsive man), really does rain down horrible vengeance on anyone who makes him look bad, then wouldn't this god smite Pat Robertson on TV for everyone to see?

How many millions of people have turned away from faith because of the hatred spewed by people like Pat Robertson? Who, save for the 9/11 terrorists, makes God look worse than Pat Robertson? The fact that he hasn't been obliterated by a bolt of lightning proves that this monstrous, vengeful god Pat Robertson preaches doesn't actually exist.

"Just Not in Charge..." (2004)

By mark

2010-01-13T04:16:00.000-05:00

From 2002-2004 there was a lot of conversation about "the death of youth ministry". I think the term can originally be attributed to Holly Rankin Zaher, around the same time, but there were several of us who'd been asking questions about the future of youth ministry and how it needed to change.

I gathered a group of people at the convention that I respect. DeVries wasn't at the convention, but he lives in Nashville and happened to be in town and showed up as a favor to me (I think I still owe him!) and a wonderful conversation occurred. I wrote this article shortly after the conversation.

Re-reading this post I'm reminded of a few things: 1.) I asked my friend and former assistant youth pastor (and later YS staff member) Alex Roller what he thought of the article (he was in his early to mid 20's at the time) and he told me he threw the magazine across the room when he was reading it. :-) I love that kind of honest feed back.

Eventually something similar to this found it's way into a chapter of my first book (Inside the Mind of Youth Pastors).

It's also interesting to me that Chap Clark's influence is very evident on some of my material here. the U of Chicago stat is straight from him and his thinking.

So here's the article from 2004. Enjoy.

================================================================

"Just Not in Charge..."
by Mark Riddle

Youth Worker Journal July/August 2004
This May at the Emergent Convention in Nashville I led a conversation discussing the current state of youth ministry and its future. I invited Mark DeVries, Holly Rankin Zaher, Jonny Baker, and Tony Jones to give their thoughts. Almost 50 people sat in on the 10 p.m. conversation and contributed their thoughts and ideas. What follows are the main themes discussed in that setting: Twenty-three-year-olds shouldn’t lead youth ministries. Can God use a 23-year-old to minister to students? Yes, and God does. Should this person be in charge? No.

Let me confess that I started getting paid for youth ministry when I was 19. It’s always been a point of pride with me. My first job was within a highly dysfunctional mainline church. 90% of the people attending were born or married into membership, and there were lots of big fish in this little pond. People were gripping for power like Sergio Garcia gripping his driver on the 18th hole at Augusta. There was enough calculation for control and paranoia regarding agendas that John Ford Nash, Jr.’s beautiful mind would’ve fit right in. I worked for a great pastor named Paul. I stayed close to Paul, and he protected me. We spoke every week about every conversation I was having with students. When Diane’s mom called Paul to complain about the fact that I wouldn’t put a Garth Brooks poster on the youth room wall, Paul knew it was coming and he handled it. He had my back. I was young and not yet a man. There’s one unrelenting fact about my first two years of ministry. I wouldn’t have survived had it not been for my pastor Paul. I can’t tell you that I’d even be in ministry today if not for the constant and consistent encouragement, processing, and strength of Paul.

Youth ministry is changing, and I’m not talking about small changes. Examples of small changes are changing the night of the week you meet on; moving from large-group Bible study to small groups; and moving from lecture-style teaching to helping kids create experiences. These are all fine changes I’ve made through the years (and they felt huge at the time), but the changes coming in youth ministry make them all appear truly tiny in comparison.

Almost every week I hear of another youth pastor declaring the need to kill life-stage ministries in our churches. (I don’t have time or space to dive into this, but our systematic separation of teens from the rest of the church is creating enormous problems involving perspective and warped theology in our teens as they grow.) This change is coming. It’s a fact, and its implications for ministry with teens and families are legion. Negotiating the currents of this change is immensely challenging and not for the light-hearted.

Let me just say it: the 23-year-old has the heart to change his or her church (with God’s help), but seldom the skill—which often results in burnout or departure from that particular local church, only to experience the same pathology and frustration at the church down the street. Many youth pastors simply leave ministry all together. The road to modern-day youth ministry has been paved with the lives and souls of young youth pastors who fell on their journey and were trampled under the feet of the church and its lust for forward momentum.

It’s encouraging to see so many youth workers at the large conventions; but what about the thousands of unknown youth workers who were out-maneuvered by parents, church boards, and senior pastors, resulting in their hearts being emotionally and spiritually burned by the system? No one speaks for them; in fact, we don’t remember them. We are silent.

The University of Chicago declared that modern-day adulthood begins at 26, and I have yet to meet anyone over 30 years old who disagrees with that declaration. Yet we expect the 23-year-old late adolescent to lead a congregation in one of the church’s most emotionally charged areas. What chance does a young youth pastor have when he or she is working with a 55-year-old, passive-aggressive Vice President of Marketing at WalCo who has 30 years of experience and training in playing politics? We need more 23-year old people in ministry, just not in charge.

I realize this may not be a popular notion, but let me ask you a question: Does it show we value 23-year-old humans when we put them in leadership of youth ministries, or are we in an indirect way harming their souls and their future ministries?

Let us nurture, value, and protect our younger sisters and brothers in ministry as we give them an appropriate level of responsibility and attribute to them an appropriate understanding of life with God. Let them be well-guided interns or volunteers until they’re adults and found ready within the community. Let us all continue to thank God for these young people and for their faithfulness to the callings they’ve received. We mustn’t mislead them or take them for granted—for their voices and lives are desperately needed within the church. Let them lead-—in their season.

Episode 44: Redefining the Win

By Array

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:57:17 PST

My friend, Johnny Scott who is the Director of Junior High Believe, joins me to talk about junior high small groups. Formats available: MPEG-4 Video (.m4v), Flash Video (.flv) Tags: kurt johnston, johnny scott, simply junior high, junior high ministry, middle school ministry

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The 85% Statistic

By Array

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 07:27:27 PST

Found a blog post from about six months ago by Kara Powell that is well worth the read. The post itself is great, but the best fodder for discussion is found in the comments.

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Untitled doc (2004)

By mark

2010-01-12T04:32:00.001-05:00

In late 2004 it seemed to be a critical time for me. I had a lot going on personally at the church I was working within & was still rethinking some things regarding the church. I wrote the following piece and I don't think I ever posted it anywhere publicly (til now).

Re-reading this is like looking into a window in my life. I was a receiving a lot of criticism for asking questions at the time. Words like emergent, postmodern and such were buzzing and I was able to articulate my small judgmental (what I call narrowmindedness in the doc) and though I never published this (I don't think I did) it's interesting that it's written in such a way as I'm reaching out and connecting with a community out there in the world who'd been with me on the journey from my first rant up to that point.

Time does weird things to writers, or at least to me. There are times when I've looked back at things I've written years before and wondered to myself, did I really write that? A few times this has happened when I've been publicly quoted, but most often it happens when I'm reading something in my files. This is one of those things. It feels like it was written by someone else. To be honest it seems like something Andrew Jones (Tall Skinny Kiwi) would right at the time. So I read it like a detective. Did I write this? Who uses words like "radical empiricism"? William James was driven into me by my philosophy teacher at OBU. that feels like me. etc. You get the idea. It's a tad weird to say this, but I like a few of these lines so much, that I question whether I have the capacity to actually write this kind of thing.

Just a glimpse into my mind today as I read this again. Maybe I'm the only guy who puts words together that has felt this way.

This is something I wrote in 2004. thoughts?

============================================

Confessions leaders and pastors, reimagining Church.
1. We'll confess that we are often cynical, whether it be from a past hurt or a Radical Empiricism.
2. We'll confess that we are often optimistic and hopeful. That it's our great love for God and Jesus as proclaimed in the scripture that propells us toward living the way we do, and believing about what we believe. Often this leads to Idealism.
3. We'll confess that in our desire for faithfulness and enthusiasm for new ways of living out the Kingdom of God, we are often guilty of the very same narrowmindedness that we say we have left.
4. We'll confess that we need humility in these matters. We need to hold great convictions and simultaneously live with, what my friend calls "a posture of I don't know".
5. We'll confess that we will likely do good, badly. That we will live rightly, wrongly.
6. We'll confess that we are optimistic about the mutual admiration of the various faces of the Church. This leads us to diving headlong into discussions on the Bible, the church and philosophy often with frustrating outcomes. Ironically, it is these outcomes that actually reinforce our cynical thinking about the Church, leading us toward narrowmindedness. (see #3)
7. We'll confess that we have nothing to prove, but we often live like we do.
8. We'll confess that it's hard to confess some of these things because we fear others will take them in a manner they are not meant and use them against us. (see #7)

Monday Miscellaneous

By Array

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 10:17:43 PST

WEEKEND WRAP UP: This past weekend we kicked off our new series, “Flipped”. This series takes a look at some of the ways Jesus flipped the world’s ways of thinking upside down. This week’s topic was “Power Doesn’t Matter”. Matt Hall, one of our team members, did a fantastic job of helping students look at Jesus’ view of what true power is all about. We played a game we called “Flipped Phrases”, which was a rip off of Mad Gab which went over well. We also had a cool backdrop/sign on stage with our “Flipped” logo on it that we flipped over halfway through the lesson, which was a pretty fun little visual.

STAFF CAMP: We are trying something new in a couple of weeks. Because of budget cuts, we lost the ability to take our team to a conference this year for ongoing learning etc. So, in a creative moment we decided to take the money it would cost for ONE person to go to a conference and put on our own, in house, conference for our entire student ministry team. We have asked a couple of the other pastors on our team to share with us, we will do some reading, some training etc. Should be awesome….but could be a flop!

CHANGES: A couple of months ago I posted here that our team is in the beginning stages of streamlining our programs, re-evaluating how we spend our time etc. Two months later and we are still taking some baby [...] Continue Reading "Monday Miscellaneous" Related posts:

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Don't call me youth pastor (2004)

By mark

2010-01-11T06:40:00.000-05:00

Below is something I wrote in early 2004. Though this comes off as toxic, it wasn't written to be so. It was an honest prayer and confession. One that I still think I can agree with. Maybe not literally, but the sentiment is real and helpful.

As I re-read this I'm taken by my burden for misleading teens, and families. I still feel this to an extent.

-----------------------------------------------------

My name Mark Riddle and I'm a Youth Pastor. I've built my life around being a lifer. One of those guys who said he would never be a Senior Pastor and dedicate my life to youth ministry. I excelled in my vocation. Leading groups of 20, 50, 150, 300 teens each week. I'm good at what I do. I've read a lot of books. Books on youth ministry, business and church life. I've been to all the cool conferences several times. You know the ones I'm talking about. The big "national" conferences where all the youth pastors gather and the small regional conferences too! I could give half the worships at these national conferences word for word I've been so many times. I even lead workshops at some. I'm fluent in what all the progressive churches are doing around the world in youth ministry. Ok... around my world..America. Chicago, Mission Viejo, Tipp City, Edina, Louisville, Tulsa, Eden Praire, Irvine, Dallas, Houston, Colombus, San Antonio, or Colorado Springs I knew churches there and what they were doing. Eventually I even gained friendships with some of the people employed by these churches. I use their names in conversations with other Youth Pastor's to help them look up to me. I know their programs and other like em... Purpose Driven (PDYM), Son Life, YoungLife, Youth For Christ, oneighty, Kingdom builders and Ground Zero. I know words like Post Modern. I know the litany of churches and people who profess to be post-modern. I've tried the postmodern youth minstry thing.
I've built programs. Boy have I built programs. Programs for Jr high students and programs for SR high. I've put programs with Purpose's, I've filtered programs through funnels and cones. I've built programs for students at various levels of commitment.. even seekers. I've done small group programs, Hyped-up David Letterman crazy programs written up in youth Group magazine programs, multi-level missions to the world programs , student leadership programs, youth worship services, enourmous outreach programs, concerts, retreats and Bible Studies. I've also built teams to build the more programs.
After over a decade of cramming for the Youth Pastor test in the sky and building youth ministry machines that will be perpetuated long after I'm gone, I have this very sick feeling. Something like Jack Nicholson in "About Schmit" I have discovered I have misspent a large portion of my life. I'm not called to be a lifer. I'm not called to be a Youth Pastor. You may ask how I discovered this fact? You may say that I've impacted the lives of hundred, if not thousands of students over the past 12 years. I would say to you. Yes I have impacted students.. but probably less for the good than the bad. I've taught them (unintentionally mind you) that the enourmous and diverse bride of Christ is a youth group. That life should be fun and that the church should cater to them. I've taught them that they don't need adults.. and any needs they have from adults should be brought to them by adults... I've enabled a generation of young people to leave the greater community of God to find a local church to meet their needs. I've taught them to be selfish spiritually. I've taught them that church is about fun and God. I've enable lazy parents when I've taken the primary spiritual nurture of their kids in my hands. Youth group is not real life. I was paid to minister to students on behalf of a congregation. What lesson am I teaching students about ministry, community and God when I leave for another job? I can't do this anymore. No. I will not do this any more. Teens need adults in their church, not volunteers. They need churches where communities naturally flow from relationships with various generations. Don't call me a youth pastor. I hate that term. I will not be a youth pastor to you or to anyone. I feel the weight and burden of misleading a generation of students. I feel the pain of creating, building and perpetuating a system that teaches a different Gospel. Am I being to hard on myself? I think not! The community is where God meets his people. The whole community. What kind of God does a group of teens isolated in their youth group see? What does he look like? Are you called to do this?
We must reimage what it means to be involved in the lives of students. We must reimage our role!
My name is mark. I used to be a youth pastor and I'm sorry I was. Will you forgive me?

Uncommon iPhone Cases: Create Your Own

By Adam

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:25:48 +0000

The above video shows you the new iPhone case that I made at getuncommon.com. These iPhone cases are made by a new company called Uncommon – they’re great because you can create your own case using any image/photo/graphic that you want. The quality of these cases is amazing. Both Sarah and I were VERY impressed [...]

The World of YS, Take Three: God is funny like that

By Tic Long

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:42:19 +0000

How crazy is this, I am back at Youth Specialties. Starting January 1st I came back full time to lead YS. God must have some kind of sense of humor and once again I am made aware that I can never really predict what God is going to do next in my life. Who saw this [...]

Tic Long Returns and Becomes New Executive Director of Youth Specialties

By Adam

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:00:52 +0000

Later this morning, Youth Specialties will officially make this announcement, but I wanted you to hear it here at Pomomusings first: Tic Long is now returning to Youth Specialties and will serve as the new Executive Director. As most of you know, there have been many changes at Youth Specialties in the past year. YouthWorks purchased [...]

On Postmodernism (2002)

By mark

2010-01-07T04:02:00.000-05:00

This repost from 2002 is a bit odd. after writing a couple de-tox rants Spencer Burke of theooze.com invited me to write a weekly rant. This was both good and bad for me. Good in that I had a group of people who gave immediate feedback and additional thoughts on what I'd written. Writing something weekly became the spark I needed to start writing which was something I didn't do often at the time. There's a definite edge to what I wrote at the time and a more healthy me feels an urge not to post this kind of thing. For whatever reason what I was writing at the time connected with some people and we were good for each other as we detoxed together. But I won't apologize for what I wrote. It was who I was at the time and what I needed to say. It was in some way healing for me and God seemed to use it to make me more whole as harsh or bitter as some of these rants may have been.

Then an internal shift happened. Like a scale with "good for mark" on one side and "bad for mark" on the other had shifted. The good no longer held the advantage for my soul. At this point I realized that writing a Rant every week was going to cut a cynical groove in brain that would run really deep. So I stopped. I knew that it was breeding in me something that was ugly and it was time for rants to end in me. At least weekly.

This post was written specifically for theooze.com in 2002.

Re-reading this post today is interesting because today I almost never use the term postmodern. I don't like how I come off in this article. And I'm obviously talking about myself here, as most of my writing is autobiographical, but I'm not sure I fully understood this at the time. Reading this now gives me one of those moments that I have everyone once in a while, that you never tell anyone about. Those moments when you meet someone and they make you completely crazy and you want to escape their presence, AND they remind you of yourself in some small way, and you leave them thinking, "Dear God, do I sound like that?? Do talk like that? Do I present myself like that?" and your friends tell you that you don't, but you know they're just nice. Yeah, I have that in this moment about myself. I know I posture like this too often still today. It's an arrogant posture and I've still not reconciled this part of me, I know. But there are some parts of this that I still enjoy reading.

The last paragraph makes me laugh out loud still today. (Yeah I'm the guy who laughs at his own jokes.)

=========================================

If you are completely fascinated with the word Postmodern or your primary source of research material on Postmodernism is a book by Len Sweet then you are probably not a Postmodern. Just because you can use the term Postmodernity in a sentence doesn’t mean you are an expert. My wife, however, says I sound “dirty” when I use it. I’m not sure what that means. The same goes for “hip pastor” slang. For instance. Pomo. Or the initials PM.

It seems that recently Brian McLaren’s name is getting slung and tossed around more than a snake at a Pentecostal church or a [little person] at a biker rally. Surprisingly when talking about him, no one refers to him by his initials.

Reading a lot and agreeing with opinions expressed on theooze, next-wave or guidepost for teens does not mean anything until something is done. A great tragedy in the American church is the recognition of the need for change, and the miniscule desire in pastors to do anything. I know, I know…. You’ve read “A New Kind of Christian” or “Aqua church” and it changed your life. 8 years ago you read Purpose Driven church and “rediscovering church” and it had the same effect. Nothing. The goal is not a collection of knowledge, but the advancement of the kingdom.

Oh and the world doesn’t need another church named Marshill, Mosaic, Jacob’s Well, Axis, aXcess, Xtreme or any name abusing the letter X. The poor X has had a rough 15 years. Give it some rest. Pick another letter to abuse. Try the letter “Q”. Q is a cool letter.

Just because you are tired of youth ministry doesn’t mean you should be a pastor of a postmodern church. Come on people! You gave up NASCAR, 2 dozen Jeff Burton T-shirts, your Mullet and tighty whities for Black leather pants, silk boxers, aviator sunglasses, a shaved head and one thrift store shirt so you could “relate to people in an authentic way”????? Try being yourself.

Let’s face it. Postmodernism is a shock on the Modern person’s senses, like waking up to the smell of your 14 year old, 180 pound Bull Mastiff “Limbaugh”, (who has had most of his colon removed and doesn’t Rush anywhere anymore), and how he has inexplicably got into the wholesale grocery size “Spicy Bean Dip” value pack. While it remains a mystery how “Limbaugh” was able to open all twenty 12 oz. cans to eat them, it is obvious that the runny excuses for piles on the floor, furniture, and walls were going to be picked up by your roommate… if you could just get out the door without passing out again. But I digress.

epiphany

By Lilly Lewin

2010-01-06T23:03:04-05:00

Today begins the season of epiphany, the christmas season is officially over on this the 12th day of christmas ...and now we celebrate the coming of the magi to worship the infant king...the Light dawning for all people, not just for the children of israel. check out dennis bratcher for more info on the season of epiphany.

Do I take risks like the wiseones of old

Do i take risks when it comes to worshiping God?

Do I take risks in order to follow where God is leading?

Do I hesitate

Do I over think things

Do I wonder too much about what others might think?

Am I willing to leave it all?

Am I willing to cross deserts and mountains?

To leave all that is safe and familiar to go where He leads

Or to Go where I think, where I feel where I believe God is leading?

What keeps me from going?

What keeps me frozen in place

Uncertainty… that I’ve heard

Uncertain that I truly know and can truly trust in Him.

What is it that won’t allow me to go and ask the hard questions and

Seek out His star, no matter what the darkness

No matter what the risk

No matter what the barrier?

How can I remember,

No.,..help me to remember that darkness is not dark to you

That you invented light that you are the light of the world

That has come to banish all our darkness. Yet it takes the darkness

Often to perceive the light.

Darkness is not dark to you

Uncertainty is not a word in your vocabulary

You know our plans

You perceive my thoughts

And you still love me anyway….

The light of the world has come

To all people .,..the Light has come!

Everything was created through him;

nothing—not one thing!—

came into being without him.

What came into existence was Life,

By Matt Kelley

2010-01-01T17:26:00.000-06:00

2009 has come and gone, and I've seen lots of folks do different kinds of retrospectives (Top/Bottom 10 lists, etc.) on the year. Since my year was consumed by two defining moments, the birth of my daughter and the loss of our church building, I'm not sure I can really wrap my mind around the year just yet.

I'll probably do a retrospective on my first year as a father later this month when Kate officially turns 1. And the recovery and rebuilding work we've done over the last six months will bear fruit over the course of this year, so I'll revisit it at some point. So the jury is still out on Matt's 2009.

Another thing I've seen folks doing is retrospectives on the past decade. Yes, I know the calendar purists argue that there's another year left in the decade, but the years 200_ have ended. Plus, this has been the first decade of actual adulthood for me (although that's also debatable!), so I'm looking back to where I was when the 2000s began.

Note- this is the only picture I could find of myself from 2000. This is me at a laundromat somewhere in Grundy County, TN, doing laundry with my Mountain TOP staff. For some reason we thought it would be funny to "ride" the dryer.

On January 1, 2000, I was nineteen years old and a freshman at Butler University. I was majoring in political science and considering adding religion as a second major. Of course, my second major would quickly become my priority and I would end up dedicating my life to studying religion, specifically Christian theology and how it is practiced in the world.

Some of my friends claimed that this was an odd combination of majors, since one is not supposed to talk religion or politics in polite company. But less than two years later, on September 11, 2001, we all realized how intertwined these two subjects really are.

Ten years ago I was a few months into my first youth ministry job at Speedway UMC in Indianapolis. What this church was doing hiring someone as young as me to work with teenagers, I still have no clue. I was very aware of how in over my head I was, so I probably called my mentor, Will Penner, a couple times a week for advice.

Local church ministry, whether as a youth pastor, associate, and now senior pastor, has taught me many things about myself, about the nature of humanity and how we relate to one another, and even a thing or two about God. But perhaps that first impression, that I'm in over my head and have no idea what I'm doing, has been the greatest lesson ministry has taught me. When I realize how little I know and little control I have, I become more dependent on God to guide me, which is probably the idea in the first place.

I've given up thinking that I'll ever "arrive" and be completely comfortable in my role as a pastor. I have, however, become more at peace with that discomfort, and I hope I will continue to grow in this way.

Ten years ago I was also involved in campus ministry with Campus Crusade. If you asked me about my goals ten years ago, I probably would have said that one of them would be to be the leader of Crusade's praise band, which I eventually got to do. My spiritual life at the time was very much fed by praise and worship music.

Perhaps it's partially the result of some negative experiences with Crusade and evangelicalism generally, or just my own growth and change in preferences, but I got really burned out on praise and worship music, and I've never really regained my taste for it. In a world that's full of noise and clutter, I find rock band praise music to be just more noise. There are those, my wife included, for whom it's very beneficial, and that's great. But I increasingly find myself more drawn to contemplative disciplines that force me to slow down and block out the many distractions around me. I find it much easier to listen for God's still, small voice when there is less noise around me.

I enjoyed writing ten years ago, but I didn't know how big a part o my life it would become. In the past decade I've been very fortunate to get to write for a number of different online and print publications. Hopefully this will continue to be part of my personal and professional life.

If, on January 1, 2000, you asked me where I'd be in ten years, I'm not sure what I would have said. I probably would have said I'd be married by then. I probably wouldn't have said I'd have a child by then, because my parents were both in their 30s when they had me, and I figured I'd follow suit. I certainly would have said I wanted to only have boys! What I got was way better than what I ever could have imagined.

In the past ten years I've collected a pair of degrees, met and married the love of my life, gotten to travel to a number of interesting places, met a lot of interesting (mostly wonderful) people, and become a father. All things considered, not a bad way to spend my twenties.

Thoughts on the Eve of Christmas

By Matt Kelley

2009-12-23T21:44:00.002-06:00

I haven't blogged in the past few weeks, not because I haven't had any thoughts, but because I'm having such trouble getting them out in a coherent manner. Perhaps it's simply the busyness of this season, but maybe it's something more than that.

Like most pastors, I find the Advent/Christmas season to be simultaneously joyful and frustrating. It's wonderful because of all the traditions, the songs, and the decorations. They remind us of wonderful memories, and since this is my first Christmas as a parent, we are making wonderful new memories that we will cherish for a lifetime.

This season can be frustrating, too. The sheer volume of activity can be tiring. The stress of getting the "right" gift for someone can quickly overshadow the whole purpose of giving gifts in the first place. And, of course, the annual campaign of the "culture-warriors" who crusade against a perceived enemy (that doesn't actually exist) and turn "Merry Christmas" into a political statement.

In my moments of exhaustion and frustration I wonder what any of this actually has to do with Jesus.

But then, at the moment I least expect it, God reminds me that beneath the rather thick layer of crass commercialism and cultural shmaltz, there remains a deep significance to Advent and Christmas. Brian McLaren shared a Jackson Brown song on this blog the other day, called "The Rebel Jesus"

This Christmas, let us look past the lights and the presents for just a moment and remember how God showed up in the least expected of places and became a rebel who challenged the unjust social and religious practices taught by the leaders of his day, and continues to do so today. Let us not forget the Rebel Jesus whose birth we celebrate.

(Note- at the request of my dear friend and excellent New Testament scholar, Maria Mayo Robbins, I'd like to clear up any confusion about my view of Second Temple Judaism. Judaism as a religion has not ever been unjust, but the way it has been practiced by certain individuals has at times been unjust. Such is the case with every religion, especially my own. One need only casually read my blog to see that I am more critical of my own tribe than of any other. What Jesus challenged was not Judaism itself, as he was a very faithful and observant Jew, but certain practices that were enforced by politically powerful religious elites.)

VIDEO: Retooning the Nativity!

By Brian

2009-12-23T12:39:00.000-06:00

I nice little video that reminds us that the Hallmark card version of the nativity does not always match up with the biblical account. Ultimately though, I'm much less interested in the actual historicity of the birth narrative as I am with what the writers of Luke and Matthew were trying to say theologically about Jesus and the world into which he was born. Why sheperds? Why a star? Why wisemen? Why a virgin birth? All great questions to ask as we are about to celebrate the coming of God's light once again into the world.

--Brian

Poster Child for God’s Unconditional Love

By Will Penner

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:12:19 +0000

I was listening to the local Christian radio station the other day, and that was the tag line used to describe the host of one of their shows: “The poster child for God’s unconditional love.” To be honest, I don’t actually listen to Christian radio all that much–I’m more of a Classical music guy, which contributes [...]

receiving the baby king

By Lilly Lewin

2009-12-22T08:14:34-05:00

this year, i've thought a lot about the fact that God chose to come to earth as a baby...an infant who needed care, comfort and lots of attention. jesus came as a baby...not as a self-sufficient adult, not as an angel with supernatural powers, but he arrived as a helpless baby born in a small town to a young mom and an adoptive dad who were still being surprised by the wonder of it all.
at the time of his birth, they didn't even have the gift of family around for support, they were on a pilgrimage in a strange city needing the aid and assistance of people they'd just met. needing the gift of hospitality in a big way.what if we take time to consider jesus as a baby...when you prepare for a baby, you have to get lots of stuff ready. the room, all the diapers. the car seat, all the special gear necessary. Your house changes, you have less space because the baby stuff takes up lots of room. Your focus changes..,whether you are adopting or hatching a baby, you begin to focus your life around this little person. And once that person arrives on the scene you no longer need a TV because all you want to do is watch what he or she does.

when a baby enters the world, your time is no longer your own. now you have to think about the needs of someone else. you have to consider how what you do will affect the baby...even before a baby is born, the mom must consider what she eats, drinks, or smokes.
What if we see the coming of baby Jesus into our lives like this? How do you and i make space for baby Jesus in our lives? How do we get ready for his birth in our real world? What stuff do you and i have to get rid of? Do you and i need to add special gear?… What does bringing baby Jesus into your life and my life really look like?

And consider Jesus as a baby who needs our time and attention, .. What are you willing to do to care for him ?
How are you willing to change your life in order to give baby jesus the attention and care he needs?
am i willing to prepare him room in this way?

am i willing ? are you willing to receive the gift of jesus as a baby?

talk to God about this...

We need more Billy Jim’s – Scoutmaster for 75 Years

By Deech

Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:25:23 +0000

I want to take time today to thank God for Billy Jim Vaughn who died yesterday at 97 years young. Billy Jim is perhaps the most amazing and influential person I have ever met. Sadly, I did not know him well; but I was blessed to see his impact first hand. Billy Jim has been the [...]

COMMUNITY BUILDER: Guess the Christmas Carol

By Brian

2009-12-19T14:22:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick and easy game to test your teens' knowledge of well-known Christmas carols. The list below, which has been anonymously circulating the internet, describes famous Christmas carols using over-inflated language. See how many your group can guess! Give candy canes to the winning team...and to everyone else, too! Tis the season to be jolly!

1.From dark 'til dawn, soundless and sanctimonious. (Silent Night, Holy Night)

2. My sole desire for the Yuletide season is a receipt of a pair of central incisors. (All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth)

3. Celestial messengers from splendid empires. (Angels from the Realms of Glory)

4. The event occurred at one minute after 11:59 PM with visibility unlimited. (It Came Upon a Midnight Clear)

5. Ornament the enclosure with large sprigs of berry-bearing evergreen. (Deck the Halls)

6. The antlered quadruped with the cerise proboscis. (Rudolph)

7. Personal hallucinations of an alabaster December 25th. (I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas)

8.Pastoral woollies nocturnally observed in vigilance by herdsmen. (While Shepherds Watch Their Flocks by Night)

9. Testimony of witness to maternal parent's affection for Kris Kringle. (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus)

10. Clappered inverted cups, amalgamated. (Silver Bells)

11. Who's the mystery kid? (What Child is This?)

12. Proclaim it from high altitude geographical formations. (Go Tell it on the Mountains)

13. O miniature Nazarene village. (O Little Town of Bethlehem)

14. The approach of the holiday commemorating the birth of Christ is becoming evident. (It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas)

15. May Jehovah grant unto you hilarious males retirement. (God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen)

16. Multiple reigning monarchs of the Far East. (We Three Kings)

17. Are you detecting the same aural sensations as I am? (Do You Hear What I Hear?)

18. The diminutive male of less than adult age who plays a percussion instrument. (Little Drummer Boy)

19. Primary Yuletide. (The First Noel)

20. Heavenly cherubs announcing in song - listen! (Hark! The Herald Angels Sing)

Advent '09 Ideas for Youth Ministry #6: More Links!

By Brian

2009-12-18T21:29:00.000-06:00

With the last Sunday of Advent almost upon us, we offer up one more heaping helping of Advent links. We hope these will be helpful in your ministry with youth or just in your own personal observance of this season of waiting.

The ReJesus features a series of online meditations focused on different characters that appear in an Eastern Christian nativity icon image.

Check out this gallery of images of a collection of creative Advent prayer centers.

Here is a great step-by-step description of an intergenerational and interactive Advent worship experience developed by a youth worker in Tennessee.

Need a rest yourself during this season of the year? Try this online series of devotions called "Following the Star."

The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers this really cool interactive exploration of the nativity narrative in classical art.

Looking for some free Christmas music to get you in the spirit? Try any of the free (and legal) downloads from Feels Like Christmas. (I particularly like the version of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" by Jars of Clay found on this page of the site).

--Brian

VIDEO: Advent

By Brian

2009-12-18T19:46:00.000-06:00

Make Annimated Announcements, Simply by Typing

By Deech

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:37:19 +0000

My friend Kris Lott introduced me to this fun new site that allows you to make animated movies for free. All you have to do is type in the script and the program does the rest. It is a great tool to use for web announcements or to play at youth group to get your [...]

Pastors Say the Darnedest Things

By Deech

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:24:40 +0000

Over the past 16 years of ministry, I have had 6 different senior pastors at my various churches. As the Executive Director of the CYMT, I have now worked with 25+ pastors as they supervise our students. As a YMA consultant, I had the privilege of working intently alongside 6 churches and pastors during times of transition. Throw in all the stories I know from my youth ministry friends about their pastors including one I heard this week which inspired this post where I simply want to say, pastors say the darnedest things.

Advent '09 Ideas for Youth Ministry #5: Bible Study

By Brian

2009-12-16T12:58:00.006-06:00

During a season in which we are inundated with cultural versions of the nativity story, this Bible study invites youth to look critically and thoughtfully at a the story of Christmas which we find in the Gospel of Luke.

GETTING READY: Invite youth individually or in small groups to brainstorm on sticky pad notes the names/nicknames we give to Jesus that explain how we think about him (or how we’ve been taught to think about him. Ask them to stick the notes onto a flipchart or perhaps a large image of Jesus. Read the responses out loud..

ASK: Where do you think our ideas about Jesus come from (e.g. Bible, parents, church, culture, experiences). Where do people outside the church get their ideas about who Jesus was?

DIGGING IN: Set out lots of Christmas cards showing images of the nativity. Ask youth to name characters and elements of the nativity story that they can remember. Note the differences in the ways the various artists depict the story. Share that scripture provides multiple understandings of who Jesus was and just looking at the Christmas story can demonstrate this. In small groups, challenge youth to read together Luke 2: 1-19 and Matthew 1: 18 - 2: 18. Their goal is to uncover together which elements listed below of the traditional Christmas story appear in which gospel:

Mary and Joseph live in Nazareth.
Mary and Joseph are living in Bethlehem.
An angel appears to Joseph.Caesar orders a census.
Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem.
An angel appears to the shepherds.
Jesus is placed in a manger.
The wisemen visit Jesus.King Herod orders the babies killed.
A star apears over the place where Jesus is.

(Note: No! I'm not going to give you the answers. You have to look them up for yourself!)

ASK: How do you feel about the fact that these two stories are so different? What guesses do you have for why the people who compiled the Bible would include both stories even though they are different?

REFLECTING: Now let's focus in on on just one of the stories: Luke’s. Share with youth that the writer of this story likely wrote it decades after Jesus’ death. S/he likely didn’t know Jesus personally and was not reporting history (at least in the way we understand history) so much as trying to share his/her community's understanding of who Jesus was and how they had experienced God in Jesus. So, what was that understanding?

Invite youth again to work in small teams, reading again the above passage from Luke and responding together to the questions below

What could it mean that Jesus is first described as a tiny baby? Why not start the story when he is an adult like Mark and John's gospels do?
Why include these crazy angels as a way to announce the baby’s birth? Couldn't Mary have just sent out birth announcements?
Why share that dirty, smelly shepherds are the first ones to get the good news of the birth? Why not some king or religious leader?
How do the various characters react to the birth? How would you react?

WRAPPING UP: Come back together as a whole group and invite youth to share the various responses they had to the questions above. You might mention that much of Luke's way of telling the story connects with Luke's particular focus on Jesus' ministry to the outcast, the poor, the neglected, and the downtrodden. His birth story contains many elements that point to Jesus' own eventual ministry to the "least of these." The mere fact that each gospel writer talks about Jesus in a unique and distinct way is a reminder to us that the story of Jesus and his ministry are not as simple as the images we see on the front of a Christmas card.

CLOSING: As a connection with the idea that the Church and our culture see Jesus in many different ways, share the song "Rebel Jesus" by Jackson Browne (available on this album). Have they ever thought of using the term "rebel" to describe Jesus? What in the Christmas story might hint at this way of thinking about Jesus? Where is there still a need in our lives and in the world today for a rebel Jesus? Close in prayer.

-- Brian

By Lilly Lewin

2009-12-07T21:46:48-05:00

steve fuller paid a visit to maproom last night as a part of his church experiment . maproom was week 49 on his 52 week tour of churches/places of worship in the cincinnati area. i haven't met steve personally but i've wanted to invite him to a thinplace gathering ever since i read about his experiment in cin-weekly/metromix.

so thanks steve for joining us and for the great props! check out what steve says and i'll write more about my experience at maproom and post more pics later this week.

tomorrow and wednesday, i'm setting up a similar prayer experience at the presbyterian church of wyoming. that's wyoming, OHIO, my little village of cincinnati.

so if you missed maproom last night and would like to experience multi-sensory worship, come by wyoming presbyterian church and take time to receive the gift of advent. "RECEIVE the GIFT" will be running wed night through sunday night (closed saturday) this week. call the church for exact times.

Catalyst, NYWC, Open Space and Future Conventions: Part 7

By mark

2009-12-07T00:50:00.000-05:00

Change Agents

Change is popular word these days.
It's a good word when referencing oneself.
It's a bad word when referencing others.

Pastors who are driven to change people and become change agents in the culture are too often manipulative.

When this desire for change is teamed with the burden of the life and death nature of the gospel it breeds a powerful tonic for trouble.

Most conventions are designed with the following intention. We are going to gather people and encourage them that they are the change agents in the church. So we say things like: "You are going to change the church."

However, the way we gather actually communicates. "We are going to change the church through you." Why else would you get together the way we do? Chairs in rows, facing a stage or individual with a microphone. All promoted in high gloss brochures and sexy websites developed via focus groups of who people what to here.

Therefore, conventions are often a double whammy of attempted change. We change the attendee, they change the church.

That's a lot of distance between the change agent and the changee.

I won't go too much into the psychology behind a person wanting to change others and their inherent trouble within themselves. (which is normal and part of the beauty in which God uses the weaknesses, problems, and shortcomings of individuals within His body to transform others and build the kingdom.)

I'll only say, that our motivation and mindset as conveners impacts the church in ways we don't entirely understand.

If we as pastors are always trying to change others, we will grow increasingly frustrated by their unwillingness to conform to our ideas (er.. God's ideas for them)
OR more despicably they will change and conform and we'll see it as success. Yikes!

We intellectually agree that the only person we can change is ourselves, but functionally act as if we can change the world.

Yes, as Bono is fond of saying, the world is more malable than we think, however, it's us changing ourselves (individually and corporately) that really makes the difference.

High gloss brochures or sexy websites promoting culture shaping experiences lead by experts the focus groups tell us they want to hear isn't leading or changing anyone.
Real change doesn't come from focus groups. The focus of focus groups is all wrong.
No one's life was ever transformed by a focus group.

Grab your free lunch, sit in a conference room and give your input on what you'd like to see isn't transformative and it's not change. It only a repackaged path leading back into more of the same.

Disciples aren't developed because they gave their opinion on your church or conference. Entitled people attend focus groups. They might not have entered the room entitled, but they leave that way.

What if focus groups went something like this.
"Glad you could coming to lunch. Once everyone's bought their and gathered we'll get started."
"While the others are getting their food, lets move the furniture around to fit what we collectively hope will happen during our time. Let's take a minute or two to do that. While we do, make sure you meet the others in the room."

"Now that everyone's in the room. "You know we're meeting in November again this year. what are you planning on creating in our time together then? How can we support you in what you're going to create?"

advent resources for the season

By Lilly Lewin

2009-12-05T10:21:32-05:00

found a new daily devotion for advent (thanks to my freshman college roommate : ))i rather like the title since i have a prayer experience in SACRED SPACE named the same thing! check out :following the star

also you should check out these two on line sites for weekly and daily advent inspiration:

sacredspace advent (the jesuit prayer site)

and

st. elizabeths

Catalyst, NYWC, Open Space and Future Conventions: Part 6

By mark

2009-12-04T12:42:00.005-05:00

The Church of Misplaced Responsibility

Great leadership isn't about laying vision out of others to live out then holding them accountable to it.

Great leadership is simply allowing others to discover the vision God is building in them and then loving them as they hold themselves accountable.

Does your experience show you that you can't hold someone accountable?

Accountability isn't about making decisions for people and holding them to it.
It's not your responsibility to hold others accountable.
you can only support others in holding themselves accountable.

In an age of entitlement, there is a big difference.

Our understanding of leadership in the church often misplaces responsibility.

How we lead conventions re-enforces it.

I know that conventions are marketplace ventures. They are both capitalistic ventures and ministry opportunities. Yes. people pay to come and you, the convener, feel the pressure to both attract people to your gathering and the pressure to make it an experience worthy of the dollars spent.

that's the exchange. with the exchange of dollars goes and exchange of responsibility.

but that's only partially appropriate.

The outcomes of events must be more dependent upon the people attending them, not simply the people hosting them if events.

Catalyst, NYWC, Open Space and Future Conventions: Part 5

By mark

2009-12-04T12:31:00.005-05:00

Who I hope to be.

I must confess that the past 4 posts are less restorative than I'd like. That is to say they may come off as someone who is powerless and/or as a victim. It is certainly not my intent but I suppose they can come off as sniping. So I'll say it a bit more clearly.

I am not dependent upon Catalyst, Youth Specialties / Youth Works, Group, Simply Youth Ministry or anyone else to create an event that is meaningful for me. It is not their job to align with my vision for them.

I'm honored to call many of the YS folks my friends. I have worked beside them for years. I've known many well before they were paid staff. So in the case of YS it seems more communal to me than it does with Catalyst.

I don't want to be vindictive or what Peter Block calls retributive.

I'm committed to being someone who convenes people and cultivates an environment for transformation. In my consulting, in my home, in my networks, over lunches and in the gatherings I convene I want to people to own their stuff.

I'm committed to honoring the work of others and seeing the beauty in what they offer.

I'm committed to keeping responsibility where it belongs, rather than taking responsibility off of the shoulders, while simultaneously bearing the burdens others are carrying.

I'm committed to holding myself accountable for the well-being of my neighbor and not being dependent on someone else to do it.

Catalyst, NYWC, Open Space and Future Conventions Part 4

By mark

2009-12-04T11:17:00.006-05:00

Every meeting, every time we gather either transforms us more into who we are made to be, or solidifies us more into our broken past.

But not only every meeting. Every conversation.

I'm still learning this and getting my head around this, so please bear with me.

This has huge implications for both the future of the church and the future of events, conventions and conferences hosted by convening organizations.

I've got big hopes for the future of the church and for events that will transform the church.

Everyday I spend time with Senior Pastors, Executive Pastors, Youth Pastors and of course the non-paid people of the church. I'm convinced that the single greatest barrier to the growth of God's church in America had little to do with stubborn congregations (though there are some) or the unwillingness of congregations to engage in their kids lives (though this certainly happens), but the greatest barrier to the growth of God's church in America is the posture and leadership style of the most mature within the church, most often pastors.

The future of ministry has less to do with the pastor vision for his/her people and much more about the ways in which the pastor brings people together.
Less to do with what the pastor says, than the environment the pastor cultivates.
Less to do with managing power, and more to do with navigating critical conversations.

This has big implications for events like NYWC and Catalyst

The collective wisdom, experience and potential in a gathering like NYWC is staggering. Staggering and humbling. It should bring us to our knees. God is unleashing his kingdom within the world through these folks. Young and old.

It's too bad that we settle (often unintentionally) too often for collecting experts to pass on answers, opinions, and experience to us. We settle because the experts like it this way. We settle because people will pay big money with big hopes for life change from the experts. Don't get me wrong. the experts have their place. Just like the rest of us. We all have something to contribute.
This is why Open Space at NYWC is a small step in the right direction.

But there is resistance to the status quo. More than one expert has challenged my thoughts asking me, "What about the collective ignorance of the people?" To which I ponder for a moment and wonder aloud, "Our ignorance or theirs?"

There were attendees who said things to me like, "I didn't pay $250 to hear from a 30 year old talk about his opinion on something." It's the kind of thing that makes you wonder about professionalism of ministry and the consumption and entitlement the whole system breeds in all of us.

All meetings and gatherings either thrust us into transformation or solidify our past and connection to the status quo.

Put more bluntly: Most solutions offered at conventions only lead back into the problem. They don't transform, they further root us into dependence on the problem. Furthermore, they don't lead us toward faithfulness, but rather entitlement.

Most gatherings in the church or events are information exchanges. Perhaps it's the reduction of the gospel to an idea others need to agree with, or the individualism of our past. It really makes no difference. Those can be deconstructed elsewhere. Information is useless without transformation. Useless is putting it nicely.

Transformation comes from engagement not simply from information.

Transformation is undermined by both the overwhelming need the attendee has to find solutions or wonderful experiences and the Convener to make it worth their while and remarkable or twitter worthy.

How is transformation in the hearts of people passed on in 140 characters anyway?

Both seem like great motivations, but both are transformation killers.

Transformation and entitlement are mutually exclusive.

Transformation and expertise are mutually exclusive as well.

There is a better option for us all.

I'm optimistic that it's coming because I believe both the convener and the attendee are becoming more willing to question the old ways of gathering. They are willing to look at themselves, their motivations, the ways in which they come together and their expectations of each other. Only this will break down the biggest barrier facing the church in the US.

I know I'm ready. Change me God.

more soon.

Advent '09 Ideas for Youth Ministry #3: Silent Retreat

By Jacob

2009-12-03T14:25:00.002-06:00

Every year, the season of Advent seems to get just a little bit crazier. And at youth group, the kids seem even more anxious and restless than normal. The idea of Christmas break, and the insanity leading up to the break, is almost overwhelming. If we’re honest, at least where I am, it’s hard to get the youth to slow down and appreciate the sacredness and holiness of the season.
Here’s a new idea. What if you had a one day mini Advent retreat (on a Saturday) at your church? Everyone could arrive around 8:00. The day would be spent in silence, including the meal at lunch. Throughout the day you could gather for intentional periods of scripture reading and reflection. Have on hand art supplies, journals, music, rooms set aside for prayer, and maybe candles lit in a room that is otherwise completely dark. Then, at dinner time, invite people to come out of silence and participate in prayer stations and worship. This is a very different approach to the shopping, stress, and holiday parties that so many of us will experience. But in my experience with youth, I’m pretty sure it will work well. If you try it out, let us know how it goes.
--Jacob

By Lilly Lewin

2009-12-02T19:31:46-05:00

The Gift of Advent…Advent is the season of already, but not yet…we anticipate the birth of Jesus but we must wait….like the children of Israel long ago who had waited hundreds of years for a prophet and longer for Messiah to come we must wait to receive the gift of the baby born in a stable in Bethlehem. It’s also the beginning of the church year, a time of renewal and re-telling the story of Jesus all over again…yet another gift, a gift of a brand new start.
So how can we receive the gift of Advent this December?
How can we take time out to prepare Him room? In our hearts and in our homes and communities?
Here are some ways we can celebrate this gift together…

• First take time to receive Advent, make time to receive these days before Christmas a gift …you might put a gift box or wrapped present in the center of your dining room table or on your coffee table or a small gift box on your desk at work to remind you that these days before Christmas are gift to be enjoyed and treasured. Use that gift as a symbol of this gift of advent and as a representation or your waiting for the gift of Jesus to arrive.

• Set aside a specific time each day to thank God for the gifts God has given you in that day. You could set your phone alarm with a reminder “ today is a gift remember to receive it! “ You can text your friends and family with that message too.

• Each person in the Christmas story received the gift of Jesus in a different way….as a community or family prayer exercise you can write down and/or run off the names of people from the nativity story (everyone from Mary and Joseph, their parents , the shepherds and innkeeper and guests , to the Magi , Zechariah and Elizabeth and even King Herod). Write or copy these names on small pieces of paper and fold them in half. Place these names in a Nativity Scene, or better yet an Empty Stable for a Manger Scene. Ask each person in your group to take a name and carry it with them during this season of Advent, between now and Christmas. Allow God to show them how this person received the gift of Jesus. Ask God to show you how this person changed as a result of this gift, and allow God to open your life/heart to change and growth as you receive the gift of Jesus too.

• You can also pass out Christmas bows to everyone in your group ( the pre-made kind for presents with the sticky square on the bottom.) Ask your family, friends, community to consider the people in their lives who have been gifts to them …this year, and in the course of their journey so far. Ask them to take time to pray for these people and thank God for them. Next think of the people in your life who are the “extra grace required” gifts…those whom you’d like to avoid, the people who drive you crazy or make your life more frustrating…Take time to pray for them too. Ask God to show you how these people are gifts to you. Ask Jesus to help you bring his gift of love to these people in the coming year. You can have them bring these bows “up front” or place them in a manger as giving these people, both the good and the more frustrating to God.

ADVENT '09 IDEAS for YOUTH MINISTRY #2: Prayer Stations

By Brian

2009-12-02T15:53:00.007-06:00

Engage your youth in prayerful meditation on the themes of Advent with these interactive prayer station ideas.

Advent, those four weeks preceding Christmas, has its origins separate from the yuletide season. In the 4th and 5th centuries, Advent was known as a six week preparation for the season of Epiphany, not Christmas. Like our modern observance of Lent today, Advent was observed as a time for new converts to prepare themselves for baptism, to learn the faith stories, and to examine their hearts. Though the focus of Advent is different for us today, the idea of Advent as a time of introspection remains. The prayer centers suggested below provide a way to open some space in the Advent season to allow your youth to be introspective, to reflect on the Christian story, and to consider their place within God's mission.

You will want to set up each center as a separate space within the room and ask the group to limit 2 or 3 people per center at a time. To help clear away distractions, perhaps play some quiet instrumental music for background, dim the lights, and fill the room with candlelight. Encourage your participants to experience the prayer centers in silence with no talking. One final note: resist the urge to set up all of these prayer stations at once. Too many centers can be overwhelming and will likely just encourage the youth to keep moving about the room from station to station with little focus. Keep it simple.

1) The Nativity - Set out a typical Nativity set with figurines from the Christmas narrative. Provide written instructions inviting youth to think about which character in the story they identify with most at this point in their lives: the expectant mom, the worried father, the scruffy shepherds, the travelling magi, the angels coming to bring good news, the animals wondering at the spectacle happening in their stable? Provide paper doll cutouts and encourage youth to draw their likeness or name on one of the dolls and place it in the nativity scene as a way of symbolically entering the mystery of this story for the rest of the Advent season.

2) Naming Distractions - For this center, use a box wrapped like a gift with a slot in the top. Provide pens and small slips of paper and invite youth to write or draw those distractions in their lives right now that are keeping them from focusing on their faith. These distractions might include worries, stress related to school or family, relationship issues, or the everyday things like TV, video games, and the like. Encourage them to place their lists of distractions in the box as a gesture of letting go of some of those distractions during Advent so that they can focus on God.

3) Xmas Icon - Use this creative idea to create a iconic image made up of colored paper from Christmas catalog, newspaper and magazine advertisements. Sort of like paint-by-the-numbers, draw out the image you want to use (perhaps the Christ child in the manger or an angel) and divide the image into sections like a stained glass window, indicating what colors of paper to include in each section. Youth then tear or cut out paper and glue it onto the image. As youth work, invite them to consider this subversive and prayerful act of turning the commercialism of this season into a spiritual work of art.

4) Paper Chain Prayers - Lay out strips of green and red construction paper, markers and a stapler or tape. Invite youth to use the strips to write down the names of people, places, or causes they would like to lift up in prayer. Encourage them to then connect their strips as loops to the paper chain as a way of connecting their prayers together with those of the rest of the community.

5) Shepherd - Use a shepherd figurine or perhaps a toy lamb and a Bible opened to the story in Luke of the angels appearing to the shepherds. Remind youth of the line in the 23rd Psalm that reads "The Lord is my shepherd" and the many times Jesus is described as a shepherd to his flock. Ask: As we prepare again for the birth of the shepherd who comes to lead us closer to God, consider who the shepherds are in your life. Who has helped you know and experience God's love and compassion? Provide a large sheet of paper and markers where youth can write down names as a prayer of thanks for these individuals.

6) Hope, Peace, Joy, Love - This center is composed of votive candles and a lighter. Remind participants that each Sunday in Advent we focus on one of these theme words as reminder of the gifts Christ will bring to the world. Invite youth to light a candle and as they do, ponder which of those elements- Hope, Peace, Joy, Love - they most need in their lives right now. Which do they feel they are most called by God to share with others in their lives right now?

7) Images - Put together a Powerpoint presentation of images of the nativity story in art throughout history. Set the images to loop and provide comfortable chairs so that youth can simply sit and meditate on the pictures.

8) Waiting - Using sticky pad notes and a large sheet of paper on a wall, invite youth to write and post their answers to the question: "What are you waiting for this Advent Season." Hang another sheet of paper next to this with the related question: "What do you think God is waiting for this Advent season?"

9) Letters to God - Set out paper and pens and image of Santa and a cross. Invite youth to think back to the time when they were younger and wrote letters to Santa. What did they ask for? Next, invite them to write a letter to God, sharing their hopes and fears, their joys and their sorrows. They should then seal the letters in an envelope and place them at the foot of the cross.

10) Expecting - Display this amazing image of Mary, a copy of Luke 1: 26-38, and some children's books that show more traditional images of Mary. Invite youth to take some time to think about the words that accompany the image. Ask: When have they experienced these feelings? What might Mary have been feeling knowing she was to bring the light of God into the world. What about you? Jesus says WE are the light of the world? How does that make you feel? How are you called to be a light to the world right now?

UPDATE: Want to see some of these prayer stations in action? Go here to see photos of how one youth ministry used these ideas for a night of contemplative prayer. Go here to see how another youth minister adapted a few of the prayer stations above for his teens.

Thanksgiving in Williamsburg

By Will Penner

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:26:07 +0000

My family had an amazing Thanksgiving. My parents invited all three of their kids plus our families to spend several days with them in Colonial Williamsburg. We saw the old printing press where the type was still “pressed” by hand onto the paper; we watched a re-enactment of a witch trial from 1707; we learned [...]

Least Bad Options?

By Matt Kelley

2009-12-01T20:18:00.000-06:00

President Obama just finished giving his speech at West Point announcing his decision to deploy 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. The details have leaked out over the last few days, so what follows are a mixture of thoughts I've sat with for a bit and stream-of-consciousness reactions to the speech.

First, a disclaimer: I voted for President Obama, and I actively supported his campaign even though I did not agree with all of his policies. I opposed the Iraq war from the beginning, and I have never quite known what to think about Afghanistan. I also pastor a church in a town connected to a large military base, so people I and my parishoners know will be on the ground for this surge. This is the context from which I am speaking, so take it for what you will.

As a Christian I believe that non-violence is always the most ideal solution to any problem. I believe that Jesus spoke against violence, and that his greatest followers throughout history (people like St. Francis of Assisi and Martin Luther King, Jr.) have been fully committed to the path of peace.

That being said, I also recognize the reality of living in a fallen world and that the ideal solution is not always possible. In those situations, faithful, ethical decision making involves determining what is the "least bad" situation. I disagree with the "just war" theory articulated by St. Augustine. Violence is never justified, but there are occasions when it is the least bad option available in the absence of good options.

Both of my grandfathers fought in World War II, and neither of them felt that the violence they engaged in was good, but they understood it achieved a better outcome than doing nothing in the face of aggressive, oppressive forces. In other words, they saw the conflict as the least bad option available to them. Every other combat veteran I have spoken to about these issues has expressed similar feelings.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the greatest theologians of the twentieth century, wrestled with the idea of "least bad options". Bonhoeffer wrote The Cost of Discipleship, a meditation on the Sermon on the Mount that passionately argues for non-violence at all costs. And yet Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis for his participation in a plot to kill Hitler. Was Dietrich Bonhoeffer a hypocrite? Did he change his mind on his core beliefs?

No. He saw an intolerable situation before him and realized that there was no good option available to him, and that doing nothing in the face of evil was worse than acting in a manner that was against his conscience. He said that he felt compelled to act, even if his actions sent him to Hell. Bonhoeffer felt that participating in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler was the least bad option available to him.

So while I'm not 100% sure what I think, it may be that the temporary Afghan surge is the least bad option available to us. Afghanistan is highly unstable, and as an occupying power we have a responsibility to consider the long term well being of the country as we hand over control to its people. The timetable set by President Obama may be the most responsible way to do this.

Should we have gone into Afghanistan in the first place? I don't really know. My sense is that we should have invested more in building infrastructure and schools in Afghanistan when the Russians pulled out instead of leaving the country full of weapons but few tools for long term, sustainable peace. But we can't go back in time and fix previous mistakes. We can only do the best we can given the situation today. So the President's plan may be the least bad option.

So what do you think, dear readers? What did you think of the speech? Do you think war is ever justified? Can it be a "least bad" option? Discuss!

PS- Regardless of what you think, please pray for the men and women on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families. Please also pray for the civilians affected by these wars, and for the leaders of these countries that they will pursue a lasting peace.

starting over!

By Lilly Lewin

2009-11-30T20:55:04-05:00

starting over ...it's about time to reboot and re-up the blog and advent is the perfect time
for blogging

Lilly Lewin, curatorThinplace : a pilgrimage of discovery and creativity513-382-8484lillylewin@gmail.comlilly's pad

What I'm Thankful for this Thanksgiving

By Matt Kelley

2009-11-26T08:06:00.000-06:00

Among the many blessings in my life:

I hope everyone out there has a very happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving. To all those who aren't able to be with loved ones today (service men and women overseas, police, firefighters, doctors, nurses, EMTs, and others who work to keep us safe and healthy), know you are loved and appreciated.

Between bites of turkey and pumpkin pie, remember to say a prayer (and maybe even donate a dollar or a can of food) to those who don't have the resources to have a huge Thanksgiving feast or the leisure time to sit around a read blogs ;)

ADVENT CONSPIRACY

By Brian

2009-11-24T12:48:00.001-06:00

A whole different way to approach Advent this year. Why not give it a try together as a youth ministry challenge?

Hijacking the Bible

By Matt Kelley

2009-11-21T11:38:00.004-06:00

I guess I shouldn't be surprised anymore by the ways people use the Bible for their own purposes, even when they isolate certain verses or passages and twist them beyond the context in which they appear, and even when they go against the core message of the Bible.
(Yes, I'm making interpretive choices about what context and core message are. We all have to do that to arrive at any conclusions about the text.)
But I'm very saddened to see the latest hijacking of the Bible. Some group has started producing T-shirts and other products that say "Pray for Obama; Psalm 109:8"
The quoted verse (in the KJV) says "let his days be few and let another take his office". The following verse, Psalm 109:9 (again, in the KJV), says "let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow".

(sidenote- this is the best, most concise video on the subject I could find. Rachel Maddow and her guest, Frank Schaeffer, are very far to the left, but the interview is very thought provoking, regardless of your political affiliation.)
Laying aside for a moment how awful it is that someone would pray for a person in an opposing political party to be killed, this Psalm 109 fad shows just how dangerous indiscriminate proof-texting really is.
The Psalms are the prayer/hymn book of ancient Israel. They express the full range of human emotions, including anger and even rage against others, as we can see from Psalm 109. This particular Psalm is a prayer of a righteous man who is frustrated at those who are trying to bring him down.
Anger and frustration are certainly party of the human experience. But does the Psalm really tell us to pray for God to strike down the people we don't like? Absolutely not! The Psalm ends with the man having gotten out his feelings of anger and frustration and proclaiming his faith that God will carry him through any situation. It's an example of how we can work out our frustrations in prayer so we can be in a better place to deal with conflict.
Interpretive quarrels aside, this whole Psalm 109 fad is another example of how the decline of Christianity in America is our own fault. People are turning away from the church not because Satan is doing such a great job, but because we Christians are doing such a good job at twisting Jesus to fit the mold of our religious and political idols. And the problem is that everyone else can see it but us. People read the Bible and think Jesus is a pretty great guy, but they look at his followers and want nothing to do with us. When questioned about his faith, Ghandi said he would follow Christ if it were not for all the Christians he encountered.
What if the folks who were producing these T-shirts changed the verse to Matthew 5:44- "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (rightly or wrongly, some folks are feeling persecuted). It probably wouldn't get noticed on the cable "news" shows, and it might not even sell as many T-shirts, but it would more accurately reflect the true message of the Bible and the loving God to whom it points.

Coming Soon...

By Matt Kelley

2009-11-19T08:02:00.004-06:00

A new look for the The Truth As Best I Know It!

My lovely and talented wife, Jessica, made this lovely card for my birthday. As you can see, the card is made to look like my MacBook on the outside...

And on the inside (including a full keyboard)!

Jessica got me a blog redesign from The Design Girl, who gave Jessica's blog a makeover (a prize she won in a contest).

So look for a new layout in a few weeks. Thanks, babe! I love you!

In today (Saturday)'s issue of the Tennessean, there is an article that suggests that United Methodist pastors may no longer have guaranteed jobs.
While the article is correct on all of its basic facts, I can see Methodist lay persons (especially those currently attending Exploration 2009) and others reading it and getting the wrong idea. So I offer the following clarifications and responses:
First of all, not all United Methodist ministers have guaranteed jobs. Ordained Elders in Full Connection are the only clergy who itenerate, going where they are sent in exchange for a guaranteed appointment that includes a minimum salary and benefits. Ordained Deacons, Provisional Elders and Deacons, and Licensed Local Pastors do not itenerate are not guaranteed a job.
The first sentence in the article is just plain wrong: "too many ministers, not enough jobs". The UMC, like most other mainline denominations, has a tremendous shortage of ordained clergy. So we make up for the shortage of elders by appointing licensed local pastors to serve in the place of an elder. In the Tennessee Conference, licensed local pastors outnumber ordained clergy in every district except one: Nashville. This is not to demean the service of our local pastors, who serve faithfully and selflessly. It is simply to say that this is what is laid out in our Book of Discipline.
The conversations being referenced by the Tennessean article are part of the Study of Ministry Commission, which was created by the 2004 General Conference and extended for another four years by the 2008 General Conference (I published my thoughts on these least year, which you can read here and here). This Commission does not have authority to make any changes. It only makes recommendations to the General Conference, which is the only body that can change the Book of Discipline and does not meet again until 2012.
The article rightly points this fact out, but they bury it in the very last paragraph where, according to the "inverted triangle" theory I learned in Journalism 101, most people have stopped reading. This may not be "burying the lead" but it's buries the most important fact in the story (this would kill the hype, however, which seems to be the whole point)!
Barring some massive financial shortfalls in the next two years or some other large event that forces a massive change of opinion across our connection, the 2012 General Conference is unlikely to end the practice of guaranteed appointments for Elders. It will end up being disadvantageous to women and minorities in many parts of the USA (as the Tennessean rightly points out), and the denomination is unlikely to change this traditional practice that has so long been at the core of our Methodist identity.
Should the practice of guaranteed appointments for Ordained Elders (which I am in the process of becoming) end? Maybe, maybe not. I can see both sides of the issue.
Guaranteed appointments are good for inclusivity, but only if a Bishop is willing to take risks and appoint people who might not otherwise be accepted because of their gender or race. And it ensures that churches that might otherwise go for long stretches without a pastor are served.
On the other hand, ineffective clergy can keep getting moved around with little accountability once they are fully ordained. This fact has made our ordination process long and drawn out, overly burdensome, and often adversarial and graceless in the way it is practiced.
The Tennessean article is right about one thing. Our system as it is currently constructed is probably unsustainable and some changes need to be made before it collapses under its own weight. Exactly what those changes are should be decided on by smarter and more experienced people than I.

Birds Nests and Emergence

By Matt Kelley

2009-11-13T13:10:00.008-06:00

I took a break from sermon writing this afternoon and took Kate for a walk around the neighborhood. On the corner by our house, I saw something interesting, and thankfully I had my phone with me to record the moment:
It's a bird's nest that was either blown out of or physically removed from a nearby pine tree (about five feet away out of frame).

However it got there, it clearly went through quite a jostling, and despite being composed of very fragile pieces like pine needles and leaves, it is holding together perfectly because it's so well constructed.
A bird is a very simple animal, but in many ways it's far wiser than we humans. It takes simple, organic materials and weaves them together (without the aid of opposable thumbs!) and creates a dwelling to raise its children. The nest itself is nothing special, but what happens in it is. It cradles the eggs before the hatch and hold the chicks once they are born. It provides a place for the mother to nourish her young, and it protects them while she is gone.
It serves its purpose for a season, but then the chicks are pushed out of the nest and learn to fly. Once those chicks grow up, one or more of them may come back to this very same tree to have its own family, but it knows better than to try to use the exact same nest. Those organic materials that once sheltered it in infancy have become hard and brittle and wouldn't support the next generation.
So this bird, like its mother, gathers its own materials and constructs a nest that, while nothing special by itself, creates space for amazing things to happen. And so it goes, from generation to generation.
I wonder if our churches are kind of like this. We take organic materials from the world around us: artistic and musical styles, current trends in thinking, technological mediums, etc., and we weave them together to create space for something special to happen. What we construct isn't special in and of itself, but what happens there is. God inhabits these organic cultural forms and uses them to help us grow as disciples.
But like any organic materials, these cultural forms have a life cycle and eventually die. But humans, unlike birds, are often not wise enough to recognize this. We hold on to a dead, brittle bird's nest because it's been there for a very long time instead of looking for what is growing afresh around us.
This is not to say that the Holy Spirit quits using old cultural forms, of course (the Spirit is a bit more powerful than a mama bird), but that the most vibrant, fruitful things start happening outside the bounds of what we've already constructed and dwelt in long enough to get very comfortable.
Phylis Tickle talks about this idea in her book, The Great Emergence. She argues that every five hundred years, Christianity undergoes a "rummage sale" where it finds new cultural forms to bring the eternal gospel to new generations in fresh ways. Tickle says that these rummage sales were/are the first century time of Jesus, the sixth century liturgical reforms of Pope Gregory the Great, the eleventh century Great Schism, the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation, and the Emerging Church Conversation of today.
While I find Tickle's semi-millennial construct to be a bit too neat (and, dare I say, too modern?), the way she differentiates the work of the Holy Spirit and the cultural mediums by which we understand that work is very helpful in an age where congregations seem to be at war with one another and even with themselves over styles of worship and means of communicating and understanding the ways God is working in our midst.
If you're a member of a group that inhabits an older bird's nest, that's great. Do what works for you, as long as you're worshipping the God who is working in that nest and not the nest itself (the difference is subtle and not often obvious). But don't discourage those who are finding new materials to build their own nest, even if that nest is right next door to your own. Everything old was once new and was criticized for being different.
And if you're someone who is inclined to seek out new materials for building your own nest, go and do so with courage! But remember not to be too hard on those who are living in older nests. God is still working with them, and even your fresh, green nest will one day be brown, brittle, and sitting on the side of the road, fit only to be used as a quirky illustration on a blog post.

For my tulsa friends

By mark

2009-11-05T12:08:00.002-05:00

I'm wondering if the idea of a church in Tulsa is able to talk on different, less traditional forms. At least organizationally.

What might a church in tulsa look like if it empowered it's people to be the church. Instead of the starting point being centralized with a grandiose agenda, or mechanism.

What might church look like if it believed in people, viewed them as generally competent to make good decisions for their lives?
What might a church look like if people of a church believed this about themselves?

What might church look like if the viability of the community was completely dependent upon people holding themselves accountable (individually and maybe corporately) for the well being of their neighbor?

What might a church look like that gave away every penny it brought in for the real needs of those neighbors?

What if church was a way of life, something you live into each moment of the day, something you are, and/or something we call the space the people of the way inhabit every room they enter?

What if this local community was defined more by the way they believed rather than what they believe?
What if the people were self selected themselves to be in this church because of how they live, rather than where they meet?

What if this way was committed to a variety of expressions and even competing agendas of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness?

Eikon in tulsa has taken a few forms and I'm wondering aloud here about it's future. MY original plan was to have multiple houses for groups to meet and be the church. I don't have time to make my plan happen. I'm not sure my plan is all that great.

What would you see as a benefit to you in a church like this?
What do you see as the connecting point to your dreams for this community?
What are the characteristics you currently live in your life and how might a connection to this kind of church be helpful or not?

What say you?

The World of YS, Part Deux: SAD, BAD and BUT

By Tic Long

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:54:17 +0000

After having several conversations about YS over the past couple weeks I thought I would write a little more to clarify my thoughts for those few of you who are interested. It’s funny how the words SAD and BAD sound a lot alike and can easily be mistaken for each other. In my last post [...]

TransFORM Network

By Matt Kelley

2009-11-03T07:33:00.002-06:00

It seems there's no shortage of social networking sites out there, every one trying to be the "Facebook of (fill in the blank)"
I have recently discovered one that I think is worth many of your (y'all's?) time, dear readers. It's called TransFORM, and it's a network for the involved in and/or interested in missional Christian communities. Check out the video below, and if you're so inclined, check out the site. Above all, please pray for those involved in these missional communities. They're doing some amazing Kingdom-work and it's not easy. I'm hopeful that TransFORM will help folks know they're not alone in their journey.

TransFORM: Missional Community Formation from TransFORM on Vimeo.

(Note, TransFORM is not affiliated with Emergent Village, although many of the faces will be familiar to those involved with EV.)

Thoughts on the Signing of the Hate Crimes Bill

2009-10-15T09:49:00.002-04:00

it's been a while since I've posted anything. more soon.
until then, I leave you with this.

Feed My Youth

By Deech

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:37:27 +0000

I pray that my tilling, watering, and seed scattering produce fruit that feeds Jesus' youth. I pray for opportunites to sit and listen, to cry and to challenge, and to teach and be taught. God use my life to feed your youth!

Open Space @ NYWC

By mark

2009-09-26T21:30:00.003-04:00

I'm in LA at the National Youth Worker's Convention and I want to write a couple random thoughts about a risky move YS just made today and how I believe it is the beginning of something new.

Open Space is exactly what the church needs.

I believe the future of the church is in gatherings that use Open Space, World Cafe and the like.

I won't try to explain exactly what it is, because you simply have to experience it to understand.

First, Organizations that use Open Space believe in the power and gifts of people. In this case, YS is risking their future, on the very people they serve not because it is flashy, or fancy, or trendy, or spectacular, but because it represents and embodies the very values, and hopes YS has for the church and youth ministry. It appears as if YS believes that the power for shaping the future, is not exclusively found in the hands of experts, (I'd suggest very little is in the hands of experts actually), and that the thousands of people attending the conventions have more collective wisdom, and insight than any of the best speakers, or seminar leaders in the world.

Ironically, this is risky, frankly because many youth pastors (and pastors) don't believe in themselves as much as YS believes in them. There are people who didn't attend the conference because they wanted to hear experts.

YS (and the publishing world) is partly to blame for this NEED for experts to give practical advice. For years they have graded their speakers and presenters on how practical they are. Practical advice from experts is deadly.

People need each other. People need community. People need insight from others. this is completely true. We all need guidance. But...

I'm going to be direct here.
People who NEED experts believe a lie. The Lie: That there is a right way to do ministry out there somewhere, I don't immediately know what it is, and if I can just find the answer, then my ministry will be okay. LIE. That when the experts come in and give you 5 easy and practical steps to.... (whatever) There's a lot of money made by this kind of thing. There isn't one way to do ministry. There isn't A way to do great ministry. There aren't 5 characteristics that must be true about your youth ministry. Youth Pastor after Youth Pastor that I meet with consulting feel the same thing. That their ministry SHOULD be something else. they come to me to find out what it is. What do I tell them?

Stop worrying about all the stuff you think you should be doing, because someone else does, or thinks you should, etc. Look around the halls of your church. Gather some people together who are committed to the mission of your church and ask, what are you passionate about. Whatever they say, That is what your church should do.

NEEDING EXPERTS is a convenient excuse not to take the responsibility that is yours as the youth pastor. If you NEED experts, it's because you are unwilling to own the responsibility for the ministry yourself.

Am I being to harsh?

The Open Space YS creates at their conventions is the start of what the church needs to be about.

If you thought it was a waste in LA and skipped it, you missed out.
If you are going to Cinci, or Atlanta don't miss this. It is kind of thing that will bring about the future of the church.

That is not hyperbole. It is real.

What do you think?

National Youth Worker Convention

By mark

2009-09-23T07:05:00.002-04:00

I'll be at NYWC in LA this weekend. Will I see you there?

I like being empty headed

By Tic Long

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:15:11 +0000

So I had the opportunity to spend a bunch of time backpacking this summer with three very close friends. Actually, on one big adventure, I was in the Wind Rivers range and Grand Teton’s in Wyoming as well as the Beartooth range in Montana. All of those places were incredibly beautiful. As you would guess [...]

Ministry Today

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:59:38 +0000

So at YS we are in our season for doing our two DCLA student events. This time we themed DCLA “Living into the mission of God”. I love that whole idea. The idea that God is actively about redeeming and restoring his creation and if fact has always has been and always will be till [...]

shrove tuesday pancakes

By Lilly Lewin

2009-02-24T14:29:41-05:00

ok...lent begins tomorrow! so today we eat! whether you're celebrating mardi gras or shrove tuesday, food is an important part...so if you're in cincy, join us for pancakes at IHOP in oakley (near target and mejeir) at 5:30pm .
here's some history on shrove tuesday...the day before lent that provides an opportunity to confess our sins and to get all the fat and sugar out of the pantry before the lenten fast begins.
shrove tuesday AND more here

the lenten season is not just about giving up things, at least for me. it's about preparing my heart for easter. getting ready for the death and suffering of jesus and then the joy of his resurrection. it's a 40 day opportunity to journey with jesus.

a 40 day opportunity to discover the things i've lost along the way.

a 40 day opportunity to rediscover my first love...jesus christ.

so get ready, pack your bags, the adventure of lent begins tomorrow!

off to the abbey

By Lilly Lewin

2009-02-02T12:40:56-05:00

just spent a great weekend creating a sacred space prayer room for methodist youth in nashvegas. the theme was "undignified" so the prayer room was a modified "life of david" from SACRED SPACE. also led two art worship workshops ...lectio and art! great fun. haven't been around 2000 jr/sr high students in one place in quite a while...you could just see the energy and hormones....rather a different vibe in the convention center than was there in november at YS!

thanks to gavin and brad for hosting me. great to see tony jones in action (despite his back pain) and great to hang out with sally chambers too! i also had a chance to meet miss bethany penner! and get my baby fix!

i'll post photos next week.

today i'm off for my annual birthday pilgrimage to the abbey of gethsemani...not that i've been blogging regularly, but i'll be out of touch with facebook and cell so it will be a chance to detox from technology and get my head together for the new year (yeah, i know it's february, but i'm still getting used to the 09 thing)

it takes the til wednesday for my head to get silent enough to hear anything from God...i'm hoping for snow and i can't wait to be quiet...even extreme extroverts need to stop meeting people and stop talking!

so happy february, and wherever you are, take some time to be still.

happy new year and happy inauguration day

By Lilly Lewin

2009-01-20T18:34:22-05:00

great day to be born and to celebrate a new year in america! praying for our new president and our country that we can shine God's grace and compassion locally and globally. check out the fun facts of the day here