Searching for Meaning and Purpose...

When we talk about the church, we tend to think of it as a spectator sport.  You go somewhere, listen to the worship band, hear a sermon, & leave.  Maybe you sing along, you might even be tempted to take notes because your pastor is amazing, possibly you drop some cash in the plate, but that tends to be the extent for most of us.  Why?  What caused the church to become something we went to instead of how we lived?  That's the question that bugs me and I'll be looking at a few ideas in the coming weeks... First, the consumer mindset.  How often have you heard the term, "church shopping?"  Referring to people checking out churches, looking for one that makes them happy, has the right slate of programs, makes them feel at home; not actually doing shopping for the church (although if you ask I can give you a shopping list for my student ministry and you can go get everything on it you want for us!). It is so prevalent throughout our society and cul...

One of the major things that has motivated me in recent years has been the plight of the "at-risk" students, particularly guys. I mean, how many students can I claim come from a two-parent home, much less one where both parents form a functional family? In semi-rural/suburban Kansas it's startling how the numbers play out but across the nation it's much worse. Just look at theses numbers regarding fatherless kids: • 15.3 times more likely to have behavioral disorders • 6.3 times more likely to be in a state-operated institutions • 4.6 times more likely to commit suicide • 6.6 times more likely to become teenaged mothers • 24.3 times more likely to run away • 10.8 times more likely to commit rape • 6.6 times more likely to drop out of school • 15.3 times more likely to end up in prison while a teenage • 73% of adolescent murderers come from mother only homes • Daughters who live in mother only homes are 92% more likely to divorce I've been involved...

So often when the word purity is thrown out in a church setting, it is only referring to one thing: sex. I mean, the 90's were the era of True Love Waits (and many did!) and that had to be what purity was about, right? Unfortunately, many would say yes. Why do I say unfortunately you might ask? Because purity means SO much more than simply "not having sex." Instead, we've developed a church culture where it's generally okay to get under a girls shirt, have oral sex, mutual masturbation or anything else as long as we stop short of "intercourse." In fact, so many students have this perspective, which is leeched from the True Love Waits campaigns of the past/present mixed with an equal amount of current cultural thought. What it amounts to in sum, is a ton of students (and adults!) who say they believe in God, but live as if He didn't exist. Craig Groeschel (pastor of Life Church in Edmond, OK) called the phenomena "Christian Atheism" a...

I've alluded to W.P. Cambpell's book, Turning Controversy into Church Ministry: A Christlike Response to Homosexuality several times, but today you get all my thoughts regarding the book. First, note that Campbell is a pastor in the PC(USA), which means he falls into one of two camps: for or against the repeal of the "fidelity and chastity" clause. I'll admit, when I saw the title of the book, I was afraid he fell into the camp that totally embraced homosexuality because Jesus was "inclusive." At the same time, I imagined it couldn't be too far right (a la Fred "I'm a nut-job" Phelps) and wondered what middle ground he had found. Fortunately, Campbell navigates the roaring rapids of the homosexual issue quite well. He begins with the story that forms his framework from John 8, showcasing Jesus, the Pharisees, and the woman caught in adultery. Of specific note, he highlights Jesus' response to their demands that she be stoned, J...

As I finished W.P. Campbell's book, "Turning Controversy Into Church Ministry," it has made me want to re-examine Ephesians. Partly because it is the framework upon which he builds the entire book (which is VERY, VERY, VERY good and comes highly recommended for everyone in ministry or who is dealing with issues related to homosexuality, in fact I'm going to recommend [and possibly push "gently"] it become required reading material for our church and Presbytery officers/staff) but mainly because he brought a lot of great thoughts into my head. But, I'll start my thoughts around this particular quote and passage from Ephesians 3 tonight: "The love of God is wide enough to reach all kinds of people, long enough to keep your church on track through time, high enough to change any life, and deep enough to heal every wounded heart." Followed by Ephesians 3.14-19: When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of ...

Every once in a while a book comes along that reinforces some of the things you believed but allowed to fall by the wayside as you "did" church. Exponential by Jon and Dave Ferguson is one of those books. It's not tons of new ideas and information, but it's the reminder that those models you looked at in college/seminary and thought would work, then never implemented, really work and are a far better way to do things than what you are currently doing! The key to Exponential is simple: ever single member of the church is responsible for reproducing another (or many, many more) Christ-follower. Moreover, it is the number one job of the church to reproduce leaders who can reproduce themselves. I would go so far as to say that a church that grows by ones and twos (like our church, which gained 7 members last year yet was in the top three in our Presbytery...) is NOT healthy. The Fergusons are very clear in their definitions and details, perhaps because the book isn...

As I look at all the ways the government is moving in to "take care of the 'least of these,'" I'm struck by some of the unintended consequences. Do the poor need an advocate? Yes! Do they need people to actually "do" something? Absolutely! Is faith shown by what we do? It needs to be! But, if the government steps in (a la healthcare, welfare, etc.) what does it actually do to the people who receive help? What kind of culture does it create? What unintended consequences do these people with good intentions create? First, if you look at the end result of welfare at its extremes there are two choices: become successful and get off welfare or become entitled to a lifestyle beyond your means and never do anything. Now, if you ask anyone in a major relief organization who works with people (for instance, World Vision's Haiti team), they set definite timetables and expectations. In fact, World Vision already has a date when they will no longer be...

Here's my thought: why do we try to do so much alone when we can do so much more together? I look at all the synergy (yes, I stole the corporate buzz word) created through the ministerial alliance and youth ministerial alliance here in El Dorado, and I am floored. There is more potential and, most importantly, willingness here to be the Church than to be a church. Just looking at what there is between the churches is incredible: we're looking at adding other churches into our after school program to make it a larger endeavor and help more kids have a safe place to go to and get help with school work. At the same time we're planning other events that none of us could pull off alone (like a kicking New Years party) and it rocks! Why then do so many churches behave instead as if they were the only ones in the world that mattered? Is it a deep seeded denominational fight? Or is it the theological differences (like infant or immersion baptism, predestination or free choice,...

After this morning's See You At The Pole prayer time, I was really moved by how awesome God is. 40 some odd middle school students and 8 youth pastors, teachers, and parents prayed for each other, their school, their parents, their friends, their nation, and their world. That by itself was great, but this evening seeing the 100+ students gathered outside at the park, was incredible. Yeah, things didn't work exactly as planned (the lack of lights meant we had to pull some cars up and kick on their headlights, it kinda felt like a Diehard battery ad) but God was there and God did what He wanted to do. I am so convinced that this is a special time and group of ministers, parents/volunteers, and students who are really working towards making things better in our community. It is really pretty incredible to see an event with the Baptist youth guy leading worship, the AG guy running the game, the Xian church guy giving stuff away and cooking up the grub, and a crazed Presbyterian ...

After reading more and thinking a lot, I keep wondering what it really means to be a Christian. If you haven't read it, check out the book "UnChristian" by David Kinnaman. It's a must read for those in ministry and for anyone with a heart to reach people who are disconnected. The book is based on research from people who are NOT Christians on their perspectives of the "church." The results are pretty scary, but there isn't anything uncorrectable or fatal there. The things he lists include: judgmental, hypocritical, anti-homosexual, too political, sheltered, and focused only on "saving" people. Each of those rebukes is true. Partially because the church isn't a homogeneous group, but mainly because it's true! People are turned off by us not being real or by putting on a persona. To quote DC Talk (yes, I am a child of the 80-90's): "The single biggest cause of atheism today are Christians who confess Jesus at church the...