OK, so apparently Johnny Depp plays in a band that has a song about someone who may or may not be the “real” Jesus at a bachelor party and at said party he (He?) is either drunk or getting beat up by the drunk people. I haven’t done enough research to know if the song is just trying to shock, actually trying to say something against Jesus, or in some way trying to say something against people and not Jesus.

What I do know is that the Christian Coalition’s response of saying that people will “burn in hell for THIS filth” is counterproductive and ultimately theologically wrong. Hell is a punishment for sin, all sin, not just sin that makes fun of God. People burn in hell for what we call filth for sure, but also for pride, arrogance, apathy, lying, malice towards others, and a whole host of things that we have turned into virtues in our society. To damn someone to eternal punishment based on a song misses the the point of the gospel.

But that isn’t why I have broken my long silence to post. What I loved about the ABC story is the closing quote check it out below.

I honestly don’t know how to craft a response to someone publicly declaring I will burn in hell. I guess showing up at my next event with a full on fire suit like the guys on Mythbusters wear wouldn’t be a good idea, but I think if I could get my hands on one that is what I would do.

Expert: Well, let’s see what you have brought us today. (removes sheet) This appears to be a Christian teenager. Can you tell me where you found it.

Patron: Well, I picked him up at the church about two years ago. I was thinking about sending him into my local high school as a missionary. So I wanted to bring him here and have him checked out to see what you guys think he is.

Expert: Well, let’s have a look. (checks knees) Yes, see here there is some rough spots on his knees that would indicate praying. (looks at cross) and he does seem to have the right accessories. Let’s see now, (to teen) Teenager, what is your favorite Bible verse?

Teen: For God, so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so whosoever believeth in him should not perish but inherit eternal life.

Expert: Very good, and in King James Version too. (to patron) Now how much do you think a young Christian teenager like this is worth?

Patron: Well if he can influence his friends to come to know Christ then there really isn’t any price I could put on his life.

Expert: That is true an authentic Christian teenager is a priceless thing. But while this teen has all of the outward appearances of being a Christian it is what is on the inside that matters. (opens teen’s mouth and looks inside) Let’s see what is inside here. Yes, this is just as I feared. I see a lot of jealousy and pride in here. And it seems to me that he is more interested in serving himself than serving God. Oh yeah, and here I see that he would rather be liked by friends that follow what God says. (closes teen’s mouth) I’m sorry, but it would appear that this teen only looks like a Christian on the outside. His insides are nothing like Christ.

Patron: So what is he worth.

Expert: Well, his outsides look good, but that doesn’t matter all that much. if the insides were focused on Christ then he could be a little rough around the edges and still be invaluable. As it is, until his insides line up with the false face he is putting on the outside he won’t be worth anything of kingdom value.

Patron: Well, shoot. I thought I had someone who could help me reach his school for Christ.

Expert: Now don’t write him off yet. God can still use him. It only takes a decision to live an authentic life.

Notice that I have been using the word like. Because I do like my son. I don’t just love him in that whole “parent’s are supposed to love everyone” sort of way, I actually like him*. I was struck the other day by all of the different times in the New Testament where God calls us not just His servants, but His sons. In doing so, God understood (because He created parents and sons) the deep love that I would have for my sons. He understood that I would smile when I see them, and knowing that God says, “that’s how I am with you.”

I think my whole life I have heard that God loves me. For most of my life I have believed that to be true. But only since I have had my own sons have I realized that God likes me too, that when He sees me He smiles.

*For a long time people have said about family (or people in the church) that you are supposed to love everyone, but you don’t have to like everyone. That is just a messed up idea of what love is about. Love, that agape, all inclusive God type love is about like as much as it is about what we call love.

There is one school of thought that says separate kids for everything. It gives the kids learning on their level and it gives their parents a way to worship without distractions. As a children’s minister I hear this idea articulated a great deal. Parents are tired, stressed, and desperate for some adult time. As the parent of a 2 and 5 year old I understand their longing for just one hour without having to say “sit still” a couple of hundred times. I understand this mindset and want to create programs that help out parents like this.

But there is another school of thought that is developing in my head (and in many other places as well) that says parents and children need to find time to worship together. Children need to be involved in the church and see adults in the church worshiping and living out their faith in community with others. When we only separate our children we are taking them away from an opportunity for dialog between parents and their children.

There are many great reasons why children should spend time worshiping with their parents (at least when they are able to read well enough to keep up). Even if it seems like they aren’t listening having children part of the service creates a great chance for dialog later. Parents can bring up talking points based off of the sermon and can carry the discussion of God things beyond the church and into the car and into the home.

Of course the biggest downfall is the boredom factor. Most church services are designed for someone 50-60 years old. Even the parents sitting in the congregation may feel a disconnect with what is happening. For years church have been warring over the inclusion of stuff in the service that appeals to youth age worshipers, imagine what happens when we tell them that we have to go even younger.

But if we are going to honestly say that we are a community of believers and that everyone is valid from the youngest to the oldest then we must find ways to help everyone have something , some small part of the worship experience that is on a level that they can understand. In order to have this happen then the people who are more mature Christians are going to need to be willing to sacrifice so that those who are less mature can connect with God and with the church community as a whole.

• During Sunday school we passed out to every child 7 strips of construction paper about 2 inches wide.
• At home the children are to take the paper and pray with their families about our revival.
• They can then either a) journal a short prayer on it or 2) write a predetermined sentence on the paper
• The whole family then signs their name.
• You then take the paper and tape it into a circle
• Each night you add circles to make a “prayer” chain
• Each Sunday (for 4 Sundays) the children are to bring their chain to their Sunday school class
• The class then combines the chains to make one big chain for the whole class.
• Then in a couple of weeks during a special prayer time the whole church will use that chain during part of the service. (We are going to stretch it down the center aisle and have people hold a section of it while we pray.)

So the first week our sentence was “Lord, start a revival in our family.” That week my 5 year old was always excited about making the next link of the chain. Not only that, but in our morning prayer times (on the way to school) he also prayed for a revival in our family. This week we are doing a different prayer emphasis each day. Sunday night was “Lord, do big things in our family.” That has been my son’s prayer all week, and I have to admit as much as it makes me smile it also makes me nervous, because I believe that God will answer  that prayer and I am not entirely sure I am ready.

What doesn’t make sense is the strong feelings of worry I still get before meetings. I’m not worried about what is going to happen, what I am going to say, or anything like that. I am worried about whether anyone is going to show up. And this worry just gets worse as I sit alone in the room for 30 minutes or so while I am waiting for time to start.

Never mind that it isn’t even close to time for people to be there yet. Never mind that I would probably be annoyed if people came that early because I would have to find something for them to do. For some reason I still find myself worrying.

Now I know that inside of this worry is a deep seated idea that all that I do is about me and not about God. There is this deep sense that if people don’t come then there is some flaw within me. I know that is true and yet from time to time I still find myself with everything finished and time to spare and nervous that no one will come.

So do you know what I do in times like that? ‘

I write blog posts.

Bible Basis:

Galatians 5:1

Set Up:

Gather 4 boxes and put something in them that is heavy. I used rocks, but books or any other heavy object will work. Tie the boxes to a ribbon or rope strong enough to hold it and big enough that you can attach stuff to it. Put one of the main words on each box and print the excuse for each word so that you can attach it to the ribbon while you are talking.

How it Works: Get 4 volunteers to come and hold the boxes with the words on them. Talk about each box and the way that what is on the box keeps you from being free. As you are talking attach the common excuse to the box.

After you have talked about each box and the excuse people use read Galatians 5:1 (again if you have already been talking about it) and then cut the ribbon on one of the boxes. Go down the line repeating “It is for freedom that Christ has set you free” before you cut the ribbon for each box.

After you have finished thank your volunteers and debrief the activity.

The Text:

Activities – But I’m not “enough” yet

Relationships – But I love him

SIN – But I will be alone

Expectations – But they are counting on me

The Idea:

Activities: We are slaves to our schedules. We try to fill our lives with more and more stuff to do. In many ways it is because we feel like we have to be “more” whatever that means. We may never say it, but the fact that we are trying to prove ourselves and prove that we have enough to offer the world is a big reason why we are slaves to our activities

Relationships: Sometimes we can be held back by our relationships and we are willing to stay slaves to those relationships because of “love.” Recognizing that you are a slaves is a good first step to breaking free. Love should free you, the way that Christ’s love does, not hold you down.

SIN: We often are slaves to sin and doing what everyone else is doing because we are afraid that everyone will leave us. We are afraid we will be alone. Don’t be a slave to fear or the opinions of others.

Expectations: We can be a slave even to good expectations. You are who God created you to be, not who anyone else wants you to be. Cut lose from expectations and don’t be afraid to lest someone down because you are following God. It is probably your ego that is keeping you a slave as much as their expectations of you.

Ultimately, when whatever type of organization I am using fails I like to blame the system rather than my own lack of skills. Apparently every day planner that I bought for about 5 years in a row was broken because none of the helped me to organize my life.

So with a new job and lots of new things to keep track of I have been turning to Evernote. I like everything about it except for an easy way to make a to do list. There are some work arounds, but nothing that just feels right to me. As such I am still sort of clinging to Google tasks and Taskos, but I hope that will change soon.

But if I am writing about getting organized you have to know that I am still very busy. I have had a few new family ideas and those will be coming soon, well, as soon as I can figure out where the kid I wrote them on has scampered off to.

Interacting with those senior adults was a truly rewarding experience for the residence (I am guessing) and for the students. But the big joy for me was getting a chance to get to know the students. Serving together is one of the greatest ways to tear down walls and strengthen relationships in a group.

Today I was reminded again of the simple joy that comes when serving God like this. I know that there is something special that happens when Christians help others, but from time to time I forget and it is nice to be reminded.

I really think I am wired to teach this way. I like creative things and preaching and helping students who learn in different ways (and all of that is included in this study to some degree) but at my heart I like to be involved in discussion and lead others to look at and talk about the word of God in fresh ways.

I have talked about this before, but I am using the material provide by www.echothestory.com. It is an amazing resource full of ideas and lots of free material. If you haven’t checked it out (or purchased the great book “Shaped By Story“) then do yourself a favor and go spend some time there.

Stories are sort of at the heart of what is happening in our group right now. We are telling stories on Sunday night and on Wednesday night I am trying to tell some stories of my life. I am also having one student a week share a “testimony” or just a little talk about what God has been doing in her life. It has only been two weeks, but I have loved hearing their stories. It lets them tell their stories to their peers and also lets me in on some of what God was doing at this church before I got there.