This video is a bit old, but I thought it was a great commentary to put things into perspective on how communication has changed in the last 20 years.
Author: pastorjonathan
Christian,Husband, Dad, Pastor, Mentor, Volunteer.
All the Disciple Now Posts in One Spot
3 Keys to a Good Disciple Now Weekend
- 3 Keys to a Good Disciple Now (Part 1)
- 3 Keys to a Good Disciple Now (Part 2)
- 3 Keys to a Good Disciple Now (Part 3)
Disciple Now Themes
Reflections on Disciple Now 2009
- 9 Reflections on Disciple now (Part 1)
- 9 Reflections on Disciple Now (Part 2)
- 9 Reflections on Disciple Now (Part 3)
Student Ministry in General
Unfinished Books, Unframed Pictures, and Eternity
This is a guest post by Jesse Campbell. He is the Student Pastor at Heritage Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida and is the Director of Percussion at Tate High School.
I am a jumbled mess of the right idea and good intentions. This is probably way too much information, but the counter next to my favorite toilet is piled high with open books; each stacked precariously on another so as to keep my places in each of them simultaneously.
One is the memoirs of a Marine Lieutenant, another a dissertation on quantum physics that I don’t really understand, another John Eldridge’s latest attempt to stretch yet another book out of the same idea that spawned Waking the Dead, another Lee Strobel’s incredible The Case for Christ, and the miserably wrinkled bottom of the stack is a registry guide distributed by Wal-Mart to parents to be. How do they know when you’re about to have a baby and do we really need two Pack & Plays? In our foyer hang sepia tone pictures of complete strangers. A few rooms over, in my garage, sit dusty boxes with ready-to-assemble shelving systems and three surfboard racks that have yet to make it onto the walls. My house has quite a few half-finished projects. So did my mind until recently.
Even highly organized people will embark on a project of some sort, only to be diverted by…well, life. The unfinished projects in my head remained so for similar reasons. I never truly nailed down my stance on the whole Calvinism (the philosophy that God predetermines who will be saved) issue until this year. I carried unanswered questions regarding God’s perspective on the dimension of time through three years of vocational ministry. I couldn’t really answer the tough questions about God’s perspective on man’s prayers until I was married (which is funny because marriage is the kind of thing you pray about A LOT). Now, it’s not as though these questions were unimportant to me. Like my partially assembled garage door opener, I knew they were of great significance to my everyday life. But, the resolution of some tough questions was interrupted by my need to compose the music for Tate Drumline’s show or pull together the final details for our ski trip. This may sound extreme, but this kind of distraction is the work of Satan in our lives. It’s not that these distractions are inherently evil in and of themselves. Rather, it’s that they are not as important as the big questions in our lives.
How did the universe come to exist from absolute void? Where do you stand with God? Is Hell a real place? Do the rebuttals to the theory of evolution hold water? If so, what does that mean for you? Why do bad things happen to good people? With all the religions of the world holding claims to the truth, how do you know which one is true? These are examples of unfinished projects that even brilliant and highly educated people will carry around in their minds for decades.
Work out the unfinished projects because your soul may hang in the balance. Take the time to put these questions on the front burner and have the objectivity to follow the evidence wherever it takes you. Letting them slip into the obscurity that life can bring could be catastrophic. One wrong turn nullifies every turn that follows it and we’re not guaranteed tomorrow. So, go back and investigate as if your eternity in Heaven, Hell, or existential void depended on it because it does. Consider the risk you take by never fully resolving these issues or never giving them a fair chance in your heart. Is adherence to atheism (the belief that nothing spiritual exists) worth the risk of being wrong? Don’t take the easy way out and put a quick fix on a paradigmatic life issue. That’s like duct taping the garage door opener to the ceiling, buying the first set of tires you see, or drilling into a wall and just hoping you hit a stud…not that I’ve done one of those things. I’ve spoken with hundreds of atheists who base their beliefs about God on false assumptions or lies about Christianity. They think that science and Christianity are mutually exclusive and some have never even heard of the field of study called “apologetics.” They cite the writings of biased and bitter “former Christians” who do not personally take the very risk they so vehemently endorse. I’ve spoken with many agnostics who, by their own admission, have simply never taken the time to adequately ponder or investigate God’s existence. With these examples in mind, does my theory about Satan’s sabotage sound a little less crazy? If there is an enemy to God, then isn’t it in his best interest to keep people distracted from the big issues like Jesus and what you truly believe about Him?
I know that, if you were to really and truly put these questions on the front burner and commit to objectively follow the evidence to wherever it takes you even if that means dramatically changing your stance on something, you’d investigate your way to Jesus. Jesus said in John 14:6 that He is the way, the truth, and the life and that no one can come to God except through Him.
It all comes down to what you believe about Jesus. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. Would you put aside the less important things in your life to make this Jesus guy and your beliefs pertaining to Him a priority? Heaven is a real place. So is Hell. Jesus loves you and that’s eternally more important and worthy of contemplation than is the plot of the aptly titled show “LOST.”
John Bunyan (Christian Encounter Series) – Book Review
John Bunyan (Christian Encounters Series)
The book is not heavy with details, but rather takes a simple, yet scholarly approach to the life of Bunyan. It would be a great biography for energetic middle school students to read. I can see it as a handy companion to read along side of Pilgrim’s Progress which is Bunyan’s most famous work.
If you are looking for a complete biography of John Bunyan, this isn’t it. But if you are looking for an introduction to the life of Bunyan, that isn’t daunting or too challenging, this is it. I see this as being a handy reference book on the life of Bunyan. Speaking as one who has read a few Bunyan biographies and host to a Christian Heritage Conference that centered on the life of Bunyan I wasn’t disappointed to read this book, I was excited that a biography was written on this level to introduce more young minds to the life of a great man.
John Bunyan (Christian Encounters Series) is a great introduction to the life and times of John Bunyan, I highly recommend it. The retail price is $12.00 (paperback), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $8.65. I gave it four stars.
Disclaimer: As a blogger I received a complimentary review copy from the Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program (http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ ). There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for the reviewer to call it like they see it.
5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow – Give Away
Last month I wrote a brief book review of 5 Things Every Christian Needs to Grow, a book written by R.C. Sproul. This month I have decided to give away a copy on the blog. To enter for a chance to win all you need to do is read my Review and then come back here to briefly share about why you want the book (even if you want to give to someone else). Then on Monday (March 1st, 2010) I’ll draw a name by random and announce the winner in the comments section on this post.
If you win I will also contact you via e-mail so I can make arrangements to get you the book (so make sure you fill that part out when leaving a comment).
I have answered some frequently asked questions about the Wednesday book give away in earlier post and you can find it here.
Top 5 Disciple Now Themes of All Time
In the last decade I have been involved in well over 20 Disciple Now weekends as either the host, guest leader, or guest speaker. Many of the Disciple Now’s we hosted in conjunction with other student ministries. Here is a list of my favorites and a few ideas I have for the future.
Top 5 Disciple Now Themes of All time
1. Different by Design – Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
2. Pilgrim’s Progress – Introduction to the Journey
3. Authentic Faith – Show me your fruit
4. Back to the Basics – Spiritual Disciplines
5. The Body of Christ – Unity
Five Disciple Now Themes for the Future
1. Hunger for the Harvest – Longing for the World to Know
2. Resident Aliens – Following Jesus in a world that Doesn’t Follow Him
3. Kingdom Come – Until all have heard
4. Dangerous Discipleship – What following Jesus Might Cost You
5. Never Eat Undercooked Meat – How church works
A Hill on Which to Die
I still remember it like it was yesterday. I was at the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans a few years ago. A good friend of mine (who was more excited about the conservative resurgence than I was) had convinced me to tag along and soak in the atmosphere. He had a contact with Judge Pressler and several others in the movement and we were invited to sit in and hear about the lives of these men, the battles they had fought, and absorb the atmosphere.
To be honest, I went for the bookstore. The Alabama Baptist Convention used to have a fantastic bookstore at each of its meetings with great deals on books. I was hoping for some of the same kind of interaction on national level. However, I was quickly disappointed to learn it was just a Lifeway store set out on tables.
The Highlight of the trip came however when we had the opportunity to tag along on a trip with Judge Pressler to Cafe Dumonde. We sat in on the conversation, asked our best questions, bought Cafe Dumonde mugs (to remember the occasion) and consumed beignets and hot chocolate.
We were blessed to be able to interact with Judge Pressler that night and throughout the convention. I was amazed at the character and grace of a man who was both very loving and very kind to most everyone he encountered. He talked with grace about the years of the conservative resurgence and I was surprised to later hear all the things he was accused of saying or doing. Quite simply the accusations didn’t line up with the man I had met.
His book A Hill on Which to Die: One Southern Baptist’s Journey
I picked up my copy several years ago when Pressler came to speak at UM and I got a copy autographed. Recently I had the opportunity to pick it up again and actually read it. I wish I had read it much sooner.
4 Basic Guidelines for Facebook Etiquette
I am a follower of Jesus Christ (some people call us Christians) and I also like to use the internet to chat with friends, find cool things, and write out my thoughts. So to a lot of people I am a representation of what it looks like to follow Jesus. However, I have several friends and acquaintances that also say they rep. Jesus, but they do some crazy things with their facebook profiles that make us wonder whats really going on.
To be fair, none of us are perfect. Following Jesus isn’t about being perfect, its about following, and sometimes we all can get a little “off track.” Thankfully God has provided the way for us to be forgiven and come back into a right relationship with Him. Still we should guard our online presence in the same way we are to guard our actually words. It amazes me that sometimes we post things on facebook that we wouldn’t say to people face to face. So here are 4 basic guidelines for facebook etiquette.
1. Don’t rat someone out of your facebook status
So you have a disagreement with someone about something. Don’t post, “Some people make me really angry!” You may feel that since you didn’t mention their name that it isn’t gossip or slander. Inevitably someone comments, “what happened?” and you are either inclined to say what happened or ignore them making the interest pique all the more. Better to not post than to drag a disagreement in the public forum or worse cause all your friends to guess at who you could possibly make you so mad.
2. Comment on other people’s profiles like you would want other people to comment on yours
If you disagree with something I post, that is okay. If you are really offended, tell me in private and we can seek reconciliation. Don’t comment on my post that I am a jerk, idiot, or whatever. See Guidelines #3 and #4 for more details. If you have a comment, but wouldn’t want someone posting the same comment on your profile, then don’t post it. If the post can not go unanswered send a message. It is much more private and will give you the opportunity to work things out.
3. Remember facebook is very public, not private
Ok so I post, “I like spaghetti” on my profile. Then you remember a funny (yet embarrassing) story about me and spaghetti. You think it will be funny to comment on my “I like spaghetti” status because we have 3 friends in common who will think of the incident and laugh. What you failed to take into account was the fact that I have 758 other friends who have no clue who you are or know the full story behind the “spaghetti incident.” What you posted as an “inside joke” and was funny to a few people can makes you look like a jerk and damages your reputation with my other friends.
4. Befriend and de-friend for the right reasons
Don’t de-friend someone just because they made you mad. You might eventually get over it. Resist the urge for a few days and see if things workout.
However, sometimes people have facebook profiles and they don’t need to be your friend. They may think they are entitled, but the are not. You choose who your facebook friends are and are not. A few basic guidelines that I like to follow are listed below…
- Ex-girlfriends or boyfriends probably don’t need to be your friend on FaceBook (unless it was in the distant past). If you just came off a bad break up, you are still going to be tempted to send harassing messages back and forth. Cut the excess drama out of your life and cut the FB friendship.
- People who are prone to excessive gossip and slander. You may have been hurt by past rumors and accusations and even come to a place of forgiveness. But just because they are forgiven doesn’t mean they deserve a spot among your facebook friends. Why would you give them open ground and opportunity to hurt you further?
- Toxic people. While the two mentioned above could be considered toxic people, this guideline covers the rest. These are the people who are out to cut you down. We all have friends who have bad days and maybe there is a disagreement from time to time, but you do not have to invite people into your facebook world who go off on you every time they get upset.
Are you a Forward or Backward Thinker?
Have you ever stopped and wondered why you think the way you do on a particular issue?
In my line of work I come across lots of people who have strong opinions. Many of them are passionate about their opinions. Sometimes the opinions people are most passionate about are the one’s they have changed their mind on. For instance if you grew up in a republican or democrat household and change sides as an adult. Maybe you went to church and learned about God, but when you were introduced to a college science class things changed. Beliefs were challenged and you didn’t have a good answer to whoever was challenging your beliefs so slowly (or suddenly) you changed your opinion and grew passionate about proving people who held your former position as wrong.
Sometimes we are backed into believing something simply because we are confronted with an ideal that conflicts what we were taught growing up. We don’t know how to answer the conflicting ideal and end up embracing it. We didn’t search for a solution, we just embraced a competing truth claim that stood in opposition to ours because we could not defend our inherited claim.
Sometimes we move forward into a new position. This takes place when we evaluate competing truth claims and examine the arguments that someone brings against our ideals and we scrutinize their competing claims with the same scrutiny they have shown ours.
For instance: Imagine growing up hearing and believing that all smurfs are blue. You have never seen a smurf, but you know that they are blue. Then someone shows you a purple smurf. Your view of smurfs is forever changed. However, you don’t examine the purple smurf (or asking questions like, How did the smurf become purple or are there smurfs of other colors as well?). Instead, you reject the assumption that “all smurfs are blue” as a complete lie, you demonize the people who told you smurfs were blue, and you join a group that promotes the awareness of the purple smurf. You have reacted to the assumed falsehood of “all smurfs are blue” and embraced a competing claim “all smurfs are purple.” You have in effect backed into your position. You didn’t go looking to see why you would have been told about blue smurfs, how this smurf became purple, or seek to know if there was a broader category.
Moving forward into your thinking requires examining competing truth claims and evaluating the validity of both claims. You may be actually viewing a blue smurf through rose-colored glasses. (The smurf is blue, but the red tint of your glasses causes the smurf to appear purple.) Maybe when smurfs are sick they turn purple. Maybe there are purple smurfs, but there are also blue smurfs. This is searching for the truth. This is moving forward into a position.
Now what about your thoughts on God? Are you reacting to competing claims or are you intentionally looking for truth?
The Bible in Magazine Form for Teen Girls?
Revolve 2010 (Biblezines)
I did my best to put my presuppositions out of the way and really examine this book. There were a few aspects of this “biblezine” that I really liked. One was that each book of the bible seems to have at least one section designed challenge the reader to go deeper with God’s Word. Some challenges call for reflection, bible memorization, etc. Each section also had a little background info to introduce that part of the New Testament. However, these appear as just token helps amidst a flood of other insights that thought they are harmless are out of place. There are adds for books, music downloads, quizes, etc. that one would expect in a teen magazine and maybe that is where I struggle most with this. Even though it’s “the Bible,” I have a hard time seeing where Jesus fits between the “Guy 411: Chad Eastham dishes the dirt on dudes” and “Celeb drama-trauma: Stellar Kart’s most cringe-worthy moments.” The gospel just seems trivialized as the filler between gossip and advice columns.
I work with students, many of whom are teenage girls who this biblezine is marketed toward. My real concern is that through the packaging this book is more teen magazine than actual bible. I want as many people to follow Jesus as possible and for that to happen we must be culturally relevant. However, there are parts of our culture that need to be confronted not imitated. I pray for and challenge my students to be culture changers not imitators.
The real scoop is this, teens don’t come into a right relationship with Jesus Christ through bible magazines… they come through the blood of Jesus Christ. Most often that happens when other teens step out of their comfort zones to share the “411 on Jesus” with their friends. My impression of Revolve 2010 (Biblezines) is that it is more of a hinderance to the gospel than a help. I hope I’m wrong.
Revolve 2010 (Biblezines)
Disclaimer: As a blogger I received a complimentary review copy from the Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger program (http://brb.thomasnelson.com/ ). There was no requirement to give it a positive review, just for the reviewer to call it like they see it.
The Hill House 