Peripatetics: The Art of Walking
Thursday, June 30, 2005
I've grown up in the age of space travel as "normal." When I was a kid, astronauts were viewed as heroes and we knew all their names and all the missions were covered on TV. We even had these plastic astronaut helmets that had a moutpiece with a piece of cellophane in it that made it sound like the real astronauts when we talked to each other. Yes, we played "astronauts" instead of "war" or whatever.
I also understand that it was abnormal for the "grown-ups" of the time to see those images. I remember my grandfather being completely amazed by the images on television of what was going on in space. My mom made sure to pick up all types of photo books showing the world what they'd never seen so we'd be up to date on our learning.
Now, space travel is common...so much so that we refer to the main vehicle of space travel as a "shuttle." Like it's some school bus that goes around in a routine.
But even with my familiarity with space travel and all things astronaut related, I have to admit that I'm still taken aback by the Hubble Telescope Photo Gallery. It always has pictures of space that fascinate me. Every now and then I make them my screen saver.
It reminds me of the verses we looked at last night from Psalm 19. "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and thier expanse is declaring the work of his hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world. In them He has placed a tent for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber; It rejoices as a strongman to run his course. It's rising from one end of the heavens, and it's circuit to the other end of them; and there there is nothing hidden from its heat."
The heavens tell of the glory of God. Somebody had to make them, and it wasn't us. So, in a very real sense they talk about His glory. And in some small way the Hubble images give me that sense...that sense that God did it and it brings a certain "wow factor" to my life when I see them.
Notice the revelation is going on in the day and at night. That's 24/7 to you and me.
Also notice that it's a non-verbal communication. There aren't words. There isn't an audible voice, but yet it screams out to mankind...all over the world.
And, like kids of Generation X failed to be amazed at space exploration, sometimes as Christians we've lost that "wow factor" when it comes to God and His handiwork.
So, for today, why not check out the Hubble gallery with that in mind. Maybe take some time to go to a lake or a park and watch the stars come out. If you've got a telescope, why not get it out and check out the moon or maybe a planet or two? And then put them into perspective: That God made all this, and it shows us His glory. And in the "comments" why don't you tell us which Hubble gallery photo was your favorite?
Brent 4:25 AM
Comments:
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Wednesday, June 29, 2005
In order to get ready for discipleship tonight, you'll want to read over Psalm 19.
Ask yourself how God reaveals Himself to us in verses 1--6.
Then ask yourself how God reveals Himself to us in verses 7--9.
What is God's Word better than in verse 10?
What is the result of responding to God in verses 11--14?
See you in the Dungeon at 6:20PM and we'll be through after about an hour!
Brent 4:54 AM
Comments:
ya wanna know what i love? i LOVE seeing beautiful poetry in the bible. like i totally think that this psalm is so artistically written. i love it.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2005
I was reading a book by Stavesacre's lead singer, Mark Salomon, entitled "Simplicity." He described his upbringing in a church youth group this way:
"I guess I just wish someone would've told me how to take the information I had been given and then make it work (Or that someone would have nailed my feet to the ground until I understood on my own). I felt like a mechanic who'd been given all the tools to fix a car--without being shown how to use any of them. If something was broken, I could have been holding the tool to fix the problem and still not have known where to start. I didn't know how to sort through what mattered to me and what mattered to God. I was too busy most of the time trying to not do the wrong thing. I knew how not to have premarital sex. How not to get drunk. I knew how not to embarrass my parents in front of other people at church. I just didn't know how to apply the teachings regarding spiritual maturity that I had heard in church to my life: How does one actively 'set (one's) mind on the things of God?" (Colossians 3:2) How does one take hold of the 'mind of Christ?' (1 Corinthians 2:16) I was too busy not cussing, not doing drugs, not hanging out with the wrong people, etc."
So, for today, I'd like to ask if you feel like many teenagers ever experience the same feelings as Mark did. If so, how do you think the church could change things to help the next generation's ability to "use the tools" you've been handed?
Brent 4:26 AM
Monday, June 27, 2005
Okay...so last night Meredith taught Sunday School. I'll let you take it from here. What did you learn from last night and how can you apply it?
Brent 6:37 AM
Sunday, June 26, 2005
As we continue our summer series "Stuff I Wish I'd Applied In High School," please pray for Meredith Stevenson. She graduated in 2004 and spent a year at Capernwray Bible School in England...and she's next in line of CBC staff and alumni who want to talk with you about the things they knew but didn't really apply until later. So, we'll see you at 6:30PM!
Brent 4:47 AM
Saturday, June 25, 2005
From Mark Salomon, lead singer of the band Stavesacre, in his book "Simplicity":
"As far was what I hope to accomplish here...I'm not just trying to tell you my life story. I am hoping to show you that the lives of the people who make music and entertain you are just as complex as yours. There are stories for our lives, too--ones you may never see, and yet these people still feel at liberty to have all sorts of opinions about them. There are very real reasons why we do the things people might be judgmental of, reasons that are true, honest, and righteous. Not everything is a step away from faith or backsliding, often the opposite is true, but many of us do what we believe is right, at the risk of being accused of those things anyway.
I guess in the back of my hope is the dream that maybe we could be different fromt he world around us, that through actions as simple as how we treat each other, we could be witnesses as to who Jesus really is. We should at least be as good as the world around us, right? Shouldn't we, who claim to have what the world around us needs, trust each other with the same amount of common courtesy and love that they do? I would love to come off of a tour of nothing but clubs and bars and be able to say that I was glad to finally be around Christian again. As of right now...that is not the case.
If anything, maybe I could at least start a little dialogue between people, and maybe...just maybe, something will change.
I think we need it."
So, for today, how would you respond to Mark Salomon? What would you say if you were sitting across a coffee cup from him and he said these words out loud?
Brent 6:01 AM
Friday, June 24, 2005
Once again, from Brian McLaren in "The Church On The Other Side":
"The new church must face this power deficit and be serious about building better Christians out of us all. So what would a better Christian look like? What is the profile of the new Christian? This is something for every pastor and serious Christian in the transition zone to lie awake at night struggling with and praying about. Whatever the profile is, it must be realistic; the last thing we need is to create some ideal that will either make us all feel more guilty than we already do, or make us look like even bigger fools when we fail to live up to our new, higher ideal. That's something I love about the Gospels: We see Jesus calling the disciples to a better way, yet we see them as quite normal buffoons like the rest of us, bumbling along toward it. The Bible has realism.
But the Bible also maintains an idealism--the ideal that people can be 'born again.' People can grow toward the kind of straight-talking, enemy-loving, phariseeism-transcending, skeptic-inspiring, poor in spirit, and rich in Spirit discipleship our Lord proclaimed. Jesus can turn a rag-tag band of fishermen, rednecks, intellectuals and common folk into a community of difference-makers. He can start with raw material such as we are."
So, for today, what is the profile of the "new Christian" that we need to be effective in reaching the world for Christ? Obviously, to answer the question you'll have to think through what it is that turns off those to Christianity as it's practiced in Flower Mound in 2005 and what would make it more attractive to those seeking true faith. Loaded question, so get after it!
Brent 4:47 AM
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Since I wasn't even at Wednesday night last night (by the way, how did that go?), here is another quote, this one from Max Lucado from "In the Grip of Grace":
"Confesion does for the soul what preparing the land does for the field. Before the farmer sows the seed he works the acreage, removing the rocks and pulling the stumps. He knows that seed grows better if the land is prepared. Confession is the act of inviting God to walk the acreage of our hearts. 'There is a rock of greed over here Father, I can't budge it. And that tree of guilt near the fence? Its roots are long and deep. And may I show you some dry soil, too crusty for seed?' God's seed grows better if the soil of the heart is cleared.
And so the Father and Son walk the field together; digging and pulling, preparing the heart for fruit. Confession invites the Father to work the soil for the soul.
Confession seeks pardon from God, not amnesty. Pardon presumes guilt; amnesty, delivered from the same Greek word as amnesia, 'forgets' the alleged offense without imputing guilt. Confession admits wrong and seeks forgiveness; amnesty denies wrong and claims innocence.
Many mouth a prayer for forgiveness while in reality claiming amnesty. Consequently worship is cold (why thank God for a grace we don't need?) and our faith is weak (I'll handle my mistakes myself, thank you). We are better at keeping God out than we are at inviting God in. Sunday mornings are full of preparing the body for worship, preparing the hair for worship, preparng the clothes for worship...but preparing the soul?
Am I missing the mark when I say many of us attend church on the run? Am I out of line when I say many of us spend life on the run?
Am I overstating the case when I announce, 'Grace means you don't have to run anymore!'? It's the truth. Grace means we can finally turn ourselves in."
So, for today, do you agree with the analogy of confession helping us ultimately prepare for a life of worship? (Assuming that worship isn't just going to church, but offering ourselves daily to God) Do we tend to live life on the run? How can confession help that? What can be done to slow life down and become more contemplative?
Brent 6:06 AM
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Again, since I didn't get to hear Katherine in Sunday School, I'll just be using quotes from stuff I'm reading. Again, this is from Brian McLaren, but this time it's from his book "The Church On The Other Side":
"In the modern world we could wield a proposition like a sword and a concept like a hammer. In the postmodern world we have to hold a mystery like a lover, and a story like a child.
We need to tell our own stories: unedited, unsanitized, rough and lumpy, not squeezed into a formula. Should we be cross with postmoderns for feeling that stories are the best conveyers of truth? Looking at the Bible, it appears that God migh be post-modern in that respect, too!
In part, this means being more honest--with ourselves and with postmoderns. Our doubts, failures, fears, problems, embarrassments, and confessions have tremendous apologetic and pastoral value in a postmodern world. They illustrate 'truth' in its postmodern form of honesty, authenticity, transparency."
Don't worry about the words "modern" and "postmodern" the author uses. Simply put, he's using "modern" to mean the generation that makes decisions in the church (the older folks) and "postmodern" to mean the generation coming up in the church (say, 25 and under).
The question for today is do you really want adults to be honest, authentic and transparent with YOU? Would you like to hear their honest stories about their spiritual life? If so, what are some ways we could arrange that? If not, what would make you uncomfortable about it?
Brent 6:19 AM
Comments:
I think the awkwardness of a situation where adults share "unedited" stories of their spiritual growth is something we could totally overcome. If the old saying is true that we learn from past mistakes, then why not embrace it? And what better a situation than one where adult's past struggles can help teach us "postmoderns" through experience? And as far as arrangement goes, we just need to find adults who would be honest and transparent about their mistakes; I think the rest would fall into place, as far as an audience and topic of discussion goes.
i agree... i wish that it was normal already to hear the non-sugar coated stories of spirtiual growth from our parents and other brothers and sisters in Christ. it seems that a lot of people want to hear it... and i think a lot of adults would be thrilled to share... but who's gonna go first?
Bailey, Keila, Melissa -
I would love to get together and talk with you. Let's figure out a time and place. Bailey, you know me. You've babysat my sons. (Just so you know I'm not some total stranger) We can IM or meet for coffee.
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I would love to get together and talk with you. Let's figure out a time and place. Bailey, you know me. You've babysat my sons. (Just so you know I'm not some total stranger) We can IM or meet for coffee.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
So, anyways, while I'd love to have something profound to say from Katherine's Sunday School class, I'm not sure it'd be wise to expound on something I haven't heard. This is what God is teaching me while I'm in East Alabama renewing my soul a bit:
"To be a Christian in a generously orthodox way is not to claim to have the truth captured, stuffed, and mounted on the wall. It is rather to be in a loving community of people who are seeking the truth on the road of mission and who have been launched on the quest by Jesus, who, with us, guides us still. Do we have it? Have we taken hold of it? Not fully. Not yet. Of course not. But we keep seeking. We're finding enough to keep us going. But we're not finished. That to me, is orthodoxy--a way of seeing and seeking, a way of living, a way of thinking and loving and learning that helps what we believe become more true over time, more resonant with the infinite glory of God."--Brian McLaren, in "A Generous Orthodoxy."
Part of the reason I like that quote (which I read yesterday outside under a tree near the library at my old college) is because I got the idea from your comments that Katherine talked about the importance of community...even giving you the chance to encourage each other.
So, for today, do you agree or disagree with this quote? Do you think it defines where our student ministry (our church?) should be...at least as a goal? If so, what would it take to get us there from where we are? If not, where should we be headed?
Brent 6:05 AM
Comments:
i just think its awesome because its like we'll never be done. its like we're living for Christ and that is never gonna be enough until we are completely like Him... which means that on this earth, our job is never done... but its not labor, its more of like a lifestyle where we want more of Him every day. its cool.
i used to think that once you prayed the "sinners prayer" that you would be instantly transformed. renewed, restored that moment. while i my have recieved the Holy Spirit the fact still remains that i am an earthen vessel. i really don't know why i thought all that because it never happened to me. no bright flash of light or puff of smoke. i don't even remember when i prayed the "prayer". i didn't understand the journey involved in sanctification and this played out in how i viewed other christians. it hindered my fellowship with other believers. i think ones spiritual journey is in great need of community and when you realize that it is a journey and not an instant transformation to perfection you realize the need for community.
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Monday, June 20, 2005
...and I forgot to ask who Steve-O was going to have speak and what they spoke on, maybe I could ask you!
So, who spoke?
What topic did they choose?
What insights did you pick up?
If somebody answers those for me, yeah, that'd be good...and I'll try to write some stuff on the responses...
Oh yeah, and how'd it go?
Brent 6:50 AM
Comments:
haaay brenty, hope life is going great... ur a good man... and the maaaasssttaaa.... saw dude (and it was 5 seconds john still has the lead sorry ;-) )!!!!
Who Spoke?: Catherine did. amazing job by the way.
Topic?: Mostly about the fact that God REALLY DOES love allll of us...and that any form of encouragement to one another is extremely helpful.
Insights?: Well, Catherine opened up to us and told us that she had been struggling lately...and i really admired the fact that she told all of us that. i mean i really respect the fact that she can explain to us her troubles and how she is praying about them just so that we as a family of kids can learn. i just really appreciated that.
**hey brent its baileyPEMBROKE...umm i hope you are having a fun time in Alabama...or was it Arkansas? either or, enjoy your vacation and COME BACK SOON BECAUSE I MISS YOUR HAIR. and i miss that thing you do when you stick your stomach out real far and tuck your shirt in. haha. oh that one gives me the greatest laughs. :)
well see you soon!!
oh and everything went great. i really had an extravagant time. it was nice getting to see everyone again. oh oh and after sunday school we went to wendy's...then to the Russel's house...and i'm quite sure everyone had a great time. OKAY I'M LEAVING BYE. <33
OH OH and before church i met up with jude and we talked for like an hour...and i really loved it. and i'm seriously considering getting baptised this august. so more information on that laterrr. OKAY BYE.
Topic?: Mostly about the fact that God REALLY DOES love allll of us...and that any form of encouragement to one another is extremely helpful.
Insights?: Well, Catherine opened up to us and told us that she had been struggling lately...and i really admired the fact that she told all of us that. i mean i really respect the fact that she can explain to us her troubles and how she is praying about them just so that we as a family of kids can learn. i just really appreciated that.
**hey brent its baileyPEMBROKE...umm i hope you are having a fun time in Alabama...or was it Arkansas? either or, enjoy your vacation and COME BACK SOON BECAUSE I MISS YOUR HAIR. and i miss that thing you do when you stick your stomach out real far and tuck your shirt in. haha. oh that one gives me the greatest laughs. :)
well see you soon!!
oh and everything went great. i really had an extravagant time. it was nice getting to see everyone again. oh oh and after sunday school we went to wendy's...then to the Russel's house...and i'm quite sure everyone had a great time. OKAY I'M LEAVING BYE. <33
OH OH and before church i met up with jude and we talked for like an hour...and i really loved it. and i'm seriously considering getting baptised this august. so more information on that laterrr. OKAY BYE.
hey... um since when is katherine special k? I'VE ALWAYS BEEN SPECIAL K :( :( :( :( :( so my favorite part of the night was when katherine let us encourage one another out loud. it was so cool to hear what people appreciate about other people!!!!! :)
okay cool. the one sunday i miss in the past thousands of sundays is when katherine spoke. my life sucks.
it really was cool how katherine stretched us... you could tell everybody didn't know what to do w/ the open floor in both the prayer and encouragement time. it was really good to have the open prayer again though and we should try the encouragement time every once in awhile... so, good job katherine!
oh, and i was once "special k" too, keila. i think it's steve's way of making everyone with the first letter of k feel special, which really means nobody's special... wait, isn't that from some movie?
oh, and i was once "special k" too, keila. i think it's steve's way of making everyone with the first letter of k feel special, which really means nobody's special... wait, isn't that from some movie?
haha, way to recover from that steve. hey brent! i hope your having a great time just being able to go on a vacation and chill, and i hope auburn is having a great time too.
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Sunday, June 19, 2005
In order to get ready for class tonight, spend about five minutes in silence (like we did last Wednesday night)--simply thinking about God and what He has done for you. Spend some time in one of your favorite Bible passages, thinking through how you can apply it, and finally, spend some time in prayer, asking God to prepare your heart and mind so your worship can be pleasing to Him.
See you all at 6:30PM!
Brent 5:48 AM
Comments:
i had never been to the high school service, simply because i didnt know anyone and thought i wouldn't fit in. i went to sunday school today, and had a wonderful time. it was a great lesson, it tought me to encourage others and made me realize how good it feels to be involved with other brothers and sisters in christ. i will definately be coming back sunday, i might even go wednesday too! props to yall!
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Saturday, June 18, 2005
Hey! I'd really like to know who is reading this every now and again as well as to get some idea as to why people generally aren't commenting. I was hoping this would develop into an "online community" of sorts and it isn't...which is fine if people are reading and getting ministered to then I need to change my view of this. However, if it's something I'm writing or not writing that's preventing that, I'd really like to know...
Brent 3:54 AM
Comments:
i'm reading brent!!! and i'm just not a big commenter...i'm more of a think a lot about it and then go write a lot kind of person...so yeah there ya go...
first comment woot!
first comment woot!
I like it, as well! So, you better not go second guessing its greatness. :P
Thanks for the service to so many!
I shall remember to comment in the future!
Domo Arigatou, Brent!
*busts out into the robot*
-Michael
of the no-one
cares about me clan
Thanks for the service to so many!
I shall remember to comment in the future!
Domo Arigatou, Brent!
*busts out into the robot*
-Michael
of the no-one
cares about me clan
I read it even though I'm one of the "moderns". By the way, I'm always open to sharing my mistakes and life lessons with any postmodern who wants to listen.
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Friday, June 17, 2005
I remember the first time I crowd surfed. It was at an outdoor music festival featuring about 20 bands and was an all-day Saturday type deal. Some of my teenagers surprised me--more or less--by lifting me up when Stavesacre started playing and I went from the front of the stage to the back of the crowd in about four minutes.
I remember going crazy in a football stadium when my favorite team scored a touchdown in the final minute to beat our arch rival. I hugged strangers. I jumped up and down. I yelled. I clapped and cheered like crazy for our defense to stop the other team for a few plays. We sang the fight song at the end of the game, too.
I remember the first time I preached in Holland in 2000. I had to step back and take a deep breath. I couldn't believe that a guy with little or no giftedness could be used as the very first pastor from our church to formally preach God's Word on European soil. The moment overwhelmed me and it took me about five seconds to compose myself.
I remember my wedding day. I can still see Tracy in her dress making eye contact with me from the end of the aisle. I remember joking with her when her dad put her arm on mine and walked away that I didn't know that God let His angels fly so low. I remember chatting with her after the prayer while the soloist finished singing that we were actually married. I remember kissing her, too.
I remember watching my daughter get her first base hit in softball. I remember my youngest in her first performance in the Nutcracker.
Now, could you imagine if...
...at the outdoor festival, I was wearing a suit and tie and nice shoes and spent the afternoon shushing everyone telling them to be quiet because I was trying to read?
...at the football game, if everyone in the crowd spoke in whispers and just simply observed what was going on on the field to the degree you could hear what the players were saying in the huddle?
...that, if instead of preaching my sermon in Holland, I simply busted into a rousing chorus of "Tomorrow" from the hit play, "Annie?"
...that, on my wedding day I showed up in my swimsuit, with no shirt, beach towel over my shoulders wearing a diving mask and snorkel?
...after my daughter's first hit I announced the feat to the world using a bullhorn and then ran out on the field and followed her around the bases using my video camera?
...during my daughter's ballet performance I stood up and cheered the second my daughter hit the stage, and then jumped on the stage and got video footage of just her performance?
It's odd because all those things are out of place. It's appropriate to crowd surf at a rock concert. Crowds cheer at football games. Sermons are preached in church services. Weddings are more formal affairs. Children's accomplishments have to be observed from the proper seating areas with reserved & appropriate excitement and enthusiasm.
They have their time and place.
Just like Ecclesiastes 3 tells us...which I'll go more into tomorrow. But that's the mark of wisdom, to know what the appropriate action is given a set of circumstances. Wisdom is knowing what time it is...
For fun today, tell us about a time when you didn't know what time it was, and had an embarrassing moment because you were inappropriate considering the circumstances.
Mine was when I had a "muck wars" with my students when I worked for a small church and they had shaving cream mohawk hairdos and flour all over their clothes and smelled like ketchup and eggs and all that jazz. They were pretty soaked and mucked. Since we finished like 15 minutes before the night time service I thought it would be cute for all of us to go to the more laid-back worship service dressed like that. I even put down trash bags to keep us from getting muck on the pews.
Well, let's just say that when the pastor came out to preach his sermon he looked in the first two rows and saw the mucked up kids (which I thought looked great) and he gave me a glance that told me we were going to have a meeting on Monday to discuss the idea of what was appropriate during a church worship service. Oh man, did I forget what time it was that day!
Brent 4:39 AM
Thursday, June 16, 2005
A radio commentator once defined a good gift as "something that person really wants but would never pay for themselves." I tend to agree with that. I mean, it could be something as simple as a CD or as large as a house, but the reality is that giving a good gift should require some degree of thought and knowledge of that person.
I got a really good gift at this year's senior speeches, but I've got to go backwards a bit in order to explain why it was a good gift.
In 2000, I took a group of teenagers to Holland on a mission trip. We took a day off each week to visit area cities and sightsee a bit. One of the off-days took us to Haarlem...primarily to visit the Corrie Ten Boom home. We'd been required to read her book on her involvement in the Dutch resistance during WWII as part of our training, so I thought visiting the home would be a cool thing to do.
And it was.
What surprised me was that the family still maintained their watchmaking business she mentioned in the book. Corrie later went on to do great things for the Christian faith around Holland and the world, but her family continued to make watches right there in their little shop where the "hiding place" became famous.
Needless to say, I was intrigued and would've loved a watch from there...but it was my anniversary, so I picked up one for my wife. I simply didn't have enough money to get myself one after I'd grabbed a pair of Birkenstocks at a local outlet (the currency exchange rate at the time allowed for HUGE savings as the dollar had twice the buying power--unlike now against the Euro). I figured I'd be back again, so I put buying a watch off.
Well, I went back three years later. Again, a watch was out of my budget range...this time due to the dollar's loss against the Euro. It seemed like I'd be paying entirely too much for a "want," not a need. So, I toured the "hiding place" again and left without a watch.
Flash forward to 2005. One of my seniors is spending six months in Holland continuing our church's commitment to that ministry...so, she stopped by and got me a watch. Not just any watch, either. One from the Ten Boom shop...one of only six in the world. Frankly, I'm a bit scared to wear it. I can be hard on watches.
But it wasn't that they all went with the "chip in" and got the watch...that alone would've made it a great gift. The reason behind their choice as that for a gift was because of Ecclesiastes 3...and what I try to teach teenagers regarding wisdom.
I really don't want to type those famous verses here because it would take too long, and besides, most people know them anyway...but, for grins, why don't you grab your Bible, flip through to Ecclesiastes 3, and read those famous verses in 1--11?
Done?
Okay...
So, Solomon wrote the first proverb we studied. He also wrote Ecclesiastes.
And you have the wisest person who ever lived make an assertion about how there is time for everything under the sun. No matter what it is, there's a time and a place for it. You simply have to know when is the proper time for whatever it is that you're choosing.
In essence, wisdom is knowing what time it is.
And since I taught that so often, they gave me a watch, so I'd always know what time it is.
But today's lesson really isn't about the watch, or the gift giving, it's about the definition of wisdom I used. First of all, do you agree or disagree with that application? Secondly, what in the list of Ecclesiastes 3 of "time" surprises you that it's in the list? Finally, what is something you need to do, but can't seem to find the "time?"
Brent 4:39 AM
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
I like making decisions. I like being in control.
You know, I really do enjoy things like planning the Mexico trip. Even though it can be a real bear of a chore, it's pretty fun choosing what kind of grill to buy or what the menu will be like or picking the bus company...stuff like that. It's pretty cool being in charge of a major operation like that, especially when you get back and realize it went off without a hitch.
I like making decisions with my family, too. I like to make the call on where we go on vacation. I like to decide what restaurant we're going to eat in. I like to decide what movie we're going to see. I like being the one that decides what show we're going to watch. I mean, sure, you consult your family on all that, but I truly enjoy making those kinds of decisions.
I like making decisions for me personally, too. I like deciding whether or not I'm going to work on my doctorate. I like deciding if I'm going to stick with the diet or if it'll be another "blow it" day. I like deciding what kind of exercise program I'm going to be on. I like choosing what book to read. I really do like being in charge of my own self.
Which makes it very difficult when you're trying to follow God.
See, truth be told, I prefer running my own show spiritually, too. I really deep down don't like it when stuff I want to do gets shoved aside because I know what God wants me to do. Maybe it isn't watching that movie or show. Maybe it means spending more time with my wife when I really feel like being alone. Maybe it means that the doctoral work can wait until my kids get out of high school. It might mean none of those things, too...but the reality is that if I'm following God, all those decisions and more are subject to what He wants for my life rather than what I want for my life.
That comes from verse 7 of Proverbs 1: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Notice the very starting point of true knowledge: "Fear of the Lord." Now, that fear isn't a "shaking in your boots" kind of fear, but rather it is a proper understanding of Who God is and responding to that proper understanding. It's really more revering God because He is God. In other words:
GOD IS GOD; I AM NOT GOD.
That reality is staggering. It may sound simple, but it's really profound in the implications. It means that we don't get to be the boss of ourselves. God is our King...the One we revere because He IS...
And also note that there really are only two types of people in the world. There are people who follow Him and understand that growing in wisdom begins with that understanding. The rest are fools.
The word for "fools" in Hebrew describes someone who is "thick headed." You know, they just can't get anything through their thick skulls.
There's an obvious application right off the top in that are you being wise or foolish...but that isn't going to get a lot of thoughts in the "comments," is it? Nope, better find something else for that...but think that one through, too.
So, for today, why is it so hard for us to allow God to be God instead of us being our own God...trying to be in control of our own lives? What I'm getting at is this: Why is it that we know what God wants for us is truly best for us, but yet we're still so insistent on being in control of our own lives?
Brent 3:49 AM
Comments:
pride. foolishness. it's us still trying to hold onto the sinful nature to which we as christians have died. and laziness too-- it's "just so much easier" to do what we feel than to actually give our lives up to God. giving God the control means admitting we're not perfect, we make mistakes...so we really have to let go of our pride in order to be able to give our lives to Him.
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Tuesday, June 14, 2005
I rode home on the same bus as her when we were freshmen. She had a great laugh (always very important to me) and was very good at conversation. I was pretty excited when she invited me to her New Year's Eve party that year...her family introduced us all to a tradition up north of banging pots and pans with ladels to make racket at midnight.
I wanted to ask her out...but I really didn't know about all the specifics of how to do that. I was 15 and needed some advice on exactly how to go about doing something like that (ladies, it isn't as easy as you keep saying it is to ask a girl out). I asked my friends at the lunch table. Suffice to say a group of 15 year olds with no dating experience proved to be pretty insufficient.
I had a guy that was discipling me at the time who helped out. She said "yes," and we went out. We stayed good friends throughout high school even though we never really dated beyond that first movie and pizza together. Good advice.
I needed advice on choosing a college because the schools I didn't really want to go to were offering great financial breaks and other incentives, but my dream school was going to be 100% of my fiscal responsibility. I talked to the same guy.
When I needed advice on going into youth ministry as a career, I talked to two different youth pastors as well as the senior pastor at my Bible church. They gave excellent insights on everything from what kind of girl would have to be my choice if I did so, to what to major in at university, and all the practical stuff they could throw at me.
When Tracy and I decided to purchase our first home, we sought out advice from our parents, who had each purchased homes before. They gave us valuable insights into negotiating the best deal as well as what to look for and signing mortgage papers.
When we were going to become parents for the first time, we asked all sorts of people about pregnancy and how our lives would change and all that stuff. They were mostly very helpful...if you leave out all the "labor" descriptions the women put out there for us. Those might've been true, but man...
When we came to Crossroads, we got advice from seminary professors. When we got a house here we asked people who lived here about where to purchase so teens would want to come by.
Even yesterday, we called a trusted friend for some advice on purchasing a car.
Let's be honest.
We all need help living this life.
We all need advice. C'mon. Dear Abby even makes a living giving it.
Yesterday, we looked at the source of who we trust in helping us live this live.
Today, we'll look at the reason we need advice, and why Solomon wrote these sayings down.
From Proverbs 1: 2ff, "To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to recieve instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity; To give prudence to the naive, to the youth knowledge and discretion, A wise man will hear and increase in learning, a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel."
The Message has it translated very well for us:
...so we'll know how to live well and right. Who doesn't want to live well? And, you know...there's a wrong way to live, and who wants to live wrongly?
...so we can understand what life means and where it's going. Who hasn't asked those "big picture" questions about who I am and why I'm here?
...a manual for living. Who doesn't want a how-to book on life?
...for learning what's right and just and fair. Even as little kids we have this sense of right and wrong and justice, so this is like the "top of the box" of a board game where all the "rules" are written out so the game is fair as well as fun.
...to teach the inexperienced the ropes. Who among us would love to avoid the hard stuff if we don't have to go through it, right?
...to give our young people a grasp of reality. Wow. What young person doesn't need that?
...there's a thing or two for the seasoned men and women to learn, too. We're really ALL life-long learners, aren't we?
Think about it for a second.
We have a book designed to teach us to live life as it was meant to be lived.
If you watch Oprah or head into a Barnes & Noble you'll see lots of people making lots of money writing books on dieting, or how to be happy, or solving some of life's little problems, or teaching you to play an instrument, or better your love life, or all sorts of ways to make your life better.
And here we have one written by Solomon after years of pursuing God...and being led by God Himself to write it down.
And it don't cost nuthin'.
With that in mind, if God Himself inspired this wisdom, what are some of the reasons Christians generally fail to "dive in" to reading it, and learning to be wise by seeing the world how God sees the world?
Brent 4:26 AM
Monday, June 13, 2005
This summer, we're allowing our student ministry staff as well as selected alumni to give us insights into sections of Scripture that they wish they'd actually applied while they were in high school. I figured that I'd be the first one to start.
And my story starts with credibility.
You know...that idea that people have to have credibility to be heard. Nobody likes a hypocrite, right?
There's no question in my mind that the high school baseball coach at my high school had credibility. He'd won state championships. In the years he didn't the teams still made the playoffs and gave good showings even in defeat. He definitely had credibility. The team BELIEVED in what he was doing.
What he was "doing" was awfully demanding on the personal level. It started out with long workouts during the fall and winter in which players worked out harder then than during the spring season. It filtered into a two-week session over spring break, prior to the start of the season, in which the team would go to south Florida and work on drills from 8AM to 5PM every day...afterward the team would study film of the earlier day. By the team started, every possible situation had been practiced, and minute details were given the strictest attention. We even had a practice in which he taught us how to put on the uniforms the same way so our team looked exactly alike. No detail was overlooked. Ever.
He had credibility because we KNEW that the coach KNEW what he was talking about.
It's the same way with Solomon.
See, in Proverbs 1, it begins with these words in verses 1--4.
"The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel. To know wisdom and instruction, to discern the sayings of understanding, to recieve instruction in wise behavior, righteousness, justice and equity; To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge nad discretion."
The author is going to give us some proverbs. Some sayings from everyday life designed to give insight into practical living.
Well, what makes the author credible?
First of all, we find out this Solomon was the son of David. He grew up in the palace, with access to the finest education. He was aware of his father's incredible successes in unifying a divided nation and expanding it's borders to unprecedented levels. He was also there for the horrible excesses that success brought to his family...and the bloodshed and civil war that resulted in. He was an experienced man.
He was king of Israel. That alone was a magnificent undertaking...and one that would give him the opportunity to observe the human condition and apply it to his life.
In addition, Solomon had a unique place in history. See, he had an incredible even take place not long after his installation as king. Turns out, that God, in a dream, told Solomon to ask Him for whatever he wanted...and God would give it to him. Think about that.
What would you ask for if God Himself did that for you?
And he asked for wisdom (see 1 Kings 3: 3--9).
God told him that because he didn't ask for selfish results or harm for others that he would be the wisest man on the face of the earth. No one was wiser before him, and no one else in history would ever be wiser than he was.
So, not only does Solomon have the resume for being credible when he says he's going to give words of wisdom, but no one after him would ever be as wise.
Wouldn't it make sense that if the wisest man who ever lived would write a book about the things he's learned over time, well...wouldn't you want to listen?
I do.
And that's the beginning of my story on what advice I wish I'd applied when I was in high school. I wish I'd been more wise.
More on that tomorrow.
For today, who are some people who have credibility in your eyes when they give you advice on how to live? What makes them credible, and how have they influenced you?
Brent 4:25 AM
Comments:
I think credibility has a lot to do with wisdom in itself. A person has credibility, at least in my eyes, if they use wisdom in their actions and decisions. I think the two go hand-in-hand.
i think joshua rudd would be one, at least in my eyes, who has shown credibility when giving advice. he is transparent and honest whenever he talks. i remember being drawn to that early on in high school when he would help out with our guys bible study. he never put himself above the person he was offering advice to but he did it as humbly as he knew how. he made himself approachable. to me this deserves credibility
my brother has a lot of credibility in my life--i don't think he has ever given me bad advice...the only times things have gone wrong are the times when i didn't follow his advice. so, yeah, he's most def had a big influence on my life.
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Sunday, June 12, 2005
After a great week in Juarez (taking Sunday School "off" last week) we'll resume tonight with our summer series "What I Wish I Applied In High School." The idea is that we'll be having various staff teach this summer as well as former graduates of the CBC student ministry teaching on that very topic.
Tonight, I'll be teaching the class, with Proverbs 1 as the chapter I'll be focusing on. Maybe you can read over it beforehand and spend some time thinking about 1:7. I'll be using that as my basis.
Anyway, see you in class tonight at 6:30PM...
...any suggestions on where we're going afterwards to hang out?
Brent 6:02 AM
Comments:
this is really cool because its like i'm only a new sophmore and i can take what they wished they had applied and see if it fits in to my highschool. GOOD IDEA, BRENT!!!!
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Sunday, June 05, 2005
Don't forget to pray for the 105 members of Team Juarez, who left for Mexico...the advance team left Saturday at 4:45AM and the remaining team members left Sunday at 6:30AM.
There's NO SUNDAY SCHOOL for middle or high school today because so many of our staffers are in Juarez.
So pray for the mission, the logistics and the return travel, with all of us returning Saturday, June 11, between 6PM and 8PM (depending on speed of travel) to the CBC south lot.
Brent 3:00 AM
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Ferris Bueller said it: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't slow down once in a while, you could miss it."
It was early in the movie. He was planning on using the last day he could skip school in a great way, and actor Matthew Broderick talked to the audience to explain why he needed his friend Cameron to drive them around that day. Cameron got a car for his 16th birthday. Ferris got a computer.
Ferris could only miss one more day of school and still pass his classes. It would have to count.
He was absorbed in planning his day, too.
He went to see a Chicago Cubs baseball game.
He went to a posh restaurant in downtown Chicago.
He went to the top of the John Hancock tower.
He went to the art museum.
He drove a flashy sports car with his girlfriend and Cameron.
He was in the last parade float of the St. Patrick's Day parade in downtown Chicago singing Twist 'N Shout.
He made his day count.
And that's the message of the last part of 1 Timothy 4: 13--16, too.
"Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and to teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you."
Granted, Paul was talking specifically to Timothy, his protege, but there are some things we can identify with and apply to our lives as well.
We need to be in places where Scripture is read in public. That's a lost art in our soceity. When I was a kid, we'd do these "responsive readings" where the leader of the worship service would read one line of a Psalm and the crowd would read the next. No sermon. Just the living and active Word of God being living and active.
We need to be encouraging to one another in our walks. The Christian life is difficult enough without kicking other believers. We should be sharpening each other more in a loving, encouraging way...not condescending or judgmental of the gray areas.
We need to be putting ourselves in situations to learn. Most people in our culture aren't readers or learners, and there's never been a time in Christian culture that we can get as much information as we do about the walk with God. It could be at church, on the internet, CD's, books, etc. But we need good, sound teaching.
We need to be using our spiritual gift to help the Body mature. We all have one, and while we're trying to figure it all out, we need to be serving others as they grow spiritually. If it were only so easy these days to have people confirm our gift by laying on of hands!
We need to be absorbed in these things. People will notice if we're taking great pains to follow Christ, and we'll be making progress. Sometimes we neglect that.
We need to be paying close attention to ourselves. How much sleep are we getting? How's our diet? Our exercise? Our life-long learning? Our hobbies? Our time with family? These are all things that can affect the spiritual life if we're not careful...life can go at warp speed and the next thing we know our faith is shipwrecked. Most of the time, it can be traced back to these things.
If we're doing these things, we'll experience the joys of our salvation (remember, Paul used salvation in the sense that the past/present/future aspects were all wrapped up in that term...he's not saying that your salvation depends on you doing these things)...and those we serve will, too.
So, for today...what are you absorbed with? Take great pains with? How you answer that will define where you are spiritually these days...
Brent 4:18 AM
Friday, June 03, 2005
It's time for graduation ceremonies in my commmunity. There are several local high schools, some bigger than others, that each hold them in an arena designed for a college basketball team. It's usually a bittersweet time for me.
It's exciting to see teenagers I've enjoyed getting to know be so excited about this milestone in their lives. They are occasions well worth the "pomp and circumstance" and cakes and gifts that come their way. They've worked hard and a night to celebrate them and their accomplishments seems appropriate.
On the other hand, I have to get out of a comfort zone.
See, these students set a tone for my work. I'd imagine it's just like an athletic team or band or drama group that involves teenagers. They come in young and then over a four year period their gifts and talents shine through and you just get used to them being there. The group tends to take on the personality of the older ones, too. If they're loud...or serious...or cut-ups...whatever, the rest of the group tends to follow their lead.
And when they graduate and move on to the college ministry I get to see the other side of the equation: The new class of freshmen comes in.
They are tentative but excited. They want to be there but have no idea how they'll be treated or whether or not they'll be accepted or loved or hated or if they have to fit molds or do they wait to be themselves or what. It's a confusing time for them...but they're glad to be high-schoolers now, even if it means the bottom of the totem pole for a year. That seems to be better than the top of the totem pole for middle school.
And this is the verse that I share with both sides of my ministry...The new seniors as well as the incoming freshman class: "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe."
Sure, these were the words of Paul to the young pastor Timothy who was dealing with doctrinal dangers in his church and some lack of leadership and some other things, but the principles apply to us today.
First, youthfulness is not necessarily a bad thing. Timothy was probably in his mid to late 30's...but that would've been hard in some ways in the church. The older men didn't necessarily feel like following the young man, but Paul tells him that "youth"...in and of itself...isn't the focus or issue.
The issues are:
Speech. The things he says. I'm a firm believer that the things people say reveal what is going on in their hearts...their spiritual lives. And that's one way that both the seniors and the freshmen can learn. We could all be more encouraging and gracious in the things we say.
Conduct. How you act. Again, it reveals where your spiritual life is at. There's a time and place for everything under the sun, from laughing to dancing to yelling to crying to mourning to stillness. You have to know what time is appropriate for any given situation. So, how you act is an important indication of your growth and wisdom.
Love. Looking out for others and their very best interests. I can't imagine a senior treating a freshman poorly, or "initiating" them or whatever. It's an honor that God would trust the older ones with such precious people, and loving them is the best way to ensure they will have every chance to respond to that love.
Faith. It's easier to tell people about the spiritual life than it is to live it. We all have these self-doubts and insecurities that all the other kids seem to be "getting" the "Jesus thing" and I don't. Because of that, there can be a tendency to fake it...especially since the younger ones are merely imitating the older ones in some cases, and they might be faking it, too. So Paul tells us that our genuine faith walk is what we should put out there for others to see. That includes the good stuff and the ugly stuff.
Purity. A lifestyle of righteousness in every area. Of course, this means we need to be people who are analyzing our lifestyles constantly. Evaluating every situation. Taking every thought captive. The whole deal. Living righteously whether we're walking down the hallway at school, or swimming with friends, or singing together at church. Purity.
All these things will be seen by others...that's why we're to be examples of faithful believers. The younger ones will be watching. So will the older ones.
So, if you're younger, what fears did you have coming into the ministry? What excites you about it? If you're older, answer the same question with what you remember feeling and experiencing at that staion in life. Also, if you're older, what excites you about this incoming class?
Brent 4:24 AM
Thursday, June 02, 2005
The baseball team at my high school was serious about the game. It wasn't a pasttime at all...it was very serious business.
The team started training in August before school started. It was mainly stretching and some light work on the track. Some short distance running and some sprints. It got serious after Labor Day.
For those that didn't play another fall sport there was a special class called "off-season baseball" so you could get in shape for the spring. "Off-season baseball" was a term for "run with the cross country team." The cross country team at our school had a state championship to their credit, too. So training with them was no walk in the park. It was a lot of LONG runs TO the park, followed by a lot of LONG runs IN the park, followed by a lot of LONG runs back to school FROM the park. They were serious about getting mileage, and the baseball players were running the same miles...just slower.
Sprinkled in the mix were "voluntary" extra workouts three times a week for pitchers and catchers. They would throw every single day, and since we had more pitchers than catchers, a lot of "position players" would help out with the catching duties.
In addition, there were "voluntary" weight training sessions three days a week in the morning before the cross country running.
The team worked on getting faster.
The team worked on getting more flexible.
The team worked on getting stronger.
The team worked on endurance.
The team worked on skills.
Then, before the season started, the team would travel on a bus to St. Petersburg, Florida and spend one full week (Spring Break) getting up at 6AM and going until 6PM working on the baseball aspect of the deal. They would hit. They would work on defensive skills. They would work on special situations like "run downs" or "bunts" or "pick off plays"...anything that MIGHT come up in a game. They played college teams loaded with players better than they were with better pitching and hitting than they'd see during the season.
All before the regular season started.
But think about why they might do this. Isn't baseball a game played at leisurely paces? Isn't there a lot of standing or bench riding (the team, after all, comes directly to the bench at the end of each inning, where only one batter can play at a time)? You don't have to be in cross country shape to play it, right?
They did it because they wanted to win championships. City. County. State. National. Didn't matter. They wanted to win it all at every possible level...and the discipline of learning the defensive and offensive skills, as well as the "situational" stuff, would have a payoff over a 40-game schedule...and about 100 or so at bats for each player. It would give them a competitive edge over teams that didn't do those things.
So, spring break ski trips would have to wait. You might have to go to a later movie with friends. Sometimes you didn't have time for a part-time job for extra cash. Sacrifice and discipline, it was hoped, would have a pay off of some type later.
Some years it did. Some it didn't. But it really seemed to matter back then.
And what's peculiar is the Bible's perspective on that type of training:
"On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Prescribe and teach these things."
All that exercise was good. But the Bible describes it as having "little profit." Even if a state championship was at the end of all that hard work, it was still of little gain in the big picture of life.
Godlines, or "God-like-ness" is good for everything. There's a way to do every thing that you do in a way that "looks" like God. You can play baseball or go to church or shop or dance or go on mission trips in ways that look like God.
And there are results of this, too: It gives "promise" for this life. In other words, there are direct benefits to you that take place here and now. So, for example, let's say that you shop in a way that honors God...that means you wouldn't steal the merchandise...which means you wouldn't go to jail. Or maybe it means you'd grab the merchandise on sale in a day or two, which would be a good steward of the money God gives you...and save you a few bucks today.
And there's also promise in the life to come. There will be an afterlife, and believers will get "rewards" for their behavior here.
And don't even get me started on the benefits of having a meaningful relationship with God in the here and now against "normal life" for those that don't know Him.
The reason we should do those things we know we should in order to grow closer to God (read the Word, pray, spiritual disciplines, fellowship with other believers, etc.) is because our God is alive and he set us apart specifically for this purpose.
So, today, I'll ask you: What is so hard about disciplining yourself for spiritual growth? What excuses do we tend to use for not doing them? Do you think we ignore the benefits in making our decisions of what to do each day?
Brent 4:18 AM
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
If you've ever been to the Gulf Coast for a vacation during the summer months, you're aware of the possibility of hurricanes. In fact, most of the souvenir shops and restaurants that have survived previous hurricanes actually have framed photos of the weather radar of the major ones hitting their establishments.
The preparation these communities go through when a hurricane warning is given is amazing. Locals already have plywood to put boards over glass windows (most of these homes have permanent fixtures outside the windows to make the process go more smoothly); boats are moored; pets and outdoor furniture are proteced; the stores have special emergency rations of batteries and bottled water and all sorts of basic food staples; the roads are all labeled with signs for which streets will get you out the quickest in light of possible hurricane evacuation; hotels all have evacuation information in the rooms next to the fire evacuation.
It's fair to say that those who live in coastal communities are prepared to handle potentially dangerous events--even if those events might happen once a decade, once a year, or once a century. They never know precisely when or where they'll hit (they might get three days' notice at best) but they're all prepared. Just in case.
The last two days we looked at the potential dangers that can hit our faith. False doctrines and deceitful spirits...things like that. Lies we all believe at some time or another.
Then Paul offers young Timothy a solution in verse 6: "In pointing out these things to the bretheren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of faith and of the sound doctrine you have been following. But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness."
When pointing out the "things" (dangers like false doctrines nad deceitful spirits) you are a good servant of Christ. What's crucial is that you have to know what those false doctrines and deceitful spirits actually are. When I was in seminary, one of my professors told us that when the FBI trains agents to spot counterfeit money, they don't show them 2,500 examples of fake bills. They give them one real bill and tell them to study it that they know it so well they can spot a fake immediately because of their knowledge of what a genuine one looks like. That's what we're supposed to do. This makes us a good servant if we can point out these things to the brothers and sisters in Christ. Of course, we want to do so lovingly, and accept correction lovingly as well.
And it does "nourish" us.
See, I grew up in a denomination that focused more on the church services than on knowing Christ. We knew when to kneel or stand or sit; we knew how to respond to the priest when he said certain things we'd answer; we knew the creed of the faith because we said them every week; we knew when to come take communion; we knew certain hymns because we sang them every week.
And all these things can be good...but I thought they were what spiritual people did. I never knew that you could follow Christ *now* for crying out loud!
He was revolutionary.
He was knowable.
He was the Way the Truth and the Life.
He gave grace.
He loved more than I could imagine.
He was more than a list of "do's and don'ts"
He had a magnificent plan for me.
To many of you that stuff is basic...but I never heard them in the first decade of my spiritual life.
And I never grew.
But once I got involved with another church that taught me those things, it was like a little baby who get bigger almost every day. I was getting NOURISHED for the first time in my spiritual life and that gave me strength. I got stronger and more able to withstand those dangers almost daily.
It's preparation...just like you have that knowledge that a hurricane could possibly hit even if it's sunny right now. You just know what to do, how to do it, and when to implement those actions.
So, for today, do you have any experience with a time in your life when you were "stagnant" and then began to "grow?" What specific things were you doing at that time that helped you change?
Brent 4:44 AM