Couple Thoughts

Osama bin Laden has apparently been shot in killed in Afghanistan.

I hopped on ESPN and this was the headline news story.

Pictures of the Phillies game where the death was announced, tell of throngs of people celebrating the news.

This is troubling to me. First, as a Christian, such a reaction like this is unacceptable. We just had Confirmation Sunday in our church and the message was Crazy Love...love that Jesus instructs is for not merely friends, but for enemies too. To see this ethic not only defied, but also celebrated is alarming.

Second, from a political standpoint, my hunch is this is not as significant a victory. The two men largely associated with leading the terror regime, Hussein in Iraq and bin Laden in Afghanistan are now dead and I guarantee that this does nothing to deter others from stepping into leadership. There are deeper issues in the relational strife between the U.S. and many Muslim countries. And, until we stop claiming that they are merely 'extremists', 'terrorists', or 'anti-democratic', we probably won't get very far in resolving this...which means more terror regimes, more fervent in their resolve will like be on the horizon.

Just some Monday morning thoughts. Can a Christian rejoice in the killing of anyone, evil or good?

The Girl Who Got Me A Flower

I led a Bible Study at Mount Union that went from 3 people in my dorm room to 35-40people in a dorm lobby my first two years of college. It wasn't because of deep Bible exegesis. It wasn't life altering teaching. But we had fun in fellowship together.

My sophomore year we had a couple international students join our study. One of these students was Nobuko, a girl who had very little confidence in her English and tended to be a sweet and timid person. She was there many of the weeks and at the end of the year, she brought me an origami flower that she made me. She gave it to me in front of the group to say thank you for leading the group.

Don't read into it. Shaina and I were engaged and there was no wrong intentions involved. She just wanted to say thanks. I turned all shades of red in front of the group. Not because I thought she was hitting on me...but because it was so unexpected and kind.

Nobuko returned to Japan and this week she came to my mind for the first time in 7 years...because of the kind gesture...and because I wonder if she is ok. Things are pretty backwards...I will have spent about 15-20 hours watching basketball this weekend...while Japan is suffering, Libya is in crisis, and Egypt is not far behind.

May God be made much of.

Miserable Cities 2011

Forbes came out with their 20 most miserable U.S. cities to live in for 2011.

They combined things like crime, jobs, housing, weather, sports teams and other criteria and came up with the list.

In the top 20?
-Cleveland (10)
-Toledo (12)
-Youngstown (14)

So, dream with me here...what ought to be the Church's response?

Worship and Justice

Though none of us alone can tackle the massive injustice and poverty that shatters so many, together we are a force for good that exponentially increases our opportunity to lift those in need.


For us at Passion, being a movement for Jesus means loving the things He loves and moving where He moves in an effort to make Him happy and bring His light and love to all people of the world. Knowing that Jesus always moves to the weak, the poor, the prisoner and to those without a voice, Do Something Now has become a vital part of the fabric of every Passion gathering.
Over the four days of Passion 2011 Atlanta, over 22,000+ were rocked to the core and united for the world. We were challenged to partner with amazing organizations to fund ten local/global causes at a cost of $470,000.

Here’s what happened:
Cause//Goal//Given


Homeless//Towels and Socks for Atlanta area shelters. Given: 18,400 towels and 88,000 pairs of socks!
Clean water//$75,000 for 15 wells in villages in India. Given: 24 wells!
Micro-finance//200 small business loans for Afghan entrepreneurs totaling $40,000.
Given: 387 loans!
Bibles//20,000 New Testaments to unreached in Colombia at $20,000. Given: 31,554 New Testaments!
Feeding Children//Feed 1,000 at risk children in South Africa for one year at $50,000. Given: Feeding 2,225 children!
Homes//Build 15 homes in Haiti at $54,000. Given: 39 homes!
Sponsor Children//Sponsor 150 children and provide family essentials at a cost of $100,00. Given: 442 children sponsored!
Human trafficking//Restoration and a future for 10 girls trapped in sex slavery in Bolivia at a cost of $36,000. Given: 22 girls rescued/restored!
Surgeries for Children//$50,000 to fund 50 Hydrocephalus surgeries in Uganda. Given: 141 surgeries!
Rescue women//$45,000 to fund 10 rescue operations to free sex slaves in the Philippines (each operation frees 15 women on average). Given: 29 rescue operations!
Plus, College fund for Haitian earthquake survivor, Therissa Leo. Given: $23,106!
(This was not planned beforehand or factored into the $470,000 goal.)
Total Given at Passion 2011 Atlanta: $1,167,249.24

If you are wondering if your eyes are playing tricks on you, students/leaders/volunteers at Passion 2011 Atl gave over $1.1 million for the last and least of these in Jesus’ name. While the dollar amount is staggering, we cannot begin to quantify the intangible value of students connecting with those who will benefit from these gifts by writing a note/prayer to women being rescued, praying over a Bible or weeping for a family or a nation.
Do Something Now = worship + justice, what we believe God wants most from us. Something beautiful has shifted and we will never be the same. Stay connected and share Do Something Now with your friends and family who were not a part of Passion 2011 Atlanta at our new site: DoSomethingNow.com.

Thank You Jesus, for loving and rescuing us, and for giving us the chance to invest our money and our lives in the things that matter most in the end!
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Through Jesus, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, which is the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good, and sharing with others, for with these sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:15-16

Man Vacuum

Couple random stats I came across over the last week.

The average age of the video gaming male?...35 years old.

One in three men will move back in with his parents for extended period, likely until the age of 28 or 30.

I think we've got a serious Man Crisis on our hands. And here's just 5 possible contributors to why we've gotten here. You don't have to agree with them.

1. The Women's Rights Movement. Do not read here that I am chauvinistic. In fact, I am very supportive of equal rights and claiming the rights and voice of women. But hear me out...One of the ramifications to women achieving is that men have gotten lazy.

2. Lack of legitimate Role Models. The guys who are in the spotlight in the Western World are not typically world changers. They are not realistically attainable lifestyles. The world (and particularly the Church) doesn't need more Tiger Woods, Ben Roethlisbergers' or Wayne Rooneys. The world needs guys who will Reject Passivity, Embrace Integrity, Accept Responsibility and Lead Courageously.

3. Lack of Father figure. The Dead beat dad or absence of a father figure in the lives of adolescent boys (and girls for that matter) is huge. Broken homes or split family situations do nothing to foster a new generation of strong, capable men.

4. Life is a Game Motto. Guess what?! You are not likely to make it in the pro sports world! (If you're a parent...Guess what, your kid is not likely to make it in the pro sports world!) We spend hours and hours and hours trying to get our kid to be the best at a sport, thinking that this is the best foundation we can build. Guess what...a 26 year old who can still hoop it up but has no life dream or career aspirations is waste of potential. And dude...video games? seriously? I know I know...get your madden fix in...play some halo or whatever...but don't waste your life.

5. The Effeminate Male. There has been such a criticism of what has been deemed 'manly' in years past, that now media tends to convey the true man as the homosexual or the man in touch with his feminine side. Manliness does not have to equal neanderthal existence or chauvinistic existence or anything like that. Can a man just want to live in an adventure (I don't mean vicariously through their sports teams or their video game accomplishments or their kids either!) It is fascinating to watch the shift in what gets ratings on television...you've got action packed CIA shows where the main character is a woman...Woman is conveyed as this bad 'mother-father' who always gets the bad guy and plays the hero. Meanwhile...what are the popular movies for guys? Movies with guys like Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen that keep men in a perpetual state of adolescence until they are 40.

So...where do we go from here?

get your helmets on

Very Early Warning: 1-in-1,000 Chance of Asteroid Impact in 2182


well...after the good report at the doctor's, I didn't need this news...Blood Pressure is now through the roof.

No...that's actually a lie.

Light a candle ya'll

This is at least endurable. The All Star Rap collaboration is hilarious.

Ahh, the Golden Calf

We had Boy Scout Sunday yesterday at our church. Can I just say that I have some mixed feelings about this?

The service began the way it typically does, then after singing a song or two, the boy scouts procession took place. The scouts and scout masters and (den mothers?...I don't know the lingo) entered following the leader who carried the U.S. flag.

That bothered me...but probably not many others.

Then they led us in the Pledge of Allegiance...and that did more than bother me. I am not anti-boyscout...many of the teachings that they instill are about virtue, character, other-centeredness and I affirm these things. But worship has one aim and that is to pledge allegiance to the MOST HIGH AND SOVEREIGN GOD.

I've gone here with posts before...that there is something in me that is extremely uneasy about having the flag anywhere near the cross, unless we're crucifying it to follow Christ.

I don't pledge allegiance. I don't sing the star spangled banner. And if I had more courage than cowardice I would not stand or remove my cap for these things either.

There is only one who is deserving of my reverence, my standing in honor of, my singing to exalt, my freedom to thank for and that is Christ. God forgive me that I am not yet bold enough to decrease myself that you might increase.

And I know that some would say I'm anti-Boyscout (which I already defended...though it is a para-military organization that lends itself to future soldiers...)and others will say I am ungrateful to live in this country...which is not true at all. But just because I am fortunate to live in a land of opportunity doesn't mean I have to worship that land or forsake the world who needs blessing paid forward to them.

On the plus side, Pastor Jim brought it yesterday. Stop the theatrics...This isn't a show merely to perform outwardly for others...This is about our hearts being transformed from the inside out.

So...convince me I'm wrong...Did we try to cram the worship of more than one god into our Sunday yesterday?

Shift

We are not in a Christian culture.

This might be shocking to you.

In Ohio, the big news is that casinos are coming to the state, and I shudder to think of how the church will respond.

I'm sure many will shake their heads and point their finger saying that the world is going to pot. They will become porcupines...so worried that their own lives will be polluted that they will curl up and release their quills at the world.

Others will rally against the bad. Picketing, with anti-gambling jargon, catchy chants, and anger at those who are involved in the process of building, opening and running casinos.

Others will blame the government, the Republicans, the Democrats, the Dan Browns, the apathetic conservative voting contingent...and put a bumper sticker on their car that says 'don't blame me, I voted against casinos'.

But I woke up this morning...still indifferent to bipartisan politics...but pretty interested when I heard that the issue passed. My thought was not about the guys I know who already have serious gambling addictions. It wasn't about how the world's going to hell in a handbasket (whatever that means). You know what I whispered? "God what are you up to?"

The Church has a great opportunity to creatively and powerfully bring light into darkness. What is God going to accomplish with his bride synergized with his Spirit?

My prayer and I hope yours too, is not, "oh God rid the world of evil" but instead, "Oh God, let me be a part of overcoming evil with good." Because we never win when we try to fight evil...you notice that? It usually makes the church stoop to new lows that do nothing to bring God fame, and do everything to damage His message of reconciliation and love.

So recognize evil for what it is...but don't point your finger at it, scold it, or curse at it for being evil. Don't make your life cause fighting evil, getting casinos or prostitution or drugs or violence out of your town...JUST ASK GOD HOW HE WANTS TO OVERCOME EVIL WITH GOOD AND THEN JOIN HIM IN THAT JOURNEY.

For God's sake, be the Church.

King Me!

"you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ though the Lord your God was your king." 1 Samuel 12:12

Why is it that I am always looking for answers and solutions from a king other than THE King? (I don't mean Elvis).

I'm reading a book right now called "A Problem From Hell" which looks at the American political approach and response to cases of genocide throughout the world in the 20th century. So far (and I'm pretty certain every case will warrant this) the U.S. supports a puppet political leader who has no support from the locals, then the U.S. withdraws its own and finally the U.S. approaches eyewitness tales of the genocide with skepticism and justification...and I blame the government...the president...the king.

I was thinking about this line of thinking this morning as I was in 1 Samuel and I started wondering why my default setting was so 'off'. Why do I want the U.S. government to try to make peace in these countries? The typical U.S. response to such conflicts is to arbitrarily bomb potential 'bad guy' sites...which kills more civilians than anything else.

No...the solution must be from the church...From the TRUE King. We, God's less-than-loyal subjects need to let God back on his throne and follow his lead.

This is true on a world level, but its also true individually.

What have I let have reign in my life that I am withholding from God? Is God king of my marriage? My time? My wallet? My workplace?

How about you? What one area of your life do you tend to kick God off the throne?

Give me some of that Pure Time Religion

143 million. That's the number the U.N. has given as a recent estimate to how many orphans there are in the world.

1 million of these are currently marketed in sex trafficking.

Between 7 and 8 million are currently in some form of slavery.

Many have AIDS.

Many have dreams, hopes, ambitions.

Many have already given up on their dreams, hopes, ambitions.

"Religion that is pure and faultless before God our Father is this: to look after the orphan and the widow in their distress."

If you don't know where or how to help, Kenya is as good of a place as any. Go here

Heaven and Hell

so we wrapped up daniel in my our young adult group. It was a good, challenging study that for me at least left more questions than answers. The book is written in two languages, seems at times to be so precise in its prophetic predictions that it must be a book written after the events happened, but it inaccurate in other predictions which suggests it is telling of future events.

We ended in an interesting question/discussion about eternal life (Daniel 12:1-3) This is one of the only Old Testament allusions to resurrection life. We tied that in to Matthew 7 where it talks about the narrow and the wide ways, the house built on rock and on sand and the bad tree and the good tree.

If we read these passages, they sure do seem to indicate that one eternal location is a little more populated than we'd like to think and the other is far less crowded that we anticipate.

So where is the humble urgency? Here is a sermon that my friend Lori sent me. I think it has some challenging pieces to it. Take an hour and instead of watching that law and order episode you've seen countless times, or reading all the lame blogs out there (this one excluded of course), tell me what you think...its directed at youth, but adults are as much in the same boat if not more. (I do have some reservations about this message, but agree with more than I disagree with.)

TOUCHED BY THE KING

Rock and Roll's King is coming out of his 40 year hibernation for a benefit concert to help fund the trip to Kenya that I am leading for 12 young adults. It will be a semi-formal to formal dinner and concert on February 7 at 7:00 p.m. at Wadsworth United Methodist Church.

I haven't posted on the Kenya trip in a while but things are moving along with this. We have a lot of fundraising to do in the next few months and we need your support!

This really is a mission that is life giving and life saving

We will be building a chicken coop for a school in Kenya. The kids there often go 2-3 days without eating anything. How can they focus on education? How can their self-esteem be high? How can they succeed and beat poverty? This chicken coop will provide them with enough meat and eggs to eat daily and receive the necessary nutrition kids require to be healthy. We're not just talking for a day or a week but essentially throughout their schooling. And we're not talking about 50 kids or 100 kids but 500 kids. We will also spend time teaching these same kids about AIDS awareness which is obviously a huge need and life saving message as well.

I can't emphasize the significance of this anymore than I have. The cost for each young adult to go is $3200 and we have been actively pursuing many different means of funding, but it is getting closer to crunch time and this is a big fundraiser for us. Please come support us, but more importantly support these kids. $30 for a ticket. $200 for a table of 8.

The fancy valentines dinners and expensive gifts...the roses that wilt in a week's time...why not do something with your sweetheart that is more worthwhile and come to our event! Or just bring a group of friends and get a table of 8 and have a blast together while impacting the world.

Inauguration Day

This is truly a neat week in our nation's history. The timing of inauguration is especially meaningful this week as it happens the day after celebrating MLK Day. What king fought for (nonviolently mind you) is now being realized to some extent today in the initiation of the first African-American President this country has seen. In the words of the profound wordsmith Jay-Z "(Rosa)Parks sat so King could walk so Obama could run." It is a movement in the right direction, but I am leery.

In some areas of this country race still matters. I have heard utterances that black people only voted for Obama because he is black (utterances of white people). I wonder if we are as far as we think. Nonetheless, today is monumental in history.

So, what one issue, global, national or otherwise would you appeal to Obama to most wholeheartedly address?
The two wars?
Immigration?
Global Warming?
Economy?
Others?

This breaks my heart

Honestly, this shocks me and I'm not sure how the church can provide avenues of redemption in this but we need to!

Where is the Next Generation?

So I work with young adults.

Here's a summation of an article I just read.

The 20 something generation has to make more money in order to live the way that is deemed 'right' or 'normative'. In general this impacts the Church in two pretty drastic ways. First, the young adults don't have time for church. Many are working two jobs to live at the standard they are coveting. Others work hard all week and come Sunday, feel a sense of entitlement (or exhaustion) to sleep in, so they don't show.

Second, if they are attending church, they are generally not giving 10 percent (tithe) to the church. In fact it is more typical for young adults to put money into parachurch organizations that represent a clear cut cause that is doing something tangibly in the world. But, even when money is given there, it is rarely 10 percent of that person's income. How can they afford such sacrifice? They have a house payment, 2 car payments, insurance for those cars, starbucks stops each morning for 4 bucks a pop, tivo so they can watch all 18 shows that are on at 8 p.m. (is that fulfilling? really?)

So if a whole generation is stuck paying off college debt and not attending church, then what are the ramifications? Well, in one major way it calls us to rethink church. Is this generation going to allow for church's to maintain their current budgets? To do active, relevant ministry, be involved in life changing mission, pay staff, pay for building upkeep, maintenance and expansion...that all costs money. What happens when (especially in a less-than-thriving economy) people hold their money close fisted rather than openhanded (as if it's their money to begin with!)?

I guess we will find out soon enough, but the church will either be proactive and find other avenues of redemptive means in this culture or they will be reactive and try to respond once crisis strikes.

So...what's your take?

Sigh

Hey! Here's a thought...be the church.

In a part of the world that is hostile toward other faiths...we Christians have done what we often do best. Become hostile to each other. This grieves me. I heard a pastor friend of mine say once that the Christian Church is the only army that destroys itself in the barracks.

What do you think? True or False?