the value of the frenzy

"Lord search my heart, create in me something clean
Dandelions- you see flowers in these weeds" (Dandelions)

I've had the words of this song running through my head for the past number of days. This used to be my favorite song when the album came out my senior year of high school- and it had slipped to the back of my mind. Then it came back to me as i began listening to music on my computer again for the first time in a while (i've got my entire library of cds on my pc). it came back to me, and then i used the album for something the other night and got listening to it through again.

I love it! and i remember how much i love the band! And i'm holding off saying the band name for my wife. Not because she won't like it, but i wonder if she'll be surprised to discover this band wrote a song with lyrics as profoud (I consider them to be that) as these are. It's Five Iron Frenzy. Hence, the value of the frenzy.

Now, I understand not everyone likes the music, but i must say that I honestly believe this is one of the greatest bands to dawn the Christian charts. For two main reasons- the first is that they are by no means the "same" as every other band. they were quite different, in all regards. The second is that they were not under the assumption that every song needed to say Jesus in it. And not every song with spiritual meaning had to say it directly. They valued the tongue in cheek (My Evil Plan to Save the World), and the flat out comedy (see the "Pants Opera").

I remember in the youth group i used to work with in college, there were a few brothers whose father didn't like the band. He didn't like any Christian band that didn't blatantly say Jesus. So he was very wary to let them buy the music, or listen to too much of it. But, he would have loved it if they got into some group like MercyMe, or... anyway- not remembering if i've said tis before, I'm going to bash most of Christian music. Although there is some decent quality, and some stuff that is just amazing in the lyrics department, there is generally something I dislike about most Christian music.

it is predictable, and it offers little for the brain. You can always, ALWAYS expect the word "love" to rhyme with "above", and for some bands, you can expect every album to sound like a duplicate of their previous one. the style is the same, and there is very little that offers new ideas, or new anything.

Five Iron Frenzy was not that. I was on this kick where I put all of their albums in a playlist and cycled through them randomly, and I could hear the differnces in songs from each album, and... They were just a great band, with great creativity, and they knew how to have fun. I'm convinced that there are still Christians who think that having fun is a sin. But I'm pretty sure it's not, cuz i'm pretty sure God had fun creating the universe.

I loved seeing these guys in concert, and I loved to listen to their albums. "They sang, they danced, they made me laugh. I really wanted to be like them" (modified quote from Superpowers)

i don't know if i had much more to say, but... Even though they've been gone for a while from the Christian music scene, i still miss them. you guys rock... and they weren't above posing in pictures with and a sign saying they like my band.

going to hell

So a guy came up to me while i was at the gas station the other day- i'd stopped in to get some milk and a candy bar. This guy walked up to me as i was walking back to my car and told me this- "You are going to hell! You need Jesus to save you or else you're going to burn in hell forever." Or something like that- i'm not sure i've got the exact quote.

For some reason, I was really bothered by this. I mean, this was disturbing news that I was going to hell- especially since I am a Christian and a pastorat a Christian church. That certainly is disturbing...

Well, I say this because i want to get a discussion going. Discuss one or all of the following (i'm hoping more people than my wife and luke read this now).

• the effectiveness of street evangelism
• the effectiveness of condemning someone to hell
• the effectiveness of preaching to an audience you do not know/understand
• the possibility that there is more to Christianity than simply "fire insurance"

Go!

letter to the "stayer"

To those in the small church:

A truly heartfelt thank you! It is people like yourselves who have advanced the Church in years past, and you are my greatest hope for the future of the Church. There are a great many situations that you are in and have come from, but you all deserve much gratitude.

To those who are in a(n) (older) church that is struggling, and yet continue to be there in an attempt to turn things around, and to see things different. I do not envy your position because there are a great number of churches struggling for relevancy in our society and it is a very tough decision to make on where to go, what advances to make, and how true to stay to prior examples. It is amazingly tough, and we are grateful to you!

To those of you who are in a church plant- a smaller, younger church dedicated to being vibrant and cutting edge- thank you. You are in a church with huge potential- often times untapped. Your vigilance and support have made the church grow to where it is, and will continue to grow with more people such as yourselves! Your love and caring have created families for many unchurched people, or for many post-churched adults who grew up in church and have since left. Your loving and giving spirits have made it possible to make a lasting impact and difference in peoples lives. Thanks- it is truly appreciated!

Instead of going to other churches that may have more to offer you, or may have more to keep you interested, you have given up your desire to be served and serve instead. It has always been God’s intention that believers move from being ministered to into being the ministers! You are wonderful examples of that!

To those of you who left a larger church in search of a true community, thank you! I understand that church changing is not a good thing, however, tapping into God’s heartbeat to connect directly and personally with people rather than being a face in a myriad of faces, a number instead of a person, is a great challenge, and one that many should take up. It is not easy to leave behind what you once knew, but the change could be the most significant thing in your life as a smaller church often times encourages greater growth, and true growth in many areas that you will not in a larger church.

Those of you who stayed, those of you who are in the small church- thanks! It is true to the biblical example what you’ve done! God works in many ways, but one of the ways the early church was used was to have many smaller house churches rather than one big church for a big meeting and lots of pastors! Thank you for recognizing that God’s work isn’t always measured in quantity, but is often measured in the quality of the change in people! Your faithfulness to Christ, and to your shepherds is exemplary, and I applaud those of you who have helped to grow these ministries!

You have not traded the hard for the convenient, you have not traded family for ease, and you have not traded fellowship for security! It is an amazing thing to find people who are faithful to God’s heart, and I say thanks! It is a blessing to serve in a small church, and it’s a blessing to be grouped in with people such as yourselves who have been so wonderful.

Thanks cannot say enough of the true appreciation I, as a pastor, feel for those of you who are committed! You have not counted yourselves as the most important, but often have laid down your lives, laid down your desires and offered of yourselves to see the kingdom of God furthered! There is no higher calling than to be a minister of reconciliation between God and men! There is no greater task than to be faithful to God’s calling in your lives to make a difference, and an impact on others!

Blessings on you!

Letter to the leaver

Dear leavers,

Thank you very much! I would like to thank each of you for continuing to sustain a terrible epidemic that is sweeping across our country. I like to call it church consumerism. It is a terrible thing that seems all to common in our society and culture, and it is a tragedy that so many are a part of it.

You see, the mega-church is something that many Americans have flocked to. This is terribly unfortunate because it has led to the decline of the smaller church. The smaller church, although some may be old and dying, there are many small churches that are young and attempting to realize a new phase of the Church. The biblical view for Church is NOT a huge, gigantic church that has everything for everyone, rather it is smaller churches with specialized areas, meeting different needs of different people.

By leaving a smaller church and going to a larger one, you are continuing a problematic trend. By leaving a church and going to another continues the same trend. Church consumerism is a problem because it asks this- “what can I get from church?” The real question that God is desiring for His people to ask is “what can I offer a church?” But because we are looking for our needs to be met, we will continue to go from church to church until they are.

And while we are thanking you for continuing this trend, I will also thank you on behalf of your children. Younger children can grow easily attached to people. When they are continually moved from place to place with new children’s workers to connect to, they are going to have more trouble trusting that someone will be there for them. They will continue to lose trust until they have become completely untrusting of people because there has been no one constant in their lives outside of family.

And while I’m thanking you for your children, let me thank you for your teenager as well. Your teenager doesn’t connect well with do, does he? You don’t understand him, you can communicate the way you want to- it’s tough for you. Am I right? Don’t be mad about this- it’s normal for your teenager to become more interested in friends and less interested in family at that stage of life. But when you jump from church to church, their circle of Christian friends is constantly changing, as well as the influence of youth pastors on them. If you have stayed for close to year before moving on, your teenager has connected just barely with youth pastors/leaders and they will be forced to connect with new ones- except they won’t because they were almost trusting last time and then yanked away from that.

And while I’m thinking you on behalf of your teenager, let me thank you on behalf of the smaller churches. Because you cannot stay here long, we are unable to provide consistently in all the ministries we want to offer. We are unable to offer fair compensation to workers, we hire people to do many jobs (which take more than a normal work week). We are unable to provide the best of anything because we are consistently needing people to help more than they should.

And while on that strand, let me thank you on behalf of our ministries. We are unable to find enough people to teach and other things in our ministries- because you are not here and committed enough, and therefore, are contributing to the burnout of our people. They are important to us, and we do not want to overwork them, but we do not have anyone else to help.

The youth ministry thanks you- because we are small, your teenager and his/her friends are important. When you leave with your teenager, his/her friends leave as well, and we are left hobbling, crippled and with less desire for involvement.

Let me thank you on behalf of myself and my wife, as well. As a pastor at a small church, I am asked to do many jobs. And these jobs make for long work weeks for me. I have months where I only have 1 day off in the whole month. I do more than I should, and yet I cannot do less because our church stays small. You have kept us small by leaving, and continued to ask me to work for a lower wage than the 4 jobs that I do. Although I am paid well for a church, if I were to go anywhere else and take 4 jobs as big as mine are, I would be ludicrous to accept my current salary. Not only that, but my time is precious and I barely get enough for my family and for my wife- she’s so glad that you’ve forced me to do so much.

And while we’re at that, let me thank you for the mega-church. You see, I’m sure that the children’s and youth pastors there don’t care about your children as much as our ministry heads do- and as personally. Because they have so many more children and kids to care for. But because you have chosen to go there, they are thankful. You have increased their attendance, and their feeling of self-worth. As people continue to go to mega-churches, they will continue to feel as though they are doing things correctly. After all, even though we are not all about numbers, if we have high numbers, we can’t be doing it wrong, can we? They will never see that the true heart of God is for close, intimate connection on smaller levels and not huge corporate meetings where we feel good, or agree with the sermon, but are not moved to change.

Thank you- you have contributed to one of the worst epidemics the church has ever seen. If it were not for you, this would not be possible. So to all of you who are church shoppers, church hoppers and trading churches, thanks! You are a product of your country, and examples of what make America so “great”.

how to kill enthusiasm

how do you kill enthusiasm? it's actually quite simple. let me use a story to illustrate... mind you, i'm still processing this, so bear in mind...

You see, i came home from our youth ministry last night excited. We just had our new class of youth come up for the first time last night- it was good- 3 of our 4 new students were there. We had a fun time, and we were finishing up a lesson series about how to read the Bible- different types of books in the Bible, etc. And as we finsihed with Revelation, I told our students to bring in their questions for me for last night.

there were a few questions, which i tried my best to handle- and eventually that died down. I already know what our next series will be for the youth, so I offered it to them to throw out some questions that they would like to talk about in youth over this summer, maybe the fall- when it comes up kinda thing. And I got some great questions! Great- I mean, one student asked me this "what is God's plan for saving the world?" !?!?! I was stunned, and yet i'm so excited because our youth ministy is moving past the stage of a handful of students and focussed on the fun every week- we're moving into something that i think can be great!

And so as we talk about the basics of our faith over the next few months, i'm totally stoked to talk about God's plan to save the world next week... Because that means i get to tell them that the plan is... THEM! God's instrument is the church! That's exciting stuff for me...

and then i walk into the church this morning and discover that we may be losing not only a potential 5 of our youth, but an amazingly fun and great family from the church- which may or may not include a bunch more families connected to them...

i don't even know what to do right now.... maybe i'll do something mindless like cleaning the church...

ouch...

deciding game 7

Can i rant for a moment? I have read some sports commentaries, and watched enough sports playoffs to have heard a phrase i can't stand. It's the obligatory "deciding game 7" or "7th and deciding game". as though anyone who has half a brain doesn't realize that the outcome of the 7th game, in a 7-game series, is going to decide the series... I mean, do we even think about it?

I'm sure someone used it years ago, and everyone decided it sounded good- so they started using it. And now, even the most intelligent of people don't even think about what it means and how much of a redundant statement that is. of course the 7th game is going to decide the series- it's a 7-game series! there is no 8th or 9th game- the last game always decides, and when there are 7 games, there are no more games to decide the outcome...

duh...

Take a moment...

I'd like to take a moment to reflect on a few things from this week. I have heard that this is one of the best weeks for pop-culture- like, ever. A new American Idol was crowned- and thankfully, rockers are still not "accepted" by society and are certainly not the kings of the "pop" wars... (no, the pop war is not the one between Candians and others who call carbonated beverages "pop" and those of us who are right and call it soda...). Jay Leno testified in defense of Michael Jackson, and apparently comedy was on trial, as well, because Leno did the best he could to defend the need for comedy (Although i can scarcely believe that Jay Leno would provide ANY good reason for keeping comedy) and... what else? I don't care...

The real reason for the blog is Jay Leno. I will admit this- i do NOT find him amusing. let alone funny... This guy goes into a courtroom and... no, this is not the beginning of a joke. Jay Leno is cracking his one liners in front of the judge and jury- and if I were the prosecution, I would want a mistrial just because of that! I mean, it's ridiculous...

This only goes to prove a point of mine i've been trying to make for years. Jay Leno is not funny and David Letterman is way more funny! Aside from being better dressed, and those funky glasses- and making fun of Paul, and an American classic- the top 10- there is one major difference between the two that makes all the difference between who is funny and who just makes you chuckle, or less...

Personality! Jay Leno has none, and therefore uses his comedy to try and block that fact. seen in the courtroom, we can see that he had no personality to make the jury want to believe him and be a positive for the defense, so he makes them laugh instead and gets them to like him that way. David Letterman, however, has a personality. And his humor is born out of that, not due to the lack of it. Letterman could make people like him if he was not funny. You see that he has personality simply because of this- when Johnny Carson died, David Letterman, who was basically "snubbed" by not getting Carson's job was remorseful and you could see the pain in him from having lost a true friend and mentor. Jay Leno, who was not half as funny to fill Carson's shoes, but tried to do so anyway, you could see that there was nothing inside of him.

I'm not sure where else to go from here... just thought i'd go ahead and state what has been in my head.

two-in-one

As I write this, i have felt inspired to wax on two subjects today. and since few people read this, not many will be surprised...

One person, however, who reads this- this is for you, Luke!

Recently, I was at a summit of area youth leaders for Lancaster County. It was wonderful! some of the things that I deal with- things that come up in the blog- i was able to get out! I was able to share with other youth leaders some of these things, and able to share with someone who is not in my church some of my frustations.

It was also immensely joyous to share with each other the things that we are excited about in our youth ministries. One of the guys said it best- if he only could make the first half hour when we went around the room and shared, it would have been worth the 40 we all shelled out for it (not to mention lunch was good, too).

I know the Bible states this, but I must again reitterate how good it is to fellowship with other believers, and how good it is to get together as colaborers to share our joys, and our troubles, and to share with one another! It is exciting to find people dealing with the same types of things I struggle with, and coming to the same place that I am at, where we can only but follow...

I feel a great joy in sharing, and wish that others could feel this. To those in small communities, i wish they could share with other church youth leaders like i have! I wish some churchs would forget the denominational name for a moment and realize that Christ is ALL and the center, regardless of what church you are in! I found a church website the other day that affirms that they and their other churches in the denomination are the only ones who are real Christians and they actively go against the ecumenical movement which seeks to unify Christ's body! My apologies, but it is not God who divides us from other believers, but the devil.

anyway- my sorrows to those of you who are unable to feel this- and my prayers for you as well! I consider myself blessed to have been a part of a group like this, and am ecxited for future times of sharing!

Bi-vocational ministers

It has been over a month... since my last blog- and i'm fine with that. I don't live to create blogs, and as far as i know, two people read this. My job has become more demanding, and i'm fine with that, too.

You see, i've been coming to grips more with my job, and i've been thinking about this for a while, and... I must give a hats off salute to bi-vocational ministers! I just don't know HOW you do it! I mean, I'm a full time pastor at a church, and I have 3 jobs that require my time! And between those three jobs, I could easily put in a double work week- just connecting with people, planning for ministry, and going beyond simple maintenance.

It is a big job, and although I love it (i'm not complaining- it's great), it is exhausting sometimes. and I'm not even where i WANT to be. But i'm getting there! If I had to take on an extra job, my ministry would suffer. As it is, I already have to plan in each week which ministry(ies) get more planning than the other(s). And I have to balance that.

Bi-vocational ministers- i can't believe it! I mean, peopel that work full time and do ministry on the side, or part time and part time ministry, or however they do it- ministry is more than a full time job whether you're simply a youth pastor, or an associate like me with 3 jobs, or a senior pastor, or whatever your job is. It's HUGE because it's this- people! People is what ministry is about- it's about connecting them with God, and in the process, connecting to them ourselves, as best as we can (smaller churches have pastors connecting with everyone, larger churchs have smaller groups).

Because of the people aspect of the job, you're never really "off duty." sunday nights are a great night to relax, however, the past handful of sunday nights, my wife and i have spent with people from our church doing stuff- and it's been great, but i guess that means i don't have sunday night off, right? and if someone has to go into the hospital, visiting them is something nice to do. except, people don't get sick in the middle of the day all the time, right? and...

anyway, suffice it to say- my hats off to bi-vocational ministers! This is a tough job and i've been discovering more aspects of it- and those of us who do it full time have a tough time finding enough time for it- those of you who are part time must feel even more like you are stretched. I talk with friends who are ministers of one area (youth, or worship) and they are as pressed as i who have 3- so...

don't know where i was going with that, but... yeah.

blessings

Cotton Candy Preachers

I love Chris Farley's SNL sketches! One of my favorites is the motivational speaker, and yes, i know lots of people like that one. But my favorite of those is the one not as many people know- Spanish Matt Foley! "Hola Ninos! Me llamo Matt Foley y yo soy un motivational speaker! Yo soy trecente y cinco anos, trece divorcianos, y yo vivo un van, circa de un RIO!"

anyway, with all that said- I remember being in middle/high school- we'd gre REAL motivational speakers somtimes. And i remember a few times a few times some friends and i decided this person just HAS to be a Christian because of the outlook they portray. And often times we'd get to talk to the person afterward and discover that we were right!

So it's not uncommon for Christians to have a positive outlook on life! I try to be a positive person (although some of these blogs might often betray that desire) and I know that we truly have a reason to be hopeful, positive and have a handle on life. Well, no one really has a handle on life... but...

Anyway, I've been a little put off recently by something I'm seeming to find a lot more of in the past few year. I call it the Cotton Candy Preacher. Now, I'm not going to name anybody particular, although one of these guys has a book called "Your Best Life Now". Excuse me for saying so, but that sounds like something Matt Foley might entitle one of his motivational speeches. I'm sorry, but a title like that, even though the book may contain God in it, seems to be catering to what people want/ask for. (see Christian Crack and the Mega-Church). It seems to be Christian Crack.

The preaching of God's word needs to be something applicable. I cannot tell you how indecipherable it is to listen to a preacher go on about some aspect of theology that they think we need to believe in, but has nothing to do with today's faith! Theology is relevant- because we must know what we believe, and whether we believe in say- free will vs. predestination- affects how we live. But how many times do we get frustrated at the preacher who barely speaks a word of english in his sermon while he gives every single root word in greek, hebrew, etc, etc...

On the other hand, there are the preachers who only give practical advice on life. The only way you can tell they are preachers and not Dr. Phil or something is that they mention God. I also want to know practical stuff, but there is a way to relate theology in practical easy terms- or stuff that has at least some substance to it! The greatest preacher, Jesus, taught in such a way that He had to explain himself to his disciples- His preaching was so deep that He had to explain himself! That tells me that there are some DEEP things that we often times just gloss over!

Take the ancient practice of Lectio Divina- means divine reading- it's an old practice of a way of reading the bible that uses reading, speaking out loud, meditation, and practice- it's something that's REALLY not tough, but it is SO good at helping us read the Bible for understanding! Taking time to think about something- meditate on it as you read it and and pray it over and over again- and it's a practice that we can modify from a thousand years ago into today and it's still not hard to do!

I used to go to the circus to get my cotton candy- now some people go the church... although some people might think church is a circus nowadays, too (barking like a dog for some of the charismaniacs, politics for the ultra-old staunchy church).

Inconsistency

Does anyone else in our society find themselves bothered with inconsistency? As a Christian, I am especially troubled by this- because i see it all too often in my own life! I see the life I want to live- the desire i have in my heart, and yet i do not do those things which I so badly desire to do!

I'm sorry if this post will have little to no spiritual value, but I have been bothered by something recently. First, I am unimpressed with the acceptance of death penalty in our country. I find it very inconsistent to tell someone that because you have had the audacity to kill someone, we are going to perform the same act on you! Now, I agree, when someone has killed multiple people, their life is still only one, and taking one is less than taking 5, but taking 1 life is still illegal, is it not? if I were to go out and kill 1 person, i would be thrown in jail, correct? But when it is governemnt sanctioned, then we do not have a problem?

It is funny- a friend of my wife knows a woman who says about abortion that if it were hurtful or wrong, the government would outlaw it- as though the government has set the standard for right and wrong somehow. The government says that something is wrong based on the situation you are in, not the act itself- aka, killing someone who killed others is ok, but killing someone who has not is not ok. But the only people who can kill are the government, if i were to after the killer of a close friend and kill him, I would go to jail.

Anyway, whether you agree with the death penalty or not is not the point. I'm not meaning to be political, but, I am bothered by the fact that Scott Peterson has been sentenced to death for killing his wife and unborn fetus. His wife, I can understand- he should be convicted for killing her. However, the government itself will recognized a fetus as not alive because it allows abortion. I am not saying that is right, wrong, or anything. I AM saying this- if you allow doctors to kill unborn fetus's on a daily basis- by the thousands in this country, then what crime is it for Peterson to have done the same thing? However, the death penalty is not often used in single murder cases, so the fact that he killed an unborn fetus was key to the recommendation of the jury to the death sentence, and ultimately, the judge's decision to follow through with that.

anyone else feel like they need something other than government for a moral compass?

What's new

So I havne't posted in over a month. The last post I had written got lost as I tried to post it and- kablam- it was gone- lost forever and I didn't feel like writing it up again. And I only have the "web" at work, so blogging happens there- which means that when my church is REALLY busy moving from one place to another, and I get a fire lit under my butt and start working more than i have before on many things around the new place, I don't have time to blog. But today i was in helping with some odd jobs, and my wife was here helping to do a "spa day" with the young girls in our church- so I'm now HIDING from them to keep them from doing make-up on me.

I don't know what to think- i really don't. I am wrestling today again with change. and where I now reside.

Don't get me wrong, I love this place, i love the people here in lancaster county, but... Well, let's put it this way- most people are opposed to change. It's natural human instinct- we don't like things to be different. However, people here are not only opposed to it, but they actively OPPOSE it- they go out and try to keep change from happening. Now, i'm not calling everyone this, but let's be honest- we're right next to the amish country- if EVER there was an example of people who oppose change, it's them. And so maybe not everyone is amish, but many people have similar mindsets.

Anyway, there have been a lot of changes in our church as of late- we moved from one facility to another, we've been growing by leaps and bounds... etc, etc. When i got here 11 months ago, the church was averaging about 85 per service- now we scarcely drop below 150... We have doubled the amount of space that we rent and moved to a better place- with higher ceilings, new equipment, etc, etc- everything that goes with change and moving for a church.

and yet, there are people in this church who would be happier if we hadn't moved- if we stayed where we were in the place where we had terrible sound, 7 1/2 foot ceilings, cramped space- all that. because they would like the church to stay just them- and the people who were here before. They're not as big into new people here, they're not as big into a lot of stuff- and let's be honest, these people are not as big into me being here as they might say- it's going to take me a long time before they TRULY accept me, but... i'm willing to stay as long as i'm allowed. (for now)

These people are certainly not the majority of the church. They are not even a major minority- they're a handful of people from my best guess (not that i know who they all are, but because it's always the small group who try to make a stink about this stuff). But they are trying to make things happen concerning the majority. See, this church was started with them in mind as the focus group- young adults- the people who are supposed to step up and become the CHURCH- not let a bunch of 80 year olds make decisions for them. and now they're still relatively young, but they are not the focus of the church anymore because many are slowly growing out of that age group into the next one up- early parents- not quite middle age, but... and i'm sure it's killing them...

but, what i'm really writing about here is selfishness. When someone's focus is on me, i'm fine- things can happen, whatever. But when i'm not the center anymore and i can see that this is become the shift- i'm expected to put someone else at the center and join those who are around ministering to them- forget it- i'll just sit here and gripe about what happened and wish that i could be the center again- or for those who vehemently resist change, they will go out and try to make themselves the center again.

So... I dunno how to end this. Anyone else have any thoughts on this? anyone else who thinks about this stuff, or wants to comment? whatever...

Conditioned Response

Back to the ol' blogging fun! for another week- then i'm a burried- i mean.. uh... married guy! yahoo.

Ok, so i've been thinking about this a lot recently- and I've thought about this for a long time now. Pavlov. A scientist. He had his dogs. you may have heard of his experiments. He would ring a bell every time he fed his dogs for a period of time. And then, he began to ring the bell, but not feed the dogs- the dogs would still salivate- expecting food. Their brains were triggered by the bell that food was coming soon.

Now bear with me- this will come in handy in a minute.

I used to be in a "mega-church" and work with a youth ministry that was usually anywhere between 150 and 200- yeah- bigger than the church i work at now. But, anyway- we had a really impressive worship band for a few years that I had the blessing of playing with- they even recorded an album (which i play on a little). Every time the band plays, student will come up to the front and join in worship- sometimes jumping up and down, or holding their hands up and whatever. And we thought- wow, our kids love to worship. And rightly so- I'm sure they do.

We would go on retreats and the same thing- and sometimes our students woudl have a really emotional experience- they would often times cry, or be happy, or- whatever. doesnt' matter. The big thing is- we observed our students really entering in.

Maybe.

huh? wha? maybe? whattya mean, maybe. Well, I am posing, that, just as Pavlov could condition his dogs to respond in a certain way, many of us are conditioned to respond in a certain way. We hear the type of music start and it triggers in our brains- dancing time, hand raising time- singing time- whatever. And then we go and "worship," but it makes no difference in our lives. I've seen students so touched emotionally at a retreat and then going back to the world and living in sin.

I pose to everyone that worship is NOT music- it is NOT a genre of music, it is NOT just singing songs- it is NOT JUST MUSIC! music is the prominent form that worship takes in our corporate setting, but, without getting into the specifics, worship is a lifestyle. So if you sing your song, and you go out and live wrong- there's a disconnect there! There is a disconnected wire- in the song, I sing that I love God, but then I go out and deny that by disobdience or not spending time with Him. I sing that I want to be holy, but then I never strive toward it- that does not make sense! Actions speak louder than words, and so true worship is sung and lived.

I believe that too many people are conditioned to respond to worship music in a certain way- especially musicians- because we are wired for music, we are automatically driven to give our all in a musical performance, or something like that... but we forget what we are singing. I can memorize songs so well, but sometimes that means that I don't know what I'm singing. Conditioned response- rote memorization.

I write this because i struggle with it, too. I was leading worship this morning, and the song that we did in closing after the message really tied in to the message- "How Deep the Father's Love" and I was singing it and for the first time in a while, I began to remember what the words really said, what they meant- and what that meant to me- and I could almost not finish singing because I was gettting bleary eyed. It all of a sudden hit me- and I don't think I can not be changed remembering what that song reminds us all of...

I'm not saying everyone doesn't worship, I'm just saying it bothers me that so many people "worship" on sunday morning, but we're not truly living it- we're not changed by it and it doesn't affect us. But we appear to be real on it.

My senior pastor and I struggle because there are many issues leading to this end- the people in our church do not often engage in real worship- sure they sing, but they stand there often times stock still and worship does not move them. But you know what- they're honest, at least. The ones who really aren't into it too much aren't paying lip service to it at least. Actions speak louder than words, but at least these actions are in syncronization with their words.

so when the music starts up on sunday morning again- don't be enticed into grooving because you feel like it- le the Holy Spirit work in you- let the music and the lyrics- the worship- really affect you. And let it be your lifestyle, not just a song on Sunday morning.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all! This is my shortest Blog, and will not contain anything- except that I am headed, after church sunday morning, to Maine for a week to visit family, and friends, and to take a quick vacation before I get married!

God bless everyone, may you celebrate the holidays in wonderful ways and experience the true Spirit of the season as you never have before!

Blessings- Merry Christmas!!

Holy Roller (coaster)

Holy cr*p, man! It's been so long since I've posted- I guess i'm just working too hard.

Ok, so- I've been thinking of this a lot. I went to Kingdom Bound a few years back (was it really back in 99? I'm so freaking old) and if you know much about it, you know that it takes place at Six Flags in Darien Lake. Which means- you guessed it- dippin' dots. No, seriously, tho- it means roller coasters. Everyone's favorite coaster is, of course, the Superman- ride of steel. Because it makes them feel like they're what- superman? yeah right- if only I had real x-ray vision so I could see what's in my christmas presents- hehe.

Anyway, I was thinking about this the other day, and I was thinking about what kind of a ride my youth was, and I've decided something- for a person who personally does not do many roller coasters, I certainly seemed to (and still sometimes still do) enjoy the roller coaster life. If you were a Christian teen, you know what I mean- go to a conference and you're up- but you get home and your family really p*sses you off (I have a friend who'd hit me if i actually said the word p*ss) and you'd be back down again- and you'd go to camp and keep your devotions up for a little while, and you'd be down in the "valley" again.

I've realized a few things- first- this is not what we were meant for. We were not bought out of sin and slavery by Christ so we could be up and down in our lives with him. He did not die for us so that we could live for him after Acquire the Fire, and then get back down after we're home for a week in the "real world".

I was a co-leader of a prayer group in my high school- and it was really funny my sophomore year because we took a whole freaking busload of kids to Acquire the Fire in Providence, Rhode Island- and after ATF, we had our attendance in our prayer group skyrocket- it was like- have a real meeting. And peopel were interested- and... yeah- but within a few weeks, our final number of people that we increased was maybe a couple... And friends of mine in other schools and towns who went on the trip with us felt as though they wanted to start their own prayer groups in their school- most of them lasted for a couple months maybe before they just died entirely.

Point being- we were not intended for continually going up and down, and being on the roller coaster. There is more to being a Christian than this.

Another thing I've realized along side of that is this- if we do not kill the roller coaster habit, we will do no better than that. If we do not find a way to stay full of passion, zeal and vigor, then we will be destined to go up and down at the absolute best- with many who do not even stay at doing that well and just end up in the valley all the time. I am not saying that we are not allowed to feel overextended and make sure we take time to nurture ourselves, but i'm saying that if we do not kill the habit, it will be habit and we will do no better.

Finally- the last thing worthy of note here is this- it is not easy! Many of us- a generational thing, i'm sure- are looking to get by without having to work hard. people are looking for a job where they can sit and do no strenuous work- they want to do something that dosn't require them to think hard- they want ease. That's why in the movie Office Space, the protagonist says, "I did nothing all day long- and it was everything I thought it could be" and why his dream of what he can do with his life is nothing.

We do not want to work hard, and in the spiritual world it is no different- but it requires hard work for anything in the natural- feeling of accomplishment after a job well done, a marriage- needs HARD work-, getting through school- anything. So how much more should we expect hard work in the thing that is worth anything- living a spiritual life conforiming to Christ and reaching out to our friends.

It is not easy, it is not for the faint of heart- it takes work, practice, and ultimately- a lot of determination- along with our "faith". I am not saying you are saved by works, i'm saying that if we are to cultivate spiritual growth in ourselves, we cannot just sit by and wait for God to impose that into our brains as though we will then just magically get it.

The Christian Cliche

A friend of yours is going through a rough time. do you:

a. Listen to your friend's problem. Then, when it seems clear that the person has said what he/she needs to say and gotten out what he/she needs to get out, analyze the situation and offer sound advice for the person to follow.

b. Sit there while the person is talking and begin formulating your response to the person's problem so that when he/she tells you what he/she needs to tell you, you can quickly respond and hopefully have solved the problem.

c. Listen to the person and then offer him/her some phrase as comfort, such as "It will all be ok." or "Remember that God is in control, and He knows what He's doing." Something to that effect, hoping to help the person feel comforted in his/her situation.

d. Listen to the person share his/her problem. Then say nothing to the person regarding the solving of said problem and just be there to be with the person.

So what would you do? Now- what is the ideal for what you should do?

Now, shoot me if I'm wrong, but- the answer is D. I think most of us would agree that B is not a good option- because it doesn't even really involve listening to the person. But both A and C, while they may seem to be good options, are not correct.

I was thinking the other day as I was going through my normal life of something, and someone said something to me that made me think, "ok- that couldn't possibly be any more of a cliche!" And it got me to thinking of this- Christians are notoriously problem solvers! Not that being a problem solver is necessarily a bad thing, but when someone is going through a rough time, often times they do not need their problem solved. Often times we really need someone to "cry" with us, or an ear to listen to us, or...

Let me relay a story. The last person I dated before meeting the woman of my dreams who will be my wife in less than 2 months (can't wait!) broke up with me. Surprise, surprise- that's probably the biggest reason why we're still not dating- breaking up will do that to a relationship (hehe- it's a joke). But after she broke up with me and I was kinda hurting, I had everyone tell me some wonderful advice- stuff like "God's got someone better for you" and "You're better off without her" and... stuff like that- and while that may have been VERY true (particularly the first one), they are all cliches that I did not need to hear at that point in time. What I needed was what my friend Timmy gave me- an ear to listen, to affirm what I was doing, and to not feed me phrases i've heard a dozen times, or courses of action I could have come up with on my own.

Timmy and I then got talking, and I was complaining about how much people just gave me lines that I didn't need to hear AGAIN, and he and i got talking. Why is is that we always feel like we need to help people and solve their problem? Say the right words and make the person go from sad to happy. It is the Lord who will turn the person's mourning into dancing, not us- but we feel like we're the best way to help a person turn away from the sadness he/she is feeling.

But what if that feeling is necessary? The sadness is needed- and could easily build them up into a better person, or... sorry- that's a cliche in and of itself- the whole character building issue.

So the next time someone has a problem, then why don't we move more quickly to the listening stage and hold off on the advice stage, the cliche stage, or the "let me do what everyone else is doing and try to make you go from sad to happy." As if it will work now because you're doing it, even though so many others have tried, or will try after you. It seems everyone is trying to solve the problem of those who deal with them.

everybody's doing it... doing it... doing it- picking it and chewing it, chewing it, chewing it... thinking it's bubble gum but it snot.

(sorry, just the random phrase that popped into my head to close this- a chant my brothers and i used to quote when we were young)

Jesus is WHERE?

first- this is technically in the week after my last blog- so i do not lie- this is at least once a week!

I have this song that I like- and i'm not bashing it, but here listen to this- i'm quoting a few differnt places, so this is not the way it goes- i just am getting the parts i want to note:
"I'm here to meet with you, come and meet with me
I'm here to find you...

... As I stand and sing Your praise, you come, you come and fill this place" (-Meet With Me- Lamont Heibert of Ten Shekel Shirt)

So, when I sing this- the last line sung I sing referring to me as "this" place- but based on the first lines- I don't think that's the intention. Note my italics.

I know that churches are often times dedicated for the Lord, and they are seen as "holy" places. But why do we only do the holy, or think of the holy while there? I was at our young adult group the other nigth and one person mentioned a friend of hers who swears every time he sneezes, so he can't sneeze in church. This begged me think of this- so it's not ok to swear in church, but everywhere else he can sneeze and swear?

I know people who think it's sacreligious to meet a significant other in church because that's a holy place... and somehow relationships are banned from the sacred? I know people who all the time say, well, we can't do that in "church" as though God is somehow always in church so we can't do it, but he's not somewhere else so we're not going to offend him there. ?? anone else see the trouble in this thinking?

In the Old Testament, God's manifest presence was found in either the tabernacle of meeting, or in the Temple! Sound familiar? The people would go to the temple, do the right things, then too many would live their lives however they wanted to- because God was in the temple, but not elsewhere- in their minds.

Now we live in a day and age where God does not dwell in temple made with hands. We are told that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). God dwells in us, not just in the church. So if there's a conviction about swearing, or anything else- church is no different of a place than anywhere else.

When Jesus was on earth, he spent a lot of his time with the sinners. So why should we think that God, or the Holy Spirit dwell only in the "holy" places now? I understand that often times we do things in church because of other perceptions, but... I know someone who was talking about how kissing, handholding, and anything romantically inclined didn't belong in church because "we're here to focus on God!" I used to kinda agree that we are here to focus on God, but i realize more and more how much that is a ludicrous statement! Of course, we put our focus on God in church, but should we not put our focus on God as often as we can, church or no church? Should we not spend time with God outside of church? Is it ok to hold hands outside of church because we're not focussed on God?

anyway- just a few thoughts- Jesus does not dwell in church- He dwells in our hearts! When we come together, it is not asking the Spirit to join us, it is our awareness of the Spirit moving and working in and among us. This is not some new age God is everywhere and in everything- because i don't think God is in a tree- but I do believe that God is not restricted to some building we put together.

"I may not know very much about God, but I will say this- we've made a pretty good box for Him"- Homer Simpson (episode babf11- s11e15- Missionary Impossible) after building a church in microasia.

Life after Elections

So the election hype is over- we have figured out who our nation's leader will be for the next 4 years. And I didn't post this earlier because i was having trouble with the website last week. Regardless, this post has nothing to do with politics, nor will it be a well thought out idea that is reasoned semi-logically. I just like my title, and decided i need to post something to keep my viewers happy- assuming i have any viewers. I have two comments posted on previous blogs, so I must have viewers, right?

So, I struggle sometimes with stuff. Last weekend, I was taking my students through an "encounter night" which is part of our youth ministry direction- to have time set aside to encounter Jesus instead of always doing stuff, learning, teaching, etc. I want my students to be given time to spend time with Jesus to help them to cultivate the habit in their own lives. Anyway- this requires me to spend that time myself, and more so than I normally take.

So I was sitting there going through psalm 46 one day- and I felt this conversation going on:

me- "Lord, man- this is a busy day! I have a lot to do, but i'm gonna try to spend some time with you. Boy there are so many things to do this week! But I want to give you a little time today, so, here it is. Anything to share with me?"

God- "Be still and know that I am God"

me- "right... I will, but first... holy cow, too much to do this week. First, I have some requests for you. Would you like to hear them? I know they seem like a good bit, but... I have more than requests for you! I want to spend time with you, and ask you to change me! Transform me- there's so much going on- help me to be more like Jesus! I want to be like Him so that with everything going on, I can handle it all! What cand I do?"

God- "Be still and know that I am God"

me- "Again, sounds like good advice. I'll get there, I promise! But can you give me something specific to do? My head is always swimming with stuff, and I'm always going though stuff so quickly. it's rough- I've got so much to worry about- my youth ministry, my young adults- how do i get more people to come out for those? I want to set the example for them, but..."

God- "Be still and know that I am God"

me- "Come on, that's it? don't you have anything else for me? SHEESH!! Come on- that can't be all there is! Don't you say anything else? what can i do?"

God- "Be still..."

me- "I know! Come on, something else!! that's all? Lord- i'm scared of the quiet, i don't want to quiet everything down... when i bring it down you know what's there! I have to come face to face with You! And that scares me because i have to come face to face with my own sinfulness, my own unworthiness, and how much i've messed up, even recently- I don't want to face that!"

God- "Are you done?"

me- "yeah, i think so..."

God- "Good. Be still and know that I am God."

...

Surprise, Surprise

So it's November 3, the day after the election, and surprise, surprise- I am without the knowledge of who my next president is. The commentators seem sure it will be George W. Bush to continue his term, mostly because Ohio does not have enough outstanding votes to make up the ground that John Kerry does not have.

I do not know this, although my mathematically inclined mind tends to agree that when a lead is 136,000 and there are an estimated 140,000 ballots left out there- it is nearly impossible to overcome, and even if there were 240,000 out there, John Kerry would have to take more than 2/3 of them, which... may be possible, but it is likely the votes are split. Anyway- just me showing off my brain.

The real reason I'm writing to day- when did honor and dignity go out the door in the United States? 4 years ago, I went to sleep fairly sure that my new President was George W. Bush on election night, and then I woke up to "well, we're not sure now because Al Gore is challenging Florida." Not to blame Gore- it was a close state, but he still lost it, and the election. This year, John Kerry seems to be a bit better- because he's not insisting on a recount in Ohio, he's just betting against the odds that he will pull out a miracle (as of the time of this writing). it's strange, however, because Al Gore won the popular vote, but John Kerry isn't even close in the popular vote. But there is no concession, even though it seems that it is highly unlikely.

Not to just talk about the vote. The way campaigning on television commercials, and in speeches, and... all that is disgusting! No one takes the high road of not attacking anymore, and I would suppose that if someone did, they wouldn't win. I would refuse to particpate in mudslinging... and I would lose.

And both parties had lawyers ready to go and contest results? Argh! At least John Kerry seems to have some class and is not demanding recounts, but... What are the odds that he can win? I think it is very slim... And I do not say this because I support one over the other, I say it because the office of president should belong to someone with dignity, and if you cannot concede a race that you more than likely can't win, then you should not be there anyway. I am not sure what Bush would do- he may do the same thing, and if he did, I would complain again. But this is the way it is now, so what is the candidate doing about it?

Where is our dignity? Where is our honor? Who is our president?

Wanna talk politics?

As I write this, I still am without knowledge of who my next president is- although all the commentators seems quite sure it would take a comeback bigger than the Red Sox vs. Yankees in 2004 for John Kerry to win the election. However, over the past few weeks, months, and even years, I have heard a lot of things that make me want to just comment on my Blog about politics.

I have heard so many people tell me a number of things for this election. I agree that it is VERY important for Americans to vote- even if you don't know who you want to vote for, it is very important because we all must recognize that we have a privledge that too many people in the world do not have.

However, I have heard so many people tell me this- vote for George W. Bush because he is a good Christian man. I do not dispute the claim to faith that this man has- because it is not my place to judge his faith. He seems to be very genuine, and his stances on issues such as abortion, homosexual marriages and stem-cell research certainly follow my own beliefs on such issues, and are along with many evangelicals.

There are other things which trouble me, though. I was talking with a friend the other day who voted for John Kerry for another reason beyond moral stance. This friend is a devout Christian, and I respect him as much, if not more, than just about any other Christians I know. He, however, like many central Pennsylvanian Christians, is a pacifist. And he finds it hard to trust President Bush because of invading Iraq. He truly believes that this is politically unforgivable. Especially with all the casualties that are after "victory."

I am a just war theorist at best, but... I do not know exactly how I believe about this. But I must say this becuase of my friend's stance on war. If he were elected president, he would have to make decisions that go against his faith. Which brings me to my first point today- we cannot make our voting decisions based on a person's religious affiliation.

I may think it is great that President Bush is an evangelical Christian. I think that's great, but I am SURE that being President has caused him to do things that are contrary to his faith. I am not saying he's a terrible person, but with as much power as the president of the United States has, it is going to make it tough for him to be true to faith all the time. Too many Christians can find no fault with the man, but let's be honest- nobody is perfect. In some ways, Christians are holding him as sort of a national pastor (see Blog regarding the requirement of perfect pastors).

I could continue to drive this point home by making my point again, but honestly, I believe that Christians would be required to compromise if elected President. My friend and I both agreed that we would not want to be there- even though it seems like it could be real cool.

The other point of this Blog today, the day after election day, is this. My brothers and I have talked politics, and one of my good friends and I came to the same conclusion. This election, if it goes to John Kerry, would be won on hate. I am not saying that the President would normally win (no one can say this- although he won the popular vote by 3.5 million this time). But the point is this- there are so many people in the United States that hate George W. Bush that they are willing to vote for his opponent regardless.

At so many repulican rallies, there are protestors. And I saw more signs of "No More War" than I did "elect Kerry/Edwards." More people seemed to be actively opposing the war issue than they did to be supporting a candidate. I am not saying there are true John Kerry supporters out there, but many of the people who I know would have voted Kerry would have done so because they hate Bush.

Hate is a powerful motivator- but when it comes to electing a president, as much as religious affiliation cannot be your only deciding factor, hate (and other strong emotions) cannot be your only deciding factor too. People should have researched a lot more than they did and not just taken everything at face value. There is much more below the surface for everyone to discover that should make a difference in your vote.

So, with that said- I just wanted to talk about my view on this election. Who did I vote for?

I'm not telling...