San Francisco trip

stay tuned in for the next couple days for the comprehensive "San Francisco weekend" blog. I've pretty much typed it all out, but want to go back over and make sure it's all good. I had intended to blog daily over the weekend, but couldn't find a wireless to connect to- despite the fact that the hotel should have had one for us.

anyway, here we go...

San Francisco Trip Blog:
Day 1- leaving & arriving

As I’m a terrible blogger, I felt this would be nice- to do a 3 blog series on our weekend trip to San Francisco with some friends of ours. So here we go.

We left Medford after Rachel and Kassie got off work to go get some quick food at the grocery store. After all that stuff, we got on I-5 around 5:30 or 5:45. Of course, we were looking forward to going over Siskiyou Summit. It’s the highest mountain pass on the entire I-5- which spans from San Diego up through Seattle and beyond to Canada. A full north/south highway on the West Coast. I’ve only been all the way up and over the pass once- and that was driving out here. 4310 ft above sea level. It had been raining and even snowing in the valley off and on all week (which snow is uncommon in the valley- a sign that even MORE snow lay ahead in the mountains). And there was a LOT of snow packed beside the road. Despite the potential of driving through the snow, there were only clouds around the mountains- no snow on the road.

As we began our descent into California, I was reminded of the only other time I’d been on I-5 this far south. It was the trip out here to Oregon, and as we drove forth, the idea that the Northwest is a bunch of pot-smoking hippies was reinforced as we drove through the town of Weed. Luke said it best in his blog of the drive out- they must have all gotten together and came up with their favorite name for their favorite plant and named a city that- Weed.

It was a rather uneventful drive, however. And it got dark shortly after we crossed into California, so we weren’t able to see much, anyway. We drove through the town of Redding after a couple hours- Rachel had taken the girls in the youth group to a water park there last summer. It was apparently not all that great of a place, but better than nothing and nothing is what Medford has. Just another reminder that while we may live in a town of decent size, and Redding is a little bigger than that, there’s still NOTHING around for miles and miles.

Our conversations were pretty varied, but so many things ended up falling into one of two categories. Either we were quoting "Family Guy" and reliving favorite episodes or moments, or we were talking about things that made me think of "Oops, I crapped my pants". Different stories relating to control issues leading around different ways our bodies releases its non-used materials. Absolutely hilarious, but, for you, my readers, you only get the ambiguous retelling.

Driving through the Sacramento Valley, we saw that our clouds had left us and we continued driving in the moon-lit glow of the full-moon. Turned on to I-80 in Sacramento. Both Rachel and Kassie were quick to remark how much of a real city it was. It’s got almost a half-million population, but that’s more than enough when you’ve been living in Medford. As we continued, we passed Ikea- right off the highway. In all it’s splendor. I found myself as the voice of reason saying to Rachel that we don’t need any more stuff as we’re already trying to get rid of stuff as we plan to move. And telling Dave they don’t need any more stuff, either, as they’ve just gotten a new sofa. Way to be the buzz-kill.

In one of the funnier moments, we saw a KFC/Del Taco sign. I have many times before seen a KFC/Taco Bell sign. But never with Del Taco. We began making fun of it immediately. “uh, yeah, I’d like to have a chicken leg in my taco, please!” or “ummm- can I get a mashed potatoes and gravy burrito?” well, at least we thought it was funny…

So here’s where it got tricky- the directions we had said it was 47 miles to a merging of highways, then another 6 to our exit. We misjudged that so many times that it lost all meaning to say “I think this may be where they merge!” until it was so obvious, we’d have had to be blind not to see it. But being blind, we’d have larger problems as we were driving… when we finally figured the merge out, we began looking for the exit. But the directions provided by hotels.com didn’t give us the right name for the exit and so we blew on past, just looking for Harrison St. Exit. And not finding it. It was almost midnight by now and we’re just ready to find our hotel. So, after doing a little turn around and deciding to just pick an exit where we thought it was- we knew the hotel is only a mile or two from Fisherman’s Wharf- we found the street we were looking for without even trying. What joy. Note to self for future- don’t use hotels.com directions again. I lay that blame on Rachel- I would have mapquested the directions, but she just printed out the directions from hotels.com an called it good. Not to pick on her or anything, though…

And from there, it was relatively easy- follow the directions again till we find our street. And as we traveled, we passed clubs and shops- and Kassie, who apparently has Rachel’s love for “real” cities, but only having lived in Salt Lake City, found herself loving this city. So, as we pulled up to the hotel- which was so amazingly well displayed that we missed it the first time- I found myself thinking- “I know who’ll leave her heart in San Francisco."

stay tuned for days 2, 3 and the picture recap!

pray-er types

I decided last week as I was praying with many different people that I wanted to do a blog about different praying styles. I think my interest in such a touchy subject began in high school when a friend of mine somehow picked up a small quirk in the language in her prayers. It mildly amused me, then i quickly chastised myself for ever having been so irreverent as to laugh at the way someone prays.

However, as reverently as possible, I wanted to share with you, how, over the years, I've found many different quirky ways people pray. Anyone who wants to tell me that I'm just being sacrilegious and i need to focus on God- try to grow a funny bone or something. This is just for fun and I actually hope someone will laugh with me on this as the may actually realize they know someone who prays like that... or because i've gone ludicrously over the edge.

1. The "Father God" pray-er- we all have probably at one point in time or another seen one of these. They are the person who every other word of the prayer comes out as "Father God" so a small tidbit of the prayer may look like- "we just ask, Father God, that you, Father God, would put your hand, Father God, on this worship time, Father God,..." actually funny stuff when you retrospect it, but I don't encourage anyone to laugh during prayer time! (Also, closely associated with the "Father God" pray-er is the "Lord God" pray-er- simply replacing Father with Lord, but to the same result)
2. The low pray-er- you probably know this person, too. The person who kinda 'gets in the zone' when praying and their voice just changes. It becomes REALLY soft, often times at a higher pitch. something about his/her prayer just seems so fervent when the pitch raises and the decibel level decreases. I find myself in this trap sometimes, and then laugh at myself when i'm out of it. (consequently, thanks to Seinfeld for the name of this- just like the "low talker" no one could hear)
3. the "best-friend" pray-er- this guy prays like he's just talking to his best friend. He says "uhhh..." about a million times in a 2 minute prayer. And they say stuff that makes some more "religious" people kinda cringe. But it's actually really cool because these people don't have a clue what they're 'supposed' to do- they just pray what's on their hearts. But kinda funny when they pray stuff like "Uhh.... God, give me the... uh.... strength to... uh... love You more... and, uh... stuff"
4. the "all-powerful" pray-er- this girl still reads only the King James version of the Bible that was written in 1612 and therefore, finds it completely irreverent to address God in ways other than "Thee" or "Thou". The prayers are very magnificent with lots of grandeur in the delivery. They fill the room with the person's volume and fervency. There are small hesitations in the prayer that are not looking for words, but simply to add to the effect of the prayer. Unfortunately, funny as some may find this later, this type of pray-er is dying out slowly as the church becomes more 'irreverent'.
5. The "written" pray-er- while at college, I found myself experiencing written prayers during chapel. I heard much criticism of this, and to the opposite- almost no one actively supporting it (although there may have been many who did so, but did not voice their support). It's mildly amusing to think of some people who write their prayers out before praying them- which actually makes it praying twice. I think i'd laugh really hard to know someone sat down and tweaked the prayer to make sure the right words were said- this almost implies more thought into the way an audience or group of people hears the prayer because the scriptures are clear that God knows our hearts and thoughts and the words we use are not as important as the time we set aside. But, to the credit of this, i know that chapel at Messiah was always a very crowded time- trying to facilitate a real experience in only 45 minutes that included a chapel speaker on almost any given tuesday or thursday. Having been the organizer for an elective chapel, i know how hard it was to try and do so many different things in that time.
   

So, there they are. What I was able to think of off the top of my head. Did i miss any? or did you resonate with some of these? Do you know some of these? am i just being sacrilegious?

Top 5 Concerts

Having been to one of the best concerts i can remember, i have decided to do this post. First, i want to share some of the quality of memorable concerts.

first- sing-a-bility. the better i know the band, the better the concert can be. unknown bands can barely be given high marks because i don't know the music (and loudness usually makes it better, in general) and the enjoy-able factor is lessened usually. noteable exception to this is the band "Disciple" whom i've never heard of, and is a little heavier than my usual taste, but did a great concert regardless. not top 5 worthy, but good.

second- as noted above, volume. concerts that don't make my clothes vibrate on me, particularly from the bass or kick drum, are not worth my time. that is, if it's a rock concert. the "Shane & Shane" worship night at my college church calls to mind a different type of concert that was still great.

thirdly- blending of the old and new- especially on a concert tour when they're promoting a new disc- if they do too much old stuff, no one is enticed to listened to the new stuff and if they do only new stuff, everyone gets bored and goes home.

fourth- overall general feeling, including stage presence of the band. 'nuff said.

with all that said, i do want to mention this- this list excludes the music festivals i've been to- Creation, Purple Door, Kingdom Bound- they've had some GREAT concerts- some of them comparable to the best. but too many to remember between the many different years i've been to these festivals.

now the list:
1. Audio Adrenaline- venue- Messiah College. My favorite Christian band of all time. I cannot argue that, especially when considering the nostalgia factor. they were not on tour so their set list was whatever they wanted it to be- old, new, audience suggestions (Although they didn't listen to me yelling "scum sweetheart"). but they stuck to the best stuff and went out from there. excellent.

2. Switchfoot- Main1 Arts Center in Medford, OR. the concert described below. look at previous post to see why this one ranks up there.

3. Five Iron Frenzy- Performing Arts Center at Lancaster Mennonite High School. I went to this concert by myself- couldn't find anyone in my dorm to go with me, but ended up hanging out with the "Rock For Life" booth guys. this concert had some good lead up, but far and away, one of my favorite bands doing an excellent show. capped off by the ever excellent "Every New Day" song, but also by getting my picture taken with the band who was just hanging around afterward. also, them holding my sign saying they liked my band...

4. Supertones- Forum in Woodstock, New Brunswick. Getting harder to remember all the concerts that were far and above. However, the Supertones were one of my favorite bands from their first album. I have been disappointed of late, but this concert in 1999 was off the charts. my youth pastor, as i was a youth leader by then, was not taking a group so I took a group of kids from the group in my mom's van. it was worth all of it. And their "worship" set in the middle was totally novel then, and very visibly and extension of their hearts.

5. Third Day- Giant Center in Hershey PA. This concert was pretty decent. it's harder and harder for me to like Third Day, not for their music but due to other factors. But this was before that, and the concert, while it was good, would not be in the top 5 save for this one thing- the company was the best company i've ever had- Rachel. She and i went together and that made this concert.

noteable achievers- the Kutless concert i went to a year ago- "Hearts of the Innocent" Tour- where the band Disciple opened for them. Also, first Newsboys concert i went to- when i liked them and it was the first time (of 5) that i saw this particular concert. Audio Adrenaline at Cincy '98 was also quite good.

Switchfoot Concert review

tonight, i witnessed one of the best concerts i have ever been to. hands down. see my next post which will recount what makes a good concert and what my top 5 are. but here, i wanted to break down the concert a little.

first, the disappointment. the band opening for Switchfoot was named "Copeland" and they were ok. they were drummerless, making just two acoustic guitars. it was kinda Shane & Shane-esque, but not to their level. The voice was alright and i was pretty pleased with the guitar work of the 2nd player. But in general, a bit of a letdown and i'd really like to hear them with a drummer before making any final judgements.

2nd on the sad scale- the concert was supposed to start at 7- it didn't start till 7:25. and while Copeland only played for about 20 minutes, it was almost 8:20 till Switchfoot finally came on. that made for a lot of standing around. the venue was nice and all- like a large night club, but the floor was concrete so it was tough to stand on.

Switchfoot enters, people scream. sometimes, i wonder if the screaming is louder actually than the music. So they start to play and it's nice and loud, very peppy. I can't honestly remember the order of some of the songs, all i can say is that as far as concerts go, these guys know how to translate their good studio work onto the stage (something bands like Jars of Clay had a hard time doing early on). It sounds just like the "Nothing is Sound" and "OH! Gravity" albums from which the first few songs come.

I would honestly compare this concert to an Audio Adrenaline concert i've been to. They have an excellent album that is the standard by which everything else they do is compared. and so far, they're measuring up to "The Beautiful Letdown" pretty well, although I hardly know the albums since the same way. But, it's like Audio Adrenaline's "Bloom"- if they do a lot of songs from there and add a few here or there, they can't go wrong.

Well, that's the feeling I got. a good smattering of their albums, but in general, center it all around the best complete album they've done. They played well, had excellent stage presence and just in general, made the audience feel a part of the show and not simply spectators.

Notable things:
inclusions- "Learning to Breathe"- from their self-proclaimed early years album by the same title, this song apparently was voted on their website to be in the concert. good song, loved to play it on the radio when i was a DJ in college. ahhh... memories. also, "Twenty-Four", one of my favorite songs of theirs. done just with the acoustic and in such a way that you could hear the audience singing along loudly. excellent.

exclusions- almost "Dare You to Move" until they did it in the encore, which plays into the idea that they planned the encore. "Chem 6a", a classic song from the "Legend of Chin" album that seems to make its way around, even being joked around on the guitar by one of the "Copeland" guitarists... Also, "On Fire", a light song off "the Beautiful Letdown" that just sings of serenity and beauty.

other notes- one kid actually brought a lighter into the concert. i'm not sure how he got it past security and they appeared to take it from him, but for the early part of the slower songs, this kid was waving his lighter... i felt like i was in 80s heaven or something... (and the dragon comes in the niiiiiiight!)

This concert ranks an A+ on the concert-o-meter. with classics like "Gone", "This is Your Life", "Stars", "Meant to Live" and new classics like "OH! Gravity" along side the other songs you know you know but just can't put your finger on it- this concert was great.

Purpose of Youth Ministry

Firstly, this blog was written by request for the friend of a friend. I worked a little at a time on it over the past couple months, but I was very close to NOT finishing it as my friend Luke wrote something I felt was similar. But I had a few minutes in the early morning while I was at a conference and so here it is.

Youth ministry (as in ministry to teenagers) began in the 1960s. Para church groups actually made the original strides in youth ministry. The church had been doing Sunday School for some time and had become effective at reaching children with the Gospel. However, they were not able to keep the children after they had grown into teenagers. There were a lot of things vying for time and attention and the Church was not, by-and-large, keeping teenagers after they were out of Sunday School/Children’s ministry.

With that background said, I’m going to share a little bit now of what I view as NOT a good reason or primary purpose of youth ministry.

- a positive alternative for youth that offers a safe environment for kids and doesn’t have the negative effects that the world does.

We hear this so much. We want to offer a “fun” alternative to the world for youth. Many youth ministries can be seen doing this when it seems that all they offer is fun and there is no real Gospel teaching or discipleship. There’s a national Christian radios station with a broadcast tower in our area whose slogan is “Positive Alternative”. Even Christian music- while alternative may not be a bad thing, it should not be the main thing. Youth ministry should be more than just “an alternative”.

The purpose of youth programming in the church should be primarily this:

Providing a venue within the Church for evangelism to and intentional discipleship of teenagers and working toward their incorporation into the Church.

I like this working definition because it outlines a few key things. It provides that we are not just serving our own, but there needs to be a reaching out. Just as churches should grow through conversions, youth ministries want to see that positive growth. Reaching lost people with the gospel is important. Hand in hand with that, it also outlines that youth ministry should be used as a process to be discipling teenagers. It doesn’t take someone who’s cool or someone who knows it all- it just takes being real with them. As our primary focus should be the kingdom of God, however, and seeing as Jesus commanded his disciples to “make disciples of all nations”, it makes sense that discipleship should be a major concern. And as my Evangelism and Discipleship professor in college used to state, Evangelism and Discipleship are like “fruit and fiber”- why have one without the other?

Also we hear a lot of talk about how the youth are the church of tomorrow. But the truth is, just because they are young does not disqualify them from participation in the Church today. They are the Church of today AND tomorrow. The Church has not simply stayed the same for the past 1900 years and in the past 50-100 people have decided to change it. Christ’s body has been like the organism it is- shifting and changing since its inception. It does not mean that to shift the “look” of Church (without compromise of the message of Christ) is to betray our heritage.

Finally, I’d like to make the point that youth ministry, just as adult ministry, should rarely be about the “Get as many people as we can here and preach the evangelistic message to the so that hopefully a few will respond”. I do not mean anything against large evangelistic meetings, but to do so has met with such poor follow-up results. If we are about making disciples as much as we’re about simply evangelizing, then we MUST recognize the small value of getting someone to say a prayer at an event and then not ever think about that again. In youth ministry especially, teens want people to be real, and they themselves aren’t going to make a commitment lightly at an event if they don’t think they’ll do anything about it after the event.

There, I think I’ve hit my creative quota for the day. Does anyone who reads this have any other ideas? Or thoughts? Or, most especially, any dangers of youth ministry? I haven’t listed any of those- maybe I’ll blog those another time. But I welcome the thoughts for such a topic.

and this little piggy went wii, wii, wii...

I got my major birthday present yesterday. albeit 3 days after my birthday, it was worth the wait. I wasn't expecting it on my birthday because before Christmas, stores couldn't seem to keep this in stock- and still can't. But I have a friend who's an electronics manager at a local wal-mart. And when he got the shipment yesterday, he clocked out and went and purchased a Nintendo Wii. Which he gave to Rachel, who paid him back for it and it then was given to me as my birthday present.

I have been very excited about this. I can't think of any one game system I have gotten so close to it's release. But my gaming experience goes far back. I seem to remember we had an Intelevision when I was very young. When I had my heart surgery when I was 6 (1987), mom purchased a Nintendo Entertainment System for my brothers and I on our way back to PI from Portland. It was an early one. it came with ROB the Robot and the game Gyromite and Duck Hunt(for those of you who are thinking, yes, it WAS before they all came with the Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt combo cartridge). Sometime shortly thereafter, our grandmother unkowingly got one of the best games ever made for us for Christmas- the Legend of Zelda. Unlike so many times it is portrayed that grandma gets the "golf pro" game or something lame like that- she actually asked a guy in the store and he directed her to the Legend of Zelda as one of the hottest games at the time. It still stands the test of time.

For Christmas in 1993, I asked my dad for a Super Nintendo. It had been released a good time earlier, but by now, they were findable and they had just released the 3rd Zelda game- A Link to the Past. this is consequently perhaps the best Zelda game created (in regards to the story). Ryan got the Zelda game, I got the Super NES. it was a good combo as he was the best gamer in the family and i took after him as much as i could (he may have just had more time since he had 4 hip surgeries and was bed ridden for a long time- his bed was moved into the living room so he could watch tv/play games).

I remember Ryan got an N64 not too long after it was released and I liked playing it- I remember playing the Ocarina of Time in the spring of 1999 during my spring break (leading up to a huge youth conference he and I were going to with his church's youth group) and I beat the game in 5 days. It is the best game of the Zelda's with the combination of graphics, good story and excellent playability with a small learning curve. In getting my own N64 system, however, I was quite late and i only got Ryan's extra one as a Christmas gift.

I was also late with my GameCube, which i waited until fall of 2005 to buy one, as i was laid off work and also figured it to be useful in my ministry stuff. I only bought this for the Zelda game, but was rewarded with a handful of fun titles. and also rewarded because of the multiplayer fun games that my youth group eat up when i bring my system for fun nights.

Now, Rachel has gotten me the Wii. which is exactly what you do when you play it- say "Weee, Weee" because not only are you playing a game, but you are forced into it. you are forced into Boxing, tennis, bowling, baseball and golf (meh) by swining the bat or racket, rolling the ball and punching. it's excellent!!

much like the GameCube, I REALLY wanted this for the Zelda title that was released- since I had been anticipating the Twilight Princess for over a year now. And it doesn't disappoint!! But as for the system, those who laugh at the title should still be awed at how engaging it is to play! you cannot simply sit on the sofa to play it!! And for the price, it beats the other ones in it's generation- beating the already been out for months xbox360 by at least $150. And with some great launch titles.

There's a reason that my friend has 3 ps3's sitting on his shelf while he sells out of Wii's in mere minutes. Way to go Nintendo- you may not win the console war, but you will win a lot of people back with the innovative control style and the easy of use with the new controller!! as a Nintendo guy for most of my life, this one does not disappoint!!

yes, yes, i know

So, i know numbers are not everything. and as a matter of fact, they are often barely times anything at all. but we had our youth ministry Christmas party on Friday, Dec. 15 and had an all time high of 17!! it's been exciting to have been here for a year and all, but this was by far the most exciting number. it's the largest anything youth group thing i've done as a youth pastor (since i've basically tried to build two youth ministries out of nothing) and i'm stoked...

i know we're affecting our kids out here and all- and i know that we're making a difference. and that's good. i guess i just need a reminder sometimes. we don't have too many more now than we did when we arrived, but at the same time, i can think of at least 5 of our regular/semi regulars who were NOT attending when we started here. and I can think of at least 3 or 4 who are no longer going to our church so not attending, either. so we've kinda lost some and replaced them- but from the "numbers" view, it's stayed the same.

the big thing is that we have been able to not lose most of the kids who were here when we started. that was a BIG concern- that most of them were too far gone for us to keep them. and i'd say we lost one becasue she was ready to head out, but the others were family reasons that they stopped attending our church. And the rest that were around, we have done what we can and gotten them in- even the one that i was SURE i was going to lose from the moment i came out here. not that we don't connect, just that he was already kinda doing another thing for church... but... yeah. so now, we've got some kids that have been very inconsistent since we came here that we're trying to get more involved... and of course, i've been trying to get in the schools to make my face more known to the friends the kids in the youth group will invite.

anyway- i'm just pretty excited after having a big number tonight. hopefully our friday nights will continue to produce some growth (since that's what they were designed for). ok- i'm exhausted from not having a minute of rest since early this morning... i'm about to pass out...

CNN article on Christianity

I found this as I was scanning the headlines today. I was very impressed that this comes from the son of Jim & Tammy Faye- considering how super-conservative they are. I think the article speaks for itself, but goes along well with some of what i've been more recently feeling from a political standpoint as a Christian.

i'd love to entertain any thoughts...

feeling like stealing

As I feel like i'm stealing another idea from Luke, i have still decided to do this. I hope he sees it- I especially since Larry Bird is one of my celebs. So despite seeming to follow luke into the blogging world and now with this celebrity look alike... I still beat Luke to moving across the country, which, by the way- was over a year ago. wow...

anyway- enjoy

oxymoron

I was thinking about this today as I was listening to a relatively new CD- new to me. I'd bought it for the worship ministry at church- resource not only for music we may play, but also to play in the background before and after service. it was a worship CD with a bunch of different groups and worship leaders.

And I got listening to a version on there that they had of the song "Rescue" from the CD Desperation. The original was done very well and was just in general, good. this newer (really other- the song is only 2 years old- and only popular the past year or so) version was, in my opinion, inferior. it was not only a cover, but a cover done with little to none of the band's own flavor in it.

the group who performed it, however, was what got me intrigued enough to write a blog. it's the band "Newsong"/

now fofgive me, but doesn't that sound weird? Newsong is performing a bad cover of someone else's song.

Christian Pop-culture

Rachel called me this morning. in a Christian bookstore catalogue, she notice this. Wow. that's all i can say. apparently the caption in the catalogue says "now your kids can dance for the Lord".

It really was a confirmation to me because the other day, i wrote down a question that I really wanted to get some discussion on. It was spurred on because I was reminded of this Christian comedian. After watching some of his stuff, I found him to be funny. But the people who told me about this guy, Brad Stine, are kinda sheltered kids. It made me really want to start a discussion about something that is becoming so huge now. A popular, christian sub-culture.

We've already got (and had for some years) Christian music. I remember that when I was in high school, I would only listen to Christian music. And while I firmly believed it was a matter of my own personal convictions, I would secretly wonder about how serious people were about their faith who listened to "the radio" or CDs from non-Christian artists. Obviously, this was wrong thinking on my part. While there are obviously some bands that promote sin or even simple immorality, there are many non-Christian groups that don't have anything specifically wrong with their music.

There have also been books for some time now, too- including popluar Christian novels. But even now, there are books that have reached "craze" status, regardless of if it's Christian or not.

Anyway, back to the point- it used to be just Christian music. But recently, there have been videos and movies (look at all the apocalypse movies), comedians, video games- seemingly everything. And it makes me wonder WHY. Can Veggie Tales DDR seriously be to help someone's spirituality?

I want to ask the question- does it make us more or less spiritual if we choose (or choose not) to engage ourselves in this sub-culture simply because it's Christian? should we not be disappointed at the poor quality some Christian bands display, but they get a contract because they're "Christian". should we not want good music, funny comedians and well written books?

I am reminded of the band Tree63 telling about being in South Africa (where there music is top-40 type stuff) and there's no Christian or non-Christian music. if a Christian band wants to get recorded, then they have to be GOOD- good enough to compete with non-Christian music.
so I ask the question that I have been wondering for a few days...

Does the popular Christian sub-culture of today reflect:

a)A positive alternative to the negative influences found in normal popular culture?

b)A way for Christian parents to shelter their children and teenagers (or for Christian teens and adults to shelter themselves) from the bad aspects of popular culture?

c)the honest desire of the hearts of Christians to use their gifts in ways to share the Gospel, or at least be a positive influence?

d)desire on the part of media corporations to make money off the segment of the population who designate themselves as Christians?

e)A true desire to be a people who are "set apart"?

f)some combination or these or something else entirely?

I would LOVE to entertain some thoughts.

While I work, I'm away

While I'm working on a new post for a friend dealing with youth ministry and its purpose, I have been visiting his blog and while I waited quite a while for him to post something new, it was well worth the wait! click here to read his most recent post that has impressed me. And be encouraged by his transparent honesty.

visit from family

I had a wonderful visit this past weekend from some of my family! My mother, step-father, grandmother and mom's best friend came to visit Rachel and I out here on the West Coast! We had a very fun visit, spending a lot of time travelling to some of the fun things and places near us! Feel free to check out the pictures that I have posted on my flickr. I also have added some new pictures to my profile here, so feel free to look at those and comment!

a quick overview- they arrived on thursday evening just in time for me to hear from my piano player that she would not be at worship practice, so with practice cancelled, we helped the check into the hotel and then had them over for dinner (a crock pot meal we'd been cooking). I spent most of the day friday with them- getting a start later in the morning- going to lunch with Rachel around noon time and then taking them to a few places around (noteably- up Mt. Ashland near us which is almost on the California border). Saturday, we got an early start and went to the Redwoods, including driving through a tree and also went to the southern Oregon Coast. It was a GREAT day.


Sunday, I had arranged to preach in church and we had a pot-luck following. After that, we took the rest of the afternoon to drive up to Crater Lake. It was the first time Rachel and I had been, despite my desire to have gone many times this summer. It was simply amazing!!!


It was great to have some more familiar faces out here and wonderful to spend time with everyone. While i know not everyone can, rachel and I would love to entertain any of our family and friends who can come to visit us. That's all for now (been quite busy) but I hope to be posting some more topics in the near future as food for thought. don't forget to check out the pictures from this weekend.

remember

today marks 5 years from the day that the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked by terrorists. While I know there will likely be thousands of blogs of reflection, I wanted to give some personal perspective to any readers I may have, if I have any.

I remember where I was when I found out. Everyone has said since that this would be to my generation (whichever generation i'm a part of- Gen-x of millenial- but it works for both) what the Kennedy assasination was to my parents' generation. Everyone will remember where they were, what they were doing, how they found out. Just like the old far side comic with the forest animals gathered around sharing where they were with the caption reading "All the forest animals would forever remember what they were doing when Bambi's mother was killed".

I remember getting to my youth min class just in time to watch the 2nd tower fall after hearing vague reports after leaving chapel about some kind of attack on the pentagon. the planes hit the WTC before chapel started, but most of us were unaware of that because they'd either just crawled out of bet to be in chapel or else they were unfortunate as I was to have an 8am class on that thursday.

I also remember that we sat and talked for a little while during class, but our prof released us early becuase he figured that class was pointless then. Being in Pennsylvania, we were directly between the two major hits, and of course, not that far from the thwarted attempt, as well. i remember that i felt a little guilty for getting out of classes the rest of the day becaue at that time, i didn't really think i knew anyone who would have been there or was affected. but as it turned out, the associate youth pastor at my church was best friends with one of the guys who we discovered later was one of the people on flight 93 (western PA) who thwarted the terrorists. of course, with or without this, I found myself grieving for what this meant for the country and the people who WERE directly affected.

I remember members of congress getting together that evening on the steps of the capital building and singing "God bless America". I remember bi-partisan support of pursuing the terrorist groups responsible for this and seemingly all Americans in unanimous support of the strong leadership president Bush provided at the time. I remember that the petty squabbling that had engulfed our country not a year earlier as the debate raged over who won the presidential election was completely forgotten.

I remember that people were not opposed to needing to show up early for their flights when flights resumed. They were not opposed to extra security measures. There were no complaints because everyone was just happy to feel safe.

And I look at these rememberances as a stark comparisson to what I see again. I see Americans who feel safe again without reason as the terrorist have undoubtedly not stopped, but have been working on even more plans. I see Americans get angry for added security at airports instead of being happy that they can fly (hopefully) safely.

I see Americans hating the president, calling for his head, awaiting the day he leaves office. I see that there seems to have never been as big of a divide between the two political parties that dominate American politics as there is at this time.

and yet- today, we remember. Today is a day to commemorate those who died due to the hatred and malice of others- one of the greatest acts of man's hatred toward other men. Perhaps we can also remember how we were, for at least one moment, united. Perhaps we can remember that we don't have to hate one another or let stuipd divisions like political beliefs or affiliations divide us as people. Perhaps we can see that if we don't stop down the path we are on, we will have it happen again- this time perhaps from within due to the hatred that is bred within our own country.

Perhaps... as belivers in Christ, pehaps we can remember to pray. We can remember to ask God to show us the people around us as He sees them, not as enemies, but as lost people who are in despearate need. Perhaps we can remember that our faith has the ability to unite people and share the ultimate love.

rememberance and pride

I have been a fan of David Crowder Band since I first heard them. David Crowder has written a good book that I read. But... I just got the album "A Collision" by the band. And while it sounds pretty decent all-around, there's a song on it that bothers me. The song also made its way onto the latest Passion CD- "Everything Glorious". Maybe it just reminds me too much of another song that really kills me because of it's content... it's called "We Win" which seems close to the same theme as the song "I Win".

I have a friend- James- who told me that they were singing this song "I win" one day in chapel at his college... He got frustrated, went up on stage and said "Don't you get it- WE DON'T WIN- GOD DOES!" I was very happy for that because i'm a huge fan of thinking through the theology of songs before introducing them into useage for congregational singing. the lines of this song are "no matter what the weapon is, I want you to know that I win (echo- I win)" and the chorus is just a repeating "I win, I win, I win, I win..."

I like Crowder's song slightly more because it is WE win, not I win. there's a HUGE theological difference with using one word or the other, and even in corporate worship, singing all songs with I in there tend to get the focus on "I'm worshipping" not "we're worship together" and ultimately, focus away from who we are worshipping. getting back on topic, however, the lyrics of Crowder's song are along the lines of "Cause we've already won and you don't have a chance, yeah we've already won and you don't have a chance" however, offeste by... "This is for His Glory, His glory- we have already won".

to those looking for a short read, i apologize- those paragraphs prior to this were only the introduction. This newer song and the other one that sends shivers down my spine have gotten me thinking about the nature of a few things. First, Crowder talks about shouting, shouting until the walls come down. It got me thinking about ancient Israel. They certainly had their share of victories, sadness and they are interesting to study. There are stories that we're all relatively familiar with like the battle of Jericho where they go, march around the wall and on the last day, they all yell (that would work GREAT- if the walls were made of Jell-o. ooh- then we could just eat 'em) and the walls come down. this is the story that got me thinking.

Then there's the story of Gideon, who weeded out almost 32,000 to get the 300 guys voted "most unlikely to fight and win a battle" in high school. He took those 300 because God asked him to trim the army down and those 300 went into battle and without even raising a sword, they routed the enemy.

Both of these stories are not to be studied by generals or military geniuses. The strategy will not win the battle in the natural. But when God told them to, He took care of it. It makes me wonder, however, what did people think after the battle. They seem to have forgotten what God did for them so many times (the book of Judges- they got oppressed again) the people seem to have forgotten. But they didn't forget what was done- it's hard to forget that the reason we are not oppressed is because the enemy was defeated. So perhaps pride is the reason. God did things HIS way to ensure that no one could take glory for them, but as the participants fade away and pass away, perhaps the descendents have forgotten what was done for the people who came before.

And so perhaps we have people bragging about "I win" because they have forgotten that we didn't even fight the battle. We may struggle, but the REAL battle that has already been won was won by Jesus Christ on the cross. it's not the struggle that we have today against sin and perhaps evil powers, but Christ's victory over sin that matters most to us today. And we would do best not to forget it.

do you sing?

I just took a call at the church from a woman asking about the time of our 2nd service on sunday mornings and after confirming that it was at 11am, she proceeded to ask if we sing hymns. I stated that we sing hymns during the 1st service, but our 2nd service does not typically have hymns. She asked me again the same question with the emphasis on hymns- "I asked, do you sing HYMNS??" So I responded again, with a sure tone, that our 1st service is a traditional service in which we sing hymns, however, our 2nd service (which she's inquired about) is our contemporary service and we do not sing hymns often. She responded with a quick thank you and then hung up.

I know that the Church in the United States has been through the "worship wars" and many churches are still in the midst of it. but i post this here now because i wanted to get a little discussion going- regarding this question. Is this a question that should be asked when looking for a church? what other questions should someone ask when they are looking for a church home? what should the primary determining factor be? And how do you get past the ambiguous questions/feelings like "I think God wants us here" for which there may be no proof except for our own feelings?

discuss.

politically charged

i've been feeling a bit charged over the past few days... there is nothing in particular that is causing me to wrestle with some of these issues- at least, not some kind of current event. I have been reading a few things recently that have been giving me the desire to read more about them and wrestle with them.

what i'm dealing with right now is politics. A few weeks ago, i was looking through Keith Drury's website and came across THIS article of his regarding Can Christians vote for democrats. 5 or 6 years ago before moving away from northern Maine, going to college and experiencing a more diverse cross-section of the Christian faith, I would have argued against that possibility. As a matter of fact, I seem to remember going to the Rec Center in Presque Isle and voting Republican right down the line. What a responsible thing for me to do- not concern myself with any issues or a person's stance.

Back to the subject at hand, however, I also read an article a few weeks ago passed along to me by a friend. It was in the NY times and is in yesterday's blog about my new reading list- or at least, a link to it is there. And i recieved the two books listed there, as well, from Amazon and began reading eagerly.

Let me just be blunt- i'm getting quite tired of watching other Christians around me blindly following a leader, a political agenda or a political party. I was talking with another Christian a few months ago- a very politically conservative- about politics one time. I got to mentioning how I find myself in line with the Repulican party on what many consider to be "moral" issues- particularly, abortion and homosexuality. But the last time I voted in Maine, I voted for the democratic candidate for governor. Because I thought he had a better platform on issues regarding education and the environment- and beyond that, he is a devout Catholic, so unless he divided himself from the Catholic Church, I knew where he stood on abortion and homosexuality. Beyond that, the republican candidate was NOT a Christian, might as well have been an atheist for as much as he referenced any kind of deity.

The person I was speaking with and told these things to said it seemed like it should have been better to vote for the democrat, except that supporting that candidate would help to push forward the democrat's platform that included keeping abortion legal and marriages for homosexuals. I would presume that means this person just votes republican because he supports that party.

This has bothered me. I guess if that person wholeheartedly agrees with the republican stance on their issues, then he should feel free to support them. But I'm not sure that I do. And I'm not sure that the Bible does, either. However- we find ourselves at this place where the Chruch in north America seems to be in support of the Republican party. I've heard it preached from the pulpit, i've read "voter's guides" which go just short of saying "vote for the republican".

Conservative Christians seem to believe that getting republicans elected will somehow help the Church out. It will give us a more "moral" person or at least a better platoform toward Christianity. But what we fail to realize is that the republican party only cares about Christians because it wants their votes!!! It caters to conservative Christians on the "big" issues for votes!!!

There are more issues that Christians need to think about the Biblical standard for when thinking about politics. They should consider the environment, the Biblical stance on war and peace, the death penalty, caring for the poor, and education- just to name a few things off the top of my head.

It seems to me that somewhere along the way, Christians were convinced, whether due to a VERY convincing argument or because they lacked the initiative to chase down answers for themselves, that the Republican party is the Christian party. And I know what it is like to be one of those. The problem is that instead of the Church being a voice of conscience against any and all things that need to be changed, it has become a pawn of the Republican party. it is NOT the Christian party- even though most evangelical Christians support this party, to have a political party that is religiously defined is detrimental. And there are many who are republicans who are NOT Christians. Just as there are Christian democrats. To line up Christian faith with one political party or the other would be to uphold certain parts of the Bible (our source for belief) and deny other parts.

I honestly do not think that the Church is place to support politics, make pleas for "moral" politicians or anything like that. If the Church too closely allies itslef with one party or another, it begins to lose its integrity, and thus, our witness. Church needs to be the place that teaches the Bible and disciples are grown. And when growing mature disciples, those people will be capable to make their own decisions of what they believe and how they vote regarding ALL issues and not simply two or three that seem to be the major issues.

reading list- update

it never fails- I always get more and more books. Continue to pile up the collection! And it never fails that I will purchase 4 books when I have not yet finished 4 books since my last purchase, thus not only increasing my book total, but also increasing my reading list.

here are the few books i've purchased since posting my reading list, with none of the reading list actually being finished, although good headway being made in the books on the list. here we go... again:

Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America (By Randall Balmer)& The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church (By Gregory Boyd)- These two books seem to be along the same type of topic. I was forwarded to this article by a friend of mine and as I read it, I found myself resonating with it more and more. It's not that this article has changed my view as much as it has affirmed the way I feel about things more and more. Both of these books seem to deal with the problem that arises from the "marriage" that has occured between evangelical Christians and the Republican party. While it is not wrong to be politically active and to support good causes, it is wrong for Christianity to support one political party exclusively- particularly when there are parts of both party's platforms that I resonate with as a Christian. Instead of Christianity being a balance against politic improprieties and for morality in an immoral world, they have become one of many groups in the pocket of a politically conservative party that has NO interest in Christianity or religious things in general. They have become a pawn in the hands of politicians trying to get as many people on their side as possible. As Christians, we need to be above that!! (sorry for the rant- perhaps this will become a standalone blog in the next few days)

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in Amaerica by Randall Balmer- this was coupled at Amazon with the book above by the same author, so I bought it because it looked interesting. a quick dive into it reveals that it is a good look into various forms of the evangelical tradition and, as revealed by the preface in Thy Kingdom Come was instrumental in this author reclaiming his roots, albeit not buying into it blindily (which no one should do with their faith)

The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring the Sabbath by Mark Buchanan- as noted in my other to read list, I can't say that I've actually heard of this particular book as much as I've really enjoyed reading from this author in the past. This book is his newest (I believe) and thus wasn't referenced in anything else (whereas Your God is Too Safe was referenced in the book of his that I'd read previously). But I'm excited about it because the topic of it seems very close to me- I've always been a big proponent of taking a day as a Sabbath, whether it is the traditional Sabbath or just a day in the week dedicated to rest and restoration. I'm curious to read more on this.

This is the addition to the list. however, I feel obligated to add this to the list, should anyone out there feel the need to question my spirituality- the Bible is more than at the top of this list- it transcends this list. If I could read one book, this would be it. If I could read nothing else, this would suffice. And as I read these books and the rest of the list, I try to match them up with Scripture. As Martin Luther said, "Sola Scriptura"

good, bad and ugly "Pirates" review

Since the hottest movie of the summer, at least from the box office, is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest, I thought I might chime in. There seem to be differing opinions for this movie from extremely wonderful to extremely terrible. I will give my $.02, and hopefully not give out any spoilers but no promises.

First thoughts from the theater: there was a trailer prior to the move for a movie about snakes being let loose in an airplane. I know a couple people who are scared stiff by snakes, but just in general- terrible idea. The entire theater, which was full, was laughing by the time it finished- and it was people laughing like Thats the stupidest idea Ive ever heard!! and I commented to the unknown young man next to me I cant believe Samuel L. Jackson is in that movie, which, consequently, would be the only reason to see it. Because he doesnt do much crap- bad movies with him in that come to mind are only Star Wars Episodes I & II, and he probably did those because theyre Star Wars for crying out loud.

Ok, on to the movie. In general, there were some really good parts, some parts that made me roll my eyes, and some ugly parts. So in that spirit, I do a The good, the bad and the ugly review.

The Good: somewhat recycled music. I absolutely love the music in the first one. It is quite possibly one of the best movie scores of the past 15 years of movies, and I would venture to say the best non-John Williams score of that time period. They used the same basic theme from the last one, and at times, it even sounded like it was the same music, just refit for a new scene. This may confuse me in the future as I listen to just the music.

Another good- some great sword fighting scenes- one with an especially interesting plot twist. Either there are some really close looking stunt guys, or Jack Davenport, Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom have been really well trained with the swords, although we already knew that about Depp and Bloom from the first Pirates movie.

There were also some comical moments alluding to the first movie. The first moment which stood out to me was when the Governor was standing in the dungeon hallway with Bloom and he put his hand on an iron candle arm extending from the wall and it broke off and he had no idea what to do with it. The best allusion from the first movie, however, was when we find that Depp has been made the chief of a tribe. Its so funny because the first movie has this strange line that seems to make no sense whatsoever as Depp is talking to the two British navy-men while Kiera Knightley falls- And then they made me their chief.

The bad: Just as some of the moments that alluded to the first movie were amusing, some of them were really not. The one in particular that I felt the movie could do without was the two bumbling pirates from the Black Pearl, one with the wooden eye and his friend. They were amusing, but their antics did not provide the comic relief that they were intended to do.

This movie was a bit darker than the first one. I know, hard to get darker from cursed pirates who turn into skeletons in the moonlight. It, did however, feel darker. Some of the scenes were a little more tense, but not in a good way.

The plot- it just didnt seem as intriguing this time. There were parts when I was really drawn into the movie, but they were fewer and father between. Sometimes it felt thin. By the time Depp finally admits something about his compass, which is a focal point, I (and Id assume the whole audience) had already figured it out.

The ugly: Without a doubt, Davey Jones. He himself and all of the people who were under his curse, were becoming more and more like the sea. Jones had squid tentacles for his face, other guys had barnacles, star fish and other hardened creates that their faces and bodies were becoming. It was no more or less disturbing or disgusting than the skeletal creatures in the first movie. There was one part with a guy whose head was inside of a seashell. His head got knocked off and he eventually just had to have a crab come out of the shell to move his head around.

The sight of Depp with six eyes painted on his cheeks and another pair painted on his eyelids.

NOT Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightley. They were beautiful people, just the way they are and hardly needed any make-up to look the part of pirates! Probably still a big drawing point for this movie.

Final thoughts: Depp made the first movie with his staggering around, being a pirate who is somewhat crazy and seemingly always drunk. He continued that role well, but it was not as much the movie maker. There were multiple plot twists, some expected and some unexpected. The end of the movie was, from my point of view, quite predictable. Even the final scene before the credits rolled. However, after sleeping on it and thinking about it, I would give this movie a high B or a low B+. Not the greatest movie, but certainly not without its good parts.

Recommendations

My Recommendations:
In light of my recent blogging regarding books, reading and intellect, Ive kept up with that and decided that its time to give my recommendation list. It is by no means comprehensive, but it is a good list. Enjoy!

Max Lucado- I used to read from Max when I was a new Christian and found LOTS of great stuff. I still find good stuff in reading some of his books, although Ive been turned off recently by the new covers on some of his books- seems to trivialize the writing. I havent read many of his works that are more recent, however. John Piper- God is most glorified when I am most satisfied in Him. Piper has heralded Christian Hedonism and it comes directly from Westminster Catechisms The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Richard Foster- His writing is quite deep and challenging. For as thick as it is to wade through, however, it is very applicable and always worth taking the time A gifted writer and communicator, hes among my favorite authors. C.S. Lewis- a gifted man. His fiction is world renowned and recently put into major motion picture. They tell the story of the Gospel through wonderful allegorical stories. His non-fiction works are renowned as faith classics- they are read worldwide and have been helpful to many Christians, old and young, spiritual babies and giants and in between. Books: My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers- while it may seem to be a little trite and on everyones list, Ive used this multiple years and still found myself drawn by it. It was very helpful in getting me to the point of daily devotional time. Holy Wild by Mark Buchanan- I stumbled across this book while browsing. Its not typical of me to browse and find something- usually Ill look at the stack of books at B&N and decide its too daunting to try and find one or two non-specific books in there. So Ill start looking for authors instead. But I found this and decided to pick it up. I read it with my antennae up because Id never heard of the author. It is a good book dealing with how we view God and how that defines us. It is an invitation to see God as beyond our current ideas- untamable, mysterious, and surprising. Not too academic of a read, it was worth the time put into reading it. Boy Meets World by Joshua Harris- The guy who kissed dating goodbye. He wrote this as a follow up. Whatever you call it- dating, courting, holy dating- doesnt matter. What matters are the principles by which you go about searching for a spouse. There are some helpful tips in here- but warning- this is more for young adults and older- teenagers who are not anywhere near ready for marriage need not read this. Stop Dating the Church by Joshua Harris- Im really not as big of a Joshua Harris as may be indicated here. However, this particular book is a good call to membership and commitment to a local church body. As a youth pastor in a church setting, I find it nice that someone has taken the time to explore Biblical ideas in commitment to a local congregation you would call home. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence- clanging pots and pans, washing dishes, being the cook for a monastery. May not seem very enticing nor may it seem quiet enough, but this is the place that Brother Lawrence was when he did what he called Practicing the presence of God, a continual going with God, continual communion and conversation. He took 1 Thes. 5:17 to heart. And we can do well in our fast paced world to learn from this mans letters and attitude. The Gospel According to the Simpsons by Mark I. Pinsky- I was first introduced to this as it was cited in a textbook that is now in my to finish pile of books. It is a good look, if not a little stretched, at some of the moral and positive things to come out of the show that was so widely opposed by evangelicals and fundamentalists when it began. As a fan of the show, I simply could not miss reading this book, and recommending it to others. The Prayer of Jesus by Hank Hanegraff- most likely written in response to The Prayer of Jabez craze that was all the rage a few years ago, Hannegraff examines the prayer of the ONLY person in the Bible who is worth emulating completely. He explores the prayer that Jesus taught to his followers, and a prayer that we ourselves can benefit from praying. Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster- while hes listed in my authors, this book is one worth noting! It is a deep look into 12 classic Christian disciplines, both corporate and individual- from fasting to prayer to worship and beyond! The kind of book thats worth reading over and over again, if I could recommend one book to aid the growth of new and young Christians, this book tops the list. The Fire of His Holiness by Sergio Scataglini- while I was at Christ Community Church in college they had this Argentinean pastor visiting. His message is about God's call to radical holiness 98% purity does not suffice. God's fire must fall on us to burn away the impurities and cleanse us to meet this call. The God Chasers by Tommy Tenney- this book was very popular at one point- readers are familiar with Tenney's story of being in a church and the pastor pleading for God's presence. presence and God's manifest presence showed up. While a bit charismatic and somewhat mainstream, it's a good call to drop everything and pursue the one thing that satisfies the soul and can fill us. Comics: Calvin & Hobbes -perhaps the greatest comic ever penned for the daily paper and the weekend funnies. The kid was WAY too smart and funny to be 6 years old. But in so many ways, he is normal. Ozy and Millie- reminds me very much of Calvin & Hobbes sometimes. Bentley introduced me to this comic and I go back to see each days new strip. The Far Side - Jim Larson always made me laugh with his comics. Sometimes they were completely random, sometimes historical and sometimes just flat out funny. Takes an appreciation for many aspects of life. I still remember getting The Chickens are Revolting collection in 7th grade and taking it around to different teachers and showing comics that reflected things we were learning in history, science and more. My anti-recommendation list: There may be nothing wrong with these books in particular, but I give warning in these books and authors. Joel Osteen- his preaching and books are very light. As in fluff. He comes across to me, from what Ive seen and read, as more of a motivational speaker. Hes very much into the positive aspect of the Gospel and does not seem to talk about issues of sin, dealing with sin and our unworthiness to be called. Rick Warren- While not hardly as light as Osteen is, Warren can be light sometimes, too.His focus on purpose for lives, churches and other ministries can be good, but often times leads to the belief that its more about us. Something more to be wary of. And then his ministry started a ministry called Celebrate Recovery for anyone with a hurt, habit or hang-up which is fluffy talk for anyone with a sin problem. The Prayer of Jabez by Bruce Wilkinson- not a bad little book when read correctly. But too many have read it as a book to pray for wealth and happiness. Its not that. And there must also be a remembrance that Jabez was a small figure in the Bible and if he was worth emulating, there may have been more about him in there.Also reached craze stage for many churches and people read it just so they could say theyve read it. Lee Strobel- actually a VERY good author. He has written some very good stuff. But his most noted works are the Case for series which give logical explanations and reasoning arguments for the faith. I recommend caution here simply because the world of today, a post-modern world, does not respond as much to logical arguments. They will not be argued into the faith and will say that while you may have made your point, they still do not agree with you. Do read, however, of his books, Reaching Unchurched Harry & Mary if youre interested in evangelism. George Barna- He is the Christian version of the Gallup poll. He is very good at polling people, gathering information and reading that information. However, in some of his more recent books, notably Revolution he did a very poor job of interpreting that information. He is not a theologian and he does not often make good use of the Bible in his assertions. He has done some good work with his polls and I remember reading 2 of his books for classes at college and agreeing with them, but I also remember disagreement. Keep your brain turned on when reading his books. In general, be vigilant and watchful regarding and books or even music that become extremely popular.The gospel is an offensive thing and there will be people who reject it.If there is a book that has no critics or appeals to so many people, be careful. Often times, books such as that miss important parts so as not to be offensive and ultimately short-change Christs death. Also, while reading, I encourage everyone, do not be afraid to disagree with the author. Just because the person has published a book does not mean that he/she is always right and you cannot disagree. It is important to use our minds because thats what God gave them to us for. stay tuned for my wishlist of books