Weekend Update: Intelligence

Here is a funny video that demonstrates clearly that some among us are not the sharpest tools in the shed. This is not a church video so beware of some mild language.

Servant Leadership

There are many styles of leadership, but none speak volumes like the servant leadership exhibited by Jesus. He was the very Son of God and yet he thought it not beneath him to wash the disciples feet. I am truly humbled when I pause to think of the implications of this simple but profound act.

I am currently reading, "The Book On Leadership" by John MacArthur. This book is a great treatise on the life of the Apostle Paul and how his experience with opposition in Corinth set him apart as a role model for all leaders. Paul demonstrated servant leadership in three distinct ways:

1. He put the needs of his flock before himself.

2. He worked with his hands so as not to be a burden to his flock

3. He genuinely cared about his flock not just for what he could get from them

I am amazed at the attitudes of some pastors I encounter from time to time. Entitlement oozes from their pores and it doesn't take you very long to see where their heart lies. I hope and pray that by God's grace that if you are at a church of 100 or 100,000 that you will stay grounded and never forget that leadership is influence and influence comes from trust and trust is earned by proving that you genuinely care.

A Fresh Approach

Last week I was in Destin, FL at youth ministry conference. I was there with 30 other student ministers specializing in high school, middle school, student discipleship and girls ministry. I have gone to this conference every fall for the last 3 years. One thing that has always been missing is a focus on strengthening ourselves as ministers.

In our society today we hear all the time how we need to worry about ourselves first and others second. While that is obviously a faulty way of thinking I think we in the church, especially those in ministry, have become so consumed with other things going on in life, that we do not take enough daily spiritual care of ourselves. How can you effectively do the work of the ministry if you have not been ministered to and are not ministering to yourself daily with time in the Word and prayer? Simple answer, you can't. Most of us are running on fumes and are dangerously close to burning out. The answer isn't to get busier, it is to get quieter.

As I was in the position of leading the conference this year, I felt the Lord leading me to take a year away from us one upping each other with the latest great event we just did, and decided to shift the focus to us as ministers. Our daily walks, our family life, our ministry and our life in general.

The theme this year was Reality. We looked at the reality of accountability, the reality of ministry, the reality of family and the reality of life. Here are four key questions that we asked those ministers. Mike and I would love to hear how you would respond.

Reality of Accountability- Point- Aside from God, you are most accountable to your spouse. Question to ask- Am I effectively ministering to you and our family, and have I created an environment that allows you to answer that question honestly?

Reality of Ministry- Point- "The problem with evangelism is not with the masses, it is with the people they follow."- Robert Coleman
Questions- In your walk are you a travel agent or a tour guide? When was the last time you sought to build a relationship with someone for the sole purpose of sharing the Gospel?

Reality of Life- Point- Life exists because of Christ and apart from our ministries.
Question- Are my priorities in the right order?

Feedback, Feedback, Feedback!!!! You've all been bench sitters for too long now. It's time to interact.

Weekend Update: Chastity Making A Comeback

"Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet"
- Augustine of Hippo

These word were uttered by Augustine before he laid aside his sinful lifestyle to become one of the greatest theologians in church history. Now over 1600 years after his honest confession, Chastity is making a comeback in theory and in practice. This can be largely credited to a witty, agnostic turned Christian author Ms. Dawn Eden. Her eye catching missive is entitled, "The Thrill Of The Chaste" and is sparking all kinds of conversation on college campuses and coffee houses all across the country. I found out about her when she made an appearance on Dr. Al Mohler's radio show which can be found by clicking on this link: Recovering Our Vocabulary: The Language of Chastity. I haven't read her book yet but it is in my queue. I will give a full review when I finish (which will probably be a couple of weeks). In the mean-time, I will keep you posted on her success.

Starbucks: Serving Up Coffee, Pastries, and Worldviews?

Let me begin this post by admitting it is a rare day that finds me inside a Starbucks. I have nothing against them per se its just I can't drink coffee and even if I could I wouldn't be paying $4.50 for it. Having said that, I love being greeted by the smell of their brewing concoctions, and icing coated pastries. Its a business model that has worked because it has raised the consumption of legally addictive substances to an art form. In that respect I applaud them in their success.

No too long ago, however, Starbucks began serving customers something that they didn't expect: world views. Apparently some think-tank in a board room in Seattle came up with the clever idea to market coffee by putting various worldview statements on their cups in statements beginning with the phrase, "The Way I See it." I say various because the messages that appeared on the cups were quite contradictory. Consider the following two statements that were printed on the java giants signature cups:

"Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure."

and this one:

You are not an accident. Your parents may not have planned you, but God did. He wanted you alive and created you for a purpose. Focusing on yourself will never reveal your purpose. You were made by God and for God, and until you understand that, life will never make sense. Only in God do we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. -- Dr. Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose-Driven Life."

According to the company website:

Starbucks has long been dedicated to creating a unique "third place" between home and work. We also draw on the centuries-old tradition of the coffeehouse as a place to gather, share ideas, and enjoy delicious beverages. We see this program as an extension of the coffeehouse culture – a way to promote open, respectful conversation among a wide variety of individuals.

Now while I am disgusted by the choice of some of the slogans that Starbucks has placed on their cups, I think they have unwittingly given Christians a golden opportunity to share the gospel. One of the biggest obstacles to sharing the Christian worldview is getting a dialog started; it can be awkward at best and impossible at worst. These slogans provide an excellent way for Starbucks going believers to sit down beside a stranger and ask he or she what they think about whats on their cup.

I am reminded of an excerpt from the Screwtape Letters written by C.S. Lewis where the older demon Screwtape warns his underling Wormwood of the dangers of allowing things of a philosophical nature to invade the ordinary routine of life:

You begin to see the point? Thanks to processes which we set at work in them centuries ago, they find it all but impossible to believe in the unfamiliar while the familiar is before their eyes. Keep pressing home on him the ordinariness of things. Above all, do not attempt to use science (I mean, the real sciences) as a defence against Christianity. They will positively encourage him to think about realities he can't touch and see.

If you are a believer and you are angry at the wickedness of some of these slogans that's good you should be angry, but don't miss the opportunity that they may provide. Use these slogans good and bad to engage in conversations that the Lord could use to bring those tall, caramel macchiato drinkers into the kingdom.

First and Goal: To Spread The Gospel

I love this time of year. The leaves are changing colors; the air is beginning to cool, and best of all: its time for football. I begin counting down the days, months before. I endure every hot, sweaty day eagerly awaiting those cool Friday and Saturday evenings when I don my game face and sweatshirt and head for the gridiron. Praise the Lord it’s finally here.

Now I’m sure that there are many of you guys and gals out there who can readily identify. I bet as you began to read this introduction your heart began to pound just like mine did as I was writing it. There is just something about that white-lined green field that excites and energizes people. It’s hard to explain it any other way than to say that Football is the last great American sport. It is a very powerful and integral part of our culture.

I am also reminded of a passage of scripture from the Apostle Paul that states:

“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”

- Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV)

Now while watching football is arguably a wise use of our time, doing kingdom work while watching football is not. Think about all the many avenues that this sport opens for the spreading of the Gospel. Consider the following statistic provided by research done by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes:

“A study shows that 41 million youth ages 6-18 participated in organized youth sports and just over 7 million participated in high school sports.”

Multiply that number of students by two (Dad and Mom) and the figure of Americans that participate in weekly sports like football are staggering.

There are many creative ways to use the popularity of this sport to share your faith. Many churches sponsor 5^th Quarter events where players and families are invited to an after game event with music and testimonies from local athletes. Other ideas can include offering your services as team chaplain, volunteering to take care of team hospitality needs, or even something simple as inviting a non-Christian neighbor over to watch a game. When this season passes and spring is on the horizon, lets look back on this time and rejoice at the opportunities that we took advantage of to do Kingdom work.

For more ideas click on the following links:

Fellowship of Christian Athletes -FCA

North American Mission Board - NAMB

Athletes In Action - AIA

Is Student Ministry Biblical? (Part Two)

How often does something have to be mentioned in the Bible to be considered Biblical? Any informed person knows that the answer is one. The question that follows is, "How many times is student ministry mentioned, alluded to, hinted at, etc. in the Bible? Well, the answer is none.

In His book entitled, The Myth of Adolescence, Dr. David Allan Black writes...

What, then, do the Scriptures say about adolescence? The answer is: Absolutely nothing! In the Bible, people went directly from childhood to adulthood. Moses, for example, is never referred to as an adolescent. In Exodus 2 he is called a “child” in verse 10, and by verse 11 he had “grown up.” Here we might have expected to find a reference to a period between childhood and adulthood, but no such reference is to be found.

Dr. Black expounds further on this subject in a blog article entitled, Want To Reform Your Youth Ministry? Reject Adolescence!,

One thing is clear. According to the Bible, the teen era is not a “time-out” between childhood and adulthood. It is not primarily a time of horseplay, of parties, of sports, of games. It is not a period of temporary insanity. The Bible treats teens as responsible young adults, and so should we. Paul told Timothy, a young man, to “be an example for other believers in your speech, behavior, love, faith, and purity” (1 Tim 4:12). Though still young, Timothy was to speak, act, love, believe, and relate to the opposite sex in such a way that others would look at his life and want to be just like him.

So if there is no basis for adolescence as a sub-culture of the church, then what is the basis for ministry to a sub-culture with no Biblical basis? While I am not rushing to church to obliterate my student ministry, I think that Dr. Black is asking some provocative questions that deserve candid introspection. What say you?

Football and Faith

In the latest edition of Christianity Today, there is an article that piqued my interest quite a bit. The article is all about our culture's fascination with football and specifically pro football in this piece.

I will admit that this article convicted the mess out of me. As I have written here and elsewhere, I have an extreme love for football, specifically as it relates to my beloved Crimson Tide. Anyone who knows me well would be well within their right to say that it borders on idolatry at best, but in actuality travels way past full blown levels.

I appreciate the writer of this article because he too is an over zealous fan. He can relate so readily to the one addiction I will probably never conquer and that made his words all that more difficult to take. Read the article and you'll understand what I am saying. This article wasn't bashing having a love for things like football, it was just a necessary reminder to keep things in perspective. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.

Another interesting part of the article was the writer's childhood fascination with Joe Namath, or Joe Willie as he was referred to in my house. I am an Alabama fan because of my dad. I don't remember what age I was, but very early on in my life, his passion for Alabama football became mine, and so far the family curse is continuing with both mine and my brother's little boy's. I could set and listen for hours, still can, to Dad tell stories about him and his dad going to games when he was little. He was able to see Joe Namath as he led Alabama to victory upon victory. Because those stories were real to him, they became real to me and I feel like I experienced them personally.

Although my idoloatry is a curse, it is one that I am proud to share with my Dad, and I wouldn't go back and trade the memories I have of he and I sharing all those Saturday afternoon's together for nothing.

Is Student Ministry Biblical? (Part One)

Just yesterday this blog was reviewed by an independent third party. One of the criticisms we received was that our format is too much like a lecture instead of a dialog. To a certain extent, I agree with the reviewer and so we are going to make a concerted effort to be more Socratic in our writing. Therefore, I start with a simple question: "Is Student Ministry Biblical?"

If the stats that we hear are true and 75% of our students are graduating from student ministry and are leaving the church, then obviously something is not right. So what is the problem? Is it youth pastors? Is it the curriculum we use? Maybe we don't have enough activities or big enough bands coming to play for us? If you asked 100 different youth pastors you would probably get 100 different answers. Still, I'm very curious as to what those answers might be. What is going on in student ministry? Is it Biblical? Is it effective? I want to know what you think. Don't be shy. Here is your chance to anonymously vent. Take advantage of it.

Bad Girls Come From Bad Dad's

I have always struggled with why some young ladies (and women in general) act the way they do. Why is it that some young ladies have confidence, are polite, well-spoken, chaste, and virtuous while others live lives that could pass for a Jerry Springer episode? The older I get, the more I believe that bad girls come from bad fathers.

A stable fatherly presence in the home is not just crucial for young men, it is crucial for young ladies too. Fathers are the classroom where a young girl learns how to relate to other men. If a young lady has had a loving, supportive, and affectionate dad, she is more likely to be confident, loving, nurturing, and supportive. I have even come to the point where I can tell in about 10 to 15 minutes if the lady I am speaking to had a good relationship with her father. It's very telling.

There are other societal indicators that demonstrate the importance of a father to the well-being of a daughter. One study commissioned by the National PTA found...

• Girls who lived with their biological fathers throughout their lives, and whose fathers spent more time caring for them during the their first five years of life, had later onset of puberty by the seventh grade.
• In contrast, daughters from homes where fathers were either absent or dysfunctional experienced puberty relatively early.
• Other research shows it is likely for girls with highly involved, present-in-the-home fathers to begin sex and dating at a later age

There are no two ways about it, fathers set the tone for the future happiness of their daughters. They also are one of the greatest factors in what type of man a daughter will date and marry. A father who teaches gentleness and character to his daughter sets her up to find a man who will treat her as good or better than he did.

On a more practical note, as a single man, I find it more difficult than ever to make acquaintances with women who have a healthy disposition towards members of the opposite sex. They are out there but rare, and the wise Christian, single, man will snatch them up quickly. I am so disappointed when I am introduced to an attractive young lady who within minutes begins to smoke, or use improper language or who just has no grace or gentleness. I don't know if God will ever bless me with a daughter, but if He does I pray that I will do everything I can to set her and her future husband up for success. It is my prayer that more dads will endeavor to do the same with the precious daughters that God has given them.

Weekend Update: It's Football Time Again!

I hope that I don't alienate any of our readership by dedicating this post to the last, real, only American sport: College Football. Think about it. Baseball, Soccer, Basketball, Golf and a myriad of other sports are played professionally and privately around the globe. Even football is played professionally in Europe. College football, however, remains the last great American sport.

Now if you know anything about college football, you know that top to bottom the SEC is the dominant football conference. If USC or Ohio State had to play the schedules that most SEC teams have to play they would be lucky in some years to even see the post-season. My team however is not a member of the SEC. I am an NC State fan which is in the ACC. Granted we have a long way to go to match the level of competition in the SEC but we are making great strides. I am optimistic with improved play by teams like Virginia Tech, Miami, and Florida State that the luster that wore-off last season might come back just a bit.

I am also very excited that my team (the Wolfpack of NC State) are taking the field lead by Coach Tom O'Brien (a former Marine Major) and Quarterback Daniel Evans. Daniel, incidentally, is an outspoken believer in Christ. He has shared his faith numerous times and huddles the team after the games to praise God win or lose. He is a member of my church here in Raleigh and win or lose I am proud to call him a brother in Christ above calling him a fellow Wolfpacker.

Also, if you know anything about college sports in North Carolina, you know that NC State fans are passionate about their team and do not like the University of North Carolina at all. Of course if most UNC fans spent a half hour in Chapel Hill they would no longer be UNC fans anyway. Here is a couple of video clips filmed by The Christian Comedy Duo, Rhett and Link. (who incidentally both graduated from NC State) Watching these two clips will help you understand how passionate Wolfpack fans really are. Enjoy!

Clip 1:





Clip 2:

Click on this link