This is great.
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http://blackcoffeereflections.com/2007/06/26/309/

A Brief Reflection on Cross-Cultural Student Missions

I believe very strongly in student missions. At the same time, I understand why some are skeptical about it. Some are skeptical if students are spiritually and emotionally able to serve in this capacity. Some see it as a too high a financial expense. Some do not see the justification of the need to travel so far when there are a mission opportunities available to us in so many cities and other communities close to our area and throughout our country. Among many other questions one classic one is wouldn’t the money be better used by giving to real missionaries?

My intention is not to answer each question point by point but to point the bigger picture of student missions. So here it goes. It’s been demonstrated, written about, discussed, etc., that the American Church is shrinking. Many local churches are as well. It’s not just that the Veterans Generation are dying nor is it due to the Boomer Generation giving up on the church. It’s that many of the X’ers (born between 1968-79) and older Millennials (born after 1980) have given up on church and the fear is the younger Millennials will as well.

There are a lot of reasons. Pick one, breakdown of the home, a more individualized society, a church no longer relevant, the failure of youth ministry, a combination of many factors.

Regarding the failure of youth ministry, maybe that sounds a little dramatic but I say that being a youth pastor, I think I have a small handle on it. For too long of a time, the state of student ministry has been in a state of damage control. “Get these kids saved and make Christianity fun so they stay in the church”. The problem is that mentality will not demonstrate the power, understand the purpose, or create a passion for the Gospel.

Now back to student missions. I am not implying that this is the answer that Barna is looking for. But I do believe that experiences like these are more significant then some may realize. The success of mission trips are due to stepping outside your comfort zone in a completely different culture and system that forces an individual to confront what they actually believe and what is actually essential in life. Many issues are confronted on these types of trips. Pick one – taking Christ and His message for granted, a new appreciation for church, a deeper understanding of meaning in life and about ten thousand other things.

Cross-cultural student missions has its place in a healthy scope of ministry where we are serving our own church, our community, and our world. Year round, we as youth workers should create an attitude of service that says as Christ taught us, we need to care and show love to the Father and those outside of our inner circle.

So much more to say, maybe I’ll update this post in time but I feel very strongly about this.

Grace and peace to you.

The Shins

Saw the Shins at the Electric Factory. Great show!

Relient K's new cd


(review from Christianity Today)

Hotel Rwanda – Movie-Discussion Night

Hotel Rwanda Last night our youth group watched Hotel Rwanda for our movie and discussion night. I was thrilled that we had about 15 students spend their Friday night doing this. (Intentionally no sign up to discourage the, “It depends who’s going” attitude.) If you have seen this movie, you know that’s pretty intense.

One of the major themes we have been discussing as a student ministry has been that we need to cultivate a heart for others. We need to see people as God sees them. We need to focus more outside of ourselves and outside our inner circles. Hotel Rwanda does a great job in illustrating some of this.

I was really pleased and I hope we continue on this path. Our next movie discussion night will probably be different (and probably a little more light-hearted)

Reflecting on ACL Reconstructive Surgery & Percocet

Well, here I am. Sitting on the floor blogging while my leg is being extended and flexed slowly in this Continous Motion Machine. The surgeon said that I need to do this about 8 hours a day. I thought, “8 hours!! Where I am going to find 8 hours?” Turns out, it’s pretty easy when you cannot walk/stand/move too well. I’m going on 10. I figure I’ll be jogging by the end of the week.

Thankfully, the pain is pretty bearable. I have percocets but I have only taken a couple so far. (Though everyone has warned me not to get addicted but I am taking only a few to send a message to the drug companies. And that message is umm, … “thanks don’t stop making these entirely, but don’t make too many either. And could you add some sugar so they taste a little better?) That’s right, one person can make a difference.

Brian McLaren in Baltimore

Among the ideas I hope to do through this blog is to act as an introduction to the emergent conversation especially among my conservative friends. So here’s a start.

Went to see Brian McLaren last weekend in Baltimore. He was the keynote speaker to the members of the Baltimore Presbytery. Upon walking into the room, I was a little surprised that the crowd was umm, … very middle-aged. But after the first session, i was really encouraged about that because I think that generation can really gain from this discussion.

Here are some of the notes that I took. Email/comment for explanations. Would enjoy discussing. (I apologize for spelling/grammatical mistakes)
—-

Brian McLaren
2/17/07

Spiritual Formation and Gathered Worship
Practice makes Possible.

Is the church a progressive force?

“Theologically, I think it will take 60 years to seek resolve.”

Dualist model of our anthropology (ghost in the machine model)
That vision of humanity is not Biblical or tenable (genetics)
We have to pay attention of complexities of human life.

I wish we would become so enamored with the vision of the church that we would be distracted by our prejudices and issues that polarize us.

——-
We know how to argue, we know how to divide but we don’t know how to sustain conversation.

This is a conversion of community in order to have conversation
We must affirm conversation. We are going to be a church of conversation.
Policies can still be created, with differences of opinion and still have respect for one another.

Spiritual Formation
The development of people through practice of people who be think act are becoming disciples of Jesus

The development of disciples:
These words used throughout the N.T.
Christian – 3 times
Disciples – 261 times

Make (spiritually form) disciples to each them to do all I have commanded you. (Matt. 28)
Love on another (John 13)
To be conformed to the image of God’s Son – Romans ch. 8
I will show the most excellent way (I Cor)

Until Christ is formed in you. Gal. 4:19

Spiritual formation involve intentions spiritual practices (or disciplines)
Take the parts of our liturgy, analyze them

Actions within our power which we do to train ourselves to do things beyond our power and to become people who are currently incapable of being
Running a marathon
Paying the guitar
Learning Chinese

And if you’re part of a local congregation you are already doing many of them

Practice doesn’t make perfect,

Spiritual formation is gathered.

Planned succession of group practices or rituals

Rituals Practices to bring the other meaning they represent

Ritualism – action but don’t understand the meaning
1. inconvenience- going to a place I didn’t at a time I didn’t choose for a purpose I do choose Hebrew2 10:224-25
– We ask that you choose to inconvenience yourself.
2. Association
– Associating with some people I like and others I don’t; like for a purpose I believe in Romans 15:7
– The person that annoys you the most. (but you are that person to someone else)
– Peace be with you, greeting each other with a holy kiss.
– Take action without keeping the meaning.
– (greeting example)
3. Speed – altering my pace to see what I’ve missed and to fell a different rhythm. Speeding up … slowing down (Hebrews 3:15)
4. Hospitality – Using my presence and our space to help :the other feel welcome in my presence and in the presence of our community. (I Cor. 11:33)
5. Public Prayer, Creed and Song
Allowing our hopes, dreams, concerns beliefs and desire to b e formed an aligned with God’s will … together.
Desire of justice, mercy, peace
Desire of honesty humility gratitude truth
Desire of God’s kingdom honor power glory
Desire of food desire formation
Romans 15:5-6
(Confession of sin – Anglican prayer book)
(Almighty God, our sins are to heavy to bear, and too terrible to name)
(leads to the desire to be authentic and honest)
6. Attentiveness – Waiting for what I may receive only by waiting receptively (I Peter 2:2). (Sometimes great preachers hinder attentiveness
7. Generosity – Taking greater pleasure in being productive (fruitful) than consumptive (2 Cor 8:7)
(ex. We are so poor but we have the dignity to help others – (hilarioun – greek hilarious giving)
8. Modeling – Exposing apprentices to masters
– In prayer, teaching, artistry, faithfulness, service hospitality, etc.
– Contemplative and charismatic models (I Thes. 16)
9. Catholicity global concern for the other”
quoting others, affirming others praying for others, inviting others.
10. Mystery
The body of Christ, broken for you …
The blood of Christ given for you.
(Benediction)

Traditions
Non Traditions (traditions without meaning therefore, no reason, no meaning)
Dead Traditions (those that are stuck, …
Living Traditions (contains links with our past, beautiful expression)

Ever 500 years (Peter) Western Civilizations has a rummage sale.

(discipline – remembering what you want)

Did Paul Have a Home Church?


Found this article on Relevant’s site.
Happy Reading.

by Ray Hollenbach
“Here’s a cultural truth: We bring to our reading of scripture whatever values we currently hold. Our eyes and hearts are sensitized to recognize the things we already agree with and to ignore those things which run counter to our convictions (and yes, I will readily acknowledge that I do it, too).

So here’s the deal: I’ll agree that we don’t need to be connected to a local church only if: (1) we have been members at a local church for at least a decade; (2) we are called to missions by the Holy Spirit speaking to the church leadership; (3) that call is affirmed by those guys in church leadership; and (whew, 4) we return to that church after our missionary journeys to report on our ministries.”

U.S. Evangelist, a Critic of Islam, Reaches Out to Sudan's President

By Stephanie McCrummen

Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, February 14, 2007; Page A15

“KHARTOUM, Sudan, Feb. 13 — The first time that Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the Muslim president of Sudan, met Franklin Graham, the prominent evangelical Christian, the conversation came to a kind of standoff.

Graham, who has called Islam an “evil and wicked” religion, told Bashir in the 2003 meeting that he wanted to persuade him to become a Christian. Bashir, at the time fighting a civil war in the southern region of the country, told Graham that he wanted to make him a Muslim, Graham recalled…

(elsewhere in the article)

Although human rights activists and some U.S. officials are counseling tougher measures against Bashir’s government to end the violence in Darfur — and to more fully implement a faltering peace agreement with the south — Graham said that a softer approach is needed.”


——

I realize that there are many people encouraging Bashir to do his part to put an end to the bloodshed in Darfur and I appreciate Franklin Graham trying also. It just cracks me up that he thinks that Bashir is going to appreciate him after he called his belief system “evil”.

Again, I know that there are others there and that Graham sells stories that sell papers that end up being mentioned on blogs. Speaking of which, what happend to George Clooney?

Reflecting on the "Emergent Thing" – part 1

For a couple years, I’ve been reading up on the Emergent conversation. Started when I read, New Kind of Christian by Brian McLaren. Continued when I heard Tony Jones at a Youth Specialties Conference, read some more books by McLaren, Jones, Dave Tomlinson’s Post Evangelical, met a couple pastors who considered themselves emergent, and next thing I knew, I was on emergentvillage.org, listening to podcasts, attending cohorts, and whatever else. You should know that I am still saved.

I’ve been reluctant to really say much on this subject partially because there are so many great sources and so many bad sources of information, I don’t want to be among the latter. So, I will tread delicately.

Coming from a conservative tradition, I can understand a little why some are hesitant to appreciate the conversation but what has surprised me has been the attack on this conversation. “IF I could say one thing to ‘those who consider themselves conservative’ world, it would be” – It’s not liberalism repackaged!

Granted, some in this conversation consider themselves to be liberal, some identify themselves as conservative and some are somewhere in the middle. If you are wondering what I consider myself, you’ll be waiting a while for a response and even then, it won’t be one of the three. And don’t label me! (I’m so pomo … but I’m not).

I think that’s my first pet peeve. Too many consider this emerging church thing either to be liberal or even more insulting … trendy. I have two theories of why this is:

1. It is typical of those who consider themselves to be conservative to break fellowship with one they perceive to be liberal. So, by process of elimination, the professing liberals end up being the makeup and impression of the “room”.

2. We from conservative backgrounds have been taught that the philosophy of postmodernism is a poor philosophy anchored in relativism and humanism. It’s fruit tends to be atheism or agnosticism, and among it’s tools is deconstructionism, and materialism (to name a couple.) People who profess this are great minds like Ravi Zacharias and Chuck Colson. People that I completely respect. (If you know me, you may have heard me say that when I die, I want to be reincarnated as Ravi Zacharias. Unfortunately, if reincarnation is true, I’m probably coming back as Jesse Jackson or worse – Joel Osteen. I know I’m not bad enough to return as Pat Robertson but I digress).

The issue is that post-modernism (from the conservative camp) is usually defined as a philosophy, which it is – but that’s not all it is. Postmodernism also refers to an age of time. So, as the conversation goes, there was the pre-modern time (the ancient time, the period before the age of enlightenment), the modern time (beginning around the enlightenment and scientific age) and now we find ourselves in the midst of another transition – the postmodern. And it hopes to combine the mystery of the pre-moderns and the science of the modern. So much more to say about this, but you can begin to see some of the confusion between the term referring to exclusively a philosophy versus also referring to an age.

Anyway, if you do find yourself reading this and have been crossed paths with this emergent, emerging church, postmodern, whatever you call this thing – I encourage you to consider the discussion.

My initial interest was about hearing how to reach out to the culture. I came away with so much more. The culture is thinking differently, it is undergoing a paradigm shift of thinking. I have not only read that but am experiencing this first hand. The Church is also changing. These are not necessarily bad and evil things. Some change is good, some isn’t. Would it not be wise to join in and help?