Christianity and the Internet

How can churches interact with our culture? The Southern Hills Church of Christ has decided to start producing YouTube videos to reach a mass audience. What are your thoughts? Is this an effective way to reach the world?





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Update

I have tons I am thinking about, but I decided I wanted to take a different track. I just wanted to give you a couple of quick updates on my life:

- Megan and I are still plugging away at our wedding plans. We have picked a cake, food, colors, flowers, bridal party people, invitations, registry items, and we are setting up our showers with those hosting them. Megan has a dress, and they have picked out bridesmaid dresses. All we have left (for now) is music and tuxes. Go us!

- Life is good at KU, just trying to figure out how to stay on top of things. I am working hard, on our ministry search committee, doing things almost every night of the week... I write three lessons a week, I am in the office, I spend three days a week on campus, I am planning weekend activities and retreats, mission trips and service projects, Bible studies, ministry search committee problems, etc. I rarely ever get to stop and simply have time to myself. But, as someone recently told me, I really only work two days a week for an hour each time. What an easy job I have. Gotta love my life!

- I am going to participate in my first Civil War Reenactment in February. I am excited to go and spend time in the field with these guys. Yes, I know that makes me a dork. I don't care.

- I am missing school like crazy. I miss learning each day and having to expand my knowledge. I miss walking in with an open mind and being challenged to read Scripture differently. I can't wait to do more school. I know, I am weird.

- I am trying to learn Spanish right now. Well, I just started yesterday. Pray that it goes well!

I am sure there is more going on, but that is it for now. Be blessed!

Calling Us Out of Comfort...

I want you to imagine these circumstances:

You live a comfortable life. You have worked for years to get a nice big house with a comfortable yard. You are 75, and are just settling into the comfortable years of your life. You are content and satisfied and are ready to take up fishing, whittling, or some other hobby. Suddenly, your whole world is thrown for a loop. God speaks to you, and he calls you to leave everything you’ve ever known behind: your house, your community, your extended family. Pack up and move, but don’t worry about where. Just go and I will lead you where I want you to go.

Sounds crazy, right? What would you say? Is God serious? Does he really want me to give up my comfort just to follow his crazy plan? How do you think you would react?

As crazy as it sounds, it is EXACTLY what God asked Abraham to do. The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (Gen. 12:1-3) The next thing we are told is that Abraham went; but I have a feeling that Abraham felt exactly as we would. What exactly is God thinking?

Yet God did something amazing through this ordeal. He leads Abraham from Mesopotamia to Egypt and then back to Canaan. He makes Abraham wealthy, gives him a child, and eventually fulfills his promise to change the world. God uses Abraham’s faithfulness to raise up a nation to raise up a Messiah. God’s mission is to change the world, and he puts his plan into motion through the faithfulness of one man. Isn’t it amazing, that God chooses to partner with us to pursue his mission in the world?

Man, I’m glad God has never called me to anything like he called Abraham. Or maybe he has. Maybe God has called us to give up comfort and “safety,” step out on a limb and bless the life of someone else. Maybe God wants to change the world through you, whether in small of large ways. Maybe God wants you to step out on faith and invite that coworker to church. Maybe he wants you to volunteer for FriendSpeak or World Bible School, ministering to people from another culture. Maybe he is calling you to go on a mission trip to some far away place, where God will change both your life and the lives of those you work with. Who knows? But I think God is still calling each of us to have some part in his mission to reach and change the world. The question is, will we listen to his gentle prodding or will we choose to be comfortable?

Each of us has a place in the mission of God. Will we choose to accept it? None of us are too old or too young, too set in our ways. We all have excuses, but God has solutions. So let’s get out there and change the world!

Restaurant Guide

I promise to return to the realm of Christian dialogue, but I am wanting to venture off into another direction today. Tomorrow's... back to the Kingdom.

But for today, I thought I would include a story about a favorite restaurant. Now, I want to confess: I am not a culinary critic. I will eat at Wendy's or McDonald's and be very happy. That being said, sometimes you need REALLY good food. When that need is there, I have two or three restaurants I love to go to.

Megan is really into sushi. She loves it, and she would eat it three times a week if I would let her (and if either of us could afford it!) I... well, I tolerate it. I don't think it is bad, and I even enjoy it on occasion. I guess the correct term is "on occasion." But it makes her happy, so we go.

We have found a sushi restaurant that both of us love. If you are ever in KC you need to go to the Legends and try out Stix. The staff is amazing and the chefs create the most mouthwatering Chinese and Japanese cuisine. Their sushi is the highest rated in KC. The food is the same at lunch and dinner (Just smaller portions, but not MUCH smaller), but the prices rise for dinner. So... I suggest going there before 3.

Suggested Meal:
Wonton Soup (For two) - $5.95
Spicy Szhechuan Beef - $9.95

If you are a sushi lover, definitely try out the Volcano Roll and the Las Vegas roll; you will be in raw fish heaven.

I love Asian culture and Asian cuisine. This restaurant is amazing. Give them a shot.

http://www.stixkc.com/

A New Day Dawning?

Congratulations to President Obama, Michelle, and his two daughters. You guys have been in my thoughts and prayers over the last few months, and you will continue to be as you enter into your new job. I am proud to have you as my new President and I am excited to see what the future might hold. That being said, I don't consider you my Messiah or my Savior. You have a job to do, and people better let you step down off of their pedestal and get to it. God bless you as you start your new work.

One of the things that has been goading me are the comments about this being the dawning of a bright new era, a new world order. In some ways it is. Sixty-five years ago Dr. King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." Yesterday, Barack Obama stood just opposite of that Memorial and proclaimed his oath of office, accepting the Presidency of the United States. It IS the dawning of a new day, a new order of things, a new time of hope. Finally, after years of segregation and prejudice, African-Americans have attained an equal place at the political table. Although it is a long time coming, and I am glad to see that it has finally happened.

In college my US Government professor laid out a series of "qualifications" that of our Presidents have usually met: White male; property owner (usually rich); well educated, but not too well-educated; Protestant; etc. I hated, HATED, hearing him say those things in class (and being tested over them as well.) It seemed ignorant, arguing that someone from a middle-class background couldn't become President. And he completely negated the idea that a black man could become President. I am glad to see that my professor's qualifications no longer fit the position. Is it the end of racism? No. But it is definitely a big step in the right direction!

Yet so many people are seeing this as more than it is. One lady in our newspaper had this to say. "This [Obama's election] is proof that we can still hope for humanity." Over and over again all I heard yesterday was that Obama was going to provide salvation for America. A new day is dawning, and Obama is the rising sun that will bring light and hope to the world. First of all, I think President Obama himself would be the first to tell them to get a grip. He isn't a savior; he's a man with a job to do. Allow President Obama to start work, and give him grace when he messes up or takes longer than we would want him to. He has a job that all of us THINK we could do but very few people could actually do.

Second, Obama is not God. I am distraught over the statements I have been reading. "Finally, we have hope!" If you put your hope in human beings it will surely fail. All of us mess up, all of us fall short. Each of us will inevitably make a mistake. If our only hope is in Obama, then the world is surely a sad place. What we need is to find hope in the One who never fails. I believe the author of Psalm 20 said it best: "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." If we look for our salvation in the things of this world then we will surely lose hope. Obama will make some great decisions; he will also make some really poor ones. That is the nature of the job. But we have a God who provides for all of our needs, and because of that we have hope.

Intriguingly, the rest of Psalm 20 has a lot to say for where we find ourselves on January 21, 2009:
May the LORD answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you help from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings. (Selah)
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests.
Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.
O LORD, save the king! Answer us when we call!

So... pray for President Obama. Pray for his family. Pray for the difficult job ahead of him. Cut him some slack when he falls short, or takes too long, or doesn't do what you think he ought to do. And place your hope in someone else, someone who will meet all your needs. I have a feeling President Obama would encourage you to do the same.

Father, we thank you for the way you are constantly working in our world. We thank you for giving us hope. We thank you for accepting us where we are, and calling us to be better than when you found us. Father, we pray that our world will find hope in you, because you are the hope for humanity. We thank you for the ways you have been working in ending racism in America; we still have a ways to go but we know that the good work will continue. Father, be with President Obama. Give him wisdom in his decisions. Help him to trust in you and your guidance. Give him a heart to serve people the best way that he can. Help us to find our hope not in the things of this world but in the One who created it and sustains it. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Singlehood and the Body

I want to continue our conversation on how we create community and cause our church to function as the people of Christ.

One of the questions that Duin brings up in her book (Quitting Church) is the question of relevance. She argues that many of the buster/Gen Y generations see church as simply irrelevant to their lives. One of the stats that she discusses is the place of Singles within Christianity.

As many of you know this is a big topic for me. Having worked with Singles' ministry in the past (and having been a single minister) I am conscious of the problem: singles simply have very little place in the church. We argue that they DO have a place and a function, but let's be honest: how many sermons do you hear on the joys of singleness? How many of our sermons are devoted to having a great marriage, a great home, being great parents? These are some of the things that singles do not experience. They are told that singleness is a gift from God, but they also get the subtle hint that no one else really wants this gift. If singleness is a gift, they are wondering where they can exchange it!

The problems are infinite: They are struggling with feelings of loneliness, lack of intimacy, sexual desires, and they feel like the church is the LAST place they can turn. Many of them want to be married, yet they aren't quite sure where to go to meet people. It doesn't seem to be at church. They want to connect with God and with others, but most feel like second-class citizens.

No one wants to talk about Paul's dedication to singleness from Corinthians, or the fact that Jesus himself was single. We dedicate so few resources to this age group, yet they are a significant percentage of our society and our churches. Households with only one person (or single-parent households) are the largest percentage in America: 50.2% of America's population is in this category. Yet how much of our emphasis in church is directed to this age group? It's no wonder that singles are the largest percentage of people missing from church. (That 18-25 category.)

How do we go about giving singles a place in our communities of faith? How can we conscientiously provide a place for singles that is nurturing and caring? How can we be the Family that God has called us to be? What are your thoughts?

Creating Community

Thanks for your comments on community in church. I am going to be posting more about Christ, culture, community, and church over the next few weeks. But here is some food for thought...

One of the ways that we can add community back into our corporate worship is to restore the Lord's Supper to its rightful place. The Lord's Supper was used as a communal meal by the early church.
- Acts 2: 42, 46-47: "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people."

- Acts 20:7: "On the first day of the week we came together to break bread..."

I think the most telling argument is found in 1 Cor. 11:17-34. We find Paul telling the Christians in Corinth to wait for one another before they eat their meal and take the Lord's Supper together. For Paul, the community aspect of the Supper was the most important. It was a time for ALL of the believers to gather together to eat, fellowship, and rejoice in their Savior.

I think the Lord's Supper holds a key ingredient for our need for community. It is a ready made time for our community with one another and with God. As Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper he did so in the setting of a meal (the Passover) surrounded by his friends. "Do this in remembrance of me..." The dicsiples' carried on this meal tradition throughout their history. However, we have often now made it a time of silent reflection, a time when people are to sit still as a stone and think about their sins and their Savior. OR we completely sing over the whole time period, barely taking time to reflect on the importance of what we are doing. We rarely speak to anyone else during the Lord's Supper (except to say "Here" or MAYBE to say thank you as the tray is passed.)

What if, instead, we spent some time focused on the communal aspect of what we are doing. We, the Body of Christ, are partaking of the body of Christ. How can we do this in a way that both glorifies God AND creates a sense of community among our brothers/sisters?

This application is not foreign to the Restoration Movement. In an article written by Alexander Campbell, he describes the perfect worship service: it involved singing, praying, and standing around a table and having a communal meal as people talked together. They would discuss what God had done for them, their faith, their understanding, etc. For Campbell, worship was a gathering of the community to worship God and to edify one another.

What are your thoughts? Can this work? Have you ever seen this done? What are some ideas you have?

A Church Like Cheers

I have been pretty discouraged today. I think it has something to do with the last book I am reading for my Book Review for the Christian Chronicle (due to be published in March.) I am working through the book Quiting Church, written by Julia Duin, the religion editor for the Washington Post, and I am becoming discouraged with the state of the church in America.

Although the Barna Group estimates that church attendance has remained the same for over 40 years (around 43% of the population), recent polls have shown that this number is grossly inflated. Realistically only 18-22% attend church regularly (with regularly being defined as once a month!) Statistics also show that only 4% of today's teenagers will be involved in a Bible-based church
by the time they have their own families. The vast majority of people are simply dropping out of church for various reasons: scandals in church leadership, lack of authenticity, lack of leadership/pastoring, etc. Many former church attendees simply see worship and "church" as irrelevant to their daily lives. It doesn't touch on the issues that affect us the most: emotional issues, sexuality, social justice, etc.

One of the issues that is most common is the lack of community within churches today. Intriguingly, there are stats that point to us creating our own problems. There are over 331,000 churches in America. However, 80% of the American church population attend 10% of those churches (33,000). The mega-church is in mega-boom. (At least, theoretically.) Thus, most churches are small but most people attend large churches. They want to be a part of a place where there are dozens of ministries available for every age group, social demographic, and personal preference. They want to lose themselves in the crowd to feel uplifted. Yet the very thing they crave often is the most damaging: they trade in authentic community to be surrounded by a community. They want to feel cared for, and they long to be an integral part of a community of believers, yet we often do nothing about it except quietly walk out the back door, forsaking church altogether.

What is the solution? What is the best way to go about bringing these Christians back into a community with one another?

An obvious choice is planting churches. New churches grow faster than older churches. It is simply the life cycle of the church, and this isn't a negative thing. Church planting isn't a disparaging of the established church. Think of it this way: whatever church you attend was once a church plant. Someone had in mind to reach a new group with the Gospel. (Unless you are a part of a church split, then the divisions get tougher!) Yet if we plant churches that look exactly like EVERY OTHER CHURCH then I think we have missed the point. We need to be a place where authentic community takes place. And as our unchurched population is telling us, that obviously doesn't seem to be happening in the vast majority of churches in America. So how can we reach this unchurched population? How can we encourage them to become a part of an authentic community with God? How can we help them not forsake the community of believers?

I believe we need to approach this problem with missional eyes. People are struggling to understand God in the midst of their situation. They long to feel connected with God, and they need the encouragement of other brothers and sisters in Christ to spur them on. They need AUTHENTIC community. Essentially, we need a church like Cheers!

Many of you remember this early '80's sitcom. I love the theme song that introduced the show:
"Making your way in the world today takes everything you've got. Taking a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Sometimes you want to go...
Where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same
You wanna be where everybody knows
Your name."

Now, granted, I am not advocating changing the Lord's Supper from crackers/juice into beer/peanuts. But we need to be realistic: there is more authentic community at the local bar than in our church gatherings. We need a church where people are always glad you came and everybody wants to know your name.

How do we go about doing that? How can we create authentic community? I think it is the most important question that we, in our endeavors, can attempt to answer. So, what are your thoughts? Mine will be coming soon.

The Secret of Contentment

This Christmas I was talking to a seven year old who is a friend of our family, and I asked him about his Christmas. He told me that it was just ok. When I pushed him to explain, he told me that Christmas was ok, but he didn't get everything he had wanted so he wasn't sure if he was happy. His mom prompted gave him a lecture on the real meaning of Christmas. We all chuckle at the honesty of that 7 year old, but let's be honest with ourselves: How many of us secretly feel the same way? How many of us get the things we want but find that they never totally fulfill our desires? How much is enough? When will we be content?

As Americans, we always seem to want more. We will go to any lengths not just to keep up with the Jones' but to surpass them. We want to have the coolest car, the newest gadgets, the best house that we can (or can't) afford... Our lives are consumed by consumerism! We live in a world of plenty but always want to have more. Contentment simply isn't an American virtue!

But we forget just how truly blessed we are. Think about it this way. I want you to keep a mental checklist that we are running through. See how many of these things apply to you:
1. Do you have indoor plumbing?
2. Do you have a television?
3. Do you have a car?
4. Do you have more than three rooms in your house?
5. Can you choose what you want to eat today? Do you have access to three square meals if you want them?
If you answered "Yes" to four of those five questions, you are in the top 10% in the world. If you answered "Yes" to all five of those questions, you are in the top 2% of the world's wealth. We really are a blessed people.

We are left to question, "When is enough enough?"

If you lost everything tomorrow, could you still be happy? Could you, like Job, proclaim: “The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD”?

Paul's comments in Philippians 4:10ff must be REALLY astounding to an American audience. Paul tells the Christians in Philippi:

I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. (Philippians 4:10-12)

Paul tells us that he is content no matter what is going on in his life. This is a pretty bold statement, considering that he is sitting in house arrest in Rome awaiting trial at the hands of Nero. And he is writing to a people who are on the outskirts of their society as followers of a "subversive superstition."

Paul calls for them to find contentment in spite of their circumstances. I think the secret is found in the next verse: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Phil. 4:13) It is surprisingly simple, yet difficult and seemingly impossible. We find contentment because God is still God, whether we are hungry or well fed, whether we are free or in prison, whether we have plenty or live in want. We can make it through because God is still God, and he gives us the freedom not only to persevere but to thrive!

What are your thoughts? I will be writing more tomorrow.

If you are at all interested in listening to a sermon on this topic, go to: The Secret of Contentment