2007 January «

DEEPER: COLOSSIANS … 1:22

31 January 07 at 9:54 pm | In Deeper | No Comments

Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
- Colossians 1:22 (NLT)

God, I know Paul’s isn’t writing about physical stuff, but my hair gets all frizzy and my weight fluctuates more than gas prices in the summer driving season.

. . . without a single fault.

But I have a tendency to procrastinate …

. . . without a single fault.

. . . and a perfectionist streak that has gotten me into trouble more than once . . .

. . . without a single fault.

. . . and the things I yell at my fellow motorists when they do brilliant things like go 35 in the fast lane on the highway. Talk about latent anger bubbling to the surface …

. . . without a single fault.

. . . and I have to admit that my mouth is sometimes in overdrive while by brain is still in neutral . . .

. . . without a single fault.

. . . and the language inside my head isn’t always as pristine as what’s on my lips . .

. . . without a single fault.

. . . and sometimes I look at people and make snap decisions about them without any idea of what they have been through or will go through …

. . . without a single fault.

. . . I’ve passed by the homeless man asking for food . . .

. . . without a single fault.

. . . I’ve stayed silent when others were being hurt . . .

. . . without a single fault.

. . . I’ve stayed silent when You were being hurt . . .

. . . without a single fault.

. . . and I want stuff. Especially tech stuff. Have you seen the iPhone?

. . . without a single fault.

. . . and sometimes I’m just . . .

. . . without a single fault.

. . . not entirely sure . . .

. . . without a single fault.

. . . that I . . .

. . . without a single fault.

. . . really . . .

. . . without a single fault.

. . . know . . .

. . . without a single fault.

DISTURBING …

29 January 07 at 10:22 pm | In Christianity and Culture | No Comments

I was ready to pack up and head to bed after getting my weekly 24 fix, but stumbled across these lists. Mostly, I find lists … like the 50 greatest albums of all time or the 50 greatest movies or whatever … to be fun and fodder for endless debates with friends.

Listing the 50 most influential Christians and 20 most influential youth pastors, however, is disturbing. Define influential and please account for the fact that of the public hasn’t heard of most of the 50 folks on the list, despite bestselling books, television shows and radio programs. Trust me, number two is far better known than number one on the list. And there’s not a soul outside of youth ministry circles who has heard of anyone on that list.

Also know this … I do admire some of the folks on the list … at least the ones I have heard of. I listen to Andy Stanley’s messages frequently. John Piper’s always good to listen to … repeatedly … until you totally figure out what he’s telling you. Rob Bell is always good for raising questions. Beth Moore … passionate, wonderful communicator.

Here’s the thing … making lists like these narrows our focus and helps to build the walls of our little Christian ghetto.

And, lists are subjective. This particular list came together based on the readers of the magazine (special note: I hadn’t even heard of the magazine until I saw the link to the lists) and so the lists reflect the characteristics of that readership. I can’t help but wonder what the list would look like if you would ask the youth group who the most influential Christians in America are. I’m betting you come up with a list of artists and athletes who infuse their work with their Christian beliefs and, as such, influence countless people who wouldn’t know a Swindoll from a Colson.

Just remember this … a list is just a list.

To most people in America, the most influential Christian is the one who takes the time to talk or to serve a meal at the homeless shelter or to just listen or paints a room in an elderly person’s house or … whatever.

To most people in America, the most influential Christian is you …

IS THIS THE ANSWER?

29 January 07 at 8:56 pm | In youth ministry | No Comments

I’m a youth worker. I love working with youth. They are troubled sometimes. They are carefree sometimes. They sometimes experiment where they shouldn’t and sometimes they choose not to. Sometimes they stand firm for what it right and sometimes they make choices that bring harm to themselves and to others. I see great potential in every one of them. I want them to survive their teenage years to find that potential for themselves.

Surviving for some means doing something about teen drinking and specifically teen drinking and driving.

No one denies that teen drinking is a problem. The SADD web site lists sobering statistics. Four out of every five (80%) students have consumed alcohol (more than a few sips) by the end of high school. More than five million high schoolers binge drink at least once a month. Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death among youth ages 15 to 20. There were 6,131 youth motor vehicle deaths in 2000.

Yet, random alcohol testing in a public high school, as reported on ABC News this evening, is not the way to go.

The test, according to the report, can detect alcohol in a student’s urine up to 80 hours after drinking, but will also pick up alcohol from such sources as vanilla or hand sanitizer.

Know what would have happened to me and what will undoubtedly happen to some innocent kid? They will take Robitussin on Sunday night so they can get some sleep before the big math test Monday morning and - surprise - you’ve been selected for the random alcohol test. Bingo! It’s positive. A report goes home to Mom and Dad. Maybe you have built up trust with them, maybe not. Maybe they knew you were sick, maybe not. Just remember that there are some homes that are so troubled and so dysfunctional that this report could cause tremendous damage - all because a student tried to be a bit responsible and get some sleep.

Let’s say all is relatively well at home. The parents know you had a cold and know you took cold medicine the night before the alcohol test and understand that can return a false positive. But, you know who doesn’t know what you did at home Sunday night? The school. You don’t think for a minute that the note home to the parents is now part of the infamous permanent record? Will your explanation also be part of the record? Will anyone at the school care to listen to your reason? How will the principal and the teachers look at you now?

The abovementioned statistic about teen drinking and driving is one of those quoted in the story as a reason for the testing. Test this. Party is Friday night. Kid drinks or doesn’t, whatever, that’s not the important part for this argument. Monday is an unannounced urine test. What has this accomplished? If said kid did drink, it is possible that this same kid has also driven home. So, what are we going to do about it now? It’s shutting the barn door after the horse has run out.

Yes, you say, but at least we now know that the kid is drinking and can keep an closer eye on him. Sure. Just remember that, according to that SADD web site mentioned above, one-third of sixth and ninth graders get their alcohol at home. Who’s keeping an eye on the family liquor cabinet?

What is the message we are sending our youth? That we don’t trust them. That their rights are checked at the door of the school building. That they can be asked to give samples for no better reason than that they actually attend school. That they are assumed to be guilty and, if they have nothing to hide, they won’t mind giving the sample.

Truthfully, I don’t know what the solution may be. Educational efforts, while commendable, don’t seem to do the trick.

My best guess? It’s the teenagers themselves who hold they key to curbing teen drinking. Call it peer pressure to effect positive change.

The alarmist side of me wonders if random tests like these are conditioning younger generations to give up rights without question. Then what?

2006: BEST POSTS

26 January 07 at 9:50 pm | In General | No Comments

Earlier this month, a couple of blogs I frequent mentioned selecting the best posts of 2006. At the time, I had no time to browse my archives although I thought it might be intriguing to see what was on my mind in 2006. Tonight, however, I really wanted to write something, (in keeping with my goal for 2007 of being more deliberate in both writing and photography, whether it is in formal or informal settings). So, I started looking through the archives with the idea of selecting the five best posts.

The question quickly became: “What’s the criteria?”

Is it best because it describes an event I enjoyed (like my October missives from the intensive class)? Is it best because it looked a little more deeply and coherently into Scripture? Is the writing style what made it stand out?

Finally, I settled on this: if I liked reading it this evening, it’s a best. So, here they are, in no particular order … and I didn’t stick to five:

I should have turned off the TV …: A sort of stream of consciousness post about the Amish school shootings.

Climb and descent: Can’t say its the best post in the sense of its writing style, but it is significant because I discovered as I browsed through the archives that it is the last post I wrote about cycling. I hadn’t realized how disenchanted I had become with the whole pro scene. Of course, this post foreshadows that …

Book sale: This just made me laugh at the memory of the women chasing the cookbooks.

Meeting in a soda can: Reminded me of the great youth I have at our church …

Speck of white paint: Ditto above

My empire of dirt: Maybe it’s the video I liked?

Who do I call?: Finding the Pharisee in me at the Starbucks counter.

Road less traveled: I think I liked this one just because it brought back the beauty of that spring day as I sit here in the dead of winter.

Of moths and butterflies: Because this is what I want to become …

DEEPER: COLOSSIANS … 3:5

23 January 07 at 8:22 pm | In Deeper | 1 Comment

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you …
- Colossians 3:5 (NLT, emphasis added)

Listen to this …

If you’re like me, you are too young to remember The Shadow when it was originally a radio program, but this iconic question from its introduction has lived on through the decades that followed to the extent that it is one of those rare cultural touchstones that many people recognize yet have no idea where it originated.

I think that question is why I always associated the word lurk with a certain shadowy darkness. Think about it … has the word lurk ever been used in a positive light? OK. One possible exception … and you know who you are … are those folks who read blogs or online forums and never comment. Not an accusation that. Not passing judgment. To tell you the truth, I read more than I comment on blogs.

Anyway, lurk. It has a connotation. It carries with it an emotion. And it works perfectly in this verse from Colossians.

Just like the stranger lurking outside the 7-11 at midnight wearing black clothes and carrying a ski mask in the summertime, there’s something not quite right about what lurks under the socially acceptable masks we wear. Paul follows this sentence with warnings to get rid of anger, greed, immorality, lust, slander, dirty language and more.

We don’t want to admit it. I don’t want to admit it. Yet, if I am honest, I must acknowledge what evil lurks in the heart of this woman. Then, I must take Paul’s warnings seriously and actively put these things to death within me. It’s not likely these things will just disappear on their own. Instead, I concern myself with the things of the Lord and occupy my mind with Him, crowding out that evil by always keeping in mind the advice Paul offers as this section comes to a close …

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
- Colossians 3:17 (NLT)

QUICK & RANDOM

22 January 07 at 8:38 pm | In General | No Comments

New TV addiction alert … Digging for the Truth on The History Channel. Create visual versions of Outside and Archaeology magazines, add a cool host … mix it up with exotic locations and you have a winner. Unfortunately, the channel execs had the audacity to schedule the season premier in which Josh searches for Atlantis opposite 24. Good thing it will be shown about three more times this week! (Added note: When I looked up the link to Outside, I discovered that the site has a banner ad for the show … how weird is that?)
Anyone else notice that Miss USA’s stint in rehab didn’t last as long as the feud between the Donald and Rosie her situation sparked? Now, if we can get an end to the hostilities. Or, at least an end to the media attention on these two …. fill in your own blank.
So, right as I thought Peyton Manning was going to choke once more, he didn’t. Someone at work pointed out this will make him more marketable as a commercial pitchman. Please, no …
Don’t forget, the first iTunes bundle of Passion 07 stuff comes out tomorrow. This one includes Francis Chan’s talk and music by Charlie Hall and Chris Tomlin. Of course, I will buy them all, but I am really looking forward to the third one. I was out manning a food station when there was apparently a real God moment as Charlie Hall led the worship following John Piper’s talk. According to a thread on their forum, even band members were surprised by what Charlie sang that morning. Thankfully, the Passion people recognized how special that moment was and will be including it in the final bundle.

WINTER HAS ARRIVED

21 January 07 at 6:25 pm | In Life in PA | No Comments

Snow is finally falling, the temperatures have gone into the seasonal range…

Just in time for Groundhog Day.

DEEPER: COLOSSIANS

19 January 07 at 10:43 pm | In Deeper | No Comments

Here’s what has been tossing around in my head over the past few days … along with a word or two about the genesis of the idea.

I’m starting a new label/series on the blog called DEEPER. For the first four months or so of 2007, it will focus on Colossians. The next four we’ll move back to Galatians. Next four will be Ephesians and the final four will be Philippians.

The idea stems from a couple of things at Passion. First was that the whole week was centered on the book of Colossians. It was amazing to see what each of the different speakers and our community group leader pulled out of its words. Second was something that Charlie Hall said in the breakout session about reading Scripture to death.

That was just the seed of the idea, though. Just after coming home from Passion, I read a post that had been linked to the Think Christian blog about a new way to look at Bible reading plans that stresses connecting with the Scriptures spiritually over making a mark on a checklist.

Here’s what this will look like …

There’s no schedule for the posts. I want to make sure my thoughts on a passage are coherent before sharing them so I may read something one day and stew on it for a few days before making a post. There may be great gaps between posts. Just hang in there …

There will be a bit of randomness. I don’t have a brilliant insight that I would wish to share with the world every single time I read the Bible. Oh, I wish I would, but the truth is that sometimes my mind wanders and sometimes I’m too tired to really think deeply enough to put words around the thoughts that I do have. So, you might get a post about Colossians 2:1, followed by something from chapter 4 which is, in turn, followed by something from chapter 1.

Different versions are going to be used over the course of the four months because of the reading plan I have dreamed up. I’ve already read through it using the TNIV. Last night, I started the NLT cycle. A cycle consists of reading the entire book in one sitting, reading each chapter on successive days and returning to the first chapter and breaking the entire book into tiny chunks over the next week or more. The tiny chunks can be sections or paragraphs - whatever it takes to get one complete thought. The cycle finishes by reading the whole book one more time.

Finally, if there’s anyone actually passing through this little corner of the blog world, please feel free to add comments on posts. If you’re reading through Colossians with me and have an insight, pick a random post and use the comments section to write about your insight. I’ll try to post these more prominently for others to see. Maybe, if anyone joins me on this little experiment, we can merge everything into a group blog?

So, stay tuned for more from Colossians …

FRIDAY NIGHT WORSHIP

19 January 07 at 10:22 pm | In Concerts | No Comments

I never know what to call it when I go to an event with worship leaders I like. Concert doesn’t capture the spirit (or Spirit) of the night. Worship fits, sort of, but not really.

This whole dilemma comes to mind because I just got home from seeing Charlie Hall in Lancaster. It was the first time I had seen him in a smaller setting since the other two times have been when he was leading at Passion 06 and 07. That doesn’t include his breakout session (at which he didn’t sing) or the random encounter in the under-construction Global Awakening area the day before Passion 07 started (he wasn’t singing there either).

He’s becoming one of my favorites rather quickly because he has an awesome, if odd, sense of humor and says the deepest stuff with the most beautiful language. If anyone was the living definition of quirky, he’s it.

Anyway, he and the band started off with Bravery. I got the feeling that more than a few of the folks there had never heard that song before. Morphed that into O Come Let Us Adore Him which got people on their feet. Other songs included Center, Come for Me, Song of the Redeemed, We Are Yours, Micah 6:8 and maybe some others I have forgotten. They finished up with Marvelous Light, which pretty much rocked the chapel.

Early in the show, he had a little question and answer time which really showcased his stream-of-consciousness tendencies. Someone who was obviously clued into the whole shortness debate raging around the Passion-sphere asked if he was taller than Tomlin, which led to a discourse on how Charlie believes himself to be taller based in the fact that Tomlin has hair, which he occasionally spikes up with gel and that he (Tomlin) wears lifts. What a hoot!

Anyway, a great night and a great way to end the work week. Next month … Tomlin, Redman and Giglio …

GOALS FOR 2007

18 January 07 at 10:17 pm | In Glimpses of God | No Comments

Last year, I wanted until February to set my goals for the year primarily because I was so busy in January that I didn’t have time to really think about what I wanted to accomplish. Unfortunately, that busy-ness lasted all year and I did rather poorly at meeting my goals.

I got a great start, but never finished memorizing Colossians. I stopped keeping track of the miles on my bike about mid-summer. I only read 20-something books. I did, however, learn more chords and songs on my guitar.

I could look on it as living proof that resolutions don’t work, even though you try using a different name for them.

So, taking a cue from Mark Lee, I’m concentrating on one word this year.

The word for 2007 is SLOWER.

I tossed around other ideas for a bit, but realized all that I would have wanted to list as goals could be reduced to this one simple word.

If I react slower to what happens around me (in general, everyday life, not emergencies), I will be less likely to cut someone down with a smart-alecky comment. If I slow down and think before saying yes to just about everything that comes along, I’ll have more time for the bike riding and the reading. If I slow down, my ministry becomes more meaningful. If I slow down, I have more time with God. If I slow down, I can actually keep the Sabbath for a change.

So, here’s to a slower 2007 …