tired

For a youth pastor, the summer season can be a busy one. When it gets busier than expected or when the unexpected appears so much that it's arrival becomes normal, it's understandably tiring. Many things have happened since school let out and now the summer is nearing it's end. I'm almost so tired of this summer that the new school year could come as a relief; my family might even agree. But this is my declaration that God will be praised when the unexpected is tiring me out. I can still see the good things He has done, I can even see some good things that He is doing, and, perhaps, I can see the good things that could develop from the unexpected things. I've read the psalms enough times to know that David  declared the goodness of God even when he was swamped by the unexpected. So in the spirit of a brother who lived long ago I declare that God was good, is good, and will be good whenever and wherever the unexpected appears. Help me trust and praise you Heavenly Father, for you are worthy to be praised and trusted.

Raising Purity

After taking Gerald Hiestand up on his offer to read and review his book, I was glad to receive my copy of Raising Purity. While many authors will claim to have a biblical perspective on sex, dating, and relationships; they often end up spouting the hackneyed opinions of conservative Christianity. I could tell from the Table of Contents that his take could actually be different.

Hiestand takes a gospel view of this ball of wax and helps the reader think thoroughly through it. Starting by defining the gospel and examining the reasons God created sex, he also provides help by exploring biblically-defined relationships. This allows him, and us, to see how modern-day dating is covered by timeless scriptural principles. Of course, if you don't agree with the author on these first three items, you'll have a hard time swallowing the rest of Hiestand's book. But he is very sound in his examinations and explanations of these issues in the Bible. Any semi-serious reader will find much to chew on in this work.

I most appreciated the first two chapters and the second appendix. While the contents of the first chapter [Sex and the Gospel] are difficult for teens to grasp, they are powerful thoughts for parents and an excellent starting place for this discussion. As a youth pastor I found the three biblical categories of relationships in chapter two to be very helpful. That material can easily be used with teens. Hiestand's explanation of the severity of sexual sin in Appendix B is excellent! Well done!

This is not a standard 'don't-have-sex-outside-of-marriage' book because it spends so much more time on the foundational principles behind that statement. And in so doing, it provides more strength for living biblically in regards to sex, dating, and relationships. I highly recommend it to parents and youth workers. To go to the book's site, click on the book title at the beginning of this blog entry.

Something I heard last week

I was mowing the lawn and listening to 'Uncertainty: Certain Leaders'. It's a 2009 sermon from Scott Hodge of The Orchard. He said two things that grabbed my attention; here they are:

   #1 - 'If there is no uncertainty, there is no need for leadership.'
   #2 - 'Legalism flattens diversity.'

For some reason, that first one makes me think of the difference between leaders and managers. But I like both lines because they encapsulate a lot of truth in just a few words.

hurt by Chap Clark

The title of this post sounds accusatory but it's not - hurt is a book and Chap Clark is it's author.  Dr. Clark has written several books on today's adolescents and is well respected for his knowledge of and passion for today's teenagers. This is the first one of his books that I have read, but it won't be the last.

As a fellow youth worker, I really identified with the observations and statements that Chap made. I think his assessments are dead-on accurate. His underlying idea is that today's adolescents are hurt because they have been steadily and systemically abandoned by society. To deal with the hurt (the pain), adolescents look to soothe their pain by finding acceptance with certain peer groups. In turn, they distance themselves from adults and unconciously contribute to the fragmentation. They kind of give the adults in their lives what they want (the right answers, expected behavior, etc) but they develop a world beneath, a world that most adults don't see.

In the first three chapters Clark develops his idea of abandonment with some history, sociology, and common sense; and it was these three chapters that I enjoyed the most. I've passed the book on to others and said, "Just read the first three!" because they paint the picture so clearly. The following chapters explore the ways the principles of the first three chapters show up in real life.

The last two chapters were a little disappointing because I was hoping for a silver bullet. But they were good echoes of my own convictions and it's always nice to have your own beliefs affirmed by an expert.

If you work with youth or simply want to learn more about today's adolescents, check out the first three chapters of hurt. You'll probably end up reading the rest of it.

Good Friday

As I read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ death this morning, I couldn’t stop thinking/singing about Benny Hester's song ‘When God Ran’. For me, it fits really well with what God the Father was doing when He allowed His Son to be tortured, killed, and buried. In the only way possible, He made it possible for us to have a right/good relationship with Him. He did all the work. He came to us, He ran to us.

I heard it 25 years ago as a teen and listened to it over and over on my cassette tape. It was refreshing to hear it from Phillips, Craig, & Dean a few years ago and I’m glad the song got some fresh exposure. But I still like Hester's version better.

I generally don't like homemade music videos, but I wanted to share the song with you. So here are two videos with different sets of images. PC&D is singing on both of them. I hope the love of God as portrayed in this song stirs your heart.

graphic Passion images, no lyrics --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-p5I1ySPhg&feature=related

prodigal son images, lyrics --- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2WhRD9TZ-U&feature=related

Avatar and Daughter #1

In case you haven't heard, the movie 'Avatar' is a big deal. My oldest daughter, Makenzie, and I went to see it a few nights ago.

As far as movies go, we really enjoyed the IMAX 3-D experience, the buttery popcorn, and a Cherry Coke. The visuals were off the charts! The story was fun, even though it was low-grade propaganda and predictable. And as far as post-movie dinners go, Arby's roast beef sandwiches were just fine. The Jamocha shakes were even better!

What I really enjoyed about the evening was spending time with my beautiful and intelligent daughter. She's really no longer a girl, she's a young lady. I am impressed with the way she carries herself. She is not locked into herself, she is aware of what's going on around her. She picked up on the not-so-subtle messages of James Cameron. She looks at things with a Christian worldview.

One day she'll break my heart when she says, 'Dad, Jose and I want to get married.' I'll freak out!!!  :) But until then, I am so glad I get to spend time with her and watch her grow as a person. I'm parentally proud of how she's doing and thankful to God that He has given Norma and I the opportunity, strength, and wisdom in training her. May He continue to help her along and bless us in the process.

The Way of the Shepherd

My friend and co-worker, Dale, told me that this was a good little book. He leant me his copy and it sat on my desk for a few weeks. I just finished it's 114 pages last night and I have to agree - it is good!

The subtitle is '7 Secrets to Managing Productive People' and it addresses that topic in a fictional form. The use of stories for communicating principles is nothing new and the actual principles in this story were also not new. But it was told in such a winsom and direct way that the book was fun to read and thought-provoking.

Since all leaders can always do better at knowing, caring for, and guiding their 'sheep', the opportunity to receive a few tips is not always welcome. I know that's true in my case, but this little book did it in a way that works. While reading I simultaneously thought 'Oh man, I've blown it!' and 'I can do that!'.  I think it has to do with that old song, "A spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down."

While each of the principles has great value, the three that stood out most to me were these:
  1 - You have to know your flock, and they have to know you.
  2 - The rod of correction includes fighting for your sheep and correcting your sheep.
  3 - Great leadership is a lifestyle, not a technique. It's a matter of the heart.

I've gotta thank Dale for being a good friend, a leader who seeks to be a better shepherd, and a man who loves his family. Thanks for recommending the book; I'll give it back before Jesus returns!

To anyone looking for a quick refresher on fundamental leadership principles, I heartily recommend 'The Way of the Shepherd' to you. It IS a good little book.

Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts 3rd ed.

Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, Third Edition is a nice piece for a basic, Bible study library. It is intended to give you information about each book of the Bible by telling you about the author, date, theme(s), and structure of that book. The anonymous compilers of this work have done a good job of using maps, charts, and outlines to give the reader a better grasp of the Bible book he/she is studying.

Being an owner of an older Comfort Print edition, I was happy to see the new look of the Third Edition! From cover to cover, everything looks better! After doing a few book-to-book comparisons, I found that the content had not changed one bit. It’s all about the packaging, and Thomas Nelson has done a great job with it. The addition of on-line access to selected charts is a nice bonus. It would be nice if ALL the charts, graphs, photos, and maps were available to owners of the book, but so would winning the lottery. Maybe that’ll come with the fourth edition.

Because the content is basic in nature, the seasoned student of Scripture will not find it especially helpful for discovering new data. He/she will find it more useful as a ‘refresher’. On the other hand, I think that the new student of Scripture will appreciate and enjoy the assistance offered in this colorful, easy-to-read resource for learning about the books of the Bible.

Basketball/Leadership

On Friday, January 29th the whole fam attended a Pistons game in Auburn Hills. Max had attended a Pistons day camp and we got a nice deal on tickets. It was alot of fun! We got to sit down on the front row while the players were warming up. We took a bunch of pictures. We had some snacks. We saw funny people in the stands. We even watched some of the best basketball players in the world and saw a few dunks.

Besides the wonderful memory of a fun family outing, I came away with something else. On paper, the game should've been close. But the Pistons not only lost to the Heat, 65-92, they STUNK! Rip Hamilton is a pure shooter (8 pts), Rodney Stuckey can beat most of the other NBA point guards (4 pts, 4 TO), and Tayshaun Prince is a freak of nature (10 pts). But Dwayne Wade shot well (4-5 3-pt, 22 total), Udonis Haslem (a bench player) had 16, and Dorell Wright (who?) had 12. The Pistons high scorer was Charlie Villanueva (15 pts) and he, along with Ben Gordon (10 pts & 2nd highest salary), came off the bench.

In a nutshell, they played really bad. There was no teamwork, no fire, and no leadership. Nobody stepped up and said, "C'mon guys! Let's get it together!" Nobody said, "Feed me the ball, I'll carry us!" The coach didn't pull the starters out. The Heat worked the ball around. They hustled after the ball. They executed more precisely. Granted, I'm not in the locker room or the time out huddles, but I walked away thinking, "All that talent and no results. There's a lack of leadership."

It made me think about church world. In sports it really doesn't matter if they don't make the most of what they've got. But we're dealing with life and death, eternity. A lack of leadership kills. It kills the people who are fired up but receive no direction or encouragement. It kills the people who go a hundred miles an hour but have no focus. It kills the people who are spectating when they should be playing. Why? Because we all gravitate to what we're good at or comfortable with...and the important things don't get done. The Gospel isn't shared. Disciples aren't made. And God isn't glorified.

On the other hand, I mighta just caught them on a bad night. I might be overestimating their talent. I might've been overwhelmed by the incessant advertising. But their terrible record (bottom of the Central Division) tells me I'm on the right track.