Crowder

I got to see David Crowder at a conference I am at, and then again for a service that evening where Donald Miller spoke. It was pretty awesome, Crowder was sweet as always. At the conference however the last session was a sort of panel discussion with Dan Kimbell and some other pastors on his book They Like Jesus but not the Church.

He basically polled a whole bunch of twenty-somethings and found them hungry to hear about Jesus, but not from the church. The consensus from the book and anyone paying attention is that the church has missed the boat. Now, most people in my circle understand and are dealing with this issue, so this probably isn't news. Nevertheless, I felt that it was a good step to have an open, large group, pretty no-holds- barred discussion with pastors and church leaders about how to push the church into a new era in western culture, which is absolutely catered to the suburban middle class right now.

A couple of really good points that were made:
- this is the first time in history that a church has the possibility of having 5 generations represented in its community. Old and young will not be pleased by the same show.

-20 years ago people (culturally) came to church because they thought it might do well and then were turned away with crapping, outdated music. This is being remedied, but now people (culturally) don't really just go to church so why is the show such a big deal, or more importantly the most open door to knowing Christ?

-The Christian bubble is the biggest wall to non-Christians, this is against the call of church, hence --sin. People who have a bad view of Christians usually do not have any Christian friends so their perception is built around the guy pushing a tract on a street, or holding picket signs outside abortion clinics and concerts. How do they not have any Christian friends?

Yeah, that's just the surface. Can I just say that the thought that many of the people polled do not have Christian friends is the most painful to think about. Obviously, we are supposed to be obedient to God and grow spiritually and the like, but Christianity . . .aka being like Christ . . . is based on love. Love means growing relationships not just being polite, though some could start there. Anyways, I'll probably bring some more on this as I process it.

Go make a friend

The exclamation point!

I was going to write on the power of the written word, but I don't feel overly powerful at the moment as I have a week off of school, so I thought I'd write on nothing.

So I was talking with my wife, who loves cards and little encouraging things in the same vain. Within the body of work of a card or encouraging e-mail she likes to include the exclamation point, as much as possible. Example: ... Hey Girl! What is up!? I miss you tons! Can you believe it !? Today was the nicest day ever! etc. This may be a fundamental difference between guys and girls. Whenever I get a card or e-mail with said exclamation point, I usually like to read them all as angry exclamations, always enjoyable. Nonetheless, these serve their purpose in generating excitement and encouragement. Anyways, more next time.

The Best Paper Ever

Ok,
I just finished my last major paper for this semester at school. My first at graduate school. I had my biggest paper ever due last week (25 pgs). This kicked my butt. And for those of you who were with me in the undergrad., will remember my propensity to produce awesome papers. I once received a D with a remark "maddeningly poorly written" is that a word? Much to the joy of my friends who could from then on say they knew a guy who got this remark. Anywho, got my big paper back and oh yes, I got an A.

Not to toot my own horn (A) I did have some room to improve, of course how much can you really improve on A. I now know anything there is to know about the debate over miraculous spiritual gifts (A) within churches of the Restoration Movement, if you need to know anything, I did get an A.

So I will be off school shortly and back to blogging more consistently (A) and filling your world with joy. I know you all never know how often I change my blog, it should be more consistent.

next up. . . the power of the written word (A)

update and Babcock

Hey everyone,
sorry it has been a while. I have a ton to talk about but not enough time as I am in the midst of my first round of finals and term papers. So, the big stuff will have to wait for a week or two.
How about, American Idol ( yeah I watch it) brought in like 50 million dollars for children's relief Africa. That is pretty big. I just finished my biggest term paper on the argument over the existence of miraculous spiritual gifts in the contemporary church. We'll see what kind of grade I get, but I learned alot. I'll talk about it a bit later as well as the power of the written word.

Until then feast your eyes on this commercial on you tube address here... ( I don't know how to attach it directly)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Aj55sgudlc&mode=related&search=

For those of you who know Babs , do you resonate with this commercial? those who don't probably will not think it humorous so don't get your hopes up.

later

The Porch at 17th

So, I was supposed to continue my thoughts on butter Jesus (see previous post), but I think I am spent from trying to analyze things too much. In short I think to spend money on such a thing is the worst decision they could have made. And maybe I am being like Judas because the people at that church really feel that this was the best they could give to God, like a small child drawing a picture of her dad, but I feel like there is so much harvest ready to be reaped all over the world. I would hate to think that resources were squandered. Anyways, enough of that.

The last few nights have been perfect weather wise. Warm but not humid. You could smell the grass and the soon to be budding trees. It reminded me of making killer movies at three in the morning in college with the guys, and sitting at the edge of the runway of the airport for like two hours only to have one plane, the smallest plane in the world, fly over our heads. And then to get stopped and interrogated by the cops. It reminds me of bitners, and camp during lane duty, and jumping off the bridge, but most of all...

It reminds me of the porch at 17th street. If I was Josh, I could wax on eloquently about the joys of the porch and the yucky couch and the bottle tree and everything else. I love all of the seasons equally and am always ready for them when they arrive, and they always provide me with nostalgia.

So here's to the porch!

Newsong and Other Rockers of Old

I must comment on my recent experience with Newsong. Now, previously, I had only experienced Newsong in the context of the song 'Arise my Love' being ( air quotes) danced to through interpretation with assistance of dow rods. Now, saying nothing of the dow rodders, this song was scarred slightly, which in turn kept me from seeking out further Newsong songs.

Now Newsong is sort of in the Christian rock genre. Now, not to be confused with the straight hair rockers such as Petra-(This means War!) , DeGarmo and Key ( Boycott Hell), or of course Striper ( To Hell with the Devil)... who all taught young Christian kids how to Jesus rock. Now also not to be confused with the more adult friendly MWS ( oh you know) or SCC or Geoff Moore and the distance, Newsong meets somewhere in the middle with very solid and tight 80's rock and roll with a stack of killer vocalists. These guys embrace their lives of 10-15 years ago and rock it hard. I went to see them play along with SCC and a few others and they rocked. I do not think this is because I am getting old either. These 8 or so white guys sang the old spiritual ' people get ready for the train's a comin' and let it rip. The piano player ( who incidentally has been nicknamed "Sauce" by Thunder Dan and friends for the amount of sauce he throws down on the keys to spice up every song, which by the way may be my favorite nickname aside from Thunder Dan) so 'Sauce' jumps out from behind the keys and throws all sorts of soul in a vocal solo. And then this other dude ends the song with the longest, loudest, highest note ever. Comparable only to-"To Hell with the Devil" if you don't know, get it somehow an listen to it.

All that to say, I have been renewed in my love for the snare heavy, screaming guitar solos, synthesizer ready rockers of old. Rock ON!

Coming up next... the continuation of "butter Jesus"

Butter Jesus

Ok, for real?

This statue is in front of a church on I 75 just north of Cincinnati. It is most commonly referred to as ‘touchdown Jesus’, but I like to call it ‘butter Jesus’ because it looks as though it was carved out of a giant stick of hand churned, full-out-Amish butter. If you look close you’ll see a dude standing next to the statue as a way to scale the thing. It is over 60 feet tall. We’re talking the statue of liberty big.

This is the most gaudy thing I have ever seen. It blows all other ‘big’ church indulgences out of the water. This makes the textured iron cross of camp look almost necessary to true spiritual growth and development. ( this analogy only works if you know of said cross, my apologies.)

Now, before I go into any thoughts on this…what do you think? Audience participation. Is it a good use of money for the church? Is it an “alabaster jar” expensive? Is it good for churches to drop money on bigger better stuff? Is this a symbol of God’s blessing or a perversion of resources?

Healing

This is me really thinking through the issue of healing. Perhaps some food for thought might come for some folks. When I left my previous job, I remember having to work through what went wrong. I still am working through this. It is interesting that as I left, I wondered if I was in fact doing what I was called or gifted to do. I realize more and more that it had less to do with calling and more to do with following. Like all of us in leadership, I am learning constantly how to be a better leader. I think that the point when we left, God was opening some new doors for us, but perhaps more importantly teaching me some lessons about what it mean to 'heal'.

I was surprisingly not very distraught or self conscious when we left, but I had a older leader express to me that this time would be a good time of healing. I was taken a little by surprise, thinking, "I don't need healing, they need healing." But as I have had opportunity to think and reflect, I realized that there was a defensive response to my own insecurity. I remembered that it is through the struggle that God makes us more of who he wants us to be. We don't realize it while in the struggle, but he uses it to sharpen us and draw us closer to him.

Now that Julie and I are in our new place, after four months of waiting around for God to make things go, I am now again in a leadership position, and perhaps one with greater responsibility. The ironic (to us mortals)thing is, in order to be here, we had to step on someone else. After tons of thought, worry and prayer as to whether this was the right thing to do, our pastor pushed it forward. Now, as for me, I am in a place right now,( and I pray that I remain), where I know deep down that God has to direct this.

The other guy however has been pushed-out a bit, caused to question his call and giftedness. I know God can provide him with healing. I guess my whole thought process boils down to is, in order to take people to where God wants them, leaders must pull them out of the spot that isn't good enough, even when it is painful. It is here when God picks them up, brushes them off, and points them in the best direction. Healing takes us out of the status quo and closer to the great things God has for us.

This is a bit of a burden for me right now, having to be the center of the struggle for someone else. Hopefully I will be able to come along side the person and help the healing process.

Fasting

I wanted to comment on the discipline of fasting. This is just me thinking through and processing my experience. Much to every one's surprise I have never really intentionally practiced fasting for an extended period of time. I sort of assumed I knew the ideology of fasting to put us into a better place to experience God. I also grasped the concept of it making a person practice an element of self denial in a simple way. Basically if a person can deny the basic 'need' for food, they can open their hearts to denying other elements of life that get in the way of our relationship with God.

I had to read a couple of books for my spiritual formation class, one of which dealt in large portion to the discipline of fasting. I felt compelled to try it for a period long enough to surpass the initial wave of hunger pains (few days). I felt important to make known the supernatural humbling that takes place. I wouldn't go as far as to say nothing else compares, but I would say that after doing this, I felt more ready to take the hill than I have in a long time. When you are really physically hungry, you understand truly who you are. I was able to look at myself with sober judgment and see my need for God to work through me as opposed to reallying on my own handling of the gifts he's given me.

It really helped to center me and renewed my vigor for meeting with God in every aspect of my ministry. I would encourage anyone to make this part of their own relationship with God.

Stages of my beard

Here we go for all of you who look forward to my annual spring shave stages. I had to consolidate into a singular documented experience for all to enjoy. For all those looking for a real meaningful blog experience, you'll have to wait until next time.

Just to note this is the first time I ever thought about keeping my mustache for a while. I mean look at it.

mmmmac!

Hello blog land. I am currently writing form the college coffee shop from my new laptop. It is a mac, (complementary head nod) It is the bomb or it is simply a new toy. Needless to say, it has been sorely needed in starting school, and I finally was able to obtain it last week. This does open the door for much more blogging, for the two or three of you who ever care to look on my blog. I have so much to update! though most unfortunately it will have to wait as I have to study for a test.
Stay tuned for posting on cool things happening and specifically "Butter Jesus", "Healing", "Fasting" and "Newsong, and other rockers of old". stay tuned...

Snow

To all those anxiously awaiting a new blog, here it is. I have not been able to blog as of late because I have been waiting for my financial aide to come through for school, in order to purchase a computer and then have access to the internet whenever necessary. This has been an arduous process that couldn't be resolved quick enough. Needless to say, being in school allows little time for blogging when I only have isolated chances to use the internet. This may be for the best as to wasting less time. School is awesome so far and the day I get my new computadora I will blog all about it.

In the meantime, I must comment on the event of snowfall in Cincinati. What the crap? As soon as a flake fall to the ground the whole area basically turns to chaos. Drivers ride their brakes like a 16 year old girl, and all the schools close for days, and that is no exaggeration. THere are like three plow trucks for the whol of western OHio. I grew up in mnts of western and eastern Pennsylvania where we had to get over a foot of snow to cause even the least bit of concern. Here the news has been talking about a snowstorm that might come through tommorrow and it is all everybody, and I mean everybody is talking about. What the real problem with snow is, "iIt's the slush that really make it bad." or "it's when the freezing rain hits, that when you know we are approaching the end of the world." biuldings burning, rioting, looting, fire hidrants bursting, children and grown men crying, dogs and cats living together, all H. E. double hockey sticks breaking loose. Cursed snow!

I am going to make an angel.

Grammer

It is awesome that immediately following my post announcing my acceptance into grad school and I write a post dealing with teaching people who may seem simple-minded, with the worst grammer ever. Seriously, read the next post of you don't think it possible. .... Proof read...

Sorry, I was in a hurry and in a panera bread, (the only place I have internet access currently).
I left the post because I believe that this is a problem.

Most (if not all) of the great deceptions the devil pulls are through our pride. We don't even know it is there, and then all of a sudden we feel that we have an understanding that is above the comprehension of those we are supposed to teach.

How often do we hear about, get involved with, know of, or complain about how churches have a tendancy to become a baby-sitting service. The church gets full of people who only are there because of what they can get from the church. I would suggest that is because we get caught up in ourselves and treat people as though they were babies and needed us to grow. If that is the culture a leader sows...

I was recently told by a pastor that I know well that the people in his congregation simply could not do what was needed to grow the kingdom. This is totally contrary to the message of Christ. He was all about letting everyone in, and more importantly empowering them. The disciples were these guys, not the best or smartest and Jesus said you are capable to lead the church.

I doubt this problem is intentional, but we have to constantly check ourselves, and each other

A simple culture

On several occasions recently I have had people talking about teaching specific congregations within the church. More often than not, in my discussions of how to best teach a specific culture ( or subculture within western culture ) I have been told that the culture is too simple to understand deep teaching. Poor, rich, upper class, new christians, inner-city, suburban, rural, blue collar, you name it, all are used to rationalize a lack of solid teaching.

I can think of 3 seperate teachers/pastors in opposite cultural settings that have told me how their people cannot understand deep teaching due to being simpletons. Is this the truth?

I understand some people actual have mental problems that slow their understanding of basic truths, but everyone else just have not been educated. I wonder how dangerous it is for leaders to assume a lack of potential in their people. Doesn't God open the banquet to everyone once the original guests elect to see it as trivial and not show? Isn't there something to be said about how Jesus taught blue collar, uneducated people how to know God and they built the church?

Maybe it is just me, having a passion to teach, and thinking everyone else should. But maybe it is a huge problem, maybe many leaders in churches are dropping the ball.

I am still thinking through this and will post more, but it was a bit fresh today.

hey big time college grad!

well, that is a while coming, but I officially have been accepted to graduate school and am now in the process of scheduling classes, and waiting for finacnial aide to come through. I am excited to go back to school.

I am currently at panera bread and a lady just sat down near me. Can I just comment on old lady smell? I used to think it was a natural smell, but now I realize that they actually purchase a pefume in order to make this smell. I am a second away from passing out from this mix of normal perfume, old spice, original lysol and comet. Seriously, feel free to dab. If you suffer from OLS, I apologize.

more news later

FAFSA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I could incur wrath by the power of my word it surely would fall on fafsa. I'm talking the sky would blacken, with thunder crashing, and lightning flashing, my voice would become huge and fill the sky and sound like an army of warriors reigning down a battle cry of death towards all whose ears they fall, simply when I said the word FAFSA.

Um yeah, you know how it is hard to convey emotion in an e-mail or or other print as such? You know, it is easy to sound distant and a little cold or maybe angry without intending to. Well, in this case it surely will do injustice to the amount anger that courses through my veins. If I took my blood pressure right now, both me and the nurse might have a heart attack. But I would stay standing, pressing on solely powered on the disdain for filling out the FAFSA!

For those of you who don't know, I am trying to go back to school. My application is taking forever to process and so the admissions office suggested I apply for student aide right away in order to have it all in by next wednesday when it is due. ( student aide is how I will be paying for school , so it is imparative that this happens) So, for the last enitre day, I have been trying to fill out the Federal Application For Student Aide. FAFSA! ( wrath & warriors & stuff) BY the way, who includes "for" in their accronymn? How much cooler would it be to say FASA? But no FAFSA! does nothing easy, everything takes forever.

The biggest hole , aside from having twelve million web pages to do two things (get and ID and apply) is discovering your PIN or acces code. I apparently had one from doing my undergrad ( I must have been skippng that day) but they can't tell me over the phone. They can however take every other bit of my personal information over the phone in order to tell me to go back to the website where dreams go to die and request a new pin be sent over the unsecured internet to my easier than a phone to access google account. Oh, and it takes between 4 hours and 3 days. I guess I just wait here at Panera like its Christmas Eve and I know santa is coming.

Needless to say I am a bit bitter. I get fired up with things that are automated and do nto actually help with a particular problem. I am sure John Fafsa is a good man, and I love him as Christ tells me to, but his application process is not cool. Sorry, I had to bring you on the tirade.

If you made it this far I give you open season to vent on something as a response. Anything. slow drivers, the guy at walmart, Ukraine's airport, Atlanta' airport, puppies, K- fed getting an album, you probably have something. If you were in a possitive mood, my apologies, you can comment on something awesome to lift our spirits.

later

Some Thouhts on Generations

So, one of the problems that so many churches face is the struggle between older and younger members over the basic approaches to doing church. My wife and I recently left a church that had well passed, but at one time had struggled with little things like choir robes and the color of the pew cushions. THings that I believe my generation views as inconsequential. That church over the course of ten years or so was able to change the culture out of holding so much stock in the "things" of the church.

Julie and I are now serving in a new church that after being closed to dying completely three years ago, got a new dynamic pastor who has a vision to grow the church. I'll explain my quandry as quickly as possible. IN three years this church has grown from like 20 on Easter to 200 + weekly. THere is a life in this church like I haven't seen in a while. The people are eager to serve others and eager grow. It is evident the moment you step into the church and it is the main reason Julie and I decided to go there. Now that we have begun to submerge ourselves in to the church culture we have begun to see some of the behind the scenes struggles they have weekly. Yes, weekly. There are older members of the church who have been there for years, or were there for years and then came back as its grown. I say older because noon e under 60 causes an flak in the matter. The people there argue and raise complaints and cause dissention and are stubborn to the core about seeing the church go their way or die.

Now the problem I have is not with them holding onto what they believe is true, it is that the things they are holding to me seem stupid. Examples: The rails in front of the stage, the lecturns on the side that no one use...ever, the organ no one uses...ever, the "alter" that sits in the middle of the stage which no one understands why its there and is also never used...ever, the placement of a screen to run any video needs, the number of pews in the chapel, the 25 year old couch that is falling apart in the fellowship hall, when the bell rings, and then some. My opinion..the dumbest stuff ever. THey are basically a lead weight to the progress of the church. I can see being up in arms about a new program with questionable spiritual signifigance like a block party with slot machines to raise money, but the couch?

This is a problem that faces tons of churches, and I am not looking for encouragement that you just have to deal with it, nor am I beginning an argument to put all folks above a certain age on a reservation some place warm where they can have their own way at church, and music, and be able to drive, smell funny, make left hand turns at their own pace etc. . I feel that there is wealth of knowledge, wisdom, experience that is basically burned on the color of fabric on "things" inside a building where a specifc body meets. Why is it such a problem connecting older and younger? I wonder who fails? Was there a breakdown in the church a few generations ago that resulted in an age group of people more concerned with things and attaching their salvation to the place they meet and its overall appearance? ARe the two other generations present within churches wrong with their new music and now their to experiential and intimate approach to worship? Is there sin involved on either side? THese members are financial givers within the church, so do they have the right to have such a say in the thing they helped buy 40 years ago?

OUr church has put a band-aide on their problem by having a "traditional" service early in the morning, that everybody else warns new people not to come to. The two biggest questions I have are,
1. Is this a specific problem with this generation in western culture, or is it a problem that I will contribute to when I retire? (note I wonder if Billy Graham raises a fuss in his local church when the kids want to use their video ministry?)

2. If not, and if I think it is wrong because I feel they are not only missing the message of the gospel but also are hindering it, is it a sin for me to support a "traditional" service that appeases those sensabilities and not gently but firmly confront these brothers and sisters who are not to look down on me because I am young, with the truth and message of Christ?

Just some thoughts

Pastor's Wife

OK so here is something that has been a cool progression of what God is doing in our lives. Julie has a job as a youth pastor and I have the job of the pastor's wife, so to speak. I am sort of slowly getting into a leadership at the church. I am preaching the end of this month and we ( the pastor and I )are exploring ways to get me up to lead worship and teach some different classes. I am going back to school as well, provided I get accepted.

When we decided to come here, we felt that God was callingus to a place to minister together, for Julie to grow in a leadership role, for me to go back to school, and to step up into a leadership role. So far that side of it has been cool. I have had people ask if I had a million dollars what would I do. This is pretty close to it, only with a nicer car.

Since we have been here we have been confronte several times with the need to make some more money. I start to freak out and try to find the first job I can. I start the wheels turning in my head about how much better life would be if I had a job the doubled up our money. This was espescially strong in the first couple of weeks. God however has shown us that He is in control and my trust needs to be in Him. We have been able to work out our finances in a way that allows me not to have to work and to be a pastor's wife. Really, it means that I can pour my energy into the ministry God has called me to. I am excited to get some things going.

If are willing, please join us in praying that our house will sell by the end of the month, as this is the source of most of our financial turmoil.

I will keep you all posted in that regard.

News

So here's what's been happening here. Julie and I are in our new place and liking it alot. (though not as much as if our house was already sold) Jeremy our ninja cat was angry that we put him in his cage to travel and then scared of the new surroundings and hid under our bed for three days. Steve our dog basically just thinks we put carpet down for him to run easier, as opposed to having actually moved.

It is interesting being away from where I called home. I moved alot growing up and adjusted relatively quickly every time. This has been a bit more difficult as and adult. I sound like an old lady in church I know, but there is something to be said about comfort and control. I used to go to my movie theatre, or my golf course, or my workout area, my gyro place, church, italian restaurant, sub shop, friend's house, field to play ball with steve, place where my wife and I shared our first kiss. All are not here and it is a bit discomforting. I am getting adjusted slowly but surely. I have met some nice young Christian peers, which will help.

I am also looking for a job (which stinks), I am limited in what job I can get as I am plannign to start school in January. There is a possability of me being a meter reader for the power company, which would be rather humorous and sort of crappy, but well paying with good benefits.

There is alot of thought going into the sort of ministry challenges facing this area, which I shall dive into later, except on commenting on the problems facing an area that is almost midwest, influenced by Judeo-Christian philosophy, depressed, sort of republican, and largely facing a total mis-conception of who Christ is. Like I said, large can of worms.

So, first priorty...find a job and not stress between no and then.

Then see Jackass 2....

Hey!

Sorry that it has been a while all of you who may have been waiting anxiously for some insight into my soul. Julie and I are in the process of moving to Medway, Ohio. Julie got a job as a youth pastor at a church there, while I am going to be going back to school to get my master's degree in Biblical studies or something of the sort. I am sure that this will enable me to come up with more better things ramble about eloquently.

We are moving wednesday and then worrying about selling our home thereafter. Hopefully despite the crapiness of the current market, we will be able to sell our home rather painlessly. I will try to be better at filling every one in on life and what has been going on with us, but it depends on computer accesability.
peace