Deep Thoughts from a Theologian: The Modern Nativity

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Ever wonder what it would have been like if Jesus were born into the 21st century?

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Would Jesus Friend me on Facebook…or better yet, would I Friend Him?

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The Opposite of Love

If I were to ask you what is wrong with the world today, what would you say?

Perhaps you would say we are too selfish as a culture.  Or maybe there are still to many wars that disrupt the balance of our civilized world.  Yet another might be the topic of hate, prejudice, racism, and all the other forms of hate.  Perhaps your answer would critique the very pessimistic view that my question implies, “There is something wrong.”  While all of these are very valid perspectives, I wonder if our issue is less about what exists and more about what we lack…LOVE.  Where’s the Love?

I apologize if you now have the Black Eyed Pea’s song stuck in your head or better yet just about any song sung by Bob Marley.

Every time I open my bible I’m confronted with the topic of love.  How are we to show love to one another?  How has God shown love to us and what does it mean to love God back?  Love is at the root of our existence.  Love drives our passion and movement in life.  Love drew me to ministry.  Whether it is my love of talking to people and seeking to help others live a fulfilling life by knowing Jesus.  Love moves me to make sacrifices for the important relationships in my life.  Love is what motivates me to write this article, because I love the topic of “LOVE” and want to share it.

Love is at the root of our existence.  Love drives our passion and movement in life.

Love is a driving force in our life.  That is why the words of the ever famous philosopher, Anonymous, ring so true: “Love makes the world go round.”

Logically this idea would lead us to believe that more love would make the world a better place.  But, what stands in the way of love?  What is the opposite of love?

If we found ourselves on the game-show Family Feud, the survey might say: hate, evil, anger, prejudice, or fear.  Do you find any of these on your list?

I once heard a pastor proclaim, “The opposite of love is not hate…it’s apathy!”  The opposite of love is not hate or fear.  These may be obstacles for love, but what truly opposes love is indifference.  There can be a thin line between love and hate.  I can love good, but hate evil.  Indifference and Apathy are a different story all together.  Apathy is the the complete lack of emotion and investment in another person or thing.

When we look at the world through apathetic eyes we see a world not worth our time and care.  When we come upon a situation of injustice and just keep on walking, apathy is opposing the love in our heart.

I recently spoke to a group of teenagers about their ability to change the world.  Too often we consider the condition of our world and see it as too big to fix.  We find ourselves saying, “I can’t save the whole world!”  None of us can save the whole world, but that is not our job.  (In fact, that is what Christ accomplished for us!)  However, we can make a difference by allowing love to overcome our apathy.  When we are confronted with a situation where we can act and make a difference, no matter how small, simple or mundane, we are making a change.

When we oppose apathy in our lives, love can begin to drive us to new heights.  Love can inspire us to start something new.  Love can motivate us to become a better person.  Love can cause us to leave the prison of our own selfish tendencies to embrace the freedom of caring for someone else.

• Where in your life has apathy taken hold?
• What might happen if you can identify those areas and choose to love instead?

Love makes the world go round…just think about what your love can do!

Bring the Rain

When it rains, it pours! If you are like me, you despise this inevitable phenomenon. We rarely have one problem but one problem followed by an avalanche.A project at work is pressing so you plan to spend a few extra hours working on it, only to find out that your child has come down with a strange illness. We know where the story goes from here. The first drops of rain are often merely a precursor to a raging storm and guess what? We forgot our umbrella!

“We rarely have one problem but one problem followed by an avalanche.”

‘Why God? Why do you allow these storms to rage in our midst, tossing us about like a rag doll? Why God? Things were going so well. What did I do wrong? Why are you silent?’ These are the questions of faith that love to present themselves during such circumstances. Much like our friends the disciples in Matthew 8:23-27 (Click to Read Passage) we stand terrified in the face of nature’s fury wondering how, in the name of all that is holy, is Jesus sleeping? Why is He silent? ‘You claim so much power, so why don’t you do anything?’ How often our vision is blurred in the onslaught of rain.

In our story, Jesus awakes and is said to rebuke the wind and waves. What follows is the silence of the calm. The storm has subsided in an instance. The tornado vanished and Dorothy’s house hits the ground with a resulting silence as she and Toto look at each other in bewilderment. But more curious then that is the comment Jesus makes to His disciples just prior to this miraculous action. “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” And silently to ourselves we think, ‘what do you mean why am I so afraid? Did you not see that storm? We were going to die! I have faith…faith that nature can do what it wants and that includes taking my life.’ So often our problem is not our lack of faith, but misplaced faith. We put our faith in the power of our circumstances instead of the Lord of All. We take our trust from our Father and give it to the powers of evil that delight in the use of our difficult circumstances as a weapon against God’s approaching kingdom!

“So often our problem is not our lack of faith, but misplaced faith. We put our faith in the power of our circumstances instead of the Lord of All.”

It is in these storms that Jesus excels, in such awesome power. Yet our questions continue. ‘If it is so easy to calm the storms and you have so much power why don’t you prevent them from happening?’ To some extent that is not our place. We are told in Isaiah 55:8 ‘”For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.’ We are not privileged yet to see the entire picture. God is beyond us and we often must trust that He knows what He is doing.

Yet beyond that, it is through these storms that we witness God’s mercy and power. If it were not for the storm the disciples would not have witnessed Christ’s power over it. If it weren’t for April showers we wouldn’t have ‘May flowers’. If it weren’t for turmoil, we wouldn’t appreciate peace. God’s ways are not our ways and so often things don’t make sense. But I do believe in a God of love that is striving to further His kingdom in me and among us all and seeks a good that is beyond my comprehension. God loves us all!

Maybe you are experiencing a storm. Maybe there are dark clouds in the distance and maybe they are invisible to the eyes. Maybe you sit confused in the wake of a past storm. Have faith! Have faith that God is with you working in His own special way. Maybe God is using the effects of the storm to work His power in a way that is beyond us, to further His kingdom. Through this faith maybe we can pray the words from MercyMe’s song ‘Bring the Rain.’

“Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there’ll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that’s what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain”
- AMEN-

The Joy’s of Youth Ministry

the Skit Guys

I’ve run across the skit guys several times at many Christian events.  I have never seen them but have friends who say they are hilarious.  Tommy Woodard and Eddie James are The Skit Guys. They have been best friends since high school. Think of them as the wise guys in class who had everyone laughing and managed to make a career out of it. They’ve been teaching God’s word using comedy, drama and whatever category talking action figures fit into for over twenty years.  Check them out on their website www.skitguys.com

A friend sent me the following video and I couldn’t resist.

Have you ever noticed that churches seem to go through a lot of youth directors?  Watch this…

Economy of Pastors

I spend every Wednesday morning out of my office at Panera Bread Co. enjoying a bagel, cup of coffee, and different environment to study. While my focus is usually on my next sermon or latest book that I am reading a great by-product of my time are the conversations with other patrons.

A common question I get from business minded individuals is, “How has the economy affected pastors and churches?”

I recently received the following article from a seminary friend. I found it insightful and true to my experience thus far.  Check it out…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/06/from-clergy-shortage-to-c_n_566934.html

The article discusses several issues that are affecting our churches and the economy of pastors.

1. More seminary grads due to economy (when economy is hurting, people go back to school)
2. Giving Down = Less Positions and Budget Cuts
   

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3. Lots of small church openings but lack of living wage make it difficult for pastors to accept a position
4. Many older pastors staying in ministry to recoup their retirement
5. Next 7-10 years we will see a drastic turnaround as Boomers reach retirement age (average # of retirements could triple!)

We live in a constantly changing world, but what do you think?

iPhone Worship

the Famous iPhone

Ever since technology emerged, we have sought ways to bring it into our churches and worship services.  I know some churches allow you to text the pastor questions during the sermon and they are later shown on a screen and addressed, but this next one is new to me.

Check out the following video.  This is yet another reason I feel left out about not having an iPhone or any smart phone for that matter.  A friend showed me this video and it has to be one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while.  Guess I need to trade in my guitar for an iPhone.

Capitalism with a Conscience

I often find myself changing from local news channels because I get tired of all the negative press. If all we watched were local news, I could understand why some have such apocalyptic or negative views of our world. I’ve heard it in expressions such as, “We’re going to hell in a hand basket!”

This morning I find myself in a bread basket. Let me explain. I love to latch on to the positive stories that do make the news from time to time. This morning while sipping my chocolate soy milk (Hey, don’t judge me. I’m a big kid at heart and I’m allergic to dairy!) I was watching my morning dose of Headline News.  My ears perked up at the mention of one of my favorite restaurant chains Panera Bread Company.  Ironically, it is where I’m currently sitting and the place I spend almost every Wednesday morning to have a cup of coffee, bagel, and sit and study.  The news anchor shared the latest story about Panera that is making national news across the board.  Panera recently opened a non-profit restaurant location in Clayton, Mo.  At this new location you find the same menu as any other Panera, but you will see no prices listed.  They are asking customers to pay what they want.  This motto hangs above the deli counter: “Take what you need, leave your fair share.“

Don’t believe me?  Then read the story here: <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/18/nonprofit-panera-restaura_n_580316.html>

Panera has borrowed this model from an already established non-profit restaurant in Salt Lack City that has operated with this very methodology since 2003.  Panera admits that this is an experiment and that if this does not work they will cease, but their willingness to think outside the box and willingness to do more than make money at the expense of their community gives me hope.

In our country we have given capitalism a bad name.  It is often the prominent image portrayed of us in the rest of the world.  Stories of greedy businessmen and corrupt CEOs of all the Enrons do nothing to show the positives of our capitalistic nation.  As

http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/u91/angel_devil.jpg

an American Christian I search for the hope God provides in our world.  Recently I have seen more and more business reflecting a conscience or self awareness of how they impact the world.  Several businesses are seeking ways not only to make money, which we all must do to live, but make a good difference in the world.

My brother is a big fan of Toms Shoes and recently heard the founder of this shoe company speak at a commencement.  The idea behind this business is that when you buy a pair of shoes from them, they donate a second pair to needy children across the world.  Other businesses choose to champion for the environment.  It seems that in some places capitalism can indeed have a conscience.

I find my hope renewed in these stories.  While not everyone that seek to make a positive impact in the world through their business endeavors are not Christian, they do seem to be embracing Christian principles.  Jesus teaches that what we do does matter.  If we look at the Old Testament we even see mandates of old calling for farmers leave anything dropped in their fields and to leave the edges of their fields unharvested so that the less fortunate may gather what they need.

“Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.” -Leviticus 19:10

” ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.’ “ -Leviticus 23:22

In the end the teachings of the bible are still relevant today.  We may not all farm and harvest fields, but these companies with a conscience are finding ways to embrace these Christian ideals in a modern culture.

• How can you think outside the box and help those in need?
• How do you show the world the Love of Christ?  Only in word…or also in deed?

Church Without Walls

What would the church look like without walls?  Many things come to mind when asked this question.  I grew up in my church Sunday school and the little hand motions to the song “Here is the church…here is the steeple…open the doors and heres all the people” come to mind.  What do you think of when I say, church?

I think of steeples.  I imagine Gothic architecture.  I recall uncomfortable pews and aging class rooms.  I spent much of my life in our church and now that I work in a church, I spend more time there than at home.  The sanctuary is a second home for me.  I love to be in it when the room is full, but there is also an amazing feeling to be the only person present.  There is a sense of peaceful holiness.  But what if we were to take all of this away?

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A church building can be a great blessing, but in modern Christianity hasbecome a crutch.  Like most leaders in the church, my heart aches every time we spend more time arguing over building and grounds issues than how we might be better disciples and followers of Jesus.  I’ve come close to tears when I see how complacent we have become in the church building and not only neglect those in need outside the walls but fail to welcome the strangers that walk through our doors.  Ever since the early Church left homes and built cathedrals, our understanding of church has changed.

We can quickly name the benefits to having a church building, but I wonder how often we consider the danger.  That’s right you read correctly…danger!

1. COMPLACENCY - We get comfortable in familiar areas.  When we get comfortable it takes more effort to leave our comfort zone to do the ministry Christ calls us to.  We begin to think evangelism (sharing the good news about the Love of God in Jesus) becomes waiting for people to walk through our doors and NOT going to those in need.  When we get comfortable, we no longer take risks.  Have you become complacent? I’ve been very guilty of this.
2. TERRITORIALISM – When we become complacent we begin to mark our territory.  We have home court advantage in our territory.  The problem with constructing territories is that others become intruders.  If a guest or visitor is even subconsciously considered an intruder they will feel that.  If you spend time studying the ministry of Jesus we begin to see a pattern.  He went to others.  He didn’t run his ministry out of a home base.  He moved around.  Has your church become your territory, a place you feel you have to protect from outsiders?
3. LOSS OF FOCUS - Finally, we begin to lose our focus.  Leaky pipes, building usage, and security issues begin to move to the fore front of all our meetings.  While building maintenance is extremely important and part of being good stewards, we begin to spend more of our time on these issues.  Why?  Because it is an easy fix and has more immediate results than the difficult ministry God calls us to.  Is your building holding you back?

I recently read an article about a pastor who led his congregation to what many church-goers would consider extreme. (read it here http://www.christianindex.org/5010.article)  They wanted to embrace the idea of the church as flesh and blood and NOT bricks and mortar.  The building was holding them back and changing their focus so, they made a change!

I’m not asking other churches to follow their example.  I’m not even sure that is what God wants of every congregation.  However, I do admire the devotion and willingness of this particular congregation to take a risk in the name of Christ.  The Body of Christ is not made of buildings.  The Body of Christ is made up of believers.  The buildings are only a tool we should use, but not hindered by.

I wonder what the world would look like if we could begin to shift our focus and be the Church Without Walls?

Deep Thoughts from a Theologian: Easter

So Easter got me thinking about some very deep theological issues.

My thoughts are as follows:

I'm Late, I'm Late, for a very important date!

Did Jesus have an alarm clock? If not, how else did he know to get up on the 3rd Day?

Maybe the Easter Bunny woke him up!

I hope we can figure this out because I really want to know.

Friends, don’t let these deep theological thoughts keep you up at night!  A theologian needs his/her sleep.

Don’t know what I’m talking about?  Who said religion had to be so serious? Click Here for the thought behind Deep Thoughts from a Theologian

Here are a few other Easter Themed Laughs: (courtesy of www.reverendfun.com)

Blast from the Past: What’s So Good about Good Friday?

It’s that time of year again and even an old posts can be reread…so let’s remember What’s so good about good friday!

Nails & Thorns

http://relevantreverend.wordpress.com/2009/04/10/whats-so-good-about-good-friday/