What's going on?
If i were a betting man...
Friday, January 10, 2014
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Hollowness!
Sometimes I look in the mirror and don’t even recognize the man that stares back at me. I remember coming into this job with assuredness and confidence; now I feel like a hollow man. I taught on the flood this morning. A type of baptism. When the topic of baptism came up one of our elders shared his opinion that baptism was not necessary for salvation. I disagree, but it doesn’t really matter because I said nothing. I think there is a pretty strong leg to stand on when it comes to baptisms necessity for salvation; but that is beside the point. The point is: I said nothing. I shrank back.
When a man comes to the point where his convictions become obsolete what happens to the man? When what a man believes ceases to move him to action; does he really believe them?
I have a friend whose favorite statement is this: “I am not accountable to the church; but to Christ!” Sounds good to me but I wonder what happened to my backbone. I miss it. I am turning into the very person that my friend refuses to be!
It spills over to the other aspects of my life. The youth ministry under my leadership is suffering because I am not the man who will stand up and say something. Those that are counting on me to tell them about Christ are hindered because of my passivity. I am turning into the man I never said I would become.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
KNOW SWEAT DETAILS
Departure time: 7:00 a.m. on Monday Morning; July 4 from CPCC
Return time: 10:30 p.m. on Friday, July 8 to CPCC
What to Bring: 5 days worth of clothes (especially clothes that can get dirty; Shorts must have a 6" inseam [CIY rules]); 1 pair of old shoes or work boots (you cannot wear sandals at the worksite); Toiletries/towel; swimsuit to wear under clothes for rafting; medications; Sun screen; a water bottle; sleeping bag/pillow or blankets; Bible; notebook and pen; Money for 3 meals on the road.
A couple things for you to think about:
--Boys, we are asking the girls not to wear tank tops or cut offs per the rules of CIY; therefore I think it would be upright and fair for us to not wear them either. I know you own 5 shirts with sleeves so please bring them! Let's try to serve our sisters in Christ by not causing an issue over wearing sleeves (seems like a small price to pay)!
--I have packed alarm clocks (15 of them) so you don't need your cell phones to wake you up in the morning. Any equipment that you bring has the opportunity to be lost or stolen. I am setting up this week so that you don't need to bring them. Please do so at your own risk!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Love Wins Chapter 2
So I actually read this chapter a couple weeks ago but I was really struggling with it. I wanted to postpone blogging until I had a better grasp of it.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Love Wins Chapter 1
Some of you will call for my head! Others will look to me for a judgement! Others still will denounce me as a heretic, but for you, my adoring fans, I am writing this for you!
In the face of current and past warnings, I am reading the book "Love Wins" by Rob Bell.
I got the emails (21 of them to be precise) warning me of this heresy! I have read the blogs that warn of the dangers of this book so I thought I would check it out myself.
I want to blog after every chapter just to make sure that I am interacting with this book. So you will get to see my thoughts here. I am going into this with an open mind so I am asking for some latitude from you if I don't denounce this book quickly enough.
The Theme of chapter 1 is this: Rob Bell is confused and he wants the rest of us confused as well!
Rob is not really asking any new questions. My jr. high students every week fill out cards with prayer requests and any questions they have so that I can pray for them and answer their questions. Not one of the questions Rob posses in chapter 1 is something that I don't see on those cards! Do babies who die go to heaven? Do people who have never heard the gospel go to heaven? Can you fall away from the faith? Are you saved by faith or deeds or a combination? It all centered around a high school atheist who died in a car accident. Upon his death someone said that there was now no hope for him. Bell countered with "No hope? Is that what Jesus offers this world?" (3) I think Rob took the question too far...Jesus offers hope to the world but we just have to accept it...while we are alive!
The other confusing aspect to Rob is: How exactly are you saved? baptism? sinners prayer? righteousness? Rob brings together texts from all over the New Testament showing salvation in various ways (speech [Luke 7; Luke 18; Luke 23]; being born agian [John 3]; being worthy [Luke 20]; forgiving others [Matt 6]; do the will of the father [Matt 7]; Stand firm [Matt 10]; saying what we will do [Luke 19]; someone else's faith [Mark 2]; being married to the right person [1 Cor. 7]; or giving birth [1 Tim 2]; asking the right questions [Acts 22]; being born to the right nation [Romans 11]).
Im not real sure that all of these texts are talking about "salvation" issues necessarily, but it is awful early and he said he would explain them later. What bothers Bell most is that Salvation seems to not be as cut and dry as he would like it (which a study of conversion in Acts will show you that it is difficult to put it into a formula but has some major themes to it). When I was interviewing at CPCC the longest discussion we had during the process was about baptism. I grew up in a church where baptism was a necessity. When one of the elders was reading through the bylaws of the church the question of whether baptism was needed for salvation came up. I thought so. We discussed for probably 15 minutes about it. The thief on the cross was the dominant point. I would argue that he was more an exception that the rule. I think we just moved topics letting that one rest.
Bell's goal is to raise questions about these issues: How are we saved and who gets saved? Rob is frustrated...and as his way he wants the rest of us frustrated too! My mind is still open and he promises to answer these questions in the next couple chapters!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Upcoming April 2011
A couple cool Opportunities Central Park Students and Parents::
April 13 – Family Fun Night for Jr. High Students and their parents
April 17 – Bike Night! This is an outreach for the neighborhood where we will invite kids to bring their bikes over to the church to air up tires; learn bike safety; and make sure their bikes are in working order for the summer. It is an opportunity for our high school students to give back a little of their time. I am accepting any old bikes or trashed bikes that anyone in the church has to part out and also donations to get intertubes and other necessary items to make this work!
April 22 – Seder! – The Passover meal was the ultimate picture of what Jesus did for us on the Cross. Come to the church on Friday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. and we will reconstruct and experience our own CPCC Passover meal…(caution: Not a full meal; Eat first!)
Monday, February 28, 2011
The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make
The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make by Hans Finzel