Our youth group rang bells at the Red Kettle for The Salvation Army, this past Saturday evening. It was a new experience for some. I am hoping they are learning about giving back to others in need. You can view some other photos of us at the kettle at our Flickr account, http://www.flickr.com/photos/saylakeland.
Our youth group had a Christmas party at Kelly and Leon's house. We had a good time, with a bon-fire, food and a few games. The kids just enjoyed hanging out with each other.
This is a great video I actually found on relevantmagazine.com. The song has to do with peer pressure and doing things to be liked by those around you. It is important to remember, as the song states, "Be who you are made to be, papa is so mighty pleased with thee."
I produced this video for a Christmas musical celebration that had for its theme "Who Is He?"
Our Youth Group spent an hour prayer walking through our local mall this past Sunday evening. It was a different experience for them. I am not sure there was full cooperation, but I think it was the beginnings of them learning to think about others.
This past Friday night was Jimmy's last football game for Marching Band this year. He has really enjoy it. He loves playing his trumpet and hanging out with friends.
This past week I had a chance to visit with Drew at school and have lunch with him to celebrate him becoming Student of The Month for his class. Every year he has been in school he has been given that honor at least once during the year. As his mom would say, "What a good boy!"
Drew and I had a great evening fun together, this past Sunday. We had an opportunity to go to see Terry Faytor the winner of the most recent America's Got Talent competition. As you know Drew is currently into ventriloquism and Terry is wonderful at it. It was a great show and a wonderful evening. The picture above is Drew with a sock puppet he purchased that evening.
He's growing up. It continues to be a fast first year in High School with a lot of first for Jimmy. This is a photo of Jimmy with friends he has had since elementary school. They and a few others went to homecoming together as a group.
It has been some time since I last had a chance to blog. Things have gotten pretty busy, since I have taken on responsibility for Youth Pastor at our church. Also, Jimmy's schedule, now that he is a freshman in high school, has gotten really busy and is running Elyshia and I ragged. However, I am really enjoying the role of Youth Pastor and very much like hanging out with the youth of our church. It is refreshing. This past Sunday evening we had a chance to go bowling. It was a blast.
I found this video on GodTube.com. It is a great dramatic dance that speaks of God's willingness to take on our transgressions and free us from sin.
It finally happened. I had an opportunity to share the saving grace of Jesus with Joe.
Joe is a guy I met about 5 months ago, while hanging out at Panera Bread one morning. He is small business owner and we have had a number of conversations regarding business and life in general. This past Monday morning, while at Panera for my usual plain bagel and coffee, I was reading through a youth games book in preparation for our upcoming youth group meeting at our church. When he entered the cafe, he came over and sat down and asked what I was reading. I told him about my involvement as a youth leader at our church. That is when he began to ask me about my church and our beliefs. It was a perfect opportunity to share with him Christ sacrifice for us and the redemption that is possible through his shed blood.
Joe, informed me that "he believed in the Lord", but that his experience with the church was not a good one. Therefore he didn't attend anywhere, but knew that he should. His continued conversation with me about his experiences shed light on a perfect example of another person who has be disenfranchised with the church and most Christians.
What is great about our relationship and this opportunity is the fact that our spiritual conversations have begun with his questioning. It began with a relationship that the Lord had established. Joe is interested and I am praying that his interest will continue as we have further conversations.
W. S. Badcock executives on set during show rehearsals.
Jimmy and Drew at Turner Field prior to a Braves game.
Drew and Jimmy at Dave & Busters.I found this story at www.ordinaryattempts.org. It is a great website which relates ordinary attempts in our every day lives to present the love of Christ to others.
Red Tomatoes
08.27.2007 /
A sweet lady I know worked at our office for 41 years before she retired, although I have only known her for 17 of those years. She is a strong, vibrant little lady with a lot spunk and curly, silver hair. I always got along well with her, and was secretary of her department for several years before she retired.
When I was notified by another co-worker that she had had a heart attack, I didn’t hesitate to ask where I could go and visit her and my friend arranged with me to go during our lunch to visit her at a local hospital. She was scheduled to have an angioplasty and if that didn’t go well, she would have to have open heart surgery.
We arrived at the hospital where they were so over-crowded that they didn’t have a room for her. They had her in a temporary holding area, and she lay there with IVs and various monitoring lines attached to her. In order to get to her bedside I had to step over about half a dozen electrical cords just to get to her side. Then, I grabbed her hand and asked her how she was doing.
The first thing that I noticed was how scared she was. In all the time I’d known her, I had never really seen any fear, but it was very present on that day. We chatted for a while as she outlined what was coming that afternoon. I finally got up the courage to ask if she would like me to pray with her. As soon as I said it, I was sure that I had done the right thing because she gratefully asked me to do so. I said the best prayer that I could while holding her hand and then wished her well, and that afternoon she came through the angioplasty just fine. She suffered a setback later that week, and I had our prayer group meet twice to pray for her. More people came than have ever come to our prayer group.
A week ago, the door to our offices suddenly opened and in walked a somewhat tired and slightly more feeble familiar face, but a welcome one all the same. She wasn’t quite restored to her former self, but she was certainly better than the last time I had seen her. She stepped forward and offered me a clear plastic bag full of homegrown, beautiful, red tomatoes. As she did so, she explained that it was her way to show her thanks for the prayers and the visit in the hospital. She told me how much she appreciated it.
I hugged her and thanked her over and over for the wonderful gift, and later wondered if it was my imagination or had those really been the sweetest tomatoes that I had ever tasted?
Some of our youth getting ready for the water balloon relay.
Jimmy on his first of soccer season this year.
Jimmy having breakfast before his first day of high school.
Drew headed off to his first day as big man on campus.
Talent acting out scene for a Sleuth style video regarding Inventory Control.
Talent during scene for a Sleuth style video regarding Inventory Control.
Michelle Marin as Tara in the short film Belong.Taken from www.churchrelevance.com.
Eric Michael Bryant of Mosaic Church (Los Angeles, CA) recently wrote a book called Peppermint-Filled Piñatas that discusses what it takes to be a church that offers sincere love. Highlights from the book include:
For far too long, the world has been made aware of what we as Christians hate rather than whom we love.Peppermint-Filled Piñatas offers insight into how to minister with love and reach people who are economically, ethnically, religiously, politically, or morally different than you. It is about breaking through tolerance and embracing love, and I found it to be both challenging and refreshing.
Me shooting a sequence at the Southern Wine and Spirits distribution facility.
Joe and Jessie look over a shot at Southern Wine and Spirits distribution facility.As many of you may know, I am a part owner in a film/video production company. We do a number of corporate projects throughout the year that keep us pretty busy. On occasion we produce a video project for a few human service agencies in our area. For the past three years now we have produce a promotional video for an agency that works with physically and mentally challenge persons.
As we spend the morning hours of today video taping at this agency, I found myself having a number of mixed emotions. It started off not so bad, as we began interviewing some of the clients who were able to somewhat communicate to us. But at one point during the day we moved into a portion of the facility where it was obvious those with more debilitating issues where being housed for the day. As I entered I began to have this really deep gnawing in my stomach. I literally felt sick. I was definitely out of my comfort zone here. While the handicapped persons here were being kept active by doing some artwork, crafts, coloring, puzzles, etc., it really seemed to me that they were just huddled here out of the way of society, so that people like me wouldn't be bothered. And honestly, I did not want to be there. Some of them were doing their own thing. Others appeared to be really enjoying the company of friends they had made. I must tell you I was totally depressed.
But, here is were the cool part comes. About this time, into the room enters Barbara. Our crew had noticed Barbara a little earlier in the day in the administrative offices of the facility. Barbara, an older mentally challenged woman, was touring the facility with her parents to determine if the program might be a good match for her. She entered the room noticed by only a few of those gathered there. For a short time,the staff member talked with Barbara and her parents about the activities taking place. Then it happened. The moment that made my day and one I will soon not forget. The staff member took the opportunity to introduce Barbara to everyone seated in the room. She simply stated that Barbara might begin attending the center. At that announcement, the room burst into applause. It was then that Barbara's face lit up with a grin from ear to ear. As she jumped up and down, I quite frankly was moved to tears for a brief moment. In the mist of a place that seemed joyless and uncomfortable to me, grace was happening.
That simple point in time helped me to remember that we all have a need to be accepted and loved, no matter who we are. It is our ability to be merciful to others that will bring them joy and Christ endless love brings for them hope.
I found the following article on christianitytoday.com. It is a great read about mercy, grace and how we view the inability of others as well as ourselves.
Stumbling After Jesus
The Christian life was never meant to be a cakewalk.
Stan Guthrie | posted 7/10/2007 09:06AM
Recently, my eight-year-old son left Sunday school frowning. It seems a couple of his classmates had been making fun of me. (I have moderate cerebral palsy, a birth condition that causes my erratic gait.) That afternoon, I sat down with him over clear plastic cups, each filled with two scoops of Reese's ice cream, and asked if he was embarrassed. No, he was angry. I took a deep breath. At me? At God? No, at them. "What did you say to them?" I asked. "'If you do it again,'" he repeated, "'I'll tell your dads!'"
The innate cruelty of children needs no documentation. And their loud questions, stares, and snickering are almost to be expected when they see me wobble across a room. Little materialists, they cannot grasp how God might be working in and through me. My son, however, probably taught his two fellow Sunday schoolers something of the fierce but unseen love of a boy for his father.
Would I be happier without this physical disability? That's like asking a kid if he would like to ride a bike, play Little League baseball, or be on the swim team—all activities that I was denied while growing up in an otherwise active family. The answer is obvious. But there's a deeper question that our happiness-pursuing society too often overlooks: Would I be better off?
It used to be that children with handicaps were hidden away or left to die; in some parts of the world, they still are. Perfection was the ideal. Then, as we became more enlightened, we accepted them, as Joni Eareckson Tada says, as normal parts of an abnormal, fallen world. With this awareness came wheelchair ramps, reserved, extra-wide parking spaces, and federal laws designed to "level the playing field." However, having a disabled child still entailed sacrifice, most of which was bequeathed to parents. Well before the Americans with Disabilities Act, my mother was going toe-to-toe with school officials, advocating for my welfare.
I'd like to think that the disabled soften the sharp edges of society, teach us kindness and humility, force us to look upward, and pull us away—if only temporarily—from our besetting narcissism. I believe my kids are learning tolerance and mercy, not because of anything I say or do, but merely through my unsteady presence.
But just when we think we have reached the pinnacle of compassion, the old urge for physical perfection rears its well-coiffed head. And with the bright, shiny tools of science, we now possess the means to pursue it. Amniocentesis allows mothers to know whether the children they carry have Down syndrome. Those who choose to bring their less-than-perfect sons and daughters into the world—stamped though they might be with God's image—are looked upon as oddballs or, worse, irresponsible religious fanatics.
The recent case of the late Emilio Gonzalez—a 19-month-old deaf, blind, and terminally ill child in Texas, whose parents had to fight to keep the hospital from pulling the plug because caring for him was deemed "medically futile"—should remind us how quickly society can turn on the weak and defenseless. Why allow all that suffering? And why inconvenience the rest of us?
With pre-implantation genetic testing, human embryo banks, and cloning, soon there will be no need to struggle or suffer.
I worry about our society's desire to engineer trials out of existence. Sometimes, even we who decry the health-and-wealth gospel forget that the Christian life was never meant to be a cakewalk, that discipleship requires suffering, and that spiritual victory presupposes struggle. Jesus, perfect man though he was, understood disability through bitter experience. Carrying the burdensome cross on the way to his execution, Jesus publicly stumbled and fell—a humiliation many of us "differently abled" are all too familiar with. Yet we continue to shrink from disability. Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert has been battling cancer in his right jaw, along with advice from friends who say he should not attend his own film festival because of the way people would react to his gauze neck bandage and drooping jaw. Ebert will have none of it, noting, "We spend too much time hiding illness."
No, disability is not good in itself. Jesus never celebrated affliction (though he did tell us to rejoice when we suffer persecution for being his disciples). Defeating the ugly shadows of life with the light of his coming kingdom, Jesus healed the lame, gave sight to the blind, and preached Good News to the poor. As Christians seek to be like him, we must not abhor those who suffer nor fear the trials that inevitably come our way. They are, to borrow an old phrase, means of grace.
Only through suffering, disappointment, and death—and the rude remarks of children—are we weaned from the love of this world. There's more to life than happiness.
I had an interesting experience this past Saturday. One that I am sure does not happen to most people. I had the opportunity to attend a wedding in the morning and in the afternoon I attended a marriage renewal of vows for a couple that had been married for twenty years.
First of all the morning wedding was pretty much boring, with little excitement. Even the bride and groom did not appear to be enjoying themselves that much. Here was a couple who were getting ready to spend the rest of their lives together, not really knowing what they were getting into, and they didn't seem very happy.
The afternoon renewal of vows was really cool. Here is a couple who have lived their lives together for over twenty years through the good and the bad. The joy that filled the grooms smile was evident to all as his bride walked down the isle. There was excitement, joy, and love throughout.
It was just a great day to see the contrast in the two events and to be reminded that true love grows from having lived beside one another and remaining faithful to a commitment made years before.
I just finished reading a really good book written by Phil Vischer entitled Me, Myself, & Bob. Most of you would know Phil as the creator of VeggieTales. The book goes into great detail about the rise and fall of Big Idea Productions, the company that created all of the wonderful VeggieTale products we have come to know and love. The book was an interesting read. Since I am in the film/video production business, it was all the more interesting to me.
The part I enjoyed most was his final thoughts on lessons learned from his experiences. As I read through this part of the book I began to realize just how much like Phil I am. I too have live by the philosophy of "God can't steer a parked car". I am simply the type of person that must remain busy. Usually it involves something that I feel will be of service to God and the world around me. Not bad things, just sometimes things to keep me occupied. Like Phil, as I look back now, perhaps a good number of these things are my "vision" and not God's "revelation". Again like Phil, perhaps it is because I am too busy to listen to what God has for me to do. By my doing, I find my self telling God what his will for me is.
Lessons learned for me:
Live in the moment.
Continually, allow God to reveal his desire for me and move in that direction.
God is not as concerned with results as he is obedience.
Thanks, Phil.
Lakeland Storm Basketball League Championship Game
Me with some boys from my Bible class at FMI
Evening Vespers service at FMI
Burn Band at FMI
Gavin and Drew in the water at Barnett Park.OK, maybe I am not as hip as I originally thought. I came to this conclusion today when I went to get my hair cut.
It had been some time since I had gotten my hair cut and it was driving me crazy. So, I went to my usual place. When I got there my usual girl was not in for the day. I looked around and the only person available was this very young and very pierced girl with purple hair. My options at this point where to turn around and come back another day, which I didn't want to do, or stay and let my new friend have at it. I opted for the later.
As she began, I was very nervous about it and somewhat uncomfortable in my conversation with her (realizing we had very little in common). However, the longer I sat there I began to think about my uneasiness and wondered why I was feeling this way about the situation. I mean she was a professional, right? Plus, in spiritual terms, she wasn't much different than me. Was I somehow revealing my prejudice against people who aren't like me? I lead worship on Sunday mornings and talk about how Christ was accepting of all persons and the need for us to do the same. Yet, here I was pre-judging this poor girl.
The reality is that she ended up being what seemed like a very nice person (as if I am the jury on that) and did a great job with my cut. I continue to learn things about my self, from the smallest of moments.
This is a great article on Gen Y and some of their thoughts on religion. I found the article at mondaymorninginsight.com.
We had several surprises during a recent interview at Starbucks with “Katie” and “Josh” (twentysomething siblings). During an unplanned discussion comparing Gen X with the burgeoning popularity of Gen Y, for example, Katie described her cohort in these stark words: “we’re not likeable.” I probably surprised her with my comment that a lot of Boomers I’ve met (not all) would agree with that assessment, and that we are in general planning on “skipping” X’ers from here on out to concentrate on Millennials. Our conversation careened into another subject from there. Katie described three spiritual subcultures she has observed in age group (her own) that has witnessed the “dark side of church”...
1. Hokey Christians: These believers are heavily invested in the pop culture side of conservative evangelicalism and can be spotted easily at the mall wearing “Jesus” T-shirts featuring logos borrowed from the Sopranos or Reece’s Pieces. For Katie and Josh, this subculture regards Jesus as a “homeboy,” but lives the faith out cartoon-style, heavy on affectations, lite on the substance.
2. Bitter Christians: Harmed by the misuse of authority in local congregations, these disciples have just seen too much. Pain and disappointment have led them to declare a sort of spiritual free agency. Still devoted to Jesus, they recoil at the way the Church becomes a vehicle for the exercise of personal power. To this person, the idea of a purpose-driven life seems like just another infomercial.
3. Non-Christians: These young adults will “consider themselves spiritual,” but have minimal interest in what evangelicals have to offer. Their preference for the open architecture of compound spiritualities (those formed by personal choice from a menu of options) seems to immunize them against our standard Sunday morning offering. Katie noted that, “you can’t reach them with anything like church.” In contrast, she recalled a backyard pig roast (which Jan and I attended) that used the simple grace of hospitality to pack the place with her unbelieving neighbors.
These subcultures are fairly well-known to all of us. But then came another surprise: Josh commented that his friends may live in all three subcultural envelopes at different times (or perhaps simultaneously), moving through them like phases. They start with that “church camp feeling,” but drift toward the unbelieving end, and then may drift back again.
I concluded from Josh’s observation that at least some young adult spirituality is less of a static state of mind and more of a more of a floating experience of faith.
Some of this trait is doubtless a product of the pre-adult life phase, but that doesn’t change the responsibilities of Christian leaders to connect with them. The three subcultures Katie and Josh described are not destinations; they are pit stops which may be visited and revisited over and over. This kind of spiritual journey does not fit neatly into our programs and events.
It is inconvenient. And the temptation for leaders will be to focus mainly on those whose faith (or lack of it) fits more efficiently into our ministry molds, or to use power on the inconvenient until they assume the shape that we desire.
Katie asked the defining question in this regard: “We are kind of like a cross between doubting Thomas and Judas. We may betray you…We are not sure we believe…We are not sure we believe you…but will you accept us?”
About the Author: Earl Creps has spent several years visiting congregations that are attempting to engage emerging culture. He directs doctoral studies for the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri (http://www.agts.edu). Earl and his wife Janet have pastored three churches, one Boomer, one Builder, and one GenX. He speaks, trains, and consults with ministries around the country. Earl’s book, Off-Road Disciplines: Spiritual Adventures of Missional Leaders, was published by Jossey-Bass/Leadership Network in 2006. Connect with Earl at http://www.earlcreps.com .
Another busy weekend in the Carleton household. We spent the early morning hours of Saturday heading to Brandon for Jimmy's first Super Y League match, his Flames FC vs. Florida Soccer Alliance. Jimmy played very well during his first league match. He scored the first goal of the game (which was also his teams first goal of the season). The match ended in a 4-4 draw.
After the match we headed back to Lakeland where we attended Ben's 15th birthday celebration at Lake Hollingsworth. The above picture is of Drew just prior to his first ever tubing experience behind a boat. His words after riding, "That was awesome!" You can see more photos at my Flickr account.
On the way home from Ben's party we stop for a moment to walk through the Mayfair art exhibits around Lake Morton. It was a fun time looking at some nice artwork.
Sunday morning we head to church. It was Mother's Day and we celebrated our mothers and their example of faithfulness. After that, we rushed back to Brandon for another Super Y match against Clearwater International. Jimmy played very well again, and his team easily took the match 7-0.
Wow, I am tired.
This picture is of Jimmy and his girlfriend Taylor at his Academic Achievement Awards. Jimmy received an award for maintaining a 3.9 GPA for the year. You can check out a couple more pictures from the event at my Flickr account.
The following article was taken from Christianity Today's blog. As person in the industry I found it an interesting shift in thinking by some "Christian" film makers.
The pros and cons of Hollywood marketing more movies at Christians.
Films have been a popular subject on Out of Ur. That might seem odd for a blog devoted to issues facing church leaders. But in recent years films have become a testing ground for evangelical engagement with popular culture—a topic ripe with implications for our philosophy of ministry and approach to mission.
Our colleagues at Christianity Today Movies have a thought provoking article about the lucrative niche market for Christian films. Some of Hollywood’s evangelical insiders gathered for a conference in Los Angeles recently to discuss the trend, and CT’s Jeffery Overstreet was there. His full report can be read on the CT Movies site, but we’ve included a few excerpts below.
It is a complicated, difficult, exciting time for Christians involved in movies, TV, and digital media. As Hollywood rushes to capitalize on money to be made in the "faith market," each of the panel's experts has been caught up in the action.
The panelists agreed that Christians must overcome many challenges in order to make faith an acceptable topic in American art and entertainment again. But how should Christians go about that? And are these new "faith-based entertainment" divisions at major studios going to help us?
Some envision the Christian film industry following the trend of Christian music—an industry whose products are largely produced by Christians, for Christians.
Even if Christian filmmakers produce powerful movies, they face difficult choices about how to proceed. Should they allow their projects to be swept up by the new faith-based media divisions and marketed primarily to churchgoers? Or do they want to fight for a mainstream spotlight alongside Hollywood's heavy hitters?
The idea of marketing "faith-based" entertainment specifically to Christians has inspired a wave of new "niche market" ideas, many of which were discussed by conference guests. Some even spoke about the possibility of a new movie theater chain: separate cinemas for Christians, built within churches.
This would represent an interesting shift for Hollywood. Up to now big-budget productions have been marketed through churches as an outreach tool. Films like The Passion of the Christ, Narnia, and even The DaVinci Code were pushed on pastors with the promise that the church could leverage the film to advance its own mission to spread the good news. But films developed strictly for Christians—do we need that? Apparently we do.
"We live in a world of niche content," says Cooke. "We have outdoors channels, gay channels, women's channels, men's channels, sports channels, movie channels. There's no reason in the world that the Christian audience should not be a niche market. If people feel called to make stuff for an explicitly Christian audience, I say 'Go for it.'"
McKay sees value in entertainment designed specifically for the churchgoing audience. "There's still a market to write movies that only Christians will enjoy. And what's wrong with that? Christians need entertainment, too."Read the rest of "Christians as a 'Niche' Market?" here, and share your thoughts with us.
For lack of a better term, we had a NFocus corporate family retreat a few weekends ago at Innisbrook. Basically, our families stayed over for sometime together following a Publix event the night before. It was a fun little break for us all. Maybe this is the start of an annual volleyball game for us. (left to right: Jimmy, Drew, Joe, Ben, Jim, Rob, I think Mac is hidden behind Joe). You can check out a few more images from the game at my Flickr account.
We had a great day today at our church. Ed spoke a great word to us as we looked at the importance of our church the body of Christ - an interdependent and unique group united with the purpose of sharing His light. May it be so in me this week.
We had a great day this past Sunday at our Church. Ed gave a wonderful message on the "Purpose Of The Resurrection". Christ resurrection gives power to the believer and hope to the unbeliever.
My greatest point during the day came somewhere between the Lima Bean greenhouses and the Songsters beautiful rendition of Here, Am I. It was during the praise teams leading of That's Why We Praise Him, when I looked down and saw two very young girls dancing to the music. It was great.
Today, may I be empowered by His resurrection to dance with joy.
This blog actually comes from my missionary friend Jennifer in China. You can keep up with her via her blog at http://www.xanga.com/jenmusic.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Good news - it's 75 degrees right now!!! I was outside earlier, wearing sunglasses (that gets even more stares, BTW) and enjoying the sunshine. I really wish I could post pictures, you should see this. It's beautiful when spring comes to our little corner of China.
So the other day I was walking to meet some students for lunch, and something happened. It's happened before, but every time it does it's really strange. I was walking along, listening to my iPod and looking around, when all of the sudden I thought, "I live in China! I live in China? No way! That's the weirdest thing I've ever heard!" That's pretty much the internal monologue, verbatim.
Does that ever happen to anyone else, when you're somewhere and doing something and you think, "This is impossible. I can't really be a mother/work in an office/be a clown for Ringling Brothers/insert your choice here"? It's so bizarre when that happens.
But it's not a bad thing, I think. Aside from the momentary disorientation, it was good to be reminded of the privilege and excitement of living and working in China. I remember when I first came and just stared at all the signs in Chinese, and now it's so commonplace I barely look anymore. Well, I'm looking again, and feeling the wonder I felt when I first came. I'm very thankful that Father refreshes us when we need to be refreshed, and sometimes it happens just by remembering where he has put us.
Have a great day - zaijian!
I had a great time at this past weekend's Men's Camp. There were over 500 men in attendance this year. I haven't been to the camp in over 5 years, so it was good to get back and fellowship with some of the men. I am a little sore today from the sports activities. This picture is of some of the Lakeland gang that went. You can check out a few other photos from the weekend by going to my Flickr account.
My company's feature film project is now into full swing in its development stage. With the script being finalized, we are now beginning to seek funding for the $1.2 million project. We are also beginning to develop the casting and crew list. Fortunately, we already have interest from a couple of distribution companies. Check out the trailer and website at www.enduremovie.com.
I got this article from Beliefnet.com. Great idea for a study location. Meet with them where they are.
Here are a couple of images from our recent Open Air meeting in Munn Park during Holy Week. It was great to have a number of elementary school classes in the park having Easter Egg Hunts at the time. They enjoyed the music of the band and we had a wonderful opportunity to present the Gospel to them.
You can check out a few more images from the Open Air meeting at the link to my Flickr account on the right-hand column of this site.
I am sitting here in Panera Bread having a bagel and coffee. I should be on my way to work. But, after a long and busy weekend with Holy Week activities and Easter services. I need a break. Panera has somewhat become my oasis during the week.
As I am sitting here, I have observed a small boy and his mother who frequent Panera often. I have seen them a number of times, when I stop by. This morning the boy is really showing himself (most parents will know what I mean by this). It has become a spectacle for the whole crowd seated near them.
However, what has become even more interesting for me is the comments from the retired couple seated near me, as they offer suggestion for how they would handle the situation. They obviously have an opinion. Granted, I have one too.
This whole situation has reminded me how easily we see faults in other people and how they respond to life. It is so easy for us to be critical of others. Yet, we usually don't see our own short comings. My scripture reading for the morning says, "I have blotted out your transgressions and your sins like mist.." (Isaiah 44:22). Thank God for that. I have many shortcomings, but God still loves me and forgives. May I see the good in others and be reminded of my humanity.
What a great day yesterday at our church. The worship team set went really well. Everyone seamed to enjoyed watching the short video entitled "That's My King". The Songsters had a wonderful presentation of "Prayer Prelude". And Ed gave a great sermon on making Jesus' Kingship reign in us.
While this was going on at our church, some 20 or so of our youth were attending our state-wide youth councils. Our son Jimmy said that it was a very good weekend. He really enjoyed it. However, there is one issue regarding this weekend that Elyshia and I had specifically talked about with Jimmy, prior to the weekend. We had actually talked with him about it separately on more than one occasion and spoke with him about it together just before he left for the weekend. The issue is that of the "Call to Full Time Ministry" that we knew would occur on Sunday morning during the worship time. Every year at youth councils there is a moment when they ask the young people if they feel they have been called to full-time ministry as a Salvation Army Officer (Pastor). Elyshia and I both know, from experience, that many young people respond at the time, due to emotions of the moment. In our conversations with Jimmy prior to youth councils we with him talked about the importance of that decision and that it is one that should not be taken lightly. We also mentioned that perhaps he might be too young to begin making life-long decisions at this point. Basically, we told him not to respond at this time. Actually, last year at Youth Councils, I was a chaperon, and when the invitation came to respond to the "Call", Jimmy started to head up to the stage and I basically told him to sit down.
So, as you would guess, upon Jimmy's return from the weekend one of our first questions to him was, "Did you go forward during the invitation for the 'Call to Officership'?" He said yes. At which point his mom and I both just looked at each other. So, he responded either due to the emotion of the moment or God really is calling him to serve full-time. Either way he didn't listen to his mom or me. In this instance, maybe that is not a bad thing.
Jimmy playing soccer with some locals, during his recent missions trip to Jamaica. You can view more photos from his trip, looking at the Jim's Photos section of my blog on the right hand column.
Drew with Elyshia, sporting his new US Soccer jersey, during the United States vs Ecuador match at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, on March 25. The US won the friendly 3-1.
I was doing a little gardening today. Actually, I was pruning some azalea bushes. Now, seeing that it is spring time and I am pruning some azalea bushes, you would immediately know that I know very little about gardening and don’t do a good job with what little I do know. I think you are actually suppose to prune azalea bushes in the fall. At least that would be my guess. But these hadn’t been pruned for a number of years and they were looking very bad and producing a very little amount of flowering.
As I was doing the pruning, I began to think about how what I was doing was very similar in nature to the managing of relationships and in particular the parenting of my boys.
First of all, I know very little about gardening. While I would like to believe I am a good parent and I do the best I can, it often occurs to me that I don’t really know what I am doing. I don’t have all of the answers. I move from situation to situation with a sense of managing each issue and encounter with my boys as though “I have never been here before but I’ll figure it out as I go”. Sure, I’ll read a book, glean what I can from it and give it 100%. But, I approach each major issue with them really just relying on God’s guidance and some pretty good advice from Elyshia. The bottom line however is I am no expert.
Second, gardening should be constant. There was a movie a while back entitled “The Constant Gardener”. I never saw it, but I think it has a great title. As I was working in my garden, I realized that this should have been done a while back. If it had, the bushes may not have been in as bad a shape as they were. Gardens need continual care. I don’t think I parent continually. Sure I am there with them as much as I possibly can be. But, am I parenting? How often am I teaching them life lessons? When do I work with them on maturing their relationship with their Heavenly Father? How much time do I spend challenging them to grow in the relationships around them? How often has my inconsistency wounded them?
Finally, pruning hurts. I had planted those azalea bushes almost 12 years ago. I don’t recall ever giving them a good pruning over that time period. As I began to really prune them back, it was painful for me. I didn’t want to see the plant shrink or lose what little flowers it had. But, as we all know it was necessary. Parenting is sometimes painful. It would be easy and less painful sometimes to just let my boys grow on their own, unattended. However, in the long run the result could be much more painful.
Lord, help me to do the best job possible with the limited knowledge I have. May I be constant in my love and instruction and may it be done with as little pain as possible.
What a great day yesterday in our church as we celebrated Jesus The Promised Messiah.
We had a Missionary Moment where we prayed for missions work throughout the globe and then sent off five of our young people in prayer, as they will leave for four days in Jamaica this coming week. My prayers will be with them throughout this week, especially since one of them is my own son. May God use them, challenge them and bless them during their time there.
Our central message for the day was taken from Mark 8:27-30. A familiar passage where Jesus ask Peter, "who do you say I am?". Our pastor, Ed Lee, made the point that this question is a question of conviction, who is Jesus to us? Wow, a powerful question. If he is our Messiah, Saviour, Redeemer, than how are we to respond to Him and how are we to live out our lives?
I just finished reading the following article in the recent issue of Leadership Journal. It reminded me of the many conversations Elyshia (my wonderful wife) and I have had regarding our boys (13 and 10 years of age).
We have longed for a youth group in our church that would challenge our boys standing in Christ. One that would strengthen them for live. As we recently searched (forever) for a new Youth Pastor for our church we prayer for someone that would challenge our boys to be missional minded. That they would look at the world around them with love and seek to provide solutions for injustices. When their faith would be challenged, they would know how to respond, because they have been grounded in their relationship with Christ. We do our best at home to help our boys respond to life in light of these things, but help from a group of peers in this matter is always helpful.
This article, stresses the importance of youth ministries that are serious.
Youth Ministry Gets Serious
Conventional wisdom says teens don't like church because they find it boring. So they must be lured in with entertainment. Apparently, that strategy failed. A study published the Barna Group shows 61 percent of American twentysomethings attended church as teens but no longer attend, read the Bible, or pray.
"The point (was) not to do anything too weighty that would turn kids off," Chanon Ross, youth director at Knox Presbyterian Church in Naperville, Illinois, said, challenging the concept in an essay titled "Jesus Is Not Cool." The old goal was to "keep it light; keep it fun … while simultaneously conveying a positive, family-friendly alternative to things like MTV." Ross blames this for the exodus. In that environment, "teens don't need Jesus to be crucified and raised from the dead in order to have positive outcomes and pursue family-friendly alternatives to MTV."
Even more alarming, many teens are now unable to differentiate between the gospel and the pop-culture box they receive it in. In Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, authors Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton identify most church teens as "at best only tenuously Christian." Instead of worshiping the holy God of the Bible, most teens follow "a combination Divine Butler and Cosmic Therapist"—someone to solve their problems and ensure happiness. They call this belief system "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism," and claim it is rampant among American teenagers.
Going Hard Core
To reverse the trend, Time reports some churches are focusing more on teaching. Ben Calmer vetoed the purchase of a pool table after he became youth pastor of Shoreline Christian Center in Austin, Texas. The teens don't seem to miss the entertainment, as attendance doubled to 160 in the 18 months Calmer has been on the job.
When Chris Reed failed to convert a single student during a 12-month span as youth pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Bellflower, California, he decided to make a change. Reed restructured his program around heavier doses of doctrine and adult mentoring. Youth rolls expanded from 70 to over 200 in a period of 6 years, with 64 teens accepting Christ in a single year. More important, his students are growing spiritually.
"Teens have so much to give," he said. "People need to realize that youth are not the church of tomorrow; they're the church of today."
Sam O'Neal, with info from Time and www.christiancentury.org
The Salvation Army is a denomination with a long and wonderful history in being a part of the holiness movement. The standard definition of Holiness is being set apart for the worship or service of God. While we should separate ourselves for his work, we should not separate ourselves from the people that are in need of his love. Holiness should be lived out in the way we respond to those we come into contact with on our daily walk. The more I realize my unworthiness, the more I long to serve and be drawn unto him, and to minister to those I come into contact with on a daily basis. I have learned through the years to be less judgmental and more graceful in my interactions and relationships. How blessed I am to have an opportunity each and every day to serve in response to the love of the one who loved me.
