Skipping Stones 03.23.09

Thoughts jumping across the pond in my mind…

• Just being honest – Sunday’s worship had the potential to be a trainwreck… Josh, our worship leader, had to work; Anya, lead vocalist, was “unable to board” her flight out of Florida, so she was going to be MIA; the band had not been able to practice… But, praise the Lord! – they flat brought it!  Jesi did a great job leading, the instruments were sharp, and the songs they selected led those who were willing into God’s presence with adoration on our lips.  Thanks guys – one of these days I might get over being surprised when you exceed my poor little expectations…
• We took another step in our “Journey to the Cross” series, with “Welcome to the Sifter.”  We looked at Peter’s lowest moment, when he denied Jesus.  Peter is a human study in God’s incredible grace.  We can all identify with his failure – we’ve been there.  Now it’s time for us to identify with Peter’s “post-sifter” experience – when God used him in powerful ways, sharing the good news and giving hope.  Message audio HERE
• Financial Peace University is rounding the final turn, heading for home… It has been a great class and the families involved had made LOTS of progress.  You definitely need to plan now to enroll in the class later this year.  $100 enrollment fee per family gets you tons of material, the complete course on CD, website access, and lifetime membership in FPU.
• We are a little over halfway on our Easter eggs – if you can help, please pick up eggs and instructions this week.  If you prefer, you can donate candy, plastic eggs, cash, or all three!  The Easter Egg Hunt is April 11th.
• 52 books update – reading two at the moment, “I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church,” by Paul Nixon, and “Activate” by Nelson Searcy and Kerrick Thomas.  Nixon’s book is written more for mainline denominational pastors and church leaders – frankly, some of the stuff he talks about never hits my radar.  But the overall thrust of the book is excellent.  I’m reading Searcy/Thomas on the recommendation of my buddy Pastor Chris, to get another perspective on small groups.  Searcy’s stuff always makes say, “Now why didn’t I think of that?”  - it’s so practical.
• We will be doing something at Jubilee this Sunday that is completely new for us!  A handful of people know, but I’m not going to spill the beans here – you’ll have to be there to decide whether you like it or not!
• Have a great week!

Way beyond flannelgraphs…

This video messed me up!  It is past time to re-think how we will leverage technology in ministry to children and students.

What does this reality say about how we carry out “Christian education” today and in the future?  What do you think? 

Hat tip to Mark O. Wilson for the video.

From the Rooftops

A couple of weeks ago, our student ministry – “Friction” – hosted “From the Rooftops.”  It was an amazing event with awesome music, an original drama written by our own Anya W. – with a killer dance number btw -and two great messages from Anya and Chris.  Jesus’ name was lifted up and the best part – 102 people came to the event!

All last week, I had parents and students calling, writing, and coming up to me expressing how much they appreciated the event and our ministry to the community.  I was the best kind of proud of our youth pastors and our students who took part in the event.

But it gets better – today I received the following email (names deleted and some identifying details omitted for privacy):

I ran into a co-worker this morning and he wanted to express his thanks to Jubilee Fellowship for the “From the Rooftops” event that was produced by our Friction Youth Group. He has a 14 year old son who attended the Friction event.

When the event was over, his son went home and went to bed. Around 11:00pm he got up and came out to talk to his step-mother. He had been crying for awhile, and said that he really needed to speak to his Dad. Step-mom called Dad at work and gave the phone to the son. Dad was obviously concerned getting such a call so late on a Sunday night from a tearful son. His worries were soon alleviated when his son asked him: “Dad, how do I know that I have a relationship with Jesus Christ?”

That question opened the door to an amazing discussion between father and son. The details of the talk will remain between those two but Dad simply said that the event had a huge impact on his son’s young life. He also noted that, since the event, the boy takes his Bible with him to school every day.

THAT is why we do what we do – life change is THE goal, the bulls-eye.

Thanks again to Chris, Anya, and everyone who helped and supported “From the Rooftops!”

Beating ourselves up…

A friend recently sent a brief video of what is at first glance a bizarre religious practice from the middle east, in which men beat themselves with sharpened chains…

I said “at first glance” above, because as I reflect on it I realize that I know many Christians who practice “self-flagellation” in one form or another – whenever they attempt to purify themselves through good behavior or self denial. What those young men do in the video is different only in degree from our feeble human attempts to earn, or deserve, or perform, or be “good enough” to gain, what God has freely provided for us in Christ Jesus.

What’s sad is that some Christians tend to wear their self-administered beat downs like a badge of honor, and put them on bumper stickers, t-shirts, and into children’s ministry curriculum to try to recruit more followers to their system of works.

It’s safe to say that almost every Christian I know would declare that they are saved by grace – that there was nothing they could do to save themselves, or to earn their salvation. Yet many of them will turn around and try to live by works – as if the thing that could never save them will actually keep them saved.

And that’s the Christian version of self-flagellation…

We are saved by grace, and we live through Jesus’ life in us. “Christ in us” is our hope of glory, not our ability to do good or be good.