The Manly Stuff vs. The Girly Stuff

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Canadian TV is quite fun to watch. From Little Mosque on the Prairie commercials to the newscaster apologies in the form of “sorey” to the ‘McDoh-nalds doh-llar menu eh’ adverts, we Michiganders have all sorts of material from England and Canada to entertain ourselves with on the CBC network.

As most of you know (or are about to know), “Ho-key Neight in Canada” is a big deal. It’s apparently almost like watching football on Thanksgiving or taking your little son to baseball games. The commercials I see and blogs I read always imply that “hokey neight” is a major event. It’s the night where the guys gather around the TV, root for their favorite team and sweat it out until the end. If their team wins, it’s a serious ego booster. When their team loses, well… there’s always next week!

Growing up seeing these commercials never impacted me until a couple nights ago- when I got the sudden desire to watch a few minutes of this so-called grand and glorious sport.

So, the other night, I sat and I watched perhaps 30 or so men, (who looked more like heavily padded robotic red and white versions of Sasquatch); basically beat each other up on ice. At one point in the ten minutes I watched, three guys started beating on a fallen man with their hockey sticks! It was a battle to power, a fight to the finish- each team wanted to win very badly. I turned the channel in hopes of finding a somewhat calmer show to watch, such as the Greta lady on Fox or Rachel Maddow (I argue with her) on MSNBC.

My opinion: hockey is for men.

A couple nights later, my mom and I watched an ice dancing/skating showcase on the same channel. There was a beautiful performance to a romantic French song I am now playing on loop (“Je Suis Malade” or, “I Am Sick” – if you’re dying with curiousity) by a couple that skated expressively and rhythmically. The timing was perfect, the footwork carefully planned out in tune to the music. The crowd was on its feet by the end of the performance. I’d have to admit, I was made a bit silly by it, and it brought me back to my days as a ballerina dancing en pointe with other girls. I like that kind of stuff. It’s not violent, it looks pretty.

The next day, I began re-reading “Wrestling Prayer” by Eric and Leslie Ludy. In it, they talk of the mighty Christians who “manned up” and fought the spiritual battles. The remarkable life of David shows that God’s power is indeed real and the element of death defying faith is reasonable. Too often, however, modern Christendom leans towards the softer stuff, the girly attitudes that leave Christians picking spiritual flowers and spraying spiritual perfume to cover up smelly odors.

My little noggin’s cogs began turning as I began to think about hockey (or ho-key if you’re Canadian or haa-key if you’re like me) and how it was more of a genuine struggle for power rather than a carefully thought out, always graceful dance.

While God’s rulebook has given us everything we need to know about “doing” church, there’s really no set way to perform church or a certain ritual we should actually follow. If you pray first or last, it doesn’t matter. Just pray. If someone wears red instead of pink on Easter, it doesn’t matter. Be modest. God gives us a model, but too often we make up our own rules and traditions in attempt to make church attractive and more doable.

In hockey, there is a set point in which the game starts and ends, rules to follow and a goal to meet. God gives us rules to follow(and principles to guide us otherwise) and a goal to work toward, but he doesn’t give us every single step to life all at once. Our job is to prepare for the “games” the enemy will play. We learn how to spiritually skate, stop, block, and defend; pad our behinds,elbows, and heads; all in hopes of being ready.

Hockey, much like life, is spontaneous. Just like players in a game, we don’t know if #5 on the enemy’s side will come and attack us with his stick at some point, or how many goals we’ll make. God knows, but how often do people wake up and think “Hooray! I’m going to get in a car accident and die today!” People make plans for the future and have expectations as to what they will do, but they can’t tell you where they will be walking at 11:32 am tomorrow.

As a Church worldwide and local, we don’t treat life and our congregation as such. We’ve made church into more of a dance. It’s all about being ready for performance. We train our people to perform well, but our performances often block out the true idea of Church:  fighting to win the lost and fighting against the Devil!

Too often we’re like girly ice skaters, floating through the same rituals and habits, trying to put on a good show instead of fighting for our best possible walk with the Lord. We care more about wearing our floaty costumes (i.e. “Men about 16 years old should wear ties until noon.” What, is the morning more holy than the afternoon?) than getting suited up for some kind of spiritual battle (Does anyone remember how to put on the full armor of God?).

We all chant the verse about God looking on the heart, and how our heart should be above reproach… but don’t we criticize others for “looking” funny? Today I was criticized by nearly a dozen women who told me I didn’t look very spring-y. Some told me I was wearing fall colors (grey skirt, periwinkle shirt) and white shoes before Memorial Day was a blunder. Does it matter, ladies?

Instead of looking good and acting good, how about just being good with the Spirit’s guidance? If we all read the Bible for it’s worth, we wouldn’t need dumb humanist rules. We would be more prepared to lead because we aren’t butting heads over whether or not we should take on a janitor or paint the bathrooms green. The Church, if everyone could realize the power of the Spirit, would be a much happier place. I’ll admit, I greatly dislike going to church. All I see are self-absorbed, happy, shiny people who sit in pews, hash out cash, and are bent on getting “their” way with everything. The minute you do things differently, (even things like using a different room), you are questioned about your motives. Every Sunday, it’s the same. Three hymns, a couple prayers, and a sermon (that never varies from the topic of salvation). It’s predictable as the sunrise! We don’t even think about what we’re doing… just as long as it looks good.

Imagine what power could be tapped if everyone pitched in and gave it their best- not for the sake of performing, but for the praise of Christ? What if everyone suddenly had the attitude of manning up in their spiritual life and devoted a passion for the truth to winning souls to Christ? We aren’t seeing lost people wander into churches nowadays- and if the lost were to sit in a pew and listen, none of the “get saved” jargon would make sense.

The Church, stuck in a different era, is still acting and training people for a world that is imagined to be an ice-skating rink… when the ideas and worldviews reinventing themselves today make the world to be more of a hockey rink.

So Christians, how about we stop caring about things that really don’t matter (like what so and so is wearing or where to set the flowers on Resurrection Sunday) and get back to things that do matter (like studying Church history, paying attention to intellectual thinkers, reciting the old creeds, and binding up the brokenhearted)? We should stop acting like little girls dancing around for fun on an ice rink and start fighting seriously like men on the hockey arena.

More thoughts on evangelical-soft-headed-ness to come. I’ve been thinking a lot about how ‘emotional‘ and ‘exciting‘ people make church and other religious experiences to be. I think it could all be attributed to the Great Awakening and the ideas that propelled it.

Foundations!

For the next month or so, I’m blessed to be in charge of the 3 through 6 year old Junior Church class at my church. As I was going through the lessons, I saw several strange ‘retellings’ of basic Bible stories. I understand simplifying things so young minds can understand, but changing the whole point of the story is uncalled for. It causes confusion later and the wrong foundation now.

This week, I was supposed to teach the following lesson on Abraham and Lot. This is a sampling of sentences I condensed

“Our story today is about two friends, Abraham and Lot. They were good friends, and God had brought them to a nice land to divide between them. Abraham and Lot could have argued, but Abraham let Lot have his way and get the nicest land. We need to be like Abraham, and let others get their way too!”

Not once did it mention the land Lot choose was closer to Sodom, or that he was more than a friend to Abraham, or that Lot was selfish. I can see leaving out the conditions for having to divide the names of the land; but there’s a lot more to the story than being kind and letting others have their way.

The re-inforcing activity was:

Let the kids stand in a circle and take turns holding a doll and saying “Please” or “Thank you!” Let each child hold the doll as long as they want, letting the other children learn how to let others have their way. Do not encourage goofiness, and encourage the boys to get over any disgust for dolls during the game. The point is not about holding the doll, but about building good manners and remembering how kind Abraham was to his friend Lot. Say: “We need to share everything we have with others! Abraham was so kind to let his friend choose first! He shared his kindness with everyone, just like we need to be kind with others. We don’t complain if someone takes something of ours, or if someone does something longer than we did!”

I applaud the writers for desiring to build “social skills” and a sense of working together. But the Christian life is a lot more than merely getting along with others. Sometimes, the gospel will be offensive! And if we take out that changing power people find offensive, we see the cross losing it’s power.

For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. (1 Cor. 1:17)

If we take out the whole point of the story, we may miss that power! My desire is not to let kids miss the boat, but to make it real for them!

Instead of coloring the Tower of Babel, we’re going get out blocks and build one as we read the story.

Instead of making cotton ball clouds to represent the transfiguration, we’re going to go outside and look up at the real thing.

Instead of putting up the felt people myself on the flannelboard, I’m going to read them the story and let them tell it through the felt people.

Remember this post? This kind of curriculum lacks so much in giving the kids meat, the end result is logically the scenario I experienced. What will the righteous do if the foundations are destroyed? (See Psalm 11:3)

If there’s a reason we’re losing our church kids, we may not need to look to the teachers as the root, but to the curriculum churches  require in their classes! Just in the last few months, I’ve begun slowly but steadily compiling Christ-honoring, truthful activity ideas (boy friendly and girl friendly!) and hands on lesson ideas to submit to curriculum publishers!

What are your thoughts on Sunday School curriculum? Have you done anything unique or different in your teaching experience?

Thoughts on the Church’s Attitude to Singles

In the book Now and Not Yet Jennifer Marshall states 8 out of 10 young women are hoping for marriage; yet 3 out of 10 are still single at 30. She conducted a wide survey of women all around the country, in different careers, living situations, and schools. The results are clear. Something is happening.

Yet… everywhere, we’re told by teachers, pastors, and counselors “90% of people” are going to be married at some point.

For those of us raised in church, we always hear about marriage and family as the best way to glorify God. When our pastor preached through Ephesians this summer and arrived at the last couple chapters, he told us young people to get married, as it was God’s highest calling.

I remember attending a youth rally in which the boys and girls had their own workshops on relationships. The woman encouraged us to not wait to get married; but to fulfill our role as women and become as one with a man. She then twisted Calvin’s famous quote:

“The male sex has a distinction over the female sex, with this understanding, that they ought to be connected together by mutual benevolence, for the one cannot do without the other. If they be separated, they are like the mutilated members of a mangled body. Let them, therefore, be connected with each other by the bond of mutual duty.”

She told us this was Calvin on marriage, when it actually is on submission. Yet the speaker implied this was how God himself viewed marriage.

Boundless Webzine, a magazine I have a love-hate relationship with; has so much to say about everything. It often contradicts itself. But an article I’ve read urges its readers to get married “sooner rather than later.” Yet it doesn’t offer encouragement for those wanting to get married (like me and so many other women I know).

If you’re not dating, married, or courting; it’s a problem.

There are a few women at my church who ruin my whole Sunday at least every other week. One has a habit of telling of me some variation of this:

“I know you want to get married, and I know your standards are high. But I’m praying you won’t be picky when he comes along. And I pray it will be soon.”

At my graduation open house, several women pulled me off to the side and told me “I’m praying you’ll find the right one soon.”

People have tried to set me up. People have crudely told me the idea of waiting on the Lord isn’t being kind to my future babies. People at church don’t really care about single people unless they are dating or trying to find someone.

The problem isn’t going away. This summer, I talked with a lovely young lady about the issue of going to church and being single. Let’s call her Olivia. Olivia has completed her bachelor’s degree in an extremely well-respected field. She has studied abroad in Japan, France, England, and Italy; and even did a summer on the Peace Corp with her brother. When she arrived home from college without a husband, and that’s all her church seemed to care about. When she mentioned bringing people to Christ while abroad; the people asked her if it wasn’t such a bad thing to have a partner to serve with. Olivia became teary eyed as she said “They just didn’t understand. Here I was doing exactly what I thought the church was about (the Great Commission); and all they could see was my lack of a husband.” So, she admitted, she got into an Ivy league school and began working for her master’s degree. “It not even my fault. No one has asked me out yet.”

The pressure is enormous, and we can’t do anything about it. In Olivia’s words: it’s not our fault. Stop trying to match us up with members of the congregation or start singles groups for us. Don’t try to push us at each other. It causes friction. It damages unity- even though a cousin to unity is what you desire for us.

This is one thing I’ve been struggling with a great deal lately. I want to believe a husband is out there for me, somewhere, becoming a man of wisdom. But I have no such promise. Marriage is not a right we have. I actually put a Ludy book away for awhile. “When Dreams Come True” made me bitter and angry while reading it. The Ludy’s example of a God-written love story stirred up jealousy for something that is not mine- and may (probably?) never be mine. Are there any true men out there who are godly, above reproach, and pure? A few. I know of about five or six that fit the bill-out of many, many young men I know. They are rare.

–

If there is something in your life that is making you jealous or bitter about marriage, remove it. I’ve found it makes emotions ease sooner. I enjoy chick flicks and they don’t bother me. But romance novels and spending time with engaged friends does. I limit the things that tempt me.

To the Church, your attempts to help aren’t making things any easier for us. We want to be married just as you want us to be- even more so than you want us to be. But you cannot change circumstances. Thinking you can hurts everyone.

Dilluted and Disillusioned

We can’t water down the gospel. Of course, we need to feed babies milk. We need to feed adults meat. However, a lot of what we’re being fed is milk. We’re not being fed much of spiritual meat; because we’re too busy debating milky things.  We avoid strength and distinction because that is being critical.

 ”We must have options.”

“We must have uniqueness. ”

Says whom?

  We must take the gospel as it is. And it does have distinction.  Christ rose from the dead. Buddha didn’t. Christ fed 5,000 people from a kid’s dinner. Rajneesh didn’t. Christ ascended into heaven. Ghandi didn’t. Christ fulfilled all the prophecies to the letter- so far. He was predicted. He was anticipated.

To debate that is to be foolish.

He’s done so much more than any person of any religion ever did.

“If people see we’re really different, they will run away… We’re weird. We’re not like them. We scare them.”

When people want something different, they look for someone different.

Ever see a druggie wanting to quit drugs walk up to a person smoking hashish and ask “Hey man, I need to quit this habit I have…”

They do say that.

But that can’t.

So they talk about it.

 We must make them realize we have something different. By offering them ear-ticklers and music like theirs (only with different, tamer lyrics), they will give up and think mediocrity is all there is to life.

No hope.

To be open-minded is to have no hope, and to offer no hope. Instead of sitting around and spinning our wheels talking, let’s start doing. It’s great to debate, don’t get me wrong, but we seem to throw around the idea of doing in our debates so often it becomes routine. “Should we? What if we offend someone?” “Why should we do anything about this? It’s too controversial.” “Can we pick something else to do? I can’t take sides on such a debated issue.” “Well I can’t take sides on the issue you’re suggesting…”

  To not join in this kind of debate is to become a nobody. It seems seeking is all the rage. When do these seekers ever find? But when you’ve found something you know to stick to (truth, Christ) , it becomes uncool. Have you ever noticed God uses nobodys? The disciples were a majority of fishermen without formal education.

  Why have church at all if nothing is different?

  It’s amazing when some one from the “world” (as in unsaved) comes into church, gets their life in order and accepts Christ as savior. But that’s not the norm. Personally, I’ve heard of more people being saved from people going out to the world and telling them. Isn’t that what we are supposed to do? It’s the essence of the great commission.  That’s not to say people can’t come into our church, but maybe the church was designed to go into the world. That’s why we’re not supposed to forsake assembling. We can encourage each other and pray for each other right on the spot if need be. Can you imagine the unbeliever doing this? Perhaps the church was indeed designed for the believers in mind. I know it was. I’m not against inviting the lost to come to church. In fact we have a neighbor kid who comes with us to the teen group every week. But I wonder why he hasn’t gotten saved yet. He seems to come just to get out of his house. He has questions, and we have answers, but he just flounders around when he’s asked if he knows for sure if he wants to go to heaven. My brother and the youth leader have been talking with him, but he doesn’t want to know for sure. I fear for this young man’s soul. I’m afraid he’s coming for a temporary escape from his house. He knows there is something different, but doesn’t want to hop on. Yet. I find the best time to minister to him is by asking him to join us for dinner, to talk walks with us to the park, to play basketball with my dad and brother. Fulfilling the great commission in some minds is standing on a corner in front of an old brick building, standing on a wooden crate, wearing a bowler hat with tracts in it; shouting about hell and damnation. You can fulfill the great commission by talking with a neighbor kid.

Church tends to take on routine. In our church, we are helplessly stuck in a rut. We open the service with the same theme prayer, sing three songs total, the choir sings, “special” music, 40 minutes of preaching. Once a month in the evenings, we observe communion and sing the same hymn on the way out.  If I were to suggest moving communion to once a week, I’d get accused of being weird. No where in the Bible does it say “have communion at the end of your service once a month at the start of the month.” Ha! That’s how it ends up getting done. I can not remember if we ever had the communion service in the morning service. Why not have a special foot-washing ceremony? (“Groan…” “Laura!” “Why did you say that?”) It is hard to break tradition/routine.

Routine makes us feel complacent. It makes us uncomfortable when new ideas come forth. It also makes us unhappy to comply to new rules- as little they may be.

  When people come into the church from the world, some things without explanation may seem a little weird. Why have an organ? What’s up with the hymns? I don’t understand this language. They are so used to their flesh being coddled 24/7 they can’t stand quiet. To sit still for an hour is nearly impossible. You can’t be checking your Facebook, your email, listen to music. It’s quietness. They have to think. Two things people are afraid of!

To have something different will create either a total rejection or a thirst. If the difference is rejected, obviously people weren’t as open-minded as they thought they were. If they begin to thirst, they will obviously have a need for discipleship from someone who played a part in creating it. Giving them something solid to chew on will help.

The thirsty person will end up wanting more and more… but the dissenters will think you’re foolish.

  Again, the cross of Christ is going to offend people.

But, you will reap the benefits.

A strong example, a strong testimony, a strong track record. You will have answers to questions some people are still debating. Most people are followers. They need a leader.

You’ve created a contrast. You’ve set a new standard, opened a new way.  To quote Eric Ludy once more:

“When the open mind is allowed to run wild and unrestrained, truth loses its definition. When truth loses its definition, we lose all perspective on what truth is even supposed to look like lived out in the world. And when we forget what truth looks like, we have no other standard to look to but ourselves. We rarely rise to a higher standard.”

5 common questions:

Why am I here?

Who is God?

Who is this Jesus and why is He the only path to salvation

Why the Bible and not the (insert the book of choice)?

Why should the Bible be the authority in my life… not me?

 Answer these Biblically and you’ve created some thirst. Some want to find deeper meaning.

The Sunday school materials we still use are outdated. They aren’t thirst creating. They don’t provide answers. Like I said in my first post, they treat the Bible as a story. They don’t have a real backbone.

It’s time we stopped treating all kids the same as the times before and giving them some answers.

Other thoughts I didn’t quite fit in as I was writing, and thought of afterward:

Mark 7:6-8

2 Cor. 11:3 Attacks are coming, and we will have to fight to hold onto the simple gospel

“Ever since the perfect image of God was ruined when sin entered the Garden of Eden, mankind has been attempting to recreate God in his own frail image. Being incurably religious, we want a God we can comprehend and neat, finite, human terms. We want a God we can understand. A God we can predict and figure out… we want ‘religion lite’.

All this reminds me of the Kyoto, Japan temple where worshippers can literally choose their own deity. The temple is filled with more than 1,000 Buddhas, each one a little different than the rest. Worshippers can choose which one they like best.

We are giving God a makeover ourselves. We have made Him into a user friendly God who makes allowances for our sins and excuses for our backgrounds.”

Greg Laurie

—

Recommended Reading and Listening:

Why We’re Not Emergent

The Bravehearted Gospel

The Great Compromise

The Weight of Glory

Already Gone

Plastic Jesus

Sermons by V. Baucham, H. Mally, and K. Ham

Outdated Dialogue, The Open Mind, and Other Thoughts On The Modern State of the Church

That was a long title. Phew!

Looking at some teaching books in the church nursery last month, I came across a book about “Susan, Jill, Bobby and Tom Learning about Jesus” (not the real kids’ names, but they were quite old-fashioned nonetheless). It was designed to teach young kids about manners and God and all that stuff kids have to learn. It was near the books teachers use, so I wondered if it was actually part of our Sunday School curriculum. Looking at our curriculum for some of the younger grades, it was simliar. Old language. Old ideas. No wonder kids hate church nowadays. The youngest kids are growing up thinking some words have always meant… what they think it means…

Here’s some bits o’dialogue:

“You look queer today, Susan. Tom isn’t very happy today, but Bobby is having a gay time!”  (You’re kidding me…) A lesson on gossip and hurful words. 

“Oh Susan, you are such a sweet girl.” (A lesson about sharing)

I think the reason people in general stop going to church is because of the old 50’s image of religion. It’s 2011. Kids don’t say the strange looking lady is queer. Queer means homos3xual to them. To say you’re ‘having a gay time’ to a nine year old would leave questions in their mind on what you meant. Sweet no longer means nice. It means cool, awesome, or to you 70’s folk, swanky, hip.

In our minds, we’re doing something good for the littles of the church.

In their minds, it doesn’t make much sense.

The church has outdated dialogue. To be old-fashioned is not to be more religious. People had their own sets of problems in the 40’s and 50’s. The idea of a homos3xual in church then would make people laugh and wonder why such a person would bother coming. They faced things like world war, nuclear war, and Communism vs. McCarthyism. Adults nowadays then faced the hippies and feminists, abortion and discothèques. We 80’s and 90’s folk experienced desert storm, Dr. Death, Terri Schaivo, Y2K, radical Islam, and Mormon kidnappers. Kids today face postmodernism, liberalism, environmentalism, debt and the decay of the family like never before (polygamy, homos3xuality, single parents). To think kids understand our presuppositions without having experienced them is not fair to them.

Why is our curriculum still picturing kids with a mother at home baking pies in heels, daddy coming home with a briefcase wearing a tie; schools that are teaching God’s word and saluting the flag; and depicting friends that have high morals? Last I checked, mom wore sweats and flip-flops and dropped Baby A at daycare and baby B at school before going to work; dad was either a Mr. Mom with pierced ears or an unemployed man; schools deny the existence of God and indoctrinate over providing education; and friends are the ones doing the main tempting (‘Want some booze? I can get you some.’).

We may be showing them the way things ‘oughta’ be (or the way some people think it oughta be), but are we telling them how to get where we oughta be?

No wonder middle schoolers are leaving.

We teach the Bible like it’s a storybook from long ago.

We leave them with no backbone to stand against the modern dilemmas.

Then all this had me thinking (as you must surely know I love doing) how the church should change it’s approach to things completely.

Not that we should change the gospel.

We should change its presentation.

Updating doesn’t bring postmodernism, liberalism, or emergent theology.

Updating brings the Biblical principles to stand against postmodernism, liberalism, and emergent theology.

Being updated doesn’t mean losing our grip on God.

It also doesn’t mean joining the ranks of seekers and ‘postmodernist/let’s not nail Jell-O to the wall’ folks.

How the Church’s approach in general should change:

Instead of shooting for entertaining, seek to bear as much fruit as possible. Instead of trying to get the wow factor, get the God factor. We should be more concerned with bearing fruit and making sure we are doing good works. We can spend more time on “going into the world” if we aren’t rehearsing lights and sounds.

Not showy productions, but personal touches. Big churches seem to focus on numbers. I come from an independent, fundamental Baptist church where the numbers is always mentioned. We have a board with the numbers of attendees on it, and people point to that as our success. Not so. Are we reaching a faceless crowd or the individual?

Marketing. Why use it? Sure, advert on the radio for the play. Make sure it’s a decent station. But taking time to plan out jingles, plaster up signs, and catering to what people want shows a lack of trust in God to send the right ones to your meetin’. If you market to the world, you will end up with a worldly church. That’s what hooked ‘em, so they expect you to be like that. When it doesn’t quite measure up, they stick around, being their worldly selves, waiting for the fun to start. Unless God has ahold of them, they will probably not change. I’ve seen it happen.

Ear tickling vs. meeting soul’s deep need. You can’t have both. Choose one. When people see something deep, they flock to it. Most people I’ve met not only enjoy deeper meaning: they YEARN for it.  I like to ask people who go to church to be entertained “Are you saved to the fun or to the cross?” Blank stare…

Use God’s book, not men’s books, to preach out of. I went to a little church a few years ago that had a pastor preach out of this newspaper clipping on the end of the world. He didn’t say much bout God, but stood up there for 40 minutes proclaiming people were lost and needed Jesus. It didn’t have much impact, as a way to Jesus wasn’t clearly defined. I still remember him standing up at the lectern, hollering away about the Mayans and the Incas and global Islam and the oil crisis and something how it was all predicted in the DaVinci Code.

People want solutions. They want to talk about the issues at hand. Give them the Bible, not ‘the expert’s’ opinion. I would rather have God’s opinion than Joel Olsteen’s. (not that I care for Mr. Olsteen…). Don’t give your congregation (whether it be two little girls or a large Bible study) the world’s wisdom if we’re supposed to be different and separate!

We seem to be pre-occupied with making church seem like a big discussion group.  We like to have big stadium-like buildings with oversized warehouse-like pipes and ductwork in the ceiling. Nowadays churches that look like churches (i.e. steeples, pews, altars, stained glass) aren’t cool. They’re outdated. (I want to add that I like “old” churches with pews and hymnbooks. It adds a sense of specialness and uniqueness to worship. But I am not opposed to newer churches. It’s just a design)

There is nothing wrong with meeting in a warehouse. It challenges the idea of normal worship. It reminds us that everything and every place can become a place to glorify God. It may not be the best place, but we can still use it for God’s glory. But when our focus becomes so absorbed in challenging normal and shattering the old-fashioned ways of doing church, we tend to lose sight of the real task at hand: encouraging the believers and reaching the lost.

It may be that the lost are largely postmodern without realizing it. They’re only doing what they know how to do. But what if they begin to question everything they’ve ever known? We’ll get to that question later.

1 Corinthians 1:17 almost sounds like bad doctrine.

(MNT) For Christ did not think I baptized any one else. For Christ did not send me forth to baptize, but to proclaim the gospel; and that not in philosophic words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made an empty thing.

 (RSV) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Is it being stated that the gospel can be made of no effect? Can the cross be emptied of power?

Apparently.

It all depends on how you teach. As a preacher, VBS teacher, as a student bible study leader, or as a Bright Lights discipleship leader.

Part 2 tomorrow.

I’d like to note my reason for using 3 instead of the ‘e’ in homos3xual. I respect s3x as a rightful act in union between one man and one woman. It’s a thing taken too lightly today, and for once, I’d like to change the cheapness it has fallen on and make it something to respect. So, I’m going to try my best to uphold it’s sanctity in a way I see fit. Kind of like Jews and their “G-d”.

Part 2 in two days

For The Sake of Transparency?

For The Sake of Transparency:

Let’s let the emotions run high as we outpour our deepest desires and disappointments in front of the group. Let’s be honest and open and vulnerable to everyone so they can feel and understand our pain. Let’s tell everyone how we got into such a state, and how sorry we feel for ourselves. Let’s rant and rave about the bratty kids we babysit, the goofy husbands we married, and the other annoyances we find so hard to cope with. Let’s share how being a Christian is SOOOOOO hard and not at all like the lovely life you had before you converted. Let’s talk about our defeated feeling and share tips about how to deal with our pride being hurt. LET’S COMPLAIN TIL WE TURN BLUE!!!

And go home feeling… worse than ever, our problems not solved; yet comforted in the fact someone listened to us.

Just let others see through your skin to the real you! It’s okay to cry as long it helps your group “purify” themselves of their guiltiness of not measuring up. It’s okay to drone on to make your point- as long as they see the real you!!! Let’s discuss what that new Christianologist (‘Christian’ psychologist) said about our mind and emotions. It’s okay to veg out and indulge, find time for yourself every day. It’s certainly alright to feel defeated.

THAT’S NORMAL!

If you’ve ever been to a Bible study, youth group girl’s meeting, or a special seminar, you’ll hear that sort of message that “tickles the ears” and leaves you even more bitter and frustrated than before. The idea of being transparent and open and honest for the sake of bragging, complaining, and feeling good is not at all Biblical. God does not command us to tell everyone about ourselves. We should, according to Ephesians, chapter 4- a)speak things that administer grace to the hearers b) speak that which is edifying c) say what we say with love d) speak nothing corrupt. Corrupt here is from the Greek word “sapros” not meaning “dirty” or “bad” as the dictionary says: sapros means not useful, very worthless, not powerful, or even hollow. The idea of being open and honest is a good one, but very easily damaged by selfish motives and Satan.

  When we talk about how our defeat is pulling us down, it may make us seem holier and pious. How Christians began to equate weakness and defeat to spiritual maturity, I have no idea. Christians should not be the ones walking around crying “Woe is me, I have a tinful of problems.” The following is what I wrote in my journal after one experience of a complain fest disguised as a “youth group discussion time”.

  The only thing we studied tonight was narcissism, communication; perhaps even how to justify bitterness at God… I think… that a Christian shouldn’t plan these meetings because they lead to deeper self-worship. “Making time for yourself” isn’t what Christ would ask us to do. I can’t recall Him ever complaining he had no time for himself or that he needed to spend some hours relaxing and getting in touch with His thoughts and desires. As Christians, I also think…we are mirrors. When people look at us and talk to us, the reflection they see should be Jesus. We shan’t talk of all our problems- rather about how God is working through the problems. We shan’t talk about who annoys us- only how we can minister and pray for them. We shan’t gossip, we should keep our mouths shut. The heathen and pagans should see our actions as victory- living evidences that there is a God. A Christian that mumbles about defeat and wants to make time for herself is not a witness.

Christians- triumph! We can’t do anything, including getting the victory over trials, unless we pray. Life would be a bunch of complaining and selfishness if we didn’t live for Him. Stop living like He doesn’t exist: surrender your entire self to Him: your body, your mind, your actions, your thoughts, your words.

 Maybe leave that Bible study, too.

And start your own- with the purpose of growing, not griping.

Make Them Believers

From Vision Forum’s “How To Think Like A Christian”  {paraphrased}

You have arrived at college and are walking around campus. Suddenly, a masked man jumps out in front of you and says “Your money or your life.” He points a knife in your face, waiting for you to act or refuse.

Well, knowing you would have days like this, you remember you have a loaded gun on your person. So, you say to your would be mugger “I’m sorry, but I have a gun, and I will shoot you.”

To this, the mugger says “Well, I belong to a knife club and I don’t believe in guns!”

So, you put the gun away and he takes your money and runs away.

Sound ridiculous?

Okay… let’s try this scene:

You have arrived at college and are walking around campus. Suddenly, a masked man jumps out in front of you and says “Your money or your life.” He points a knife in your face, waiting for you to act or refuse.

Well, knowing you would have days like this, you remember you have a loaded gun on your person. So, you say to your would be mugger “I’m sorry, but I have a gun, and I will shoot you.”

To this, the mugger says “Well, I belong to a knife club and I don’t believe in guns!”

So, you tell him to wait and you scramble to find all sorts of information about how guns usually kill and that 90 some percent of people die after being shot and how effective guns are…

But he doesn’t listen and mugs you anyway.

Okay, that’s not realistic either.

Try this scene:

You have arrived at college and are walking around campus. Suddenly, a masked man jumps out in front of you and says “Your money or your life.” He points a knife in your face, waiting for you to act or refuse.

Well, knowing you would have days like this, you remember you have a loaded gun on your person. So, you say to your would be mugger “I’m sorry, but I have a gun, and I will shoot you.”

To this, the mugger says “Well, I belong to a knife club and I don’t believe in guns!”

Pull the trigger and make him a believer!

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In the same way it sounds ridiculous to banter with the mugger, or just give up and let the guy win, think about who the mugger is and who you are.

Mugger= Humanist/Unbeliever/Atheist

You= The church

The church is afraid to stand up for what they believe! They try to be nice and not hurt the unsaved’s feelings, or read books about the Bible without reading the Bible itself, but they never use the Bible (gun) directly. The truth is, the Church is afraid of “legalism” “being radical” or “offending” someone. Well, hear this: God’s Word is unchanging. It won’t change the truth to “appeal” to people. It will offend those who fear being holy in the light of it’s radical stance. They usually aren’t offended by you. It’s the message you bring.

Can you imagine God changing his Word every other year to update it and bring it to date? Doing that would make it unreliable. The Bible is reliable no matter how you look at it. Historically verifiable prophecies, little details and parallels that cannot be ignored, and wonderful teachings that still ring true for us make relaibility a fact! So why are Christians so afraid of using it? Maybe they don’t really know what the Bible really says. Maybe they are afraid of being hurt or getting embarassed. God will give you the strength you need- not a textbook about God!

Though I don’t advocate shooting at unbelievers, please use the Bible when witnessing and arguing. Not Wikipedia.

Don’t give up!

Never ever ever!

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Last night, I cut out the pattern for my sewing project. Here is the material I’m using. It took me about an hour to decide on the fabric at Hobby Lobby~ they must’ve thought I was a very indecisive young woman… I think I’ll have to make a bunch more aprons so I can use all the pretty material!

It looks a li’l yeller, but that’s because I didn’t change Herbie’s settings

And the pattern: we got it on sale for $1.99!

I’m using the one on the far left, with the lobster fabric. I’m not doing the frilly edging on the hem and neckline, nor the pockets.

I’ll start sewing soon, Lord willing. (sigh)

Also, my mom and I made cookies on Sunday, and here is how they turned out~ 

We were trying to imitate SweetHearts from Necco, and I’d say (other than the smooshed writing from being stacked on one another) they came out pretty well!

My mom has a cookie business that she uses to bring in extra income. We bake nearly 200 cookies every Tuesday and package them into 3′s- and sell the packs of threes for $1. My dad actually takes them into work and his coworkers buy them! We usually sell about 60 packs a week. We save up the money and use it for hotel rooms whilst travelling, curriculum, savings, etc. It’s an easy way to save up extra money!

Have a wonderful day!

Gonna Let The Glory Roll

Last night was our church’s 5th Sunday Family Night. This evening service is a chance for all the people who’d like to sing or recite, share a testimony or act out a song, to join in! We had our biggest line-up of music and sharing ever last night! Afterwards, we have a fellowship with sandwiches and desserts. It’s an enjoyable evening, great for sharing the gospel to those who disslike going to regular church services.

A lady sang a cute song that was so true, talking about how Christians feel about getting to heaven. I’d never heard it before, since this lady’s from the Oklahoma/Texas area, I figured it was southern/western thing.  It’s going through my head, so I thought I’d share a bit of it with you!

Gonna let the glory roll
When the roll is called in Glory
I’m gonna get beside of myself
When I get beside the King that day
I’m gonna have the time of my life
When the time of my life is over
I’m gonna get carried away
When I get carried away…

What a lovely song!

In case you didn’t notice, I’m dragging out my pressures series, because I have two left… and the last one leads into my surprise on the 14th… so I’ll post little bits here and there. Sounds like a plan! Oh, and be sure to check out the resources page I just put up!

Most of the people around here are bracing for a wintry storm (as are most of you all). Our area expects a pure Michigan storm…our part of the county is bracing for up to 15 inches! Yay! Keep your eye on http://whattheeyehasseen.blogspot.com for some pictures of the snowstorm!

Let it snow…

Pressure to Give Up

Discouragement. What an awful word! It’s not a very easy word to have embodied in real life.

Why do we get discouraged?

Because we’re not seeing results as we’d like to see them.

Maybe you began a weight loss program for the year, and have only lost two pounds so far. Or you decided to memorize a Bible chapter a week, and are stuck on the third verse of the first chapter! Or maybe you lead a Sunday school class, and the kids ignore what you’re saying and aren’t learning anything.

If you’re like me, you like to see results, tangible evidence that what you’re doing – or having done- is working. You want to know you’re reaching others, doing things right, and affecting others. Press on!

It seems God likes to show His power in other ways in my life. Instead of letting me see ahead, he takes it one step at a time. Some of my friends needed to raise money for something, and they sent prayer letters, and got an enormous response. I didn’t send a letter, and there was no way I could get that kind of money. It was discouraging, and I wanted to give up right there. But, a few weeks later, a certain amount of money, exactly what I needed, came in the mail from none other than the IRS.

Awhile ago, I felt like closing the blog. You see, I know a lot of people read the blog because of my hit numbers everyday. But, very few of you ever comment. I felt really discouraged at the time, I so began to wonder: maybe I’m writing what has already been written, and, maybe I’m just entertainment for a bunch of liberal’s liberals. I like to see results, to know what’s in people’s heads, and I still don’t know why most of you don’t leave feedback! But in any case, I learned to overcome that hurdle by accepting the fact I get the numbers. I learned to be content with just that.

That’s a huge, difficult lesson to learn. Sometimes our discouragement comes when we refuse to accept any progress as good. I used to get 5 visitors a day when I first started! I praised God for the number of people subscribed and left it at that. So, praise God you’ve lost those two pounds. That’s two pounds closer to your goal! Shrug off the fact you’re struggling to memorize. That’s okay. That’s a few more verses than you knew before. You’d be surprised that those kids at Sunday school might have learned something after this long. It happens to me a lot at my study group. Occasionally I’ll get told by a girl that a lesson (a lesson 45 weeks ago) really stuck with her!

But what if something really is a lost cause?

Don’t hold onto something that wants to run away. After reading the book Already Gone, I began noticing kids at church who fit the description in that book perfectly. It happened when I was fill-in teaching Jr. Church. We talked about helping others, and encouraging others. We made cards for a lady who had had surgery, and took turns praying for her. But, when a young boy’s turn came, he refused to pray. “I HATE God, I don’t like being here. It’s stupid.” Most of the kids were shocked, as was I. How do you respond when you feel like a failure?! Sometimes, kids really are a lost cause. The only thing you can do about it is pray. When your ministry that once went well falls off the edge, pray. When you lose hope that your mother will ever get better, pray. When the bill comes that you can’t pay, pray. When you feel so lonesome and guilty, pray. Prayer is the weapon of the church.

The valley of discouragement will come, but God will always be faithful. He provide you with the most wonderful hope! He will lead you through these uncertain and discouraging times when you feel like a failure to make you realize it’s not all about you. Remember what God did for you! He saved you from hell- you did not save yourself. When you run the race with perseverance, it’s not for lost cause. Anything done truly for Him is going to receive a reward- maybe not now, but very soon. I can’t wait for heaven! (not that I would kill myself just to go early…) But, I can’t wait to see all of the people affected by the ripple effect of any ministry I’ve been involved in. To know that some people may be in heaven because of simple obedience to God through times when I wanted to give up, oh! That’s wonderful feeling. No results now? Expect them later!

Pressure To Be “Smart” and “Successful”

A good education [through books, documentary, magazines, sermons, teachers, elders, and the like] provokes thought.

The teachers don’t think for you.

They don’t shove watered down indoctrination down your throat.

They let you do the thinking.

They let you decide for yourself what conclusion makes sense.

If you’re not asking good questions, you’re not thinking. If you’re not thinking, you’re not getting educated.

It’s that simple.

Colleges really don’t care if you exit their campus  with knowledge. They want your money and your heart sitting obediently in their laps. Universities divide and conquer by belittling, student “organizations” and the coveted A… which is only placed on the papers that spit back what your professor told you.

Colleges are out to indoctrinate you- they aren’t big promoters of free thinking and speech. Look at all the colleges that have hate speech codes! The college campus is a dictatorship of relativism, a horrible dominion or atheism, with a whatever floats your boat, goes. {exception: Christianity} You won’t find the dean very sympathetic to your complaints of low grades on biology papers. They won’t tolerate your ‘intolerance’ (which, by the way,  is intolerance).

The University was once a pinnacle point to be if you wanted to become a thinker… a free thinker… but now, they are places for liberals to produce minions,  the young to learn Communist doctrine, and a haven evolution studies.  If you think about the whole open-minded, tolerant issue, they are the ones that are narrow minded and intolerant!

Because we hold college so high on our list of great things to do, success becomes synonymous with a piece of parchment with words that mean “Sue Public is educated.”

Let me tell you about some people who didn’t attend university, but became great leaders, thinkers, and speakers. Some of these people have character that is amiable, people I’d like to be like…

Abraham Lincoln~ Even though he started the whole tax thing, the admirable Mr. Lincoln’s fight against slavery and steadfast faith in God is what got him to the Civil War Presidency.  Not a degree. President Lincoln was a first rate speech giver, though quiet and thoughtful by nature.  This man self taught himself trigonometry and algebra, and simply read books to become a lawyer. That’s thinking.

Anna Sophia and Elizabeth Botkin~ Homeschooled authors of So Much More, co-stars of Return of the Daughters and Homeschool Dropouts did not attend college.

Andrew Jackson~  This US president was homeschooled and taught himself law, made it to congress, and was a judge.

Ben Franklin ~ A little eccentric in his style, Ben Franklin never went to school! His mother and father taught him, later on he learned through discussion with the people in his city.

Christopher Columbus~ Be thankful that this guy had the initiative to studiy maps and geography, figures and languages, because without that, he might not ever had made it the “Indies”. Perhaps we would be European? Though he didn’t discover America, as the fable tells us, he did discover the fact of another continent.

Henry Ford~ He didn’t invent the car, but he did invent the assembly line. This man who grew up just miles from my house didn’t even think to go to college, and studied human actions and time saving qualities until he came up with the assembly line!

Joyce C Hall~ Started Hallmark Cards after spending his time working odd jobs to supplement the family’s income. His faith in God propelled him to step out in faith selling cards… and eventually he started the business. He never went to college, but studied some business on the side

Rachael Ray ~ Though she annoys me to kingdom come, it is amazing that she never went to college, attended culinary school, or took a formal cooking class. She taught herself.

Sarah Mally~ Founded Bright Lights, a discipleship group for girls; leads Strong in the Lord Conferences; and wrote a book. Never went to college, and the same with her brother and sister, whom she wrote another book with.

Thomas Edison~  This guy was homeschooled, and worked on the railroad at age 12. Studied subjects that interested him, which developed into the invention of the movie camera, lightbulb, and others.

There are so many more degree-less people out there who are just as smart (or smarter) than those with degrees!

Going off to college is actually not Biblical. Sure, young adults back in the day went to a group learning session or two a week, but it didn’t require them learning away from home and living at the school. They came and went and weren’t required to believe everything that their teachers did. The teachers were elders who were wise, skilled, and old: with lots of experience behind them. This is the best kind of teaching! If they wanted to learn specifics, they did live with a relaitve or dear friend who knew a lot about the subject at hand.  Don’t leave your father’s house to go live in a place full of deceivers and mockers. Why should a Christian girl purposely immerse herself with these kind of people?

There are alternatives to going to live on a college campus. Here are some things that help you gain knowledge the right way!

1. College Plus ~ a system that I am planning to do once I graduate this spring. This is an online course through Thomas Edison State and Bryan Colleges. Using CLEP tests and distance learning, you stay at home and work through your own pace. I’ve heard of some people who get their degree by age 15, 16 or before they graduate! When I first heard that, I was shocked, thinking “But they are too young!”

That is the wrong kind of thinking. Just because you’re 18 it doesn’t make you magically ready for higher learning! That is the Darwinian view that “young can’t understand because they haven’t evolved…so we need different levels- segregated by knowledge…” or the Communist view of “divide and weaken, then conquer…” (This is why churches have 5th grade Sunday school, 4th grade Sunday school… break up the family, weaken the church) Age doesn’t equal smarts!

2. Ask to have an elder, wise person to write down things that they wished they’d known at your age. This is very helpful. There are a lot of older ladies at my church who randomly give me great (and I mean GREAT) advice! Our church has a mentoring ministry for older to teach the younger. Though I think parents should teach the topics, I think it’s nice for those who have families who won’t teach their kids. Some topics our church covers are: canning, sewing/mending, knitting/crocheting, mechanics, gardening, cooking/baking, home repair, etc.

3. Start a home journal with recipes, ideas for cleaning and design, notes to self in the future… focus on your home!

4. Do an internship! I’ve applied to go intern with the Mally family in Cedar Rapids IA this summer. If I am accepted, (which I am praying fervently that I am!!), I will gain experience in running a business, organizing conferences, leading ministry effectively and efficiently, and other little things like sharpening my initiative (living away from parent’s reminders to do my laundry, haha), improving budgeting, and smart grocery shopping. I will be living away from home, but it is with a very strong Christian family who will support what my parents have taught me and strengthen my walk with God, not tear down or mock. This is ideal! I have several friends who are going to internships this summer. A few are going to intern at the Michigan capitol as assistants to state house reps, one is going to the Associated Press for a photography course, one is going to work with a designer, one is going to live at his friend’s farm and learn farming all summer, and another is going to a local photography business and still living with his parents. There are so many internship opportunities out there, and the best news is, many of them are free or of little cost!

5. Read. Read. Read some more. Read again and again and again. Don’t’ just read anything. Read something that’s got something profitable in it. Then read it again. And again. Until you know the book so well you could explain the whole gist of it to another person. I re-read all of my hundreds of books at least three times through the whole year. (If I get accepted for that internship, I may haul a bunch out with me) I am always carrying a good book around with me. I started a book blog for that purpose:

6. Community college- You stay at home and attend classes during the day or evening. Most of the graduates from my church attend a community college, and it works well. The only downside is, you may have a prof who thinks you’re stupid because your faith. Since you are near to your parents and church, you’ll be able to go home and discuss possible rebuttals – easy!

7. Ellerslie School of Honor ~ This is like a Christian college without being a real college. There is no writing, math, or geography or whatever else ‘real colleges’ teach. Eric and Leslie Ludy teach you about living the Christian life and remaining set apart- it lasts for an entire semseter. I’d like to go here someday!

8. Summit Semester/Oxford ~ Study in Oxford or in CO, but this is a more academic semester for serious student who want to think. I know a couple people who’ve done this, and they said they started out asking a couple of questions every day- and left asking hundreds every day. It really got them thinking! Plus, the teachers often won’t give you straight answers, they direct you to a pile of books to bring yourself to a conclusion.

9. Rivendell Sanctuary~ This is relatively new, so you may want to check out their website. This is a basics course, and there are opportunities to study abroad. I’ve heard it’s like Summit Semester… only in Minnesota (no mountains?! oh man…)

10 Attend a lot of conferences throughout the year. Homeschooling conferences usually don’t care if you’re a graduate, and you can learn a lot about teaching kids just by sitting in on some of the parent’s sessions. I’ve always loved going to conferences, and this year, I’m going to Midwest Homeschool Convention in Cincy.

11. Other online courses, like Vision Forum’s occasional writing courses. I didn’t participate in Mrs. Morecraft’s writing course, but I heard it was excellent!

12. DVDs~ Order as many DVD documentaries as you can, watch them all and take notes. Start with Answers in Genesis, then check out Vision Forum

13. CD’s Order as many CDs as you can. Tomorrow’s Forefathers has several great ones, as does Vision Forum. Listen to sermons and lectures online (a favorite pastime, I’ve learned so much!)

14. Read three or four different translations of the Bible together. See which one is most correct. The NIV Bible is actually no different than the Jehovah’s Witness Bible. The NIV just has footnotes. ESV, NKJV, KJV, and God’s Word Translation are good to compare. Write down the differences and see what changes have been made. You’ll never know when you’ll need to argue against some faulty idea.

15. Take advantage of any class your church may offer. Bible study? Attend it if you can! Nutrition or cooking? Go! Women’s prayer and fellowship? Give it a try! Don’t grow weary in going, even you think you may not learn anything. If possible, start a singles women group and discuss the book Sacred Singleness. Encourage others to overcome their false view of marriage and singleness, and serve together in your community. Make a quilt and send it to a missionary in Sudan or another refugee-filled place. I remember doing this with some friends before I knew what Sudan Christians were facing. Do something that counts!

There are a lot more options out there!

Read… and you will be educated…