Soul Renovatus

The power of narrative...

I'm becoming more convinced of the power of narrative in preaching and teaching...

It's initially strange to think that I'm learning these lessons teaching 5th and 6th graders.

However, we've been experimenting with our teachings.  Many times we like to talk about the story.  That is, we mention a passage of Scripture, and then we explain it's application to our daily lives. 

But what if we just told the story period? Instead of becoming good preachers and teachers, what if we became good storytellers?

Here's an example, in our latest series, we told the story of Moses and the burning bush.  How many times have we heard that story?  But what is it about the story that makes it so compelling?  What seems to be the point?

Well, in the case of Exodus 1-3, we decided that God always hears the cry of the oppressed (surprise, surprise).

So, with that in mind, we asked ourselves, How do we capture that one idea and crafted a good story out of it?  How can we let the story speak for itself with that one point in mind?"

Well, we decided to tell the story, but omit all of the characters.

We talked about slaves, and how they were slaves for a long time, about how an evil slave master killed off all of the boys.  Consistently throughout the story, we had everyone yell, HELP!!  We also had the slaves ask the same questions:

"God, can you hear us? Do you even care?"

These two questions were littered throughout the entire story.

We inserted a son, who was miraculously saved from the evil master, and eventually seeing these slaves being beaten.  They continued to cry help and ask those two questions.  The son thought it would be great to beat the slave master himself, to feel like one of the slaves.  The slaves didn't react to well to this.  The son ran away.  He saw something strange...something like a flame.  It spoke.  And it said...

"Moses, I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt, I have heard their cry and felt their suffering, and I'm coming to HELP."

Now...there were some details I left out for the sake of brevity, but can you get a glimpse of the power of narrative?  All throughout the story, the vibe was, "Does God really care about us?  When we're in a lowest moments, does God hear us when we cry out?"  The end of the story says YES.  But we didn't have to tell them about that point.  We just let the story say it for us.

I remember stories much more than I remember teachings about the story.  I guarantee your students (and any age you teach) will as well.  We always remember good stories over great teachings.

We need more great storytellers. 

A note to all theology/seminary professors...

One of the illuminating facts Andy Stanley has taught me about teaching is that you have to be engaging.

I say this because I've been listening to lectures on CD's for extension courses I've been taking through the seminary.  I'm sure there are engaging professors, but these guys on the CDs are the most boring people I've ever listened to in my life. The stereotype with professors teaching theology is guys sitting in an ivory tower, with these incredible minds, dispensing profound insights in their texts; yet when faced with people in front of them, become the perfect sleeping pill. 

Here is my proposal. Give me your script that you read from (because even a 5 year old could tell), and give it to me and I'll read it. 

I've been excited about learning theology of the Early church, but it has been one sleeping pill after another.  Dr. Wittmer, my theology prof, might be able to break this stereotype for me, if he were to try to become one of these profs who did these CD's.  Another prof at the seminary, who did another class I took, admitted that he sounded boring (although in a live class he is MUCH better).

I would love teaching about this stuff (b/c it has direct relevance to some of today's thought), but please find someone to read it for you that is engaging.  You sound perfect for the local classical music radio station; that doesn't work for a younger person who uses those stations for putting his kids to bed.

Paul and his mission to the Gentiles (the puzzle piece)...

Below is another message in the Paul series I did: You can look here, here, and here for the other parts. I'm still looking for the in between message (the first-person couch Saul right after he was blind...I'll post it when I find it).

We’ve been walking through the story of Saul, who started out as a person who killed Christians.  We’ve witnessed his approval when Stephen was stoned.  But then, something happened…Jesus showed up and showed Paul who God really was and who Saul really was.  We saw in Damascus that Saul realized God loved him no matter what, and last week Jim introduced us to Ananias, who realized, along with Saul that we have to carry each other in the Christian journey, that we can’t do this journey by ourselves.

We also noted that because of this monumental change in his life, Saul changed his name to Paul, and he had a new mission to start. 

Now, Paul is setting off on his mission.  What does he start doing?  He starts doing the very thing that he was killing Christians for originally!  Even more, Paul had a special mission.  And to highlight this I want to read to you Acts 13:47, “For this is what the Lord has commanded us, “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.”
All throughout the story of the Bible, God has called his special people, the Jews, to be a blessing to all people.  Many of the Jews took this the wrong way.  If you remember Saul thought that way, that “We are the best!”  But God’s idea was that they should bless, to bring this good news now about Jesus to the world. 

If you have your Bible, open up to Galatians 2, on pg. 1075.  [READ 2:7-10]  Paul’s mission was to go the Gentiles, to tell them about Jesus. The rest of the book of Acts, talks about this journey, of Paul going to the Gentiles, helping fulfill this prophecy in Isaiah.

Now, what if somebody told Paul that he shouldn’t be doing this? That he should be like Peter?  What would’ve happened?  You see, God made Paul a certain way, and he also made Peter a certain way.  He has also made YOU a certain way. 

I think it’s a lot like a puzzle piece.  Now if you look at the screen you can see that I have a puzzle here.  In the spirit of my daughter, I decided that I should play with Winnie the Pooh today if that’s okay with you.  Now, every piece has it’s place in a puzzle.  It has a unique shape and unique look that fits in the puzzle.  Now, God made Paul a certain way, and he also made Peter a certain way.

What if Paul decided that he didn’t want to be like God made him? What if he wanted to be like Peter instead?  It’s like you’re rejecting the way you were made. It’s like saying, “I don’t want to be Pooh’s face, I want to be an edge piece.  Or even, I don’t like the color of Pooh’s face, so I’m going to make it different color. What happens to the puzzle?  It doesn’t turn out as good.

The fact is, we need all the pieces working as they were made, to make the most beautiful, complete picture that we can.  Paul understood that his mission, as rare as it was at the time, was what God made him for.  And quite honestly, if Paul didn’t embrace his particular shape, you would not be sitting here listening to this story today.  It is because of Paul that you and I have a chance to hear about Jesus, to come here every Sunday and hear this good news.

Just like Paul, each of you has a unique shape as well.  Each of you is like a puzzle piece, and we all need each other to help God make the most complete, beautiful picture that we can. 

You’re pressured in all kinds of ways to be another piece of the puzzle, to be like an edge piece, or a certain color. You’re even made fun of, heckled, or even hurt because of it.  So was Paul.  Paul was heckled by his own people, the Jews, for going to the Gentiles, but he continued to press on. He knew that God made everyone different, and that was okay. That was how it was supposed to be.

The great truth is, when you discover, just like Paul did, what your particular shape is, the picture becomes more beautiful.  For this picture to be more complete and beautiful, we need you to be you, not somebody else. God has made you in a unique way, and when you live doing what you were made to do, the world becomes a much more beautiful place.  God has made us all different from anyone else, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

A revelation on the gift of teaching...

My friend Jim helped me realize something this fall about my gift of teaching. Before I was so focused on what particular age group I was gifted for.  I would say before that I was more geared for high school students and college students than say kids or maybe even some adults.

But teaching 5th and 6th graders this fall reminds me of something Jim said: "The message (the content) is always the same, it's the audience that changes.  You just have to know who you're talking to." (this is my paraphrase of what he said, but hopefully he'll approve)

I was so focused that people are gifted only to certain groups of people.  I think it's easier for me to talk to students because of my experience in the past, as well as my conversational style of teaching.  Students are usually more comfortable with that than adults.

But I've seen that 5th and 6th graders are still dialed in, and that encourages me. It tells me that my gift isn't reserved exclusively for a particular age group. I think Jim said it well, "The only difference between 5th and 6th graders and adults is their attention span."  I could transplant my Saul and Damascus message to any adult context and it would still preach the same.  As I rewind on all of teachings from my past, I can't count the times I've said, "Man! Adults really need to hear this too!"  Think about that.

Of course, this brings up so many questions in regards to my life and where it will go next. For that, I will leave it for another post.

My message on Saul and Damascus...

This was a message I gave at Fifty6 (our 5th and 6th grade ministry here at Mars) a few weeks back:

Before I put the text in here, let me explain a couple of things:

1. We had a black light to illustrate Jesus revealing to Saul/Paul who He really was and who Paul really was (hence the black light comments). There was a written message on the piece of paper, but under the black light it said something completely different. It was a lot of fun!

2. Fifty6 seconds is a time at the end of every message where we give the students a minute to write down any questions they have about the teaching (or anything else), and then take it to their Lifegroups to discuss.

3. The students really digged the black light. They were totally into it.  This week was a lot of fun.

I took a little different angle on the message, since this text is one that so many are familiar with.  N.T. Wright had some interesting things from his commentary, Acts for Everyone, that I added in here along with my thoughts that came together quite nicely.

Oh, so the text is Acts 9:1-9. Okay now the message:

Last week we introduced you to a man named Paul.  We left last week with Saul (which is who he was before he became Paul), watching Stephen, a deacon, a man who helped widows, being stoned to death.  We left the story seeing that all of the people laying their coats at Saul’s feet, which meant he was taking responsibility for Stephen’s death.

We also played with mirrors last week.  We discovered that Stephen and Saul had two very different images of God.  Stephen’s image of God was one of love, compassion, and forgiveness, while Saul’s was one of judgment, condemnation, and oppression.  We said that that our own image of God, how we see God, is reflected, like a mirror, in who we are.  How we see and know God reflects in our actions.
Today, I want to tell you what happens to Saul right after Stephen’s death.  He was on his way to a town called Damascus (say Damascus). He was going there to kill more Christians. Just like we saw with Stephen, he was going from town to town, hoping to kill off more off these rebels who weren’t following all of the rules.

Now before I tell you what happens to Saul on that road, I want to give you some background on a dream devoted Jewish men hoped for.  Have any of you ever had a dream that you wanted to come true?  Maybe it’s becoming a professional sports player, or finding a cure for cancer, or watching Michigan beat Ohio State.  We’ve all had dreams like that right?  Well, Saul had one too.  In the first chapter of Ezekiel, he sees this great chariot, with whirling wheels and flashes, and then sees on a throne something like a man. Listen to how Ezekiel describes him:

“I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard a voice of one speaking.”
                                    -Ezekiel 1:27-28

Now, most committed Jews, and especially Pharisees like Paul, if they prayed hard enough, was devoted long enough, and followed all the rules, said that they would see this vision, a way to see God in all of his glory.  This was the dream of devoted Jewish men like Saul.  Now turn with me to Acts 9.
As Saul is on his way, it says that he was “breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples.” He wanted to make those Christians pay for speaking lies.  Saul knew the REAL God, now check this out.  Remember the dream?  Let’s pick it up in verse 3 of chapter 9 in Acts.  “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him…”

So think about it, Saul, who has this dream of seeing God in all of His fullness, is finally going to see him!  There’s the flashing light from heaven, just like the chariot, just like the dude sitting on the throne…this is it!  So he’s ready to hear the voice…right?  Listen to what the voice says:

“Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 

Wait, so you mean God’s voice is asking me why I’m working against him?  Of course, Saul is completely confused! He thought he was doing the right thing, he was following all of the rules of the rules of the rules, and to make sure he wasn’t totally dreaming things, he asks, “Who are you, Lord?”
And what does the voice say? “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” It’s like BOOM!!! Can you imagine what Saul is feeling at this moment?  Jesus was the reason Saul was killing and imprisoning these Christians, Jesus was an imposter! He wasn’t the Messiah! He wasn’t God!  And whose voice does he hear, to finally fulfill that lifelong dream? JESUS! Can you imagine what Paul must be thinking at this  point? He was so sure that his image was the right one, and now, because of Jesus, his entire worldview, the lenses in which he views the world, was turned upside down. *Turn on black light* [MESSIAH/JESUS] It’s like Jesus turned the light bulb on for Saul, because Jesus shows us who we really are. Saul thought the Messiah didn’t come yet, but Jesus revealed that He is the Messiah Saul has been looking for all along.

Instead of being a champion for God, he was the villain (**black light**) opposed to Him! Saul thought God was going to conquer the Romans, to establish the kingdom with the Jews at the front, like this sword, but Jesus shows him that He came with a hug (**black light**), to heal the world, to restore it to the way it was in the beginning.  Paul thought that the Jews were supposed to be the elite group, but Jesus says that you were to be a blessing to the nations all along (black light), not a hunter of those who don’t follow your rules.

Saul also wanted to see God’s reign, and the only way that would happen is if people stopped sinning, and that means following all of the rules of the rules of the rules.  [black light] But Jesus says that God’s reign is already here (that’s what the Kingdom of God is).  Saul’s image of God was that of oppression, but Jesus (black light) shows him that he is a God of compassion.

In this one moment, Saul’s image of God began to change, because Jesus shows up.  It is Jesus that shows us who we really are.  Saul thought he was doing the right thing, following all of the right rules, but Jesus showed Saul that his image was distorted.  Jesus is giving Saul a new identity.  He is showing Saul that the revolution God wants him to be a part of is not one of the Law (following all the rules of the rules of the rules), (black light) but one of love. 

Look at what happens next in the story.  God knows that images are powerful…there are mental pictures that we will never forget. Start in verse 6, [read 6-9].  Think about it, all his life Saul had this dream of seeing God in all of his glory, of doing all of the right things, of having the right image of God.  But Saul’s image was wrong.  His image of God was one of following the rules of the rules of the rules. Of oppression, of condemnation, but Jesus shows Saul that the right image of God is one of blessing, compassion, forgiveness, and love.  Jesus shows Saul not only who God really is, but also who Saul really is, and he’s going to send him on a mission.

And what happened to Saul?  Look at verse 8…he was blinded!  Think about it. The last image, because God knows images are so powerful, is seeing Jesus.  Paul says later in the book of Colossians, that “he is the image of the invisible God.”  Saul’s life was never going to be same.  The same is true for us, we find out who we really are when Jesus shows up. 

Let’s take 56 seconds…

Interesting quote about children classroom behavior...

"Surprisingly, a good number of children's classroom 'behavior problems' stem from teacher error: lack of a good lesson planning, poor pacing of the lesson ("dead time" between activities), or use of irrelevant activities."

Regarding discipline: "If we have not given attention to close relationships, failed to identify meaningful responsibilities, or infrequently recognized growth, then we have not earned the right to correct our students' behavior."

-Klaus Issler and Ronald Habermas, How We Learn

I don't know how to take this...but...

Ok, so I got this message from a former student (and I know you're reading this, so I won't mention your name).  I'm going back to the area to speak at a summer conference, and told her I was coming back and wanted to connect, to which she responded:

"YAY!!! That'd be awesome! I really hope we are goin cus that would be awesome! I miss your long devotions! :)"

She misses my long devotions?  Well...first of all they were teachings, not devotions. :)  I still don't know how to take that though.  Just thought it was funny and cute that's all.