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. 

What would I do without Mars Hill?

Yea, I know it's been a couple of months, and some of you have been buggin' me to write.

I attended a camp last week in Keansburg, NJ for Group Workcamps, which I've been emceeing for around 10 years. It's always fun connecting with hundreds of high school students all over the country, and seeing God do some amazing miracles during the week.

However, there is one aspect of it that makes me grateful to be where I am...what the American church chooses to complain about. 

Many of the themes in this year's program dealt with the poor and oppressed, and many adults were saying that it was "too deep and intense for kids to understand." 

I think a possible translation might be, "It's too deep and intense for you to wrestle with."

Or maybe, "The more you bring it up, the more we'll have to seriously talk and do something about it."

What some of these adults may find surprising (which I don't) is that tons of students LOVED talking about it.  Not only that, they were inspired to do more about it.

My friends, this is why I love Mars Hill.  This is why I love being here.  I believe this is a church which cares about such things. 

I sat there on Friday night in the wee hours thinking, "Where would I go without Mars Hill?" I really have no idea.  I'm grateful that I get to do my residency here, helping 5th and 6th graders live the best kind of life.  I'm grateful for a place that wants to hear the cry of the poor and oppressed.

I'm grateful they've accepted our family into theirs.

I really have no idea what I'd do without this place.  Moving our family here almost 3 years ago was the smartest decision we ever made.  I know I've healed so much as a result of the incredible people who call this place home.

So, please, rest of the American church, your teenagers WANT to talk about this stuff.  And they're waiting for YOU to see if you'll join them.

Maybe the problem is that YOU don't want to talk (and do something) about it, not our world-changing teenagers.

Redeeming everything...

I know I've already said this, but my friend Jim is a genius. 

We played a little game today, let's see if you can guess...

What game involves plastic cups, a ping-pong ball, with the object of trying to throw the ball into the cup?

I know, it's so easy, isn't it? 

Of course! It's LOVE CUPS! 

We played this game with our 5th and 6th grade Lifegroups today.  I about peed my pants.  I know Jim is always talking about redeeming everything, but I never thought Beer Pong was in the equation. 

At the same time, it is genius, isn't it?  I mean, 10-12 year olds are not going to know that game anyway right?  I can see it now.  They're at a party in high school, and out comes 2 cups and ping-pong ball, and immediately, they say, LOVE CUPS! 

I mean if God can redeem Beer Pong, He can redeem anything, right?

Oh, and if you're 10-12 years old and reading this, spread the love!

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.

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

A great movie for how parents should react to their teen getting pregnant...

Just saw Juno last night.  Incredible movie. It was pretty much like Gilmore Girls on steroids.  I laughed so hard much of the time!  In case you don't know, Juno is about a 16-yr girl who gets pregnant, then decides to give her baby up for adoption.  It's a great journey all the way through, with some great dialogue and hilarious one-liners. 

Anyway, what Julia and I were talking about last night is how Juno's parents reacted to her telling them she was pregnant.  We were saying that the her parent's acted should be an example of how all parents should approach their child.  It was honest, yet affirming, and extremely supportive.  It's one of those moments where I know I would show at some parenting seminar regarding those types of things. 

Go watch the movie if you haven't.  It's a lot of fun to watch.  One of my favorite lines when Juno's about to have her baby and she wants an epidural (I'm paraphrasing right now):

Juno: I want the spinal tap man!

Stepmom:  No, honey, the doctor said he can't give it to you because you're not dilated enough yet.

Juno: I thought doctors were supposed to help people!

Stepmom: No, doctors are sadists who just want to see lesser people suffer.

I'm just a...

"I'm just a..."

It was interesting.  I was at the Talking Points at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, where they were talking through the future of youth ministry. You can download all 3 talks here. Steve Argue, who is the Executive Director of Contextual Learning there and a participant of Mars Hill, gave a stunning message on how youth ministry must become closer.  I told him that every youth leader should listen to it period.

Being there was a little surreal for me, now that I don't get a paycheck anymore.  You've heard my stuff before on what I've been going through with that.  I remember the first presenter going through and asking who was paid staff, who were part-time, and then who were the volunteers, to which there's this applause in the room.  It always happens this way, but part of me was saying, "I'm just a volunteer, and that's just something you're doing to make us feel like we're part of who you are."

Again, it's position talk...status talk.

I started reflecting on how many times I said this, "I'm just a..."  Do you ever think about that?  It's funny, because even as a paid youth worker I found myself saying things like, "I'm just a youth pastor with a small group", or even if I had 120 kids, "I just have 120 kids." I would always hold this measuring stick out.

Marko even asked, "How many of you have been fired from your church?"  I reluctantly raised my hand.  I felt so ashamed as I looked about at the other 10-15 hands out of 300. 

Even sitting with the Mars Hill Student Ministries staff was bringing up feelings like I should sit somewhere else, or even at the lunch table felt like I should leave so they could have a real discussion.  I know many of things are my own perceptions, lies, and projections.  But that was the feeling yesterday. 

But I hear this talk everywhere.  "I'm just a Sunday-school teacher." "I'm just a small group volunteer."  "I'm just someone who...." 

The Bible is filled with this too, and sometimes it isn't yourself that says it.  "Aren't these just those unschooled fisherman from the Galilee?"  Or what about Moses, David, or Esther?   I'm paying attention more to this statement, because deep down its rooted in something that says that we really don't think God thinks we're good enough.  That God doesn't think we're as important as someone else.

Please hear me when I say that is a flat-out lie.  God delights in you period, no matter what you do.  Nothing is ever going to change that.  Sure, He gives some more responsibility.  Remember the parable of the talents.  He gave one guy 5, another 3, and another 1?  Was the point to BE the guy with five talents?  No!  The point was to do something with the talents he gave you.  All of the work is significant.  You can't tell me that a youth ministry with 2000 students isn't as important as one with 2.  The great story of God is that one person can literally change the world.  Who knows where that person comes from?

So, please, for the love of God, please stop asking how many kids are in your particular ministries when you get together.  There is nothing in that that has anything to do with a person's worth or effectiveness.  Deep down you know when people ask that question all you are doing is putting out the measuring stick to either feel better about yourself or to feel like you're not good enough.  And even worse, you facilitate the same thing for the other person. 

I could care less how many kids you have in your ministry.  What I want to know is how many have fallen head over heels for Jesus?  How many are embracing the path of descent, and not ascent?

As one of the guys in my accountability group told me a couple of weeks ago, "Don't sell yourself short."  It seems to me it is the never-changing story is that God uses the "just-a's" to do extraordinary things.

But why listen to me?  I'm just a volunteer now.

Why I stopped going to youth group...

A student reflects on why she's not going to youth group anymore.  I read this and know one student that is currently at our church who could have written this verbatim.  It is something all who are in youth ministry need to think about.

A revelation about my niche...

I've had a whirlwind of a month, if you read a couple posts ago, on my schedule.

There have been many things I've been wanting to tell you but can't at the moment.  I will let you know in a couple of weeks.

However, the one thing over this last month has been a new revelation for me...or maybe I should say it's been more intense than anything previously. 

I've been MC'ing for Group Workcamps Foundation for about the last 7 years, and speaking here and there are various retreats, conferences, and such.  I spoke at the IMPACT festival here in Central PA last week, and while I was sitting on the bench, I was overwhelmed with this sense about what I just did...

...I was made to do this.

I started reflecting on this last month, the numerous comments I received..."You're a natural at this."  "You were wired to do this."  "God moved through you in powerful ways, like none I've ever seen."  Comments like that.  Every time I do things like that I hear those things.  When I was done last week, I just felt a sense that I am really wired to do what I just did.  It  was the first time I was overwhelmed with that strong of a presence.  It felt like that if I don't do what I just did, I would be unfaithful to who I was made to be.  I don't know if any of you know what I'm talking about, but that was what I was thinking. 

In a couple of weeks, I will fill in the rest of the story, and all of these things (with many more questions) will start to come together.  We are in midst of making huge decisions about our lives (my family and I), and we just trying to figure out what God is up to here.

Please pray for clarity, for continued direction, and the space just to rest in God's presence.

I will tell you more later.