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April 30, 2008

UnChristian

I just finished reading “The Irrestible Revoution: Becoming an Ordinary Radical” by Shane Claiborne. This book has challenged me and stretched me in really good ways.  (Isn’t that the job of a good book?)  It has increased my desire to love intentionally and outrageously and to share the hope of Jesus with everyone.  Claiborne is an incredibly humble poet heart who is desperate to walk in Jesus footprints. 

I am now reading “UnChristian.”  This is written by two guys from the Barna group.  They did surveys and research with thousand of “outsiders” (non-Christians) and discovered some startling results.  In 1996, 85% of people in America were favorable disposed toward Christianity.  Now, in just 12 years, that number has dropped to 38%.  The book explores the six broad themes that the reseach found that non-Christians think about Christianity:

* They say that we are hypocritical.  They say we pretend to be something we are not and are skeptical of our morally superior attitudes.
* They say that we are “too focused on getting converts.”  They feel like projects, not people. 
* They seay we are “antihomosexual.”  They say we are “fixated on curing homosexuals and leveraging political solutions against them.”
* They say we are “sheltered” - old fashion, boring, and out of touch with reality. We deal with complex issues with simplistic answers.  (Maxine calls this “bubble gum Christianity.’)
* They say we are “too political.”  Jesus was not a white Republican.
* They say we are judgemental - they doubt that they love people they way we say we do. 

Here’s how one outsider put it:

“Most people I meet assume that “Christian” means very conservative, entrenched in their thinking, antigay, antichoice, angry, violent, illogical, empire builders; they want to convert everyone, and they generally can not live peacefully with anyone who doesn’t believe what they believe.” 

The sad thing is that when they asked the same questions of younger people (Mosiacs)

within

the church they got nearly the same answers! 

We’ve been talking about these ideas in the student ministry.  Kinnaman suggests that we can change these perceptions not by watering down the message but by understanding the Mosiacs better.  I’ve been telling students to change the perceptions one heart at a time.  This is especially important in the Mosiacs (16-29 year olds).  One of the stats that jumped out at me was that only 3% of these young people have a positive view of Evangelical Christianity!  In fact, most did not know what the word “evangelical” meant and many thought it was a political term.  3%?! 

That’s where Claiborne comes in.  How did we, who are call Christians (literally little Christ), get so far off message?  We’ve got to get back to basics - loving God with all our hearts, soul, mind, and strength and loving others intentionally and outrageously. 

I will continue to blog about the book as I go through it.  We’ve got to understand Mosiacs.  Recent research suggests that only 4% of 16-29 identify themselves as Christians.  We are losing a generation.  These student and young adults are very interested in Jesus but have been so hurt and turned off by his followers that they have hard time seeing the forest for the trees. 

May God give us wisdom to show them that “another world is possible.”

 

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April 28, 2008

Graffiti

We began NEXT with this video Sunday night.  It’s from the Bill Graham association and does a great job of mixing the “old school” with the “new school.”

Watch and comment what stood out to you the most:

 

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April 28, 2008

Noodles of Blessing

This weekend was a wonderful respite.  The last two weekends I have run nearly 72 hours straight and it was nice to just have a lazy time at home with the family on Saturday. 

Sunday was amazing.  Thank you to Marsha Murphy and her family that cooked all the spaghetti for our Mexico find raiser.  The students were in the kitchen early preparing for the dinner between services.


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I was proud of the students for how diligently they worked to get everything ready. 

I was more proud of how the church responded.  Our “sombrero of love” was filled many times over and, in the end, we raised over $2,000 for our Mexico team! 

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Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Marty did a great job teaching EQUIP Sunday morning.  He taught on temptation and we walked through Luke 4 and the temptation of Jesus.  Students were split into small groups and had to discuss what kind of temptations bother them the most.

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Marty used humor, chocolate, toilet paper, and a full broad sword to make his point - that we can only take so much temptation before we break.  We have to use the “sword of the Spirit” (Eph 6:17) to resist temptation, which is how Jesus did it in Luke 4.

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Please encourage every junior high and high school student you know to attend EQUIP.  It is part of our mission statement - to connect and equip.  Marty is a gift from God and does a fantastic job teaching.  He teaches “tribally” - meaning he understands that students need to discuss things in groups.  He teaches with humor and creativity.  He’s just plain gifted. 

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I’m thankful for all the gifted teachers that we have in EQUIP - Joe, Geoff, and Milt to name a few.

I’ll leave you with a great picture.  One of teenager’s main jobs is to “differentiate.”  They need to find their own way and their own style.  They need to find their own faith.  That’s why we call our junior high ministry “Cross Roads.”  A lot of parents fight battles that they will never win.  One of them is hair.  I don’t care how Josh and Austin wear their hair.  Hair can always be cut and it always will grow back.  Here’s a high school student…just being normal!

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April 26, 2008

The poor you will always have among you?

It is much more comfortable to depersonalize the poor so we don’t feel responsible for the catastrophic human failure that results in someone sleeping on the street while people have spare bedrooms in their homes.  We can volunteer in a social program or distribute excess food and clothing through organizations and never have to open up our homes, our beds, our dinner tables.  When we get to heaven, we will be separated into those sheep and goats Jesus talks about in Matthew 25 based on how we cared for the least among us.  I’m just not convinced that Jesus is going to say, “When I was hungry , you gave a check to the United Way and they fed me…or when I was naked you donated clothes to the Salvation Army and they clothed me.”  Jesus is not seeking distant acts of charity.  He seeks concrete acts of love: “you fed me…you visited me in prison…you welcomed me into your home…you clothed me…

When the church becomes a place of brokerage instead of an organic community, she ceases to be alive.  She ceases to be something we are, the living bride of Christ. The church becomes a distribution center, a place where the poor come to get stuff and the rich come to dump stuff.  Both go away satisfied, (the rich feel good, the poor get clothed and fed), but no one leaves transformed.  No radical new community is formed. 

- Shane Claiborne in “The Irresistible Revolution”

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April 24, 2008

Do Something?

Our junior high program, Cross Roads, is a huge group of amazing students from every walk of student life.  There are homeschoolers, Christian schoolers, and public schoolers.  There are students who are considered cool and students, like me, that are not so cool.  But, at Cross Roads, everyone becomes equal, part of the family.  I have enjoyed this year of Cross Roads immensely. Having my son with me makes it doubly special. 

After all the junior high students leave, a group of high school students gravitate to my office and we talk for an hour or more.  Last night, two of the students were talking in the hall, two were playing the piano in the auditorium (and boy can they play!), and two were in my office.  It was a normal night - until God broke through. 

We were talking about how can we love people so ridiculously that they can see the face of Jesus.  How can we be so creative and extravagantly that they can smell the aroma of Christ. I taught last night from John 12 where Mary annoints Jesus’ feet with expensive nard (which I used Cotton Candy body spray!).
One of the students was sitting in my chair and had her back to me.  It occurred to me that she was crying.  When she turned around, tears were quietly streaming down her cheeks.  This is what she said,

“How long will I settle for a half-surrendered, half-sacrificed life?  Why has it taken me five years to get this?  Jeff, you tell us to ‘do something’ but Jesus didn’t go around intentionally doing stuff, He just loved.” 

It was apparent that the Holy Spirit was working and she asked me to pray.  This is gist of what I prayed:

“God, we want to follow You with all our hearts but I fear we trapped inside a system, inside a “pop Christianity” bubble.  We are hungry for a revolution, a gentle revolution of love, community, justice, and obscene hope.  God help us to be creative in our love and care for the marginalized, the outcast.  May you give us opportunities to break our love open on someone and may they smell You.  Teach us to dance.  Teach us to love. Teach us to take you seriously.  I don’t even really know what I’m asking but do it.  I realize this is a dangerous prayer, and that’s why I pray it tonight!”

Mother Tersea said, “Do small things with great love…”  We brainstormed ways we could love intentionally and extravagantly.  How can we call attention to the social injustices that dominate our world?  How do we shed the labels of liberal/conservative and realize their a third way, the way of the Living Slaughtered Lamb?  How do we break out of “American Churchianity” and become ordinary radicals for Jesus?  How do we communicate to students who want to be part of a revolution? 

A lot of these thoughts have been inspire by Shane Claiborne’s “Irresistible Revolution.”  I’ve tried not quote much from the book because I would quote the whole book!  What I love about what God is doing in my life right now is that I have no desire to grow dreadlocks and move to the inner city. I just desire to taste what it means to a lover of Livingston County.  Shane has just challenged me to see that…

Another World is Possible!

To watch Shane and some friends redistribute $10,000 to the homeless outside of the stock exchange on Wall Street in New York, watch this video.  May you have eyes to see…

     

         

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April 22, 2008

God give me some Holy Recklessness

“What therefore, is our task today?  Shall I answer ‘faith, hope, and love?’  That sounds beautiful.  But I would say - courage. No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth.  Our task today is recklessness.  For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature…we lack a holy rage - a recklessness which comes from the knowledge of God and humanity.  The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets, and when the lie rages across the face of the earth…a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world.  To rage against the ravaging of God’s earth, and the destruction of God’s world.  To rage when little children must die of hunger, when the tables of the rich are sagging with food.  To rage at the senseless killing of so many, and against the madness of militaries.  To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of destruction peace.  To rage against complacency.  To restlessly seek that recklessness that will challenge to seek to change human history until it conforms to the norms of the Kingdom of God. And remember the signs of the Christian church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish…but never the chameleon.”
- Kaj Munk, a Danish pastor/playwright who was killed by the Gestapo in 1944
(quoted by Shane Claiborne in “The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical”)
   

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April 21, 2008

What a Weekend!

What a beautiful day!  Spring has finally sprung and I’m enjoying the warmer weather and the blooming trees and flowers.  I hope you had a great weekend. 

Here are some student ministry updates and reminders:

* On Friday night, we gathered together to honor three of our seniors - Kathryn Robson, Nathan Stevenson, and Gideon Yeager.  It was a wonderful night of food, fellowship, and faith.  We ate Bernardi’s (yummy!) and cheese cake.  Thanks to Maxine for handling the food. A group of junior high students were the servers for the night and did a fantastic job.  Thanks Becky Anderson for coordinating this team of young servants.  The FLC was beautifully decorated - thanks Jenn Myzia, Marti Sullan, Ally Peck, Becky Anderson and Maxine.  After the dinner, I gave my annual graduation talk, “Tears, Tassels, and Towels.”  Then it was time for the main event.

When I graduated seminary, I went through a rite of passage.  In our Christian culture, we really have missed out on the profound effect these events can have.  I can till remember kneeling in front of my classmates and receiving this blessing. In fact, my blessing hangs above my desk in a shadow box -

“Jefferson Michael Williams - God has gifted you with the ability to speak the language of [students] and then translate for parents to understand.  May God continue to give you energy where there is apathy, humor where there is sullenness, and hope where there is despair.” 

One by one, the students stood in front of everyone and received a public blessing from their families.  It was a amazing thing to hear the parents tell the students how proud they are of them.  I was able to say how proud I am of each of them as well. 

Thanks to all the students, parents, and student leaders who helped with this event - from serving, to cleaning, to taking pictures, or setting up the sound board (thanks Josh!).  The senior banquet has evolved through my time here at PBC and I enjoy launching our seniors after spending 6 years with them!

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* After the senior banquet, two of the seniors and group of friends that they invited, headed off to the Trembley’s house for a bonfire/overnighter.  Several student leaders came out for the bonfire and we sang and talked about what God is teaching us.  I spent the night with 7 of the students and we shot each other with nerf guns, played Taboo, and watched movies till 3:00 AM.  (I’m getting too old to be up at 3 AM!)  We had a blast and a special thanks to Geoff and Jennifer Trembley for being wonderful hosts!

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* After about three hours of sleep I got up and headed for EQUIP.  I was so proud to see all seven students that were with my all night sitting in EQUIP ready to be taught!  Joe Myzia followed up on a lesson that Marty Cotter taught last week in baptism.  Joe taught the students an acronym:
Believers only
Anathema
Paul
Trinity
Inductive Study
Salvation?
Methods
This is a great way to remember the “theology” of baptism.  Joe asked how many of them had been baptized by Pastor Jeff, about half raised their hands.  That was a cool thing. 

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* I attended part of the PTHS choir concert Sunday afternoon.  What a great job Mr. Cheek does with the students.  It’s so refreshing to hear God’s name used so frequently and sung with passion. 

* Last night was our pool party at the Rec Center.  We had about 70 students come to swim, play, “Catch the Bacon,” and wrestle the leaders.  It was a blast!  We ended the night with the 5th annual belly flop competition which we have named the “Hitch” award after Casey Hitch (Dixon now).  She used to pull of belly flops that would everyone in the pool cringe.  This year’s winner was Rachel Brakeville! 

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The students were asked to collect cans for the Livinston County Food Pantry and, altogether, collected nearly 200 cans of food!  Kudos to David Grimes for collecting the most cans and winning a gift certificate to the movie theater. 

After the pool party, several of us sat around and dreamed about what God could do with our student ministry to bring the Kingdom to earth.  Finally, at about 10:30, I got home.  I was exhausted but very thankful for what God is doing in our midst. 

This week in student ministry:
- Wednesday night at Cross Roads - “What Worship Aint!”
- Sunday morning at EQUIP, Marty will continue our student in the life of Christ.
- Sunday night at NEXT, “Footprints of Grace.” 

On a personal note:
The family is doing well.  Maxine’s medication got changed and she is feeling better.  The boys went to the Air Show yesterday in Peoria.  Thanks to the Henderson’s for taking them!  They were super excited to tell me all about the planes and all the cool stuff they saw. 

I made it through the last two weekends without getting sick, which is an annual event. (Although I did gain weight from all the junk I’ve eaten!_ We have a couple of weeks left in our student ministry year and then May is full of graduations and parties. 

Could you pray for me as I continue to think and dream about the student ministry?  Things are going well, but I want to be strategic and shore up our foundation so that as we grow we can continue to do effective ministry. 

Thanks for your continuing pray support for the students, they need it and appreciate it more than you can know.

Onwards and Upwards:
Pastor Jeff

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April 18, 2008

Playing Church No More!

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On Wednesday night at Cross Roads, Kayla Mahon shared her story of what happened to her at the Dare 2 Share conference this past weekend.  Kayla said she realized that she had just been “playing church” and even though she tried to be “perfect” she could never figure out God’s love.  Kayla reported that she gave her heart to Jesus completely and sincerely on Friday night of the conference. When she told her friends, many of them were surprised because all of us, including me, thought she was already a Christ follower.  When she told me, at the lunch table at PCS Wed afternoon, we all sang Happy Birthday to her.  She then told all the students that she planned to be baptized at the next baptism service.

Youth ministry is not about the pay…it’s about the pay-off!  Kayla is an amazing girl.  She sings on our junior high praise team and has leadership gifts we want to see developed. 

By the way, that makes the fourth student to report surrendering their hearts to Jesus at the Dare 2 Share conference.  Thank you for praying for the students. 

Remember, they are not the future of the church….

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April 16, 2008

I Saw God Today

“There is no event so commonplace but that God is present in it, always hiddenly, always leaving you to recognize Him or not to recognize Him, but all the more fascinatingly because of that, all the more compellingly and hauntingly.” - Frederick Buechner

I’ve been making it a habit to listen to all kinds of music to see if I can hear what this world is saying about God.  I wonder if George Strait has been reading Buechner lately.

Read these lyrics:

I Saw God Today
George Strait

I just walked down the street to the coffee shop
had to take a break
I’d been by her side for eighteen hours straight
I saw a flower growing in the middle of the sidewalk
pushing up through the concrete
like it was planted right there for me to see
the flashin’ lights, the honkin’ horns
all seemed to fade away
in the shadow of that hospital at 5:08
I saw God today

Chorus:
I’ve been to church
I’ve read the book
I know He’s here, but I don’t look
near as often as I should
Yeah, I know I should
His fingerprints are everywhere
I’d just slow down to stop and stare
opened my eyes and man I swear
I saw God today

I saw a couple walking by they were holding hands
Man, she had that glow
yeah I couldn’t help but notice she was starting to show
it stood there for a minute takin’ the sky
lost in that sunset
a splash of amber melted in the shades of red

Chorus

I got my face pressed up against the nursery glass
She’s sleeping like a rock
My name on her wrist wearing tiny pink socks
She’s got my nose, she’s got her mama’s eyes
My brand new baby girl
She’s a miracle
I saw God today

Are you listening to our culture’s cries for God?

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April 16, 2008

Proof that God Hears my Prayers - It only took 178 days!

April 14, 2008
4th-longest stretch between 70s to end Wednesday

The chill’s been so relentless, many Chicagoans could be forgiven for thinking
warmth might never arrive. But it finally appears to be on the way. It will last initially
only two days—east winds and a wet storm threaten a temperature downturn late in
the week. But providing sun-filtering high and mid-level clouds don’t become too
overwhelming Wednesday, a predicted 73-degree high will mark the first time in 178
days the mercury has struggled above the benchmark 70-degree level here. Only
three times before—in 1943-44 (185 days), 1992-93 (182 days) and 1957-58 (181
days)—has more time passed between 70-degree temperatures here. This year’s tally
is more than a month past the 80-year average of 143 days between 70s recorded at
Midway Airport.
- WGN Weather Blog

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April 14, 2008

We “Survived!”

This weekend, me and eight other adults, took 60 teenagers to “Survive” - a Dare 2 Share Evangelism Conference in Chicago’s north west suburbs.  As I marked off the names from my master list, I was overwhelmed with how many students were going.  I’ve being doing trips like these for well over a decade but I’ve never taken so many at one time.  The students were excited and I was nervous.  The opportunity for something to go wrong increases exponentially as the number of students increases. 

They were all there at 4:00, a small miracle in itself.  After we fed them, the bus pulled out and headed up the road.  The bus was jammed packed and of course the usual singing broke out.  Several of the junior high students sat near the front, wide eyed and worried.  This included my son Josh.  After seven years of waiting, he finally was able to go with me.  The older students sat in the very back of the bus and were engaged in deep conversations in quiet whispers. 

We were late for the conference, but not as late as I thought we would be.  The session was really just beginning. 8,000 teenagers from all over the midwest, and a group from Canada sat ready to be taught. The theme of the weekend was “Rock, Paper, Scissors.”  Greg Stier, Derwin Grey (former NFL player for the Colts), and Zane Black (snow-boarding California boy) taught and used video, drama, and lots of humor to communicate the messages. 

Rock:
Jesus is the rock and He’s coming back. (2 Peter 3:3-10)

Paper:
Everything is going to burn - except what we do for Christ (2 Peter 3:10-13)

Scissors:
Cutting everything out of your life that is not aligned with God (2 Peter 3:10-14)
(This was the sex talk and they did a fantastic job with this session)

Friday night Greg presented the Gospel and challenged the students to get off the fence and pick a side.  He then asked each students to tell me what their decision was.  As the line was forming, one of our girls that has been investigating Christianity and asking great questions, made her way towards me.  She was sobbing and hugged me tightly.  When she was able to speak, all she said was, “I get it…I get it…I get it!”  Needless to say, she wasn’t the only one crying!  One by one students whispered in my ear:

* I want to serve Christ with every fiber of my being
* Whatever He wants me to do, I’ll do
* I want God to use me

It was a beautiful moment.  All across the Sears Center, teenagers were committing their futures to the God who holds the future. Our prayer is those commitments wouldn’t be just conference-induced emotions but would run deep into their souls and change them.

We spent the night at First United Methodist Church in Elgin.  As we were unloading the trailer, a few of us noticed the church across the street was lit up and music was thumping out of it.  Keith, the youth pastor, explained that it was no longer a church but a night club.  I thought, that will preach!  Anyway…

Grant Armstrong and I brought the two groups together and spent some time singing and sharing together.  It was great to see students from different ministries sitting together and sharing together.  Grant is an amazing guy and I’m glad that God has brought him to Pontiac.  My prayer is that the students that went on this trip will go back tell the others what they missed and that next year…

We finally got them settled down at 1:30 and after sleeping restlessly on a hard tile floor, we got up at 6:15.  Parents had made breakfast food for us and there was more than enough.  We headed back to the Sears Center for the Saturday’s sessions. Lincoln Brewsterwas our praise leader for the weekend.  We do a lot of his songs at PBC, (Let the Praises Ring, Everlasting God, Love the Lord) and he connected really well with the students.  He’s my age and has a great faux hawk and can play the guitar better than any worship leader I’ve ever seen.  (I told the students that I taught him everything he knew).  The Washington Projects  also performed.  Christian hip hop and had the place jumping. 

A learning for next year - trying to feed 50+ in less than two hours is impossible and we were late for the afternoon session.  Next year, we will have coolers with sandwiches and and chips. 

We nearly canceled the door-to-door experience.  It was about 38 degrees and raining.  But the students really wanted to do it so we compromised.  We only covered about a fourth of the area we were supposed to.  It was amazing to see the students head out and boldly walk up to doors.  Michael Fry should be commended because he volunteered to take the 6th grade boys.  Students came back with a lot of cans and several got to ask some questions about heaven.  A couple got the door slammed in their face - they were stoked!  I’m glad that we did it.  Students, and adults, need to be pulled out of our comfort zones more often.

For dinner, we went to McDonalds.  This was the fourth fast food meal for me in 30 hours!  I was feeling a bit woozy by this time.  We walked in and the manager took one look at us and turned white.  He told that they were short staffed and did have anything already made.  In less than 30 minutes, everyone had their food and we were able to be on time for the last session.  We made sure to thank them for doing the impossible.

The students were really hyped up about the concert.  Last year’s ending concert was a bust and we were hoping that Hawk Nelson wouldn’t disappoint. They didn’t.  Hawk Nelson is punk/pop/rock with a little taste of attitude. They did a great job and beach balls were flying everywhere, kazoos were being played, and a whole line of girls in the row in front of me were doing the Macarana - which just proves that the world is coming to end soon!  I asked a student who I knew didn’t have much church experience if this is what she thought of when she thought of church.  Her eyes got real big and she shook her head with a huge smile. 

As we loaded up the bus for our trip home, the heavens opened and snow started to pour from the sky.  I was horse by then and screamed and ranted to anyone who would listen that it is not supposed to snow in April.  The ride home was uneventful (many of the younger ones were asleep) and we returned about 20 minutes early.  One by one, the students left and I got home about 12:30.  The trip was complete. We didn’t lose anyone and fours students who were lost got found by Jesus!

The adults that went on this trip deserve a medal - Andy and Julie Rayburn, Ally Peck, Joe Myzia, Amy Park (the bus driver from heaven), Grant Armstrong and his co-hart in crime Jamie.

Thanks to Grant for being a great teammate and friend and lining up our stay at the FUMC in Elgin.  Thanks to Keith for putting us up for the night.   

I’ll close with a great story of God watching over us.  When we filed out on Friday night, the bus filled up and I counted and Joe counted and thought we had them all.  The bus started and then Amy couldn’t find her clip board.  We looked everywhere and I finally decided to go back in to see if I had laid it down somewhere.  As I walked toward the doors…there was one of our students standing there waiting patiently for us to come out.  He had tried to call me but his phone was dead.  I found the clip board and a student!  God is amazing! 

For those of you who prayed or provided scholarships for students, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Now I’m going back to bed!     

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April 13, 2008

Dare 2 Share

53 students… 9 adults…two student ministries…30 hours…4 fast food meals…4 hours sleep….9 tons of food collected…0 students left behind…1 AMAZING bus driver…5 teaching sessions…1 great Hawk Nelson concert…

4 students surrendering their hearts to Jesus….

PRICELESS!

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April 10, 2008

Quotes to make you think

I’m about to leave the hotel and head back to Pontiac.  Mark left a while ago to continue the SHIFT experience.  I got to talk to Bo Bosheers yesterday, no, he did not offer me a job!, and thank him for allowing me to come up for one day of the conference. 

I didn’t take any practical step-by-step approach home with me.  My soul was fed and my heart was challenged.  I plan to blog on some of the things that I heard.  For me, Shane Claiborne was the highlight of the day.  Dreadlocks, do-rag, and an outrageous east Tennessee accent - Shane started a community in Philadelphia called the “Simple Way.”  [Similar to Jesus People USA in Chicago].  He’s reluctantly written a book called “Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical.” 

He said something that has messed with me, quoting Mother Teresa:

“In the poor we meet Jesus is His most distressing disguises.” 

Don’t think about that too much or you will suddenly realize how little you do for the least of these.

Mark Yaconelli said:

“America didn’t invent Christianity.  We just domesticated it.”

Claiborne again, quoting one of his professors [Wheaton!]:

“Don’t let the world steal your soul.  Being a Christian is about choosing Jesus and deciding to do something incredibly daring with your life.” 

My world looks pretty safe most of the time.  I want to be more daring.

I’ll leave you with a quote from McLaren that I agree with more and more:

“Either Christianity is flawed, failing, or untrue, or our modern, Western, commercialized, industrial-strength version of it is in need of a fresh look, a serious revision.”

May we have the courage to escape the “matrix” of American Churchianity and follow Jesus with a radical dependence and a burning heart for the hurting of our community. 

There are Calcuttas everywhere, you know…

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April 09, 2008

What do they see?

I’m at a loss for what Shane Claiborne just talked about.  I’ll blog about it later. 

If you are interested in what’s happening here at Willow, visit Out of Ur to read a live feed blog from Willow. 

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April 09, 2008

Frustrating but God knows why

I thought I was so 21 century as I blogged through Brian McLaren’s session “Everything Must Change.”  I took copious notes and at the end added some rambling thoughts about what he said.  When I went to post it, I pressed submit and the entire post disappeared!  I had to take a deep breath. 

Maybe the readers of my blog are just not ready for McLaren’s thoughts on global issues and how the church should respond.  Maybe God just wanted me to process this without sharing it. 

Next up Mike Yaconelli. 

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/09 at 11:11 AM • (0) Comments