Head On the Chopping Block

I've been involved with youth ministry for 5 years, and done a lot of preaching but you know there is one ministry in the Church that I reckon if you take it on then you need a real thick skin. What's the ministry? Worship - especially worship leading. You seem to cope it from all angles on this one. The latest craze in Churches seems to be lets rip into the song lyrics ( See http://www.carey.ac.nz/pauls_blog/) something I admit is really easy to do. But hey the amount of songs out their now, really, to have a go at the lyrics is cheap there are some good songs out their with good lyrics you just might need to look beyond Hillsong to find them. Personally, I find Chris Tomlin lyrics on his new album really good.
Then after the theologians have their go, you need to also be able to handle the ones who complain that the songs are: - too fast, too slow, too new, too old, too loud, too quiet, too personal, not seeker friendly or too shadow. Yea you need think skin.
While I'm on this comment another thing. I've been around some Churches where some lyrics are changed due to the commitment level they promise. Example - Shout To The Lord, has the line "Forever I'l love you, forever I'll stand" changed to "Help me to love you, and help me stand". I personally think this is weak. It's sound to me like the wedding card I hear you can get that says "I can't promise you tomorrow, but I can promise you today". It's a weak cope out! I want to follow God forever - I can say today I will stand forever - to promise anything else I think is weak. In the end, isn't it the reality that God does help us to love him and does help us to stand that enables us to sing "forever i'll love you forever I'll stand". It's not that we don;t realise our ability to fall away, it's not that we are relying on our own strength. It's becasue of the Spirit of God within us and the fact that we serve a God that "doesn't let go" that allows us to sing "forever".
Anyway as someone who doesn't actually worship lead to much now - I say a big up to the worship leaders around the place. May you honour God with your gifts, and may God bless you with skin thick enough to handle the chopping block that is modern worship leading.

Til next time
D

Back Again

Man, I'm tired. A skin condition can keep me awake for hours and on days like this it all catches up with me and I can barely keep my eyes open. But anyhow......
We are into the season of advent. I made a mistake and we actually started advent twice. I thought it started last Sunday - it said so on the Baptist Calender - stupid baptists what do they know about advent? So anyhow we had two first Sundays of Advent, just to be a little different here in Taupo.
Last night was a great service. It was based around a few stations on the Names of Jesus. Jesus the Vine, Jesus the Cornerstone, Jesus the Lamb, and Jesus the Bread. The reflection questions given to us and written by Liz really spoke to me at all the stations. But here is the ones from the Jesus the Bread.
Where is your hope?
Are you letting Christ be all he wants to be?
Are you hungry for more?
Is you hope in food that perishes, toys that rust or breakdown, relationships that are feeble?
Consider Christ as your food as the sustaining power an energy for your daily life

Til next time
D

Hanging Out

Ok I had an interesting talk with someone the other day. She was upset because we ran a youth event that was simply a games night. There was nothing else - simply games and quite silly games at that. The youth came laughed, played silly games, and went home. This lady was a upset because we didn't pray at the end or beginning of the night. What was amazed me was the reason we had a games night was because we had just finished 40 days of community. 40 days of looking at the importance of community and friendship. Generally each term we start and finish the term with social events - last week we did a good old fashioned photo shot. Again - there was no prayer, no worship, no sermon - simply a social games night. Ok then my thought. Isn't it funny how we see some things as "Spiritual" and some not. We would all say that we value friendship, community and things like that. We would say that God wants it and enjoys it when we share in it. Yet some argue that when we have a night that doesn't involve the three spiritual events of prayer, worship and a message then these nights are seen as pointless and not "spiritual" enough. Now I'm really into prayer, worship and teaching, but what if fellowship and hanging out having fun is just as "spiritual"?

Maybe if we are going to say community is important we need to realise that fun community events are important for their own benefit - even if we don't pray at the end?
Maybe in fact the wider Church needs to learn from the kids and youth here and simply have some nights where it is not monologue based prayer, worship and a message - but rather get together just to laugh and have fun?
Just some thoughts

Til next time
D

Kids Camp

I have just spent the last week at a Kids Camp. Just down the road from where I live is a camp that each holidays has about 90 kids attend cmap for a week. As well as the kids there are the leaders and the L.I.Ts (Leaders In Training). It was a great time - my job was to speak to the L.I.T's. I have attended the camps before but only for a day - as many of the Branded members go down as leaders.....here are a few things that will stay with me from camp.

• Camping: I remember once reading that as youth leaders sometimes the success that can occur at one camp can make as wonder why we bother with all those other programmes that we put on. Sure there is the after camp "high" and then the coming back to earth which at times can involve a bit of thump. But no-one can deny that in the week I just spent real friendships were formed, fun was had and some real commitments to God made.
• Worship: Seeing the young kids worship was something else. The worship was lead by a couple of guys from a band called "Barak Zamer". The cool thing was that they didn;t simply do it by themselves but worked with some of the younger kids and got them involved as well. On the final night Barak Zamer played a new song called "Hurray For Harry" about one of the band members 4 month old son that had died - real powerful song.
• Youth Leadership: USA Speaker Rob Bell presents the case that most of the disciples were probably only teenagers. At this camp with the LIT I was looking at the life of Peter the disciple (although Peter was probably older) which of course had me looking at the disciples themselves. Do we sell the youth short in terms of leadership? Sure the culture and maturity of teenagers in Jesus day (when in fact teenagers didn't exist the whole term and concept of teenagers is very new) and our day may be different. But read the gospels and look at the disciples as teenagers and it can be quite challenging. At this camp most of the leaders were teenagers and it was great to0 see them responding to the responsibility they had been given. Maybe Teenagers are not the Church Leaders of tomorrow? Maybe we need to heed their voice of leadership today?

Anyhow that's all for now

Later

D

Christian Pop Culture

I have a love/hate relationship with a lot of Christian pop culture.
I love it cos as a youth pastor there are all these Christian bands out there that I can use in studies, powerpoints etc
I love it cos I can take youth to the Parachute Music festival and know they will have a good time in a safeish environment.
I love seeing youth wearing tops that say that they are not ashamed of the gospel
I love the fact that there is a safety in it all.
I hate it cos - cos some of the material is simply so corny it's embrassing.
I hate is cos it's so inclusive - it places Christians in a different world from their friends at school, I hate it cos it lacks creativity - surely if God is the creative source of eveything, then we as Christians should be doing better than bad rip offs of what we see the "world" doing.
I hate it cos I believe it increases the "sacred"and "secular" divide that is not altogether useful. Things are viewed as Christian and therefore good, or secular and therefore evil. Can't God move in both worlds?? In fact maybe the secular/sacred is a real need for "and" instead of an "or" situation. Our Christianity should be reflected in both.

Maybe one of the biggest challenges now that the Church has this monster called "Christian Pop Culture"is how do we live in the world and not be of it as Christians? Maybe we're gone to far the other way, we live too much in our own world now? Maybe Christian pop culture is a huge fast anyway aren't most the Christian record labels just branches of "secular" ones, and under the same ownership? Maybe if we had the eyes to see we would God as active in the what we call "secular" as He is in what we call "sacred"? Maybe I need to read more about Jesus, didn't He get into trouble cos of who He hug with? Or maybe God's big plan for evangelism of the western world involves a "Christian Pop Culture" take over?
Maybe?

Til next time
D

Missionary Locals

The other week I went to a conference on "Changing world, Changing Church" - I thought it would be on all that emergent Church stuff that is becoming so "in" nowadays. One of the speakers was a guy called Mike Frost - on the very first night something he said hit me - "there's not two guys sitting in a pub somewhere saying to each other if only Church was more relevant then I'll go tomorrow. Do what you like with your own two hours (meaning Sunday Morning)". Having thought about this I think that it is so true. Why do we think that if our worship style suddenly changes from "modern" to "post-modern" that anyone outside the Church is really going to give a stuff?? Mike Frost then went on in another talk, to talk not about how we do worship gatherings - but rather, how we do mission. God's heart is one of mission. As Chrsitians we are the sent ones. People sent into our work places, our schools, our communities and our families. Sent as missionaries. We did Mike Frost's idea of getting people to write a missionary letter at The Station service last night. In the feedback time it was interesting to hear people say how they have never thought of themselves as missionaries before - after all they haven't gone overseas. The context was during the 40 days of Community - that our Church is working through. I think western individualism has tainted our evangelism. We see mission as a solo effort and for an introvert like me that's freaky! Last night as we wrote our missionary letters we discussed how we could reach out not as individuals but as a community, or at least, know that in our work place we witness not on our own but with the Body of Christ behind us. In the Christian Church no-one stands alone - are we not all joined as one into one body? Maybe Mike Frost is right when he says you cannot have community without mission - but maybe effective mission also flows from community? Maybe these two things represent the two things that we need desperately need to give legs too, not more talk? Maybe when we do, how we worship won't be so important anymore. For to paraphase Mike Frost one last time - when you see God work in community and mission you can't help but worship, no matter what the style.

Til next time
D

Sundays

I work for a Church.....On Sundays I always go to what we commonly call "Church". I'm on the leadership team of an evening service. Yet I have concerns about Sunday Church. I think we focus on it way too much. Maybe, because I'm a youth pastor and many of the youth I serve don't come on Sunday mornings, a few more come at night but a lot don't come at all, I have a different view to Sunday services. But I think we often expect everything to happen on a Sunday service. We expect evangelism, worship that is not to loud and has some old and some new songs, teaching, community, prayer, scripture reading, discipleship, ministry, freedom, structure, time for reflection, dramas, notices, Church community news, missionary news, transparentary, revival and most important, the service must not go over 70 mins. Next week our Church starts an intense call to prayer - the youth are setting up a 24/7 prayer room for the Church to use for the week. One of the things we are praying for is that more "spiritual seekers" will attend Sunday services. Great thing to pray for but I ask "why again the focus on Sunday". I mean to be honest I would prefer that they went to Alpha. Now I need to say this is not a dig at the Church I attend where I think the services are good. The preaching is alright and so is the worship - I'm not knocking my Church - I enjoy it. The question I'm posing is that maybe we need to look beyond Sunday services if the Church is really going to be effective in our culture? It's not that we need to change our services from modern songs singing services to post-modern emerging services. It's that we need to realise that effective Christianity is a day to day choice that effects all of life 24/7 not just 70 mins on Sunday. On the word Church I gather the Bible never mentions that the Church is something we "go to" or "attend". According to the Bible the Church is something you "become" as you accept Christ and beocme part of His body. Maybe I'm always at Church - because I am the Church or at least a part of it - joined to Christ and all other Christians. It's funny how normally we only ever hear that verse "where two or three are gathered I am there also" when less people have turned up at a service than we expected. What about when I meet with a youth over a coffee - there's two of us - God's there - maybe that's Church???? Maybe God isn't just interested in the clean family looking guy that attends Church - maybe that is not even who He sees as being the best witness to this world? Maybe it is the stressed out Monday to Saturday guy who is trying to figure out how to fit work, family, chores, and faith into 24 hours???? Maybe we need to face the fact that doing different things no matter how emergent, technological, or trendy they are on Sundays are not going to cause 1000's to come??? Maybe the best witness is not going to happen on Sunday it's going to happen when imperfect but grace filled pilgrims try to reflect the God that called them in the life they live 24/7?? Maybe we need to realise we don't attend Church because we're always a part of it - 24/7? Maybe I have to many questions so I should just shut up? Maybe???

Perspectives, Journeys And Doubts

So much for once a week......I must try harder.
Today is one of those very wet cold days that you get here where I live. Roads are closed, people are struck and others are complaining about the cold and the wet. But for me it has been interesting to look at peoples different perspective. You see where others are looking outside and seeing rain, wind and misery. Personally, I'm getting excited - what makes the difference. A certain seasons pass to the ski slopes. I don't see rain, wind and misery, I see snow on the slopes and lots of it. I see the opportunity that later on I'm going to be snowboarding (or in my case "kind of snowboarding kind of tumbling") down some great snow packed slopes. it does bring a different persective. I'm sure there a lesson there somewhere???

The other week at The Station we did a "Question & Doubt Service". People were given the opportunity to write down questions and doubts they had about their faith and we discussed them. People were honest - it was great. I'm a firm believer in the fact that doubts can be stepping stones of faith if we journey with them. Last night we looked at "faith". It's a Christian word that we throw around a lot - but really what do we mean by it? Maybe a bigger question is what does it mean to "Live by faith?" For me behind Christian faith is the faithfulness of God. Phillip Yancey says that to "live by faith" means to live looking back at what Christ done and forward at what He promises to do. It was great to bat around how that works Monday to Saturday. What does a life of faith look like? But for me I suppose another aspect of faith is related to those doubts and questions that we have.....in the end I am a servant of God whose thought and ways are above mine. By grace He chooses to call this servant "friend". Do I know the answers to everything - No Way - do I have faith in that fact that Jesus died and rose again and someday will return - You Bet. I'm prepared to journey with that - and I'll journey with my unknown questions - cos behind them is a belief that the cross proves God is active and good.

“If knowing answers to life’s questions is absolutely necessary to you, then forget the journey. You will never make it, for this is a journey of unknowables - of unanswered questions, enigmas, incomprehensibles, and most of all, things unfair"

MADAME JEANNE GUYON

Till Next Time

That Book, Tongues and East Timor

Last time I wrote about the Da Vinci code, and I must admit that I'm getting real sick of that book. But hey that's what comes from doing a couple of school groups and Church services on it. How have they gone? The school group was not nearly as eventful as I thought. I was sure there would a few there to voice an argument against my ideas on the book. But the 15 or so there were all very polite, so will see how it goes tomorrow. The Church services have gone great - I had a good talk to a real honest spiritual seeker last night. Something I love doing.

This term our youth leadership team - decided that we wanted to try and bring the Spiritual back into Christianty. So in a balanced "Baptist" kind of way we are looking at Spiritual Gifts. Last week we looked at "prophecy, tongues and interpretation of tongues". It's funny that at times I have problems with the whole seeker thing in Churches that can water down the harder messages of Christianty so that "no-one gets offended by - well anything". But I must admit as a number of new people walked in the door on Wednesday I thought - why did you choose to come this week. I didn't need to fear the youth were there, really listening in a way they don't normally listen except during the sex and relationships talks. It was great to see a bunch of young people response in front of there mates for prayer as well. Youth hungry for God. Writing of youth hungry Saturday was first combined youth rally here in Taupo. Combined cos it was put on by different youth groups here in Taupo (I must be honest there are not many). But as our young MC for the night said we are "all on the same team, singing the same song" - so it was great to join with different Church groups and I'm sure it will be the first of many.

Lastly, I write with sadness tonight. 2 years ago my wife and I took a youth team to East Timor, last year my wife returned for a month. This year we have been busy fund raising for another very keen youth team all set to go in September this year. So its with sadness that I watched the news tonight with my wife, as riots and violence threaten to rip the country apart. Our trip in September is all but gone. We have regular emails from people on the ground in East Timor and things are not good as food and water is in short supply. It's funny in some ways this is when more than ever East Timor needs some help, and we are not able to go especially with a youth team. As for my wife and I we will have to decide whether to go or not nearer the time. It's great to see Australias and New Zealand governments have responded so quickly with troops. So please send a prayer for Timor this week.

Until Next Time
D

Da Vinci And Some Beginnings

This is not my first trip into the world of blogging. I read about this youth group somewhere out there that started some very cool discussions through having a youth group blog. So I started one. Let's just say a great idea but not for Branded here in Taupo. Only got a couple of hits and that was by one youth group member complaining about the lack of hits....

But here is my first solo blog - and what else to do than to give my two cents to the thing the whole Church seems to be talking about at the moment - that book, come movie the Da Vinci Code.

Yes I've read the book - and saw the film. I know some Christians will think that curses me to hell but I listen to Rock music to so to them I'm already doomed.

I enjoyed the book - thought the film was OK - and that's all.

Personally I see the Da Vinci Code as a great opportunity. Here in NZ I find most people are not against religion. The reason being, they simply haven't thought that much about it to be even against it. In NZ a whole lot of people simply don't give a stuff about Christianity or anything else. So if this book and movie are at least going to get people talking then I think it's all good as long as we Christians are prepared with some answers and to seize the moment.

Last night at The Station (Our Sunday Evening Church Service) we did the first of two nights on the Da Vinci code. We looked at how the Bible especially the New Testament came to be what it is now. I was amazed at the interest. There was a good deal of healthy discussion afterwards, and when asked at least 2/3 of the people there had read the book. Tomorrow I will be trying to order discussion at a School Lunuchtime group I am runnning on the Da Vinci Code at one of the local colleges, will be interesting to see who shows up and the questions they have.

Dan Brown I'm sure may have had some bad motives for this Da Vinci Book, but does that mean we can't twist it around and use it for some good old Spiritual discussion. Personally I think we can - and I am praying that in the midst of a secular school tomorrow, and The Station this Sunday night that is exactly what happens. And you never know in discussing the false Spiritual claims of this book the Holy Spirit may just move and truth may just be found.

Til next time