Well, my family and I are off to spend most of the week with 150 seniors from Wheaton Academy High School. WA has held a special place in my heart mostly because of the great students there and the quality teachers who really model what it is to love students. It's a great honor to be their speaker for the week as well as to be able to have my family come down with me.
Last year, I recognized how much I need time in the outdoors to get refreshed, refocused, and recharged. These five days in CO should be special. I'll be teaching on how the disciples in the Gospel of Mark follow the pattern of every great hero in the archetypal mythological journey. That's fancy speak for talking about how the disciples set for us an example of what it means to follow Jesus. I probably won't be blogging from there, so I'll be keeping a written journal of my times.
See you in a week.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
25 Random Things - Bringing it back
I wrote this a while ago in response to a Facebook fad that has since died. I figured it would be worth reposting.
1. Even as I write this, I wonder what this phenomenon says about the human psyche and the estrangement that technology is bringing to our community such that this 25 Random Things List has become so contagious in a viral sort of way.
2. At the same time, I wonder why it is that I myself am drawn to participate in this shared experiment on the human psyche.
3. Just when I think I get a handle on the biblical languages, I come to a passage that kicks my butt and reminds me that I would have been considered an illiterate buffoon in the Ancient Near East or Greco-Roman empire.
4. I have learned more theology in 19 months from my son than I have from Grudem, Calvin, Turretin, and Barth combined.
5. When we'd go on family vacation, my sister's alter ego, Kim Perkins, would suddenly appear. I would interact with said Kim Perkins by randomly walking by and kicking Kim Perkins in the butt with my opposite foot. At the same time, while Kim Perkins would give her extended commentary for the video camera, I would jump from bed to bed in the background in order to give it a live reporting feel.
6. When they were building the second story of my home church, we were playing tag in the unfinished construction site. I chased one of my best friends throughout the second story and he fell out a window two stories onto a pile of snow and could not breathe for a few minutes. I immediately walked back down the stairs and told him to "suck it up."
7. In elementary school, I had a penchant for stealing toys from toy stores by putting them down my pants and walking out. The biggest toy I ever stole was a Metroplex Transformer - to this day, I don't know how I ever fit it down my pants. Seriously, the transformer was huge.
8. My wife has been the most vivid and real picture of God's quieting love and restoring grace to me. I want to be a godly man for her. Another place I struggle to believe the Gospel.
9. Lately, Calvin and I have been watching old-school Looney Tunes cartoons online. I am awestruck at how 'smart' cartoons were back then. There were references to literary works that I still don't get.
10. Once when fishing with a buddy, I tried to cast my line and the hook got stuck in his ear - no joke. I had no idea so I kept pulling on the rod as he was yelling.
11. On that note I once got my ear pierced on a dare. My mom didn't notice until two weeks later when someone told her. All that time I managed to normally converse with her from the right side of my face.
12. In 4th grade, Chanda Wan paid me $20 to be her boyfriend for two weeks. I took the money and dumped her.
13. Lately as I consider the New Creation theology of the Scriptures and the in-breaking of God's kingdom into this world, I am filled with a child-like wonder whenever I see art, hear live music, or watch someone at their craft. I am seeing the world through new eyes.
14. All the way through my sophomore of HS, I was deathly afraid of girls and shy of groups in general. My father even doubted if I would ever have a date b/c I was afraid to eat in front of a girl. I find it absolutely hilarious that now I speak to groups as my calling.
15. I once got kicked out of church (excommunicated?) because I talked back to one of the deacons who was yelling at me for not wearing a tie. I exited cussing loudly acting like a bad mofo, slammed the door, and promptly went into the bushes and cried like a baby.
16. In elementary school, I was the leading scorer on my soccer team for 2 years setting the record for goals scored in a game (6). My secret was that I would wait outside the group that inevitably forms during a game when the players would all run after the ball. The ball would inevitably pop out, and I would put my head down and dribble and shoot. Once teams started playing positions (middle school), I promptly quit playing soccer.
17. I took a power reading class that has tripled my reading speed and improved comprehension. Initially after the class was over, I was reading one 200-300 page book every other day. I finished my entire summer reading list in the first two weeks of summer.
18. My greatest fear is that I will not live up to the potential that all my life people have said they see in me. The Gospel is freeing me from such burdensome expectations, and I am for the first time in my life actually ENJOYING being me.
19. I always wanted to play the drums, but my dad said that it was only for hyperactive people. Instead, he had someone teach me to play the guitar. Since then, I have learned the drums, piano, and bass, and have led worship in places as far-reaching as China and Papua-New Guinea.
20. The largest group I have ever spoken to was about 800 students. Before I spoke, I was so nervous that I threw up in the bathroom.
21. Doing ministry in Korea right after college graduation was the sweetest time of my bachelor life. I had no idea what I was doing, but God was so gracious to me.
22. The older I get and the more pastoral experience I have, the less I know what I want to do with my life.
23. Early on in my identity as a consumer, I realized that you could haggle over the price of cell phones at the store (like cars). My life has not been the same since.
24. I have always had a fascination with mudskippers. Ever since watching a national geographic special on the rain cycles of Australia as a kid, I thought to myself how cool it would be to see one, and that I would never get the chance. In my sophomore year of college, on a mission trip to PNG, I was in a canoe and saw a fleet of them. I broke down in tears because it was a deeply spiritual moment for me (Ps. 84:11).
25. The hardest time of my life was after I left my youth ministry of three years and was let go from a church plant a year later. I managed my mother's deli for nine months, and I was so depressed that I never wanted to pick up a Bible again. During that time, I was introduced to the Puritans and fell in love with my wife. Thank God for redemptive affliction (Ps 126).
1. Even as I write this, I wonder what this phenomenon says about the human psyche and the estrangement that technology is bringing to our community such that this 25 Random Things List has become so contagious in a viral sort of way.
2. At the same time, I wonder why it is that I myself am drawn to participate in this shared experiment on the human psyche.
3. Just when I think I get a handle on the biblical languages, I come to a passage that kicks my butt and reminds me that I would have been considered an illiterate buffoon in the Ancient Near East or Greco-Roman empire.
4. I have learned more theology in 19 months from my son than I have from Grudem, Calvin, Turretin, and Barth combined.
5. When we'd go on family vacation, my sister's alter ego, Kim Perkins, would suddenly appear. I would interact with said Kim Perkins by randomly walking by and kicking Kim Perkins in the butt with my opposite foot. At the same time, while Kim Perkins would give her extended commentary for the video camera, I would jump from bed to bed in the background in order to give it a live reporting feel.
6. When they were building the second story of my home church, we were playing tag in the unfinished construction site. I chased one of my best friends throughout the second story and he fell out a window two stories onto a pile of snow and could not breathe for a few minutes. I immediately walked back down the stairs and told him to "suck it up."
7. In elementary school, I had a penchant for stealing toys from toy stores by putting them down my pants and walking out. The biggest toy I ever stole was a Metroplex Transformer - to this day, I don't know how I ever fit it down my pants. Seriously, the transformer was huge.
8. My wife has been the most vivid and real picture of God's quieting love and restoring grace to me. I want to be a godly man for her. Another place I struggle to believe the Gospel.
9. Lately, Calvin and I have been watching old-school Looney Tunes cartoons online. I am awestruck at how 'smart' cartoons were back then. There were references to literary works that I still don't get.
10. Once when fishing with a buddy, I tried to cast my line and the hook got stuck in his ear - no joke. I had no idea so I kept pulling on the rod as he was yelling.
11. On that note I once got my ear pierced on a dare. My mom didn't notice until two weeks later when someone told her. All that time I managed to normally converse with her from the right side of my face.
12. In 4th grade, Chanda Wan paid me $20 to be her boyfriend for two weeks. I took the money and dumped her.
13. Lately as I consider the New Creation theology of the Scriptures and the in-breaking of God's kingdom into this world, I am filled with a child-like wonder whenever I see art, hear live music, or watch someone at their craft. I am seeing the world through new eyes.
14. All the way through my sophomore of HS, I was deathly afraid of girls and shy of groups in general. My father even doubted if I would ever have a date b/c I was afraid to eat in front of a girl. I find it absolutely hilarious that now I speak to groups as my calling.
15. I once got kicked out of church (excommunicated?) because I talked back to one of the deacons who was yelling at me for not wearing a tie. I exited cussing loudly acting like a bad mofo, slammed the door, and promptly went into the bushes and cried like a baby.
16. In elementary school, I was the leading scorer on my soccer team for 2 years setting the record for goals scored in a game (6). My secret was that I would wait outside the group that inevitably forms during a game when the players would all run after the ball. The ball would inevitably pop out, and I would put my head down and dribble and shoot. Once teams started playing positions (middle school), I promptly quit playing soccer.
17. I took a power reading class that has tripled my reading speed and improved comprehension. Initially after the class was over, I was reading one 200-300 page book every other day. I finished my entire summer reading list in the first two weeks of summer.
18. My greatest fear is that I will not live up to the potential that all my life people have said they see in me. The Gospel is freeing me from such burdensome expectations, and I am for the first time in my life actually ENJOYING being me.
19. I always wanted to play the drums, but my dad said that it was only for hyperactive people. Instead, he had someone teach me to play the guitar. Since then, I have learned the drums, piano, and bass, and have led worship in places as far-reaching as China and Papua-New Guinea.
20. The largest group I have ever spoken to was about 800 students. Before I spoke, I was so nervous that I threw up in the bathroom.
21. Doing ministry in Korea right after college graduation was the sweetest time of my bachelor life. I had no idea what I was doing, but God was so gracious to me.
22. The older I get and the more pastoral experience I have, the less I know what I want to do with my life.
23. Early on in my identity as a consumer, I realized that you could haggle over the price of cell phones at the store (like cars). My life has not been the same since.
24. I have always had a fascination with mudskippers. Ever since watching a national geographic special on the rain cycles of Australia as a kid, I thought to myself how cool it would be to see one, and that I would never get the chance. In my sophomore year of college, on a mission trip to PNG, I was in a canoe and saw a fleet of them. I broke down in tears because it was a deeply spiritual moment for me (Ps. 84:11).
25. The hardest time of my life was after I left my youth ministry of three years and was let go from a church plant a year later. I managed my mother's deli for nine months, and I was so depressed that I never wanted to pick up a Bible again. During that time, I was introduced to the Puritans and fell in love with my wife. Thank God for redemptive affliction (Ps 126).
Friday, May 28, 2010
What you can learn from old texts
A few friends and I decided to head up to Milwaukee, WI to check out the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Milwaukee Public Museum. I wasn't sure what to expect, and to be honest, I was hesitant even up to the night before. Driving two hours north to see a museum exhibit in WI wasn't exactly keeping me up the night before. Still, I remember back in '99 when the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit was at the Field Museum. I gave into my hesitancy to go then, and I have regretted it since. I would not make the same mistake twice.
We arrived, grabbed a quick lunch, then made our way into the exhibit. Some of the highlights were:
More than anything, I was profoundly humbled by the fact that God's word came into human culture -confined by grammar, vocabulary, and syntax - recorded onto papyri, and stored in jars to be found in a dry, dusty desert. Our Bibles have history. They have a historical context, and yet they are timelessly true. Even more, I am awestruck that much like the words of God came into human culture, history, and geography, so also the Word of God became flesh and entered into human culture, history, and experience.
The DSS exhibit reminded me that my study of the Word thus far is not in vain, and that there is something so mysteriously wonderful in something so plain and ordinary. I've come away with a renewed sense of appreciation and gratitude to be able to study these texts as well as a renewed call to sharpen my language skills. Ultimately, I pray that my life will reflect the truth that God has come near and is near to us even in the mundane and the ordinary.
We arrived, grabbed a quick lunch, then made our way into the exhibit. Some of the highlights were:
- A good overview of Second Temple Judaism, the influence of the Hasmoneans, Hellenism, and the Roman empire. (However, they didn't do a good job of relating the Hasmonean dynasty and the Maccabean time period as formative influences on the community that wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.)
- Seeing a facsimile of the Great Isaiah Scroll that was just about 20-30 feet long. Incidentally, I happened to be standing next to an older gentleman who was able to read the Hebrew right off the scroll! Frustratingly, the script and the text was too foreign for me to read any parts other than the occasional 'YHWH' or 'Jerusalem'.
- I found out that this gentleman had done his doctorate in Ancient Semitic Languages, and he recounted how he attended the first DSS exhibit done by the Library of Congress. Scholars gathered from around the world for the unveiling of a whopping eight pieces (compare this to the 200+ pieces that were in the Milwaukee exhibit).
- The climax was definitely walking into a large, dark, atrium-type room in which 20 different display cases held actual fragments from the DSS collection. There were pieces of Daniel, Exodus, Testament of Moses, Judges, a section of the Copper Scroll, and a copy of the Masoretic Bible from 1000 CE.
More than anything, I was profoundly humbled by the fact that God's word came into human culture -confined by grammar, vocabulary, and syntax - recorded onto papyri, and stored in jars to be found in a dry, dusty desert. Our Bibles have history. They have a historical context, and yet they are timelessly true. Even more, I am awestruck that much like the words of God came into human culture, history, and geography, so also the Word of God became flesh and entered into human culture, history, and experience.
The DSS exhibit reminded me that my study of the Word thus far is not in vain, and that there is something so mysteriously wonderful in something so plain and ordinary. I've come away with a renewed sense of appreciation and gratitude to be able to study these texts as well as a renewed call to sharpen my language skills. Ultimately, I pray that my life will reflect the truth that God has come near and is near to us even in the mundane and the ordinary.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Living in the Interruptions: EP 3 - Every Christian should have a refugee in their lives
So on this final installment of my crazy Thursday, I would be remiss to omit my encounter with Paman, the Iranian high school student who was resettled to Chicagoland just about seven months ago. Paman has been attending our high school ministry, and after our gathering last Sunday night, he asked if he could talk with me. I invited him to coffee. That's the context for the week. Here's my context for the day:
- Youth Ministry Fellowship meeting at 8:30 am - 10:00
- Chance encounter with my Starbucks buddy (see Ep. 1) at 10:30
- Gathering with local pastors, church workers to discuss multi-ethnic ministry at 11:30 am - 1:30 pm.
- Driving Ms. Calvin home from the Glen Ellyn (see Ep. 2) - 2:30 pm
- Stopping by a friend's office to kill a bit of time before meeting Paman at 3:30.
When Paman and I finally sat down to talk, he blew me away. I thought maybe he would have questions about Christianity or life in America, etc. As I asked him about his story, here's what I learned.
- Paman and his family (minus his two brothers) had to flee Iran because they were in danger for their lives. They were not Muslims, and thus were heavily persecuted.
- They went to Vienna and lived there for almost a year.
- Because of their visa status, they couldn't work. Each time they were just about to run out of money, another family member from Iran would come to live with them bringing enough money to sustain the family for the next months. This happened three times.
- Paman's brothers could not leave Iran because of their military obligation. They eventually fulfilled these and were reunited with the family. (Paman's oldest brother had recently arrived to the US only a month ago).
- Paman was frustrated that he couldn't find a job, and his parents were very discouraged. Only a week ago, Paman's dad had surgery for a bulging disk. The only way they would survive is if the brothers found some work.
- Paman was not looking forward to the summer because he would be bored. He likes to ride his bike, but it broke, and he was waiting for his friend to fix it.
That's his story, but the real reason that he wanted to meet with me absolutely floored me. Paman recalled how much he enjoyed listening to the sermons, but one thing really bothered him. He noticed that during the teaching times, kids would kick their Bibles along the floor, text, and not pay attention. This really bothered him because he thought it was disrespectful to the Lord. He was especially upset about how the students treated their Bibles.
At first, I thought that he was being overly sensitive to the Bible as a physically holy book, but the more I listened, the more I stood convicted about my own lax attitude to God's Word for us. I realized that my anti-traditionalist, legalism-phobia had pushed me too far in terms of seeing the Bible as just another book. There in that coffee shop, Paman, the Iranian refugee high school student, convicted me that I needed to respect and cherish God's Word, and that it actually began with my attitude towards the physical book. How I treat it, where I bring it, how I hold it, and even keeping track of it are all a part of honoring and revering the Word. It definitely is more than this, but it certainly isn't any less!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Living in the Interruptions: EP 2 - When you should pick up people off the street
I promised I'd continue to describe my wacky Thursday last week. After meeting my Starbucks friend (who I ended up driving to Naperville Friday morning for a job interview), I attended a multi-ethnic ministry gathering called Mosaic. Upon finishing a meaningful gathering about race and culture, I headed over to Caribou coffee to do some studying for Sunday's message. On the way, I noticed one of our church members walking along the road. Ms. Calvin moved up to this area after Hurricane Katrina ravaged her home. Our church helped her resettle in the area, and it has been a joy getting to know her and her family. She looked like she was just getting off of work, so I pulled over and asked if she needed a ride. She said she'd love one, so she hopped in the car, and I turned around and went in the opposite direction. All during the 15 minute ride, she talked about life here in IL and her daughter who moved back to Louisiana. Here's what I learned:
- she was disappointed at her daughter's choice of men.
- a lot of her conversations with her daughter revolved around her walking with the Lord and living in obedience to his will. she really wants her daughter to move back to IL.
- she also had an 'adoptive' son - a young man living in Louisiana who saw her as his own mom.
- she really hoped that the both of them would get their lives together and be faithful.
- she was enjoying the favor of the Lord and trying to walk as closely with him as possible.
I was so glad to have had the opportunity for 15 minutes to find out about her life. As I drove away, I marveled at the amazing plan of God that this woman, a beloved sister in the Lord, was moved into my town by a hurricane of historic proportions, and that now we were in the same car sharing our life, our fears, and our hopes. I think this is fellowship in the deepest sense. She doesn't talk like me. She doesn't act like me, dress like me, think like me, but yet she is my dear sister in the Lord. I wonder how many people I pass by on a daily basis like that?
It reminds me of C.S. Lewis' famous quote:
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal...it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.
Monday, May 24, 2010
What I've learned from playing 100 holes of golf in one day
1. It's possible.
2. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
3. Repetition does not make for consistency.
4. Playing in 90 degree heat is easier on the body than playing in 20+ mph winds and light rain.
5. I'm really not that good of a golfer.
6. Just about anything can be done to worship God and for His kingdom.
7. Even the best hole can be marred by one errant shot.
8. Still, it's not about the errant shots you hit, but how you recover from them.
9. Don't wear a dark blue shirt to play 100 holes in 90 degree weather with a blazing sun and humidity.
10. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and remember that as annoying as sunscreen can get, you'll be glad you put it on later that night.
It was a great Monday - thanks to all who supported FCA and me by coming out, giving pledges, and taking an interest. I'm also super proud of Ron Frank, who got in 300 holes today. Shake his hand if you see him (if only to verify the amount of blisters he reportedly has on his hands).
2. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
3. Repetition does not make for consistency.
4. Playing in 90 degree heat is easier on the body than playing in 20+ mph winds and light rain.
5. I'm really not that good of a golfer.
6. Just about anything can be done to worship God and for His kingdom.
7. Even the best hole can be marred by one errant shot.
8. Still, it's not about the errant shots you hit, but how you recover from them.
9. Don't wear a dark blue shirt to play 100 holes in 90 degree weather with a blazing sun and humidity.
10. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, and remember that as annoying as sunscreen can get, you'll be glad you put it on later that night.
It was a great Monday - thanks to all who supported FCA and me by coming out, giving pledges, and taking an interest. I'm also super proud of Ron Frank, who got in 300 holes today. Shake his hand if you see him (if only to verify the amount of blisters he reportedly has on his hands).
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Living in the Interruptions: EP 1 - Why every pastor needs to spend an hour a week at Starbucks (or coffee shop of your choice)
It never ceases to amaze me how many different hats a pastor has to wear. I've been working on a sermon out of Rev 3:1-6 this week for my church, and I have been challenged (yes, by my own sermon) to really live out a sincere obedience to the Lord. Well, as it always seems to be, whenever I am considering and reflecting on something, it seems the Lord gives immediate opportunity to test it out. Last Thursday, I had probably one of the fullest and most packed days I can remember in a long time.
However, the thing that impacted me the most was not the set things in my schedule, but the unexpected - what many people might consider interruptions. In between my meetings, I went to Starbucks with Mark Kang and as I picked up my drink, a random guy just started talking to me, telling me how his hand was hurting from filling out a ton of job applications. As per my post from last week, I decided to find out about his story. I made a mental decision to ask him questions and to listen - to find out what his motivations and desires were. I made this decision as a means to apply some thoughts from an earlier blog post on listening.
Here's what I found out:
However, the thing that impacted me the most was not the set things in my schedule, but the unexpected - what many people might consider interruptions. In between my meetings, I went to Starbucks with Mark Kang and as I picked up my drink, a random guy just started talking to me, telling me how his hand was hurting from filling out a ton of job applications. As per my post from last week, I decided to find out about his story. I made a mental decision to ask him questions and to listen - to find out what his motivations and desires were. I made this decision as a means to apply some thoughts from an earlier blog post on listening.
Here's what I found out:
- he had just moved to Wheaton two days ago
- he was living in Schaumburg, working as a server at Papadeaux's
- being a server was not his life ambition, but a quick way to earn some money. Instead, he wants to become a drug/alcohol rehab counselor, and will be starting a class in the fall.
- just last week he celebrated his one year anniversary of being clean - and next Wednesday is his 26th birthday
- he was looking for a way to meet new people (I suggested a church, and he responded with a blank look on his face, then quickly changed the subject).
- he moved to Wheaton to help his sick grandmother b/c family is everything he's got.
- he has no car, works out at 7:00 am (after completing a watchmen shift of being with his grandmother from midnight to 6:45), then comes to the Starbucks to catch the bus to Naperville
All this from a 15 minute conversation, and no, I didn't take notes while I was talking with him. I just chose to engage and listen and remember. After our brief convo, we exchanged numbers (everyone needs a friend, right?) I texted him later that day to tell him good luck on the job hunt. He texted back saying that he had already received an interview, so I offered him a ride to Naperville the next day, and found out more about his story. Who knows where the Lord will take this friendship, but as he got out of the car in Naperville, I blessed him with a prayer. Later, he texted me that he wasn't sure how the interview went.
Maybe God wants to do more than just get him a job!?
Stay tuned for two more episodes from my thrilling Thursday - a car ride with a resettled 'refugee' from Hurrican Katrina and coffee with an Iranian refugee who was telling me we shouldn't kick Bibles...
Friday, May 21, 2010
You need to smell abuse...
I've never heard of the band Bluetree, and I'm not even that fond of the song, "God of this City", but reading this account of their recent trip to Myanmar really piqued my interest. I was especially moved by his statement, "You need to smell abuse, you need to smell injustice firsthand. You need to smell the smell of the villages and get it into your body." The story particularly hit me because our student ministry has been partnering with World Relief to serve several Karen refugees who've been resettled into our neighborhood in the past year. On top of that, when I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand this past January, we visited a Karen village where these refugees live in the mountains and come down to ply their trade and share their culture - all for the chance to make some money to live on. Given the backdrop of the band's heart for injustice and what they saw in Thailand and Myanmar, I think the song takes on some new meaning:
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Given the state of unrest and violence in Bangkok, and the continuing oppression and genocide in Myanmar, won't you take a few minutes to pray to the God of those cities?
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are
There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Given the state of unrest and violence in Bangkok, and the continuing oppression and genocide in Myanmar, won't you take a few minutes to pray to the God of those cities?
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Ishah - Hayil
Not two days after the first Arab-American was selected to be Miss USA 2010, allegations surfaced that she had been involved in a pole dancing/stripper contest for a local radio station in Detroit. Pics soon flooded the Internet, and Miss Rima Fakih responded by saying that the pics were just in good fun. From a Muslim background, this is how she reconciled the two:
"My family comes from a Muslim background, and we're not defined by religion. I would like to say we're a spiritual liberal family."
Almost every beauty pageant touts itself as selecting a winner who is a woman of outer and inner beauty and someone who can be a role model. With news of yet another 'scandal' in which the winner is found out post facto to have a shady past, it makes me wonder if these beauty pageants and the now expected scandals which follow are merely revealing what our culture has done to femininity and womanhood. Even the Miss USA contest itself contradicts itself as one video on its website touts the qualities of being a role model and beauty followed by another video of a racy lingerie photo shoot in Las Vegas all done under the context of a 'morning after'. I grieve the loss of radical womanhood that our sexually charged culture seems no longer able to produce. Perhaps with the way that femininity is portrayed and what is called beautiful and sexy, these scandals and shaded pasts will be the expected norm. Maybe we need to have a full disclosure statement at the beginning of these things just to get it all out on the table - how many nude photos have you taken? how many pole dancing contests have you been involved in? how many drunken/spring break binges have you been a part of, have they been captured on video or pics? etc.
In contrast, the book of Proverbs celebrates a vision of womanhood, and I don't just mean in Prov 31. Wisdom herself is personified as a woman, and Proverbs places great emphasis on the 'ishah-hayil', the woman of strength, among other descriptors of the excellent woman. This is more than just a dormant, submissive female. No, the book of Proverbs compares the ishah-hayil to another ishah, the adulterous or strange woman. The father's counsel is simple - at all costs avoid this type of woman and pursue the excellent woman, the ishah-hayil. Interestingly enough, only one woman is called this, Ruth, and she's not even a Jew but a Moabite.
As a father of two boys, I am realizing more and more how difficult it will be to find wives for my sons that will be truly excellent in the sense of the ishah-hayil. I realize that I need to begin to pray for those young ladies now - that God might protect and set them apart - molding in them true beauty and strength.
Perhaps John Mayer's words are prophetic? "Fathers be good to your daughters, 'Cause daughters will love like you do. Girls become lovers who turn into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters to." I'd change the onus of responsibility, but the principle remains the same. Oh that our young women would be entranced with a vision of beauty and excellence not defined by how you can aggressively assert your sexuality, but rather by how you can passionately serve the purposes of God in beautiful and quite feminine ways.
I'd be interested to hear from you - what do you think makes a woman beautiful?
"My family comes from a Muslim background, and we're not defined by religion. I would like to say we're a spiritual liberal family."
Almost every beauty pageant touts itself as selecting a winner who is a woman of outer and inner beauty and someone who can be a role model. With news of yet another 'scandal' in which the winner is found out post facto to have a shady past, it makes me wonder if these beauty pageants and the now expected scandals which follow are merely revealing what our culture has done to femininity and womanhood. Even the Miss USA contest itself contradicts itself as one video on its website touts the qualities of being a role model and beauty followed by another video of a racy lingerie photo shoot in Las Vegas all done under the context of a 'morning after'. I grieve the loss of radical womanhood that our sexually charged culture seems no longer able to produce. Perhaps with the way that femininity is portrayed and what is called beautiful and sexy, these scandals and shaded pasts will be the expected norm. Maybe we need to have a full disclosure statement at the beginning of these things just to get it all out on the table - how many nude photos have you taken? how many pole dancing contests have you been involved in? how many drunken/spring break binges have you been a part of, have they been captured on video or pics? etc.
In contrast, the book of Proverbs celebrates a vision of womanhood, and I don't just mean in Prov 31. Wisdom herself is personified as a woman, and Proverbs places great emphasis on the 'ishah-hayil', the woman of strength, among other descriptors of the excellent woman. This is more than just a dormant, submissive female. No, the book of Proverbs compares the ishah-hayil to another ishah, the adulterous or strange woman. The father's counsel is simple - at all costs avoid this type of woman and pursue the excellent woman, the ishah-hayil. Interestingly enough, only one woman is called this, Ruth, and she's not even a Jew but a Moabite.
As a father of two boys, I am realizing more and more how difficult it will be to find wives for my sons that will be truly excellent in the sense of the ishah-hayil. I realize that I need to begin to pray for those young ladies now - that God might protect and set them apart - molding in them true beauty and strength.
Perhaps John Mayer's words are prophetic? "Fathers be good to your daughters, 'Cause daughters will love like you do. Girls become lovers who turn into mothers, so mothers be good to your daughters to." I'd change the onus of responsibility, but the principle remains the same. Oh that our young women would be entranced with a vision of beauty and excellence not defined by how you can aggressively assert your sexuality, but rather by how you can passionately serve the purposes of God in beautiful and quite feminine ways.
I'd be interested to hear from you - what do you think makes a woman beautiful?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
A Letter to Steve
A brilliant letter written by Josh Harris. Harris makes the point that Steve Jobs is able to create culture because he is made in the image of God. It echoes the great point made by Andy Crouch in Culture Making. His point is that part of what it means to be in the imago dei (image of God) is that we have the desire to create and make something of the world we live in. Further reflection shows how profound this is. It's why only humans create art and beauty with no functional purpose (even a beautiful spider web is spun to catch bugs or a flower has beautiful colors to attract bees, etc.) Humans paint something, frame it, and hang it on a wall.
It's when sin fractures this desire that the creative bent seeks to become self-glorifying and self-exalting. Instead of making something of the world, we want to use that to make something of ourselves. Crouch gives us some good things to think about when it comes to how the Gospel interprets and explains our desire for creativity and cultivating culture. Let's pray that Steve Jobs sees this one day as well! (Can you imagine a redeemed Steve Jobs creating redemptive IPads?)
Dear Steve Jobs - Joshua Harris
It's when sin fractures this desire that the creative bent seeks to become self-glorifying and self-exalting. Instead of making something of the world, we want to use that to make something of ourselves. Crouch gives us some good things to think about when it comes to how the Gospel interprets and explains our desire for creativity and cultivating culture. Let's pray that Steve Jobs sees this one day as well! (Can you imagine a redeemed Steve Jobs creating redemptive IPads?
Dear Steve Jobs - Joshua Harris
The Contemporvant Service - What Can We Learn?
Bob Kauflin has an insightful perspective on this parody video. Interestingly enough, as I was watching the video for the first time, I was embarassed to reinforce the stereotype that I knew the Asian guy in the video. Chris Kim, where you at?
Monday, May 17, 2010
Learning to Listen
I happened in upon a meeting at Wheaton Academy today where several international students were sharing their experiences from the past year. Afterwards, a host mom, who is also an administrator, shared her greatest learning from her time with the students - that everyone has a unique story. What seems to be plainly obvious is often times overlooked in our day-to-day interactions with people.
Duane Elmer, in his book, Cross Cultural Servanthood, makes the case for openness as one of the first steps in serving across cultures. He notes that most of our interactions, impressions, and responses to people are interpreted through our lenses of what is appropriate and meaningful. We see people through what we think they should be and we interact with them through the lens of our own experience.
Donald Miller has an interesting blog post about this today. This is why in conversation we always try to ask who someone knows or what they do - we want to find common ground because the most comfortable way to interact with someone is to experience them through our own experience.
Both Towns and Miller make the argument that to do this is to sell short so many of the meaningful encounters we have available to us each day. Even moreso, we can never serve someone appropriately and meaningfully if it is only done through the lens of what would be appropriate and meaningful for us.
True servantood, true relationships are about seeking to know the other on their terms - what motivations, desires, fears, etc. does that person have? I think that if we take the time to really listen to each other's stories, we'll see beautiful and compelling ways in which our individual stories are seeking to be lived out in the Ultimate Story. Maybe then our Gospel presentations and our evangelistic efforts will have even more power - because the Gospel really does make sense of real lives in a real way towards a real hope.
Duane Elmer, in his book, Cross Cultural Servanthood, makes the case for openness as one of the first steps in serving across cultures. He notes that most of our interactions, impressions, and responses to people are interpreted through our lenses of what is appropriate and meaningful. We see people through what we think they should be and we interact with them through the lens of our own experience.
Donald Miller has an interesting blog post about this today. This is why in conversation we always try to ask who someone knows or what they do - we want to find common ground because the most comfortable way to interact with someone is to experience them through our own experience.
Both Towns and Miller make the argument that to do this is to sell short so many of the meaningful encounters we have available to us each day. Even moreso, we can never serve someone appropriately and meaningfully if it is only done through the lens of what would be appropriate and meaningful for us.
True servantood, true relationships are about seeking to know the other on their terms - what motivations, desires, fears, etc. does that person have? I think that if we take the time to really listen to each other's stories, we'll see beautiful and compelling ways in which our individual stories are seeking to be lived out in the Ultimate Story. Maybe then our Gospel presentations and our evangelistic efforts will have even more power - because the Gospel really does make sense of real lives in a real way towards a real hope.
Friday, May 14, 2010
The Sojourner Among Us
Just got back from a World Relief Dupage/Aurora Benefit Dinner. What a meaningful time of remembering what first drew me to this ministry in the first place. It was even more invigorating to have my wife exposed to the life-changing and kingdom-expressing work that World Relief does. We heard the testimony of a Congolese couple who were resettled by World Relief to Chicago and then settled in the Western Suburbs by a local church. It's a beautiful picture of the church and a community coming together to advance the kingdom.
If you've never taken time to think about the church's responsibility towards the 'sojourner in our midst', World Relief is a great place to get a primer. It can feel so overwhelming thinking about where to begin to tackle the issues of global poverty, horrific crimes against humanity, human trafficking, etc., but we can't let that paralyze us. The truth is that the Lord is bringing the victims of these atrocities to our doorstep - maybe in a way that exposes our inaction for what it really is - an excuse to continue in our consumeristic lives. World Relief is directly involved in this work with an unapologetically faith-based, Christ-exalting platform.
I for one realized tonight that I've spent so much time casting a vision and mobilizing our church to partner with World Relief, that I've stopped getting my hands 'dirty'. Sarah and I both came home with the impression that it's time to get more involved - to lead, to serve, and to befriend in the name of Jesus. What will you do?
If you've never taken time to think about the church's responsibility towards the 'sojourner in our midst', World Relief is a great place to get a primer. It can feel so overwhelming thinking about where to begin to tackle the issues of global poverty, horrific crimes against humanity, human trafficking, etc., but we can't let that paralyze us. The truth is that the Lord is bringing the victims of these atrocities to our doorstep - maybe in a way that exposes our inaction for what it really is - an excuse to continue in our consumeristic lives. World Relief is directly involved in this work with an unapologetically faith-based, Christ-exalting platform.
I for one realized tonight that I've spent so much time casting a vision and mobilizing our church to partner with World Relief, that I've stopped getting my hands 'dirty'. Sarah and I both came home with the impression that it's time to get more involved - to lead, to serve, and to befriend in the name of Jesus. What will you do?
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Functional Centrality of the Gospel in the Local Church
In a meeting today with some pastor friends, I was reminded of how the Gospel must be functionally central in our ministries. This means more than just having the tenets of the Gospel on a doctrinal statement or evangelistic thrust. The Gospel must motivate, energize, and direct all of our Christian ethics. I was first introduced to this concept by Mike Bullmore back in 2006 at a Sovereign Grace Leadership Conference. My perspective on ministry hasn't been the same since. Fortunately, he presented the material again at a conference last year. Here's the link. Whether you are in full-time ministry or not, at the very least it will shift your paradigm for how the Gospel must inform our very actions as Christians.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
For Christ and His Kingdom
On the 150th anniversary of Wheaton College, John Ortberg gave a commencement address that was nothing less than what we would expect from this master orator/preacher. His title was fittingly, "For Christ and His Kingdom." - Wheaton College's mission statement.
Some of the points of this talk:
1. FOR Christ - the opening word is hugely important because it reminds us that we are FOR Christ. Too often, Evangelicals are known for what they are against, not what they are for.
2. For CHRIST - we believe that Jesus is the hope of the world, so we study in order to know Him better, and to intelligently converse with a skeptical world in the various disciplines.
3. and HIS KINGDOM - in a time where everything is down: economy, jobs, morale - we are to declared that Joy is up, hope is up, the kingdom is still moving forward, and Jesus is still reigning. We are to find contentment in the kingdom and its cause, and we are to passionately jump in on the kingdom movement.
As per his usual style, there a lot of great one-liners, and comedic moments. I wish I could remember more of them, but sitting on the bleachers for an hour and a half makes not for good memory!
One thing that he said,
"Who is more content the man with 12 million dollars or twelve children? Obviously the man with 12 children because he does not want any more."
Thanks John, for causing this journey to come full circle for me. It was largely your preaching on Revelation that caused me to recognize that I needed to know the Scriptures deeper and sent me on this pursuit to inquire deeply. Fitting that you spoke at the ceremony of my last degree!
Some of the points of this talk:
1. FOR Christ - the opening word is hugely important because it reminds us that we are FOR Christ. Too often, Evangelicals are known for what they are against, not what they are for.
2. For CHRIST - we believe that Jesus is the hope of the world, so we study in order to know Him better, and to intelligently converse with a skeptical world in the various disciplines.
3. and HIS KINGDOM - in a time where everything is down: economy, jobs, morale - we are to declared that Joy is up, hope is up, the kingdom is still moving forward, and Jesus is still reigning. We are to find contentment in the kingdom and its cause, and we are to passionately jump in on the kingdom movement.
As per his usual style, there a lot of great one-liners, and comedic moments. I wish I could remember more of them, but sitting on the bleachers for an hour and a half makes not for good memory!
One thing that he said,
"Who is more content the man with 12 million dollars or twelve children? Obviously the man with 12 children because he does not want any more."
Thanks John, for causing this journey to come full circle for me. It was largely your preaching on Revelation that caused me to recognize that I needed to know the Scriptures deeper and sent me on this pursuit to inquire deeply. Fitting that you spoke at the ceremony of my last degree!
Living out Psalm 126
I took a little break from blogging to celebrate the official end of my Wheaton College Graduate School career. This past weekend (beginning last Thursday actually) was a great chance to celebrate with family, friends, and my church family. How good God has been to me over the past two and a half years!
This was a totally different experience than when I graduated from seminary. I was between churches, and the community that had been so formational for me during my seminary years distanced themselves from me. I had just broken up with the girl I was dating at the time, and I didn't know what I would do after graduation.
Eight years later, the Lord has restored my fortunes. The ex-girlfriend became my wife, my CF community celebrated with me over dinner, and my parents, sister, and two sons cheered for me as I walked across the stage. The whole weekend has made me think of Psalm 126.
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negeb!
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
My life was like the Negev in the winter, yet God sustained me through even a dark time, and restored my life as I learned all that I have in Christ Jesus. The journey was tough, but the lesson is invaluable and life-saving.
This was a totally different experience than when I graduated from seminary. I was between churches, and the community that had been so formational for me during my seminary years distanced themselves from me. I had just broken up with the girl I was dating at the time, and I didn't know what I would do after graduation.
Eight years later, the Lord has restored my fortunes. The ex-girlfriend became my wife, my CF community celebrated with me over dinner, and my parents, sister, and two sons cheered for me as I walked across the stage. The whole weekend has made me think of Psalm 126.
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then they said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like streams in the Negeb!
Those who sow in tears
shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
bringing his sheaves with him.
My life was like the Negev in the winter, yet God sustained me through even a dark time, and restored my life as I learned all that I have in Christ Jesus. The journey was tough, but the lesson is invaluable and life-saving.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
At what age do kids understand morality?
Earlier than you think! According to a recent report published in the NY Times entitled, The Moral Life of Babies, Paul Bloom suggests that babies have a concept of justice and fairness, even morality built-in. That's to say that they have a very rudimentary sense between right and wrong even in the first year of life. Bloom still suggests that parents must help socialize and build in moral development into their parenting, but that the slate is not as blank as one might think.
Although Bloom presents some interesting findings, his conclusions are based on the wrong presuppositions. He follows the popular psychological (and philosophical) notion of a tabula rasa, that is, that our minds, consciences, yea, even our very souls are blank slates upon which empirical evidence and experience writes and codes our social and moral fiber. I wonder if Bloom has kids!
I've seen in my son from the first month of his air-breathing life the propensity to be about self. Be it in a desperate cry because he wants food or a diaper change, or the frustrating scream because he wants to be held. I see a moral life at work, alright, but one that is already predisposed to bending the moral plane so that it all flows back to meet his needs.
The error is not in discounting the moral life of babies. Rather, the error lies in thinking that said morality is neutral and unbiased.
Romans 3 stands true: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
And it makes us love the Gospel even more, "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."
It takes a crucified Savior to resurrect a moral life. Bloom's research has just reminded us that this moral life makes us culpable.
Although Bloom presents some interesting findings, his conclusions are based on the wrong presuppositions. He follows the popular psychological (and philosophical) notion of a tabula rasa, that is, that our minds, consciences, yea, even our very souls are blank slates upon which empirical evidence and experience writes and codes our social and moral fiber. I wonder if Bloom has kids!
I've seen in my son from the first month of his air-breathing life the propensity to be about self. Be it in a desperate cry because he wants food or a diaper change, or the frustrating scream because he wants to be held. I see a moral life at work, alright, but one that is already predisposed to bending the moral plane so that it all flows back to meet his needs.
The error is not in discounting the moral life of babies. Rather, the error lies in thinking that said morality is neutral and unbiased.
Romans 3 stands true: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
And it makes us love the Gospel even more, "For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised."
It takes a crucified Savior to resurrect a moral life. Bloom's research has just reminded us that this moral life makes us culpable.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Clever protest
Thought this was clever. I know I'll be watching tomorrow's game to see if they go through with it!
Phoenix Suns will wear ‘Los Suns’ jerseys as partly a political statement against ‘flawed’ state law.
The Phoenix Suns basketball franchise announced that they will be wearing “Los Suns” jerseys on Wednesday night for Game 2 of their playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs. The game will be played in Phoenix. Team owner Robert Sarver, a Republican, said the jerseys will “honor our Latino community and the diversity of our league, the state of Arizona and our nation.” Sarver also made clear in a statement that the selection of the Spanish-language jersey — which will coincide with Cinco de Mayo — is a political statement against Arizona’s new anti-immigrant law.
The Gospel in Hardship
It's funny how out of all the pastoral ministry books I've read and considered, I can't think of one that speaks of how a good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. Pastoral ministry has been likened to shepherding, but rarely do I hear anything about the sacrificial nature of being a shepherd. More often than not, the role of shepherd as guide, reprover, corrector, protector, and leader are emphasized, and the idea of a suffering shepherd is quietly dismissed.
We end up with a distorted picture of a shepherd who manhandles his sheep (albeit with the most loving of motives), prodding, pulling, and taking sheep where they are too dumb to go themselves. Funny thing is that the most enduring image of Jesus as a shepherd that I can think of is his sacrifice. Indeed, the Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11). If I am called to shepherd the flock that is the people of God, should my job description be any less?
As noble as a suffering shepherd sounds, I was reminded of how painful this actually is through the sufferings of two beloved friends and partners in separate Gospel ministries. I saw their hurt, felt their tears, and mourned their situations with them in tough, undesirable circumstances - circumstances that in our day and age of profession ministers, would warrant any reasonable and sane minister to move on. But that's not what they're choosing to do, and for that they are suffering even more. When everyone and everything else is telling them, "are you crazy? Go to a different church!" they are holding on, CHOOSING suffering for the sake of the flock that has been entrusted to them. They are living out an exegesis of Col. 1:24
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church..."
They're doing it with tears, frustrations, borderline anger, and a lot of uncertainty, but they're doing it nonetheless. After all, lay down your life and gain it, but seek to save your life and lose it. Keep on enduring, friends, you are in my prayers, and your example of patient suffering is encouraging me and challenging me more than you know.
We end up with a distorted picture of a shepherd who manhandles his sheep (albeit with the most loving of motives), prodding, pulling, and taking sheep where they are too dumb to go themselves. Funny thing is that the most enduring image of Jesus as a shepherd that I can think of is his sacrifice. Indeed, the Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11). If I am called to shepherd the flock that is the people of God, should my job description be any less?
As noble as a suffering shepherd sounds, I was reminded of how painful this actually is through the sufferings of two beloved friends and partners in separate Gospel ministries. I saw their hurt, felt their tears, and mourned their situations with them in tough, undesirable circumstances - circumstances that in our day and age of profession ministers, would warrant any reasonable and sane minister to move on. But that's not what they're choosing to do, and for that they are suffering even more. When everyone and everything else is telling them, "are you crazy? Go to a different church!" they are holding on, CHOOSING suffering for the sake of the flock that has been entrusted to them. They are living out an exegesis of Col. 1:24
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church..."
They're doing it with tears, frustrations, borderline anger, and a lot of uncertainty, but they're doing it nonetheless. After all, lay down your life and gain it, but seek to save your life and lose it. Keep on enduring, friends, you are in my prayers, and your example of patient suffering is encouraging me and challenging me more than you know.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The power of confession...
A mother makes a powerful confession about a dark secret. Pride can keep us as parents from doing what is even best for our kids. We don't want to be found out to be the self-centered, identity-seeking, worth-justifying, reputation-defending people that the Gospel says we are. I am impressed with this mother's vulnerability and honesty, yet even at the end of such a confession - without the hope of forgiveness, without some sort of rock-solid assurance of hope that my sins can be and will be removed - what does such a confession change? Without an objective sacrifice of atonement, I fear that such a confession can only be emotionally cathartic at best, not really giving a clean conscience or renewed hope in any substantial matter. I pray that she comes to know the life-giving, addiction-freeing, hope-restoring power of a crucified Savior. There really is Good News for her and her son. Spirit, come and open eyes!
Holding on in the Heat
Had the privilege and joy of preaching from Revelation 2:8-11 - the letter to the church in Smyrna. Hope it brings encouragement and endurance!
Teens from the perspective of a high school principal
Yesterday we had Dr. Moses Cheng, the principal of West Chicago High School, and a dear brother in the Lord, share some of his insights on the world of teenagers. I've put together a summary of his insights and some common themes in his presentation.
1. The struggles and pressures of a teen today are not all that different than when we (the older generation) were growing up. However, these struggles and pressures are much more intensified as the culture as changed from one of rites of passage into adulthood to abandonment where students need to figure out how to be adults on their own. For instance, pressure in high school sports causes students to be busier than ever, more competitive, and more driven to compete and succeed.
2. Technology has had a HUGE impact on the world of a teen. Some of the specific areas:
1. The struggles and pressures of a teen today are not all that different than when we (the older generation) were growing up. However, these struggles and pressures are much more intensified as the culture as changed from one of rites of passage into adulthood to abandonment where students need to figure out how to be adults on their own. For instance, pressure in high school sports causes students to be busier than ever, more competitive, and more driven to compete and succeed.
2. Technology has had a HUGE impact on the world of a teen. Some of the specific areas:
- Celebrity status has been redefined. With the phenomena of 'going viral', anyone can now be a celebrity, and this has imprinted students to want to make their mark.
- With the advent of digital media, students are able to consume more information than ever before in HALF the time. (For more info on this, see the Kaiser Family Foundation Report on Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8-18 year olds). Thus, media has a HUGE influence on the mindset of these teens. Combined with the ability to network and disperse information, teens have unprecedented ability to mobilize and influence one another.
- In addition, students are used to having their entire lives recorded and on display from the time they are born. Thus, it should be no surprise that they find nothing wrong with putting their lives on display via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc.
- With the accessibility of Google, Wikipedia, etc., students have access to vast information repositories that challenge the parent as the sole authority. If a parent speaks to something, their perspective can be verified and challenged by just "googling it".
- Texting, Facebook, Twitter make it possible for students to always be connected, and always be engaging with their peers. Thus, students have deeper and more intense ties of loyalty and connectedness to their peers - even moreso than their families.
3. When talking with students, however, the number one influencer on their lives is still parents. As much as students put up a front that they don't want to be led or parented, the fact remains that they still need and want parents in their lives.
Implications (my thoughts):
1. Parents must still parent. That is, they must still demonstrate by godly example the virtues that a Spirit-filled life produces. No amount of wikipedia collaboration, YouTube tutorials, Google searches can replace the genuineness and power of godly virtue.
2. We can't bury our heads in the sand regarding technology, nor can we try to simply cut off students from technology and media. Rather, we must establish boundaries and closely monitor what and who are students are listening to.
3. The rules for godly living do not change although the scenarios in which we are to live them do. This is what the Bible describes as wisdom - knowing the moral will of God and how to apply them in our circumstances. Again, parents may not be able to anticipate every new scenario, but we must know the moral will of God as revealed in the Scriptures well enough to help a teen work through the implications and the applications of said will. I suppose that this is what it means to impart faith to the next generation. Not just knowing, but knowing so that we might be living.
4. Information + networking = incredible opportunity to influence peers and mobilize a wide audience for the sake of kingdom causes. If parents in partnership with the church can teach and widen students' vision of the grandeur, urgency, and power of the present and coming kingdom, the stage is set for this generation of students to carry out the mission of the Gospel in ways unseen before. I almost wish someone would write a modern-day version of William Carey's An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens.
We ended with a time of prayer for Dr. Cheng as well as a recap of the contents for the 40 parents that attended. At our next gathering, we will present a tutorial to parents about the use of Internet sites/tools to monitor and understand their teens.
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