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Welcome to the LOGOS Conference East 2008 blog! I will update with news about the summer 09 Conference as soon as we know something.
Great books to read!
- The Bible
- unchristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity...and Why it Matters (David Kinnaman of the Barna Group)
- Postmodern Youth Ministry (Tony Jones)
- Family-Based Youth Ministry (Mark DeVries)
- What Teens Need to Succeed (Benson, Gailbraith, and Espeland)
Links to check out!
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Women's Vespers: Monday
The Call of David
In my senior year of high school we had to write up an entry for the yearbook. You listed your nickname, your best memories during all of high school, favorite saying, and the toughie….your ambition. If I look through my yearbook I see lots of things like “To be an airline stewardess…To become a veterinarian…To be an engineer or scientific researcher…To be a secretary…To go into foreign service and international relations.” And then there were the REALLY ambitious types: “To live off the fat of the land”… “To ramble through the countryside.” I had NO idea what I wanted to be or study! I wasn’t ready to say that my ambition was to teach or go into the field of medicine or be a great mom…I had no idea.
When we studied the call of David in the book of 1 Samuel, we learned that David was not the obvious choice. He was not the first choice…or second, third, or fourth! Samuel came to see Jesse and was brought seven of his sons and didn’t identify Saul’s successor of king until Jesse finally introduced the youngest, David.
We look at people and make judgments and decisions about them. But God looks in people. God said: “People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
That’s the good news AND the bad news! I don’t think there are too many of us who would LIKE to be judged, think it’s FAIR to be judged by our outward appearance. But are we really ready and willing to be judged by what is in our heart?
Because God knows our heart and judges by what is in our heart, God knows things that no other human being knows about each of us. God knows our purpose…why we were designed the way we were. We were planned for God’s purpose. US. Each one of us. The great thing is, God doesn’t just hand us a “purpose in the box” like he’s the fedex guy making a delivery. They drop the box, knock on the door so you know it’s been delivered and then dash back to the truck to move on to the next delivery! God sticks around in the form of the Holy Spirit as a helper. Because we certainly all need it!
Every Christian is given at least two callings: First…We are each anointed as a child of God when we answer the call to be a follower of Christ (not just a “Christian”…but a follower of Christ) so we have a calling to live that out. That means modeling our life after the life of Jesus. The second calling is the purpose of our life…how we fulfill the journey.
How do you figure out what that purpose and plan is? That’s THE most important thing you’ll ever do…figure it out. And it’s not as simple as “where do I want to go after high school?” Or “what major do I want to study in college?” Or “what vocation am I most excited about?”
Well…you know I had to come up with the ambition entry for my yearbook! I did! I wrote, “To have a great impact on the lives of those around me.” I was quite confused for awhile in figuring out how I was going to fulfill that ambition. I still kept thinking that it was critical to figure out what job I should have. Which one would allow God to work through me to have an impact on those around me? I recently realized that it really didn’t matter that kind of detail. God was using me to carry out his purpose from the moment I became a Christian…way back to elementary school. I didn’t need to WAIT until I had graduated from high school and picked a college major and found the right job to begin to fulfill that purpose!
How we live our DAY--every day--is part of the journey of carrying out God’s purpose for our lives. How we treat others (those we love and those we don’t even like), how we treat ourselves, what we think about, what we talk about, what we post on our facebook page, what we post on OTHER PEOPLE’S walls, what we do when everyone is looking and what we do when no one is looking. And God is always looking. Remember…God judges people by what’s in our hearts not by what we look like or seem to be like to everyone else.
All that matters is that we do what we are called to do. That gives focus to our lives but gives tremendous freedom and flexibility to the direction you take to get there.
And the great thing about God? If we realize that we haven’t been doing such a great job with following God’s purpose for our life, we’re allowed a “do-over”…it’s something that David was very well known for. If you mess up or have messed up (as we ALL do), God says, “I sent my son Jesus Christ to earth so that you can have a do-over.” That’s called grace. He says, “Come to me…just let me know you know that you messed up and you want a fresh start…and you’ll have it.” That’s called free will and repentance. “But now it’s got to be different…you’ve got to learn from it and live like you’ve learned from it.” That’s called forgiveness and putting it into action. “Now get back to the journey.” God says, “Walk on the path I’ve set for you…and while you’re at it, help others on theirs. “
Prayer: Holy and Almighty Lord, thank you for sending your son Jesus Christ to model for us how we are to live. Help us to also look in people, not just at them. Help us also to be ready to serve you, even when we are not the obvious choice in your plan. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
In my senior year of high school we had to write up an entry for the yearbook. You listed your nickname, your best memories during all of high school, favorite saying, and the toughie….your ambition. If I look through my yearbook I see lots of things like “To be an airline stewardess…To become a veterinarian…To be an engineer or scientific researcher…To be a secretary…To go into foreign service and international relations.” And then there were the REALLY ambitious types: “To live off the fat of the land”… “To ramble through the countryside.” I had NO idea what I wanted to be or study! I wasn’t ready to say that my ambition was to teach or go into the field of medicine or be a great mom…I had no idea.
When we studied the call of David in the book of 1 Samuel, we learned that David was not the obvious choice. He was not the first choice…or second, third, or fourth! Samuel came to see Jesse and was brought seven of his sons and didn’t identify Saul’s successor of king until Jesse finally introduced the youngest, David.
We look at people and make judgments and decisions about them. But God looks in people. God said: “People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
That’s the good news AND the bad news! I don’t think there are too many of us who would LIKE to be judged, think it’s FAIR to be judged by our outward appearance. But are we really ready and willing to be judged by what is in our heart?
Because God knows our heart and judges by what is in our heart, God knows things that no other human being knows about each of us. God knows our purpose…why we were designed the way we were. We were planned for God’s purpose. US. Each one of us. The great thing is, God doesn’t just hand us a “purpose in the box” like he’s the fedex guy making a delivery. They drop the box, knock on the door so you know it’s been delivered and then dash back to the truck to move on to the next delivery! God sticks around in the form of the Holy Spirit as a helper. Because we certainly all need it!
Every Christian is given at least two callings: First…We are each anointed as a child of God when we answer the call to be a follower of Christ (not just a “Christian”…but a follower of Christ) so we have a calling to live that out. That means modeling our life after the life of Jesus. The second calling is the purpose of our life…how we fulfill the journey.
How do you figure out what that purpose and plan is? That’s THE most important thing you’ll ever do…figure it out. And it’s not as simple as “where do I want to go after high school?” Or “what major do I want to study in college?” Or “what vocation am I most excited about?”
Well…you know I had to come up with the ambition entry for my yearbook! I did! I wrote, “To have a great impact on the lives of those around me.” I was quite confused for awhile in figuring out how I was going to fulfill that ambition. I still kept thinking that it was critical to figure out what job I should have. Which one would allow God to work through me to have an impact on those around me? I recently realized that it really didn’t matter that kind of detail. God was using me to carry out his purpose from the moment I became a Christian…way back to elementary school. I didn’t need to WAIT until I had graduated from high school and picked a college major and found the right job to begin to fulfill that purpose!
How we live our DAY--every day--is part of the journey of carrying out God’s purpose for our lives. How we treat others (those we love and those we don’t even like), how we treat ourselves, what we think about, what we talk about, what we post on our facebook page, what we post on OTHER PEOPLE’S walls, what we do when everyone is looking and what we do when no one is looking. And God is always looking. Remember…God judges people by what’s in our hearts not by what we look like or seem to be like to everyone else.
All that matters is that we do what we are called to do. That gives focus to our lives but gives tremendous freedom and flexibility to the direction you take to get there.
And the great thing about God? If we realize that we haven’t been doing such a great job with following God’s purpose for our life, we’re allowed a “do-over”…it’s something that David was very well known for. If you mess up or have messed up (as we ALL do), God says, “I sent my son Jesus Christ to earth so that you can have a do-over.” That’s called grace. He says, “Come to me…just let me know you know that you messed up and you want a fresh start…and you’ll have it.” That’s called free will and repentance. “But now it’s got to be different…you’ve got to learn from it and live like you’ve learned from it.” That’s called forgiveness and putting it into action. “Now get back to the journey.” God says, “Walk on the path I’ve set for you…and while you’re at it, help others on theirs. “
Prayer: Holy and Almighty Lord, thank you for sending your son Jesus Christ to model for us how we are to live. Help us to also look in people, not just at them. Help us also to be ready to serve you, even when we are not the obvious choice in your plan. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
Women's Vespers: Tuesday
God-centered Friendship
I had a conversation recently with a young woman named Johanna who told me that a couple of Sundays ago was the first time that she had ever been in church. She attended our worship service with Waldo and Leta, an older couple in our congregation, because she was staying with them for the summer. Johanna is a 17 year old girl from Germany who wanted to experience the United States and so she came here not knowing anyone.
I asked her what she thought of church and she said it was “strange.” She liked the puppet show for the children’s sermon…she thought it was funny. She managed to do all of the standing and reading and singing she needed to do because Leta sat next to her and helped her through it.
I asked her if her parents had ever attended church and she said no, and not her grandparents either….so there was no “connection.” I wasn’t sure where even to start so I told her that for me it was good to know that there was a greater being to help with life. She said she respected that some people thought that but it wasn’t meaningful for her. I asked her about creation…what did she think of that? She asked me what I meant. I explained that I meant everything in the world…people, nature. She said she believed in a “biological explanation.”
She also said she thought the Bible was very hard to read. I said that there were some versions of it that were easier. She said that Leta had showed her two different versions of the same passages and had explained the differences. She said Leta had also told her the story of Ruth and she didn’t realize such a wonderful story was in there. I told her there were MANY wonderful stories…that it was a great book to read.
Then she said that although she didn’t believe there was a God, she had learned things from Christians. She said that she hoped that when she was married and was in her 70’s like Waldo and Leta that her husband would still kiss her goodnight each night. She said no one in her family did that. She believed Waldo and Leta loved each other so much because they are Christians.
Amazing that what we DO matters and makes a difference often more than what we say we believe.
David and Jonathan had an amazing friendship…and it wasn’t because they had so much in common or because they went to school together. In fact, it was a very unlikely friendship because Jonathan was the son of the king and David was the one anointed to be the next king, instead of Jonathan. The key to their friendship was that God was at the center.
What does that mean? How does that matter?
C.S. Lewis was the author of the Narnia books, “Mere Christianity” and lots of other great books He was a man who set out to disprove Christianity and in the process found God. He wrote about God-centered friendships:
· They are never possessive [so not jealous of a best friend’s other friendships]
· They are not prideful [so not boastful about the friendship]
· They are not exclusive [so find ways to include others in the friendship…not leave others out of the circle]
· They are positive and hopeful [so the friendship is joyful and not based on drama!]
· God-centered friends do not take themselves too seriously [so they can laugh together and at themselves together]
It’s nearly impossible to have this kind of love for others without God involved. It’s just too hard otherwise.
Lewis said that the best friendships don’t look toward each other but toward something else…something beyond or above themselves (which then frees the relationship from jealousy).
If you’re finding it hard to forgive a friend…you need to first look to how you’ve been forgiven by God.
If you’re finding it hard to love others… you need to first look to how Christ first loved you.
If you’re finding it hard to be selfless and put others first…you need to think of how Christ put you first by the amazing sacrifice of his life.
We need to always be striving to move our friendships to be more closely centered on God. We also need to remember that others may be watching how God-centered our relationships are. Lewis said that he believed the survival of Christianity depends on God-centered friendships. And we could say the same for God-centered marriages as well!
Prayer: All knowing and awesome God, please be with us in the midst of our friendships. Help us to seek ways to be less possessive, less prideful, more inclusive, more positive and hopeful. We ask these things in the name of Christ, Amen.
I had a conversation recently with a young woman named Johanna who told me that a couple of Sundays ago was the first time that she had ever been in church. She attended our worship service with Waldo and Leta, an older couple in our congregation, because she was staying with them for the summer. Johanna is a 17 year old girl from Germany who wanted to experience the United States and so she came here not knowing anyone.
I asked her what she thought of church and she said it was “strange.” She liked the puppet show for the children’s sermon…she thought it was funny. She managed to do all of the standing and reading and singing she needed to do because Leta sat next to her and helped her through it.
I asked her if her parents had ever attended church and she said no, and not her grandparents either….so there was no “connection.” I wasn’t sure where even to start so I told her that for me it was good to know that there was a greater being to help with life. She said she respected that some people thought that but it wasn’t meaningful for her. I asked her about creation…what did she think of that? She asked me what I meant. I explained that I meant everything in the world…people, nature. She said she believed in a “biological explanation.”
She also said she thought the Bible was very hard to read. I said that there were some versions of it that were easier. She said that Leta had showed her two different versions of the same passages and had explained the differences. She said Leta had also told her the story of Ruth and she didn’t realize such a wonderful story was in there. I told her there were MANY wonderful stories…that it was a great book to read.
Then she said that although she didn’t believe there was a God, she had learned things from Christians. She said that she hoped that when she was married and was in her 70’s like Waldo and Leta that her husband would still kiss her goodnight each night. She said no one in her family did that. She believed Waldo and Leta loved each other so much because they are Christians.
Amazing that what we DO matters and makes a difference often more than what we say we believe.
David and Jonathan had an amazing friendship…and it wasn’t because they had so much in common or because they went to school together. In fact, it was a very unlikely friendship because Jonathan was the son of the king and David was the one anointed to be the next king, instead of Jonathan. The key to their friendship was that God was at the center.
What does that mean? How does that matter?
C.S. Lewis was the author of the Narnia books, “Mere Christianity” and lots of other great books He was a man who set out to disprove Christianity and in the process found God. He wrote about God-centered friendships:
· They are never possessive [so not jealous of a best friend’s other friendships]
· They are not prideful [so not boastful about the friendship]
· They are not exclusive [so find ways to include others in the friendship…not leave others out of the circle]
· They are positive and hopeful [so the friendship is joyful and not based on drama!]
· God-centered friends do not take themselves too seriously [so they can laugh together and at themselves together]
It’s nearly impossible to have this kind of love for others without God involved. It’s just too hard otherwise.
Lewis said that the best friendships don’t look toward each other but toward something else…something beyond or above themselves (which then frees the relationship from jealousy).
If you’re finding it hard to forgive a friend…you need to first look to how you’ve been forgiven by God.
If you’re finding it hard to love others… you need to first look to how Christ first loved you.
If you’re finding it hard to be selfless and put others first…you need to think of how Christ put you first by the amazing sacrifice of his life.
We need to always be striving to move our friendships to be more closely centered on God. We also need to remember that others may be watching how God-centered our relationships are. Lewis said that he believed the survival of Christianity depends on God-centered friendships. And we could say the same for God-centered marriages as well!
Prayer: All knowing and awesome God, please be with us in the midst of our friendships. Help us to seek ways to be less possessive, less prideful, more inclusive, more positive and hopeful. We ask these things in the name of Christ, Amen.
Women's Vespers: Thursday
David Faces his Giant
David seemed surprised that he was the first to go up against Goliath. Several times he asked what the King has promised to the one who would kill Goliath. He was told that the king promised three things:
1. Great wealth
2. The king’s daughter in marriage
3. Exemption for his family from taxes
That was a HUGE reward! David just had a hard time believing he was the only one who was willing to try to kill Goliath. What set David apart from everyone else? It was that David wasn’t afraid because he knew that giants are never bigger than God.
It’s the only way we can face our giants…by knowing that giants are never bigger than God. Ever.
I want you to repeat after me: “My giants are never bigger than God.” “Ever.”
We know that David picked up 5 smooth stones out of the river to fight the giant. Let’s consider what your 5 stones could be to fight the giants in your life.
Past struggles…what have you dealt with in the past and have overcome with God’s help? You can do it again!
Repeat: PAST STRUGGLES
Prayer…ask God to be involved so you’re not facing your giants by your own hand. Prayers also for God to send others into your life to help.
Repeat: PRAYER
Peace…the peace that comes from God. Peace replaces worry when up against a tough situation. Worrying gets you nowhere. Absolutely nowhere.
Repeat: PEACE
Passion…to face your giants head on…running toward them instead of running away from them. It always gets worse avoiding big problems. Always. They usually grow larger. They never get smaller.
Repeat: PASSION
Perseverance…to not give up easily, to work hard at dealing with tough situations. Perseverance is trying again and again. It’s working at something and not giving up until you finish.
Repeat: PERSEVERANCE
Let’s name the five again….PAST STRUGGLES, PRAYER, PEACE, PASSION, and PERSEVERANCE.
Tuck those five stones into your pocket and be prepared for the next giant that comes your way. Help a friend face her giant with the same 5 stones.
Being armed with these five stones is good, but it comes down to something even more essential…that a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ must underlie it all. That relationship gives us the power to live our daily lives and leads to eternal life with God. That relationship takes a commitment and means making a decision. It’s not about floating through church or thinking you are a Christian just because your parents are. For me, it came in about the third or fourth grade at Vacation Bible School. I remember asking Jesus into my heart in the basement classroom of a church. I remember raising my hand during a prayer and sitting and talking with one of the teachers afterwards as most everyone else went out to the playground. I don’t remember anything of what she said to me but I do remember taking the decision very seriously.
Prayer: God of mercy and God of grace, be with us as we face our giants. We thank you for the gift of your son Jesus Christ whom you sent to this earth to walk amongst us and then to die so that we may live forever. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
(5 stones to face giants based loosely on a presentation by Max Lucado)
David seemed surprised that he was the first to go up against Goliath. Several times he asked what the King has promised to the one who would kill Goliath. He was told that the king promised three things:
1. Great wealth
2. The king’s daughter in marriage
3. Exemption for his family from taxes
That was a HUGE reward! David just had a hard time believing he was the only one who was willing to try to kill Goliath. What set David apart from everyone else? It was that David wasn’t afraid because he knew that giants are never bigger than God.
It’s the only way we can face our giants…by knowing that giants are never bigger than God. Ever.
I want you to repeat after me: “My giants are never bigger than God.” “Ever.”
We know that David picked up 5 smooth stones out of the river to fight the giant. Let’s consider what your 5 stones could be to fight the giants in your life.
Past struggles…what have you dealt with in the past and have overcome with God’s help? You can do it again!
Repeat: PAST STRUGGLES
Prayer…ask God to be involved so you’re not facing your giants by your own hand. Prayers also for God to send others into your life to help.
Repeat: PRAYER
Peace…the peace that comes from God. Peace replaces worry when up against a tough situation. Worrying gets you nowhere. Absolutely nowhere.
Repeat: PEACE
Passion…to face your giants head on…running toward them instead of running away from them. It always gets worse avoiding big problems. Always. They usually grow larger. They never get smaller.
Repeat: PASSION
Perseverance…to not give up easily, to work hard at dealing with tough situations. Perseverance is trying again and again. It’s working at something and not giving up until you finish.
Repeat: PERSEVERANCE
Let’s name the five again….PAST STRUGGLES, PRAYER, PEACE, PASSION, and PERSEVERANCE.
Tuck those five stones into your pocket and be prepared for the next giant that comes your way. Help a friend face her giant with the same 5 stones.
Being armed with these five stones is good, but it comes down to something even more essential…that a saving relationship with God through Jesus Christ must underlie it all. That relationship gives us the power to live our daily lives and leads to eternal life with God. That relationship takes a commitment and means making a decision. It’s not about floating through church or thinking you are a Christian just because your parents are. For me, it came in about the third or fourth grade at Vacation Bible School. I remember asking Jesus into my heart in the basement classroom of a church. I remember raising my hand during a prayer and sitting and talking with one of the teachers afterwards as most everyone else went out to the playground. I don’t remember anything of what she said to me but I do remember taking the decision very seriously.
Prayer: God of mercy and God of grace, be with us as we face our giants. We thank you for the gift of your son Jesus Christ whom you sent to this earth to walk amongst us and then to die so that we may live forever. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
(5 stones to face giants based loosely on a presentation by Max Lucado)
2 comments:
This should be a most excellent way to share our experience during the week! I hope that all your preparations are going well and that we will find ourselves together at Radford on Sunday! I am sure that we will "dance before the Lord!"
In His Grip,
Thom Lamb
Conference East Director
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