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The Mirror of Our Love
There are a few things I don’t need any help with. I’m good at these things. I don’t need tips from books. I don’t need advice from friends. I know what I’m doing and I do them well. If “Things I’m Good At” was a category on Family Feud, the number one answer according to the survey is: I’m good at thinking about myself.
Josh Harris made a similar observation in his recent post titled “My One and Only Week on Facebook.
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Winners vs. Losers
My dad shared the following poem with me when I was a kid and I’ve never forgotten it. It was written by Pat Williams, a former NBA General Manager. I shared it during a sermon I recently preached on Men at Work while illustrating the seriousness of taking responsibility. Since numerous people asked me for a copy after the message I thought it might be good for the entire void.
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Live or Memorex?
I’m eager to publish (what is hopefully) the last explanation behind my music video. It was posted first on February 6, and within a week (thanks to the PyroManiac) the video was viewed over 1200 times. I don’t know how many of those views were actually by different people since the Pecadillo informed us that it was not unusual for him to hear the video playing two or three times per visit to his parents’ house.
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Resources for Studying Calvinism
When Phil Johnson taught on Spurgeon at the 07SR he referenced some of Spurgeon’s contentions regarding Calvinism. I thought it would be helpful for some of our youth staff and students to get a better grasp on what Calvinism really is, so I began a brief series entitled “God Saves Sinners” during our Sunday morning meetings (see the end of this post for links to that material). We are more than halfway through and I thought now would be as good a time as any to suggest some additional resources for those interested in studying Calvinism on their own.
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Teenagers Are Irresponsible
Series | Lies Every Teen Believes
The second lie teenagers believe is that they are, intrinsically, irresponsible. “Research” shows their brains have not yet fully developed so they can’t be expected to act appropriately. They are not ready to answer for their actions. Experts define adolescence as an extended season for experimentation and prolonged preparation. The teen years are for development and responsibility must be deferred.
Inevitably, the teenagers is a disappointment, whose combination of adult capacities and juvenile irresponsibility sows personal heartbreak and social chaos.
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Happy Sheep Come from Happy Shepherds
There is a sinewy connection between joy and shepherding and I regret that there are still too many occasions when the two are cut asunder. It isn’t that I lament others seeing the lack, I lament the fact of the lack. I don’t wish that I could hide my joy*less*ness better, rather I want to experience and display joy*full*ness better.
The connection between joy and shepherding is consequential. Though Hebrews 13:17 is primarily a call for the sheep to follow the shepherd in such a way that he may shepherd with joy, it establishes the principle that a joyful shepherd is an advantage to the sheep.
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An Addendum on ADD
One of the compelling issues in the adolescence, ADD, and ADHD phenomena is the possibility of genetic or hormonal causation. We are told that if it can be scientifically determined that certain actions or attitudes are inherent in a person’s physical make-up, then we are obligated to consider their behavior normal and should remove moral responsibility from the discussion. After all, if they can’t help it, we shouldn’t expect it.
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Teenagers Are Incompetent
Series | Lies Every Teen Believes
Today we’ll address the first of the six lies of adolescence. Remember, by the name “adolescence” we are not simply referring to the biological changes that take place in a person over a small period of time (i.e., puberty). In our culture the word is more than a convenient catalog of the days, months, and years of being a teen. Adolescence refers to a mindset, and now an entire sub-culture, that has been established by certain lies that need to be laid bare.
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Behind the Music
Last Monday I posted a couple videos here at the Void. The clip of Phil tubing is growing in popularity with over 200 views. But somehow in just one week, Water has been viewed 1,245+ times.
It spent over 24 hours on the PyroManiacs bulletin board and was later given the monicker of “world-famous.” The comments there ranged from “everything about it is just wrong”, “ouch” and “painful,” to one person calling me their “hero” and another nominating me for a Dove Award.
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There Is Nothing to See Here - Part Duet
The 07SR is over. Audio from Phil’s sessions and hundreds of photos will be online soon. In the meantime, here are a couple videos to keep people of the Void entertained.
Some of you remember my duet with Jaci Velasquez of Flower in the Rain from last year’s Snow Retreat. Rather than a live performance for this year’s talent show I opted to film an actual music video. So with the help of the Intern (as videographer and producer) and my wife (as bucket operator) I offer you my newest duet with Kristy Starling, Water.
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The Birth of Adolescence
Series | Lies Every Teen Believes
In 1904, G. Stanley Hall published a book titled, Adolescence: It’s Relations to Physiology, Anthropology, Sociology, Sex, Crime, Religion and Education. Regardless of our opinion on his title, this is the first documented writing on adolescence. Let that sink in. The first time someone delineated adolescence as its own stage of development was 1904. Similarly, the term “teenager” was first published in the magazine Popular Science, but not until 1941.
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A Definition for Adolescence
Series | Lies Every Teen Believes
Adolescence has achieved objective status as an obvious stage in human development in our culture. It is probably un-American and maybe even un-Christian, depending on what circles you’re in, to dispute it. And though this attitude toward teenagers is not surprising from the world since the secular culture is always looking for ways to excuse behavior, it is inexcusable that so many in the church have adopted the same mindset.
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An Introduction to the Myth of Adolescence
Series | Lies Every Teen Believes
“The facts are simple,” says Charles K. Johnson, president of the International Flat Earth Research Society. “The earth is flat.”
As you stand in his front yard, it is hard to argue the point. From among the Joshua trees, creosote bushes, and tumbleweeds surrounding his southern California hillside home, you have a spectacular view of the Mojave Desert. It looks as flat as a pool table.
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Ten Books Every Christian Should Own
A few weeks ago I listed the 25 books that have influenced me the most. In that post I promised a second list, namely my catalog of the 10 books every Christian should own.
Photo thanks to Darren Hester
These are books that, from my perspective, transcend time and culture. They are the kind of resources that should be frequently published and first translated when we take the gospel to a new group.
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Four Tools for Great ComMissional Disciple-Making
Series | ComMission
In Ashamed of the Gospel 2.0, I criticized the man-centered, pragmatic approach of contextualization. I also promised to post four tools God has given us for the sake of making disciples of all the nations. All of the following are founded on the Sword of the Spirit and also require dependence on the Spirit Himself. So before we trade up for a new set of gospel gadgets that will prove themselves lemons, what are the divinely authorized gospel implements?
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Ashamed of the Gospel 2.0
Series | ComMission
“Contextualization” is a buzzword in Christian conversation these days. A little over a month ago an entire conference was devoted to proclaiming the supremacy of Christ in this postmodern world of ours, and many of the speakers pressed that responsible outreach requires us to contextualize, that is, put the gospel into terms that postmoderns can understand and appreciate. We were told that the methods of evangelism used yesterday won’t work any longer.
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The 25 Most Influential Books on the Void
Reading is making a comeback. Numerous bloggers have commented on the collection and reading of books in the past few weeks and I’ve started to compile an ever growing list of these posts for my own future reference.
Photo thanks to slimninja
One of the reasons behind the recent resurgence of bookish discussion by bloggers was the article by Christianity Today on the top 50 books that have influenced evangelicalism. The list is subjective if not downright suspect, but it received a fair amount of attention nonetheless.
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Appetite and Ability to Study God's Word
Series | Marks of a Healthy Student Ministry
The third mark of health in our series is:
A healthy student ministry has people with an appetite and ability to study God’s Word.
Many passages reveal the importance of God’s Word in the life of a believer and in the life of a church. For example, as soon as the church started to gather in the book of Acts we find four things that were most important to them:
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A Better Beard
I’m sure there are things more banal, but the C-Train points out some pros and cons in the better beard contest.
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Godly Leaders
Series | Marks of a Healthy Student Ministry
Here is the second mark of a healthy student ministry:
A healthy student ministry has people who are godly leaders.
We cannot bypass the principle of godly leadership and still expect to see God’s blessing. Holiness is the primary ingredient for leaders in the church.
It is staggering to consider how many churches–and youth ministries in particular–select leadership. A man (or woman) is not to be a leader in the church because he is the best businessman, has innate leadership ability, or has a large bank account.