PG came into my office on wednesday and asked me to create a graphic for this month's series in BIG Church. he is teaching 4 weeks through the NT book of TITUS.
having just finished this book in YOUth Church, i suggested [jokingly] he reuse my graphic for that. he didn't buy it. so it was back to the drawing board for me and this is what i came up with:
OR this one [i don't remember which on i turned in!]:
it's nothing too fancy or edgy, but i kinda like it, and i think it'll do the trick.
i'm looking forward to this summer with the pastors being able to pick and complete an entire series, each on their own. i think this will provide momentum, flow, and connectivity week-to-week between each sunday's service. pastor glen's got july with Titus, and in august i believe pastor gary is preaching through Jonah. [also an 07-08 YOUth Church title!]
i'm also leading musical worship with an excellent band on July 20 and i think possible preaching on August 31, with an all-student YOUth Band leading musical worship. this may still be under review, though. if i am up, i think i'm going to try to preach on one of the questions the students submitted. the one i'm looking at is a real good one, but also really challenging! but maybe PG/PG have other plans or agendas for my time up front. we'll have to see...
let me just start off this post by saying that i am really happy to be an american citizen. i'm given liberties and entitlements that many many people in this world are not able to have. i'm thankful for them in my comfortable house, with my political freedoms, and my life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. i think it would be interesting to live abroad for an extended period of time [australia, europe, africa], but i would never relinquish my american citizenship.
but here's the thing...
sometimes american christians get it in our heads that WE are GOD's Chosen Nation. that we are at the place we are with influence and prosperity BECAUSE GOD has chosen to bless us. [this is often accompanied with an unhealthy affection for bald eagles!] usually this is pointed back to the "christian morals" that our founding fathers had when they birthed america. this really bothers me beacuse most of them were NOT christians, but moralistic theraputic deists and/or agnostics, who were far from the heroes of faith that we set them up to be today.
usually, we use Scripture to back up our claims that America is GOD's current chosen nation. if you go to FBC, you'll notice a patriotic poster plastered on the walls in our building with an image of an inspirational-woman american flag and patriotic writing that says "Blessed is the Nation whose GOD is the LORD" [psalm 33:12]. if you do a Google Image search on this verse, a great majority of the returned results are american-patriotic flags. at church, we sing songs during the worship music set that reinforce this idea. songs like: GOD bless America, and America the Beautiful. our thirdcoast culture joins along with popular country music songs like GOD bless the USA.
here's my huge problem with this:
AMERICA IS NOT GOD'S CHOSEN NATION. nor do i think that GOD differentiates between political or social divisions of people groups. Scripture tells us that the LORD looks at the heart of man [individual]. it also teaches that when he looks at us, if we're a Christian, then we are seen through the filter of the person and work of his son jesus. NOT our earthly citizenship, nor the evil actions resulting from our sinful nature.
if you want to use psalm 33:12A to pick a nation to be GOD's Chosen People, the best you can do is pick pre-Matthew 23 or Matthew 12 Hebrew People, as followed through the OT narrative, or, in a VERY weak argument, the current political nation of Israel.
Paul explains to us in Romans 9-11 that JESUS came to be the awaited Messiah for the nation/people group of Israel, but because they rejected Him and murdered him, He was opening up His grace and mercy to any and all who would receive Him. this is illustrated using a tree.
the original tree that would bear GOD's fruit was the nation of israel, but because of their rejection of Jesus, a new branch is grafted into the tree. the branch of the Gentiles [a fancy way to say "everyone else"]. american citizens fall in this category. but so do people of arab decent, honduran citizens, greeks, romans, hawaiians, etc. the determining factor is no longer those who are born into Hebrew decent, as was generally accepted in the Old Testament, but now those who willingly and decidedly choose to take up the cross of christ and follow after him.
AMERICA is NOT GOD's chosen nation. CHRISTIANS are the chosen and blessed people of GOD, regardless of their political, social, or economic status or background. if you must, you could maybe refer to us as a nation, if you used the definition "a large people group united by their citizenship which is found in heaven". but then you've got to do away with all the tacky american flags all over the place and the offensive GOD and Country brand of religion we like to gloat on, especially in early July.
i wish we we would stop holding tight to America as "a christian nation". it's interesting to me that the same people who do this are also usually the same people that are convinced that because of this nation's and world's sin, we're all going to hell in a handbasket. i have yet to figure that one out. how do you marry the two? i think it must be rooted deeply in the "us and them"-heart condition that is birthed out of a self-righteous religious spirit.
GOD doesn't look at the world and see lines on a map.
my family chooses to celebrate this holiday by showing the poor and underprivileged countries in the world just how much wealth we have by literally lighting it on fire in celebration of my right to do so:
today, i'll celebrate my independence from sin and choose to worship the triune GODhead, which does NOT include george bush, george washington, or george foreman.
lately, kristi and i have been listening to MOVIN' 92.5 in the car.
and we absolutely love it.
usually at the beginning of every song one of us will let out a little giggle because they play music from when we were in high school.
the funny thing about this is a few weeks ago, kristi was driving somewhere without the boys and decided to turn off the kids-tunes and turn on the radio. she scanned to 92.5 and thought to herself, "man! this is good music! so hip and cool" and then realized it's practically an "oldies station"- mostly playing stuff from 1995-2005. i'm talking classics like TLC, Boyz II Men, All-4-One, Ice Cube, and more!
we're so old and not cool.
but as youth pastors, we love jesus and we love students. and mostly, we love to see students love jesus.
so maybe you can just forgive us for being the old hags that we are?
that'd be nice.
ok, not convinced how incredibly awesome they are yet? just check out the last 10 songs they played:
LL Cool J feat. Boyz II men - hey Lover 112 - Cupid Shai - If I Ever Fall in Love Blackstreet - No Diggity Coolio - Gangster's Paradise Ice Cube - back that "thang" up Montel Jordan - this is how we do it Luniz - I Got 5 On It PM Dawn - Send Adrift On Memory Bliss 50 Cent - In Da Club
Was there as much sin in the past as there is now?
here is my thought flow process to answer the following question in preparation for SUMMER YOUth Church. it's not meant to be a complete essay, nor was it presented word-for-word, but rather as a tool that i used in my prep time.
...
Was there as much sin in the past as there is now? .justin holzgrove [07.02.08]
This is a great question, and as we look around us, with the availability of sinful pleasures and back-stabbing relationship-destroying motives, it’s a tough one not to ask. Is there more sin today than when jesus was around? man, the NT writers had it easy! The people traveling west in the covered wagons must have been perfect angels, without all the temptations we have today! They didn’t have TXT gossip, out-of-context digital conversations, sexually and violence-charged music, movies, or TV, negative media influences, computers, internet, porn, MY BOSS!, MY PARENTS!, MY STRUGGLES! ETC. ETC. ETC.
I think this thought process is really easy to fall into. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence! I think many Christians wish that we could “just return to the good-old days” of goodtime hymn-singing, church potlucks, and backyard BBQs [like SUMMER YOUth Church] without all those sinful influences that have permeated and ruined our culture today. but that gets really dangerous, because we are living NOW. TODAY. in “that” culture. With “those” people!
It’s also important to take a look at exactly WHAT sin is, before we can quantify it and measure HOW MUCH there was in the past vs. now.
When we look at Scripture, we see many LISTS of sinful things. These lists ITEMIZE actions [see the most famous list of sin: the Ten Commandments] :
Sexual immorality Impure thoughts Eagerness for lustful pleasures Idolatry Participation in demonic activity Hostility Jealousy Outbursts of anger Selfish ambition Divisions The feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group Envy Drunkenness Wild parties Other kinds of sin
Do not steal Do not cheat one another Do not use my name to swear a falsehood and so profane the name of your GOD. I am the LORD. Do not cheat or rob anyone. Always pay hired workers promptly. Treat the deaf with respect Don’t take advantage of the blind Judge your neighbors fairly Don’t favor the rich or the poor Don’t spread slanderous gossip among your people Don’t nurse hatred in your heart Never seek revenge or bear a grudge Don’t breed your cattle with other kinds of animals…
In these lists we see an itemized list of things we should or should not do. But these are merely the fruit of our heart… the outward workings of the things going on within our spirit.
GOD’s people told the story of Adam & Eve and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil in the center of the garden to help explain these origins of our sinful heart. We read this in Scripture found in genesis 3.
an interesting side note came in watching this clip:
"Adam and his Cowardly Sins"
By Adam & Eve’s actions, man has set himself up against GOD and GOD’s way of life. Our motives, thoughts, words, and deeds [what we do or don’t do and say and think as well as WHY we do or don’t do and say and think things] are rooted in this very deep, very historic separation between man and GOD.
Romans 5:12-13
When adam sinned, sin entered the human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Yes, people sinned even before the law was given…
So sin isn’t about breaking the itemized list of laws and rules found in Scripture. Sin is much deeper than that. Sin speaks of our heart’s condition in relation to GOD. The “itemized lists of sins” that we see is an outflowing of our heart, and has always and will always be around- and in great quantity too! It’s there to reveal to us our great need for a Savior. And not just a general/end-times Savior, but a personal, real, and practical savior that continually renews our heart, making us clean through forgiveness, regeneration, and the washing of the blood of Jesus, even if and in spite of the outward actions we display, which we’ve called “itemized sin”!
Romans 5:15-
What a difference between our sin and GOD’s generous gift of forgiveness. For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through GOD’s bountiful gift. And the result of GOD’s gracious gift is very different from the result of one man’s sin. For adam’s sin led to condemnation, but we have the free gift of being accepted by GOD, even though we are guilty of many sins. The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive GOD’s wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.
And if we look back in our Galatians 5 verses, we see again the source of the “sinful actions” that are clearly visible and countable and quantifiable today. “when you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives produce these evil results:” …and the list goes on from there. The source of our actions is our SINFUL NATURE. Present in full effect and force from Adam’s Sin, until Jesus’ return!
So what’s this all mean to me? I’ve still got to live in the sexually-charged, violent, and angry world of 2008!
Engage it.
John 17:13-19
“Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy.[see above about being freed from sin!!!] I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world [this is why we feel tension as we look at culture!], just as I do not belong to the world. I’m not asking you to take them out of the world [GOOD! Don’t escape! Engage!], but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.”
“In the world, but not of it”, is a common phrase we hear around church, but the truth is many of us don’t live it. We think we’re “in the world” just because we live within the earth’s atmosphere, here in our little holy huddle. but what we’re not doing is engaging with the world. Really living IN it. With people who are not like us, people who are “messy”, people who are displaying many of the actions off the itemized lists of sins. We need to acknowledge that those are outward signs of what’s really going on in their heart: death is reigning! It’s no wonder their actions flow out the way they do! But at the same time, we must acknowledge that we too are drawn by our sinful nature. It’s by the person and work of JESUS that our sinful nature and the death it brings has been exchanged for the forgiveness and grace and triumph over satan, sin and death.
Don't look at the mass amounts of sin today and long for an "easier" time to live in.
Be intentional to mirror and reflect JESUS to your world this summer. Engage in it. Call up non-church friends and bring them to YOUth Church. Invite them to hang with you and your other friends. Love them. Forgive them. Be ministers of grace. You were made in the image of GOD, you bear the redemptive work of His Son in your spirit.
tonight's first ever SUMMER YOUth Church was pretty enjoyable. we had a decent turnout and a chillaxing time. i thought my teaching was a little bit longer and more in depth than my context [outside and summer time, full of distractions and relaxation] allowed for. i will keep this in mind in preparing in the future. shorter and more simple answers. would those that were there tonight agree?
during the evening, i set "the TRUTH? Box" out and harvested a few more great questions to add to the original list. keep 'em coming!
did snakes ever have legs?
drinking is fine. drunkenness is wrong. where is the balance?
is the story of Adam & Eve metaphorical or literal?
how come it kind of hurts when i hold it too long?
when jesus was a child/teenager, he went to the temple and preached to the priests. when he talked, what he said was true, full of wisdom, and very insightful. did jesus get his understanding in heaven and kept it when he became human, or did he learn when he was a human?
in preparation, i realized that it is easier for me to teach exegitically [through whole sections or passages of Scripture] than it is for me to teach topically, because when i teach topically, i feel the need to bring in a harmony of Scripture, making sure to communicate over-arching themes. but in order to do this, i need to write out my thought flow ahead of time. when i prepare for exegetical teaching, i print out the passage, double-spaced, then process and make my notes in the margins. because i have to do the leg work on the prep and type out my thoughts, i might as well allow them to serve double duty and post them here too. maybe other people that weren't at YOUth Church would be interested in my answer to the question posed each week!
this week's question that i answered was a really good one. i'll place my notes in a new post, and try to do so each week.
i'm super stoked about this summer's YOUth Church series!
i've tried a "submit your questions" series two times before in the past 5 years, but i haven't ever gotten good results. maybe it wasn't "the time" or maybe the means of submission weren't as rock-n-roll as they are this time [HT: the Schnab], but either way, i'm pumped about those that are coming in. i'll post them all as a list below [the good, the bad, and the ugly].
i'm going to be picking 9 of these questions, and answering them one-per-week over the course of the 9 wednesday of SUMMER YOUth CHURCH at kristi and my house.
if you come up with more questions, i'm more than happy to receive them and add them to the options. surf over to www.1bCYOUth.org, drop them in "the TRUTH? Box" on Wednesdays, or leave them in a comment here and i'll throw them in the mix!
here they are:
is the truth just as subjective as reality?
is the barcode the mark of the beast?
Is it right to question everything?
how come some people say that belief in god is all you have to have to go to heaven and some people say you have to do good things?
Why did AJ shave off his awesome beard and mustache?
truth IS just as subjective as reality...think about it.
I know homosexuality is against the bible but I don't get it. How are you supposed to react when a girl tells you their going out with another girl or vice versa? What if the person has said they're a Christian? I just am confused about what to say in a situation like that.
What's the point in traditions? The Jews' religion is based off of tradition. How can we profit from it?
what's the importance of being a "member" of a church?
what are God's elect?
Why do we copy Mars Hills Church? [p.s. i don't agree with copying mars hill]
Did people who were "christians" before Jesus died on the cross [hence, old testament] go to hell since they didn't believe that Jesus rose from the dead and died for their sins [hence, ticket to heaven]? I mean they didn't know He would die on the cross for their sins, so how could they believe that he will save them from their sins? i hope that makes sense.
i have a friend who lied to his gf to breakup w/her. he said god told him to. god don't lie. did god cry when my friend used him as an excuse?
Is church really necessary?
Was there as much sin in the past as there is now?
as the body what are we trying to make more important? that we should focus on living a life that looks different from those of the "world"?? or that we should focus on connecting with the "world" and showing that the difference isnt "us" but God working through us??
Does YOUth church start this Wednesday @ Justin's? Jessica Balzer would like to go. How do you get there? Please respond *******@msn.com. Thanks!
why did we play a "war" game at YOUth Church?
do "Blondes" have more fun?
GOD told us to believe in him to go to heaven. how do we have faith?
do catholics consider themselves cannibals because they "eat" the "body of Jesus"?
what’s more important: work and school or reading the Bible and time with GOD?
Are JEWS a race or a religion?
Why do people wear Hawaiian shirts to church so often?
Can you be a Christian and still believe in evolution?
Is going to church necessary?
Why is the ocean wet?
Are you allowed to say “sexy” at YOUth Church?
Why did GOD create us?
If I could date anyone in the YOUth group, other than John Bennett, who should I pick?
Why is the sky blue?
What is the meaning of life?
Is airsofting ok?
Could the “good angels” have a second rebellion?
What did Noah [as in & the Ark] do with all the animal poop?
If there were only 2 people in the world [adam & eve] how did the world get populated?
How old were dinosaurs really?
Is it ok to listen to “sexual songs” if you aren’t doing them?
Will I ever get married?
Do girls who wear jeans go to hell?
Is the Book of Mormon a good bedtime story?
Can a company be “Christian”?
Is working on Sunday OK?
Why do we rely on the Bible so much in our Christian Faith? What makes it so reliable? What proof do we have?
aren't these great?! it's going to be a fun summer!
this evening, at 6:30p at FBC is the meeting for anyone and everyone to come and share their thoughts, interests, concerns, opinions, etc. on a ministry geared specifically for college-20-30somethings/young adults.
please don't forget to come, and please remind those people you invited.
and hey, sitting in the A/C at the church* is going to be way better than sitting in this disgusting heat we've been having, right?
this afternoon, Judah and i went on a daddy-date to see Wall*E in the air conditioned theater. he really liked it and interacted well with the movie. i'm sure the other people around us didn't really care if there was a "BIG airplane... whoooosh!" or "BIG truck!" or "uh-oh..." or "oh-wow!", but i figured they interact with the movie and laugh at things when he's not laughing, so what's the big deal, right?
we also found out that it doesn't matter whether it's Horton Hears a Who! or Wall*E, Judah's attention span is 10 minutes shorter than the length of whatever full length movie we're watching! unfortunately, we haven't seen the end to either of these movies yet.
as for the movie itself, i was really impressed. i greatly appreciated the extremely minimal approach to dialogue that the writers took. i can just imagine the creative room at Pixar when a newbie walks in and sits down and says, "i've got the perfect idea for this robot film we're working on: NO DIALOGUE" and then everybody scoffs at him and tells him he's an idiot. but they try it anyway, and it's super refreshing!
i also really liked their use of "camera focus" in the videography. of course, it's all digital, so the camera blur is an effect they are creating, but it really went a long way for me. i noticed it first in this trailer below [during the shopping cart sequence], but i really liked it throughout the whole flick. but i did think it was interesting that they were using an effect to make you feel like a camera was going in and out of focus when there was no camera at all, and they could have made it absolutely realistic as if you were there. does this make sense to anyone? they faked the camera when they didn't have to! it's like they were inviting you to listen in as opposed to be in the show. very interesting...
i greatly enjoyed it, and i'm sure it's one that we'll purchase in the future years when our boys get to that phase.
on a side note, i thought there would be more "green" or "environmental"-tilt towards the story, but there really wasn't. i also appreciated the social commentary on our super-consumeristic society. hyperbole, of course. but spot on, none-the-less.
so awesome. i LOVE the white dudes of red letter rocking out with the black dudes of GOD's block.
...i know this is a graphic view i'm praying it's attackin you attractin you to act and do what you see in the back of luke matthew 24 and 14 - we should read it twice before we think that life is just about us being free in Christ...
here it is: the leadership of our church has asked for a gathering of people in our generation to hear from them what they would want to see in a church service.
it's not just for people of first baptist church, but really, for anyone. whether you currently or used to attend FBC [OR ANY CHURCH!] or none at all.
it's NOT a church service, and there will be no preaching. it's just an open forum for them to hear from us, regarding our opinion and experience with church.
it's on monday, june 30, at 6:30p [06.30@06:30] at FBC.
if you or anyone else wouldn't feel comfortable sharing, at the very very least, you would be more warm bodies in the room, silently communicating the need for us to move in this direction!
we've really been working hard for the past 3+ years to help our church be "more relevant" to our generation, and it seems that it's all coming to a head, measured by the "success" or "interest" in this meeting i'm writing about. so if you're interested or able to attend with ANYBODY you would like to bring, please please please do so!
my wife, kristi, and i will be there. AND CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED!!!
thanks very much for considering this.
natalie put together this image, which some may have seen around:
as the title says, Summer YOUth Church starts in exactly one week! [and will continue each wednesday in july and august]
next week, july 2, YOUth Church will be at kristi and my house at 555p. you can email me, leave a comment here, or call the church for directions.
we'll be tackling our first question in our summer series "what is the TRUTH?" that's not the question, that's the name of the series! in order for me to answer the questions, you've got to tell me what you want to learn about!
it's really simple to participate, you've got 4 choices:
1. go to www.1bCYOUth.org and type your question in and hit "submit anonymously" to submit your question anonymously... imagine that!
2. TXT your question, with the keyword "TRUTH?" to 3604906851.
3. email your question to justin [at] sheltonfbc [dot] org
4. drop your question in "The TRUTH?" box at 1bC on sundays or at YOUth Church on wednesdays throughout the summer.
i'll be picking 9 questions and answering them using personal experience, extensive research, and most importantly the BIBLE!
we'll be having a BBQ each week and throughout the summer, we'll be walking across the street to swim at Island Lake [but not every week and not the first week].
DISCLAIMER: this is a personal blog containing only the personal opinions of the author. it does not reflect the opinions of the organizations the author is connected with; namely FBC Shelton.
