03.06.2012

Tuesday Thought

Quote of the Week

“People must not only hear about the kingdom of God, but must see it in actual operation”

– Pandita Ramabai, 19th century activist who worked for women’s rights in India
as quoted in Common Prayer

In actual operation

Sometimes a hug is better than all the talking in the world.

I have a question for you. It sounds really easy at first, but it isn’t. Ready? Here it is: What is the most important thing for a Christian to be doing? Think of an answer before reading on.

I think if you asked that question of a ten Christians, you would receive seven to ten different responses. Some would answer that every Christian should be preaching to everyone they meet. Others might talk about prayer. Others might say we should be protesting things God is against. Others might say reading the Bible, singing songs, WWJDing, or a whole bunch of other things. My answer is that we ought to be reflecting the Kingdom of God every day.

In my morning devotion on Saturday I read this quote from Pandita Ramabai, a Christian activist in India more than 100 years ago: “People must not only hear about the kingdom of God, but must see it in actual operation” (Claiborne, Shane, Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, and Enuma Okoro.  Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010. 30.).

In the Bible we read that Jesus spent the majority of his time doing that – showing us what the Kingdom of God looked like in actual operation. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, protected the vulnerable, and generally made sure people knew they mattered to him and to God.

We should follow in his footsteps by welcoming the outsider, loving and accepting others, stepping in when we see another treated unfairly, joining with the lonely, listening to the hurting, sharing with those who don’t have what they need, and things like that.

You don’t have to wait for a mission trip to do it. I’m sure you know people in difficult situations in your school, your neighborhood, maybe even your family. Those who don’t feel good about themselves, who are lonely, or who don’t have all that they need. You can do something about that.

Some will say that I am encouraging you just being nice, and there is nothing necessarily Christian about that. That’s not true. When you love Jesus and your life is centered on him, you see people differently. It is the Jesus in us that calls us to do the “nice” thing. When people feel important, understood, heard, and just plain ol’ loved – that is the Kingdom of God in actual operation. People need to see it and feel it!

Video of the Week

Tim Hawkins: Hunting and Bear Spray

Not great quality. The one I originally had has been taken down. This is the same jokes. 

02.28.12

Tuesday Thought

Quote of the Week

“God will never, never, never let us down if we have faith and put our trust in Him. He will always look after us.” – Mother Teresa

In the tough times God is faithful

Joseph in prison.

The Old Testament story of Joseph has fascinated me for a long time. One is because he is my namesake. The other is because I got to play him twice in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat when I was in high school. His story is really remarkable. Here’s a summary:

Joseph is one of the 12 sons of Jacob. His father gives him a many-colored coat (the Hebrew may actually mean “long-sleeved coat,” but who would write a musical about that?). Apparently, Joseph gets pretty full of himself and makes his brothers quite angry. They eventually leave him in a pit to die, but then they hear a group of traveling merchants coming by and instead decide to sell Joseph into slavery. Why not make a couple of bucks on this deal? Joseph is taken into Egypt, sold as a slave, and then framed for a crime. Being a slave he has little say, so he winds up in jail. While in jail, he interprets dreams, which is what got him in trouble with his brothers in the first place. Eventually he interprets the dreams of the Pharaoh and winds up the #2 man in the most powerful country in the world. Cool story. If you want to read it you need to start in Genesis 37 to 50, but you could stop probably some where in Genesis 47.

In chapter 39 we are told two times that God caused Joseph to prosper: “the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hands,” and “whatever he did the Lord made it prosper” (vs 3 & 23, NRSV). It is interesting to note that the first time we read that in verse 3 Joseph is a slave. The second time, verse 23, Joseph is in prison. Neither of those times would I feel prosperous. Yet, somehow Joseph is.

Joseph was a gifted manager. Everywhere he went, he was put in charge – as a slave, as a prisoner, and as Pharaoh right-hand man. But it wasn’t just him. It was God working through him, even when the situation didn’t seem like God was with him at all.

We need to be reminded of that too. Even when things aren’t going our way, God is right there with us. And when we are using our gifts to his glory his can make us prosper, even in the most difficult of circumstances. So whatever you are going through, imitate Joseph by following God.

Video of the Week

United Breaks Guitars

Here’s the story behind the video: A musician named Dave Carroll claims United Airlines damaged his Taylor guitar ($3500) during a flight. After more than 9 months of trying to get them to pay for damages he was told they would not. During his final conversation with a United Customer Relations Manager, he stated that he was left with no choice other than to create a music video for YouTube. The Manager responded: “Good luck with that one, pal.”

This is his response video which has received over 11 million hits. United Airlines contacted the musician and attempted settlement in exchange for pulling the video. Naturally his response was: ”Good luck with that one, pal.” The good people at Taylor Guitars (I call them good because I too play a Taylor) sent him 2 new custom guitars in appreciation for mentioning them in his song.

02.21.12

Tuesday Thought

Quote of the Week

“Give up ‘Facebooking’ more than you’re ‘homeworking.’” – From The Rocky Mountain Collegian article “What we all should give up for Lent after Fat Tuesday”

Giving something up for Lent?

I have heard through the grapevine that there are members of one of our small groups who might be playing a lot of Tiny Tower late into the night tonight. You see, they have decided to give up playing that game for Lent. Maybe they feel like it has taken over a chunk of their lives, and it is time. People give up a variety of things for Lent – foods, drinks, habits, etc. Others add something during the season of Lent – daily Bible reading, regular times of prayer, reading an inspiring book, etc. It’s a great time to deepen your relationship with Jesus.

The season of Lent is the period of 40 days (not counting Sundays) leading up to Easter. The church has set aside that time for us to reflect on our sinfulness and need for Jesus to be our Savior and Lord. Giving something up, also known as fasting, is one of the ways we do that.

An unofficial church tradition, called Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday, grew up around that. Today is the day people indulge in what they will be giving up – like playing Tiny Tower until 11:59pm tonight. Somehow pancakes got involved, because as I read on Wikipedia today, “Pancakes are eaten as they are made out of the main foods available, sugar, fat, flour and eggs, whose consumption was traditionally restricted during the ritual fasting associated with Lent.” Thus our pancake dinner tonight.

During this season of Lent that starts tomorrow, you might want to consider doing something differently for 40 days. It is a great way to remember that you have a savior who has given himself to show his love for you, and his desire to be in a relationship with you.

Video of the Week

Crazy Russian Surfing Across Giant Puddle

For absolutely no reason!

Prayer Requests

Please forward your prayer requests to us to add to this list!
We believe in the power of prayer.

02.14.2012

Valentine’s Day Edition

Tuesday Thought

Quote of the Week

“All guys should learn from Mario Bros. No matter how far their princess is, they should go after her.” – anonymous

Live Love

Happy Valentine’s Day! Today is the day we celebrate LOVE.

As a society though, we are pretty confused about love. I can’t tell you how many times this week I have heard or read someone say “I love Adele” – it’s amazing how the Grammy awards bring out the fans. I’ve heard others say, “I love chocolate,” or I love my iPhone,” or “I love snowdays,” or “I love that dress,” or “I love my dog/cat,” or something like that. Then we say, “I love God,” and “I love my family.” We can’t be talking about the same thing, can we?

Love is more than flowers, chocolates, and pink paper hearts. One of the things that I believe that Jesus came to teach us is that love is about action. Love is not just something that we feel, it is something that we do. We talk about this in that verse just about everyone has memorized, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (John 3:16 NRSV). Love alters our behavior – God loved, God gave. Love costs us something. Love is unhappy when it sees the one who is loved being hurt.

In other words, when we see someone who is hurting, it is not loving to say, “I really feel for that person. I hope they feel better soon.” Love makes us approach them, walk with them in their pain, work to change that which hurt them.

May you and I love like Jesus taught us. May our love be so much more than one day of saying it. May our love be a 24/7 living of it.

Random Fact: St. Valentine

Not exactly cupid, is he?

A Christian priest in Rome, Valentine was known for assisting Christians persecuted under Claudius II. After being caught marrying Christian couples and helping Christians escape the persecution, Valentine was arrested and imprisoned. Although Emperor Claudius originally liked Valentine, he was condemned to death when he tried to convert the emperor. Valentine was beaten with stones, clubbed, and, finally, beheaded on February 14, 269. In the year 496, February 14 was named as a day of celebration in Valentine’s honor. He has since become the patron saint of engaged-couples, beekeepers, happy marriages, lovers, travelers, young-people, and greetings. (from Common Prayer online for February 14 at http://commonprayer.net/)

Video of the Week

Simpsons’ Theme by Nick McKaig

Since I was accused by someone of not having youth group on Sunday night so I could watch the 500th episode of The Simpsons, I thought this was appropriate. 

02.07.2012

Tuesday Thought

Quote of the Week

“It just feels good to win a Super Bowl… I’m feeling great for my teammates, my coaches, the Giants organization, for all the dedication they put in this year to make this happen.” – Eli Manning in post-game interview when named MVP of Super Bowl XLVI

More than MVP

Congrats to Eli Manning - MVP Super Bowl XLVI

What a game! The Super Bowl this year was very exciting. When the clocke ticked down to 0:00 and the confetti cleared, we knew the Giants had won and their quarterback, Eli Manning, had been named the Most Valuable Player (MVP). For that honor, Eli won a brand new Corvette. Not that he couldn’t afford one himself; he is the highest paid player on the Giants. It’s good to be him.

Those who follow football had a good idea before the game even started that the winning quarterback would probably be named the MVP. Quarterbacks have won more than half of them, with running backs and wide receivers taking most of the rest. Those are the guys who carry the ball and make the plays that are put on SportsCenter.

But could the MVP have won the game without the 53rd man on the roster? There are a lot of players on a championship team that are far from the spotlight, but still vitally important. We know the Bradys, Mannings, Welkers, and Manninghams that do amazing the things with the ball, but what about the left guard that protects Eli’s blindside when he drops back to pass? Without that guy doing his job, he wouldn’t have had time or space to do the things he did to win the game and the MVP award.

That happens to us too. Not everyone gets to be in the spotlight all the time, but that doesn’t mean that the things you do are not important. Your role in the lives of your family and friends, the things that you do when no one is looking, the times you listen to a friend dump their junk on you, that time you helped someone with their homework, and more, are all very important. You might not win any awards for it, but it matters.

In the Bible, Paul uses the image of a body. He talks about how each part is dependent upon the others for the body to function most fully. He writes:

“The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect” (1 Corinthians 12:21-23 NRSV).

I imagine it is very good to be the MVP and get a new Corvette. What we do that doesn’t receive awards matters also, even more. Go and serve God in all that you do.

Video of the Week

Superman Dates

Dating a superhero may not be all it is cracked up to be. 

01.31.2012

Tuesday Thought

Quote of the Week

“‘Where there is a will there is a way,’ is an old and true saying. He who resolves upon doing a thing, by that very resolution often scales the barriers to it, and secures its achievement. To think we are able, is almost to be so – to determine upon attainment is frequently attainment itself.” – Samuel Smiles

What’s stopping you?

Here’s a Super Bowl story that you may not have yet heard. One of the players in the Super Bowl tweeted this yesterday: “2 yrs ago I was told I might never walk again. Just WALKED off plane in Indy to play in The #SuperBowl.” His name is Mark Herzlich. He is a rookie special teams player for the New York Giants.

In May 2009 Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, while he was a star player at Boston College getting ready for his senior season. Instead of lifting and running to get ready for football, he was enduring six-hour chemotherapy sessions. But he never gave up hope. He convinced himself that he would beat the cancer and continue his life as planned. The New York Daily News reports that Herzlich said, “When I got really down about it, I d throw on my college tape that I made and I watched myself run down the field on kickoffs. I watched myself run down and say, ‘That is what is going to get me through it,’ he said. ‘I wasn’t always smiling and happy, but that is what would get me through it” (read the article here).

After playing his senior season a year later than originally planned, he became a member of the Giants this season, and has been a star  on special teams (kickoffs, punts, etc.). His teammates say that he is a superstar for winning the battle against cancer.

When I first saw the story, I thought about all the things that people say we cannot do. Either because we are not good enough, or not the right build for it, or maybe not smart enough, or some other barrier they have decided is in our way. Herzlich was told he might not walk, and certainly not play football, but Sunday night he is going to play in the biggest football game of the year. So what’s stopping you?

Video of the Week

A Super Bowl Ad from Chevy

How would you react if you were given a brand new car? 

01.24.2012

Tuesday Thought

Quote of the Week

“I used to be indecisive but now I am not quite sure.” - Tommy Cooper, comedian

Decisions, decisions

Do you know what God wants you to do? I don’t mean way out there in the future. I mean today.

Most Christians are good about going to God with the big decisions. We might pray for days, weeks, or even years about them. Yes, the big decisions are a big deal, but life is made up of so much more than them.

Over the course of your entire life you will probably make less than 10 really big decisions (college, jobs, marriage, houses, etc.). You make more small decisions than that every day. Some don’t matter in the grand scheme of things – what you will wear, what you will eat for breakfast, etc. But other decisions do. You need to decide how you will deal with that friendship that has become difficult, and that fight you had with your mom last night. You need to decide how long you are going to study for that test, if you are going to come to youth group, and whether to ask that girl out. God is interested in those things too.

Sometimes we don’t go to God with the everyday decisions because we picture God like a busy teacher who doesn’t want to be asked questions about things we should know how to do for ourselves. But that is not who God is. God is infinite – a big word that means he has no beginning and no end. God has all the time in the world, literally. He is not too busy for your seemingly small stuff. And he loves you so much, that he wants you to chat with him about those things. There may not be a lightning bolt or a burning bush that will tell you what to do, but after talking to God about it, you might get a different perspective that will be a great help.

There is a slogan some companies use, “No job too big, and no job too small.” God really means it. There is nothing you can go to him with that is too big, and nothing too small. Make God a regular part of your decision-making process.

Video of the Week

Smell Like a Monster

Grover does an Old Spice commercial?

01.17.2012

Tuesday Thought

Quote of the Week

“Prediction is difficult, especially about the future.” - Yogi Berra, former baseball player

Making a plan

I’m leaving this afternoon to spend a couple of days in Loveland with the Group people where I will be part of a “field test” of this summer’s mission trip programming. I’m pretty excited to have been invited to do this. I hear there is a lot of new stuff I will be seeing very early. I understand there will be some youth there tomorrow who will go through the worship services and devotions and everything you will do this summer, minus the work. It’s a good way for Group to see how it will work this summer and to fix any problems they didn’t anticipate while writing it.

The field test is probably one of the final parts of the plan in getting ready for us to come to Enid and Loveland this summer. It is so wise to have a good plan for the projects of our lives. Too often we just go and do, hoping to find where all of our activity will lead us. Our parents don’t show up at the airport and then look at the departures board to decide where they are going on vacation. Instead they plan, sometimes in very great detail, how and when you will go on vacation. If you decided to do a better job this semester with studying, it would be good to have a plan of when you will study more, and then stick to the plan. If you want to make the choir or get on a team, it is good to have a plan to get yourself ready for tryouts.

A plan is no guarantee of success but it gives you a far better chance at it that just going forth without a plan. I’m sure the people at Group are well aware of that. Who knows? The power could go out in the middle of one of the funniest, or most important videos of the week. You can’t plan for that. When you know the plan though, that problem will only cause a minor disruption. When the power comes back on you will get right back on track. Without a plan a problem like that could cause one to lose the whole focus of what you are doing – total derailment of the program.

So make a plan and stick to it. You might encounter a detour along the way, but it is the best way for you to get where you want to go.

Video of the Week

One Time Blind: Birthday Jesus

I came across this Christmas video a little late, but wanted to share it anyway.

01.10.2012

Tuesday Thought

Quote of the Week

“When it comes to football, God is prejudiced – toward big, fast kids.”  -Chuck Mills

316 & winning

I’m sure you have heard by now that Tim Tebow threw for exactly 316 yards in his improbable win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night. Three – sixteen. Goodness that number sounds familiar. Yes, people are going all goofy trying to find some heavenly significance to it. Of course there is the famous John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world…” But what if God was pointing to Leviticus 3:16 which ends with, “All fat is the Lord’s” (really, I didn’t make that up).

As you can see, I have a hard time believing that God has chosen Tim Tebow, the NFL, and the Denver Broncos to make a statement about faith. I think our faith has to go deeper than that. We cannot reduce Jesus to a good-luck charm. I’ve been with people who have had a faith centered on God making everything go their way. That works well until something horrific happens and then their faith is shattered. At the very time they ought to be running toward God, they find themselves running away. They think their faith should have been their rabbit’s foot protecting them from tragedy, so what good is God now?

We seem to have this idea that Jesus is for the winners (said in my best Charlie Sheen impersonation). But that’s not the case. At least not winners in ways others would see us as winning.

In our Advent study we talked about how when Mary agreed to be Jesus’ mom her life didn’t get easier. It actually got a lot harder. She had to explain this to her fiancée and parents; she ended up going on a 100 mile donkey ride while 9 months pregnant; and eventually watched as her son was put to death. You could go through a pretty long list of the people of God who didn’t wind up “winning.”

Even Jesus himself could be numbered among them. Satan tried to tempt him with the power and prestige that we associate with winning, but Jesus would have none of it. Some thought Jesus should be a leader from God who would conquer. Jesus showed us a different way.

I like Tebow, and I am rooting for the Broncos to go to the Super Bowl (now that the Steelers are out). I want Tebow to keep showing a humble way to play, compete, and win. I want to keep seeing his optimism even in the midst of struggle. And when they lose, I want him to show what it looks like to lose with dignity. But I need a faith that is bigger than a win-loss record.

Video of the Week

Making the Best of Doing Dishes!

Doing chores with joy!

01.03.2012

Tuesday Thought

Quote of the Week

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.”  -Roy L. Smith

It’s all over

Decorations after Christmas

After weeks of preparation and anticipation, it’s all over. Today many people go back to work. Soon, all of you will be back in school. The decorations are coming down. The Christmas lights are not displayed anymore. Most of the gift cards are already spent.

But it isn’t over. Or at least it shouldn’t be. There is more to celebrate every day. Christmas taught us that Jesus is Emmanuel – “God with us.” As followers of Jesus, we need to celebrate Christmas throughout the year.

This morning I read about Moses’s encounter with God in the burning bush (Exodus 3) and saw something I guess I had forgotten. God calls Moses to a very intimidating task – to approach the Pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world, and tell him to let all of his Hebrew slaves go free. The last place he wants to go, and the last person he wants to talk to, is the Pharaoh in Egypt. We learn earlier in the story that Moses ran away from Egypt and the Pharaoh because he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. Not to mention the fact that there is no earthly way the Pharaoh would just free his slaves.

So Moses asks God a very good question, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (vs 11). God’s response is very simple, yet changes everything. God simply says, “I will be with you” (vs 12).

That is what Christmas is all about. God is with us. That is the message of the manger. God is not a far away God waiting for us to find our way to him. Instead, God made his way to us in Jesus, Emmanuel, “God with us.” As that changed everything for Moses, so too it changes everything for us. God is with us, not just during Christmas, but even when we go back to school and life goes back to normal.

Soon we will put away all the decorations because Christmas is over for another year. But we still celebrate that God is with us. That changes everything.

Video of the Week

Skit Guys: Let Your Light Shine

You don’t have to leave the lights up to let it shine!