I heard a sermon this week surrounding Exodus 13:17: When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them along the road to the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearby; for God said, "The people will change their minds and return to Egypt if they face war." The Lord paved the way for His people’s deliverance. Through a series of plagues, He proved His dominance over the gods of the Egyptians, and so convincingly delivered His people that they left their enslavement with gifts from their captors. Then He led them into … [Read more...]
Reaching Young Adults from a Small Church
A couple of weeks back, I received an unexpected blessing. As a part of my volunteer work for Operation Christmas Child—Samaritan’s Purse’s great ministry to the world’s children—I made pickups of shoeboxes in the Mount Juliet, Tenn., area where I live. The central collection center where I took the shoeboxes was Mount Olivet Baptist Church, a church I had never visited. The church was established in 1801, on the same grounds where it meets now, on the old stagecoach road that once ran between Lebanon … [Read more...]
The Tough Reality of Young Adult Ministry
My friend Jason Smith sent me a link to a story that confirms something I have been seeing first-hand for a while. If you’re going to do effective young adult ministry, you must be willing to help people fight through addictions and psychological issues head on. One in five young adults ages 19 to 25 suffers from a personality disorder that affects everyday life and an even higher number is struggling with some sort of addiction, according to an article released by the Associated Press on Monday. Alcoholism and drug abuse are … [Read more...]
Why “Hanging Out” is Hanging On Too Long
Remember those DTR talks you had in high school? The whole idea of sitting down to "define the relationship" was typically awkward and uncomfortable. What if the other person didn't want the same thing you did? What if you were rejected? It was a gamble. Maybe that's why the "hanging out" phenomenon started in the first place. An alternative to traditional dating (the kind where a guy asks out a girl, picks her up, and takes her on an actual date where they talk), "hanging out" is a foggy relationship without commitment. And it's … [Read more...]
Student Ministry, Young Adult Ministry Must Run Together
Last year, one of the great opportunities I had to serve in ministry was teaching 10th grade guys in Bible study. They haven’t forgotten me, and I haven’t forgotten them since I left to help start a new campus of my church. When they see me, they don’t just say hello. They come by and give me a hug. Normally it’s a rib-crushing embrace. These guys are strong! Every time I get one of these hugs, it reminds me of a central truth: You can’t have an effective young adult ministry in your church without an … [Read more...]
Supporting the Last Well Project
I was reading this morning in Isaiah 1, and verse 23 literally jumped off the page at me. “Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love graft and chase after bribes. They do not defend the rights of the fatherless and the widow’s case never comes before them.” It’s amazing about how relevant the Bible is at all times. I don’t know about you, but I have had about all the news I can take about Wall Street, bailouts and corruption of all kinds. But rather than focus on the negative, how about … [Read more...]
The Problem
I always love a good zinger. I heard about a great one that took place in the early 1900's where "The Times", a British publication, invited several authors to submit essays on the theme "What's Wrong With The World?" One person who submitted was author and scholar, G. K. Chesterton. What I wouldn't give to see the look on the editor's face when he read Chesterton's brief "essay". Here's what he wrote: Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, G. K. Chesterton ZING!!! I guess that's technically a reverse zinger, but what a … [Read more...]
Living a Life of Spiritual Adventure
I don't know a single Christ follower who hasn't gotten stressed out over trying to figure out the will of God. We want to solve the mystery of the will of God the way we solve a Sudoku or crossword puzzle. But in my experience, intellectual analysis usually results in spiritual paralysis. We try to make God fit within the confines of our cerebral cortex. We try to reduce the will of God to the logical limits of our left brain. But the will of God is neither logical nor linear. It is downright confusing and complicated. A part of us … [Read more...]
Understanding First Culture Christianity
Our culture has subconsciously conditioned us to accept three things when it comes to viewing life. First, the culture we are born into is the lens through which we must interpret life. Second, the culture of the world is the second one we must embrace in order to make sense of the one we are born into. And last but not least, the culture of our faith-Christianity-should be little more than an accent to the first two cultures. The majority of people live like this, operating according to those first two cultures and only seeing their … [Read more...]
All At War
I'm learning to stand the more that I fall down, It's the law of inversion, and it's all turned around, And I'm staggered by the clash inside my soul, So purposed for good but inclined for evil It's justice and mercy the old dichotomies, All along the frontlines of my heart in both doubt and belief The sinner and saint, the old arch enemies, All at war, in me I was born depraved, but created for the divine, With death in my bones, in my heart eternal life, I'd love for eden, but I'd kill for Rome, I'm … [Read more...]
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