Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Fire Up Conference!
Let's go together! Please contact your CG leaders for futher information and/or to make car pooling plans! ;)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Weekly Article 4
ARE YOU A BATMAN, OR A SUPERMAN CHRISTIAN? I found that over time I accumulated more Batman comic books than Superman books. Batman seemed more intriguing than other super heroes. Batman would endure a lot of pain and loss while triumphing over the bad guys he encountered. During the years, I witnessed Batman’s back getting broken and the first Robin (his sidekick) dying. It was no easy road being the Batman. Conversely, Superman hardly ever got into life-threatening situations and was typically able to extract himself from any fierce cosmic battle using his superior powers and never needing an adhesive bandage afterwards. Which character you most identify with often shows what kind of Christian experience you have had. I have noticed that some Christians suffer financial hardship, lose homes, businesses, jobs, cars, and close family members but still keep marching on in faith waiting for the tide to turn, like Batman did. Other Christians are more fortunate. Not too many years ago, I was working in part-time youth ministry and losing all of my material possessions such as my vehicles and house due to the loss of my full-time job. On top of that situation, the birth of my twin sons and the death of a family member were equally imminent. A Christian neighbor walked up to me and told me that he had lost his job unexpectedly but had a better paying position offered to him within hours. “Isn’t God great!” he exclaimed. Yes God is, but at that moment I felt as though I was God’s stepchild and my neighbor was the real thing. These Superman Christians may lose their jobs but get an even better one within a week, lose a car but someone gives them a new one. They rarely seem bummed out by anything because they are so blessed. Is Superman more spiritual than Batman or vice versa? No! Does God bring a diversity of experiences to people because of what kinds of Christians God wants to make us? Absolutely! Christ even did so with his apostles. Most of Jesus’ apostles died as martyrs for the faith after lives of sacrifice and suffering to spread the gospel. This hardship happened to them not because they were God’s stepchildren and got second-class (or Batman) treatment but because their suffering was the best way they could glorify Jesus and perfect their characters. Peter and Paul were greatly blessed by God. Paul even sang about it in prison. They apparently did not drive around in SUV-style chariots or make high-dollar sandal endorsements, but those status symbols were not a measure of their faith. The Apostle John might be considered more of a Superman-type Christian. He did not have to die a martyr’s death even though the Romans tried to give him one. According to Church tradition, the Romans boiled him in oil but the torture had no effect on this Superman; so they had to give up and exile him to the Isle of Patmos. Was John less spiritual than Peter or Paul? No. Just given different experiences by God for his perfection in the faith. We may suffer doing youth ministry, enduring things such as low pay, marginal respect, lack of resources, parental apathy, and youth indifference. But when we do, we can take comfort in knowing that our suffering may happen not because we are not capable of success but because some of us are simply Batman Christians. And that’s OK. Written by John Gocke (I Lead Youth, 2004)
Growing up during the golden age of comic books, I was a big fan of classic heroes such as Superman and Batman. Superman was practically invincible, with super strength, invulnerability, and heat vision (thus classified as a super hero), typically winning any conflict decisively. Batman dealt with challenges using ingenuity, high-tech gadgets, superb physical conditioning, and no super powers (thus classified as an action hero).
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Back to CGs!
Another exciting Friday awaits you! Bring your friends along!
See you at FGA USJ, 8:15pm this Friday, 22 June 2007!
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Weekly Article 3
COMPETING FOR THE RIGHT REASONS Put Christianity in competition and you create a form of evangelism, says Youth Pastor Greg Foust, of Huffman United Methodist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Foust and Rev. Robert Lewis, of the New Community United Methodist Church, have tried to do just that by forming a city wide United Methodist Church basketball league. The league that was started with five churches has grown in just four years to 15-20 churches, involving 150-200 boys. "Competition is healthy to a degree," said Lewis. "The difference is we have to teach against winning at all costs…We have to teach people to play fair, to demonstrate Christian convictions even in the heat of battle." "The most positive thing we are trying to do in a world of competition is put Christianity right smack in the middle of it," Foust says. "Our main intention is to create as strong a Christian atmosphere as we can for boys that don’t have the opportunity to play in a varsity league." "Our philosophy is that if we can get one young man per church to change his direction spiritually, then it is worth it," said Foust. "The church is hungry for young men to become leaders." The pastor was quick to add that the same is true of young women. (Efforts to start a similar girls'' league did not generate enough response.) What’s working in Birmingham is a combination of Scripture (Galatians 5:22), "the motto," grade-level and church-attendance requirements for players, and a pre-game prayer that includes everyone in the gym. Inappropriate behavior, language, or gestures result in fouls. All the players who attend a game get a chance to play; and, churches are not supposed to recruit "ringers." "We take the approach that competition is a natural feeling and desire of young men," Foust said. "It is natural for young people to want to achieve, to do their best, to be a star. Churches shouldn’t hide from that," he said, "they should use it to teach young people how to live Christian in this competitive society." Written by Karen Mevis (YouthNet, 1996)
It matters less whether you win or lose, it matters more that Christian character is displayed during the game. That is the motto of the Metro Birmingham United Church Youth Basketball League, and every player learns it.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Weekly Article 2
I BELIEVE: TEACHING YOUTH THE FAITH It was the opening drama at the annual district youth institute. The theme was the cross, and the youth on the district council were doing a “Saturday Night Live” style presentation. One of the youth playing the preacher pontificated, “Jesus Christ died for your sins!” Another youth walked in front of him and said, “Yeah, but what has He done for me lately?” That drama took place thirty years ago – but the question continues to haunt me. Especially in the season of Lent, looking forward to Easter. The focus is on Jesus, on the cross, on salvation. Our youth still wonder, What has he done for me lately? What is this salvation business all about? What difference does it make today that Jesus was crucified almost 2000 years ago? Sometimes they ask, “Does God even care about me? These are not flippant questions. They’re deep, serious, and heavy. Some recent research is suggesting that youth want to talk about faith questions in depth. They want to explore possibilities and alternatives. They want adults to know why? They want adults to help them explore possibilities and then to help them put things together, so they can see the big picture. * An openness about life and faith (which does not mean lack of faith); What are some practical ways to do it? My senior high class was talking about God this summer and I discovered my two favorite questions were: “Why?” and “What is the question behind that question?” That second question pushes youth to explore assumptions, to get to the root of the issue. I also discovered that, once youth had raised the questions, explored possibilities, tested ideas, argued with each other, they were more than willing to listen to some pretty heavy background and theology from me. Not that I gave them answers. I gave then information, which sometimes raised more questions. I told them about the way other people in the church had raised the questions and answered them. I shared my faith. My favorite saying turned out to be, “Here’s what I believe. You don’t have to believe it, even though I think it’s true. I just want you to know what one adult believes about that issue.” We had a lot of fun. We learned a lot. We’re looking forward to more and more of that kind of learning. Because, in five weeks, we never got through all the questions that were raised about “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth…” Written by John O. Gooch (YouthNet, © 2001)
So, what qualities does an adult need to help youth deal with deep questions?
* A willingness to not know the answer;
* A willingness to let youth “try on” a lot of different possibilities (including some that may sound pretty bizarre) without judging them;
* An ability to listen to a discussion and then summarize the main points;
* A willingness to express his or her own faith as part of the discussion.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Weekly Article 1
BEING GOD'S PLEASURE Rick Warren tells us in his book The Purpose Driven Life that we “were planned for God’s pleasure” (page 63). When I first read this sentence, I was taken aback because of the first images that popped into my head: a court jester with a tear painted on his cheek and God up there in heaven looking down and getting enjoyment out of this world’s mess and particularly mine. I saw God as a fat king on a throne laughing heartily at our misfortunes and mistakes, knowing that he would never have made them. As I stepped back, I knew those images were merely evil thoughts trying to make me doubt God’s intentions and the meaning behind verses like Psalm 149:4a, which says, “the LORD takes pleasure in [the Lord’s] people.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. I looked across the room and saw Emmett, my Beta fish, swimming happily around his tank. Emmett has long, beautiful fins that wave around as he zigzags through the water. I watched him swim around in his little world for a few minutes, and a beautiful thought came into my mind. I imagined that God gets the same enjoyment out of watching my life as I receive from watching my fish swim about. I get frustrated with Emmett when he won’t come to the glass when I approach him, when he won’t swim through his toys when I want him to, or when he gets puffed up at me when I turn his light on or clean his tank. Emmett only comes to me consistently when he’s hungry. I realized that in a similar way, God probably gets frustrated with me when I run from God, when I get angry at God, or when I don’t do what is best for me. Maybe I only do what God wants me to do when I’m in trouble and when I’m hungry and need God to feed me. Yet God still has the enjoyment of watching my life and participating in it when I am open. And God does even more for us: The Bible tells us in John 3:16 that “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (NIV). I can’t read a verse like that and think that God would ever look at us as mere entertainment; rather, God would see us as children to cherish. Our loving God watches with mercy, compassion, and grace as we play, work, worship, run, sing, and sob. God gets pleasure and enjoyment out of our lives, hoping we will allow God into our lives more often. God longs for more interaction with us, so that God is the center of our lives. As I watch Emmett swim around in his little tank, I hope he loves me as much as I love the one who watches me swim around in my little world. Emmett is my pet, and while I am not fond of thinking myself as a pet of God, I think that being “God’s pet” is not such a bad thing. I know that God loves me, and I am content in being God’s pleasure. “You created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11b, NLT) Written by Bethany Bolin (The United Methodist Publishing House, 2004)
“The LORD takes delight in [the Lord’s] people.” (Psalm 149:4a, NIV)
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Map To FGA USJ
Click on the map for larger view