Inspiration

Last Sunday I led a sermon at Western Oaks about inspiration. You can listen to it here. (Listen carefully though as I talked way too fast!) The whole premise of the sermon, though, was that death brings life.

Think about it:

• Without food, you die. But to eat food, it first must die. Food's death brings you life.
• Many people have saved the physical lives of others, yet still lost theirs. Think of 9/11, any war, or another heroic act.
  
• Or in a completely different way, I once killed a cat (on accident) but its decaying and dead body gave the grass above it a huge burst of life.

Seriously, I think death always brings life. Always. Did you know though that death doesn't have to be physical. You've heard of it and I'm sure you've seen it. People dying to something. Maybe it is someone dying to their pride, schedule, or whatever. People are constantly dying to something. A lot of times these acts inspire others.
Here is something really interesting though. Inspiration means breathing life into something. So when you are inspired by something, you are given new life. On the flip side, the person who inspired you is dying.

Anyhow-listen to the sermon. It goes over all of this and I don't feel like typing it all. (And this will hopefully force you to listen to it).

I want to tell you about the death of a man though. This was a man whom I had never met, but had heard many stories about. This man was Samuel Cowan-the grandfather or one of the students in the youth group I lead.
I attended his funeral this morning. It was such a neat funeral. There were, of course, a lot of tears. It was interesting though because I had never seen so many smiles at a funeral before. Every single person smiled, laughed, and even had a good time. His death really touched a lot of people.
Even though I never met Sam, I know that he was one of those people who was constantly inspiring others. He was constantly dying to himself to give others life. Keep reading for a few examples that I learned this morning.

• Sam went to darn near every sporting event at Pleasant Plains-even when his grandchildren weren't playing in them.
• Sam loved to drive up and down the streets of Plains just to check in on everyone who lived there.
  
• Sam called his children on the phone almost every day. He had nine of them.
• Sam accepted Christ as a grown man while holding one of his daughters in his arms. His children still remember that day.

You see, Sam lived a life not for himself. Sam lived a life for others. Sam died everyday to give others life. Sam inspired.
Even though I didn't know Sam, I was sad for his death. I take joy in the fact, though, that even his physical death inspired others. It inspired others to try to live a life like him. You knew by the tears and the smiles at his funeral today.

Will you live a life of death? Will you live a life of inspiration? Or, will you live a life of living, a life lived only for you?

So you want to be a Youth Volunteer?

I heard you say that, right? That's what I thought. Here's the deal. The new "season", if you will, of youth ministry at Western Oaks is starting up here in the middle of September. Youth group always takes a bit of a break for the summer. We do less Sunday night hang outs, and more random weekly events. Once September hits though, we gear right back up. So it is really good timing that you are telling me that you're wanting to be a Youth Volunteer.
Oh, you want to know what being a Youth Volunteer is all about? That's simple. It's about being with students. It's about hanging out with them on Sunday nights. It is about investing time praying for them, chatting with them, and maybe even inviting one or two or twelve over for dinner once in a while (not required of course). :) It's about enjoying yourself. It's about having a good time. It's about building relationships. It's about forming bonds and connections. It's about ministering to students simply by living your life.
Don't just jump into this position though. It'll change your life. Only do this if you are ready for your life to be changed-changed in a great way. Only do this if you are willing to change the lives' of students, also in a great way.
Think you have what it takes to be a Youth Volunteer? Think you are ready to give up your Sunday evenings for the rest of the school year?

I think you are. So e-mail me and tell me you agree. youth@westernoaks.org

Garden of Eden

So I've been trying something new the past week or so. I've felt challenged to go back into the Old Testament and re-read many of the "typical Sunday School" stories. You know the ones that I mean. The stories that you hear over and over again during Sunday School as a little kid: David and Goliath, Jonah and the Whale, Jacob and Esau, Adam and Eve.
Now don't get me wrong. I think it is great that we've heard these stories so many times. It is important to read and re-read. This time though, I am really trying to grasp something from these stories that I've never grasped before. It is interesting that as I do this, God is revealing some really applicable stuff to me-new applications though. Thus, I figured I'd reveal it to all two of you who like to read my thoughts. So here we go.

First off, check out Genesis chapter 3.

After you've read that, think about what really stands out to you in the story. Was it the Serpent's craftiness? How about Adam's willingness to eat something he was told explicitly not to? Maybe it was simply the stupidity of Adam and Eve to listen to a stinking snake, which in turn got them kicked out of the Garden. I mean come on guys, it was PARADISE! How can you screw up that bad!?

I'm sure most of those things stuck out to you. They always have for me, at least. Last week when I re-read this story though a new point stuck out to me. One that I wished I would have payed attention to long ago.

Adam and Eve were tempted to eat the fruit not because of it's taste or beauty. They were tempted to eat the fruit because it would give them the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve ate the fruit because they thought they were ready for a responsibility that God knew they were not ready for.
Think about that for a minute. Eating the fruit didn't just get them kicked out of the garden. Eating the fruit gave them a laundry list of responsibilities that, before they ate, they did not have! Look back at Genesis 3: 16-19. We're talking big time responsibility here. Eve would have some serious child birth issues now and Adam was going to have to take care of her through those times. Food was no longer just going to be all around them. Instead, thorns and thistles would be and they would have to tend the ground, plant their food, and be responsible for it while it grew. Oh, and did I mention that they were going to die now? This brings a whole new meaning for taking care of someone, because if you don't, they die. That's a pretty big responsibility!
Hey Adam and Eve, after you got kicked out of the Garden, did you still feel like you were ready to take on all these new responsibilities? Probably not. God knew that too. That's why he told you not to eat from that tree! Check out that picture! (Sure it's probably not accurate!) But look at what you walked away from because you wanted more responsibilities. What a joke!

It's easy for me to bash them though. I've never really taken on responsibilities that I wasn't ready for...?

Have you?

It's just better not to watch.

First Borat...Now Brüno

Another Vulgar Import
An article from David R. Smith at TheSource4YM.com

Homosexuality. Vulgarity. Profanity. Some more homosexuality. Mockery of Christianity. Coarse jokes. Even more homosexuality. Several drug references. Sex toys. And you guessed it: more homosexuality. Will kids pay to see this at theaters?

If Borat's success at the box office is any indicator, they will by the millions.

From the mind of Sacha Baron Cohen
The guy who brought us Borat in 2006 is back in theaters this week with another one of his alter egos, Brüno. Theses foul characters are the brainchild (or brain fart, depending on how you look at it) of Sacha Baron Cohen, a British comedian, who rose to fame in 2000 with his comedic Da Ali G Show. His shtick is based on "mockumentaries" where he interviews celebrities and politicians as an outlandish character of his choosing. By far, his two most famous personas were Borat and Brüno, hence the movie deals that have followed.

In spite of being fired for going too far on a Valentine's Day show in the early 90's, Cohen's career has been nothing short of sensational since his Ali G days. Using the popularity he garnered from the show as a launching pad, Cohen has gone on to star in Borat (2006), Talladega Nights (2006), and now Brüno (2009). He also provided the voice of Prince Julien in Madagascar (2005) and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008).

More recently, you may recall a mostly naked angel-guy falling into the lap of Eminem at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards. Yep, that was Cohen, dressed as Brüno, promoting his new film.

Brüno
In this movie, Cohen takes his "pseudo journalism" tactics to a whole new level. He comes to America as a homosexual fashionista in hopes of becoming "world famous." His ambition for fame drives him to attempt incredible feats he believes will bring him glory, going as far as adopting an African baby, instigating world peace, making a sex tap with former presidential hopeful Ron Paul, and eventually, even trying to go straight.

Throughout these miscellaneous (and failed) attempts at fame, viewers are assaulted with graphic scenes of sex - most of which are homosexual - and several other sorts of tasteless material. You can view the official trailer on YouTube; I'll spare you from the completely reviling red band trailer on the Brüno site.

Originally rated NC-17 by the Motion Picture Association of America, the film now carries an R Rating after several scenes were cut. In the movie's one act of decency, producers cut a scene featuring LaToya Jackson, given her brother's recent death.

You can read a thorough summary of the movie from Plugged-In Online here, but don't expect a movie review from The Source on this one; we're skipping it. However, early reviews of the movie are already in, claiming it's "more outrageous than Borat."

Great...that's just what our kids need.

Dealing with the woe of Brüno
There's a good chance that you will be asked about this movie if you're a parent or a youth worker. What will you say? What's your recommendation...and why? Here are just a couple of thoughts about how to deal with Brüno, and the reasons behind them.

1. Talk openly with teens about the movie. Most teens who want to see the movie realize they will need their parents' permission to see this flick, so the likelihood of them bringing it up is pretty good. When they do, simply ask them about the various elements found within the film, such as the "pervasive strong and crude sexual content, graphic nudity, and language" that gives the film its R rating. Gently ask teenagers if they can justify that sort of intake in light of the New Testament. They will likely say that they can watch the moral mayhem without being hindered, but we've already seen time and again that it's just not true.



2. Tell them you're going to skip it. Teens usually want to know what you'll do - and why! - even if they disagree. So, tell them that you've decided the content of the film doesn't match the values you have in place. Tell them exactly what your uneasiness is with the movie's content, and what sort of message you could potentially send to others by supporting it.



3. Strongly encourage your teens to do the same. Yeah, the film skirted the NC-17 rating, barely, but even though it is "only" rated R, there will be plenty of teens who view the movie this weekend (and the rest of summer). In my completely unscientific survey, I've asked a lot of students in the past few weeks (all "church kids" by the way) about whether or not they will see the film, and unfortunately, 38% of them have said yes. When asked why, their response was the typical, "Cause it looks funny." They need to hear from you what they should do, even if they disagree.

Cohen made millions off Borat, and he looks poised to make even more off Brüno. In your conversations with teenagers, try to help them understand that Hollywood has to constantly figure out new ways to get us to spend $9.50 at the theater...and as long as folks are willing to shell out cash for trash, the more encouraged they are to produce films that are trash.

There's something about fire...

At about 9pm tonight I jumped into the pool at Kendahl's parents' house. Afterwards I realized how poor of a decision I had made as it was only about 68 degrees outside. Rather than going inside though, I decided I would build a fire in their firepit instead. This was by far one of my best decisions of the week.

After I built the fire, Kendahl walked outside. She looked at me and asked what was wrong. It is funny how well she knows me. I generally only build fires if something is wrong or I have something important that I need to spend some serious time thinking about.

There is something about fire. I don't know if you get it or not, but I sure do. When I'm sitting in front of a fire, especially one outside, I can think so clearly. I love just contemplating as I look into the flames. I've had a lot on my mind today so having this fire was absolutely perfect.

After Kendahl went back inside I realized I had stopped thinking about all that was on my mind and had switched my thoughts to why I loved fire so much. I think I've figured it out.

I see God in fire. Oxymoron? I don't think so.

Exodus 2: God speaks to Moses in a burning bush.

Exodus 13:21-God led the Israelites through the night with a pillar of fire.

Ezekiel 22-God speaks of how fire purifies precious metals by getting rid of dross.

Numbers 31-God speaks of how fire cleans.

Acts 2: As the Holy Spirit came upon the people, tongues of fire rested upon them.

Those are just a few examples of fire in the Bible. Sure, there are plenty examples of how fire kills, how God uses fire to punish, and even the eternal flames of Hell. All things that aren't too pleasant to think about. But ask yourself this-didn't God create fire for those reasons as well.

I see God in fire. I see his creativity, his splendor, his majesty. I see his complexity and his calming nature.

I love fire because when I look into it, I can see God.

Guys Night....Yes.

Tonight was indeed a glorious night. It was guys night at youth group. Nothing against all you girls out there, but every once in a while we all need to split up. (Did I mention it was girls night too? Just at a different location). Anyhow, I just felt the need to give all of you out there who were unable to attend a breakdown of the festivities that occurred tonight.

1. We set two couches on fire. They burned quickly.
2. We played 2 intense games of handball. My team lost both. It was dumb.
3. We switched to Volleyball. My team lost 2/3. It was dumb.
4. We started a fire and grilled over it. Well kind of. By grilled I really mean we used a rake, a snow shovel, a garden hoe, and two machetes to "cook" items such as toaster strudels, cheese sticks, bacon, shrimp, and cinnabuns.

All in all it was a fantastic night. Getting to hang out with the guys can lead to awesome conversations and it always provides great stories to share afterward.

Girls-we have no clue what you did. Let us know by commenting on this blog. Don't give us too many details though-just the basic breakdown. :)

Check us out! (A post from FUGE)

Parents-I hope you are seeing this while your kids are still at FUGE. Right now I am sitting in a coffee shop with the rest of the adult leaders. We are getting ready to dig into a section of Exodus. You're kids have been learning about the faith that Moses had this week and we are studying it ourselves so we can have better conversations with them after their Bible studies.
Right now your kids are up in the mountain doing some team building rec activities. Some of them are climbing over a 15 foot wall, others are doing trust falls, and still others are log rolling as an entire team. They are having a great time.
Since none of you are here to see any of this though, I've decided to post some pictures so you can get some first hand sites of your students and leaders as they've had a blast throughout the week. So enjoy!

Here we go!
Sorry, moms...this is what your girls have done to their room =)

Heather made the big screen!


Seventies workout night...the idea of just dressing up seemed to out weigh the need to really look like the 70's. But I think we did an okay job? But really, What do I know, I wasn't there!
More 70's!
These are who you are trusting you kids with all week =)


Hanging out at night during free time! Up on top on Rattlesnake Peak. We (leaders) took a hike yesterday up to the top...it was beautiful. We will be taking your kids up on Friday morning. VERY early. You might want to pray for us.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures...I am sure that many more stories and pictures will come from your kids when they get home!!