Marks of Manhood

I know in our society, manhood is esteemed somewhat on par with slughood or renal infection, but that is only serving to snowball the problem, and I want to offer an alternative picture. Being a man is something that popular media seem to equate with an uncontrollable sex drive, killing stuff, and a general oblivion to all things outside of myself. Our culture has defined manhood in a way that's not just unhealthy, but also actively corrosive both to men and to society as a whole. In short, we'd be a lot better off if our boys had a better way to figure out what it means to be men.

One of the best possible methods that I've ever observed functioning toward that end is mentoring: Someone who knows what it takes and has experienced the transformation, consistently walking through life with someone who hasn't. In a workshop last summer at CIY, Mark Moore outlined these 10 characteristics to mentor boys in becoming men that contrast with the picture painted on the big screen (and small screen).

Honor vs. Selfishness - This means doing what is right because that is who you are, not because it's the easiest option. It is radical obedience to a standard that places value on others, not just on me.
Respect vs. Self-Centered Myopia - This echoes Honor is placing a high value on others. Boys see what affects them and their own little world. Men see and consider the effect their actions will have on those around them and are able to make a deeper impact on the world because they do.
Gratitude vs. Entitlement - Boys are concerned with getting what they can. Men live lives filled with an attitude that is thankful regardless of circumstance.
Generosity vs. Greed - A boy will hold on to everything he gets. A man freely gives everything he has in terms of time, talent, money...
Discipline vs. Unreliability - Part of being a man is disciplining yourself to carry through when someone's counting on you. Prioritize your life in able to consistently be where you're needed when you need to be there.
Priorities vs. Mediocrity & Frivolity - How many boys do you know who are great at things that don't matter but who barely scrape by when it comes to more important aspects of life? Being a man means learning to understand what is really important and working to excel there - even at the expense of your golf game (or Halo addiction).
Humility vs. Arrogance - We need to teach our boys to view themselves through the lens of God's grace, not some crap philosophy that artificially inflates their self-esteem to a point that blinds them to their need of that grace.
Honesty vs. Deceit - Our culture is a lying, deceitful culture. From relationships to tests at school to national scandals about SATs, boys seem to think that if it'll get them what they want, then butchering the truth is no big deal. We need to mentor them to honest integrity that holds up the truth even when it's more difficult to handle the consequences.
Purity vs. Swayability - A man has learned what is right and good and will not easily be dissuaded from that path. A boy may be easily distracted by the shiny and new (or scantily clad).
Wisdom vs. Foolishness - This is an overall quality that a man possesses helping him know what to do to act and live in agreement with the nature and character of God. It's knowing and doing what's right vs. doing what will often make the situation worse.

What are you doing to help boys know what it means to be a man? What if you chose a few teens in your family or church and mentored them over the course of the next year in these 10 characteristics? Model the traits and walk through life with a couple guys who need your help. Paint a better picture for the next generation of men.
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(Just a quick disclaimer - the list of characteristics came from Moore, but the descriptions are my own embellishments and aren't meant to be technical definitions of those traits. Don't hold them against him.)

EDIT: I just found a pdf called Boys to Men on Mark Moore's site that succinctly outlines these 10 characteristics in his own words. Check it out.

Traditions & Alternatives

When I was growing up, "church tradition" was a term in my mind that had more to do with old habits from the 50's and 60's than anything from previous centuries. Singing verses 1, 3, & 4 in the old green hymnals (Did anyone else secretly feel bad for verse 2?)... Vacation Bible School and camp in the summer... Mercifully shipping off the kids to children's church right before the sermon (that must've been so long and boring as to warrant our exodus)...

Most of what I thought of as traditional, I decided I didn't like. I still have this propensity to dislike stuff that's done just because 'that's what we do', but I'm realizing that my problem isn't really with tradition; it's with pointless tradition. If you want to observe something traditional, that's fine, but if you want me to participate with you I have to know why. I just cannot bring myself to get into something just because a bunch of other people like it - and have liked it for the last 30 years. Tell me "Why?"

But I'm also thinking today about another side of tradition. It's a side where the point is not missed - a side where the reason still matters, and still shapes action. And here is where I'm finding myself a little dis-advantaged. In the big picture, is a practice that's 30 or 40 or even 50 years old really worthy of the label 'tradition'? The church has been around about 2000 years, so what we're calling tradition is probably BRAND NEW! And in the eddies of independence in which most of my church family swims, our traditions often extend about as far as the nozzle on our self inflated floaties.

Yesterday and today are a great case in point. It's become traditional in many church circles to have some kind of alternative to Halloween. So instead of staying home and connecting with our neighbors, we can all get together in a safe environment to have some safe Jesus fun together. It might be called a Fall Festival, or a Harvest Party, or even Jesusween (I didn't make that up, it's actually being used), but I wonder if this new tradition could be reshaped to be more than a means to duck & cover from the biggest pagan bomb in our culture? Could a deeper look at history offer us anything?

Enter November 1st. It's just November 1 to most of the people I know, but for hundreds of years, this has been a huge day for the church: All Saints' Day. A day to celebrate the church through the ages - to realize our connection with the 'saints of old' who are collected with us into that 'great cloud of witnesses'. But, at least in the church circles I've lived in, All Saints Day was a tradition that had long ago lost it's purpose, fell out of practice, and which is now collectively forgotten. (Check out this interesting article for more on All Saints' Day then come back and let me know what you think.)

If we could recapture the purpose of Nov. 1, could Oct. 31 become more than something from which we think we have to hide? Could there be more to anticipate than a boat load of candy and sugar tainted dreams at the end of the night? I don't really offer an answer here, because this is something I'm still wrestling with. And I don't mean any disrespect to those who want an alternative to Halloween as it is. I just wonder if there's a more meaningful alternative to the alternative we've come up with...

Occupy Reality

Anyone else a little less than clear about just what the whole Occupy Wall Street thing is all about? The message seems to be "Big corporations, bad; individual, good." but I'm sure that doesn't exactly capture the whole heart of the protest. I checked out the Occupy website and found some interesting thoughts, and I've watched some of their livestream footage to see if I could get a better handle on just where OWS' focus is. Incidentally, it wasn't live while I was watching due to weather problems, so it was a montage of produced footage and brief clips, which would presumably be filtered so as to present 'the message' as clearly as possible. I still can't quite get the pulse of what the point of the protestors is, but some of the highlights are here:

1. Don't tell us what to do - we just want to be free.
2. Let's get together and be upset... about anything.
3. "Fight the power." Whatever that power may be...
4. 1% of Americans are too rich and couldn't have possibly got that way legitimately.
5. 99% of Americans are too poor because of the greed induced power manipulation of the 1%.
6. "We demand a democracy that has zero tolerance for corruption."
7. People before profits.

Among some recycled socialist mantras there are some really good things to say, but I could see the lack of a well articulated vision for what they want causing the degeneration of these peaceful protests into something much worse. Maybe I'm wrong, but the overriding feeling I get from what I've seen and read is "We're mad." If there's no other motivation for being together, sleeping on concrete and under tarps is going to get old quickly.

While my more liberal friends will celebrate the stand for freedom they see in OWS, and my conservative ones will decry all the pot & pooping on the police car, I wonder if we'll all miss something deeper. I wonder if any of us will listen well enough to hear the root of dissatisfaction. What's really going on here?

Is there corruption in the highest echelons of corporations and government? Sure, just as there is corruption in the hearts and minds of people of every income level - and it needs to be dealt with. Is the gap widening between those who have a lot and those who have a little? Probably, in terms of how much they have, but the problem isn't that some people make too much. The problem is most of us aren't very generous - we're looking out for ourselves first. Whether we live in luxury or near poverty isn't the issue as much as our attitude toward what we have. When "what's mine is mine" and you can just go get your own, it doesn't matter whether the system is capitalist, socialist, or anything else. The solution is not a political one.

Church, the unrest in the world today is an open door for us to exhibit something better. What if the world could see a 'peculiar people' who love unconditionally, share whatever they have that's needed, and genuinely look out for their neighbors' best interests? What are we doing to show people that, while they may not feel like they matter to whatever corporation they vilify, they do matter to God and they do matter to us?

I don't make a lot as a youth pastor. I'm definitely not in the top 1% of America's wage earners. But here's a reality check for me (and you): check out this Global Rich List. My family, and probably yours, is a lot closer to the top of the scale than the bottom. What are we doing with what we have earned to benefit someone else?

Stuck?

Yesterday, I commented on the awkward situation Saturday night. As I wrote about trying to communicate in the unexpected, I wrote this phrase,"I felt stuck between a group of church banqueters looking for some spark of inspiration or encouragement and a group of party-goers just wanting to relax and have a good time." As soon as I saw the words on my screen, I was hit with the thought that that statement is much larger than Saturday night.

It's a metaphor for my life in student ministry. I'm not saying I feel stuck in a job I don't like. If I didn't love doing student ministry, I would have found something else to do a long time ago. But I keep finding myself stuck between two (or more) sets of people, each with very different desires/values/goals/etc.

Here are some rocks & hard places I live between:
Parents][Students.
Seasoned Leaders with tempered expectations][Idealistic Teens who have huge dreams.
My family][My church.
Church Kids' Parents who want a safe environment][Kids who need Jesus to rescue them from the dangers they're living in.
Peers who see me as one of the kids][Kids who see my as a 'parental type'.
Loving Church matrons and patriarchs][Kids who love Jesus LOUDLY.

Usually, it's not that one or the other is right or wrong - it's just that these groups can approach life very differently. I get both points of view. I want to be encouraging to the 'church banqueters' - but we're also called to reveal God to people who don't even seem to be looking for Him. This space I was so tangibly reminded of Saturday night is the space between church people, striving together to know what it means to follow an Invisible God, and those who are living unaware of just how loved they are by their Maker. For me, I feel like doing what I need to do for one, sometimes inhibits what I need to do for the other.

How have you seen this tension in your life & ministry?
How are you leveraging your position between rocks and hard places to bring attention to the greatness of the God who put you there?

Back to School with the President

Last week, I kept hearing rumblings about the President addressing the nation's schools tomorrow. A speech broadcast to a vast majority of our children. A lot of talk shows have been addressing the issue, a number of friends have become alarmed, and in general it seems like conservatives are panicking about the supposed insidious plan to brainwash our kids...

My first reaction when I heard a radio host advising people to keep your kids out of school that day was "Seriously? This can't be the first time a president has given a speech to school kids." I was right. Most recently, in 1991, the first President Bush gave a speech telling us (I was in school at the time) to work hard in school and stay away from drugs. Reading some quotes from back then, it's interesting to see the charges from the left accusing the President of being politically motivated and attempting to sway young impressionable minds (just like the far right is doing now).

The funny thing is... I don't remember that speech. No recollection of the great brainwashinig event whatsoever! (maybe that was part of the programming...) And I'm fairly certain that my kids won't remember this one. But even if they do - I don't think that's a bad thing. The speech contains a good message for kids to hear. Basically: 'You are responsible for you. Work hard. Don't give up.' Here's a link to the speech - please read it yourself before locking your children away.

I'm not a fan of the way Obama has been running his administration. I don't trust the people he is choosing to listen to. And to be completely blunt, I believe that success for much of his agenda will be failure for our nation. But I'm not going to cower in the corner, covering my kids' ears so they won't hear the voice of Obama. I'm not going to send a note to their teacher to let them opt out of the first day of school just because the President is speaking to them. Actually, I haven't even checked to see if our school is showing the speech because this is really a non-issue for me.

I want my kids to think critically. I want them to learn to recognize crap ideas, whether they come from a smooth talker with a nice white house or a beer guzzling biker with bug juice in his teeth. I don't want them to be afraid to disagree with ideas that don't seem right to them - regardless of the source. I want them to be salt and light wherever they go and whatever they may have to debate. They can't do those things if they're in some educational bunker where I never let them hear an idea I don't agree with.

Let your kids hear the speech. Talk to them about it. Help them make the most of the educational opportunity they have in this country. I came across this response you may find interesting as well (thanks for the link Grace).

Misappropriated Allegiance???

I love the fireworks of 4th of July celebrations. One of my favorite summers was when I ran a fireworks stand with some of my students (and my Jamaican brother in law). I like the thought of living in a nation of freedom, where I am free to think and speak as I wish. A nation of possibilities for everyone. It truly is a privilege to have been born and to live here in the United States. One that I appreciate deeply.

But I'm also a citizen of another nation. We don't claim independence, but rather complete dependence on our King. The preferred way to get things done is not democracy, but rather allegiance to the will of the King. We have no elected representatives, but there is a man whom the King chose to mediate between Himself and His people. This Kingdom is where my primary alliance lies - it is the Kingdom of God.

I'm reminded lately, that these two kingdoms are not the same. The United States of America is not the Body of Christ. "Americans" are not His chosen people - those who choose to follow Him are. Throughout the history of humanity, God has sought to bless all nations, not just one. Even ancient Israel was shown favor in order to extend that favor to the rest of the world. And so, He has chosen people from every tribe and nation to carry His standard and establish the presence of His Kingdom.

There is an argument brewing in America about whether we are a "Christian nation". Definitely, our nation's founding had certain Christian principles at its core*. But just as definitely, we are not a nation full of Christians. The danger in claiming this Christian nation status, is that we fail to recognize the need to continue to establish the presence of the Kingdom of God here in America.

This is a great country, and I'm so thankful to live here. But we cannot afford to equate America with Jesus' church. Enjoy your Independence Day celebrations, but don't forget as great as this nation is, her citizens still need a savior.

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* Good perspective on Mark Batterson's blog today regarding the faith of some of our nation's founders.

Weekend Movies...

Friday night, while my dad was in town, we headed to the theater to see Star Trek...  One of the first movie-memories I have is of going to "The Wrath of Khan" with my dad, so this was a little bit of nostalgia to witness the launching of what will presumably be another generation of the franchise.  Unfortunately, the tickets were sold down to 1, so we went to Wolverine instead.

I couldn't help but think of my own brother as I watched the drama unfold between Victor and Logan.  Especially with lines like, "No one kills you but me."  Growing up, my brother and I fought like crazy, but if either of us was ever 'in trouble' we always defended each other.  I got in more fights defending my brother than about anything else in our earlier school days.  He was small (as was I) which made him an easy target, but had a mouth that wouldn't back down.  I often found my brother face to chest with some bully that he wouldn't cower to, or some perceived enemy that he'd slighted.  I was always compelled to come to his side and de-escalate the situation - often verbally, but sometimes we just had to smack some sense into those other guys!  I wish it was still that simple.  I still know, though, that my brother and I (as well as the third of the trio who came a little too late to fight with) would still stand up for each other in any given situation.

Anyway, the movie was pretty good despite a few lines that felt really awkward.  I expected the comic book dialogue, but a couple times I just wondered which writer let his 5 year old write the lines...

Sunday brought better luck.  A friend and I ditched our wives and kids on Mother's Day to go see the new Star Trek (which unexpectedly had some great maternal moments).  [Before I am castigated too intensely, I'll just say that our wives got together and hung out at our house and had no problem whatsoever with being without us for a couple hours - BECAUSE WE LOVE OUR WIVES AND APPRECIATE THEM ALL YEAR LONG.]

I really liked Star Trek and hope it is only the beginning of another incarnation of the bold exploration of humanity and our place in the universe in the face of uncertainty.  It's still a great story, and this rendition is well told.  I don't want to ruin anything, but I love the thought that runs throughout the film: "I don't believe in a no-win situation."  Faced with their own mortality and great peril, the crew is forced, time and again to find solutions - sometimes impetuously, sometimes with pure logic.  But because Kirk refuses to give up - great things happen.

It's interesting to think of how a leader gathers his tribe, and sets course into 'strange new worlds'.  It leaves me asking, who is my tribe?  What makes me worth following?  And where am I leading them?

After helping a friend move a couple large items into an apartment, I spent a couple hours watching "Bedtime Story" with LuAnn.  She had already watched it with the kids, but I hadn't got to see it yet.  It was pretty much hilarious - all the way through - and another reminder that convention isn't always the best way to where you really want to be.

I haven't been watching many movies lately, but went 3 for 3 this weekend!

"They Like Jesus, But Not the Church"

My second read of the year was Dan Kimball's They Like Jesus, But Not the Church. Kimball shares some conversations with people he knows who seem to be open to Jesus, but very closed to the church - and shares their common perceptions and misgivings of the church. One thing I really liked about the book is that he doesn't just point out a bunch of problems with the church. He doesn't just criticize. He offers real hope that perceptions can be changed where the church honestly reflects the reality of Jesus' character. I loved the stories he shared of people opening up when they discovered people in the church who didn't fit the caricature they'd bought into. It's amazing how people respond when they see the real Jesus in His people.

One of the most challenging aspects of the book is Kimball's desire to get Christian leaders "out of the bubble". I must admit, I spend a lot more time in my office than in the world.

Imagine... Right Brain Preaching

I just came across an article by Batterson that relates imagination with preaching. He suggests that effective communication needs to be imaginative and "whole brain" (as opposed to left-brain only logical oratory).

There's a great quote of Thomas Moore in the article: "It's my conviction that slight shifts in imagination have more impact on living than major efforts at change." (I've been asked to speak at a New Years Eve party/retreat about the difference between real change and empty promises - I'll definitely be using that.)

Anyone who preaches would do well to check out the article.

While I'm making suggestions, Andy Stanley's book, Communicating for a Change, is another helpful look at the art involved in the crafting and delivery of transformational preaching.

How is this a "safe haven"?

In Hurt Chap Clark outlines how society is sytemmatically abandoning young people.

This article and other recent ones like it provide concrete examples of just how little we, as a culture, value kids. "A Michigan mother drove roughly 12 hours to Omaha so she could abandon her 13-year-old son at a hospital under the state's unique safe-haven law, Nebraska officials said Monday." (It's 'unique' in that lawmakers failed to define that "infants" may be left at a safe haven location as perhaps every other state has done; instead stating that parents may leave their "children" with no age qualifier.)

I know the intent of Safe Haven Laws is to give mothers in crisis situations a way to provide their infants with a better alternative than being aborted, neglected, or abused. And I hope that my state will act quickly to correct the wording of this legislation. But this all leaves me with a lot of questions...

What kind of society has to make laws about which children can be legally abandoned?
How have families become so broken that parents feel they have no choice but to dump off their progeny on complete strangers?
Where is the church for these people?
Can we come up with some more hopeful alternatives?

Tell Your Friends...

Assumptive Language

"Our most basic presentations of the good news of Jesus have been filled with assumptions. When we would eagerly tell the unchurched that God loved them and had wonderful plans for their lives, we knew that the word God would evoke the same image that we had. When we would ask an unbeliever, "If you died tonight, do you know for certain that you will be in heaven with God?" we knew it was unnecessary to build an argument for the existence of heaven. But we were wrong."

-Erwin McManus in "An Unstoppable Force"

In the world today, the church can no longer afford to make assumptions. We must do the work necessary to make sure that we are actually communicating with people Jesus is missing. Our youth ministry is in a kind of reshaping process right now, and I want to make sure that we're communicating the right things in the right languages.

Otherwise, we're not really communicating at all...

Disturbed

"...there arose a great disturbance about the way."

In Acts 19, people were upset. At first, I wanted to write about how when Paul led others to truly live life the "way" Jesus intended - it really ticked off the Jewish leaders. They were content with their system of relating to God through obedience and attendance. Here comes Paul telling people to actually love God and others, take care of others, put others before yourself... revealing the shortcomings of their system.

I wanted to write of my fear that the church is sinking into the same trap the first century Jews were in, and how we need someone like Paul to come along and free us from the "just show up when we open the doors and do what you're told" religious quicksand.

Then I kept reading.

The synagogue leaders were irate. But, it got worse. Under the guise of devotion to Artemis, a favorite goddess of Ephesus, leaders of trade in the community nearly started a riot! The source of their livelihood was threatened by "the Way". "If people start worshiping this Jesus, who will be buying these statues of Artemis we sell them?"

When was the last time the church did something that the community really took notice of? I'm not talking about stupid behavior done with God's name slapped onto it like a badge. I'm not talking about picketing military funerals or bullhorn blasts about whom God hates. I'm not talking about ornate buildings or flashy TV spots. Those things might grab headlines, but that's not what Paul was doing in Ephesus. He was training people to live like Jesus. And when they did, the synagogue became obstinant and spread lies about them, some tried to mimic them*, and the "whole city was in an uproar."

Where, today, is the church leading a transformation of lives so deep that social mores are threatened? Have we become more concerned with collecting members than we are about living "the Way"?
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*maybe I'm a little twisted, but I find the story of the "Seven Sons" in verses 13-16 pretty funny. Don't throw Jesus' name around like a magic token - you might just get beat senseless!

Discipleship Design

According to 1 Peter 4:10, we are to be managers of God's grace. He has entrusted us with His grace. Trusted us with it. We are to be managers, stewards, and dispensers of His grace. The church must pour out God's grace to the world so that people may grow in His grace. (Rainer/Geiger)

In Simple Church, Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger make a case for many churches' need for a "makeover". The contention is that the church has become too complicated and cluttered with programs - so much so that the real issue, life-changing discipleship, is often not happening. The process of spiritual growth is unclear - people are confused about how to move from one stage of faith to the next in the church. Faithful participation in programs has not consistently led people to become conduits of God's grace into the world.

I'd like to know what your church's discipleship process looks like. Especially if you are from here at WestWay, how would you describe (y)our process of spiritual growth? How do we help people continually grow spiritually throughout their lives?

What are we doing?

I recently read this book by Jim Henderson and Matt Casper called "Jim & Casper Go to Church". Jim is a former pastor/author/house painter, while his friend Casper is an atheist. They went to church together to try to evaluate what is going on today in the American church.

While the opinions they offer are only snapshots of single moments in the lives of the congregations they visited, there were enough common elements to their visits to make me take notice. Those of us in ministry very rarely attend another church as a visitor. Because of that, I think we often lose the sense of how what we are doing in our gatherings is seen by those who are visiting. Casper's perspectives on some of what many in America see as the best of the best churches is very eye opening.

He often asks Jim a question that I think everyone serving in any type of church leadership capacity should ask themselves from time to time: "Is this what Jesus told you guys to do?" Both in large and small churches, from big budgets to small ones, Casper wondered if what was going on in Sunday morning services was really what Jesus was all about. Are "worship services" really reflecting the heart of our Savior? Is the way we "do church" really helping people learn to "be the church"?

Parenting 101

A couple important parenting tips:
1) Your child is not entitled to most of what our culture is training her to think she's entitled to.
2) Actions have consequences.

An excellent parenting example: "'Meanest Mom on Planet' Sells Teen Son's Car After Finding Booze Under Seat".

More "Polar" Than Just the Bears...

As the Golden Compass is set to begin its gilding of our silver screens and young minds, it seems the conversation between church and culture is once again faced with a polarizing talking point. Several months ago, I received the first of many well intended warnings to stay away from Pullman and this movie. To be honest, I was pretty skeptical - I mean, no one warning of its dangers had even seen the movie. As I read more about the film, and the books of its origin, it was an interesting hornet's nest to watch. Conservative Christians were mad because of the atheism and anti-church stance. But I also found Phillip Pullman fans angry due to Hollywood's removal of a pretty good deal of the atheistic and the anti-church from the story. I began to wonder if boycotting was simply adding more hype to the movie - free publicity.

I've refrained from commenting until now, but today found a great post from Dick Staub that provides some very good perspective. Visit Staublog and read the post. This really isn't something new... and it's not something to be feared. Phillip Pullman, or Hollywood, or Nicole Kidman, or Friedrich Nietzsche or whoever you want to blame are all powerless to change the reality that God is, and God loves.

Be wise, but not fearful. Nothing can destroy the reality of God.

Beyond the Sheen

Yesterday, we went up to the monument for our staff meeting. No real agenda except a brief time out of the office for prayer. The plaque at the top of the monument always gets me thinking... a tribute to a man who died within reach of help, but didn't make it - abandoned by his friends. I often wonder if that's still happening today? People dying for eternity - abandoned by the church.

It's not that we don't care. I'm not so cynical as to think that most people in the church really don't give a rip about their neighbors. We do. But I'm afraid we've forgotten just what is at stake.

A team from our church just returned from Haiti and they're talking about how dark a place it is. The voodoo and witchcraft that are so visible there have made the evil palpable. This thought of blatant darkness has converged in my mind with some recent conversations and sermons having to do with the materialism so prevalent in our own Western culture. We have so much - and often what we have has blinded us to the spiritual reality that without Christ, we are dead.

As I looked out over the view of our community from the top of the Bluff, I noticed that there are a lot of white buldings in town. Coupled with the glitter of glass on the sunny day, Scottsbluff looked like a shiny, bright sparkle in the midst of the browning fields.

As these contrasting thoughts collided, Nehemiah came to mind, surveying the city of Jerusalem and finding the rumors of desolation and destruction to be true. When we survey our cities, do we look beyond the glitz to see the grime?

A beautiful darkness has crept upon us -
----but darkness, nonetheless.
This beauty illumined is no beauty at all -
----but greed, and pain, and death.
But who wants to expose the ugly?
----"Paint the town white!"
----"Cover it up with a little shine!"
So we whitewash our tombs,
----extinguish our lights,
----and go blind to what's dying inside.

Ministry via Master Chief???

I read this NY Times article the other day about youth ministries featuring Halo. Video games have been and will continue to be a sticky issue for a lot of people. Right now, as part of some revamping of our youth ministry, we're talking about setting up a few video game systems and this is an issue we're talking about. How do we decide which games are ok and which are not? I've gotta say that the arguments used by some of the people in this article to justify their practices sound pretty hollow to me.

I've played the Halo games with some of my kids. Had fun. Pretty sure I'm not emotionally scarred for life as a result. But if you ever hear me utter the words 'Halo' and 'relevant ministry' together, please come and pluck the XBox out of my eye so I can see better. The whole baiting the hook thing really makes me feel kinda queasy.

Are our youth ministries so devoid of meaningful substance that we can't survive without the latest gimmick? Do we not have a passion for what students really need and the ability to transmit that message in ways that they'll receive it? Or is this just the easy way out - trade kids a 20 minute spiel for a little game time?

Please don't take this as one self-righteous youth worker looking down the barrel and taking pot shots at other youth workers and their methods. I'm wrestling with this issue myself in my own ministry. I like video games. I like playing video games with my kids. I will continue to play video games with my kids - including some games that some people don't like. But to say about Halo that "It is crucial... to reach the elusive audience of boys and young men." just takes it too far.

Dick Staub also had an article about this same issue on his blog today. Read the whole articles and see what you think, but the following couple quotes say a lot:

Marty O;Donnell, one of the creators of Halo and himself a Christian agrees-- I too read the article in the New York Times today and was disappointed and shook my head. Once again (I believe) the modern evangelical church has misinterpreted Christ’s injunction to be “fishers of men”.

and the bottom line...

I think Youth pastors face a huge challenge--gamers play Halo because it offers sensatory excitement, a good versus evil storyline and a real sense of connection in community. If we love kids we will serve them in ways that address those needs more deeply than Halo can…

What Church Looks Like

This is what the church should be doing more of. It's exciting to read about this kind of passion for service.

Now, I'll admit, I don't know these people and I've never been to their town, but I've got to imagine that a church serving its community this way is making an impact. As much as I don't like how "externally focused" is becoming another buzzword bandwagon model for churches to jump on, I love the heart that this church has been planted with to observe, serve, and be in community with... its community. We in God's Kingdom should all be so externally focused.