Whispers of God

I have often said that we sometimes make the mistake of missing the good stories that are available to us in the Bible. As I read the Bible I occasionally wonder what the scripture I am reading would look like in a movie with the full Spielberg touch. For example, 1 Kings 19. Elijah encounters God not in the wind, fire or earthquake but a quiet whisper.

I remember the first time this scripture really caught my attention. In the past year God has been speaking to me in some positive and exciting ways and reading and absorbing this particular scripture has been one of those ways. The message I keep hearing is that I need to slow down and take the time to listen, especially if God is going to speak to me in a quiet whisper.

How can we experience God within our own community of faith? Look around and you will see many examples. Listen to the stories of our compassion for each other and you will experience God whispering through each of us in exciting ways.

It can be as simple as a person demonstrating compassion to another through an act that is natural to them and they actually may not give it a second thought. But to the person receiving the compassion, it may be the only time that week that some one has demonstrated care. God whispered to them through the act of compassion.

Someone sends a note to someone offering encouragement or thanks. Perhaps the recipient receives has had a really bad day or receives little mail and is pleasantly surprised to find a note in their mail box. Their day is brightened because someone took the time to slow down, write a message and share their caring. A whisper in their mailbox.

Sometimes God can be right in front of us and unless we stop to hear him whisper we risk missing Him altogether. Regret about what we have missed is a terrible enemy.

Youth Sabbath

Last weekend I took my youth group to a weekend concert on Friday and Saturday night which left our Saturday morning and afternoon free. We were staying in a hotel for the weekend and I was debating on what to do with them during that time we were free. As I thought about it I realized that most of them had just finished school, some had already started daily summer committments and all of them lived lives with unbelieveable schedules with little opportunity for downtime. It was then that I decided we would take our first Youth Sabbath day. I told the kids we weren't doing anything during this time and that they could enjoy the pool, read a book, take a nap as long as it was something that was restful. I wasn't sure what type of response I would receive but they all welcomed the idea and took advantage of the opportunity to slow down and rest for a few hours. It was good lesson for me as well since I had been stressing a little about what we were going to do during that free time. Never underestimate the need for a little sabbath time.

MTV Awards

I typically make it a practice to watch the MTV Awards just to keep up to date on who the media has front and center for our kids to see and I must admit there is a part of me that still enjoys it. But as I watched this week I was a little overwhelmed at one point with part of the show. In the opening Sarah Silverman, the host, commented that in a few days Paris Hilton would be going to jail. Quick shot of Paris Hilton who was in the audience. For the next minute Silverman took nasty jabs at Hilton and joked about her prison sentence while Paris had to sit there and take the abuse in front of a national audience. Maybe I am just getting old, but what a destructive message that sends. Yes, Hilton shouldn't have found herself in this situation and in general I dislike the entire message she conveys with her lifestyle. But at what point did we become so callous and uncaring? What does the target audience, typically young teenagers, take away from that message? Am I scared that I sound like my Mother? Yes. But that just adds to the unsettling feeling I have after watching this verbal stabbing of a celebrity on national television for mass consumption and enjoyment. Very sad. But also motivates me to reach out more to the kids in our community and demonstrate to them a different way of interacting with people and showing them what a life with God at the Center can be like.

MySpace for Jesus

Our Junior High and Senior High Sunday school classes recently merged for a few weeks to make a MySpace for Jesus. We did this by looking at the characteristics of Jesus and have had lengthy discussion on his what he might look like vs. the images of Christ we typically have in our churches, what words are used in the Bible to describe Jesus and what his interests were. These led to some great discussions that revolved around our own perceived and learned notions of Christ vs. what the Bible actually says and documentation of daily life in the areas Christ resided. Check out what the kids placed on their MySpace at www.myspace.com/whatitdojesus .

Installation of Area Minister

I know this is a big blog, but wanted to post anyways.

This past Saturday Olivet was the host church for the installation of our new Area Minister, Dr. Kris Tenny-Brittian. Since her service I have shared with several people that I found the installation of Kris very moving and I was sorry that they had not been able to attend. One person was quick to ask me what was special about it and I shared that the whole service fostered a sense of excitement in me and then I explained why it energized me. As I spent more time reflecting I began to ask myself what was it about the service that stimulated me so much. Sometimes I think I/we go too fast through life to really think about why something impacts us positively or negatively. So I want to say to you who were not able to witness the installation service that you missed something and here is why:

The service began with a procession of the Ministers, and there were a lot of them, from within the Area as everyone sang from the Chalice Hymnal “We Call Ourselves Disciples”. The hymn begins with:

“We call ourselves disciples, as pilgrims on the way.
We seek the truth in wisdom and beauty in each day.
As women, men, and children, we serve, Christ’s path to clear.
In Joyful expectation we see God’s reign draw near.”

I found these words meaningful as it was sung and knew I would have to revisit the entire hymn once the service was over. If you have a chance to read the hymn you should do so. So much of what it says personifies my faith and what I believe. As I interpret the first stanza, I am a pilgrim seeking Christ along the way and waiting with anticipation for God to be even more real to me. To someone else it could have a totally different meaning, but that is the beauty in how God speaks to us individually.

A group called God’s Angels from Willow Street Christian Church in Hannibal shared their gift of dance. Through their demonstration of active worship I believe they set the tone for the rest of the service and I found their willingness to share their gift refreshing. Seeing them dance brought back wonderful memories of past ministries and I was blessed by their sharing.

Olivet’s choir sang “You Raise Me Up” which was of course beautifully done and well received. But what caught my attention was the absolute focus Kris exhibited in listening to the choir. She was not only hearing them sing a song we would later find out is a favorite of hers, but she was feeling it. This was evident as she became obviously emotional from hearing the words of this song. I found that to be particularly touching.

Then Kris delivered her message with her own special flare and energy. So many things that she said was met by my thinking yes, that is absolutely how I would like to see myself articulate my faith. She talked about our being the co-laborers for the Kingdom through encountering and encouraging each other as well as those who may not yet know Christ. In a very basic way that summary of her sermon is what drives me in my ministry and parallels the hymn we sang earlier. To have someone express how you feel and believe with so much enthusiasm is uplifting and affirming. Then to have her also communicate it so effectively as to get you excited about what she is saying is a true gift and one that I envy in her.

Each church was asked to bring a rock that will be used to build an altar at the Northeast Area office. During the service each church was asked to bring their rock up and add it to the pile. When the altar is built there will be a rock that represents Christ placed in the middle of the pile and the rocks from the different church will surround it. The statement made through this demonstration is that God is at the center of all we do in this Area and that he is present for each of the churches. I typically like representational displays and when they have a specific meaning that tells a story of our desire to draw God closer I find that the story develops a greater significance.

And finally I found the prayer that we did over Kris spiritually moving and found myself wishing at that point that more people could have experienced this installation. Kris was asked to stand at the bottom of the stairs as the congregation came forward and placed their hands on her and if they could not reach her placed their hands on the person in front of them and we prayed over her. Prayer is such a powerful tool that God has given us and in my experience this type of corporate prayer has a vitality and meaning that is powerful. What is so exciting about this type of prayer is that it is meaningful for the person being prayed for and the people participating in the prayer.

By the end of the service I not only felt enthusiasm and joy but also a sense that this was the beginning of something. If Kris can bring this type of enthusiasm to our service imagine what she will bring to the Area over time. I for one am ready for her leadership and wait anxiously for the next round of momentum as God uses her to bring Him to the center of our attention. Until then I can be satisfied with the memories of her installation. My hope is that her faith is contagious and that the Northeast Area will experience God’s presence in her and then take that back to their congregations as well as we grow excited exponentially. To me, that would be a good thing.

Apparently I should repent...

I recently posted a question on the YouthWorker.com forums about my upcoming plans to take my Senior High Youth Group to an Islamic Center open house. The plan was to inform the kids about the beliefs of Islam/Muslims and then compare to our own beliefs. The response I have received in the forum is interesting to say the least. Let me know what you think.

http://forums.youthworker.com/Learning_about_Islam/m_2333774/tm.htm

Welcome to the 21st Century

Since not everyone is a MySpace fan I will begin posting my blogs here as well. Nothing on my mind today, just playing with this new toy.