All too often I’m quick to call things as I see them.

This is not all that uncommon as I discuss our culture with people.  We are very quick to point out what went wrong with culture and designate them as “evil” or “bad.”  When we continually do this we lose the respect of the people around us.  It’s not that pointing out these things is wrong in and of itself, but my question is to what end?  A friend reminded me of this fact the other day.  Is that particular thing in our culture “wrong,” or is it in need of some good ole’ restoration?  Let me explain:

I had this the other day when discussing the topic of sports with someone.  I believe that sports has become an idol to many American families.  It’s amazing to see the amount of time, energy, and emphasis placed on this whole thing.  From our kids participating in multiple sports, watching sports on TV, going to sporting events, and now to online fantasy sports…Sports, Sports, Sports!  So I began complaining about how little time people involved in these have for Jesus and reflection on deeper things.  However, in my conversation I was reminded that God wants to restore sports as well.  The problem isn’t sports or “x.”  The problem is people’s lack of a grander vision…God’s vision.

See, God’s vision looks very different from ours.  God’s vision is one of restoration for the purpose of His glory.  This is a much grander vision than ours.  As Christians we claim to be a part of this mission of restoration in His good but fallen world.  This lack of vision causes a tendency to take the things that God wants to restore and make them an idol.  The idols we create are more manageable and they help us feel like we’re a part of something.  Creating these idols helps us run away from thinking about the grander vision that God has laid out.  We don’t force ourselves to think about things like eternity, fruit-bearing, community, love, sacrifice, disciple-making, and God Himself.  However, when these things in culture become obsessions, we are quick to deem them as “bad.”  Did we ever stop to think that that thing in culture may have not been bad at all?  Maybe the real problem is that we’ve bought in to a less grandeur vision.

When we discuss our world/culture it is important to remember God’s grander vision.  This requires us to be under consistent teaching that points back to this, as well as being involved in a community of people who are living out the grander vision.  I encourage all of us to point back to this vision when conversations start to grow sour and complaints start flying.  Discuss how “x” can be restored back to God.  It’s time to step back and refocus our families on what our mission is in this world according to God.  We need to ask ourselves what this vision looks like as a member of the body living in this culture.

It can’t be a game of Christians against culture, but it has to be one of God using us to restore everything for His glory.  It’s not about us, it never was, and never will be.  We’ll have to continually get over that.  Remember, the gospel is advanced through a people, the church, who catch on and hold tightly to this grand vision, God’s vision.  Want to be counter-cultural?  Let His Spirit work in and through you to restore that culture for His glory.

That is truly counter-cultural.

We’ve started rehearsing for two one-act plays that will be a part of our Sunday services, and it’s been so fun!  There’s a lot that I love about this:  a great cast of dedicated and talented actors,  lots of comedy and movement in the script, a new take on the Christmas story… But one of the most exciting things is a chance to do a very different kind of drama.  These are morality plays, and two things about them set them apart from the drama we usually do:  The characters are archetypes (individuals that represent a whole concept or type of person) and their main purpose is to teach people about theological truths.

So, for instance, the main characters in the first one are Man, Hell, Pride, and Gabriel.  Instead of portraying an instance of a person struggling with their pride, we get to hear Pride telling Man how great he is, and convincing him his soul is worthless.   Usually the skits that we use in church encourage identification with the character, in the hopes that we will see ourselves there, and will laugh at ourselves, or see the futility of our own thinking.  These one-acts lift our gaze a bit to see a bigger reality – the interaction of God and humans, the power of pride on a heavenly scale.

Another difference is the stylized language we usually see in our dramas.  These plays use blank verse, which is beautiful and meaningful, but a little harder to follow than the dialogue that we are used to.  The interesting thing is that at the same time, there is a lot of slapstick action on stage – heads cracking together, people being stuffed into bags – almost lowbrow humor!

Although the church has been using drama for centuries (Morality  plays originated in the middle ages and were an attempt by the church to educate illiterate people about theology), it has been a neglected worship aid in the last few.  I am grateful to be able to use it again, and I think these two plays are going to be a great way to see a different way that they can be helpful to us as we make passionate followers of Christ.

I’m reading Generation Me. Here is one of many quotes that have caused me to think, wonder, and wonder about how this Generation can be reached with a gospel that calls for sacrifice, commitment to God, and belief that this is God’s story and not ours, “Culture Shock! USA, a guidebook to American culture for foreigners explains, ‘Often one sees an American engaged in a dialogue with a tiny child. “Do you want to go home now?” says the parent. “No,” says an obviously tired, crying child. And so parent and child continue to sit discontentedly in a chilly park. “What’s the matter with these people?” says the foreigner to himself, who can see the chid is too young to make such decisions.” It’s just part of the American culture, the book says: “The child is acquiring both a sense of responsibility for himself and a sense of his own importance.” We expect our kids to have individual preferences and would never dream, as earlier generations did, of making every single decision for our children and asking them to be seen and not heard. Not coincidentally, this also teaches our children that their wants are the most important.

I attended another conference today.

I thought I’d post some of the better quotes and ideas from it.  I will probably write more on some of the ideas given at this conference, but it was well worth the drive to Detroit.  So without further ado:

Francis Chan

Topics:  Leading with Grace, Walking as Jesus Walked, Being Restored When We are Down.

Francis Chan is not afraid to speak things as he sees them.  I appreciate this about Chan only because he speaks about his personal struggles as well.  I believe that we give ourselves the green light to speak about harder topics when we ourselves choose to be transparent with our audience or sphere of influence.  Chan opened with a discussion on what a daunting task advancing the gospel can be.  He has struggled with this himself even recently as he almost left his home church in California.  He admitted of growing tired of the complaints and adversities that come along with working in the church.  However, he sighted 1 Peter 4:12-19 as a source for his renewal.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”

I really enjoyed the encouragement through the text that was given from Chan, and it challenged me to remember that all over the world brothers and sisters in Christ are suffering for the sake of the gospel.  My journey has really just started, but there are good days and bad days even now.  This may be somewhat sick, but seeing a guy I respect like Chan still struggling through this, helped me see that we are all in this for the same cause and that cause is not easy:  “Advancing the Gospel!”  The Lord calls us all to this gut-wrenching and very rewarding mission that I’m honored to be a part of.

Donald Miller

Topics:  The Mentoring Project - http://www.thementoringproject.org

Donald Miller discussed some of the issues we face today as the church.  One of our calls is to engage fatherless families with love and the gospel.  This ministry is very near and dear to my heart, and it’s definitely worth checking out.  Don’s writings and discussions on growing up fatherless have really helped me put words to my emotions and struggles over the years.

Here are some statistics on “Fatherless Boys” he gave:

94% of prisoners are male
85% of those males are fatherless
70% more likely to commit suicide or drop out of school, then kids with fathers at home

*One quote on “sin” that I liked was that sin “kidnapped us from our Father and we have been brought back through Jesus Christ.”  I don’t always agree with Don’s writings, but I do appreciate his heart and desire for fatherless boys to know God as their Father.  If you grew up without a father and are struggling through this, I would love the opportunity to speak with you.

Matt Chandler

Topic:  Behavioral Modification vs The Gospel

As usual Matt hit the nail on the head when discussing what the gospel is and isn’t.  There is far too much to write about on his portion of the conference.  I found it interesting to see him go back to something Larry has discussed lately with the 5 C’s, or Moral Therapeutic Deism.  Matt continually brings in to question whether we are preaching and believing the true gospel or if we’re serving a gospel that we’ve just made up.

Quote/Challenge - “Do you really have any affection for Jesus Christ or is this just a niche in your life?”

That Chandler guy, I tell yah.

Overview

The challenge of the RightNow conference was to become a “trader.”  A “trader” is one who exchanges the lifestyle they have always desired for one that God calls them to.  They are people with a common goal that is focused soley on their mission from God.

Count me in as a trader…How about you?

Man is never sufficiently touched and affected by the awareness of his lowly state until he compares himself with the majesty of God.

John Calvin

In the book The Culturally Savvy Christian, the author comments on the present state of our entertainment culture,