09 May 2020
05 June 2016
25 November 2015
02 November 2015
Titles
So I had an interesting experience this morning, I thought I’d
share it and some thoughts from it. This morning I got a phone call from a lady
in my church. She was apologizing for
something that I didn’t really mind at all. Yesterday morning a in the hallway
she looked at me with a big smile and said “Hey Big D!” I smiled and said hi
and went on. After that point something bothered her… she felt she had offended
me.
What bothered her? She didn’t call me Pastor. I assured her
that it was no big deal and that I appreciated her heart in the matter. I hate
that something so silly had bothered her so much but I understood it.
For me it really wasn’t a big deal. I’ve never really thought
much about titles. Truth be told, it is still strange for me to hear people
refer to me as Pastor Dallas. This is in part due to my training with my
mentor. The idea of titles was just never a big thing. If you had a
relationship with someone and they allowed you into their lives that’s all that
mattered. If there’s a job that needs to
be done and you were able to do it, then you took care of it, no matter what
your title was or is. That’s how I was taught.
That said I do understand that titles are important. They
have a place and reason in our society. I know for starters they signify
authority. If I walk up to three guys looking for help with a broken leg and
one says “Hi, I’m Professor John,” another says “Hi, I’m Officer Jack,” and the
third says, “Hi, I’m Dr. Jeremy,” I’m going to end up asking the doctor for
help. Why? I’m going to talk to him
because his title tells me he is an authority in medical matters.
There have been many times where I’ve walked into a situation and
I’ve had to be “Pastor Dallas.” People needed me to be more than just the laid
back geeky guy that I am. They needed to be a minister of the Gospel. They
needed me to be someone to bring the presence of God and show them the heart of
the Father.
Let’s not forget that we should respect people’s authority. No
matter what the position or our opinions about that position. You may not like
a pastor, teacher, doctor, mayor, or president; but the fact of the matter is
the title they have carries authority. So our honoring of their title is
honoring of the authority they carry. Yes even if carry it poorly.
I had talked about this on my Periscope earlier today. One
person brought up an interesting point. While I personally don’t care about
titles; there are those who purposefully don’t use a person’s title out of blatant
disrespect. In other words, if they don’t
like that person for whatever reason, instead of referring to that person as
Doctor, Pastor, Professor, President; they simply call them by their name or
sometimes… some kind of inappropriate, and colorful, name. Don’t’ get me wrong, I understand it’s hard
to be honoring to people we don’t care for, but how can we create a culture of
honor if we don’t do it ourselves?
Another interesting thought is that some people get way too
wrapped up in their title. They almost let it go to their head and hold it over
others. They are so wrapped up in their title that they lose their actual identity.
We are all fellow members of the human race; as such we should respect each
other. Yes your title brings authority, but it doesn’t mean you should look
down on people. Your title is a gift and if you don’t respect that title then how
can you expect others?
I guess in the end our use of titles and our respect of them
boils down to the heart behind the situation. If your use or no use of a title
is done out of a good heart, then fantastic! Honor comes from that heart. At
the same time dishonor comes from a broken heart. If we do not honor the titles
people carry then we do harm that person, their title, and our society.
So what are your thoughts about titles? Do you carry title?
Does it bother you when people don’t refer to you by that title? Do you have a
hard time using people’s titles? Comment and let me know!
13 April 2015
10 November 2014
Is Monster Energy Evil?
So recently there has been a pop up of videos and posts on
Facebook where people are claiming that the claw marks on the Monster energy
drink cans stand for 666. These posts are generally followed up with a fear
statement calling for an end the company and triumphant cry of defiance towards
the devil’s trickery. But are these claims accurate?
Dealing with the specific claw marks looking like vav…. I
really don’t think it looks exactly like it. If anything I think nun looks
closer (there are two versions of nun… not sure what the difference is in their
meaning). Plus traditional numerology is not about replacement but addition so
666 would be 18. Then getting into even more semantics, the Greek used in
Revelation is hexakósioi hexēkonta héx which is Six hundred and sixty six. Which
in Hebrew would be (if… and big if here… I’m understanding this right) Tav Resh
Samech Vav which looks very much not like the monster logo.
So where did the logo come from if it’s not some even
satanic message designed to pollute and subvert society…. Sorry I’m being way
to sarcastic here. Monster energy drinks
were created by Hansen Beverage Co back in 2000. They saw the success of Red
bull and wanted to get into the energy drink game. They had two problems; their
name was strongly associated with health products that young people (main
consumers of energy drinks) would want nothing to do with. The second problem
being that they needed a gimmick to corner the market.
The idea was to sell their product in cans twice the size of
Red Bull’s 8oz cans, but for the same cost. Now that stage 1 was completed how do they
overcome their marketing issues? To solve this problem they contacted Mclean
Design. It was Mclean Designs that came up with the monster concept.
They actually started out with several ideas such as
“Hammerhead”, ‘Fatboy,” and “wild Hare.” After some market research they
narrowed it down to “Fatboy,” ( because the cans were bigger) “Deuce” (because
it was twice the amount of substance), and then “Monster.” They chose monster
because Monster represented the fact that it was a bigger can (A Monster Can), it gave “maniacal energy”, and
monster had a sense of being different/ bit of a renegade which was their
target audience.
In the beginning they had several different types of cans.
One was black with a lizard looking creature on it. Another was black with same
creature just placed differently. They also had a couple of cans with a
silhouetted monster that kind of looks like Batman. Then finally the icon green
slashes that make a stylized M.
In the end the design firm and Hansen went with the M
because it’s simplicity and bold look. Plus it went over best with focus groups.
So nothing demonic with their logo… just want people liked.
Recently a video has been circulating with a woman
attempting to explain the conspiracy. In a very haughty way (you can tell she’s
had people explain to she is mistaken and she resents the claim) explaining some
other things. In her explanation of the M she points out that the claw marks re
no connected and that’s why she believes it to be Hebrew. However if we look at real claw marks in the
wild they are not connected. Again this is where a design artist is trying to
stylize an M to make it look like a claw mark.
The lady continues to claim that the O with a strike through is a cross. It really isn’t… it looks more like the greek phi. Which is sometimes used as a symbol of manhood, bringing more suggestion that this will drink is tough and not meant for the faint of heart. She attempts to make a connection to the phrase “release the beast.” However, if she’s a minister she’s forgotten the first rule of exegesis…. When studying something you must remember the culture.
The lady continues to claim that the O with a strike through is a cross. It really isn’t… it looks more like the greek phi. Which is sometimes used as a symbol of manhood, bringing more suggestion that this will drink is tough and not meant for the faint of heart. She attempts to make a connection to the phrase “release the beast.” However, if she’s a minister she’s forgotten the first rule of exegesis…. When studying something you must remember the culture.
Things in different cultures mean different things to
others. Great example that came from my Bible classes I took at SAGU. We have
the verse that says “behold I stand at
the door and knock.” This is a great verse that people use often to encourage
and motivate others to allow Jesus to take part in their life.
Well did you know that there is a tribe that
according to cultural reasons, that is not encouraging? When they hear that
Jesus is a the door and knocking they think that means He is a thief or worse!
Why? Because in their culture you don’t knock on someone’s door. You stand at
the edge of the property and clap and shout to them to get their attention. The
only people who knock in their society are thieves. Thieves will come up and
knock to see if anyone is stirring in the house. If not then they will sneak in
unnoticed.
So missionaries who visit this tribe will say ‘behold I stand
at your gate and clap” so that the people will understand. They took time to
understand language of the culture. We have to remember that Monster Energy was
targeting a specific culture. Young people who were into Xgames, (skaters, bmx,
snowboarding, etc.) A common phrasing, for that generation and specifically that
group of people, when someone was amazing at something, was “wow he’s a beast!”
Had nothing to do with the enemy but rather description of the energy and
ability of the person. So her drawing on
that reference was way off base too.
At the end of the video she very arrogantly suggests that you
can’t deny that the O is a cross… but we can… and she claims that when you turn
the drink upside down that you are making it into an upside down cross. She then
says “bottoms up.. ::turns can upside down like she’s drinking:: and the devil laughs.”
Seriously she’s really stretching on that one. That would mean that anyone who
used a sword back in the day is doing the devil’s work. Does this make some
putters that people use to golf with demonic?
Should we no longer drink SpriTe when we have a stomach ache?
This whole craze about monster I feel really was started
from a place of pure intentions. More than like started with someone who heard
the stories about kids who had KNOWN HEART CONDITIONS drinking 4 of these
things in an hour and then sadly dying. Then as they started to look more at
monster saw things that were not there. As a minister, I want to encourage
everyone to be careful about jumping on the bandwagon when it comes to certain
things. A few reasons
- You are giving the enemy, Satan, more credit
than he is due. We attribute so many things to him that have nothing to do with
him. People who jump at every corner claiming there’s a demon are giving him
more glory and more praise then our Lord. The more we jump at things the more
fear we breathe into the world and that just gives the enemy more ground.
- It’s like the boy who cried wolf story. They
more shout Satan the less likely the world will respond when it really is Satan.
- The world already has a bad taste in our mouth for well meaning misguided Christians on a witch hunt. Salem Witch Trials are a black stain in the history of the church. One that was pushed and motivated by fear.
Is Monster Energy secular? Is it demonic no. I can think of far worse companies that you shouldn't be shopping with but you probably won’t because of one reason or another.
So please friends. Stop crying wolf. From everything I've
researched… it’s just a drink. Honestly. The only reasons you shouldn't drink
it is if you don’t like the taste, you realize you probably shouldn't be
drinking carbonated drinks, you are sensitive to caffeine, or you have a heart
condition. It won’t kill you unless you are reckless and drink 5 in an hour and
you have a heart condition. It won’t send you to hell unless a can falls on your head and cracks your
skull and you so happen to not be a follower of Jesus the Christ.
Love you all, hope this helps to clear some things up.
Blessings!
06 October 2014
Lone Star State Mixtape
Mix that I did in honor of all my friends in Texas. I do not own any of the music. All songs are owned by the artist as far as i know. As always I welcome constructive criticism to help me become a better DJ.
Check out the guys on this mixtape by following these links
www.nategmusic.com
http://tjdup.bandcamp.com
http://mrtrinity.bandcamp.com
www.curvinemusic.com
This also has shoutouts to Southwestner Assemblies of God Univeristy, Christ for the Nations Institute, DJ Vow (www.djvow.com), and Eli Mendoza
07 May 2014
Lunch Time Mix Episode 1
So i challenged myself last minute today. the challenge? Go home, eat lunch, throw together a quick mix, and be back at work in time. So bit rough but it was fun trying to do it :)
Tracks:
Ammunition by Curvine
For Us by God's Servant
Shout by D-Boy
Te Amo by Israel and New Breed
Tracks:
Ammunition by Curvine
For Us by God's Servant
Shout by D-Boy
Te Amo by Israel and New Breed
21 April 2014
Worth It All
Happy Easter everyone! Hope everyone had a great and relaxing day. This past weekend was a whirlwind for me! I had the great opportunity of taking a group of teenagers down to Pineville, LA for the Louisiana Youth Convention/Fine Arts competition.
Over the years I’ve talked to several different parents who have expressed gratitude for the Student Pastors and Leaders who take on these types of events. I know to some the notion of being surrounded by a thousand wild and crazy teenagers can be daunting. Not to mention there are a lot of things that take place on these events that can really work you over physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I feel that self examination is an important part in not only ministry and job success, but also in our walk with Christ. We must examine ourselves and allow God to speak to us about what’s going on in our lives. So with that thought I began to think upon this past weekend. Sure there were issues with the trip. One of my leaders is an incredibly hard working man that bends over backwards to make sure things are done. Sadly his job called in, him stupid early and last minute, the morning we were leaving to do some last minute paper work. This sadly put us a bit behind schedule on the front end.
The guy working at the hotel was brand new to the job and it took him nearly 20 minutes to get us checked into the hotel. I’m new to the LYM (Louisiana Youth Ministries) Convention process & Fine Arts so I didn’t really know what I was doing and because it’s a MASSIVE event in LYM there are hiccups in the check-in process which lead to some frustrations here and there.
Again I’m the type that if you tell me something takes place at a time, then it needs to start on that time. Then again like I said this is one of the biggest events in LYM; so like with ever major event there are a lot of moving parts. While the LYM team did a FANTASTIC job handling things there were some things here in there that they simply could not foresee happening. The combination of those things can lead to some frustrations when leading a pack of teenagers.
Let us not forget that we are dealing with teenagers! Every youth ministry has those students who want to push you to the very edge when it comes to rules that have been put in place. You have the students who talk back and question your decisions. You have the students who follow dominate personalities even if those personalities have some negative influence in the group. You have the old hat students who feel like they know everything and don’t need your guidance or the things being given out in services. You have the ones who feel they are far more mature for their age but don’t realize they still have lots of growing to do.
Then you have the other students who aren’t even in your youth group that you have to deal with. Those who you catch being disrespectful towards each other and to adults. This of course causes you to have that internal conflict of, “I’m not their youth pastor… but if they were my kid they would had been ruptured up out of that seat in a heartbeat and find themselves in the van having a come to Jesus meeting.” While you are having this internal dialog you are looking around for that student’s Youth Pastor in hopes of dropping a dime on the still maturing child.
Not going to lie, there have been times where the combinations of many of those things have caused me to question my effectiveness as a student pastor. There have been moments when the Holy Ghost was moving in such a powerful way that I felt the Triune God would manifest physically right there in front of everyone; and I look at some of my students who I’ve been through the trenches with and what do I see
Us as leaders began to ask ourselves a litany of “What if” questions. What if I had planned this better? What if I had preached on this more? What if I had spent more time with this person more? What if I had done this or that? The list plays through our minds in a loop. Of course in those moments we have to plant our feet and push forward. Just have to do the best we can with the best that we have. Knowing this though, is not always the most comforting of things.
But then I look at some other things involved. This weekend I saw a young man deliver a sermon with an authority that he had not operated in before. I had a young lady that was so nervous she was literally shaking, yet when it was her turn to step up to deliver a special portion of her heart in a passionate poetic form… it was like the world stopped and she spoke with a confidence and passion that caused ever heart beat in that room to move with compassion and reflection. I had two fantastically artistic students, for the first time, put piece of art that they worked hard to create, out for people to see and be judged.
I had the opportunity to build relationships with young students who need to know that they have a Student Pastor who will be there for them no matter what happens. I had the opportunity to encourage and speak life into students who are still discovering who they are and what they are meant to be. I had the chance to get to know two fantastic parents who are doing their best to raise their children in a Godly environment and speak life into others at the same time. I had the opportunity to find out the heart beat and desires for the future that some of my students had. I had the opportunity to take a few students with me to not only feed a homeless man, but to pray with him and share the love of Christ. (At THP we call that; “I Go”)
During this trip the Lord had spoken to me about some exciting things that I need to speak into students at my church. During this trip I had the opportunity to confront new challenges and grow out of them. During this trip I had the opportunity to do what I love to do most; love on students.
So what does all this add up to mean? Well it means that when people say “Man am I glad you’re doing this,” I can proudly respond, “So am I!” I can respond that way because I have to say, even though there were challenges; the opportunities to see not just the sparks, but they fiery hot flames of greatness burning bright in my students was well worth it all. The chance to build relationships and let my students know that they are without a shadow of doubt, loved was more than worth it.
Over the years I’ve talked to several different parents who have expressed gratitude for the Student Pastors and Leaders who take on these types of events. I know to some the notion of being surrounded by a thousand wild and crazy teenagers can be daunting. Not to mention there are a lot of things that take place on these events that can really work you over physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I feel that self examination is an important part in not only ministry and job success, but also in our walk with Christ. We must examine ourselves and allow God to speak to us about what’s going on in our lives. So with that thought I began to think upon this past weekend. Sure there were issues with the trip. One of my leaders is an incredibly hard working man that bends over backwards to make sure things are done. Sadly his job called in, him stupid early and last minute, the morning we were leaving to do some last minute paper work. This sadly put us a bit behind schedule on the front end.
The guy working at the hotel was brand new to the job and it took him nearly 20 minutes to get us checked into the hotel. I’m new to the LYM (Louisiana Youth Ministries) Convention process & Fine Arts so I didn’t really know what I was doing and because it’s a MASSIVE event in LYM there are hiccups in the check-in process which lead to some frustrations here and there.
Again I’m the type that if you tell me something takes place at a time, then it needs to start on that time. Then again like I said this is one of the biggest events in LYM; so like with ever major event there are a lot of moving parts. While the LYM team did a FANTASTIC job handling things there were some things here in there that they simply could not foresee happening. The combination of those things can lead to some frustrations when leading a pack of teenagers.
Let us not forget that we are dealing with teenagers! Every youth ministry has those students who want to push you to the very edge when it comes to rules that have been put in place. You have the students who talk back and question your decisions. You have the students who follow dominate personalities even if those personalities have some negative influence in the group. You have the old hat students who feel like they know everything and don’t need your guidance or the things being given out in services. You have the ones who feel they are far more mature for their age but don’t realize they still have lots of growing to do.
Then you have the other students who aren’t even in your youth group that you have to deal with. Those who you catch being disrespectful towards each other and to adults. This of course causes you to have that internal conflict of, “I’m not their youth pastor… but if they were my kid they would had been ruptured up out of that seat in a heartbeat and find themselves in the van having a come to Jesus meeting.” While you are having this internal dialog you are looking around for that student’s Youth Pastor in hopes of dropping a dime on the still maturing child.
Not going to lie, there have been times where the combinations of many of those things have caused me to question my effectiveness as a student pastor. There have been moments when the Holy Ghost was moving in such a powerful way that I felt the Triune God would manifest physically right there in front of everyone; and I look at some of my students who I’ve been through the trenches with and what do I see
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| Nothing.... |
Us as leaders began to ask ourselves a litany of “What if” questions. What if I had planned this better? What if I had preached on this more? What if I had spent more time with this person more? What if I had done this or that? The list plays through our minds in a loop. Of course in those moments we have to plant our feet and push forward. Just have to do the best we can with the best that we have. Knowing this though, is not always the most comforting of things.
But then I look at some other things involved. This weekend I saw a young man deliver a sermon with an authority that he had not operated in before. I had a young lady that was so nervous she was literally shaking, yet when it was her turn to step up to deliver a special portion of her heart in a passionate poetic form… it was like the world stopped and she spoke with a confidence and passion that caused ever heart beat in that room to move with compassion and reflection. I had two fantastically artistic students, for the first time, put piece of art that they worked hard to create, out for people to see and be judged.
I had the opportunity to build relationships with young students who need to know that they have a Student Pastor who will be there for them no matter what happens. I had the opportunity to encourage and speak life into students who are still discovering who they are and what they are meant to be. I had the chance to get to know two fantastic parents who are doing their best to raise their children in a Godly environment and speak life into others at the same time. I had the opportunity to find out the heart beat and desires for the future that some of my students had. I had the opportunity to take a few students with me to not only feed a homeless man, but to pray with him and share the love of Christ. (At THP we call that; “I Go”)
During this trip the Lord had spoken to me about some exciting things that I need to speak into students at my church. During this trip I had the opportunity to confront new challenges and grow out of them. During this trip I had the opportunity to do what I love to do most; love on students.
So what does all this add up to mean? Well it means that when people say “Man am I glad you’re doing this,” I can proudly respond, “So am I!” I can respond that way because I have to say, even though there were challenges; the opportunities to see not just the sparks, but they fiery hot flames of greatness burning bright in my students was well worth it all. The chance to build relationships and let my students know that they are without a shadow of doubt, loved was more than worth it.
16 April 2014
20 January 2014
Ministry is Like a Box of Chocolates
“…Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.” - Tom Hanks (Forest Gump, 1994)
I was 10 years old when “Forest
Gump” came out. I remember watching in on VHS while sitting on the floor in
our living room back up in Missouri. I remember it being a strange move and
that phrase especially being rather odd. What do you mean you never know what you’re
going to get? The box tells you! My
friends and I would quote portions of that film but that one line always came
up. It’s true through, you never do know what you’re going to get. But I still
contend, if you read the sheet that comes with the box, you’ll have an idea of
what you might come in contact with.
I was in my room this evening reflecting on today and that
quote came to mind only slightly different. “Ministry is like a box of chocolates;
you never know what you’re going to get.”
Over the last several years of ministry and especially this
past year being in youth ministry, I've seen all kinds of things. Hospital
visits, funerals, hour long conversations in the cold with heartbroken students,
discouraged youth pastor friends in need of help, people talking against me,
people talking against for me, teenage drama, adult age drama, discouraged
parents, broken parents, odd parents, discouraged teens, broken teens, odd
teens…. A lot….
No matter what the season I turn around and boom something
new pops up and I never seen to know what’s what. Yet, as I said before, if you’d just read the
instructions that came with the box you’d at least know what to expect and how
to respond. I can honestly say if I wasn't
in the word of God and in prayer, I’d probably go batty! If it wasn't for the grounding my father in
heaven gives me…. I’m not sure where I’d be.
So why do I do it? Why do I keep going on in ministry? Same
reason you eat all the chocolates in that dab gone box; because you love
chocolate. I love people. I love taking care of people and making sure folks
are doing well. I can’t help it. I can’t help but love people. No matter where I
go I find myself doing some form of ministry.
I wish I could say ministry was a 9 to 5 job but it simply isn't. It’s a
life style that you live day in and day out.
I remember Celeste and I once went on a ferris wheel. We got on the gondola and waited for it to
begin. We sat there chilling for a second and the man in charge placed another group
in the gondola with us…. an 8 year old boy and his 10 year old sister. As the
ferris wheel begin to go up Celeste and I immediately noticed these two young
kids were not accustomed to the height this contraption was taking us.
Without missing a beat I “took a bite out of that chocolate”
and begin to talk these two kids down. Celeste and I did our best to help them
relax and stay calm until we could get down. Why? Because they needed someone
to be there for them. They needed someone to let them know everything was going
to be ok.
Truly ministry is like a big ol’ box of chocolate. You never
know what will come up. Do you enjoy ever piece? No, but as long as you stay in
prayer and in the word, and are someone who loves people, it doesn't matter
what kind of nut comes up; you’ll finish that box.
12 August 2013
I Go
Recently I was challenged by the passing of a blessed saint. By the time I met this lovely woman of God she was well in age and was known simply as Ms. Inga. I’d seen her every so often in service and at different church functions. Always very kind and always speaking blessings in her German accented voice.
Over the years her health had declined and she was not able to attend church as often as she like. It had been many year since I had seen her. In fact, a few months ago I had the opportunity to deliver a fruit basket to her, when I as her I realized just how many years it had been since I had seen her. When I got back from that delivery I had the opportunity to talk to one of our leaders and they began to tell me several great stories of Ms Inga.
From these stories I have found Ms. Inga to have been one powerful woman of God. A woman who ‘s prayer life cause the foundations of hell to shake and the heavens to move. She was a woman who did not hesitate to touch heaven not just for loved ones, but for the world.
One story stuck out to me though. Not some much a story but a habit of hers. Often people would call Ms. Inga up seeking nothing more than prayer. She’d answer the phone and people would just unload load after load of pressure placed upon their shoulders. In her lap people placed lives, hopes, and dreams asking her to lift it up to the Lord. Each time her reply was the same. It was simple it was direct. In her strong yet sweet German accented voice she’d say two words….
“I go.”
She’d then hang up the phone and go straight to her knees and pray. We aren’t talking a quick simple prayer; where you casually look for the TV remote while you mutter a generic stream of supposedly spiritual words. Rather, she would pray and seek the Lord until she felt the burden was lifted. She would do something that sadly many of my generation knows little of, she’d pray through.
This… challenges me. When I heard about this I had to check my heart and ask myself, when people come to me with their burdens….. do I say, “I go.” Do I hit the floor and pray until the burden is lifted? Or do I half heartedly say, “yeah I’ll be praying,” and walk away thinking of it no more.
I’ve been to youth camps, conventions, pastoral meetings where people talk about the great exploits of God and requests for prayers are passed around like playing cards on a table, but how many of us have been challenged to say, “I go.” The implications, the heaviness of those two words have truly gripped my spirit.
When Ms. Inga would say, “I go,” she said so with the understanding that she was about to enter into battle field. She said so knowing that when she hit her knees that the sound would resonate in the caverns of Hell in such a way that Satan trembled. She said so knowing that God looked down on her with the pride that only a father could have for his child. She did so knowing the world would forever be changed by her following
actions.
Adonai, I pray that when a burden is dropped into my spirit next, that I will have the strength, the stamina, that humility to say, “I go.”
09 July 2013
03 June 2013
Master/Slave or Father/Sons & Daughters?
Father’s day is approaching quickly. With this celebration
in the back of my head I've been thinking lately about the concept of raising
sons and daughters. Not necessarily my own children, since I’m not married yet
haha, but spiritual sons and daughters.
The concept to me seems like a very normal thing, something
that should just naturally be happening. However, my time away from my home church
taught me very differently. When in college I had the opportunity to visit many
different churches and talk to many different ministers. I was disheartened to
see that the idea of raising up sons and daughters wasn't really one that was
fully developed.
Some may had used language like ‘Yes, this is my son in the
faith.’ Yet as I talked to them I found it to be more of a master/slave
relationship rather than father/son(daughter) relationship. Many of them there seemed to be lack of true
honor for anyone who does not serve as a Sr. Pastor at a church.
I remember one time when myself a handful of Youth Ministry
students & Pastoral Ministry students sat across from a blessed mature
saint. I remember the rise of emotion and awkward expression that came over
each one of us as we heard the following words.
“I know some of you are going into Youth ministry, but at some point you’ll have to grow up and go into real ministry.”
I’m not going to lie to you, at that moment I felt incredibly
hurt and angry at this gentleman. He
truly felt that there was no true ministry outside of Sr. Pastoral Ministry. I
can’t necessarily blame him though. He was raised to believe this. He wasn’t
the first minister I’d seen express this sentiment and he certainly wasn't the
last.
What saddens me is the concept of master/slave as a way of
raising up ministers is extremely non biblical. Paul’s own word to Timothy in 1
Timothy 1:2 says otherwise.
“To Timothy, my own son in the faith…”
That word
son is “teknon” which means child. The sentiment
of a father & son relationship is
very clear.
Recently I saw a Facebook post another minister. I want to
make it clear that I do respect this man of God and the great ministry that he
has. In this post he talks about his
early days as a minister and how he’d go to different meetings and would see different
great men of God. He talked about how much respect he had for these men. While I do agree there is a level respect
that young men & women need to have for those who came before them, there
was a couple of sentences that made my heart hurt for this man.
I would paste and copy the exact text so as not to
exaggerate what was spoken, but sadly he has since taken his post down. But in
essence he said that he would not dare to speak in front of these men or presume
he had something to add to the conversation when in their presence. This
thought is the master/slave mentality that will and is killing the church.
People are leaving churches hurt because of this mentality.
Men and women are leaving the ministry because of this mentality. In my own fellowship, Assemblies of God, as
of March 9th 2012, the average age of a minister was 54. Why is
this? I believe it’s because the church is NOT raise up sons and daughters.
As a church ages it MUST learn to raise sons and daughters
to take on the responsibilities of the church. If slaves/servants were enough
to accomplish the plan and purposes of God then why would He send His Son? A
son knows the heart of the father. A son
knows the mind of a father. A son knows the true wishes and intentions of a
father. Whereas, a slave/servant knows only
that which he is commanded.
So faithful ministers of the word of God, I implore you,
raise up sons and daughters in the faith. Raise up the next Timothy. Love them,
train them, and release them into their destiny & their callings.
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Timothy true son of the faith
25 April 2013
Elseworlds
Earlier tonight I finished reading a comic I had purchased
some time ago but never finished. It was a Superboy Annual from 1994. This particular year all the Annuals were
part of what DC Comics calls Elseworlds. I personally love the Elseworlds
series because it does one simple thing. It asks, “what if?” The end result is
sometimes awesome, sometimes stupid, but somehow always though provoking.
In one such Elseworlds book they asked the question, “what
if baby superman’s ship was knocked slightly off course and he landed in the
out skirts of Gotham City instead Smallville?” In this book the Waynes find
this celestial orphan and adopt him thus never having Bruce. End result is
instead of Clark becoming Superman, he becomes Batman.
Another series of Elseworlds called “Batman: Brotherhood of
the Bat” and its sequel “Batman: The
League of the Batmen” takes a look into the future. Here it asks a few
questions, what if Talia & Bruce had a son named Tallant (concept of a son
came about in 1987 but the child was unnamed, later in 96 they decided settle
with the name Damian). Then they ask what if Talia’s father, Ra’ al Ghul, had
killed Bruce and succefully destroyed much of the world and created a league of
assassins who wear rejected designs for Batman’s costume. Later in the second
book Tallant creates the League of Batmen to combat his grandfather’s evil
desire to destroy the world.
Rather intense stuff.
But back to what happened tonight, as I was reading the Superboy comic I
begin to think about the fact that one small change in the history of these characters
and their lives become dramatically different. A shift in the wind and a Superman becomes a Batman. A change of location and a Batman becomes a
secret agent. One simple aspect and the
entire world is different for them.
Then I begin to think about how different my life would have
been had I not accepted Christ. The path I could had taken had a 14 year old
boy not walked to the front of small church in Ash Grove, Missouri and accepted
Christ as his Lord & savior… well who knows where I could had ended up. I
suppose statistically I could had ended up in a life of drugs and alcoholism. I
could had become a womanizer. Today I could be shacked up with some woman with
kids by 2 and 3 other women… I could be dead.
So many crazy possibilities had I not done one simple thing.
I am so thankful for Christ. I am thankful for the salvation He has given me
and the sanctification that the Holy Spirit brings me through. Truly without
Him, I’d be lost. I want to encourage
you, take a moment and ponder what your life would be like if you had not truly
accepted Christ as your Lord. I know for
me that thought has brought me to thankfulness, how about you?
15 April 2013
08 April 2013
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