3 Ways Hymn Meters Provide Meaning

March 2, 2017

thank you notes for children’s ministry volunteers

In Poetic Meter and Form, Paul Fussell, Jr. explains three ways in which meter can “mean,” by itself, apart from the meaning imparted through the particular words of a metrical poem, and apart from the melody, rhythm and musical arrangement of a hymn:

Meter Is a Ritual Frame That Points to Something Beyond

Imagine a hymn’s meter as a picture frame—an artifice that reminds us we are not experiencing a real object (the actual story or teaching that the lyrics describe) but are experiencing the real object “transmuted into symbolic form.”

In this way, hymns point to something larger than themselves: the truth of the gospel. “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts drives us to the story of the cross in the Bible, and our own feelings about it. It does so through the utilization of Long Meter (lines of eight syllables each). One look at the text tells us we are getting the story of the cross and one man’s response to it, in a format that breaks each line off at the same length as the other lines. We instinctively know there must be more to the story than can be contained in those chiseled lines.

Meter Is a Force That Allows for Variation, Which Provides New Context

Great writers frequently break “the rules,” but what separates these writers from amateurs is that they know the rules, and they have developed a feel for when, why and how to break them. Too much metrical precision can produce a “greeting card” sing-song effect. Variation, in the right place, creates powerful emotional effects.

As I write in my Modern Hymns page, Stuart Townend and Keith Getty’s “In Christ Alone” does this by shifting the syllabic emphasis on even-numbered lines. The odd numbered lines deliver a truism in a stately fashion that begins with an unaccented syllable and crescendos to an accented final syllable at line’s end (we call this an iambic line). Then the even lines provide a pattern (called “trochaic“) that breaks those stately bonds and exclaims further truth from the very first syllable, which is strongly accented:

Then BURsting FORTH in GLOrious DAY
UP from the GRAVE He ROSE aGAIN!

Getty’s music carries the pattern of Townend’s lyric (I believe Getty wrote the music first).

A Given Meter Transmits Certain Meanings Regardless of the Words Used

This is why a limerick is a bad choice for a song about the cross:

There once was a man on a cross,
He paid such a horrible cost
Was battered and bruised
Mistreated, abused,
He died there to save all the lost

The form itself is so ideal for light or humorous topics that it makes the crucifixion seem flippant. Do you see that? Read the limerick aloud. Even with words like “horrible,” “battered” and “abused,” it doesn’t feel devastating.

Contrast this with the trochaic 77.77.77 meter of James Montgomery’s “Go to Dark Gethsemane”:

See Him at the judgment hall,
Beaten, bound, reviled, arraigned,
O the wormwood and the gall!
O the pangs His soul sustained!
Shun not suffering, shame or loss;
Learn of Christ to bear the cross.

This meter is a vastly superior choice for such a topic. We feel the passion right from the start with those trochaic imperatives and declaratives: SEE! BEAten! O! O! SHUN! LEARN!

The skilled worship songwriter and the careful hymn tune composer will study the hymns of the past to learn what kind of meters work best for different topics, moods and melodies.

This Cancer Is Killing the Church

March 2, 2017

There is a serious problem within protestant evangelical Christianity. We love right preaching and teaching more than we love right living. We love power and authority more than sacrifice and submission. We love honor over humility. We love being led by popular leaders who make us feel good more than following the despised and rejected One—who has no “beauty or majesty to attract us to him” (Isa 53).

We want King Saul over young David.

Of course I do not accuse all protestant Christians nor all leaders with this charge. And yet, we must all own this problem together. It is not merely the Catholic Church that has covered up abuse or used power to protect itself. While the system of the Catholic Church enables a wider and deeper cover-up, we have all of the same issues on a (slightly) smaller scale.

A picture of a true leader of God’s church…and the opposite

Leaders of the church are to be representatives of Jesus, individuals set apart to be under-shepherds. They are to care for the flock. And what do we need? We need teaching, encouragement, comfort and rebuke in their proper times and measures. But most of all we need our leaders to be images/examples of our true Shepherd.

Quite simply, the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11) and who feeds, carries and gently leads (Isa 40:11). Of course this is a picture of a powerful leader. Only one with power who knows right and wrong can choose to sacrifice rights and become smaller for the purpose of care of the most vulnerable.

But we have a pattern of enabling self-promoting leaders of the flock. These want to be listened to, respected and followed for their own sake. Sure, they may speak of the Gospel of grace, but how do they live it? How do they treat the ones who have the least power? How do they handle criticism? Do they even have a Paul (wise older leader with a track record of being willing to encourage and also say hard things) to speak to them as he did to Timothy? Or would they tolerate one who spoke to them as Paul did to Peter when he acted out of accord with the Gospel (Gal 2:11f)?

It seems that when we do see brokenness in our leaders we tend to excuse it, especially when their gifts are attractive and the ones revealing these flaws are expendable.

Consider this warning

What makes Jesus angry? The New Testament records a few instances of expressed anger: Money changers, self-righteous religious leaders, hindering children and the pain of death (Lazarus). We see it most clearly in his language toward the religious leaders when he calls them “brood of vipers…white washed tombs…hypocrites.”

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6 Leadership Truths We Can Learn From Legos

Ben Reed

March 2, 2017

4016.

That’s the number of pieces in the Lego set my son and I are building. It’s called the Death Star, and it’s even more epic than I anticipated. He saved his money for a long time to get it, and it hasn’t disappointed. Every single day, Rex asks if we can build a little more of it. So naturally, I’ve used it as the hook to “finish your homework then we can build a little.”

I love the time spent with my son, using our minds and our hands together. It’s good for his development, and for mine. It’s good for our relationship. And I’ve found that we can have meaningful discussions about the most important things in life while we’re working together…even more so than if we were to sit down and have a face-to-face talk. Boys seem to respond better talking side-by-side.

But enough about that.

Did you know that you can learn a little about leadership development* from Legos? (Actually, you can learn a bit about leadership from almost every aspect of life if you look for it.)

Six Leadership Development Truths Legos Teach

1. They don’t build themselves. No Lego set has ever spontaneously built itself.

No person has ever built themselves either. There are no truly self-made men/women. We are all a product of the communities where we live: our city, our church, the five people closest to us, our small group, our hobbies, our experiences, etc.
If you want to grow in your leadership, surround yourself with people who lead like you want to lead.

2. It’s as much about the process as it is the destination. We’re having as much fun building the set as we will ever have with the set once it’s “done.”

Development happens in the doing, not simply in the “learning.” It’s as you lead that you learn to lead. Books, seminars and Ted talks can only take you so far. I’ve heard it said that “community” is both the goal and the means of achieving the goal of the church. The same is true of leadership development.
Leadership development is both the goal and the means of achieving it.

3. The destination is vital. Without instructions, the Lego set is a bunch of mismatched pieces.

Knowing what you’re developing toward is important, otherwise you’re just spinning your wheels. But when you have a destination in mind, it gives you the freedom to know what to say yes to…and what to turn down. It points you in the direction you need to go. We are all lumps of clay in the hand of the potter, who makes of us something beautiful and useful, giving our daily grind purpose and meaning.
Without a destination, you’ll hit it every time.

4. Improvisation is crucial. We’ve lost so many of those pieces. And a blue 2×2 just adds character where a light gray 2×2 should be.

Leadership development is not simply a series of formulas you follow. You can’t check all of the boxes and magically be developed. The development happens as you improvise throughout life. That’s called wisdom.
Leadership is a purpose-driven art.

5. There’s a special tool for when you make mistakes. I love that Lego assumes you’ll make mistakes.

Our development will be fraught with mistakes. And there’s a tool we need day after day after day: grace. Grace for others. And grace for ourselves. Grace that we’re not perfect, nor will we ever be. (There’s also a proactive tool to help us make fewer mistakes: constantly learning.)

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. —Paul, 2 Corinthians 12:8-9

6. It’s never done. There’s always another piece you can add to make it more awesome. And over time it breaks down, revealing more holes.

Leadership development isn’t a “thing” you put on your to-do list. It’s a process that changes throughout life, in different seasons, ups and down, highs and lows. Different seasons expose different weaknesses that invite more development.

Have the end in mind, but remember that the best leaders are always in development.

*Another word for “leadership development” is discipleship. Because we’re called as followers of Jesus to be disciples, constantly learning and growing in the way we know, love, follow and lead others to do the same.

When God Calls You Out

Jonathan Parnell

March 2, 2017

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:9

If we don’t sometimes feel like we’re “in over our heads,” it may be that we’re not following Jesus where he calls us.

Paul names it the “sentence of death”—that’s how he felt about the sufferings and complexities of his ministry. It was true affliction, a burden so heavy that he admits he lacked the strength to carry it. He was sinking, despairing even of life itself. The apostle Paul—to the extreme—was “in over his head.” And God did this in order to, as Paul says, “make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).

The situations that stretch us come in varying degrees. Some are intense like Paul’s, others are scattered along the spectrum of the great unknown, where fear runs rampant and our faith feels small. But whatever they are, however hard they feel, we know why they come. It’s just what Paul says.

God brings trials into our lives to give us more of himself. Their purpose is that we might not rely on ourselves—not look to ourselves for salvation or hope or joy—but that we might rely on him. The purpose is that we would lean on God, that we’d fix our eyes on his glory, clinging to the truth that in Jesus he is always enough for us. Always.

This is the truth that resounds in the depths to which God calls us. He invites us to step out and follow him. To dream. To plan. To build. He invites us to put our hands to work for his name’s sake, not based upon our expertise or know-how or giftedness. He invites us here based upon who he is himself.

He invites us here because he knows that it is here, unlike anywhere else, that our souls must rest in his embrace. It’s here, above and beyond every other place, where his children must grasp the wonder of what it means to be his own. Because of the cross and victory of Jesus, we are his and he is ours. We are his people and he is our God. We are his children and he is our Father. He is enough.

And he will prove his enough-ness to us. He will show us time and time again that all we need is found in him. All that we lack finds an abundance in his grace. Yes, we would fail. The weight is too much and, like Paul, we can’t carry this in our own strength. But God is here. His sovereign hand is our guide. His heart of mercy is our anchor. He will make our faith stand. He will be our God in Jesus Christ.

And so, let us go. Let us step out, following him farther than our feet could ever wander. Let us walk upon those waters, in over our heads, not relying on ourselves, but holding fast to him, trusting in him, casting all our hope on him. Because he really is enough.

Social Media & Teens: Understanding Digital Natives, Pt. 1

Michael Guyer

March 2, 2017

This semester we are doing a sermon series titled: “Can We Talk? Your Questions. Honest Answers. Real Life.” Our desire is to speak to relevant issues facing teenagers today. Some of the topics ahead of us are: social media & video games, homosexuality, gender identity, alcohol/marijuana, friendship & dating, college & career, loneliness & anxiety, science & evolution, racism & racial reconciliation, and Christianity & world religions. These are issues students have raised and issues that we think are pressing against many teenagers in our culture. I will be sharing the content from those sermons and further reflection on the topics each week. I look forward to further interaction and feedback from other student ministry leaders

Parents and Teenagers – Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives

Technology is changing our lives. We now live in a world of digital immigrants and digital natives. A digital immigrant is someone most likely born before 1980 and remembers a time before life “online” was a thing. For the digital immigrant, there is a contrast between life online and offline. Life offline is the day-to-day life we live and life online is a place we go to share something from day-to-day life, email or shop. Tim Challies explains:

You remember what life “used to be like” and how things were different. You remember mailing letters to pen pals instead of emailing them; you remember being “out of touch” with someone because your phone was physically connected to the wall and couldn’t follow you into the car; you remember using an encyclopedia that took up an entire shelf in the local library; you remember card catalogs and cassette tapes and “laptop” computers that were far larger and heavier than any lap could ever hold.

A digital native is someone born after 1980 and hasn’t known life before the digital explosion. This is true of someone like me who was born during the ’80s, but it is even more true of teenagers who were born in the 2000s! Teenagers today have not only never known a world without the Internet, but they were born into a world with smartphones, social media and community gaming, etc… Tim Challies describes it this way:

For you, there may be no great or important distinction between life online and offline. Your identity in the digital realm and your identity in the world of flesh and blood are one in the same. You may have different representations of that identity, but you make little distinction between them. You move seamlessly between face-to-face interaction and digital interaction through messaging or email. In fact, you may prefer digital interaction, finding the face-to-face somehow unnatural or intimidating. Your mobile phone is part of who you are, and without it you feel like the world is moving on without you. You enjoy television and surfing the web, and especially enjoy doing two or three of these things simultaneously. You can switch back and forth between them as easily as you can change your socks.

Digital natives can probably be characterized by some of the following:

Begin and end your day on your phone
Consume at least five hours (some report up to nine hours) of media daily
Checking your feed or others’ “stories” is second nature
When you don’t know something, you google it
Did you see _____ YouTube video?
Video games are for entertainment and community
Social media is not so much a thing we do as much as it is ingrained into how you communicate and interact with others

From the above description, many parents fit the digital immigrant category and every teenager is a digital native. Digital immigrants tend to look down on digital natives because they just don’t understand what life used to be like. Digital natives tend to look down on digital immigrants because they just don’t understand what real life is like today. This brings with it a shift in power. Challies states, “Those who were born before the dawn of the digital explosion struggle to adapt to the new realities and are increasingly left behind. In the digital world, power has begun to shift from the old to young. It is shifting from the expert to the amateur, from the printed world to the digital.” Too often parents are defeated by the pace of change in these areas and simply give up or take a more passive role in shepherding their teenagers through the waters of social media and video games.

As Christians, we are called to submit to God’s authority. In turn, this is reflected in the home as children submit to the authority of their parents. For parents, this doesn’t mean that you have to know more than your teenager about social media or video games, but it does mean you help shepherd them to think about them Christianly—shaped by the wisdom of God’s Word. Just like second-generation children help their parents and grandparents adapt to a new culture, so digital natives can help their parents adapt to the new realities of the digital age. Yet, parents are still the most influential voice in the life of their teenager and can have a lasting influence on how they steward their use of social media and video games.

Dealing With Criticism

Mark Harper

March 2, 2017

“When Eliab, David’s oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, “Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle.” I Samuel 17:28 NIV

Sometimes the first thing that happens when you step up to lead is that people will criticize you. If you are getting criticized, it may not mean you’re doing anything wrong, it just means you’re a leader.

David’s oldest brother, Eliab, got mad at him because David wanted to fight Goliath. Eliab said to him, “I know your pride and how wicked your heart is. You came down only to watch the battle.” David knew his heart was clean. He didn’t let the criticism stop him. The only people who get criticized are the people who are leading. Criticism comes with the territory, so get used to it. Make sure your motives are pure and keep leading.

Know who the enemy is. Eliab wanted to start a fight with David, but David just ignored him. David knew that his brother was not the enemy. Goliath was the enemy. Usually the people that are shooting at you are not the enemy, so don’t shoot back. The Bible says, “We war not against flesh and blood.” Satan is the enemy.

Stay focused on the cause. David’s response to Eliab was, “Is there not a cause?” Goliath was the enemy, but he was not the cause. The cause was “that all the earth would know that there is a God in Israel.” For us the cause is “rescuing souls from hell.”

Jesus said it like this, “I will make you fishers of men.” Some battles are not worth fighting. If David could whip Goliath, he could have whipped his older brother, but that wouldn’t accomplish anything. Never take revenge on the people that are hurting you. That is not the cause. The cause is reaching people with the gospel.

My prayer for you is that you will be strengthened and rise above each situation you face.

This article originally appeared here.

Satan Wants to Blackmail You

Tony Reinke

March 2, 2017

Until he got himself shot and killed, Charles Augustus Milverton may have been the most despicable human being on the planet. He was certainly the foulest man in London.

According to Sherlock Holmes, Milverton took the infamous designation: “King of all the blackmailers.” Inspired by a real blackmailer (Charles Augustus Howell), Milverton became the unforgettable villain in Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1904 short story.

And Milverton was devilish.

“Do you feel a creeping, shrinking sensation,” Sherlock asks Watson, “when you stand before the serpents in the zoo, and see the slithery, gliding, venomous creatures, with their deadly eyes and wicked, flattened faces? Well, that’s how Milverton impresses me. I’ve had to deal with 50 murderers in my career, but the worst of them never gave me the repulsion which I have for this fellow.”

Milverton’s work was sly and subtle and sustained. Over many years his reach stretched out in a network of maids and valets and spies of any sort with access to letters or notes, or within proximity of undercover eavesdropping on the town blabbermouths. Milverton paid top dollar for dirt, and everyone knew it. If there was dirt to be had, he would have it at any price necessary. “Hundreds in this great city turn white at his name.” He was dirt-rich, and patently patient with his secrets. “He will hold a card back for years,” says Sherlock, “in order to play it at the moment when the stake is best worth winning.”

That is why, compared to a murderer who lunges and kills with one swing of a blunt bat, this man is more coldblooded, “who methodically and at his leisure tortures the soul and wrings the nerves in order to add to his already swollen money-bags.”

With a growing storehouse of vile secrets, and a heart set on endless wealth, Milverton waited for the right moment to pounce on the wealthy, and “with a smiling face and a heart of marble,” and just like a snake, “he will squeeze and squeeze until he has drained them dry.”

“He is,” says Sherlock, “as cunning as the Evil One.”

The Deal

To this day the great extortionist Milverton sporadically appears in books and movies and television shows. He’s iconic. Using our past debaucheries to extort is devilish, as Arthur Conan Doyle seemed to understand.

Satan is your accuser. He has all the dirt on you. He knows what you did. And what if he told your church or your friends what you’ve done? That little secret you try to keep hidden from everyone, even from God. Satan knows about it. Satan has a dirt-file on you, and he will not let you forget the fact.

Sinclair Ferguson exposes this devilish intent in his new book Devoted to God: Blueprints for Sanctification (159–160).

As the masters of the spiritual life have believed, there may be times in our pilgrimage when Satan engages in blackmailing us. We have secretly given in to sin. He whispers that we have failed; we are unworthy. He will keep our secret—so long as we keep it a secret too, and hide or disguise it. No one else must be told.

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The Art of Womanliness

Bonnie McKernan

March 2, 2017

What does it mean to be a woman?

Few things evoke such emotion as someone questioning, or attempting to define, what it means to be a woman—especially, in my case, a Christian woman. The overarching concept of womanhood trickles down into so many of our roles and relationships that it can easily become the currency by which we measure our worth. We vehemently resist anything that might threaten the foundation of womanliness as we’ve defined it for ourselves.

What Matters Today?

Lately, I’ve devoted significant attention to thinking about and studying the complexities of biblical womanhood, submission and other gender controversies. One evening, I sat down and began furiously organizing my thoughts and observations into meaningful impactful words and sentences meant to analyze and “solve” the issues…

And then I stopped. I looked at my passionately penned words and hesitated. Not so much over the words themselves, but the why behind them.

How will grasping these profound theological ideas before I climb into bed impact who I am when I climb back out in the morning? Will my day look different? Will I be a different wife, or mother or friend? My current struggles and sins would still be there to greet me with the sunrise. I’ve never wanted to be another vague and distant voice adding to the noise.

So I put away my notes and went to bed wrestling with God. What do I need to know about womanhood right now? The next morning, as I woke up to the sun and its colors and God’s beautiful new mercies, I stepped out of bed with the question pressing on my soul, “How will I be an excellent woman and reflect God’s beauty today?”

Always-Pressing Question

How do I reflect God’s beauty today? This is the question that should be at the forefront of our minds, longing for an answer every hour. It’s what lies beneath all our labels and arguments and definitions—whether you’re a young wife or a grandmother, single or married, eight years old or 80.

It’s the question that mattered when I waved goodbye to the bus carrying my children off to public school, and it mattered when I sat for hours schooling them at home. It mattered when I was waitressing 12-hour shifts, when I was in D.C. editing military plans to combat weapons of mass destruction, and when I was changing diapers and mediating temper tantrums as a stay-at-home mom.

Like a carefully chosen tattoo on the forearm, we imagine that the perfectly defined self-identification will mark us so powerfully as to change how we are perceived in the world. We believe our ideologies or labels will magically make us more obedient, or better wives, or more compassionate toward the poor and oppressed, without ever living it out.

Too often, the vortex of discourse surrounding biblical womanhood blinds us to what it means to live excellently and reflect the beautiful image of God in this very moment, in the next thing we do, or type, or say.

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10 Ministries That Will Never Go Out of Style

Eric McKiddie

March 2, 2017

Technology—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse—affects how pastors shepherd their churches more than ever before. Many of us preach from digital mini-pulpits through blogs and social media. Our members, when they are sick our out of town, hear our preaching through ear buds or watch us on Vimeo.

These outlets for building up our churches are wonderful. It isn’t un-pastoral to pursue the effective and edifying use of technology in order to serve our people. I would say that it’s un-pastoral not to. But someday, maybe even in our lifetime, the Internet will be a dated medium of content. The usefulness of social media will run its course.

But there are ways you can shepherd your flock that will never go obsolete. They don’t scale and they aren’t efficient, but they make an impact on individual lives every time you do them.

1. Eating meals in your home with people from your church.

2. Visiting the sick in the hospital or nursing home.

3. Serving Communion to a member who is home-bound.

4. Smiling and saying “Hi” to everyone you walk by on Sunday morning.

5. Looking the person in the eyes and addressing him or her by their first name when you do #4 (especially if you are at a large church).

6. Cracking open the Bible with someone who is hungry to learn, and teaching him or her what God’s word says, one-to-one.

7. Mailing a sympathy card when a member loses a loved one.

8. Connecting specific promises of Scripture with specific life situations while counseling, discipling or in casual conversation.

9. Saying, “Can I pray for you right now?” instead of, “I’ll be praying for you.”

10. Occasionally preaching with tears.

I don’t see myself growing tired of these valuable ways of ministering to God’s people. These are the kinds of things that make being a pastor worth it. Life-on-life ministry will never go out of style.

Before You Take Your Kids to See the New ‘Beauty and the Beast’…

Megan Briggs

March 2, 2017

The much-anticipated live-action remake of the beloved “Beauty and the Beast” is set to release March 17, 2017. If you remember the cartoon version, there are several positive elements in the story and a couple launching points to talk about the gospel. However, the makers of the new film have included a subplot that will likely cause Christian parents to hesitate to take their children to the theater for this one.

The director of the film, Bill Condon, revealed in an interview with the British gay magazine, Attitude, that a character in the film will be gay and that the ending will include a “nice, exclusively gay moment.” The character in question (literally, Condon told reporters, the character questions his sexuality in the beginning of the film) is LeFou, Gaston’s goofy, underdog sidekick. In the cartoon original, Gaston was meant to portray the epitome of male bravado and egotism, so pairing him with the bumbling LeFou provided a delightful character foil and endeared the audience to LeFou. But this foil in the re-make could potentially send some mixed signals to impressionable kids, one of which being: If you want to avoid being egotistical and cruel like Gaston, an alternative is to be kind and gay—like Lefou.

It’s really unfortunate because, like so many other Disney movies, there is incredible potential in “Beauty and the Beast” to illustrate the gospel to children. Consider the following:

The beast represents our fallen, sinful natures

I’ve often wondered if the writer of “Beauty and the Beast” drew inspiration from the story of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel chapter 4. In this passage, Nebuchadnezzar is transformed into a beast because of his obstinance toward God and his correction. Nebuchadnezzar’s story is one of having to be forced to repent of selfishness and pride. In a similar way, the Beast is selfish and prideful, especially apparent when Belle first comes to the castle. He is angry and abuses her out of his own wounding. At first, he cannot even respond to her kindness because of his own hatred. The lesson here is that when we are ruled or controlled by our sin natures, we treat people similarly. Sometimes God allows us to be isolated (like he did with Nebuchadnezzar) and feel the pain of loneliness in order to get us to change.

Belle loves the Beast back to his true self

The main plot of the story involves the incredible transformation of the angry Beast, brought on by the unconditional love shown by Belle. To the Beast’s angry outbursts and cold-shoulder-manner, Belle responds with kindness and grace. Despite being held prisoner, Belle is determined to keep her attitude positive and her responses civil. Just like Jesus does for us, Belle chooses to see beyond the Beast’s tough exterior and call out something better in him. To her own hurt, she loves the Beast when he is unlovable and combative. It is her kindness and sacrifice that helps the Beast return to his true self.

The main plot of the film includes the very essence of the gospel. Which is why the subplot leaves Christian parents with a dilemma.

In conclusion, I humbly offer this suggestion to parents

I’d like to suggest (without having seen the movie yet, so take it with a grain of salt) that before you rule this movie off limits for your kids, consider not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Come March 17, parents and caregivers are going to be faced with this decision about the movie: Does the good of the main plot outweigh any negative elements of the subplot? Additionally, can I talk to my child before or after the movie, to explain LeFou’s behavior in a way that is gracious toward gay people while also explaining our family’s position on homosexuality? If you can answer yes to this question, I actually see the movie presenting you and your family with an opportunity to discuss the gospel and a Christ-honoring approach to homosexuals.

Carl Lentz’s Bold Statement on Dr. Oz: Look to the Designer of Life for Answers—Not Yourself

Megan Briggs

March 2, 2017

Famous television host and medical doctor Dr. Oz asked Carl Lentz to talk to his audience “not so much about the rules, but the energy, behind religion.” To which Lentz responded with a mini-sermon (under four minutes in length) where he challenged people to stop looking to themselves for answers and pray to the Designer of all of life.

Lentz opened by saying people in our day are desperate for answers. Evidenced by the fact that the most googled questions are: “Why am I here?” and “Where am I going?”

He then told a story about being lost in New York City (where he currently pastors Hillsong Church) as a newcomer. After a slew of wrong decisions, a helpful lady who was familiar with the city and the map helped him find his way. “It’s always better to find someone who knows the map better than you. We live in a world right now where people are trying to figure out this life without talking to the Designer.”

Relating the story to spirituality, Lentz explained, “When Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life,’ he wasn’t talking about a religion. He wasn’t talking about a social construct. He was talking about the King of heaven and earth giving you clues on where you need to go.” This sentiment seemed to be in response to Oz’s instruction not to talk “so much about the rules” of religion but “the energy” behind it. In a secular context, Lentz followed Oz’s cues and kept his message practical and encouraging.

As every good invitation-to-meet-Jesus conversation should include, Lentz made sure to tell everyone, “God loves people. God wants to help.”

He wrapped up his message with an encouraging challenge: “If I could encourage you to do one thing on your way out of here: Pray.”

Lentz left the audience with this thought: “A new diet will change your day. But praying to the King of heaven and earth will change your soul.”

This is not the first time Lentz has addressed a secular audience at the invitation of a popular celebrity. Last year, he spoke on Oprah’s show about the premise of Christianity.

You can watch Lentz’s message in its entirety here.

Free Sermon Package: “Finding Jesus”

Megan Briggs

March 1, 2017

Free Sermon Package

Download this three-week sermon series to share during the Easter season, based on the Finding Jesus series airing on CNN.

From Finding Jesus, “We discover fascinating new insights into the historical Jesus, utilizing the latest state-of-the-art scientific techniques and archaeological research. Each episode is filled with themes and questions that will lead to thought-provoking discussions with your congregation.”

You can view the trailer for the series, which begins Sunday, March 5th, below:

For members of your church who use the YouVersion Bible App, there is also a free 5-day devotional available.

The resource kit includes sermon outlines and corresponding program video illustrations:

Love and Pain
What’s In A Name?
The Road to Doubt & The Way of Faith

Get Download Now

Resource provided by Ministry Resources Online

Download Instructions: Follow the on-screen directions at the download site.

3 Things Every Young Leader Can Do Right Now

Josh Evans

March 1, 2017

There are so many good young leaders. If you do not think so, you need to subscribe to Thom Rainer’s blog. You can do so here. Jonathan Howe writes for Thom and does a regular young influencer list, and the list continues to grow.

Seminaries are full of young leaders who have tons of potential.

One of the biggest questions that young leaders ask is how do they lead up? How can they influence the leader over them.

Obviously they are young with little to no experience, but have a vision that at times surpasses the vision of their leader.

So, what can a young leader do right. I mean does this mean you just have to wait until you are the senior leader to really lead? Of course not. You can do something right now.

1. Be on time

Nothing frustrates me more than when I schedule an appointment with a young leader who is not on time.

If you want those that lead you to listen to you and your ideas, respect their time and be there on time.

Put the meeting on your calendar and plan to be there on time.

It is something that every young leader should be able to do. Don’t make being late a habit.

2. Process and debrief

Every young leader needs to process before attending any meeting.

The worst thing that a young leader can do is attend meetings without processing what will be discussed beforehand.

Process the meeting, and then attend the meeting with a notebook of your ideas.

This shows that you can contribute to the meeting.

Have you ever sat in a meeting and an idea comes to you spontaneously? You say it, and then everyone says that it is a terrible idea. Oh, just me? Well, if you haven’t, you probably will. It is usually because the spontaneous idea just came to you on the spot and you have not thought the idea through.

This is why processing ahead of time means you have time to think through your ideas and plans to contribute the best version of your idea.

Also, always debrief after the meeting. Spend more time processing about how you can effectively carry out whatever was discussed in the meeting.

3. Dedicate your time

Look, your organization or church believes in you! You would not be in your position if they didn’t.

So, give of your time!

Don’t make it frustrating for your boss or leader to find time to meet with you.

Don’t be “that guy” who only does the minimal requirement possible. As a leader who manages interns, those people are the least likely people that I will hire. Just FYI.

The best young leaders are those who give above and beyond the requirement. [Click to Tweet]

This makes your boss happy with you. This is how you will get a killer recommendation from your boss one day.

Dedicate your time to whatever it is you are hired to do.

I guarantee you that your boss and leader did not get where they are today by doing the bare minimum. They gave of their free time to contribute to where they are right now.

So you do the same!

Look, these are three simple things that every young leader can do right now to lead and lead up.

Why Worship Leaders Aren’t Cheerleaders

David Manner

March 1, 2017

If you’re familiar with cheerleading, then you understand its purpose is to generate spirit. It is scripted, coached, practiced and performed in order to rally enthusiasm, create energy and spawn excitement.

Cheerleading includes a variety of synchronized routines such as songs, dances, chants and stunts. The cheerleaders implement these various actions with three- to four-minute routines to work up or generate the spirit of the spectators. Some cheerleaders even admit their exuberance isn’t necessarily something they actually feel but instead something they put on, much like their facial makeup.

To motivate their congregation, worship leaders can sometimes display similar cheerleading traits.

But … worship leaders are not cheerleaders.

Worship leaders can’t generate the Spirit of God through their synchronized actions and song selections. Those actions might prompt, exhort, encourage or even prod more response to the Spirit but they can’t create it.

He has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light that we may declare His praises (1 Peter 2:9). The Father is seeking the kind of worshipers who worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23). We are responders to God’s calling and seeking, not originators of it.

So as good as our various worship routines might be, they will never work up enough enthusiasm, energy and emotion to create a Spirit that can only be recognized and responded to. We can acknowledge the Spirit, but we can’t generate it. We can respond to the Spirit, but we can’t initiate it. We can celebrate the Spirit, but we can’t create it.

Theologian Richard Foster wrote, “Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father. It is kindled within us only when the Spirit of God touches our human spirit. Forms and rituals do not produce worship, nor does the disuse of forms and rituals. We can use all the right methods, we can have the best possible liturgy, but we have not worshiped the Lord until His Spirit touches our spirit.”[1]

[1] Richard Foster, Celebration of Discipline (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1978).

Oh! The Stories You’ll Tell! Dr. Seuss and Three Storytelling Tips

Dan Scott

March 1, 2017

Dr. Seuss was a master storyteller.

Children’s ministry storytellers can learn hundreds of lessons from Dr. Seuss.

But that would take hours, and might make you flee!
So I’ll make myself brief, and give you the top three:

“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”
~Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham on a dare. The challenge was to write an early-reader book that kids would enjoy using a vocabulary of 50 words. When asked if it was easy to do, he replied, “A paragraph in a children’s book is like a chapter in an adult book. [I have] as much responsibility to take as much time and work just as hard as [adult writers] do.”

The Dr. prescribes…ERASERS!

We assume that because we’re talking to kids, we need to over-explain concepts. One of the most important tasks of the storyteller is editing. Use the most simple, active words to promote understanding and engagement. Every word you speak should serve a purpose. Don’t waste words.

“It is better to know how to learn than to know.” ~Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss’ Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! remains a powerful statement on the importance of helping kids learn how to think. When provided the tools to research and think about the world, kids will become lifelong learners able to succeed on tests, and more importantly, at life.

The Dr. prescribes…TOOL BELTS!

Much like the building blocks of literacy do not begin with Shakespeare; the building blocks of biblical literacy do not start with Aquinas and Luther. Instead, start with the basics kids need to build faith over time. Equip kids with some basic tools, and they’ll have the ability to figure out how to discover more!

“If you never did you should. These things are fun. And Fun is good.” ~Dr. Seuss

The Cat in the Hat caused quite a stir among educators when first published. Teachers were concerned that the cat caused too much trouble in a house where children were left at home and opted for the stale Dick and Jane books instead. Since 1957, educators have come to realize that enjoying the story is as important to literacy as phonetics and grammar.

The Dr. prescribes…FUN!

Enjoyment is part of the learning process. Whether it’s the story itself or the relationship between the storyteller and the audience, kids respond to fun. Fun releases dopamine in the brain that silently shouts, “MORE PLEASE!” If you want kids to return week after week, create a fun storytelling environment that invites them into the story.

Bonus!

“Read. Travel. Read. Ask. Read. Learn. Read. Connect. Read.” ~Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss knew that if he was going to write a story worth reading, he needed to understand his audience: KIDS. He studied the world through their eyes and helped them navigate difficult topics through stories that captured their imaginations, projecting what a better tomorrow could look like.

The Dr. prescribes…MICROSCOPES!

Do your homework. If you want to connect with kids, you need to become a student of their world—study how they think and what they face, find out what they like and find completely annoying. The more you know, the easier you’ll find pathways to connect God’s Word to their hearts.

This article originally appeared here.

4 Ways Pastors can Refill their Depleted Souls

Charles Stone

March 1, 2017

Have you ever felt depleted? As a pastor I have. Recently I heard the president of Heritage College and Seminary located near Toronto give an uplifting talk about how pastors can refill their depleted souls. He spoke at a monthly gathering of pastors and Christian business leaders in London, Ontario, where I serve as a pastor. With permission, I share his insights below.

Rick based his thoughts on this passage in the Gospel of Mark when Jesus Himself got away from the crowds.

35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36 Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37 and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” 38 Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else — to the nearby villages — so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” 39 So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons. (Mark 1.35-39)

Here are four ways Rick suggested that can refill a depleted soul.

Disengage from ministry demands.
- This passage said that Jesus did just that. Although fully God, Jesus was also fully human and got tired just like you and I get. The Scripture says that Jesus went to a desolate place. In other words, he removed himself from the hustle and bustle of ministry life. He separated himself from the crowds.
- Question to ponder: Do you take a day off when you truly disengage? Or, do you keep yourself tethered to your cell phone or your email ‘just in case’ someone needs you?
Seek communion with God.
- Notice that Jesus didn’t just get away from doing something (direct people ministry). But he disengaged so that He could engage more fully with His Father. We not only need to rest our bodies from the demands ministry places on us, but we need to fill our souls with spiritual nourishment.
- Question to ponder: Do you regularly engage with God’s Word simply to fill your soul? Or, do bible reading, reflection, and contemplation have an end game to give you material for your sermons?
Build supportive friendships.
- Rick noted that in other places in the Gospels Jesus often took aside his disciples when He withdrew from the crowds. Disengaging does not mean that every day off we spend in solitude. Occasionally that’s a good idea. But God uses friends to fill our souls as well. In this post I list several qualities to look for in a safe friend.
- Question to ponder: How many close friends do you have with whom you feel safe to share your joys and sorrows?
Focus on your God-given calling.
- Sometimes we pastors have bad weeks, really bad ones. People criticize us. Crises interfere with our study time. Offerings come in really low. When that has happened to me, I’ve taken great comfort and received renewed energy when I recall my call to ministry. I remind myself that then God calls us to vocational ministry, he provides everything we need. One simple practice has helped me do this. Two to three times a month when I plan my upcoming week, I review my personal mission statement and values. This simple practice reminds me to remember my calling when I experience a bad week. In this post I explain a process to help you refine your mission and personal values.
- Question to ponder: When was the last time you recalled your call to ministry?

Rick concluded his talk by noting that although we intuitively understand how to refuel ourselves, we often don’t do it. He challenged us to ask why we don’t. He suggested that these five issues often keep us from consistently refueling.

We need to be needed too much.
We undervalue our communion with God.
We overvalue what we can accomplish.
We confuse many relationships with deep relationships.
We can’t stand to disappoint people.

That simple talk that day reinforced my commitment to regularly refuel my soul.

What would add to either list?

Calling a New Pastor: 8 Ways to Avoid a Lemon

Joe McKeever

March 1, 2017

A news article on how to avoid buying a lemon when purchasing a car caught my eye. It gave the usual stuff such as reading the information on the window sticker, checking the maintenance record, studying the interior, the exterior, the tires, etc.

The thought occurred to me that there should be some equally dependable methods for churches to use in verifying the reliability of the new pastor they are considering. Veteran workers in the Lord’s vineyard all have their stories of churches that acted too hastily, of committees that did not do their background work or leaders who made a pastoral choice due to pressure from some strong individual, and the church paid a severe price for their errors.

There should be some foolproof way to guarantee that the new pastor is everything he claims to be and all the committee hopes and promises he is.

There isn’t.

Sorry. You thought I was going to give 10 iron-clad ways to get this absolutely right every time and guarantee that no pastoral candidate would ever be a dud? There is one huge reason why that cannot happen. To see what that is, skip all the way to the conclusion.

That said, however, there is much a pastoral search committee can do and should do in an attempt to successfully bring the best possible candidate to their church.

Here are my suggestions along that line…

One. Check his record, then check into it.

Do not assume that short-term pastorates prove anything, just as one pastorate of several decades proves something else. Check, verify, ask, listen.

You’d rather have more information than less. And never forget that old adage that says the best indicator of future performance is past behavior. He’s not going to change abruptly just because you turned over your pulpit to him.

Two. Interview him at length, then a few weeks later, do it again.

One interview is not enough. Not ever.

Criminal investigators do this with witnesses and suspects, to see if they have changed their story. Granted, you can’t very well grill a pastoral candidate like he/she is under investigation for criminal behavior, nor do you want to. But having a different committee member ask the same question at some later time would achieve much the same effect. This requires, of course, that some person or persons on the committee is keeping good notes of the candidate’s answers to questions.

Three. Talk to former staffers who worked with this pastor.

While it’s to be assumed that some former co-worker out there was terminated by the pastor and thus will have few good things to say about him, if the committee talks to several people who have worked under his supervision, a reliable picture should emerge.

In most cases, no one knows the pastor better than someone who has served on the staff with him for several years. So, once the pattern has been established by several interviews with former staffers, I suggest you take that to the bank.

Continue

You Seem Pretty Normal For a Pastor (Yes, That’s a Compliment)

Ron Edmondson

March 1, 2017

Everyone loves compliments—myself included. I received a compliment recently from someone who met me for the first time and it was so encouraging.

I met some visitors in the hall at church one Sunday. It was their first time and they didn’t know where the preschool area was, so I walked them there. (I actually took them in the preschool wing through the wrong doors, as I found out later, but I got them there. What do I know, right?) They didn’t realize until I got up to preach I was the pastor. The lady sent me an email the next week and apologized for inconveniencing me. I had actually told them that morning it was not a problem—I actually enjoyed helping them. Then she wrote, “I felt like you were just a nice person. I didn’t know you were a pastor!” She meant it—and I took it—as a compliment.

It reminded me of some of my favorite compliments I have received as a pastor.

Pastors, do any of these make you smile when you receive them?

Here are my seven favorite compliments to receive as a pastor:

“You hang out just like a regular guy,” or “You seem pretty normal for a pastor.”

Well, thank you. It may be because I pretty much am a regular guy. I am full of mistakes, fears, frustrations and heartache. I’m called to be holy—“set apart”—but, so are you. This doesn’t mean, however, I don’t know how to have fun, can’t laugh or talk about things you talk about—such as sports, families, current events or life struggles—which I have too.

By the way, as a normal, regular guy, I’m also capable of disappointing you. I hope I never do, but I am. It comes with being normal.

“I can understand you when you preach.”

Well, good I’ve succeeded. Of course, you could be saying I’m simple-minded, but I’d own that statement too. “Jesus loves me” still blows my mind. But, one of the things I strive to do is take a more complex truth and make it simple and easier to apply to someone’s life. When I hear a sixth grader takes notes in my messages and then I hear a person in their 80s say I challenged them—I know God is using me most effectively.

“I liked your speech today.”

This is always said by a visitor who has seldom—if ever—been in church. I hear it frequently from internationals, but also from people who simply don’t know church language. I love it. It shows we are reaching people far from God.

“You were speaking just to me today.”

It may appear this way and I’m glad you took it personally. Sometimes I’m staring into the crowd—and, because my eyes aren’t as good as they used to be—I can’t see anyone well. It always amazes me though how God can take one truth and apply it to a dozen different people in their individual circumstances. So, if the shoe fits with today’s message, please wear it. Probably, however, it is God’s Spirit trying to speak to you. My question—will you obey what God’s Spirit says to do?

Continue

Scowls, Snarls and Stares: How to Preach to a Tough Crowd

Brian Croft

March 1, 2017

I remember those early years in my struggling church were so hard to preach. It is hard enough to try to figure out who you are as a preacher, but to have to do it in a place where there felt like a general disinterest, even at times hostility, well…that is especially hard. Few ever brought a Bible and used it. I regularly stared at snarls and scowls from the pulpit for the first four to five years. I remember starting to struggle preaching to scowls so much that out of desperation I printed a message for myself and taped it on the top of the pulpit to stare at when I would preach. The message said this,

You don’t preach for the praise of man, but to declare the truth of God’s word. It is enough and a worthy, noble work to preach God’s word even if it is not seemingly received by the hearer.”

If you can’t find the joy in God’s word being proclaimed regardless of how the hearers respond, you won’t last long preaching, especially in a hostile church. We have to trust that God is at work using his word in numerous ways, even when we can’t see it. God’s word never returns void. Our calling is to preach. We are to leave the results to God.

God’s Spirit working through his word is indeed powerful, for 13 years later, there is no sweeter place for me to preach than this church where I once preached to snarls and scowls.

Federal Court to Decide Whether Prayers Before Public Meetings Are ‘Unconstitutional’

Megan Briggs

March 1, 2017

In 2013, when Peter Bormuth started attending county commissioner meetings in Jackson County, Michigan, he took offense over the fact that only Christian prayers were offered at the beginning of the meetings. While a three-judge panel ruled the practice unconstitutional in February 2017, the case is now being re-evaluated and moved to a federal appeals court.

The pivotal question this case asks is whether or not offering Christian-only prayers in public meetings is unconstitutional.

Bormuth started attending the meetings in Jackson County to discuss environmental concerns. He grew increasingly uncomfortable when he felt obligated to stand and participate in the prayers. Sixty-one-year-old Bormuth identifies as a pagan and felt the prayers sent the message that he had to participate in religion in order to speak to public officials.

Last year, Bormuth ran for a seat in Michigan’s House of Representatives. Running as a Democrat, the platform for his campaign focused on protecting a woman’s access to birth control (including abortion), protecting the environment and generally changing the climate in the “Christian Republican”-controlled capital of Lansing. Bormuth lost the race to Republican candidate Julie Alexander, who previously served on the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

According to the Associated Press, some are viewing Bormuth’s lawsuit over the prayers as an attack on Jesus Christ. One commissioner resorted to name-calling over the incident, calling Bormuth a “nitwit.”

After the original ruling by the three-judge panel in a lower court, instead of praying before their meeting, the Board of Commissioners in Jackson County held a moment of silence. However, the group is hopeful to be allowed to pray once again.

James “Steve” Shotwell Jr., chair of the Board, says the case is “not just a question of Christian speaking. It’s all people—a certain group of people who are elected and telling them they cannot hold an invocation.”

Six Leadership Development Truths Legos Teach

1. They don’t build themselves. No Lego set has ever spontaneously built itself.

2. It’s as much about the process as it is the destination. We’re having as much fun building the set as we will ever have with the set once it’s “done.”

3. The destination is vital. Without instructions, the Lego set is a bunch of mismatched pieces.

4. Improvisation is crucial. We’ve lost so many of those pieces. And a blue 2×2 just adds character where a light gray 2×2 should be.

5. There’s a special tool for when you make mistakes. I love that Lego assumes you’ll make mistakes.

6. It’s never done. There’s always another piece you can add to make it more awesome. And over time it breaks down, revealing more holes.

Parents and Teenagers – Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives

The Deal

What Matters Today?

Always-Pressing Question

The beast represents our fallen, sinful natures

Belle loves the Beast back to his true self

In conclusion, I humbly offer this suggestion to parents

Free Sermon Package

1. Be on time

2. Process and debrief

3. Dedicate your time

“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.” ~Dr. Seuss

The Dr. prescribes…ERASERS!

“It is better to know how to learn than to know.” ~Dr. Seuss

The Dr. prescribes…TOOL BELTS!

“If you never did you should. These things are fun. And Fun is good.” ~Dr. Seuss

The Dr. prescribes…FUN!

“Read. Travel. Read. Ask. Read. Learn. Read. Connect. Read.” ~Dr. Seuss

The Dr. prescribes…MICROSCOPES!

Here are my seven favorite compliments to receive as a pastor:

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“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”
~Dr. Seuss