Over at Christianity Today online, Brandon O'Brien (assistant editor for Leadership Magazine) has an article on the new men's ministries that are making the rounds in evangelical Christianity (read it here). The ministries were spawned in response to several books written about the dearth of men in churches. Most of the books seem to agree that men are not attracted to Jesus or the church because both have been overrun by feminine thinking. O'Brien is somewhat critical of the men's ministries because they separate men from women and they tend to be a little over the top. Here's my response.
These men's ministries (IMHO) make two mistakes. One is that they allow current sinful testosterone to take over. Instead of asking what God wants in a spiritual man, they tend to let go with how men are currently. Listening to some of the clips that introduce these ministries or churches will quickly educate you. A quick run through the Bible will indicate how God wants men to act as his children. Allowing male testosterone to be the guide is what got many men into trouble.
The second mistake is in not looking more carefully at the masculinity of Jesus. I don't see Jesus as a chest-thumping, loud, overly-aggressive, out-of-control male. Instead he delineates what a true man is all about by showing what true spirituality is all about.
David Murrow's book (Why Men Hate Going to Church ) seems to have launched much of the literature and ministries aimed at men. However, his book wasn't a call to separate men from women, to have separate ministries for men, nor to let male desires run wild. Instead he recommends that the church create ministries that allow men to work together to help others (e.g. Saturday morning auto repair for single moms, widows, and other ladies without men). Ministries that allow men to work together as a team keep the focus off of the men themselves and on others. Men as sons of God should be other-centered and not self-centered or male-centered.
Churches do need to rethink how to appeal to men in order to get men back in the body of Christ. But churches need to make sure that it is God who runs the show and not imperfect males.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
Demographics
Are you interested in the makeup of your area? Here is a cool web site called ZipSkinny that gives you the demographic breakdown of your zip code and the zip codes around you. I've checked it out for the three zips around me and it appears to be relatively accurate. If you plug in your zip you get seven tabs: Basic Info, Charts (the basic info by charts), Comparison with other zips, schools, map, build a widget, and About ZipSkinny. The information is based on the Census 2000 data and you can access that information here. If you do check it out leave me a comment about the accuracy or inaccuracy of what you find. You might find this info helpful if you want to do a mass mailing or door knocking (yes some churches still door knock).
Thursday, April 17, 2008
A Better Way?
I'm sure many of you have read about the teens in Polk County, Florida who allegedly lured another teen girl to a house and then proceeded to beat her while capturing the violent scenes on video for possible uploading to You Tube. There have been many incidents in which teens have done crazy things for You Tube. Currently the media and other "experts" are wondering whether or not You Tube and other web sites like it are encouraging this sort of behavior. The discussion isn't really any different when the subject is the violent video games that are popular today. The teens allegedly involved in this latest violent reality filming have been prevented by the judge from watching You Tube and engaging in any chat rooms. I'm sure some see this as a step forward. I know many religious folk would like to see such things as You Tube and video games banned altogether. I'm not sure that is really the better way to handle this situation and others like it. Don't get me wrong, I wish such stuff didn't exist at all in our country. However, is using governmental power to banish really the better way?
I receive each Monday morning an email from Roy Williams (the Wizard of Ads which you can read here). To shorten his memo just a bit, he claims that we all have a "guide pattern" and a "challenge pattern." The guide pattern is our world view. The challenge pattern is the problem we are trying to solve. We all use our guide pattern to help us solve our challenge pattern. His illustration is a jigsaw puzzle. The picture on the box is our guide pattern and the challenge is figuring out how the pieces fit together. Without that guide pattern it would be almost impossible to put that puzzle together.
These teen girls had a problem, another teen girl who was taunting them. Their guide pattern was apparently other You tube videos. So they allegedly lured her into a trap where they could film themselves solving their challenge and following their guide pattern. If they had another guide pattern their solution would have been different.
Since our country is slowly pushing out the guide pattern that has been here since our country's inception, it is no wonder that teens (and adults) are creating a guide pattern from video games and the Internet. We will all fill our lives with a guide pattern because that becomes our identity.
Jesus told the story (Luke 11:24-26) of an unclean spirit that goes out of a man. The spirit cannot find another resting place so he comes back to the man. He finds the house (the man) swept and in order but empty. He finds 7 other spirits more evil and they come and inhabit the man. His state is worse than the first. People today need the gospel desperately and we as God's people need to help them find the right guide pattern for lives.
I receive each Monday morning an email from Roy Williams (the Wizard of Ads which you can read here). To shorten his memo just a bit, he claims that we all have a "guide pattern" and a "challenge pattern." The guide pattern is our world view. The challenge pattern is the problem we are trying to solve. We all use our guide pattern to help us solve our challenge pattern. His illustration is a jigsaw puzzle. The picture on the box is our guide pattern and the challenge is figuring out how the pieces fit together. Without that guide pattern it would be almost impossible to put that puzzle together.
These teen girls had a problem, another teen girl who was taunting them. Their guide pattern was apparently other You tube videos. So they allegedly lured her into a trap where they could film themselves solving their challenge and following their guide pattern. If they had another guide pattern their solution would have been different.
Since our country is slowly pushing out the guide pattern that has been here since our country's inception, it is no wonder that teens (and adults) are creating a guide pattern from video games and the Internet. We will all fill our lives with a guide pattern because that becomes our identity.
Jesus told the story (Luke 11:24-26) of an unclean spirit that goes out of a man. The spirit cannot find another resting place so he comes back to the man. He finds the house (the man) swept and in order but empty. He finds 7 other spirits more evil and they come and inhabit the man. His state is worse than the first. People today need the gospel desperately and we as God's people need to help them find the right guide pattern for lives.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
I met Matt Dabbs!
Today I hosted our area wide preacher's meeting. Attending was Matt Dabbs. Matt and I met through the blog world back in 2006. We've been visiting each other's blogs and saying we should get together. Well a couple of preachers from the Tampa area have been coming to the meeting and have encouraged Matt to come. Finally he does and we meet. We had a great meeting and what a blessing it was to actually hear Matt's voice and listen to him share out of his spiritual knowledge. Then we got to have lunch together. We all ate at a Mexican place here in Mt. Dora. A great day. Hopefully we will have other opportunities to get to know each other.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Good enough for now
You Are Apple Pie |
 You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional. You prefer things the way you've always known them. You'll admit that you're old fashioned, and you don't see anything wrong with that. Your tastes and preferences are classic. And classic never goes out of style. Those who like you crave security. People can rely on you to be true to yourself - and true to them. You're loyal, trustworthy, and comfortable in your own skin. And because of these qualities, you've definitely earned a lot of respect. |
Not quite what I want
You Are 7 Up |
 Understated and subtle, people warm up to you slowly. But once they're hooked, they can't imagine going back to anyone else! Your best soda match: Diet Coke Stay away from: Mountain Dew |
Saturday, April 05, 2008
More on Jesus, me, and the church
Let's get something straight. The first century church WAS NOT PERFECT! In fact they were just as much the sinners as we are today. Don't try to tell me that the reason for our "image" problem today is because we aren't as good as they were. And that they way to cure it is by better behavior on our part. And don't try to tell me that the church in the first century were such darlings that everyone loved them and they always did the right thing. They weren't loved by everyone - they were often persecuted. They didn't always do the right thing. They needed chastisement often got it by a letter from an apostle or prophet.
The church at Rome was divided between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. Apparently there was some judging going on that wasn't all that pleasant (Rom.14-15). Paul had to set them straight. And let's not forget that Paul and Barnabas had a rather LARGE spat concerning John Mark. The church at Corinth was quite divided. There are at least four groups that we know of. They were quite egotistical about their gifts and who knows what else. We won't even get into the Galatian error. Regardless of what that error entailed, Paul was pretty mad about it. He didn't have anything good to say to them in the letter. The Philippians had a couple of ladies arguing. I'm reasonably sure that their argument is probably bigger than we realize otherwise Paul wouldn't have dealt with it. The church at Ephesus had some elders who would begin to devour the flock. Later Jesus in Revelation says that the church at Ephesus was way too interested in putting people down than loving them. The church at Thyatira tolerated sin and the one encouraging the sin. The Laodiceans were quite self-sufficient. They didn't need anyone - including Jesus. The church at Saris was hung up on their past reputation and were dead to the present. Don't forget that Peter was confronted by Paul and stood condemned for his actions in Antioch.
And yet the problem is us. As Paul told those who trusted in The Law (Romans 2:17-24) that their inconsistent behavior was causing the Gentiles to blaspheme God. Those outside of Christ will blaspheme the name of our savior because of our inconsistency and sin. But we will always be sinners. Those before us were sinners, and those after us will be sinners. Our sin will always get in the way. We will never overcome the fact that we are imperfect. So the way to overcome this is not by telling us how good the first century church was. We need to focus on our savior and Lord. We need a healthy dose of his grace and how to be gracious to others. We need to keep our eyes and ears on the Word that God graciously brings to us and heed what it says.
We will always have disagreements. We will always have people dividing who think they are right in their beliefs. We will always fail under the scrutiny of the world. And yet if we realize that we are sinners we will seek a power outside ourselves (2Cor.4:7; 1Cor.2:1-5). We will seek the one who can make us adequate (2Cor.3:4-6). So we are the problem and the solution. But we are only the solution as we trust in Christ. Praise to the one who is perfect on our behalf.
The church at Rome was divided between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. Apparently there was some judging going on that wasn't all that pleasant (Rom.14-15). Paul had to set them straight. And let's not forget that Paul and Barnabas had a rather LARGE spat concerning John Mark. The church at Corinth was quite divided. There are at least four groups that we know of. They were quite egotistical about their gifts and who knows what else. We won't even get into the Galatian error. Regardless of what that error entailed, Paul was pretty mad about it. He didn't have anything good to say to them in the letter. The Philippians had a couple of ladies arguing. I'm reasonably sure that their argument is probably bigger than we realize otherwise Paul wouldn't have dealt with it. The church at Ephesus had some elders who would begin to devour the flock. Later Jesus in Revelation says that the church at Ephesus was way too interested in putting people down than loving them. The church at Thyatira tolerated sin and the one encouraging the sin. The Laodiceans were quite self-sufficient. They didn't need anyone - including Jesus. The church at Saris was hung up on their past reputation and were dead to the present. Don't forget that Peter was confronted by Paul and stood condemned for his actions in Antioch.
And yet the problem is us. As Paul told those who trusted in The Law (Romans 2:17-24) that their inconsistent behavior was causing the Gentiles to blaspheme God. Those outside of Christ will blaspheme the name of our savior because of our inconsistency and sin. But we will always be sinners. Those before us were sinners, and those after us will be sinners. Our sin will always get in the way. We will never overcome the fact that we are imperfect. So the way to overcome this is not by telling us how good the first century church was. We need to focus on our savior and Lord. We need a healthy dose of his grace and how to be gracious to others. We need to keep our eyes and ears on the Word that God graciously brings to us and heed what it says.
We will always have disagreements. We will always have people dividing who think they are right in their beliefs. We will always fail under the scrutiny of the world. And yet if we realize that we are sinners we will seek a power outside ourselves (2Cor.4:7; 1Cor.2:1-5). We will seek the one who can make us adequate (2Cor.3:4-6). So we are the problem and the solution. But we are only the solution as we trust in Christ. Praise to the one who is perfect on our behalf.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Jesus yes, church no
My favorite day of the week is Sunday. I love being with my current congregation here at Mt. Dora. In fact I have enjoyed each congregation I've worked with - Lompoc, CA; Randolph, NJ; Tabernacle, NJ. I enjoy the fellowship, the classes, preaching, and saying hi to everyone. Yes there are piddling things that annoy me but overall I wouldn't change a thing. I enjoy the diversity of thinking and the interchange that takes place. I'm sure that if I tried to change the things that annoy me I would mess up the whole church.
Apparently not everyone is happy about "their church." There is a new book out called They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from emerging generations by Dan Kimball. The title really tells it all. The church in general is not well liked these days. Over at Out of Ur (a blog at ChristianityToday.com by Leadership Journal), Skye Jethani discusses "They love the church but not the institution" which you can read here for part one and here for part two. He tries to divide the church as community from the church as organization. It's a similar discussion I've heard as to the difference between manager and leader. The manager is concerned about finances, projects, and deadlines. The leader is concerned about people and their direction. I think Jethani and Kimball are saying something similar about the church. The hierarchy is concerned about programs, finances, attendance, and the building. But the church should be about the people serving God. I can understand why some are unhappy with what they see but I can also see why some are not unhappy.
There is no doubt that the people who lead the church today (our fellowship and the denominational world) have a different mind set than say 50 years ago. We have been infected by the business and consumer model mind set. Which has it's good and bad points. Some churches are way to business-oriented. But some churches aren't business-oriented enough. When some look at the church in general they see unfeeling, uncaring people only concerned about numbers and not the community environment of the first century. Plus the media is constantly watching for the next scandal. And scandals will come. But that is the point, the church is inhabited by imperfect people who still sin and who don't always choose the best ways to lead a local church.
Bonhoeffer surprised me in his book, Life Together, about Christian community because he basically says that we have no right to impose our own view of the church on each other. He says, "That dismisses once and for all every clamorous desire for something more (p.26)." We instead ought to be grateful that we have fellowship with each other.
Bonhoeffer seems to be saying that way to often we have our own idea of how the church should work and we spend too much time trying to mold the church into our image. Here's why Bonhoeffer says what he says.
The foundation of our life together should be grounded in Jesus and his finished work for us. We should then recognize that our unity constitutes a witness to the world (John 17:20-21). When we are one the world recognizes that God has indeed acted in the world. The church should also recognize that when we act improperly the world criticizes God because of our behavior (Romans 2:22-24). We should also realize that even when arguments cause us to separate God can still use us for His purposes and glory (Acts 15:36-40). We have too many who are unhappy about the way things are and try to change them. We have too many who want to keep things the way they are. Let the church be the same and let the church change. Maybe my tolerance level is too high but Jesus is still head of the church and Bob is still just a part.
Apparently not everyone is happy about "their church." There is a new book out called They Like Jesus but Not the Church: Insights from emerging generations by Dan Kimball. The title really tells it all. The church in general is not well liked these days. Over at Out of Ur (a blog at ChristianityToday.com by Leadership Journal), Skye Jethani discusses "They love the church but not the institution" which you can read here for part one and here for part two. He tries to divide the church as community from the church as organization. It's a similar discussion I've heard as to the difference between manager and leader. The manager is concerned about finances, projects, and deadlines. The leader is concerned about people and their direction. I think Jethani and Kimball are saying something similar about the church. The hierarchy is concerned about programs, finances, attendance, and the building. But the church should be about the people serving God. I can understand why some are unhappy with what they see but I can also see why some are not unhappy.
There is no doubt that the people who lead the church today (our fellowship and the denominational world) have a different mind set than say 50 years ago. We have been infected by the business and consumer model mind set. Which has it's good and bad points. Some churches are way to business-oriented. But some churches aren't business-oriented enough. When some look at the church in general they see unfeeling, uncaring people only concerned about numbers and not the community environment of the first century. Plus the media is constantly watching for the next scandal. And scandals will come. But that is the point, the church is inhabited by imperfect people who still sin and who don't always choose the best ways to lead a local church.
Bonhoeffer surprised me in his book, Life Together, about Christian community because he basically says that we have no right to impose our own view of the church on each other. He says, "That dismisses once and for all every clamorous desire for something more (p.26)." We instead ought to be grateful that we have fellowship with each other.
Just at this point Christian brotherhood is threatened more often at the very start by the greatest danger of all, the danger of being poisoned at its root, the danger of confusing Christian brotherhood with some wishful idea of religious fellowship, of confounding the natural desire of the devout heart for community with the spiritual reality of Chrisitian brotherhood. (p.26)
Bonhoeffer seems to be saying that way to often we have our own idea of how the church should work and we spend too much time trying to mold the church into our image. Here's why Bonhoeffer says what he says.
Not what a man is in himself as a Christian, his spirituality and piety, constitutes the basis of our community. What determines our brotherhood is what that man is by reason of Christ. Our community with one another consists solely in what Christ has done to both of us. (p.25)
The foundation of our life together should be grounded in Jesus and his finished work for us. We should then recognize that our unity constitutes a witness to the world (John 17:20-21). When we are one the world recognizes that God has indeed acted in the world. The church should also recognize that when we act improperly the world criticizes God because of our behavior (Romans 2:22-24). We should also realize that even when arguments cause us to separate God can still use us for His purposes and glory (Acts 15:36-40). We have too many who are unhappy about the way things are and try to change them. We have too many who want to keep things the way they are. Let the church be the same and let the church change. Maybe my tolerance level is too high but Jesus is still head of the church and Bob is still just a part.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Redeeming Movies
Christianity Today Online has a list of 2007's 10 most redeeming movies. It is located here. We haven't seen many movies this past year. In fact we did not see any of these 10 movies. The list included honorable mention movies and we had only seen 1 - Spider Man 3. So what movies did you see this past year you thought others who are Christians might want to see?
Monday, February 11, 2008
Global Warming?
I thought that no matter what your view on global warming (or climate change) you might enjoy this video. Don't take things too seriously when you watch this.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
The Things We Do For Show
Tom, my friend and brother in Christ in South Jersey, had some fun with the photo I posted below. You see Tom was jealous. I live in paradise and he lives in snow, cold, and miserable weather. Seriously, Tom is pretty creative so he altered my photo. He couldn't leave well enough alone, he had to "show" off. :-) Thanks Tom, I miss you.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Bob the Builder
It was Bob The Builder Day at the Harden Early Children Center here at Mt. Dora Bible School. As you can see I fit right in with 4 and 5 year olds. The kids know me as "Mr. Bob" so it wasn't much of a stretch for me to play the part of Bob The Builder at their Bob The Builder Day. One of the parents runs a rental center and he brought a couple of machines (a skip loader and a roller) for the kids to climb on during the day. I really enjoy spending time with the kids at chapel and other special events. I also get to meet parents at special events as well. I'm hoping my time with them will one day open opportunities with their families for sharing the gospel. Until then, I'm having fun!
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
The Things We Do For Love
Pat has a special love for Christmas time. Even though I'm not necessarily as enthusiastic about all the holiday trimmings I try to make sure that I do what I can to make her pleased. One of the trimmings she really loves is icicle lights around the house. I'm not fond of heights. Being up on a roof makes me nervous. In South Jersey our roof wasn't very steep so I got used to it. Our roof here in Florida is rather steep and I'm nervous just being on it. But add in putting up lights and I'm even more so. Fortunately only a short portion of the roof requires that I actually get on the roof to hang lights. I'm sure over time I will get used to this roof. But for now I do it for love. I want my DW to have a good time each year during the holidays. So I've re-titled the song "The Things I Do For Pat."
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Tin Man
Did anyone see the SciFi Channel's miniseries, Tin Man? I didn't get a chance to watch it when it first debuted but I did record and we just finished watching it. The series gets a BIG thumps up from me. If you haven't seen it and like fantasy and science fiction, you'll like this movie, miniseries.
You can read more about it at SciFi.com. The movie is a modern day retelling of The Wizard of Oz. I didn't really like The Wizard of Oz but I definitely liked Tin Man. The writers, producers, and director have creatively used the images and symbols from the past movie to make this one. You will find the names of cities, people, and objects in the new but sometimes used in a slightly different way. This movie is longer and probably more intricate. I thought is was superbly done, well acted, and had terrific action and drama. The twist is in Dorothy's identity. It is worth your time (6 hours unless you have a commercial skip button). If you saw it let me know what you thought of it.
You can read more about it at SciFi.com. The movie is a modern day retelling of The Wizard of Oz. I didn't really like The Wizard of Oz but I definitely liked Tin Man. The writers, producers, and director have creatively used the images and symbols from the past movie to make this one. You will find the names of cities, people, and objects in the new but sometimes used in a slightly different way. This movie is longer and probably more intricate. I thought is was superbly done, well acted, and had terrific action and drama. The twist is in Dorothy's identity. It is worth your time (6 hours unless you have a commercial skip button). If you saw it let me know what you thought of it.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Blondes and Images
A new study (which you can read about here) shows that it is not blondes who are actually dumb but people who look at blondes or pictures of blondes. In the study men were shown pictures of blondes and then given a general-knowledge test. They scored below par on the test. The article doesn't describe what "below par" means but I guess we are supposed to intuitively get the meaning. I've noticed in the past that men tend to act "stupider" in the presence of a blonde (usually trying to impress her) but had never expected that we men would also be affected by a mere picture. Women also scored lower on the test when shown the same pictures. The purpose of the study was to show how we react to stereotypes and cultural beliefs. To some degree the study suggests we become what we believe about what we are viewing. You need to read that sentence carefully.
I wonder if this is part of the reason why God prohibited images being made of Him? If we tend to act according to our beliefs when viewing pictures of blondes, then viewing an image of a god should also affect us as well. Although this study is probably not considered all that scientific by some in the know, I wonder if there isn't at least some truth to the conclusions drawn by the researchers.
If we do not use images of God then He remains invisible, mysterious, powerful, spiritual, transcendent, and sovereign. With an image He becomes manageable. Interesting how a study about how people view blondes can make you think about our relationship to God.
I wonder if this is part of the reason why God prohibited images being made of Him? If we tend to act according to our beliefs when viewing pictures of blondes, then viewing an image of a god should also affect us as well. Although this study is probably not considered all that scientific by some in the know, I wonder if there isn't at least some truth to the conclusions drawn by the researchers.
If we do not use images of God then He remains invisible, mysterious, powerful, spiritual, transcendent, and sovereign. With an image He becomes manageable. Interesting how a study about how people view blondes can make you think about our relationship to God.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Bob's Reading Level
Get a Cash Advance
So what does this mean? I guess it means I'm smarter than a fifth grader.Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Jesus' Mighty Men
I was writing an article for the bulletin on Veteran's Day. I used 2Samuel 23:8-38 for honoring our military. I don't know whether or not it's an exact parallel but I thought it close enough. As I was writing the article and reading the text, it struck me that the text mentions two groups of David's men, the thirty and the Three. Several men have a name almost of the Three but they are not of the Three. This got me to thinking about Jesus' three - Peter, James, and John. I wonder if the Gospels are hinting that Jesus has his three just as David did? I don't think I've ever read anything that draws a parallel between David and Jesus in this regard. Has anyone ever read anything that suggests this? Has anyone ever thought of this parallel?
These three get more mention in the Gospels than any of the other apostles. They also are the one's that Jesus generally takes with him on special occasions (like the Transfiguration). Peter gets to preach the first gospel proclamation. James is the first to die in persecution. John gets to hang around and probably is the last to die. They do seem to occupy a special place in the body of Christ. So are they Jesus' Three?
These three get more mention in the Gospels than any of the other apostles. They also are the one's that Jesus generally takes with him on special occasions (like the Transfiguration). Peter gets to preach the first gospel proclamation. James is the first to die in persecution. John gets to hang around and probably is the last to die. They do seem to occupy a special place in the body of Christ. So are they Jesus' Three?
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Meet the Beatles
Last Saturday Pat, Loni, and I got to see the Beatles in concert. Not really, it was a tribute band called Revolution. You can read about their story here. The concert was sponsored by the Mount Dora Music Festival. You can read about the festival here. Mount Dora is renovating an old theater into a "concert boutique." They hope to extend the theater's seating and turn it into a really nice place for concerts.
This concert was unique in that probably 85% of the people were over 50. There were a few young adults and even some teens but mostly baby boomers trying to remember the glory years of the 60s. The band really did a good job of playing the Beatles' songs just the way the Beatles did. The first half of the concert was the early Beatles. Then they came out dressed in Sgt. Pepper outfits and did later stuff by the Beatles. What a great time we had listening to the Beatles.
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