Who are you trying to please?

Hey readers! I know it has been a while (like 2 months) since I have posted anything but I decided to begin putting more focus on my Youth lessons for church. And with new Sunday School material I had to spend a lot of time figuring out the best way to present it so that the students grasped it and made it their own. But now I am hopefully back to blogging on a consistent basis.

I live in North Arkansas and since Christmas we have had tons of snow and ice and just downright bad weather. We have had to cancel church services more in the last 2 months than I have seen cancelled the rest of my life. And I will admit I am downright miserable because of all the snow. But it got me to thinking. When it is summer finally comes, will it be the same people complaining about the heat? Or in Spring complaining about the bugs? Or in Fall having to rake leaves? For some people they will never be happy.

Now to pull it out of left field (which reminds me baseball season is on its way!) it really got me thinking about pleasing people. And a major question came to my mind. As a minister do I need to please people? Does the church exist to please people?

There are 3 main problems that I see in churches today:

Entertaining People

In youth minister their is a constant struggle between doing games and activities to draw students in and having enough meat (the gospel) for it to be beneficial. In a perfect world people would come to just because of their thriving to know more about Christ, but in my small town that just isn't the case. When I first arrived here I was the first "Youth Pastor" at this church. There were parents and leaders that volunteered but none that had a calling as a minister. The first thing that slammed me in the face was the reason the students came. It was a place to hangout, play games, and see your friends with a short lesson tacked on the end. 75% of the night was for games and hangout and the last was for the bible lesson. And I am here to tell you that it has taken almost 2 years to overcome that mindset. To me church is not a social gathering. To me church is about coming to learn more about Christ. If the church is simply here to entertain people we are failing as a church. The church of Acts was not together to simply entertain. They had a purpose, and that purpose was to tell the world about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Why should our purpose today be any different?

Easy Lessons

"How can something be a legit move of God when the preaching is you finding your purpose rather than repenting of your sins & being forgiven?"

 
I believe that lessons and sermons should be hard to swallow. Easy lessons about how to live a better life and 3 points that we need to follow are not what church is about. On twitter this morning Chris Rosebrough (@piratechristian) tweeted "How can something be a legit move of God when the preaching is you finding your purpose rather than repenting of your sins & being forgiven?" When did the point of a sermon shift from what Christ did for us to how we now should live? If our focus is on giving our life fully to Christ, then how we live will closely follow. Most church going Christians would agree that the focus of church service should be on Christ and the cross. Chris also points out "How can a sermon be Christ-Centered and cross-focused if Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross are never even mentioned?" We wonder why small town churches are dying away? Because there is no emphasis on the gospel message it is all about how to live a "more" christian life.

Too much "Fellowship"

Now I will start this by saying, I am a Baptist and I like my potlucks and fellowship suppers, and that is not what I am talking about. Sunday morning service has become to much of a social gathering. At my church we have "shaking hands time" in the middle of the service where we get up and spend at least 5 minutes walking about and shaking hands with everyone that we have just finished shaking hands with when we came in. To me it takes away from the worship and the meaning of our service. Don't get me wrong I am a very social person, but I do not think that in the middle of worship is the time to get up and visit. I also know people who come to church just to see people. They don't come to be fed the word of God they come to socialize. And the argument "Well at least they are hear and hearing the word" to me is invalid. If you come to socialize you are not going to pay attention during the sermon. If your heart is not at church to worship and learn about God you are just not going to do it.

I know this is all about what is wrong with the church, and not much on solutions on how to do it better, but sometimes just pointing out problems can cause people to reevaluate their purpose for church. It can really be summed up in this, Church is not about us. Church is about God. I pray that you will be the one to stand up and make a difference and let's get back to the purpose of the church of Acts. To bring the Gospel of Christ to a lost and dying world.

Just my thoughts,
Tyler

New Year Revolutions??

The new year brings about many things. But one that seems to come around every year (at least for the first month or two) are New Year Resolutions. Why do we set high goals for ourselves and then 6 weeks later completely give them up?

For New Years this year I took our group of students to a "Lock-in and Rock-out." It was a get together for the entire community and the sponsoring group brought in the band "Hardie Avenue." During one of the breaks the lead singer shared his testimony and a few steps to follow to live a life of Christian faith. This post is loosely based around the testimony that he gave. I think those steps can easily be applied to life as we set and hope to achieve our new year resolutions as well as enhance our faith in Christ.

Small Steps
Why do we have to set goals that are so high we will never achieve them? When you have a baby, you don't go out and celebrate by buying him a huge steak. You don't take them out to run a marathon the day they start to walk. Why are our lives any different? You have to be realistic. One example I have seen in my time as a student minister is a young person accepting what Christ did for them on the cross and starting a new life in Him. That same student is filled with the fire and excitement of Christ and they think they are going to change the world and bring revival to all their friends, so they set out to try a week after coming to know Christ. Then one of their friends rejects their new found relationship, and the student's faith is shaken a little. The next day they go to someone else and share what Christ has done for him, that person just ignores the student, and their faith is shaken a little more. Finally a week later then have decided they are going to tell their parents the wonderful news and try to convince them to start going to church. The student is just dismissed by their unbelieving parents. The spiritual high the student was on is suddenly gone. They tried to go out and conquer mountains right after beginning to walk. Our Christian faith has to grow and be developed. I'm not saying what the student did was wrong, I wish more students would be bold in sharing their faith, I am saying that we have to take small steps. Same goes for our resolutions, don't say you're going to work out every single day this year. Or say you're going to lose 30 lbs this year. Start small with I'm going to work our twice a week at least. Or I'm going to lose 5 lbs this month. You will find yourself more motivated by the smaller short term goals than the big resolutions.

Pay attention

One of the biggest regrets in March is that people forgot what their new years resolutions were. We set them in January and then in February we are focused on one maybe two that we are still keeping and by March most have completely forgotten the resolutions they made. This is another that relates directly to our Christian faith. In order for our faith to grow we need to have goals. One of mine includes sharing my testimony with a certain number of people a month. The number changes based on how well I did the previous month. A goal that me and my wife have set this year is to read our Bible more together. Talking about the Bible with other people goes a long way in helping you grow. As far as new year resolutions go, having someone remind you and keep you accountable can go a long way in helping you not only remember but achieve your goals. Another suggestion that I have found is extremely helpful to many students is write them down and post them somewhere you see them daily. The more you think about your goals and resolutions the more likely you are to uphold them.

Small Achievements

I am the type of person who gets motivated by completing something. I might even say I have OCD (Obsessive Completion Disorder). Over the Christmas break my wife and her sister started a 2000 piece puzzle in our living room. They got the outside edges done before the break was over. After her sister left we could have just picked it up and put it away, but something in my mind told me we needed to complete it. Well a week later we finally finished it and I felt successful. It really helps me to set short term goals that I know I can reach to build motivation for the harder, bigger goals. As I mentioned before I like to set weekly or monthly goals to help achieve the larger resolutions.

Don't look back, keep looking forward

One thing that Yuri, the lead singer, said that stuck with me was, "Your past is your past, do not cling to it overcome it." We all have a past. There was a point sometime in our life when we did not know Christ. When we set resolutions one major reason we do not keep them is discouragement. We set goals to work out twice a week, and a week goes by and we didn't work out at all. The next week it becomes a little bit harder because that perfect record has a scratch on it. If we set a resolution to not eat any ice cream in 2014 (as if anybody would even try), then on January 5th we give into our old ways and have a bowl of ice cream, our resolution and confidence are both on edge. However, we need to view each day as a new day and not look backwards towards our failures. In our Christian life Christ came to forgive our sins. He died for all the things you did yesterday (and the things you will do today and tomorrow) so put them in your past and become a new person.

So basically I think new year resolutions can be a good thing as look as we also apply those principles to our Christian faith year round.

God Bless Y'all,
Tyler
 
 P.S - I set a goal for myself to write at least one post a week, and here I am on the last day of the first week. Gonna be a good year!

Twas the Day before Christmas

First I want to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas! I pray that God keeps you safe as you travel and as you eat to much. May God turn all those cookies and pies to carrots and spinach on the way down. Merry Christmas.

The saying "reason for the season" is almost as popular as Merry Christmas this time of the year. Okay maybe not but it is still a popular saying. We remember that we celebrate Christmas as the birth of Jesus Christ. It was the day that He voluntarily left the great halls in Heaven to come to a shabby and lowly earth to live among us. We remember that He was born in a little manger with nothing but animals watching. We remember that Christmas is a time of Love and Peace because Christ came to save the world that night.

But we cannot simply remember His birth, we have to also remember His death. The reason He was born was to die so that we may live. We remember baby Jesus as this cute and cuddly baby, we also have to think of His blood that would be shed for our sin. The beating and humiliation that He faced for each of us. Not only is Jesus Christ the reason for the season but the season was for a reason, He was born to die.

So as you are unwrapping presents that are under your tree, do not forget the ultimate present that Christ gave us on the tree on Calvary. He died so that we can have abundant life. So as you remember how Christ came to save the world, remember He did it for you and for me. It is our sin that caused Him to be born in a manger and it was our sin that caused Him to die on the cross. And for that I am forever thankful.

Have a great Christmas! May God Bless every single one of you!

Tyler


Extra: Here is a little Christmas cheer. I love Christmas music and this might be the best one out there! This is  video made me laugh so hard. I just wanted to pass it along to you guys. Please enjoy.

What is even the point?

If you are anything like me you have found yourself of Facebook wondering, "What is the point of Facebook?" There have been many times that I have opened Facebook and while scrolling down through my news feed filled with pictures, memes, and advertisements and wondered why Facebook even exists. Maybe you are with me?

 I've taken the last week or two really pay attention to how my friends are using Facebook. With the exception of yesterday's explosion of support and hate for Phil Robertson, very few people are actually posting "status updates." When I first joined Facebook it was to keep up with what my friends (real world people that I actually knew) were doing. It was truly only a social network. It was private and I could post status updates and know exactly who saw them. Now days I'm not even sure who all sees my updates.

One of my many pet peeves with Facebook is that anyone can join and many people have 2, 3, 4 or more personal pages. When I first signed up you either had to have school email address ending in .edu, or you had to be invited by someone already on Facebook that could prove you were really part of your school. Then it expanded to include jobs. Then it grew more and made you pick the "community" you were a part of. And now all it asks for is an email address which you can get as many as you want for free.

So what is the true purpose of Facebook? Facebook claims the site is to "reinforce pre-existing social connections, not build large groups of new ones." I do not believe that getting 50 game invites from my friends is reinforcing any social connections. It is also hard to further develop relationships through Facebook when I am not sure who all is seeing my posts. If I share a story or thought on somebody's "timeline," if their privacy isn't set like mine anybody in the world can see that post. For this reason Facebook has become very shallow because people do not want to put anything on Facebook that describes who you are.


Speaking of Facebook being shallow, I mentioned the lack of "status updates." This does not mean there is a lack of posting happening on Facebook. Probably 60-70% of my news feed is people that have shared pictures that have no point. Pictures that say "Share if you love your daughter" or "If you love Jesus share this picture, if you don't you will go to hell." The cat pictures and catchy quotes are funny, but a "social network" is not the place for them. If you want to post your favorite recipes or quotes that describe your life, go to Pintrest it is the perfect place for that. Facebook has been around since 2004, and it is weird to say it has potential to be really good, but it will never get there.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are people who post a status update every 20 minutes. They are those people who if they do not post it to Facebook then it never happened. Yes I want to know what is going on in your life, but a play by play is not what I want. Facebook has also turned into a political platform. People sharing pictures and websites that slam the government or other organizations. Take this issue with Phil Robertson, yes I agree that A&E are wrong for asking him to leave and I agree that Phil is in the right by standing on what he believes, but Facebook isn't the place for me to share every article or picture I see about it. Sure share one good article and let it be. Trust me by "occupying Facebook" nothing is going to happen because Facebook has become such a joke.

I know I sound like a grinch, but Facebook is a place where I try to stay in contact with friends I graduated with, people I went to college with, and the people that live in Lead Hill. It is an awesome way to send a message to my students. It is a great way to advertise an event or get together we are having, but I hate to see all that get lost because people are abusing Facebook. I am friends with people for a purpose and it is not to see you sharing pictures and quotes and recipes all the time. I am friends with you so that I can "reinforce" my pre-existing relationship with you. I plea for you today is that we reevaluate the purpose of Facebook. I know that my small circle cannot change Facebook but if I start using it for it's intended purpose I know at least the people who are friends with me will be happier.

And in case you have not figured it out by now, this is why I think Twitter is greater than Facebook. Have a blessed day!

God Bless,
Tyler

Teach them to take a stand!

So with the explosion from the media on Phil Robertson's comments to GQ Magazine, I thought I would weigh in with my two sense and try to see what it means to us who live as Bible believing Christians in small towns. You don't have to agree with me, but just like Phil, this is what I believe and I am sticking to it.

I searched around for the article that is causing all this hoopla, and I have come to find out that is an interview that will be released in January in an issue of GQ. All the commotion is over a few selected excerpts released by the magazine on Wednesday. Before I even talk about my thoughts on his comments and how they have been received I want to take a minute or two to reflect on the importance of context. These are just excerpts from the big picture. Anytime you take a paragraph out of the bigger picture you can make it say anything you want it to, and that is what has happened here in most of the media. I found this article on the E! website that tries to give the bigger picture (but since the entire interview hasn't been released it still falls short).

Okay, now to the meat of the controversy. In case you are still unfamiliar with what happened, after the excerpt from the interview was released by GQ the media exploded with criticism of Phil and A&E put him on a indefinite suspension from their show Duck Dynasty. As a teacher to the students, this troubles me the most. I am constantly telling the students to not be afraid to stand up for what they believe. I constantly encourage them to tell their atheist, non-christian, and un-churched friends what sin is, that sin leads to death, and Christ is the only way for life. They are seeing how people who are not ashamed of Christ are being treated. Another example of this is one of my heroes, Tim Tebow. Tebow is a football player who is very outspoken on his faith. He is so unashamed that he prays in public before games. The public made a mockery out of this by creating "Tebowing." Also, because he used to put Bible verses on his eye black there is now a rule that you cannot have any words on eye black.

I have had issues with TV shows and the media over the last few years. Me and my wife both agree that outside of a few select programs, TV has become junk. Duck Dynasty was a show that I encouraged people to watch because it was a family that was not ashamed of their Christian faith. They answered questions based on what the bible says. They repeated showed the importance of going to church and having a relationship with Christ. Duck Dynasty has changed the few that Christians must wear suits and be boring. They have truly embodied what living your life with Christ is all about. There is no better example out there to reach people, especially in our town, who hunt every chance they get. And now media has messed it all up again.

I think the biggest issue I have with this is the other stuff they allow on TV. The borderline pornography on what seems like every TV show. The emphasis on gay couples. The emphasis on people having sex outside of marriage. The emphasis that drinking and getting drunk is fine. And the one that troubles me the most is the emphasis that we must be tolerant with what everybody else believes. The idea that we can co-exist is to me one of the most dangerous ideas. I think that our country has been bullied by the "minority" groups. Media knows they will get slammed if they have anti-gay comments, so they promote homosexuality. People have got the thought that the Christian groups are not going to cause an uproar like the homosexual community will. We need to teach our students to not back down from what they believe. When asked their stance on an issue to give their honest opinion not just what they think the other person wants to hear. We have become people who are "people-pleasers" more than telling people what they do not want to hear. God did not call us to be "people-pleasers," He called us to share the Gospel and many times it is not the truth people want.

I think it is time that more people took a stand like Phil Robertson did. I do not think we should do it to try and change the world for ourselves, I think we should take a stand because the Bible tells us to. In 1 Cor 16:13-14 Paul tells the Corinthians to "stand firm in the faith." But he says to do it out of love. We cannot be ashamed of the Gospel or what we believe.

I just hope students who see how Phil has been slandered and treated by the general public do not get discouraged from taking a stand for Christ. My challenge is to all parents, leaders, and everyone is to make sure your students understand that taking a stand is a good thing. Never back down from the gospel no matter what, Christ is still on his throne. The day will come when you will be rewarded for your faith. Always remember Luke 12:8-12. Profess God before men, and He will profess you in heaven.

That really big word....Supremacy!

When was the last time you sat down and was just in awe of God? How long has it been since you have reached out to God with names like "King of Kings" "Glorious Conqueror" "Sovereign Son of God" or even "Triumphant Father"? Why is that most christian blogs (mine included) and most best selling christian books right now all tone back the names of God? Are we beginning to have a diluted sense of who God really is? What are we teaching teenagers today about the supremacy of God?

This upcoming Wednesday night my lesson for our students deals with Colossians 1 and the supremacy of God. This week I reached into my bookshelf and dusted off a book I have not touched in a couple of years. One of my favorites in college was Student Ministry and the Supremacy of Christ by Richard Ross. Just after reading the first chapter I was inspired and fired up. I'm not going to go into details about the book but if you have never read it I suggest going and picking it up. Also if you are involved in youth ministry in any way, shape, or form you need to get the app by Richard Ross called "50 Core Principles of Youth Ministry." (If you search the app store for youthministry it will pop up, the logo is yellow with a white 50). Okay back to the supremacy of our Saviour.

As a church are we teaching our students and leaders what kind of power is found in our Great Creator? Here is block of scripture from 1 Colossians 1:15-20 that really points out who Christ is.

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile everything to Himself by making peace through the blood of His cross - whether things on earth or things in heaven."

 We all agree that Christ created all things for His glory. He was not only there in the beginning, He is the beginning. Not only will He be there in the end, He is the end. These are concepts that we are taught from our first day in Sunday School. We hear of this great and awesome God. We pray knowing that our prayers do not fall on deaf ears. We live with hope that Christ will one day come again and call us to a glorious heaven which the Indescribable King has created for us.

So why do we try so hard to make the Uncontainable One fit nice and neatly into our busy schedule? Why do we only give Him 15 minutes in the morning and a short prayer before we eat? Why do we only give Him 2 days a week, and complain when we have to do more? How many times in the last month have you been overwhelmed by Christ? Has your 15 minute quiet time in the morning turned into an hour of worship? When we start trying to make God fit into our pocket, we take away from the awesomeness of our Lord.

I know what has happened in my ministry. I have started breaking God down and teaching Him in sections. One week we talk about His grace. The next we attempt to understand His love. And then we talk about Him as Saviour. In a complete different month we talk about creation. Then we tell stories about Jesus. None of these are bad, and none take away from who Christ is, but unless we also put them all together and talk about the total and complete supremacy of God we will never grasp His fullness.

When we start teaching on the complete and absolute supreme power of Christ, our problems will seem so small. When we teach about how big our God is, we find strength to face life's obstacles. I hope you will join me and stop making Christ our mascot that fits neatly into our everyday lives, and start making Him LORD and Saviour over every aspect of your life. Do not be afraid of the big word, instead use it to teach about our Supreme God.

A different kind of Thankfulness

"Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 This is one of the most quoted verses of scripture this time of year. But do we actually take it for what it means? Many of you that know me, know that I don't like to do things that have already been done. So this Thanksgiving season I want to do something I have never seen. I want to share some things I am not thankful for but should be. Now before you close the page or think I have lost my mind please hear me out. Today was the funeral for one of the students killed last Monday (In Memory of...). As I sat there looking at all the confused and heartbroken people I really wondered where the "silver lining" was. Now I know that God has a master plan and that everything happens as part of His perfect will for our lives, but in a room full of heartache it is hard to see the light. But eventually I did.

1. I am thankful for funerals

As many of you know I did my first memorial service last Saturday. And I want to take a second and say thank you to all those who prayed for me. I know it was only through God's strength that I made it through it. One thing I knew going into it was there were going to be students and adults there that did not have a relationship with Christ. I also realized that maybe that service was the closest they would ever come to stepping foot inside a church. Today at the funeral I know there were also people who would never show up to any church on Sunday morning. I am thankful that I had the opportunity to share the Gospel and saving power of Christ with those people at the memorial service. I am thankful that the pastor who officiated the funeral today shared the message and saving power of Jesus Christ to the crowd. For many people it was the first time they have heard the importance that a relationship of Christ has on their life (earthly and eternal). In times of loss and heartache people are looking for something or someone to help, so today for the opportunity to offer a relationship with Christ to those who need Him.

2. I am thankful for broken homes

This might be the one that shocks people the most, but please hear me out. In our small youth group I venture to guess that 75% (if not higher) of the students come from a single parent or divorced household. Guys that is 30 out of 40 students. But that is in God's perfect plan. Because they have parents that have left them or abandoned, I can share the fact that our Heavenly Father will never leave or abandon us. I can also use their ideas of what a family is, to paint a much grander picture of the greatness of the family of God. On the same hand, I am also thankful for the families that are whole. I am thankful for parents that teach what it means to love. I am thankful for the example they have set for not only their students but all the students. The hope these families provide is that there is such thing as a happy family.

3. I am thankful for bad examples

I speak mostly of the bad examples in the Bible. The stories of Saul (before he was Paul), King David, Cain, Abimelech, Delilah, and Manasseh just to name a few. This last summer we had a "Bad Summer" in our youth group. Each week we took a story about someone who made a big mistake in the Bible. We also looked at how we can avoid making those types of mistakes today. I know I learned a lot from the people we might call "evil" in the bible. So today I am thankful for the bad examples that have been set before me, so that I can learn from those and be a better person, a better Christian, a better husband, and a better leader. I am also thankful for those who have set good examples that I can base my life around.

4. I am thankful for my lacking

In times where I lack, I find that God provides. Today I am thankful for those times in my life where I really had to test my faith and rely on God. The example that comes to mind is when I first took the position of Student Minister at FBC Lead Hill. Not even a month after I started here (my first full-time church) the pastor stepped down. It was a messy situation. I was fresh out of college and had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but I did know who was on my side. I cannot count the times I was in a situation where I had no answers, but God did. I cannot count the hours that I prayed for guidance in a church that was in turmoil. And because of all that my faith grew. Now we have a pastor that has been here a year and our church is growing, and still everyday I pray for that same guidance. I faced situations that some people have to wait 5 or more years to exposed to. Out of it I gained skills that are going to help me the rest of my ministry career. I have my feet a little firmer on the ground now, but I still realize that no matter how well of a job I can do, God can do one better.

5. I am thankful for the future

I am thankful not that I have a future but that God knows what He has in store for me. I know He has things planned that are far beyond my wildest dreams. I also know that I am not going to like all that He has planned for me. Today I am thankful that I do not have to stress out about my future. I know that I am in good hands with God. If He decides that tomorrow is my last day on this earth I will be overjoyed to begin my eternal life rejoicing with Him. If He decides that I have 80 more years here, I will be happy to share His name everywhere I go and bring glory to Him in all that I do. I guess what I a really am saying is not only today but everyday, I am thankful for God.


Tyler