Tag Archives: christianity

God is NOT Dead! [and resources to back it up!]

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William Lane Craig expertly writes how current Christian philosophers argue for God’s existence in this Christianity Today article titled, God is Not Dead Yet.

AlbertMohler.com (the highly respected president of my alma mater, Southern Seminary) interacts with the controversial TIME article on this subject, titled Looking Back: TIME Asks, “Is God Dead?”.

AnswersInGenesis.com tackles the question of the reality of God in this article, Is There Really a God?

At the blog, GotQuestions.org, the article Is God Dead? articulates 5 points of logically progression people will fall into when holding this idea.

Offered at Amazon.com, the book, “God Is Not Dead” is described as “a fascinating guided tour of quantum physics, consciousness, and the existence and experience of God. University of Oregon physics professor Amit Goswami shows readers that God’s existence can be found in clues that the science of quantum physics reveals.” (I personally have not read this book to know the theological stance of the author, just FYI)

A book I do FULLY recommend is “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist”  by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek. Here they argue that Christianity is not only more reasonable than all other belief systems, but is indeed more rational than unbelief itself. This volume will be an interesting read for those skeptical about Christianity, as well as a helpful resource for Christians seeking to articulate a more sophisticated defense of their faith.

On the Poached Egg Apologetics Blog I found an article titled “What is really behind all the skepticism” dealing with questions and doubts concerning the existence of God.

And last on my brief conglomeration of “God is Not Dead” resources, one of the best renditions of David Crowder’s song, rereleased by Newsboys, God’s Not Dead.

What other resources do you know on this hot-topic phrase?  Leave some comments below to share the wealth!

Why Every Student Ministry Should Honor Graduates

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This weekend has been graduation weekend around our city. Caps and gowns, ceremonies and parties. For a student pastor, this can be a busy time of year.

With all the pomp and circumstance, don’t miss the chance to greatly impact your seniors one last time before they face the challenges before them.

I believe all student ministries should honor their graduating seniors because it:

1.  allows us to celebrate with those who celebrate.

The church is a place to do life together. 1 Cor. 12:26 says, “So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” As seniors complete their high school careers, I make it a point honor them and show them the church’s support in a way that they will not soon forget! When statistics are miserable on church attendance among college freshmen, how terrible would it for a teenager to not feel loved or recognized by his or her own church just months away from that critical decision?

2.  it encourages the church and student ministry.

When the church DOES get the opportunity to celebrate with graduating seniors, the cooperate body is reminded that growth is happening! Children are growing into young men and women and along the way the gospel is transforming lives. Put the gospel’s work on display! Send a message to the upcoming students that perseverance has its rewards. Each year the student ministry gets a chance to see their peers move on with the church’s blessing. When affirmed in a public setting this encourages young and old alike.

3.  it reminds them where they have been.

Each year we have a Bible presentation in the worship service followed by a luncheon for the seniors and their families. We have a slideshow with each graduate from baby pictures up through their senior picture. (have the tissues ready, and don’t forget to burn a copy for all the grads) The reminders don’t stop with physical growth. Many of those picture are of retreats, church small groups, events we did together! We have build a foundation that can last. Colossians 2:6-7 focuses us on this. “Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, overflowing with gratitude.” Take this opportunity to remind them of the truths they are rooted in. Remind them what they have been taught and to remain in HIM!

4.  it reminds them the trajectory they are on.

Colossians 2:6-7 makes it clear that we are to “walk in Him”. Because we are rooted, because we have taught the truth, stay on that coarse. College is hard on believers. It is even harder on weak believers who are trying to walk in their own strength, not “in Him”. As you challenge your seniors, be honest and real. They will face struggles. They will have opportunity to sin. But if they decide now how they will respond, they do not have to be another sad statistic. Trajectory is important. It doesn’t start in one senior recognition service, it begins in middle school. It works into everything you do, years before they are seniors. It is my prayer that the seniors I send out will be prepared for a life of Glorifying God and living out the Gospel.

Here are some of the things I do to make Senior Recognition Sunday a memorable experience:

  • I buy a good bible, one they will actually use and enjoy for many years.
  • I read the Gideon Bible Preface during the recognition service to remind the seniors (and everyone) that we don’t just give a bible because we are a church, but because it truly is a treasure and a guide for life.
  • I host a nice lunch and decorate it along the lines of a wedding reception.
  • I create a memorable slideshow of all the seniors. Be sure to return the photos when you are done with them. (I use a MacBook and it has some amazing looking themes you can use. You look professional.)
  • I get together a team of guys to grill steaks and chicken breasts. I don’t charge anything for the senior and parents, but charge $10 for all other family and guests. (sorry, you don’t break even…but that’s not the point).
  • I provide lots of intentional photo opportunities! Be mindful that this day is for the parents as much as for the graduate!
  • I pray over the graduates. I pray a strong and intentional prayer over their choices and futures.
  • I don’t make it last to long.  Make it nice, don’t drag it out.
  • I send thank you cards to all the people that help pull it off.  (decorations, cooks, servers, clean up crew…)
I pray you will honor your high school seniors this year and for years to come!
Your fellow worker in the field,   Adam

Top 5 Things Introverts Dread about Church

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Today is Sunday.  May the Lord Jesus be glorified in His bride today!  Even in how we treat one another.  We all are different and that diversity is one of the beautiful things about His Church.  I saw this article and thought about the many people for whom this is life, every week.  I hope I can be an encourager to all and respect the multitude of personality types present within my church today.  The original article is posted here.  Worth a read. 🙂

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The Top 5 Things Introverts Dread about Church
(written so extroverts may understand)

5. “Welcome! Shake a hand, give a hug, share a name!”
In every church I have attended, this has been a precursor to the beginning of the service. What I want to know is why. There is no way that anyone is going to remember anyone else’s name in the 2.7 uncomfortable seconds it takes to say, “Good morning! My name is so-and-so. God’s peace.”

And has anyone considered what that is like for people who have never stepped foot in that church, or any church at all? I’ve been in church my entire life, and this entire process ties knots in my stomach. I understand the rationale behind it (we want to be a friendly, welcoming community), but isn’t this accomplished in a less forced manner before and after the service, over donuts and coffee?

Awkward encounters are so much easier with caffeine and sugar.

It is for this reason that I really love running slides or doing some other manner of work for the church during the beginning of the service. Can’t shake your sweaty hand if mine are busy doing something else.

4. “Chelsey, what do you think?”

Okay, look. I will tell you what I think once I want to say it. Trust me, I am very opinionated. Just because I am sitting quietly in this group of people, listening to all of them talk about their lives or this Bible passage or this idea, doesn’t mean I have a rock for a brain or that I’m too scared to speak up. Or, even worse: that something is wrong with me.

The worst offenders for this one are small group leaders and youth directors. And I know that for a fact, because I am one. Take it from me: if an introvert isn’t speaking, it isn’t because nothing is going on upstairs. It’s because they’re thinking. And once they feel comfortable enough, they will share. And yeah, that might take a couple minutes. A couple weeks. Maybe even a couple months. Their silence isn’t a reflection on your leadership! Leaders like me need to be secure enough in ourselves so that we can let the silence happen. It’s not “awkward” until you make it awkward.

3. “Let’s get into groups and pray aloud and/or tell each other our deepest, darkest struggles.”

At this point, you may be wondering if I actually like people. I like people. I really do.

Introverts tend to have deep relationships and friendships. They are often very few in number. Case in point: when planning our wedding, I told my husband Ted that I wanted three bridesmaids: my sister, my best friend, and his sister. He gave me his best puppy dog face and told me that he wouldn’t be able to go lower than 9 groomsmen. People just love Ted. I get it, obviously. (We ended up having 7 bridesmaids and 7 groomsmen, and I love and cherish every single one of them.)

At the church where I work, we meet weekly to pray over the prayer requests we receive as a staff. We separate into groups of 3 to 5, go to separate corners of the church, and begin to pray over the list. I have a mini-panic attack every single time. I hope I’m adept enough to cover it. I’m probably not.

2. Spontaneous Public Prayer

If you could see into my head while I pray aloud, it would look something like this:

“Dear Jesus: I am completely blanking right now. I know that when we usually talk, the conversation never ebbs, but all these people are looking at me and listening to me and I feel like I’m naked and I’m going to hyperventilate. If you love me – no, I know you love me – please give me something intelligent to say in front of all these people. That I work with every day. Who are expecting me to form a coherent sentence. If it’s fancy and a little theological, too, that would be great. Thanks a million. Amen.”

Recently, one of the pastors at my church gave a devotion about how people pray out loud. He said that if a person asks for things that God has already promised, like his presence or his faithfulness, then it’s foolish and they probably have a pretty weak faith.

Right. As if I wasn’t already self-conscious enough.

On Jon Acuff’s post about introverts, one very well-meaning woman tried to give an introvert some advice about praying out loud:

“Sometimes I have an apprehension of going to the bathroom in public with someone who is the in the stall right next to me. Sometimes it is really hard to avoid. However, I know I have to go, so what I do is close my eyes and just go with the flow. I would say the same to you the next time you are asked to pray out loud in front of others: Just close your eyes and go with the flow. He promises that as we open our mouths he will fill it with his words. I have found this to be true not only in my life, but also in the lives of others I know.”

I’m convinced that “go with the flow” is a distinctly extroverted phrase. Also, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to use the phrase “go with the flow” again.

1. ”You should be more…”

Talkative. Friendly. Open. Or, my personal favorite: “You should be more like your sister.”

I once had a very influential camp counselor tell me that. My sister and I are very close now, and I would love to be more like her, because she is clearly cooler than I am.

When we were in high school, my sister was a beautiful, blonde, popular, fashionable, outgoing cheerleader. I was a somber, dark-haired band nerd who wore jeans and t-shirts and hated high school. Of COURSE I wanted to be more like her! Who wouldn’t?!

You would think that this sort of thing doesn’t happen to me anymore, but it does, actually. Even at 23, an age in which I am actually secure in my personality, this conversation takes place:

Me: “Yeah, I’m an introvert.”

The other person: “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

—–
God has created us all so beautifully and uniquely. There is no reason to apologize for that.

I am very sure that other introverts out there have had similar experiences. Please feel free to share, because I know that I shouldn’t be so presumptuous as to speak for all introverts everywhere.

But only if you feel comfortable enough.