The Redemption of Old, The Beginning of New

With the New Year approaching I have been thinking a lot about newness, in fact, newness is a major theme throughout the Bible. At every New Moon festival the holy offering and the sin offering were presented before God for the house of Israel as a sign of a new beginning (Numbers 10:10; Ezra 3:5; Nehemiah 10:33; Ezekiel 45:17, 46:1-7; Hosea 2:11). The Israelites saw signs of blessings in the harvest of new crops and wine, as well as the birth of new animals and children (Deuteronomy 7:13; Psalms 4:7; Proverbs 3:10). With each new birth or harvest Israel was to offer first fruits to God as a sign of thanksgiving for what he had provided (Deuteronomy 12:17). In the book of Psalms the Psalmist sings a “new song” to the Lord as a special sign of worship to God for the things he has done (Psalms 96:1, 98:1, 144:9, 149:1) In the prophetic books the tension between what is typical and what is new signifies either a curse or blessing brought against Jerusalem or Israel by the prophet through the metaphor of “new wine drying up” or “new wine” being brought forth (Isaiah 24:7, 36:17, 62:8; Jeremiah 31:12; Hosea 2:8-9, 4:11; Joel 1:5, 1:10, 2:19; Haggai 1:11; Zechariah 9:17). It is in the prophets that we first read the phrase “a new thing,” “new covenant,” and “new heaven and new earth” (Isaiah 43:19, 48:6, 66:22; Jeremiah 31:22, 31:31).

In the New Testament newness is strongly tied to the Kingdom of God (Matt 13:52, 26:29; Mark 1:27, 2:22; Luke 5:36-39, 22:20). Paul picks up on the theme of newness being tied to the Kingdom of God connecting Christ’s coming, death, and resurrection to the concept that his followers are made “new” (Romans 6:4; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15, Ephesians 2:15, 4:23-24; Colossians 3:10). Others, as well as Paul, interpret Christ’s actions as a coming of what the prophet of Jeremiah speaks of in 31:31 as the “new covenant” with the people of God (1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews 8:8, 9:15). In Luke 22:20 the gospel writer tells how Jesus interpreted his own action as a sign of this “new covenant,” spoken of by the prophet Jeremiah. Christ’s actions ultimately will bring forth the coming of the “new heaven and new earth” originally spoken of in apocalyptic texts such as Isaiah 65 and 66, Ezekiel, Daniel, and further developed in the New Testament by Jesus in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 and by other New Testament writers in passages such as 2 Peter 3:12-14, and the book of Revelation.

When one does a quick study of newness in the Bible, what emerges is not a picture of destruction as some have thought, but a picture of recreation and redemption. This recreation is not the end, or death, of something or someone, but salvation from death. In the gospel of John Jesus speaks about this rebirth, which is identified as a birth from above in a stricter translation from the Greek text in chapter 3. As Paul states in 2 Corinthians 5:17, all who confess Christ are a “new creation, for the old has passed away and the new has come.” In fact, within the Christian faith baptism signifies the metaphorical death of an individual’s past and the rebirth of their new life. Ultimately, this sacrament is not a sign of death, but a sign of redemption; in the same way we are not destroyed but recreated and redeemed.

What has recently struck me about God’s redemption is that it is found in God’s “new creation,” not in the destruction of it. In God’s own way, with the coming of his Kingdom in the ministry and life of Jesus, God is building on what is currently been created and being done in the lives of his creation by the power of his Spirit in hopes of redeeming it all. This is not to say that God is monitoring our past sins or hardships in hope of punishing or destroying us so that he may one day put everything back together again better then before. Instead, he is working within our current world and lives in order to redeem them and make both anew. Christ died so that we God’s creation would not have to, but that it could be resurrected to new life. Upon Christ’s resurrection he was not brand new in a way that no one could recognize him, but his body was resurrected in an eternal form. In the same way this heaven, this world, and our bodies will be resurrected in their eternal form upon Christ’s final return.

As the New Year approaches and the 2000 decade comes to an end, I would like to think that God will continue to work in the same way he has throughout all of history, to redeem his creation. God is not looking to condemn, but rather to redeem his people. Therefore, my prayer is that in the next years and decades I will not condemn myself for my past actions, but I will be redeemed and made prefect by the one who died and resurrected so that his creation would not suffer the same fate.

So in the New Year may you not look to condemn your past, or the past of others, but to redeem it, for redemption does not stop at death, but continues past death through to resurrection. Therefore, my hope is that you look to find redemption from your past and that you begin to participate in the redeeming work of God who hopes not to destroy, but resurrect his creation.

Kingdom Work in the Most Expected Places

I have always found it interesting that even though one might have read a biblical passage many times, s/he can always gain new insight after every read. This happened to me last Sunday as the lector read the passage from the lectionary. She read the following passage:

39 At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

46 And Mary said:
"My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors."
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
Luke 1:39-56(TNIV)

What hit me as the lector read was how unlikely both Mary and Elizabeth were to be chosen to bear John the Baptist and Jesus. Elizabeth, a woman believed to be barren and past the age which is thought to be able to conceive a child; and Mary, a teenage virgin, betrothed to a lowly carpenter. What probably made no sense to the religious leaders of Jesus’ day, made prefect sense to God. He chose to use two women who no one would have ever expected to fulfill his promises in the world.

As I sat there and listened I could not help but wonder who God might be choosing to work through today’s world that we, the Church, might never expect. Maybe it could be the homeless person who you pass on your way to work daily? Or maybe the rapper who spoke for and inspired a group of people, but who tragically died far to early? Or maybe, the teenager sitting in the “youth pew” doodling, who just wants to be asked how her week was? Or maybe the widower who comes to church in his Sunday best every week, who no one pays attention to, but who has so much wisdom to give?

This Christmas may you look for Jesus all around, and may you find him in the most unexpected places. I promise if we take the time, slow down, and look, he is there in the smiling faces of children and teens, in the wrinkles that grow with age, in the hungry stomachs of those on the streets, or in the cries of the silent. May you truly see Jesus as he builds his kingdom through those you would never expect.

Merry Christmas!

The Dawn of the Hipster? (Part 2)

Every countercultural movement has a story behind it, a story driven by a set of questions and concerns, which are perceived by its followers to be unanswered by the previous generations; hipsterdom is no different In the article “Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization” the magazine Adbusters argues that hipsterdom is “an artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras, the hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning.” Yet adbusters is wrong, hipsterdom does not mark the end of Western civilization, instead it echoes something much greater, the postmodern death of metanarrative.

When a person becomes stripped of their cultural metanarrative, they are left to create their own. Usually what results is a collaboration of what they know, or to borrow a line from the Adbuster’s article, “an artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras…a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning.” When meaning becomes relative to individuals, creating anything of substance becomes artificial because its foundation is subjective.

The questions that drive the hipster movement have concern individual’s search for meaning. This is seen in their willingness to shed their individuality; all for the sake of feeling like they are a part of anything bigger than themselves, yet, at the same time trying to hold on to any part of their individuality in a search for autonomy. One example from the Adbusters article reads, “Standing outside an art-party next to a neat row of locked-up fixed-gear bikes, I come across a couple girls who exemplify hipster homogeneity. I ask one of the girls if her being at an art party and wearing fake eyeglasses, leggings and a flannel shirt makes her a hipster. ‘I’m not comfortable with that term,’ she replies.” Raised in a culture where metanarrative is relative, the girl is uncomfortable with the term because she is still unwilling to let any metanarrative define her; well, anything but what she sees as her own individuality, which in fact is not so individual after all.

What the girl, as well as most hipsters, fails to realize is that an individual cannot identify himself or herself in a vacuum, in fact whether people admit it or not, they cannot escape the metanarrative with which they were raised in. That is why even in their process of destructing their personal metanarrative they reach for know past metanarratives to create something “new,” seeking to find meaning. People find their identity within communal metanarrative; they need others to help them construct their meaning and individuality. Take a baby for instance, if a newborn is left by itself, only kept alive through being fed, the baby will be severely developmentally delayed because they have no way of learning how to talk, walk, sit up, or execute other vital human processes. People need the support of others to help them create understanding, in fact people search for community wherever they can find it. In the book Hurt, Chap Clark discusses the reason why teens, and might I add even college students and adults, seek parties full of drinking, sex, and drugs, is because they are in such need of community that they will seek any community that they feel a part of.

Take for instance the following quick interaction with a 17-year-old boy at a party documented in the Adbusters article:

"He’s 17 and he lives for the scene!" a girl whispers in my ear as I sneak a photo of a young kid dancing up against a wall in a dimly lit corner of the after-party. He’s got a flipped-out, do-it-yourself haircut, skin-tight jeans, leather jacket, a vintage punk tee and some popping high tops.
"Shoot me," he demands, walking up, cigarette in mouth, striking a pose and exhaling. He hits a few different angles with a firmly unimpressed expression and then gets a bit giddy when I show him the results.
"Rad, thanks," he says, re-focusing on the music and submerging himself back into the sweaty funk of the crowd where he resumes a jittery head bobble with a little bit of a twitch.

The reason this teenager lives for the scene is because it is the only community he has; these are the only people that help this boy create meaning, and give him a metanarrative to live by. In a postmodern world where metanarrative is under attack, hipsters are forced to search for the meaning of life, who they are and why they are here amongst late dance night parties, beer, and drugs as they scream out, “help me find who I am, why I am here, and what this life is all about.”

The metanarrative of salvation can be the identity-forming story that helps to answer the questions those within hipster culture are asking. The one distinguishing element one must have is an authentic life-changing element of Christianity. Post-modern students can see through phony unauthenticity like it is glass. Unless your faith translates into life changing action you will not have a voice among the generations to come. On top of that, today’s teens and college students needs to see a faith that not only changes you as an individual, but affects and changes the world around you. Something that I have failed to mention until now is that while Hipsters are artificial, they do have a heart for social change. For most part this is because they are looking to be a part of something bigger than themselves; yet this also means that unless you are involved in issues that are affecting the world, you will not earn a voice among this community. Basically, Hipsters want to know that the answers you are providing them are concerning something bigger than your individual self. The days of accepting Jesus as your personal savior are gone; the teens and youth of 2010 and beyond want to know if your Jesus is a part of something bigger than your personal little life. They want to see if your Jesus metanarrative can answer their questions about life, community, and global issues. If those you call yourselves a Christ followers cannot and fail to communicate the life changing metanarrative of the gospel by the way you life, then those in the Hipster community, and to all teens in coming years will not hear one word you say. The youth of the future have grown up in a world where they have not seen Christianity affect anything but moral reasoning. Youth need to see a faith that goes beyond morals to a lifestyle that looks much like that of which Jesus talks about in the Sermon on the Mount or Luke outlines in Acts 2: 42-47. At the same time, the youth of today and the future will require a non-judgmental faith where forgiveness and grace are daily realities as they struggle though adolescents to find who they are in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, as another decade comes to an end and a new one begins, may the Church be the one who lives out the metanarrative of God authentically as it reaches out to those who are searching for meaning amongst new counter-cultural tends, party crowds, and artificial communities.

2010 and Beyond, the Dawn of the Hipster?

Peering through the dark used-to-be-alley, turned local music venue hangout outside of one of Orange County’s many small music venue stand hundreds of teens whose heads emerge as mountains from an encircling cloud of smoke, while all sharing a can of PBR. Dressed in skinny jeans, plaid or V-necked shirts, these teens are taking a quick smoke break before then next band goes on stage. To the common eye some might just associate these teens with the local “emo” crowd, but these teens know that “emo” has come and gone and there is something new emerging. Whether any of these teens will admit it or not, they are a part of a new indie music, fashion conscious, socially driven cultural movement that has been termed “hipster.” Just like the “emo”/ “scenester” crowd of the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, the “hipster” crowd has emerged in the later 2000's asking new questions and seeking new answers as we move into a new decade.

Most likely this term “hipster” is used because by cultural watch dogs, because of this cultural movement’s similarities to the 1940s hipsters, who followed the then emerging jazz movements of their time. Frank Tirro, in his book Jazz, defines a hipster of the 1940s as, “an underground man…he is amoral, anarchistic, gentle, and over civilized to the point of decadence.” In 1940 most hipsters belonged to upper-middle class society but sought to mirror those in the urban New York Jazz community, seeing something in the midst of the urban Jazz crowd they felt lacked from their upper-middle class upbringing.

Today’s hipsters no longer belong to one social class, or even one specific ethnic group, but come from all walks of life and ethnicities searching for meaning and asking questions. The people of this subculture, who might just be looking to be “cool,” are far from the hipsters of the 1940s; they are simpler than some think. In fact, today’s hipsters take many subconscious cues from their 1940 counterparts; some might even argue that they can be defined as decadent, just as their former brothers and sisters. In an Adbusters article “Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization,” Douglas Haddow argues that “hipsterdom” is a stripped down version of prior countercultural movements that is unable to create anything meaningful or new. While Haddow is quite critical of the hipster movement, he is correct in stating that most hipsters appear to be a “homogenous group” who are seeking to discover their own sense of identity and meaning, rather than pursuing anything greater. Yet, within this subculture social issues are of utmost importance. Riding around on fixed-gear bikes to their favorite new ethnic veggie eatery or organic coffee shop, sporting their newest non-sweat shop clothing find, hipsters care just enough to not make any really difference in the world. Their ideals shared around smoke filled circles are the extent of their political and social involvement, which is lack luster, especially compared to countercultural movements of the past. Therefore, the question has to be asked whether or not much of their social mindedness might just be a way that they distinguish themselves from others, while creating their own cultural homogeneity.

Much like the “emo” movement of the late 1990’s, hipster culture is slowly moving into high school and junior high youth culture. In fact, as Paste magazine demonstrates, today’s hipsters’ roots can be traced to the college emo music and scenester culture of the early 2000s. It is yet to be seen how corporate America will market the hipster counterculture moment to the masses. Will they alter and destroy the essence of the questions being asked by those who are within this counter-culture movement as they did with emo culture? The masses of record companies, Hot Topic, and Spin Magazine turned a movement grounded in finding a emotional connection to what was happening in their world, especially in light of being raised in the 1980’s world of men-as-emotionless-beings, into a money market of darkness, cultural depression, and self-affliction. Companies turned questions of “what do I do with what I feel?” into be this, purchase this product to help you find the answers. Only time will tell what hipsterdom will become as it moves forward into the next decade; it could totally disappear or it could become the next “big thing” for our students. What the church needs to do is to pay attention to how this movement will affect our students and families in the coming years. The answer to that question lies within the questions being asked by the communities in which the movement arises. Next week we will take a deeper look at these questions and seek to discover biblically based answers.

"The Blind Side," Redefining What Family Is.

Currently in the United States, the ideal family unit is generally consists of two parents who have 2.5 children. What most Americans have failed to realize is that this understanding of what a family is has only existed post-industrialization (word choice?) in the United States. Prior to Industrialization, families were much larger and included grandfathers, grandmothers, aunts, and uncles. Much for the reason is because a majority of families had to farm land, which takes a lot of people to do well, or each work jobs to survive. For instance, my grandfather grew up on a farm in Minnesota and had 16 brothers and sisters. His parents had so many children because they each helped in caring for the farm in order to pay the bills and live off their own land. When the depression hit, my great-grandfather, after losing everything, killed himself. My grandfather’s family was broken up and sent all over the greater Minnesota area to family and friends who could take them in and care for them. Before he was a teen, my grandfather was sent off to live with his uncle and aunt, who worked another farm in the area. After the passing of his father, my grandfather’s understanding of family was changed for the rest of his life; he no longer saw his family as those who were his parents or blood siblings. While it was hidden under a tough exterior, underneath existed a man who believed family was more than one’s blood relatives.

This weekend a movie based on the true story of current Baltimore Ravens player Michael Oher called The Blind Side arrived in theaters around the world, which also raised questions about the contemporary definition of family. Set in Memphis, Tennessee around 2003, the movie is about a black boy from a poor urban area who is taken away from his mother at the age of seven by child-protective services. The boy bounces in and out of foster homes and homes of people who welcome him in, until he is invited to stay with a white family. At the beginning of the movie, Michael enters a predominantly white private Christian school in Memphis on a sports scholarship, after the father of a friend he is staying with convinces the school to enroll him. Michael soon hears this helpful man and his wife fighting about the strain of having him in the house, and he finds himself back on the street, with no where to go and temperatures nearing freezing.

At this pivotal moment Michael’s story changes. After seeing him walking in the rain, Leigh Anne Tuohy, a woman who has two children at Michael’s school, invites him to come stay the night at her house. Over time, Leigh Anne and her family invite Michael to join their family as their son, as they beginning to fall in love with a boy they never expected to. By the end of the movie Michael has moved from being a boy who they care for, to being a son and brother who the family loves as their own.

As the movie comes to an end, Leigh Anne, played by Sandra Bullock, speaks about a boy she read about in the paper who was a great athlete who was killed on his twenty-first birthday. Leigh Anne raises the question, what if someone would have cared for this boy, as the Tuohy’s had cared for Michael; would his life have looked different?

While there are issues within the character Leigh Anne’s question, such as, should only those who are “good athletes” or those who show promise be helped out of their situation, I think the question is getting at something important. If we reform her question to ask, What if others had cared for this boy, a normal boy who had encountered unfortunate life circumstances? Maybe even taken in by a family as their own child? How would this boy’s life have been different?

That is the question I believe needs to be directed right at the church. Jesus states, “whoever cares for the least of these, cares for me” in Matthew 25. Jesus even states in a world where children are seen as the lowest ranking members of the cast system, “let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the Kingdom belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). Jesus calls his people, his Church, to care for those who society and culture has made outcasts, the lowest of the low. Is the church missing its call to care for those in need? It is so easy to drive into urban areas, care for those in need for a day, two days, or even a week, but what about caring for those in need daily? What about rescuing a boy or girl who is living in poverty and turmoil daily?

What about redefining what we believe a “Christian family” is? After all, Jesus redefines family as those who “do the will of his father are his brothers and sisters” (Matthew 12:50). Peter even calls the church the “family of God” (1 Peter 4:17). As the Church invites those who are in need in and askes them to become a part of the family of God, the Church redefines what it means to be family.

In the movie, while the coach is convincing the board of the school to admit Michael, he appeals to them by stating, “What does this banner say? It says Christian!” Many Christians are willing to tattoo, wear shirts, or put stickers on our cars like banners that tell the world they are followers of Jesus. But how many of us are willing to let our lives, including how we spend our money, how we care for those in need, and how we define family, be banners that tell the world we are followers of Jesus? My feeling as I look at the church is that a lot more people are okay with purchasing a Christian bumper sticker or t-shirt, before even thinking about changing how they would define family, in order to care for those who Jesus states, “when you care for the least of these, you care for me.”

It is the church’s call to care for, show compassion toward, and take in those who are need. It might not look exactly as it did for the Tuohy family, but I think when we start to redefine our understanding of what family is, like the Tuohy family did, we will see those in our community and around the world differently.

More Resources for the film The Blind Side at: http://www.youthworker.com/youth-ministry-resources-ideas/youth-culture-news/11617089/

Black Friday, "Want" Vs. "Need" (Part 2)

How should the church respond to all of this, outlined in the previous blog entry? After all, this is main question we should be asking ourselves if we are followers of Jesus. The church’s response to a culture of consumption lies within finding a balance between one’s “needs” and one’s “wants.” At the same time, we must take into consideration the stewardship of our money, especially in a time of great need in our world and country. Godly stewardship commands that all of one’s belongings are truly God’s, rather than one’s own.

Looking at “needs” verses “wants,” biblically speaking, God provides for the things we “need,” not for the things we “want.” Jesus, in Matthew 6:24 states, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?” In this verse a person’s basic needs are addressed; Jesus outlines that God will care for this people, and therefore, we are not to worry about our basic needs. It is important to also remember that there are people in the world that are without these basic needs and it is the church’s job to care for these people. In fact, this is exactly how God hopes to care for those who are in need in the world. God calls his Church to take into consideration those who are in need in their community and world when contemplating how to spend their money (Matthew 25: 31-46, Acts 2: 42-47). Caring for those who are poor is the topic of greatest concern in all of scripture, with over 3,000 references to the topic of poverty; this should be one of the Church’s greatest concerns.

When it comes to “want,” especially in the United States, it is easy to mix up “needs” for “wants;” and let me be the first to say I struggle when drawing the line between the two. It is helpful to ask yourself if you are really in “need” of a certain item or if you just “want” that item. When the line between “wants” and “needs” becomes blurred it is easy to become controlled by your “wants.” For instance, when annual cell phone contracts are up for renewal and the old cell phone is in fine working order, meeting our needs, how many of us, including myself, just go and purchase the newest phone, satisfying our “want”. Somehow, we have convinced ourselves that we need a new phone, when in fact we probably do not. It is even more questionable when we start purchasing everything we “want.” Soon before we realize it, our “wants” become what controls our behaviors and desires. Jesus reminds us, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” (Matthew 6:24 TNIV). This might seem like a harsh stance for Jesus to take, in fact, I am sure there are many people who have somehow skewed this text to make it say what they want it to. Yet, it seems pretty plain to us, if a person is serving money, material objects, stuff, and/or anything that will parish, they are not serving God.

Ultimately, that is the key. Are you serving God or money? How has control over your stuff, your money? When it comes to this holiday season, are you purchasing stuff just to fill someone’s or your own stocking? Are you taking into consideration those who are in need in the world? Are you serving money or God with what was never yours in the first place?

You see, despite what commercials tell us, material objects cannot fix your family, but God can. Clothing cannot make you get into the holiday season, but focusing it on God can. Providing your family with what they want will not make your or their holiday better, but seeing your holiday as a time to worship God can. As a Christian, I am embarrassed to know far to little about other holidays, but I can say with great conviction that there are no holidays that will occur this season that are focused on what people “want,” the stuff being exchanged, or the gifts given. Holidays are about celebrating what the creator has done for his creation. When God stepped into time he intervened in a salvific way to redeem his people. Therefore, as we sit on Thanksgiving and look through all the Black Friday ads that fly across our television screen or litter our newspaper, let us ask ourselves, is my God being honored this holiday season with how and where I am spending my money? Are my “wants” controlling the way I view this holiday season? Or, is God asking me to change, to do something different this holiday season?

May all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving with the people you love, and may you also remember it is not about what you have as much as who you serve. God Bless.

Black Friday, "Want" Vs. "Need" (Part 1)

While sitting on my couch staring at the TV after a long day during the first week of November, I was awakened from my mindless coma by what could only be explained as an explosion of noise, colors, and music blaring from the screen toward me. Without knowing what had just happened, and feeling a little attacked, I caught a glimpse of the “Gap” logo and the sound of cheery holiday voices before it ended. I quickly grabbed my computer and looked up the commercial in order to fully comprehend what I had just experienced. After a couple of views I no longer felt attacked, but was strangely frustrated. (If you haven’t seen the commercial please view it here now or you will be confused with what will follow). I wasn’t frustrated by what can only be described as holiday pluralism at its best, what upset me was what followed. From the TV screen, within an advertisement, this was stated, “eighty-six the rules, you do what just feels right, and you do whatever you wantukah and to all a cheery night.” Then a simple message flies up on your screen, “ready for holiday cheer…‘Gap’.” Feeling confused and frustrated all at the same time, I wondered…when did what we want start to control us? When did doing what we want equal a cheery night? And when did Christmas and the holiday season become all about us? As the I thought, the answer became clear, when our wants become our god.

The Friday following Thanksgiving is traditionally known as “Black Friday,” one of the biggest shopping days of the year. Black Friday receives this title because of the assumption that companies move from operating in the “red,” or deficit, to in the “black,” or profit. Usually this is the biggest shopping day of the year. People wake up early or do not sleep at all in order to stand in line for the special deals. This Black Friday will most likely not be any different, but some things have changed. Has this holiday season approaches, many people living in “the red,” or should I say, living in debt. This reality has a direct relationship to another thing that has changed, the marketing strategies of major companies this Christmas. Companies are no longer trying to sell consumers products that they “need” or even “want,” they have gone so far as to sell products as happiness, or a type of instant cheer. It is as if by purchasing products from major companies consumers will not only be happy, but that these products will solve everyone’s personal issues.

This is not an uncommon strategy in the marketing world, in fact there is a name for it—branding. Just think about your average beer commercial. Normally you will see a group of “pretty people” gathered together all drinking a certain type of beer (I am not condoning or opposing the drinking of alcohol, I am using this sample commercial because they are generally the best known among consumers.) The main idea these commercials are trying to communicate to consumers is that if you drink this beer you will have as much fun, be around and maybe even be as “pretty” as these people are.

Other commercials are meant to inform us about a product; take for instance the MGD 64 beer, “with 64 calories in one bottle.” The point of the commercial is to one, inform consumers that this product exists, and two, to tell us that if we drink other competing products we are taking in more calories. Therefore upon a trip to the market to purchase beer one will think to themselves, “oh yea, MGD has that new beer with only 64 calories and I do no want all the calories that come with other alcoholic beverages, so I will buy MGD 64.”

This year’s commercials are taking a step in a new direction; they are no longer just selling you a product, they are telling you out rightly what to do to make your life better. Just like in the “Gap” commercial, telling you to “do whatever you wantukah, do what just feels right.” (On a side note, I hope that Jewish people around the world are upset by the insensitive combination of want and Hanukkah. In reality, all companies are trying to do is to sell you their product so that they will no longer be in “the red.” If one was to translate Gap’s message to the consumer, it would read something like this: spend money on what feels right, buy whatever you want, it does not matter if you are lacking in funds, after all, it is all about holiday cheer.

Take for instance the following “Best Buy” commercial for the holidays. (Link) As the “Best Buy” employees/ carolers sing to you, they create a scenario in your mind where there is conflict. They then proceed to solve the conflict by telling you that if you purchase this computer package, all your family computer issues will be solved. They sing to their listeners, if you buy this product there will be “no waiting, and no fighting, and shouting, no bad biting… only love and hugging, and a sweet loving family!” The genius of this commercial is that Best Buy creates a scenario, develop its plots, and solves issues with no characters at all except the ones you create in your own head. Through this strategy, no empathy is required on the part of the viewer in order to understand the message. Storytelling with no character development or faces, allows the audience to create their own characters, made up of their only family. Therefore as the story unfolds, the viewers literally will play out this conflict within their own family life, at the end seeing the resolution “Best Buy” wants them to see. In reality is it pure psychological genius on the part of the marketers at “Best Buy,” yet what strikes me is what causes the issue in the first place, want. During the commercial the fight in the family occurs because everyone wants what they cannot have. Instead of solving the issue by teaching your kids to be patient and share, “Best Buy” tells us that all our wants can be fulfilled, only for the price of $1199. When did parenting becoming about fulfilling everyone’s wants, over raising children who where patient, kind, loving, and sharing?

So what if consumers are so in debt that they cannot afford to purchase products all at once? Well, K-Mart has solved that issue for you, just use their layaway purchasing demonstrated in this commercial. All you have to do is pay a little each week, further allowing consumers to go into debt. What the commercial does not tell you is that “the Service Fee ($5) plus Cancellation Fee ($10), or 10% down payment (whichever is greater) is collected when merchandise is put into layaway” per item you contractually enter into. (content.kmart.com/ue/home/Kmart_Layaway.pdf) This means that you are, in fact, paying more for the items you are purchasing than if you just bought them outright. Yet, K-Mart does not really care about that, all they want is for you to purchase their products so that they will get out of the “red,” no matter if you fall deeper into the “red.” So, in reality, what commercial is saying to consumers is that it does not matter if you cannot pay for everything outright, having gifts for the holidays is far more important than financial stability.
(Part 2, coming Wednesday morning)

Alter The Ending, finding Redemption & Love

On the way to the beach on Sunday for a service day, helping our students learn about creation care, a student grabbed my iPod and started from A going to Z looking at all of my music. Every time he came across a band he knew, he called out, “you like…?” The student was surprised by how many bands we both listen to. What followed was a twenty-minute conversation about music between the students in my car and myself. What emerged, other than the similar bands we both like, was this student’s love for music, but more importantly, how much music helped this student process his own life. Music has that ability; through listening to the experiences of another, we minister to our own experiences.

One music genre that gained popularity among adolescents during the early 21st century is called “emo,” short for “emotional rock,” birthed in the 1980s and 90s with bands such as Rites of Spring and Sunny Day Restate. Emo wasn’t allows synonymous with depression and self-affliction, as many of today’s students believe, in fact in the late 1990s it was a genre of rock blowing up in the independent and Christian music world. In 1998 with the rise of this new rock music genre, a small Florida band of Christians named Further Seems Forever, emerged on the music scene, with a lead singer, who according to Andy Greenwald, the writer of Nothing Feels Good, would become the face of emo. You might have never even heard of this small Christian band, Further Seems Forever, but over their time as a band, from 1998 to 2006, they had three different lead singers, three studio albums, and where a part of Tooth & Nail Records. Yet, all of their accomplishments pale in comparison to their former singer, Chris Carrabba, who later became the founder and lead singer of Dashboard Confessional.

Dashboard Confessional’s beginnings were meek and difficult; Carrabba began by going on punk tours with friends, playing solo between sets with nothing but an acoustic guitar, a stool to sit on, and his voice. Soon, the short quiet boy with a great voice and unique song writing ability from Florida started getting big. After recording the small and unknown album entitled Drowning EP, Carrabba, was signed to the pop-punk record label Drive Thru Records and released “Swiss Army Romance” in 2000After signing and putting out his first album Carrabba left Drive Thru Records and signed with Vagrant Records for unknown reasons. It is on Vagrant Records that he put out his then groundbreaking record, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most, with the single and newly full band verse track “Screaming Infidelities,” Dashboard Confessional’s first radio hit. Soon Carrabba’s voice became the sound track of heartbroken college and high school students all over the country. With Dashboard Confessional’s fame on the rise Carrabba’s ended his solo act ended and became a fun band re-recording solo songs, writing a new EP, and even appearing on MTV’s Unplugged.

The rest is history; the boy with simple punk roots was a national artist with videos on both MTV and VH1. Carrabba’s original followers cried out heresy when he recorded his first album with an electric guitar, A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar, in 2003. Whether Carrabba’s originality was lost when he “blew up,” when Dashboard Confessional became a full band, or it was that the band had been copied too much, no one can really say, but something had changed. What became clearer and clearer to everyone was that he was no longer the original inventive artist he once was when playing his randomly tuned acoustic guitar with passion. What Carrabba and his band mates called “maturity,” was interpreted by listeners as another “top 40 hit” put out by the recording industry. Carrabba even ventured back to his acoustic roots with 2007’s The Shade of Poison Trees, but it fell short and sold almost 90,000 less in the first week of sales than his last “marketable” album.

It has been over two year since Carrabba has released anything, but this week he released his new record Alter the Ending. The vaguely entitled album offers a new direction for Carrabba; while The Shade of Poison Trees offered a glimpse of things to come, “Alter the Ending” is Carraba’s most mature album to date, lyrically. No longer does he cathartically deal with the antics of his past relationships like a 17-year-old high school boy, he lyrically searches for answers in his past.

The first song of the album will most likely catch most listeners by surprise; entitled “get me right,” in the song Carrabba returns to his roots, not musically, but spiritually. In this song Carrabba seems to not only be making peace with his past, but is also seeking to return to his maker, crying out, “I made my way home, limpin’ on broken bones, out of the thickest pines, across the county line, onto your wooden stairs, I know you can repair, I know you’ve seen the light I know you’ll get me right.” While at first one can conjecture whom Carrabba is speaking of, throughout the song it becomes much clearer as he calls out, “Well, Jesus I’ve fallen.” With authenticity that any pastor would love to hear from his/her people, Carrabba sings, “I’ve struggled so hard to believe, I’ll meet my maker, I need my maker, to cure me from my doubting blood and drain me of the sin I’ve loved and take from me my disbelief, I know it should come easily, but it remains inside of me.”

This spiritual turn is not new in the post-emo-punk music scene. In 2006, long time emo-pop-punk band Brand New released the song, God and the Devil Are Raging Inside Me, as a part of their single “Jesus Christ.” Brand New has released albums that are not typically “Christian Music,” and rather has defiant spiritual overtones dealing with issues such as death, anger, community, and yes, even Jesus himself. Brand New’s biggest change came during their headlining tour in the fall of 2008, when they announced from stage “that they only wanted to tour with people who they ‘want to be around’ and who are healthy to be around”. Since then Brand New has gathered a community of Christian tour mates, including bands like mewithoutYou, Thrice, Anathallo, and Jeremy Enigk, even taking the up-coming “Christian”/spiritual band Manchester Orchestra under their wings.

Carrabba’s new CD differs from the others that have come before is because he has created an album that invites his listeners to journey with him through his process of searching for redemption. Dashboard Confessional’s album is not what I would call “Christian,” or even “spiritual,” it is a step in a new direction. Carrabba still openly talks about the “sin” he struggles with, especially in the song, “The Motions.” In the song, Carrabba confesses how the chemicals released during sexual activities control much of his actions, confessing, “if this is chemical I am not ashamed to be owned by the impulses of science.” He even states in “No News is Bad News,” “what makes you so sure that our sins are the start of something holy divine?” Since his break out hit “Hands Down,” Carrabba has leaned toward sexually driven songs, referring to his escapades with girls. One has to wonder through how many of these songs Carrabba is recounting his search for love and redemption amongst the opposite sex, instead of in God. (See lyrics to “get me right” and compare themes of love and redemption)

Approaching the end of the album, in the song “Water to Bridges,” Carrabba sings out, “this weight, these words are tearing me apart, that’s enough for a back to break, that’s enough for a lot to take. And I have been paying for it since I drove my girl away. And that’s the song of a solemn man, I’ll make the best of the best I can…” What is revealed in this concluding song is a man who is searching his past in hopes of salvation; crying out “save me from the grey life, I have paid the price with my soul. Oh, save me!” Finally the album concludes with the words, “it is hard to belong to a girl or a song in the case of a selfish believer, it is strange to be lost, stranger still to belong on the strings of a twisting line... from the path from the grass to the grave I will love you still, and when the sand turns to glass and all that left is the past, I will love you still.”

Whether or not this album is Carrabba’s Christian re-birth is not the point. The album Alter The Ending goes beyond the catergory of “Christian music.” What emerges is a man struggling to find redemption and love through searching his past. This is the beauty of this album; it is true to life, even a Christian life. There are many teenage boys and girls who are seeking to find love and redemption from their past and in the mist of their mistakes. “Alter the Ending” is a CD that can help students process their pasts, presents, and futures in hopes of finding redemption. I encourage you to guild students through this CD, ask them questions, discuss, and find meaning in the words and melodies of a man who is seeking discover the same things they are, love and redemption. Blessings in all you do my friends.

Four Aspects of a Safe Youth Environment

On the first week of a new job, as I was introduced to the whole youth group, I opened by telling a story. The story I told was my story including I grew up, how my home life affected me, the things—both good and bad—that I did in Junior High and High School, how I came to faith, my journey with Christ and his Church after my conversation, and how I am happy to now be a part of that new community.

I opened with a story because one of the most important steps to creating a safe place has a lot to do with stories. As Dean Borgman in his book Hear My Story: Understanding the Cries of Troubled Youth reminds us, in a way every person’s life is a “story in progress”. God is a God of stories. Throughout scripture we find the unfolding of God’s salvation story: how God created, enters into relationship with his creation and works to redeem his creation Every person’s life story is deeply connected to the story of God’s work in the world. As ministers of God’s kingdom work, the church is to participate and join the work of God in the unfolding of his story of salvation.

Within the move from modernity to post-modernity we have seen a deconstruction of cultural shaping meta-narratives. In other words, post-modern philosophies have worked to break down and question cultural-shaping and religious-shaping narratives that work to form those cultural or religious communities. At the same time, post-modernism has highlighted the individual narrative over and against meta-narratives; meaning that an individual’s experience and background are more important in determining his/her religious beliefs and values. Experience is believed to be the god of one’s own beliefs.

Now imagine that an adolescent-aged student, who has grown up with this cultural understanding, is a member of a church where s/he is unable to wrestle through how scripture has anything to do with his/her experiences and story. More likely than not, a student’s experience will outweigh and overtake any moral, philosophical, or inspirational message that s/he hears preached from any pulpit. This means that if a student associates pain with God or the church in any way, s/he will see God or the church as the one who causes this pain. However, the opposite will happen if someone connects happiness and joy with God or their church experience.

This is where creating a safe place plays a vital role in establishing relationships with students. On my first Sunday at a new church I shared my story, and by doing this, I invited the community of students into my narrative. I shared my struggles, joy, triumphs, and myself to the students of my church community and welcomed them to become a part of my story. These students can no longer sit in the audience with questions of who I am, where I am from, what I am all about, or why I am a part of this community; they now know. By opening up my own life, I also communicated to each person that here, in this place, authenticity is important. (It is essential to remember that students are not your accountability partners, so be open but do not burden them. As a youth leader you have a responsibility to care for each student, not have him/her care for you. Your level of openness must be appropriate and is at your discretion. Through telling my story, I allowed the students to see that it is okay to struggle with faith, to raise questions, and to be real with others. The most important component of sharing my story is that I chose for this to happen in a safe place, communicating that this is a space for each student to do the same.

Creating a safe place for students does not happen overnight; it takes a long time and a lot of prayer. It is important to remember that many of the students in your youth group have been hurt by adults; and therefore, will be guarded against being hurt again, which is in part why it takes time and prayer. It is important that you pray that God will open up the hearts of the youth in your community. Remember, we are joining with the work of God who is already at work among our students. Take the time to be open to and to get to know your students; the more time you spend with them, getting to know them the more comfortable they will feel around you. This is also why it is so important to take time to be with your students outside of youth group; teens need to know that you care in order to feel safe. The best way to show students that you care about them is to spend time with them.

When you are spending time with adolescents make sure you have a predetermined reason or plan for what you will do; this will save you from spending too much time talking about nothing important. The goal of meeting and hanging out with students is to invite students to open up and share their story with you. If you are spending time talking about football or cheerleading the entire time, you are not using your time wisely, and you are being a friend, not a pastor. When going to meet with a student, unless a drastic event or incident comes up, make sure to have a ending time in mind, as well as a subject matter in mind. Throughout the meeting it is important to allow the student to feel like you do not have an agenda right out of the gate; take time to check in with them. If you do have an agenda, make sure to be clear about this when asking the student to meet. If s/he asks you to meet, make sure to allow him/her to direct the flow of the conversation, meaning s/he will talk at least 70% of the time. It is fruitful to take time to learn and practice the skill of directive listening; it is a good skill to have when entering into a counseling-like session. At the same time, directive listening allows the person to feel safe because they control the conversation topic, and you are there to help them process. Remember listen and become a learner before you speak. Take the time to invite your students to invite you into their story by listening. Only when we listen do we earn the right to speak.

During my transition of leaving my previous church community, I made sure to introduce someone to the guys I had been meeting with over the previous years, who would continue to make connections and be a support to them. During this process some of the boys opened up to this new person quicker than others, but there was one guy who still did not feel comfortable being completely real with the person taking my place when I left. After sitting down with this student a couple months after I left, I realized that he was scared of being judged for his shortcomings. Due to this student’s past, he has a lot of baggage he continues to struggle with, and when this student backslides into his old ways he needs to be shown a lot of grace from those around him.

There are many students much like this one, who need grace much more than they need judgment; in fact, it is impossible to create a safe place for students if judgment outweighs grace in our communities. If a student comes to you after falling, use it as a teaching moment where God’s grace can be seen, after all that is what Jesus did, just like in the story of the women caught in adultery. Every time a student comes to you, may you show him/her the same grace that Jesus did on that fateful day. Many students, because of their age, will displace their feelings about you onto God; if you are judgmental, so is God in their eyes.

We have covered four important aspects of creating a safe place: authenticity, taking time to get to know students and their stories, taking time to listen before talking, and remembering to be a conduit of God’s grace. While there are many other aspects that can help lead to creating a safe place for students, these are the four most important that translate no matter what your context is. Remember in a post-modern context safety is one of the most important environmental factors in developing a youth ministry that works to authentically reach students for Christ. Blessings as you look to see how these aspects might best work in your own youth ministry context.

KRS-One & Buckshot Preach

Over the last month and a half I have been regularly updating every Friday, as some of you might have noticed that follow every week, I did not update this last Friday. Much of the reasons for that are because of some personal changes that have been going on in my life. A week ago God called me into a new church where I will now be serving. With this shift I have had to pick up and move my life to a new place and community.

Now for what this means for redeemingcreation.blogspot.com. I will still be continuing to blog here and nothing really will change expect the day blogs will be posted. From now on blogs will be posted on Monday's instead of Fridays. I still hope that all of you will continue to follow and participate has God leads you.

Next Monday I will return and continue on with the topic of creating a safe place for teens, but for this week I invite you to listen to a new voice and dialog. Below is a youtube video of a song on the new album called "Survival Skills," by KRS-One and Buckshot, two influencal Hip-Hop MC's who have been in the Hip-Hop game for a long time. In the song "Think of All The Things Featuring K'naan," the rappers discuss and provide a great prospective on parenting issues for both urban and suburban areas.

Good questions to ask yourself while you are listening:

What they are discussing?
Why is it an important topic in today's world?
How present is this topic in my faith community and my local community?
How is the topic which this song deals with represented in your community?
How, if at all, does this song communicate gospel principles that your community needs to hear?
What can we learn from what this song?
How might we use this song as a topic of dialog in our church communities?
How does the gospel of Christ interact with this song?
What does this mean for how I approach youth ministry in my context?
How might we help to work for the type of change this song is asking for as a church community?

(Warning song does use strong and suggestive language)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3Wb6vWdWus

Special Topic: "Where The Wild Things Are"

“Tell me a story…” the words of a broken mother to her child rang out as the boy lay underneath an old computer table gently tugging on his mother’s nylons. He began to share a tale of tall buildings who wandered the world and a tribe of vampires whose will seemed to be to live in peace with their tall friends. Yet as the narrative unfolds the listener is told of a boy vampire, who looking to prove himself, bites one of the tall buildings only to have is own teeth broken against its harsh skin of steal. The boy vampire’s hopes were soon dashed to the ground, now he would be perpetually made fun of as the vampire with no teeth; his life forever changed, he is now an outcast, all because of a simple bite.

The imagination of boys around the world has been highlighted in children’s books and stories for ages, though no book captures this better than Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Through the use of words and pictures, a boy named Max’s imagination comes to life in a far off land where he is king of a group of characters only known as “The Wild Things.” Yet, this weekend the long time beloved children’s book came to life in the movie adaptation of the book directed by Spike Jones.

In the movie Max is a boy about the age of eight who comes from a single parent household who is caught somewhere between reality and his imagination as he seeks to deal with the things that life has brought his way. One night while trapped in his imagination he requests his mom’s attention for what seems to Max as a routine trip to outer space in his combined fort and spaceship. Max’s hopes for his mom to join his journey are ruined when he finds her downstairs on a date with a strange man. What comes next might only seem like the antics of an eight-year-old boy, but are so much more. Not knowing quite how to deal with the emotions rushing to his mind, Max complains, yells, stands on a table, and hurts his mom by biting her. Somehow the boy’s story of the vampire comes to life, and in biting his mom he causes himself to be an outcast within the family. In reaction to the combination of him hurting his mom and her subsequent yelling at him, Max runs out of the house, down the street, into a forest, onto a boat, and off to a far away land.

On an island which seems the be the middle of the no where, Max stumbles upon “The Wild Things,” which can only be described as monsters who are character representations of aspects of Max’s emotional state. These monsters have been living in this distant land for many years as friends. Despite their friendship, it seems that they cannot get along. Carol, one of the Wild Things, persuaded his friends to crown Max as king, convinced that his presence would bring peace and harmony. It is this gesture that brings Max and Carol together as friends who will work collectively to bring to life Carol’s dreams.

Despite Max’s best attempts, things do not work out; the anger, resentment, and frustration live on. Carol, broken by the fact that his hopes for peace have failed goes on a rampage to rid the world of Max, whom escapes his bitter end with the help of K.W., who hides him from Carol. It is in the hiding place of K.W.’s stomach that Max experiences the power of imprudent anger.

Upon this realization Max recognizes he must return home to reconcile his relationship with his mother. Yet, first working to reconcile his own relationship with Coral, he returns to Coral’s place of hidden imagination, making a heart out of sticks with a “C” in the center, which is a sign of friendship and love between the two. As Max sets off for home he is celebrated, as well as missed, by all of the Wild Things expect Carol. Upon finding the heart, Carol runs with all of his might to see Max off. When he arrives at the beach Max is already cast off on his journey, but Carol cries out his love for Max with a yelp and Max turns around with a smile, communicating his love back to Carol in a reciprocated howl.

Max reaches the coast and begins running home as if in a race against no one to get to his mother. Max arrives findings him mom sitting, looking as if she had been crying for hours. Seeing each other, both Max and his mom embrace with needing no words, only physical comfort. During the hour and a half theatric experience a story of the hurt of today’s society, the self-realization of a young boy, and the collective redemption of all of the characters unfolds amongst the tale of a boy within his imagination.

There is something hidden within the adventure that unfolds on the screen that the Church needs to hear—a message of redemption. Max’s redemption, both within himself and with his mother, comes about through a type of inner searching. Yet, we as the Church know that the redemption of humanity comes about only by the movement of God, within his people, through the power of the Spirit. Sadly, many times people miss what God is doing because they are too preoccupied with other things. This is why it is vital to create time to spend with God, in order that he might search us and show us the places in our lives where we are in need of redemption. With all the noise and distractions that plague our culture daily, there is a necessity for intentionally taking time to let God take a hold of our imagination; to take our mind, heart, and soul on an adventure of self-awareness and redemption. Throughout the gospels Jesus goes off by himself and spends time with his father, allowing himself to be shaped by God. Take one minute and think about the adventures within himself the spirit of God must have taken Jesus on…through the pain of lost loved ones, through the excitement of friendship, and the disappointments of humanity. There is no place where this type of adventure becomes clearer than in the garden of Gethsemane. It is here that Jesus comes face to face with the reality of what will happen on the cross, the pain and beauty of what is about to take place. Can you imagine the adventure that occurred within Jesus during that time—the characters, friendship, problems, joy, pain, and realization of redemption that must have happened within our Lord?

When we allow ourselves to be in solitude, to let our imagination go, and get on the boat to a far off land; we allow the Lord take us on an adventure within our own hearts, minds, and souls. The movie does not address where he went or what truly happened to Max, if he really journeyed to a far off land or whether is was a figurative adventure, but that is not the point. The point is that wherever he goes, or does not go, Max finds redemption, both within himself and with those who are a part of his family and community. May you allow yourself to go on an adventure, to quiet yourself, empty your mind, and allow your Lord to take the reigns on a path to redemption.

Something Teens Need, A Safe Place

Over the last week, maybe because of the topic of this blog, I have begun to notice the need people have for a safe space. By a safe space I mean a place where one can be with others, have one’s needs meet, and feel comfortable to be oneself no matter what one is going through, happy or sad, joyful or depressed; everyone needs a place where they can just feel safe. For many this is their own home, but what I have noticed as of late is that this safe place for many in our country, especially adolescents, is becoming more limited. Instead of families being what David Elkind calls, “child-centered,” where the well-being of the children is put first and parents sacrifice to meet their needs; families have become “adult-centered” where the well-being of the adult elevated above the children’s.1 For many years the home was a place of safety where children were cared for and loved, but the home does not have the same feel that it once had because children are on longer the focus of family life; the needs and wants of the parents are instead. This is further heightened once a child becomes a teen as they struggle to find his/her own identity within a place where their needs are put on the back burner, replaced by their parents desires. This creates a residence that no longer brings feelings of peace and safety, encouraging self-discovery, but instead feelings of loneliness, discomfort, and tension.

When I lead a focus group of high school students, a majority of the students confided in me that they felt they had no place where they felt safe and no one they felt safe around. One student commented that he did not trust anyone, “not even his best friends.” I was surprised when a sophomore pregnant teen confessed that she wouldn’t even tell her darkness secrets to anyone—not her mom, dad, or her boyfriend of 3 years, who was the father-to-be. I am not sure why either teen felt this way, but what was obvious was that they did not feel safe enough to be honest with the people in their lives.

Many teens today feel just as these two did; they hide everything because they are scared of letting others see deep inside themselves. Many feel that if they reveal their struggles they will be judged, others believe that no one really understands what they are going through, while others just lack trust in any adult or friend, and therefore lock all of their emotions inside. For instance, one student I worked with for 4 years had never met his dad and lived with his mom for his whole life. After getting to know the student it became clear that he never opened up to the men in his life because he did not trust them due to his experiences with men in the past. It took almost 3 and half years for the young man to start opening up to me just because I was a male, when he opened up very quickly to almost any woman in his life.

The environment that people grow up in affects them. Sadly, today kids are treated more like their parents’ play toy instead of a real person. Parents make their children play sports they do not want to, pressure them to be good at all they do, to get straight A’s in school, want them to look and be prefect, give kids anything they want just so they will leave their parents alone, and when a child finally confides their parents, the parents make the children’s issues more about themselves than their own child. On top of that many parents have bought into the myth that kids just want to be left alone. It is not that kids want to be left alone; it is that they need someone to seek them out. It is for reasons like these that many teens do not trust adults today, but sadly teens need adults to be involved in their lives.2 It is no wonder that depression is hitting kids younger and younger.3 Teens have become isolated from the adult communities they need more than ever.

As we have seen over the last couple of weeks, youth need adults to care for them. In fact, Chap Clark, professor of youth, family, and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary believes that for a teen to best navigate through adolescence they need at least five adults, who are involved in their lives, truly care for them, and point them toward Jesus.4 This is why in his book, Disconnected, Chap and Dee Clark urge parents to invite others to be involved in the process of raising a child.5

At the same time, adults must realize that youth regularly need time and space just to be youth. They need a safe place to struggle, mess up, learn, and grow where they will not be judged, but be loved and coached. Youth need to have fun, mess around, and be teens; we cannot rush teens into adulthood because this is another way of abandoning them. The important thing to remember is that this safe place is within an adult community, not away from one.
This is where the Church comes in. The Church needs to create and be a place where teens can feel safe and cared for, where they can struggle and be teens. Youth group plays an integral role in this process. Youth group can be a place where they can be with others in community, have their needs meet, and feel safe. (Next week we will explore how the church might become that safe place for youth and talk a little about what that place might look like)

1 Elkind, David, Ties That Stress: The New Family Imbalance, (First Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1994), 38-62
2 Clark, Chap and Dee Clark Disconnected: Parenting Teen in a Myspace World, (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2007), 35
3 Twenge, Jean M. Ph.D., Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled and More Miserable Than Ever Before, (Free Press, New York, 2006), 107
4 Clark, Chap, Introduction to Youth Ministry, Fuller Theological Seminary, Fall of 2007
5 (Clark and Clark, Disconnected, 178 – 193)

A Tale of Two Experiences: What To Do?

Church was not always this way, separating youth from the adult community as is seen in the two different examples given below. Looking at the New Testament Church one can see that there was no separation of youth, children, or adults from each other. In fact, families all participated in church together. In his book, Families At the Crossroads, Rodney Clapp takes his readers even back further into the Bible, venturing back into the time where Israel was ruled by its own judges, not kings. Clapp argues that families knew nothing of the privatization of today’s world; instead, as in Joshua 7:17, several households, consisting of married groups of people, formed clans, which then constituted a tribe. There were many reasons for this grouping of families, such as survival and industry, as in Judges 6, but these clans also participated in caring for helping children develop their faith in God (Deut. 6:4).

In the time of the Church things are to operate a little differently according to Jesus. In Mark 3:31-35, Jesus redefines the definition of family as: “whoever does the will of God.” He even goes further in Matthew 10:35-36 to state, “I have come to turn man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, your enemies will be those in your own household.” Jesus continues to say in verse 37, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” Within the Kingdom of God and the Church, families are redefined. They no longer are made up of what we know today as the nuclear family; instead family is anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord. This is where the Church comes in. The Church becomes the people who are to raise and disciple the new believer, child, and/or teenager. Theologians Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willmon take Jesus’ words and draw out its theology, arguing that the Church is to be the family of God, within which both faith and ethics are to be developed.

So how can a church change this? How can we help students feel connected and become connected to the adult community? Well, first let me say that knowing that things need to change is the first step. Now that you see why things need to change, the second step is getting the rest of the staff, and maybe even the elder board, to see why things need to change also. Remember, change, especially in the church, even with staff members and elders, is never a quick process; it takes time, patience, prayer, many conversations, and discernment. In a way taking this step is ultimately asking your church’s culture to change, and people do not like to change, especially when you are asking them to change what they have become very comfortable with. Therefore, it is important to direct change and cast the vision to your church community. Remember change needs to happen in the heart before it can happen within the community. Therefore it is important to be in prayer and asking God’s guidance throughout this process because he is the one that changes hearts and minds for the glory of his kingdom, not us. At the same time, it is important to discern based on your church’s theology, tradition, and culture how God might be calling your church community to start becoming more youth friendly. While you are talking to the pastoral staff and elder board, you should also begin to start conversations with the student body and working to change the culture in your youth ministry itself. Students may be uncomfortable with the idea at first because it is so out of the norm for them, so take baby steps. I have found that a good first step is starting conversations with youth where you do a lot more listening than talking. In many cases the answer lies within the issues. What I mean by this is, ask your students why they do not like coming to “big church,” and trust me, if you have an honest relationship with them, they will be brutally honest with you. Use this information to see what might need to change in order to get youth to want to become involved. Don’t use names, but this information could also be a helpful tool in helping your staff or elders to see the need for change.

Once you start to work to change hearts and minds for Christ’s kingdom, move forward with programs little by little, but remember don’t just program change, pray over it, preach it, and live it. All programming should reflect a larger purpose, God’s. The programs should be things that get students and adults to interact with one another so that they get to know each other and build relationships with one another. One example is doing a church workday and pairing up teams of adults with teams of youth to work on things together. Another example is doing a church basketball league where you create teams of four with two adults and two youth.

After you feel like progress is being made and youth and adults are connecting and hearts are changing, take the step and start including them in the processes of Sunday morning services. If you start with this step, it might feel too quick for some people in the church, that is why I suggest trying to do this further down the road in the process than at the beginning. Getting youth involved with the community during the church service not only helps them create ownership, but they are also able to see themselves as a part of the church community, not just the youth group. Some churches feel that it is best not to hold youth group or youth bible study while a main church service is going on so that youth can be a part of the service every week. Ultimately, while I think this is best, it is at the discretion of your pastoral staff to discern for your community.

Let me say at the end that I am not advocating that youth lose their own space, because in many ways that is just as important as helping to develop an adult community for them. In fact that is subject we turn to next week. Creating space to care for youth in our community and how we can work to meet their specific needs.

But until then, remember what we have covered over the last three weeks, and that youth are in a place in society and culture where they have never been before. Therefore the church must join in God’s redeeming work in the world, helping him redeem his youth through the work of the spirit in the church. As a youth leader it is your job to serve, leads, casts the vision, and create the goals for the future of God’s youth. The hope is that youth will become a vital part of the church community, that they will organically develop relationships with adults in their community, and they will grow and develop in adults who love and follow Jesus. May this way of doing church becomes such a part of the culture that it is prayed for, preached, and lived out in every aspect of the community’s life together.

A Tale of Two Experiences (Part 1)

I visited a church on Sunday that I never been to before. Entering into a new church community for the first time can be somewhat awkward. It seems that all churches develop a routine over time that is foreign to anyone who first visits. As my fellow visitor and I walked to the front and found our seats close to the front middle, 3 or 4 different people greeted us on our way. Once in our seats we patiently waited for the service to start. As people began to file in, greet their friends, and find their seats we couldn’t help but notice there was no large section of youth sitting together in the back corner away from any adults who they might have come with. Instead the youth were everywhere: back at the power point station, sitting next to their parents, kicking back among adults who looked nothing like them, and up front in the worship team. As the service continued on it was clear that at this church the youth were not just passive observers. Before the sermon a student got up and read the passage for the day, another prayed a prayer for the community, and a student even helped administer the Lord’s Supper! I could not believe it, I felt as if I had walked into a different church universe.

In high school I was sort of the star kid in youth group, not to toot my own horn, but I was. Anyways, even as the star kid I was never asked to participate in the adult church service, as I was not allowed to, and maybe even forbidden to. Instead every Sunday morning after the youth group, I either ran off to the beach, telling my pastor I could find more connection to God in the water then in a boring church service where I was expected to passively sit and listen to another sermon, when I had just come from listening to one or I sat passively in the back of the “big service” because my youth pastor promised to buy lunch if we went the “big service.” Needless to say, I was very disconnected from anything or anybody in my church other than those involved in the youth ministry. And after graduating from high school I went off to college and I did step inside a church, unless my parents forced me, for 3 years.

Sadly to say, today many youth feel the same way or similarly to the same way I did in high school. Looking back I realize that the reason I hated going to “big church” was because I did not feel like I belonged. I did not feel like the pastor spoke in my language, I did not feel like anyone cared if I was there or not, and I never was asked to become involved in the service at all.

(More to come soon :)

Adolescent Abandonment, Not in the Church?

As seen below, the story of Holden provides an image of youth abandonment. In the shadow of youth such as Holden lies the question: is there such thing as adolescent abandonment within the church?

For the good part of youth ministries past, the youth have been placed into what can only be described as a “youth church service,” far away from the “adult service,” further adding to youth abandonment because youth are again being forced away from any type of adult community. Research has shown that while youth services fulfill the needs and desires of youth to have their own safe space where they can be youth, it has a massive side affect, it can future disconnect youth from the church body. By the time youth graduate from high school many do not feel a part of the larger church body. So therefore, upon graduating from high school and being forced into the “big church service,” students do not feel like they belong.1 Upon entering into the larger church service, youth quickly do not feel at home because not only do they not see the person they called pastor for years, but they do not see anyone that they know or anyone who knows them. For anyone, entering into a church where they know no one can be lonely, but it is even lonelier for a person going through the transition from high school to post-high school.

It is both heartbreaking and mindboggling that one of the loneliest places for youth; a place where they feel almost completely disconnected from adults, is within the church. One would think that the church should be a place where students can feel completely welcome and embraced, yet sadly; the intuitional church looks much more like society. Therefore, it is no wonder that once youth are cast out of youth group into the larger church body; they flee toward any type of community that will invite them in.

In the book, Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers, Chap Clark states that through his research he has found that one of the main reasons youth go to parties is because they are seeking community with others. This should break anyone’s heart.2 Why is it that youth have to venture into the dark places of high school and college parties to find community instead of into the church?

May the church be a place where youth find community, not only with other students, but also with adults. May the church not be a place of abandonment, but of hope and God’s redemption displayed by the body of Christ, our Lord.

(In the next posting we will explore how the church might change to no longer be a place of abandonment.)

1 For great information and research on this topic see http://fulleryouthinstitute.org/college-transition/
2 Clark, Chap, Hurt: Inside the World of Today’s Teenagers, (Baker Academics, Grand Rapids, 2004), 158- 168

A Tale of Adventure, Abandonment, & Truth

Kicked out of his prep school because of his grades, Holden Caulfield, age 17, is traveling around New York City killing time before he will return home for Christmas break. For a majority of Holden’s life he has bounced from prep school to prep school for one reason or another, but mostly because of his struggle to find any drive to do well in school. Holden is afraid of returning home too early because he is worried how his parents will react because he has been kicked out from another school. Holden therefore decides to go on an adventure that leads him from his school into the city of New York and eventually back to where it all started, his home. Behind the antics of this seventeen-year-old are deep hurt and pain that stem from his parents’ or any adult’s lack of involvement in his life. The adventures of Holden Caulfield, as told by Holden himself in the book Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, have become a tale all to true.

At first Holden appears to be a child crying out for attention by acting out against everyone and everything in his environment. Yet, as the reader continues, the character of Holden becomes much more complex. While the reader can never really tell if Holden’s tales are truly what they appear to be, through Holden’s depiction of his own story a teenager who is searching for true connection with another, looking for his purpose in life, trying to discover grace, and find love. In fact the boy character goes to extreme measures for even human interaction, even buying a prostitute one night, just to have someone to talk to. It is never clear why Holden is the way he is, but there is a clear lack of adult influence, community, and trust in his life. One point in the story that this becomes very clear is when Holden, while seeking a place to stay, turns to an old teacher, who after giving him advice about life, does something that makes Holden feel taken advantage of. While it is not clear whether Holden is justified in his feelings, what becomes evident is his total lack of trust in all adults. In fact, this one event leaves Holden with the desire to run further away from the life he has known and the parents who raised him.

As I read I could not help but think of today’s youth and how much of their hurts and desires are perfectly depicted within Holden’s character. I was reminded of a time when I sat down and had a conversation with some youth during a visit to a local high school during the school’s lunch time. As I sat there and listened to the cries and hearts of ten youth who told me about their disconnection from any adults in their life, use of drugs and alcohol to feel something and have fun, their lack of trust even in their closet friends, and their desire for grace and love from anyone willing to hear broke my heart. I remember thinking to myself, how have we allowed this to happen? Many of today’s youth have drifted far away from just the antics of a person going through adolescence, but are now dealing with much more. Current youth are being forced to cope with the hurt and pain that has been passed from generation to generation, still left unredeemed by the only one who can redeem them.

During my reading of J.D. Salinger’s book I began to see the faces of the youth in my community in the tales of Holden, in the hurt, pain, and abandonment of a boy on the run in search of adventure and someone, anyone, who might show him love.

May the Church be that person. May the Church be the one’s who give hope to the hopeless and show love to those teens who need love. May the Church join in the work of God in the world and manifest the Kingdom of God in world of today’s teens.

My Hope: A conversation

Let me introduce myself, my name is Steven Johnson and I have a heart for youth, families, and the church. I don't really call myself a visionary, but I have visions for the church. I don't really believe I have the best ideas, but I have good ones. I don't think I know all, but I know some things. All I am is a person who loves God, works hard to love and serve others, and has a passion and call to serve youth and families. This is why I write. This is why this blog exists, for ideas, conversation, thoughts that circle around the topics that effect youth and families in today's world. My hope is that somehow this blog will be used by God as he furthers his Kingdom in the world. May you, whomever you are, join in the conversation with me...and may his Kingdom come.