Archive - June, 2009

real freedom starts with a free mind / tiananmen square-8964

June 4, 2009 in politics, thoughts with 0 Comments

Above all, we must realize that no arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women. It is a weapon our adversaries in today’s world do not have ~president ronald reagan

picture-14i’m reminded this morning that 20 years ago this day was the pro-democracy protests in China’s Tiananmen Square where literally thousands of nationals were killed for standing up to tyranny of the worst kind.  and although in the passing of the decades it seems as those things have improved there are still stories of unbelievable oppression.

i had the privilege of hosting a few of those students who stood so bravely for true freedom in early 1990 at a forum at the college.  i remember so clearly how grateul they were for the united states and the principles for which we stand…they saw our land as the best hope for the world.

i remember a discussion with our friends…that technology played a huge role in 7 weeks of protest.  at that time the fax machine played a key part of communicating movements and direction of the protesting students.  today its social networking sites like facebook and twitter.  i’ve added this twitter search to help show what’s happening right now…
there is much to be learned even 20 years since. for those across the ocean and also for us as a nation as we are watching and seeing unprecedented actions unfold in our halls of government.  we need to remember.

this video from the washington post i think speaks well of what is at stake. good story here too.

there is much at stake. we have much to learn.

what is that? – “that’s crazy”

June 3, 2009 in music, politics, thoughts with 0 Comments

an amazing little video that simply reminds us that the casual and ordinary can sometimes be overlooked.  i’m still processing the time at mohican juvenile for the epiphany this past weekend.  one common thread for the the young men, “stars” and even for the team and volunteers was an old idea…ebenezzer, sung from that great old hymn, come thou fount.  it finds its starting point in 1 samuel 7:12

Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah.s He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”

it seemed like every where we turned during the three days God was creating moments where we could pause and mark His working in our midst. the incredible joy the young men expressed continually.

  • 1,408 links in a prayer chain
  • honey buns (that they would make a sandwich with crumbled up candy bars as the filling
  • meals (tacos, pizza, wings, subway sandwiches)
  • a birthday party to celebrate their births (the 3 boys at my table couldn’t remember having ever had one)
  • writing the names of those they needed to forgive on a piece of paper
  • nailing those pieces of paper to the cross
  • removing the list of someone else and watching it dissolve in water
  • learning new songs (mighty to save, no one like you) and hearing them sing more loudly each time.
  • also enjoyed cutting it up with pharoah, pharoah
  • the celebration of young men, making a renewed or even first time commitment to living for Jesus.
  • watching “deacons” (epiphany alumnae) serve their peers with love and compassion
  • hearing those same “deacons” share at closing how much they had grown because of serving
  • the corrections staff that were continually blown away by the softening of harden hearts.

it can be summed up well in the simple words from my friend, darius, who everytime an “ebenezzer” came his way could only respond by saying “that’s crazy”. please continue to pray for these guys and their next steps. much good was done, many “ebenezzer’s” were lifted up…but the evil one loves to tear it all down. pray that they can live out of the promise of John 10:10 – The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

simple youth ministry – forceful focus

June 2, 2009 in books & reviews with 0 Comments

simple-student-ministryIn a straightforward way, simple student ministry- a clear process for strategic youth discipleship is a great read.  The authors do a good job of pushing the concepts from co-author Eric Geiger’s earlier work, Simple Church down to a practical understanding and application.

The book lays out a simply process to help assist evaluation of a student ministry program in the local church.  Its a reminding of the task   Although the principles can be applied in any other ministry area its all about clarity, movement, alignment and focus.

Personally I was anxious to read and see how Geiger and Jeff Borton took the ideas and pushed them down, as that always seems to be the challenge. The last chapter on “transition to simple” is a clean and clear and offers a process that can begin to shape a ministry.

Nestled somewhere in the middle was a crucial reminder about our focus in ministry (student or otherwise).  Looking at the life of John the baptist and being reminded that we “have been invited to be part of God’s mission of expanding His kingdom through the ministry to students.  It is the greatest cause to join, the best battle to be in, and the greatest fight of your life.  And the kingdom of God is not for the faint of heart. Forceful men lay hold of it (Matt 11:12).  The mission requires our deep commitment because the stakes are so high.  People’s eternal destiny hangs in the balance.   The mission requires forceful focus.”

The above reminder is direction enough to look at what we’re doing as pastors and leaders…in any size or context of ministry to youth ”our calling is deeper than running programs to keep kids busy.”

The multitude of case studies, although not exhaustive, are useful to see how other churches – small, medium, large and multi-site  are adopting the principles of a simple strategic process.  A chapter on para-church groups is also useful.

I highly recommend you purchase the book, read it, study it, practice it, and purchase a copy for a friend(s).

For more information about the authors -
Eric Geiger blog
Jeff Borton blog twitter: @jeffborton

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