One of my favorite things is sports. If you know me, you probably know this little tidbit of information already. If not and you are reading this just because, well I like sports. Football and basketball take the top two spots for me, but really I like others as well. And I like them at just about all levels (no matter how painful they may be to watch at times). But there is one thing about sports, and especially going to a sporting event in a small gym or football field that is hard to deal with: The obnoxious fan.
You know the one I'm sure. It's the person that sits in the stands and yells (wanting to be heard of course) at the refs, at the coaches, and the kids. It's the kind of thing that I am afraid of doing myself when my kids are actually old enough to participate in games that aren't as painful to watch. It's part of the reason that I am not sure about ever coaching my kids in pee-wee sports. I'm afraid that I would make myself look bad. Granted I have done this before and been reprimanded for it. I sit there at games now and can hear this type of fan yelling and I think the same thing that a couple next to me voiced: "This isn't Little Dribblers anymore. Nobody wants to listen to that now."
The thing that gets me though is when the person isn't just yelling indiscriminately, but instead is yelling very specifically, usually at their own kid. I can understand having a passion for the sport (or just sports in general) and even the desire to see your team and your kid do well. But is it really called for to yell at or to your child things that aren't exactly encouraging? My parents were great when it came to my sports. They were there and they were supportive, but thankfully they didn't yell at me about what I was supposed to do (in part that may be because they didn't really know any different). I remember a friend's dad who would come down and stand on the track behind us at Junior High football games and yell stuff at his son. Look let me put it like this, you're not coming off great to the folks around you. People that I've been around aren't generally supportive (or always appreciative) of this kind of thing. I know you're trying to help, to get a call, to get your kid to realize what's going on. I'm just saying that it may not be the best way to go about it.
I think in a lot of ways, people take that same view of Christians. Here we are on the outside, not in the heat of doing life with these people, and yet we are voicing (loudly usually) instructions about how they should be doing stuff. We are pacing on the track yelling out at those who are actully playing. What good does that do? Honestly, even if they hear us, do we think they are going to suddenly just listen to us? I think this is one of the reasons that Christians are often times seen as being that obnoxious sports fan. We think we know everything and we will loudly voice it for all those around us to hear, and yet what we doing to really help make a change?
In Acts 2:42-47 it talks about the early church. If you are a part of our youth ministry then you know that what we call it is 2Forty2. This refers to Acts 2:42, which talks about what the early believers did as far as worship, and prayer and fellowship and breaking bread together. But when we read further we also see that they shared what they had, not just amongst themselves but with others as there was need. They saw a problem and they found a way to deal with it, they didn't simply shout solutions. Then in verse 47b we reach the real kicker: "They enjoyed the good will of all the people. And God added to their number daily those who were being saved." They were not the obnoxious sports fan. This is what our call is. To live out our faith in such a way that people are drawn to us, not repelled by us. And that is hard to do, just like it is sometimes hard to not be that obnoxious fan in the stands. Peace and Love y'all.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Star Gazing
Sunday morning we were sitting in church. A pretty typical thing for me on a Sunday morning really. In case you were wondering, Sunday was also the 9th day of Christmas. So I got up to read the scripture for the day which was Matthew 2:1-12. It is the part of the story of Jesus' birth that talks about the Magi coming to see him, about how they saw the star in the West and followed it, possibly for two years, in order to worship the King of the Jews that had been born. It is a great story and has a lot of great things in it that we can and should consider.
Yesterday however a thought occurred to me that I had never had before about the star. First of all let me say to you, think about everything you have have heard or seen when it comes to the Star of Bethlehem. What comes to mind? Is it some small pin prick of light that just happens to shine a bit brighter, perhaps like the North star? It seems that on most occasions when we think about this star, or we see a rendering of it it is pretty much a huge shining beacon in the night sky lighting the way not only for the Magi but for the shepherds and even some incoming air traffic. It seems that everyone believes that this star was like a spot light marking the location of where Jesus was for all to see.
And that's fine, and maybe it was that way. But if that were the case, why didn't (or couldn't) Herod and all his advisers see it outside of their city? Maybe it was because they lived in the city and the street lights and office lights were just too bright, I don't know. All I know is that if this star was as big and bright as what we tend to believe, it seems like it should have been hard to miss, and at the least someone should have noticed and maybe pointed it out to Herod so they could investigate. As I thought about this question in the last 36+ hours I have come up with a couple of reasons.
1) Herod and his "people" were blinded to the star. I can't help but wonder if it was a hard heartedness that kept them from seeing this sign from God that he was doing something in their very midst. In Habakkuk 1:5 God says that he is going to be doing a new thing. Herod was not the kind of king who was really hip to doing "new things". I think it is possible that they were blinded in some way to what was going on right there around them. It's the same way that people are today. God can be moving in the very midst of people, and yet some are so hard hearted, so determined not to see or acknowledge Him that they are basically blind to what is being done.
2) They weren't really looking something to happen. When the Magi come to Herod and tell him about the star and why they are there, the first thing Herod does is to call aside his priests and teachers and scribes and ask them about where the Messiah is supposed to be born. They all know the prophecy and tell him where Jesus has been born. Yet even knowing this information it seems that they weren't really looking for something to happen. Again we are this way at times. We have the information, we know what we need to know, and yet we are not really looking for anything to go down, therefore we miss what God is doing.
3) They didn't know what to look FOR. When the Magi arrived they talked about how they had been watching the sky and the stars and had seen this star as a sign that the King of the Jews had been born. These were not men who claimed to follow the One True God as the Jews did. These were people who followed the patterns in the stars and relied on that to navigate through life. Yet in the end, they knew what they were looking for when it came to the star that they saw. They recognized that there was something special going on and they wanted to be a part of it. Herod and the others didn't even seem to know where to start with all this.
So where do we fall in all of this? Are we like Herod who was hard hearted and didn't want to see what God was doing or are we more like the Magi who saw that God was doing something and knew that whatever it was they wanted/needed to be a part of it? That is something that we have to figure out and decide for ourselves. What choice will we make? Peace and Love y'all.
Yesterday however a thought occurred to me that I had never had before about the star. First of all let me say to you, think about everything you have have heard or seen when it comes to the Star of Bethlehem. What comes to mind? Is it some small pin prick of light that just happens to shine a bit brighter, perhaps like the North star? It seems that on most occasions when we think about this star, or we see a rendering of it it is pretty much a huge shining beacon in the night sky lighting the way not only for the Magi but for the shepherds and even some incoming air traffic. It seems that everyone believes that this star was like a spot light marking the location of where Jesus was for all to see.
And that's fine, and maybe it was that way. But if that were the case, why didn't (or couldn't) Herod and all his advisers see it outside of their city? Maybe it was because they lived in the city and the street lights and office lights were just too bright, I don't know. All I know is that if this star was as big and bright as what we tend to believe, it seems like it should have been hard to miss, and at the least someone should have noticed and maybe pointed it out to Herod so they could investigate. As I thought about this question in the last 36+ hours I have come up with a couple of reasons.
1) Herod and his "people" were blinded to the star. I can't help but wonder if it was a hard heartedness that kept them from seeing this sign from God that he was doing something in their very midst. In Habakkuk 1:5 God says that he is going to be doing a new thing. Herod was not the kind of king who was really hip to doing "new things". I think it is possible that they were blinded in some way to what was going on right there around them. It's the same way that people are today. God can be moving in the very midst of people, and yet some are so hard hearted, so determined not to see or acknowledge Him that they are basically blind to what is being done.
2) They weren't really looking something to happen. When the Magi come to Herod and tell him about the star and why they are there, the first thing Herod does is to call aside his priests and teachers and scribes and ask them about where the Messiah is supposed to be born. They all know the prophecy and tell him where Jesus has been born. Yet even knowing this information it seems that they weren't really looking for something to happen. Again we are this way at times. We have the information, we know what we need to know, and yet we are not really looking for anything to go down, therefore we miss what God is doing.
3) They didn't know what to look FOR. When the Magi arrived they talked about how they had been watching the sky and the stars and had seen this star as a sign that the King of the Jews had been born. These were not men who claimed to follow the One True God as the Jews did. These were people who followed the patterns in the stars and relied on that to navigate through life. Yet in the end, they knew what they were looking for when it came to the star that they saw. They recognized that there was something special going on and they wanted to be a part of it. Herod and the others didn't even seem to know where to start with all this.
So where do we fall in all of this? Are we like Herod who was hard hearted and didn't want to see what God was doing or are we more like the Magi who saw that God was doing something and knew that whatever it was they wanted/needed to be a part of it? That is something that we have to figure out and decide for ourselves. What choice will we make? Peace and Love y'all.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Explorers Anonymous
So one of the last things I wrote on here was about Dora the Explorer and how there were some things about it that just made me go "Hmmm." Well here is a little bit of a follow up to that post for you.
Top 10 Signs my two year old is watching too much Dora
1) When he can name pretty much all the characters on the show, but still struggles to say the names of his sisters.
2) When he suddenly screams "DORA!!" when he is supposed to be going to sleep.
3) When he knows the answers to the questions Dora asks, but still doesn't speak in complete sentences to me.
4) When he has figured out how to open both the DVD player and case and can almost work it all on his own.
5) When he cries because he doesn't get to wear the Dora costume around the house.
6) When the first thing he does in the morning is to walk into the living room, point at the TV and say "Dora."
7) When he seems to believe that he can let himself out the front door and roam around on his own.
8) When you are afraid that you will have to have an intervention at the age of two.
9) You start seriously considering the idea of starting a Dora the Explorer support group.
10) When we go to Gran'maw's house and he immediately goes to the movie selection and begins bringing in all the Dora tapes.
Peace and Love y'all.
Top 10 Signs my two year old is watching too much Dora
1) When he can name pretty much all the characters on the show, but still struggles to say the names of his sisters.
2) When he suddenly screams "DORA!!" when he is supposed to be going to sleep.
3) When he knows the answers to the questions Dora asks, but still doesn't speak in complete sentences to me.
4) When he has figured out how to open both the DVD player and case and can almost work it all on his own.
5) When he cries because he doesn't get to wear the Dora costume around the house.
6) When the first thing he does in the morning is to walk into the living room, point at the TV and say "Dora."
7) When he seems to believe that he can let himself out the front door and roam around on his own.
8) When you are afraid that you will have to have an intervention at the age of two.
9) You start seriously considering the idea of starting a Dora the Explorer support group.
10) When we go to Gran'maw's house and he immediately goes to the movie selection and begins bringing in all the Dora tapes.
Peace and Love y'all.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
An Investment
I have been doing youth ministry now for a long time. Long enough that I could for sure call it a career it seems. I have been doing this for 13 1/2 years now, and most of those have been full time. It has been something that I have loved doing, something that has been full of joy (and a little bit of pain) and has been very rewarding. I have built relationships with students over the years that I am able to still nurture today. These have been an incredible part of what God has called me to do.
In fact I would say that building relationships is the thing that I do best, and it is for sure one of my favorite things to do as far as youth ministry goes. I have learned that it is well worth it to invest in the lives of these young people. I have learned that that is one of the key elements to doing this job. It is that willingness to pour oneself out into the life of a student that can make all the difference really. Usually I am happy to do this, to pour myself into building these relationships. This I believe is one of the key elements to youth ministry. Many times it is easy to do this, to want to do this. There have been students that I have been willing to pour every last ounce of me into...they were the easy kids to minister to.
But what about those kids that aren't as easy to pour in to? Sadly, I can say that I have dealt with this in the past. There have been kids that I have had in my youth groups that I, for one reason or another, just didn't want to take the time to really invest in. I didn't pour myself out as willingly as I did with other kids. I know that there are these kids in every single youth group. For some reason there is just something about them that doesn't click with me and it is a struggle for me to be willing to invest myself into that kid. Why does this happen? Shouldn't I be willing to pour myself in to every student regardless?
I wonder if this was ever something that Jesus dealt with? Were there times when He and the 12 would be traveling and make camp for the night and Jesus would look around and think "Man, I really hope Andrew doesn't want to hang out tonight, because I know he stepped in a pile of something back there and I can still smell it." I wonder if he ever thought about things like this with Judas, especially as the end drew closer? Somehow, even if the thoughts and ideas occurred to him, I doubt that Jesus acted on them. I find it hard to believe that Jesus didn't invest as equally as he could into all 12, no matter what they may have stepped in to.
In the end, it is about taking an interest in kids and their lives. It is about investing myself in others even when it means that I don't really want too. I know that when I take time to be interested in the students' lives, the reward will be far greater than anything else I can do. Peace and Love y'all.
In fact I would say that building relationships is the thing that I do best, and it is for sure one of my favorite things to do as far as youth ministry goes. I have learned that it is well worth it to invest in the lives of these young people. I have learned that that is one of the key elements to doing this job. It is that willingness to pour oneself out into the life of a student that can make all the difference really. Usually I am happy to do this, to pour myself into building these relationships. This I believe is one of the key elements to youth ministry. Many times it is easy to do this, to want to do this. There have been students that I have been willing to pour every last ounce of me into...they were the easy kids to minister to.
But what about those kids that aren't as easy to pour in to? Sadly, I can say that I have dealt with this in the past. There have been kids that I have had in my youth groups that I, for one reason or another, just didn't want to take the time to really invest in. I didn't pour myself out as willingly as I did with other kids. I know that there are these kids in every single youth group. For some reason there is just something about them that doesn't click with me and it is a struggle for me to be willing to invest myself into that kid. Why does this happen? Shouldn't I be willing to pour myself in to every student regardless?
I wonder if this was ever something that Jesus dealt with? Were there times when He and the 12 would be traveling and make camp for the night and Jesus would look around and think "Man, I really hope Andrew doesn't want to hang out tonight, because I know he stepped in a pile of something back there and I can still smell it." I wonder if he ever thought about things like this with Judas, especially as the end drew closer? Somehow, even if the thoughts and ideas occurred to him, I doubt that Jesus acted on them. I find it hard to believe that Jesus didn't invest as equally as he could into all 12, no matter what they may have stepped in to.
In the end, it is about taking an interest in kids and their lives. It is about investing myself in others even when it means that I don't really want too. I know that when I take time to be interested in the students' lives, the reward will be far greater than anything else I can do. Peace and Love y'all.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer
We have been watching a lot of Dora the Explorer here at the Durham house recently. I don't know what it is about that show that seems to just fascinate my children. Boo was a huge fan when she was young and Puck still watches it most mornings. But it is Little Man that is the biggest fan now. He knows where all the DVDs of Dora are and how to get them out of their cases and how to open the DVD player and the XBOX and try to get them in there. And he will ask for the show by name, although to be real honest at this point if you didn't live with him you would think that we let him watch The Simpson's because what comes out is "D'Oh" and that means Dora.
For real though, I'm not totally sure why it is that this show is so very popular in the 18 month -4 year demographic. I guess that if I were in that demographic maybe I would understand better what it is. As an adult though, I just have questions:
1) Dora is like 5, maybe 6 years old, and yet she runs around all over the place without ever letting her parents know what she is doing. Seriously, we have just recently started letting Boo walk to the post office alone, and it's only one street away.
2) Why is it that they always have to say the Spanish words and then follow it up with the English translation? Not saying that it is a bad thing to learn a new language, just I'm pretty sure that not everyone speaks Spanish. There was an episode the other day where twin brothers, who looked to be Swedish, automatically were able to speak Spanish to Dora. Weird.
3) Is it not weird/disturbing to anyone that Dora runs around with a talking monkey named Boots? Her parents seem to be totally fine with it, but again, it is a talking monkey who wears bright red boots.
4) Dora's backpack is from the same store as Mary Poppins' handbag it seems. I mean that kid carries everything you could possibly think of in that thing: scissors, markers, library books, life vests, ladders, English/Spanish dictionary, rope and stars...and it sings and talks to her too. I usually wear a backpack to the office or when I going somewhere, but her's is truly amazing.
5) Where does she live that every time she needs to go some place she has to cross rivers and climb mountains and out smart a fox that want to steal her stuff? "We are headed to the library to return my books. First we go over the crocodile infested river; nest we have to climb the nearly erupting volcano, and finally we go through the deep dark woods to get to the library." I think I would just keep the books and pay the fines.
6) One thing that might be really nice though would be to have the little insect mariachi band that plays every time Dora gets to a milestone of her journey. This would make it so much easier in the car to answer the question "Are we there yet?" "Have you heard the band yet, has the insect mariachi band marched past us playing the song yet? No? Then we are not there yet are we?"
Like I said earlier, I don't understand it, but for my kids its like baby crack (thanks Jon Acuff for that term). Peace and Love y'all.
For real though, I'm not totally sure why it is that this show is so very popular in the 18 month -4 year demographic. I guess that if I were in that demographic maybe I would understand better what it is. As an adult though, I just have questions:
1) Dora is like 5, maybe 6 years old, and yet she runs around all over the place without ever letting her parents know what she is doing. Seriously, we have just recently started letting Boo walk to the post office alone, and it's only one street away.
2) Why is it that they always have to say the Spanish words and then follow it up with the English translation? Not saying that it is a bad thing to learn a new language, just I'm pretty sure that not everyone speaks Spanish. There was an episode the other day where twin brothers, who looked to be Swedish, automatically were able to speak Spanish to Dora. Weird.
3) Is it not weird/disturbing to anyone that Dora runs around with a talking monkey named Boots? Her parents seem to be totally fine with it, but again, it is a talking monkey who wears bright red boots.
4) Dora's backpack is from the same store as Mary Poppins' handbag it seems. I mean that kid carries everything you could possibly think of in that thing: scissors, markers, library books, life vests, ladders, English/Spanish dictionary, rope and stars...and it sings and talks to her too. I usually wear a backpack to the office or when I going somewhere, but her's is truly amazing.
5) Where does she live that every time she needs to go some place she has to cross rivers and climb mountains and out smart a fox that want to steal her stuff? "We are headed to the library to return my books. First we go over the crocodile infested river; nest we have to climb the nearly erupting volcano, and finally we go through the deep dark woods to get to the library." I think I would just keep the books and pay the fines.
6) One thing that might be really nice though would be to have the little insect mariachi band that plays every time Dora gets to a milestone of her journey. This would make it so much easier in the car to answer the question "Are we there yet?" "Have you heard the band yet, has the insect mariachi band marched past us playing the song yet? No? Then we are not there yet are we?"
Like I said earlier, I don't understand it, but for my kids its like baby crack (thanks Jon Acuff for that term). Peace and Love y'all.
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