I think that the MMA is getting a little carried away. I understand the draw of it, but come on. I just read that there are allegations that South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas made some students settle their differences by squaring off in some bare knuckled cage fights.
That's right, the teachers encouraged the students to settle their disputes by locking them in a cage there at the school and letting them fight. No word on if they were hardcore matches or just strait pin falls. Perhaps they had a few tag team matches as well, I'm not sure.
Regardless it is said that the principal knew what was going on. Whether or not he was there for any of the fights I don't know. He could have been a guest referee I suppose. I know that this is really not a good thing, but imagine for a few moments what this could all look like.
In the hallways between classes fighters are giving interviews and calling out their opponents. If one guy was just getting pounded there is a run in by some of his buddies to help. Go all WWE for it.
Maybe the people got wise to what was going on when the big octogon was ordered for the field house. Or maybe they started announcing the matches during the morning announcements. The Hell in a Cell match tipped them off. Regardless of what your view is of punishment in schools and how that should be handled, THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA!!! There has to be a better way. Peace and Love y'all.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
In or Out
So I was talking to a friend of mine today and we were discussing John 3. He will be preaching on this passage in a couple of weeks and we were talking about the direction that he might want to take with it. After bandying about the idea of using one of the more obscure verses as his sole point of reference, or listing one as the verse to have read and then going totally away from it, we talked about something with some meat.
The question that was posed was about Nicodemus. Nick came to Jesus and questioned him about who he was and what he was teaching. Not that big a deal really, seems that people wanted to know this about Jesus, which would help explain why there were always such large crowds around Jesus. But if you read the first half of the chapter with Nick's story you see will see what it was that had us talking.
Nicodemus was a pharisee you see. So pretty much by this time the pharisees weren't so sure that they liked what Jesus was doing. He was ruffling some feathers and going if directions that they didn't really like. The thing is, Nicodemus didn't seem to be completely convinced that what he was saying was bad. So he went to talk to him about it...at night...when no one would see him talking to Jesus. Seems kinda weird right?
So the question was "Why do you think Nicodemus went to Jesus at night?" The answer seems pretty obvious at first glance, right? He was a pharisee and was afraid of what the other pharisees would think if they knew he was consorting with the "enemy" as it were. I mean, if you don't want people to know what you are doing, you do it under the cover of darkness. So the first thought is that he was scared of what the others would think if they knew.
This is the answered that I posed to the stated question. It makes sense. Damon then posed a different answer to his question. He said "What if the reason that he went at night (other than fear) was to be able to avoid having to share Jesus with any of the crowds? Or some combination of the two."
Now this was an insight that I had never considered before. It was something that had not even crossed my mind as his reason. We always hear about how he didn't want to upset his standing with the pharisees or disturb the status quo. But what if there was another motive to why he went at night? What if it was because he didn't want to have to share his time with Jesus?
It would make sense really when you think about it. The crowds that followed Jesus were huge. Can you imagine what it would be like to try and be able to even get close to him? And as far as getting to ask him a question and get to have some discussion about it? Good luck with that. So going when the crowds are gone makes a great deal of sense.
Aren't we all just like Nicodemus though at times? We are selfish with Jesus. We don't want to share him with others. Or we want to "try out" Jesus but we don't really want anyone to know that we are. We are scared and we want to be hidden...just like Nick. Jesus talks about how things that are done in the dark will come to the light. To this particular situation it's like he is saying that it's fine to start off secretly, but at some point you have got to take a stand one way or another. You're either in or your not.
We have to make a choice at some point...will we continue to go about in the dark, hoping no one knows we are actually into Jesus, or will we step into the light and live our faith for others to see. Nicodemus' story ends (for us at least) with him being the lone voice to oppose the "trial" of Jesus (that we know of) and he is there to help take him from the cross and bury him. Nicodemus was willing to step out of the dark into the light, will we be willing to do the same? Peace and Love y'all.
The question that was posed was about Nicodemus. Nick came to Jesus and questioned him about who he was and what he was teaching. Not that big a deal really, seems that people wanted to know this about Jesus, which would help explain why there were always such large crowds around Jesus. But if you read the first half of the chapter with Nick's story you see will see what it was that had us talking.
Nicodemus was a pharisee you see. So pretty much by this time the pharisees weren't so sure that they liked what Jesus was doing. He was ruffling some feathers and going if directions that they didn't really like. The thing is, Nicodemus didn't seem to be completely convinced that what he was saying was bad. So he went to talk to him about it...at night...when no one would see him talking to Jesus. Seems kinda weird right?
So the question was "Why do you think Nicodemus went to Jesus at night?" The answer seems pretty obvious at first glance, right? He was a pharisee and was afraid of what the other pharisees would think if they knew he was consorting with the "enemy" as it were. I mean, if you don't want people to know what you are doing, you do it under the cover of darkness. So the first thought is that he was scared of what the others would think if they knew.
This is the answered that I posed to the stated question. It makes sense. Damon then posed a different answer to his question. He said "What if the reason that he went at night (other than fear) was to be able to avoid having to share Jesus with any of the crowds? Or some combination of the two."
Now this was an insight that I had never considered before. It was something that had not even crossed my mind as his reason. We always hear about how he didn't want to upset his standing with the pharisees or disturb the status quo. But what if there was another motive to why he went at night? What if it was because he didn't want to have to share his time with Jesus?
It would make sense really when you think about it. The crowds that followed Jesus were huge. Can you imagine what it would be like to try and be able to even get close to him? And as far as getting to ask him a question and get to have some discussion about it? Good luck with that. So going when the crowds are gone makes a great deal of sense.
Aren't we all just like Nicodemus though at times? We are selfish with Jesus. We don't want to share him with others. Or we want to "try out" Jesus but we don't really want anyone to know that we are. We are scared and we want to be hidden...just like Nick. Jesus talks about how things that are done in the dark will come to the light. To this particular situation it's like he is saying that it's fine to start off secretly, but at some point you have got to take a stand one way or another. You're either in or your not.
We have to make a choice at some point...will we continue to go about in the dark, hoping no one knows we are actually into Jesus, or will we step into the light and live our faith for others to see. Nicodemus' story ends (for us at least) with him being the lone voice to oppose the "trial" of Jesus (that we know of) and he is there to help take him from the cross and bury him. Nicodemus was willing to step out of the dark into the light, will we be willing to do the same? Peace and Love y'all.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Found
So I was in Ohio last week and I was listening to this new radio station (for me) and I heard this song on there on multiple occasions. I'm sure that you have probably heard this if you listen to the radio at all. The song is called You Found Me by The Fray and it is incredible. I just really dig what he is saying in his lyrics. If you haven't heard it yet click on the video below and give it a listen real quick.
The words of this song seem to express what we all feel when tragedy hits us. There is that sense of pain and doubt anger and we wonder where was God in all this crap that is happening. We want to have our moment to stand before God-with-skin-on and ask the question "Where were you when this happened in my life?"
The thing is, that's fine. God is able to take that from us. It will not alter our standing with Him if we have questions about where he is in the darkest of times in our lives. That is part of what it means to have faith though, to believe and understand that there will be times when it feels and seems that God is a long way off, yet we believe and trust anyway. It brings to mind the story in Genesis of Jacob wrestling with the angel.
Here is what Isaac Slade of The Fray had to say about his lyrics:
I think that is a place that most of us have been. Here is one more quote from Slade about the song:
For all of you out there that might be feeling like this right now, know that there is hope. Sometimes you just have to really look to find it. Peace and Love y'all.
The words of this song seem to express what we all feel when tragedy hits us. There is that sense of pain and doubt anger and we wonder where was God in all this crap that is happening. We want to have our moment to stand before God-with-skin-on and ask the question "Where were you when this happened in my life?"
The thing is, that's fine. God is able to take that from us. It will not alter our standing with Him if we have questions about where he is in the darkest of times in our lives. That is part of what it means to have faith though, to believe and understand that there will be times when it feels and seems that God is a long way off, yet we believe and trust anyway. It brings to mind the story in Genesis of Jacob wrestling with the angel.
Here is what Isaac Slade of The Fray had to say about his lyrics:
"I dreamt I ran into God on a street corner. He looked like Bruce Springsteen and he was smoking a cigarette. I had it out with him and asked 'Where were you when all this bad stuff was happening to those very undeserving, good people?'" Slade, who's Christian faith is very important to him added, "There were tough times. I was questioning my faith, angry at things that had happened in my life and in the lives of my friends. A friend had suffered a miscarriage, I had lost my grandfather. I was angry and the song felt angry and hopeless too. I imagined what I'd say to God, in the face of all the crap my friends have gone through in the last couple of years." (www.songfacts.com)
I think that is a place that most of us have been. Here is one more quote from Slade about the song:
"It demands so much of my faith to keep believing, keep hoping in the unseen. Sometimes the tunnel has a light at the end, but usually they just look black as night. This song is about that feeling and the hope I still have, buried deep in my chest."
For all of you out there that might be feeling like this right now, know that there is hope. Sometimes you just have to really look to find it. Peace and Love y'all.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
I'd Like That Back Please
Ok, I have a post that I have been sitting on for about a week now. As you may know I flew to Ohio last week for a youth ministry conference. Well on the second part of my flight there I had a chance to read some of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer newspaper. As I was reading through it, there was a small story that caught my attention. I thought about sharing it then, but I never really had a good chance to write over the weekend. So I wanted to share it tonight. This just seems to say volumes about the state of our culture (at least to me).
The paper has a section (at least on this day they did) titled "5 Things You Should Know Today." This was the #5 thing in that section, but it seemed to stand out the most to me.
What a crazy world. So, if you are thinking about donating any vital (or otherwise) organs to a spouse you better be dang sure that this is the real deal because you won't be able to get that back from them. It's not exactly like when you break off the engagement and ask for the ring back. Can you put organ donation in to a pre-nup you think?
Again it just kind of stands out that the guy wanted to get paid for doing something (the right thing even) for someone he loved (at least at some point). I think the funniest thing though is the fact that the "matrimonial referee" had to clarify that donated organs don't fall into the range of marital property. Peace and Love y'all.
The paper has a section (at least on this day they did) titled "5 Things You Should Know Today." This was the #5 thing in that section, but it seemed to stand out the most to me.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that a court has rejected a New York surgeon's claim that he should get $1.5 million in his divorce settlement because he donated a kidney to his wife. In a ruling Tuesday, matrimonial referee Jeffery Grob says the kidney was a gift. It was donated in 2001, during happier times in the marriage. Grob says a wide range of items are considered marital property, but donated organs would not be among them.
What a crazy world. So, if you are thinking about donating any vital (or otherwise) organs to a spouse you better be dang sure that this is the real deal because you won't be able to get that back from them. It's not exactly like when you break off the engagement and ask for the ring back. Can you put organ donation in to a pre-nup you think?
Again it just kind of stands out that the guy wanted to get paid for doing something (the right thing even) for someone he loved (at least at some point). I think the funniest thing though is the fact that the "matrimonial referee" had to clarify that donated organs don't fall into the range of marital property. Peace and Love y'all.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Not Here
Man it has been a while it seems since the last time I wrote anything. I'm somewhat debating the amount of writing that I want to do, simply because I don't want to write stuff just to say that I wrote it, but rather I want it to be worth reading and so I want it to be that I have something to say...anyway, that is all beside the point.
I spent this last weekend in the state of Ohio at a youth ministry conference. It was a good conference and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn some new things and see what is out there to help with the field of youth ministry. On top of that I got to hang out with some family that I don't get to see very often so that was just like gravy...only not creamy, or brown or done with gibblets...that is an odd expression then when you really think about it...but I digress. The conference was good, but it is always nice to be home.
All of the above however is not what I wanted to actually write about tonight. I have something else that is on my mind actually that I wanted to share. All that other stuff is just to more or less get you caught up on where I have been as of late. What I wanted to write about is something that struck me last night as I was reading in the Book of Mark.
In chapter two of the Gospel of Mark, there was a passage that really caught my attention. It made me stop and ask the question "When did following Jesus become something that only respectable people can or should be allowed to do?"
Here is what got me started on this train of thought. In chapter 2, Jesus is going along headed back to Capernaum and he passes by the offices of Levi the tax collector (also known as the apostle Matthew). Jesus calls Levi to follow him, and he does. That is all in verses 13-14. Verse 15 goes on to say "Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers.)" There, did you catch that? The next to last line mentions that there were "other disreputable sinners at the dinner", besides just tax collectors, who were bad enough. But the biggie is what we read in the parenthsises after that: There were many of this kind of people among Jesus' followers.
It wasn't that there were a few who tagged along on the edges. No there were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers. It was not the Pharisees who were following Jesus around. It was the rabble, the rough crowd, the people that no one else had much to do with. If you read on in verse 16 and following, you see what the response was of the Pharisees to this. They were appalled by the people that Jesus hung out with. Yet, there were many of them who followed Jesus.
I've been doing youth ministry for nearly 13 years now. There are two phrases that I completely hate to hear from people. The first is "We've never done it that way before." The second is this: "Well those aren't the kind of people that you would want showing up at church anyway." I can't stand to hear that from people. It's not just when it comes to the youth either.
It seems that these would be exactly the type of people you would want in church. These were the very people who were following Jesus to start with. Jesus' response to the Pharisees who said basically the same thing? He told them that he wasn't there to call the righteous but rather those who knew they were sinners in need of his grace.
I heard a story this past weekend of a church in Florida. The guy telling the story is a youth leader who was leading a training seminar at the church. He talked about the servant heart of the people of this church, both youth and adults. After the training was all done, he and his co-presentor went to dinner with the youth pastor of the church. In the course of the meal, they asked about how it was that this church was so loving and accepting and had such a servants heart. The youth pastor replied that as best he could tell it was the result of a prayer that the Senior pastor prayed everyday. What this man would pray was this: "God, send us the youth that no other church in town wants. Send us the adults that no other church in town wants."
So my question again is this: When did it become that it was only the respectable folks who could follow Jesus and come to church? Peace and Love y'all.
I spent this last weekend in the state of Ohio at a youth ministry conference. It was a good conference and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn some new things and see what is out there to help with the field of youth ministry. On top of that I got to hang out with some family that I don't get to see very often so that was just like gravy...only not creamy, or brown or done with gibblets...that is an odd expression then when you really think about it...but I digress. The conference was good, but it is always nice to be home.
All of the above however is not what I wanted to actually write about tonight. I have something else that is on my mind actually that I wanted to share. All that other stuff is just to more or less get you caught up on where I have been as of late. What I wanted to write about is something that struck me last night as I was reading in the Book of Mark.
In chapter two of the Gospel of Mark, there was a passage that really caught my attention. It made me stop and ask the question "When did following Jesus become something that only respectable people can or should be allowed to do?"
Here is what got me started on this train of thought. In chapter 2, Jesus is going along headed back to Capernaum and he passes by the offices of Levi the tax collector (also known as the apostle Matthew). Jesus calls Levi to follow him, and he does. That is all in verses 13-14. Verse 15 goes on to say "Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers.)" There, did you catch that? The next to last line mentions that there were "other disreputable sinners at the dinner", besides just tax collectors, who were bad enough. But the biggie is what we read in the parenthsises after that: There were many of this kind of people among Jesus' followers.
It wasn't that there were a few who tagged along on the edges. No there were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers. It was not the Pharisees who were following Jesus around. It was the rabble, the rough crowd, the people that no one else had much to do with. If you read on in verse 16 and following, you see what the response was of the Pharisees to this. They were appalled by the people that Jesus hung out with. Yet, there were many of them who followed Jesus.
I've been doing youth ministry for nearly 13 years now. There are two phrases that I completely hate to hear from people. The first is "We've never done it that way before." The second is this: "Well those aren't the kind of people that you would want showing up at church anyway." I can't stand to hear that from people. It's not just when it comes to the youth either.
It seems that these would be exactly the type of people you would want in church. These were the very people who were following Jesus to start with. Jesus' response to the Pharisees who said basically the same thing? He told them that he wasn't there to call the righteous but rather those who knew they were sinners in need of his grace.
I heard a story this past weekend of a church in Florida. The guy telling the story is a youth leader who was leading a training seminar at the church. He talked about the servant heart of the people of this church, both youth and adults. After the training was all done, he and his co-presentor went to dinner with the youth pastor of the church. In the course of the meal, they asked about how it was that this church was so loving and accepting and had such a servants heart. The youth pastor replied that as best he could tell it was the result of a prayer that the Senior pastor prayed everyday. What this man would pray was this: "God, send us the youth that no other church in town wants. Send us the adults that no other church in town wants."
So my question again is this: When did it become that it was only the respectable folks who could follow Jesus and come to church? Peace and Love y'all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)