Posted in Different Scriptures, Different Thoughts

it is for freedom…

Posted on by Wick

There’s an incredibly powerful movie that came out recently called “Megamind”. It’s a redemptive story where someone who was originally born leaning toward sin and self eventually realizes the error of his ways, and is transformed into a champion of righteousness. (Okay, so that might be an over-spiritualization…but it can definitely be used in youth ministry.)

At one point in the movie, the evil villain Megamind is distraught over not having any “good” to balance out his evil. He had defeated the Super-hero, and everything he does now feels pointless. So he devises a plan to create a new super-hero using the DNA of the previous hero. He accidentally gives super-powers to a hapless young man with no desire to use the powers for good. Megamind quickly moves from benevolent giver of powers – to unleashing his desire and need to control the forces he’s unleashed.freedombutterfly

Some of us have the same opinion of God. We picture God looking down from above, seeing a world he created as broken and filled with sin. He needs someone to clean up the mess that’s been made, and so he offers to transform humanity, with the understanding we have a calling to play a cosmic-janitorial role.

But that’s not what we read in scripture:

Galatians 5:1 declares “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.”

There’s a popular worship song that uses this phrase, and I’ll be honest – I’ve usually thought it was a bit redundant. I figured maybe the writer of the scripture was simply emphasizing the importance of freedom by repeating the word. But in our world of manipulation by those in power – the verse hits us as a breath of fresh air. God has not acted benevolently on our behalf in order to build an army of soldiers who sing his battle hymns and march to his omnipotent drumming. God has acted on our behalf because He loves us, because we were enslaved and held captive by sin, and because He wanted us to experience true freedom.

Sure, it’s a freedom that when we actually experience it, will infinitely compel us into so many directions of response. But the words of God in Galatians 5:1 remind us – it’s not for any return performance, act of gratitude, or powerful response on his behalf that he originally moved for us. It was out of a love for us that was so strong, he could not sit and watch us remain captive. We are set free. Why? In order to live as those who have been set free!

Are we communicating His motives to a world still in bondage? Are we giving our children that message when we teach them about the God who loves us? How could we refine our message just a little bit this week, as God sets us free to live holy lives? To begin, you may want to take a moment and discover where you might still be submitting to the chains of sin…

Posted in Different Learning

father the youth pastor.

Posted on by Wick

I’ve joked before of all the many ways parenting has made me a better youth pastor.  After all, there are many similarities between a toddler and a junior high student:
fatherhood
1. If you meet their hunger, they’re much easier to work with.

2. Sometimes you have. to. talk. slowly. and clearly. if you want to make sure they’re going to get it.

3. One of the best ways to increase the likelihood of behavioral change, is to have them repeat the command back to you.

4. No matter how much they pretend other things are important, sometimes all they really want to do is run around a bit.

5. More girls = More drama.

And so on the list goes.  But on the flip side, I’ve been involved in youth ministry for several years before becoming a parent.  Here are  a few ways working with teenagers had been preparing me to be a father:

(for the rest of this post, check out my guest post at “Next Level Mama” today!!!)

Posted in Different Scriptures

hearing strange things from God’s Word…

Posted on by Wick

Sometimes God doesn’t make sense. (says the human) One of my favorite stories of such a time, is found in 1 Kings 18, when the prophets of Ba’al square off against Elijah. The King and his people have been doing what they wanted for a very long time. Little by little, the people and followers of God have simply become a people who follow a lot of different things, along with God as a guiding side-dish. As Elijah enters the scene, he calls it like he sees it, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left…” Compared to the 450 prophets of Ba’al, it certainly doesn’t look good. But Elijah’s purpose is clear – remind the people of who the one God really is.listening

Then they have their famous showdown. They both have an altar with sacrifice on it. The first altar to be set afire will be proven as truly divine. Elijah politely allows the prophets of Ba’al to go first.

From morning until noon, the prophets of Ba’al shout and dance, but to no response. Elijah responds with the sarcasm of a modern MAC vs. PC commercial, “Shout louder, maybe he’s gone to the bathroom!” Sure enough, the people respond by shouting louder, slashing themselves with swords and spears until their blood flowed.

You can probably bet that their altar had all the right conditions for a fire to blaze. If a piece of flint had set off a spark nearby, I’m guessing their entire altar would have grown into a towering declaration for all to see. If you had a checklist of all the things that are required for a successful sacrifice by fire, every single aspect had been checked twice. Yet still – nothing.

Then comes Elijah’s turn, and he does something that doesn’t make any sense according to the ancient editions of “How to Build a Fire”. He orders 12 large jars filled with water to be poured all over the altar, to the point of soaking and filling trenches that he’d dug around the altar itself. The wood, the sacrifice, and the ground are soggy, definitely not the tinderbox of fire-to-come most of us would have thrown together.

The ministry leaders of Elijah’s day would have quickly counted him out. After all, don’t we want everything we do to set God up for success? Doesn’t he depend on us to set the stage for him well with seamless service-flow, perfect powerpoint, and pitch-perfect voices? How do we expect God to do anything incredible, if we’re not 110% on our game, devoting our every thought to how we can help God show up in a big way….whether it’s on stage in a church service, or in the midst of our every day parenting journeys.

Into the midst of the sea filled with all of these pressures and more, the story of Elijah stands as strong as Moses approaching the Red Sea. The anxieties and pressures are cast high and away, leaving dry ground for us to cross on. Ground that reminds us – God is not dependent on us “setting Him up for success”. There may be places in our lives completely soaked to the bone with something we would call “fire retardant”. But in the name of Jesus, anything can be transformed to just the right place for His Glory to be revealed in a powerfully unexpected way…will you offer Him your altar today, no matter its’ condition???