The Myth of the Perfect Youth Pastor

Over at the Random Thoughts From a Random Man blog, there are a series of terrific postings about the myth of the perfect youth pastor. Anyone who has spent any extended amount of time in youth minstry will certainly relate with each of these myths in some way or another.

Myth #1 The perfect youth pastor must be between 22 and 35 years old in order to relate to youth.

Myth #2 The perfect youth pastor must be a dynamic, entertaining speaker.

Myth #3 The perfect youth pastor relates well with every student.

Myth #4 The perfect youth pastor is married and his wife is actively involved in the youth ministry.

Myth #5 The perfect youth pastor must be “cool” in order to relate well to teens.

Myth #6 A perfect youth pastor needs to have events every month for the students while attending all other church-wide functions.

Myth #7 The perfect youth pastor must be able to coordinate babysitting for all other ministries in the church.

Myth #8 The perfect youth pastor must be willing to help anyone who stops by the office no matter how busy they are with their own work.

Myth # 9 The perfect youth pastor must be willing to live off the smallest salary, work in the smallest office and work with the smallest budget in the church all while believing what the people of the church tell them that “the youth ministry is very important to us."

Myth #10 The Perfect Youth Pastor’s ministry will grow numerically even though the church as a whole won’t change and never grows.

Myth #11 A perfect youth pastor will take responsibility for the failures and mistakes of every student in the youth ministry.

Myth #12 The Perfect Youth Pastor will make the teens visible to the church at large and get them involved with the Sunday morning worship service but will not attempt to change the culture of said church.

HT: Random Thoughts

Six Words Helpful for Determining Whether the Music You're Listening to is “Good” for You

Bob Kauflin writes:

Here are six words I’ve found helpful for determining whether the music I’m listening to is “good” for me.

1. Humility (Prov. 19:20)
   Humility in the area of music means being willing to invite the counsel of those around you who are mature into your music choices. If you’re living at home, that means involving your parents. If you’re an adult, that means getting input from those who are spiritually mature and know you best. Listening to music is a privilege to be stewarded.
2. Content (Phil. 4:8)
   If we listen regularly to ungodly lyrics, it’s only a matter of time until we become dull to sin or drawn by sin. Some Christians say they don’t know what songs are saying. If we don’t listen to what’s being said, why don’t we find out? Christians, more than anyone, should know what the songs we listen to are communicating (James 3:8-10). It’s a blatant contradiction if we sing songs on Sunday that proclaim the Savior’s death for our sins and then fill our minds during the week with songs that idolize the sins that put him there.
3. Associations (Prov. 22:3)
   Because music can’t be held, touched, or seen, it tends to associate itself with the things that surround it: friends, concerts, clubs, radio stations, videos, websites, other artists. Even “neutral” songs can lead us to contexts that tempt us in a variety of ways.
4. Time (Prov. 13:20)
   Listening to music excessively can be a sign of idolatry--seeking to find satisfaction in something other than God. Also, the more time we spend listening to music, the more it becomes a friend that will affect us. Is your music a wise friend or a fool?
5. Fruit (Prov. 14:14)
   What kind of emotions does the music you listen to produce in you? How does it affect your relationships with others? What effect does it have on your attitudes, perspectives, and appearance? Is there any attempt to deceive others about the music you listen to?
6. Conversion (2 Cor. 13:5)
   An ongoing pattern of sin in the area of music could reveal that an individual has never been regenerated. Only a true worshiper of Jesus can appreciate music the way God intended it to be appreciated – not as an idol, but as a gift.

HT: Next

Organization is a Matter of Perspective

The desk in my office is notoriously messy, but not this messy. My wife won't believe this, but I bet you that guy (just like me) knows exactly where everything on that desk is ... which means it's organized, right?

Driscoll on Dateline

Mark Driscoll was recently on Dateline and I think the interview is worth a view. So watch it now!

What does Acts 29 Mean?

Scott Thomas, of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network, recently addressed a question that he's often asked,"What exactly do you mean by Acts 29?" Clearly there are only 28 books in the Book of Acts, so what's up with the name ... Acts 29? I really like his answer, so much so, I have posted it below.

What does Acts 29 Mean?

It seems that the Book of Acts was left open-ended in Acts 28. It's as if Luke believed that they were just finishing the end of the first phase of the expansion of the church. Then it was up to us. We were given just enough within the Book of Acts to give us the principles or philosophy that we would need to undergird our strategies from generation to generation to keep them consistent with God's agenda and at the same time to allow all the flexibility that we would need to adapt to each culture.

Acts 29 Network seeks to perpetuate the church planting passion from the canonical record found in chapters 1 through 28. Acts 29 is not an attempt to write our own addition, but to carry out the mission of Jesus to the best of our ability, through the power of the Spirit and for the glory of God.

There are 28 chapters in the book of Acts and our belief that God is at work today continuing the building of His church and expansion of His kingdom through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are simply seeking to follow in the pattern of Spirit-led and Scripture-directed church planting and evangelistic ministry that began in Acts and has continued in every age since through God’s faithful servants.

Reintroducing Dwell Deep: The Blog

Matt Chandler has incorporated his blog into his church's (The Village Church) new website and, along with adding a new look, he has created a terrific new resource, Dwell Deep, a bible study for men.

Are You Tired of Pressing Play?

Are you tired of pressing play at church or in your small group? I am. It seems that every Sunday School class, youth gathering, and small group meeting involves watching a video curriculum and then discussing what was presented. Don't get me wrong, the curriculum is always Bible-based and is typically very well done, but nonetheless, it's just starting to really get to me. We are meant to be students of God's Word, not consumers; and my concern is that pressing play all the time just makes it all too easy for most of us. Often the curriculum is great because it was created by someone who did the work of studying God's word and applying it in a way so that others can connect with it in a meaningful way. There's nothing wrong with that, but who do you suppose did the most growing - the one who studied God's Word or the one who consumed someone's interpretation of God's Word? Who do you suppose connected in a more meaningful way with God - the one with his nose in the Bible or the one with the remote in his hand? I don't have a problem with using a boxed curriculum once in awhile, but for far too many it's become a habit that has led to laziness (do we even know how to do a Bible study anymore?). I'm going to put down the remote for a while and do a little studying of my own.

Questioning Evangelism

D.A. Carson on Randy Newman’s book, Questioning Evangelism: Engaging People’s Hearts the Way Jesus Did (Kregel, 2004): “This book reflects a deep grasp of biblical theology and a penetrating compassion for people. How very much like the Master himself!”

To listen to a couple of talks at Covenant Life Church related to the book, go here:

• Questioning Evangelism, part 1 (Colossians 4:2-6)
• Questioning Evangelism, part 2 (Acts 17:1-5)

HT: Between Two Worlds

Punished with a Child?

HT: Comings Communique

Fifteen Pro-Life Truths to Speak

By John Piper:

1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother's womb (except in the case of abortion).

2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.

3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.

4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.

5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.

Read the rest.

The Cup

Expanding Our Concerns

Our prayers are often of a totally different character to the prayers of the Bible. For example, look at the prayers in the following passages:

* 2 Samuel 7:18-29
* Matthew 6:5-15
* Colossians 1:3-14

Note the concerns of these prayers: the grand purposes of God; the salvation of Israel through David's dynasty; the growth of the gospel and of believers; the coming of the Kingdom of God; the renown of God. In short, they are God-centered, not self-centered, prayers. They are full of thanks to God, rehearsing his holiness and saving power, and asking him to fulfill his plans to save the world.

Paul sets an agenda for prayer meetings in 1 Timothy 2:1-7. Read this now.

We are to pray for everyone, with the focus upon godly living and the salvation of all. Of course, we can bring our personal needs to God in prayer (see 1 Pet 5:7; Matt 6:25-34). By bringing all matters to God, even the minor details of our lives, we express faith in God's rule over all things. God has committed himself to provide and care for us.

HT: The Sola Panel

Is Man Basically Good?

"Much that we take for granted in a civilized society is based upon the assumption of human sin. Nearly all legislation has grown up because human beings cannot be trusted to settle their own disputes with justice and without self-interest. A promise is not enough; we need a contract. Doors are not enough; we have to lock and bolt them. The payment of fares is not enough; tickets have to be issued, inspected and collected. Law and order are not enough; we need the police to enforce them. All this is due to man's sin. We cannot trust each other. We need protection against one another. It is a terrible indictment of human nature." - John Stott, Basic Christianity

But thank God for this: "The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost" (1 Tim. 1:15).

HT: Josh Harris

Some Useful Sites for Youth and Families

Media Links
PlanetWisdom – Movie and Music Reviews from a Christian perspective
PluggedInOnline - Movie Reviews from a Christian perspective
ThePornTalk – How to talk to your kids about Porn and Sex
CovenantEyes – Software to keep you and your teenager accountable

Money
Moneywisekids – Training Program to help Teenagers with Money

Family Discipleship
HeartConnex –Family eDevotionals
Almenconi – Helping parents communicate values to their children
Crosswalk – Online Christian magazine
ChristianityToday - online Christian magazine
FamilyLife
WalkInTheWord - a ministry of Dr. James McDonald
StrongFamilies - the center for strong families
cbmw the Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Fathers - National Center for Fatherhood
TruthForLife - where the Learning is for Living
JosiahPress - 30day program for parents and their teenagers

Personal Study
Bible – Bible resource
BibleGateway – Bible search
SonicLight – Great study notes
DiscipleshipLibrary Your online source for the very best in Christian discipleship training resources.
DesiringGod – Ministry of John Piper
Echoprayer - Prayer Reminder Website
YouVersion – Online Devotional Space

Marriage/Dating Links
MarriageToday
Family - Focus on the Family
Song Of Solomon – Building life changing relationships God’s way*

Podcasts
(clicking the below links will launch itunes)
Heartfelt Radio - Help for today’s parents on Today’s Teens on OnePlace.com
Tough Talks Podcast - How to talk to your Teenager about Porn, Sex and Internet Dangers

We're All Gonna Die

Check out the new project by Simon Høgsberg, “We’re all gonna die - 100 meters of existence.” The photo, taken in Berlin, was constructed over 20 days and features 178 people and is 100 meters in length.

The the thing that I think is so cool about this project is the humanity that it shows - if you look closely, you'll see love, anger, concern, pain, busyness, suffering, joy, happiness, and probably a whole lot more. The people are so different and yet, as the the title of the project points out, they're all (we're all) connected by the truth that "we're all going to die." We're all going to experience physical death someday, which inevitably raises issues that also link us; questions like the meaning of life, how we all came into existence, whether or not there's anything after physical death, and if so, what?

I don't think we often take the time to notice others around us - I mean really notice others. Especially in our culture, we are constantly surrounded by others, but many of us feel so alone. Few of us know our neighbors, our coworkers, or even the members of our own families. Even in the church, we gather together to worship the God who made us for community (with Him and with each other) but we rarely honest with each other about the condition of our hearts or the struggles we're experiencing. I pray that we all, especially in the church, begin to notice the humanity around us and truly take the time to do what's necessary to make real community happen.

HT: The Plow

Back and Striving

I'm back and I think the blog looks better than ever. I have switched from Wordpress to Blogger, a move that surprised me, but I have found Blogger to be more user friendly (in most ways, not all) than Wordpress.com (although I hear that Wordpress.org is the way to go ... but then again it's not free), especially in terms of being able to customize the look of my blog. I have moved most of the posts from wordpress over to blog, but not all, so if you're looking for a previous post and you don't find it here, try visiting the old site www.christianstriver.wordpress.com.

Striving for the Faith of the Gospel

Philippians 1:27-30

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Upcoming Conference on Church History

This conference will provide a broad overview of church history with a special focus on the Reformation era (including the development of Roman Catholic doctrine and the major issues that sparked the Reformation). Our guide for the journey will be Dr. John Hannah, Research Professor of Historical Theology at Dallas Theological Seminary.

The conference is hosted by Coram Deo Church Community, in partnership with Core Community Church. Cost is $30 per person ($25 per person if registered by January 31). For more information, including a detailed schedule, visit the conference website.

John Calvin Commentary on John 3:16

Let us remember, on the other hand, that while life is promised universally to all who believe in Christ, still faith is not common to all. For Christ is made known and held out to the view of all, but the elect alone are they whose eyes God opens, that they may seek him by faith. Here, too, is displayed a wonderful effect of faith; for by it we receive Christ such as he is given to us by the Father -- that is, as having freed us from the condemnation of eternal death, and made us heirs of eternal life, because, by the sacrifice of his death, he has atoned for our sins, that nothing may prevent God from acknowledging us as his sons. Since, therefore, faith embraces Christ, with the efficacy of his death and the fruit of his resurrection, we need not wonder if by it we obtain likewise the life of Christ.