Meeting Jesus in a Bar

Just a few weeks ago I went to a bachelor's party for a wedding I was in just recently. It wasn't anything too wild and crazy. Went to a hockey game, went to a sports bar and then to an Irish pub. I don't think the Scriptures "outlaw" alcohol (or obviously I wouldn't have gone). But I don't want to talk about what is the way of Jesus when it comes to alcohol...that is for a different day. I hadn't been to a bar since I had to go for my old sales job.

It was a sad night for me. Since my decision to get into Christian ministry, I have been around situations like this very rarely. I forgot how sad the bar scene can be. People lead lives that focus solely on the weekend to go out and get drunk. Of course they probably would look at someone like me and think that I am stupid for trying to live for God. They would say that it isn't a very fun life. Let me paint the scene. I saw one guy passed out on a chair, others working on trying to get this girl or that guy onto the dance floor. I'm not going to say it is wrong to go to bars or to drink beer...I mean look at this story...I was at a bar. What I am saying is that I was shocked about how far I've distanced myself from people like this. I do not run into people like this in my everyday life. My life has relatively zero impact on the life of a weekend partier.

So you're thinking..."okay, you were at a bar. So how could you think the bar scene is sad." I find it sad that there are so many people so disillusioned and yet they are largely untouched by Christians who can give hope. I've heard stories of church meetings in bars in Portland. I know some people who are relatively outraged about this. This is because they feel the church is then saying that what happens in bars is considered ok by the church. I don't agree with this statement, because as I think about my night out on the town, all I could see were people who would never walk into a traditional church setting.

How do we reach these people? Is showing up on Sunday and hoping they come to our church enough?

Fortuitous Bouncing

Another week has come and gone. It is weird to still be on Christmas break but just as busy as during school. I have a feeling that some of my Christmas break habits will have to change once school starts again in a week.

Here are some of my thoughts.

I think...

-The idea behind outdoor hockey is pretty sweet but this article does a good job of advocating for why it should only happen once a year at most.

-That this is the sweetest website I have ever seen. Give it ten seconds.

-I'm actually interested in politics for the first time in my life. I think the reason behind this is that I have a greater understanding of theology and it effects how I think God interacts with the world and how we should as well.
Here is some good politics stuff for those who care:
-A look into the religious beliefs of every main canidate and their coordinating stances on several issues.
-A Newsweek article on Huckabee and how his beliefs effect is candidacy.
-My friend Scott has a blog on why he is voting for Obama.

-How scary it is that more and more people are saying they have religious beliefs but they are not attending a church. Check out this article on this.

-That the topic of Islam being a violent/peaceful religion is interesting. This blog takes a look at the subject and has some good things to say.

-That I was never a fan of TBN and then I read this. It didn't help much.

-I hate weddings. I swear I have to take a loan out just to afford being in one.

-I can't wait for Leeland's album to come out in late February. Their single is money.

-That you should have a great weekend.

Pat Robertson's 2008 Predictions

This guy is a piece of work. I'm sure a lot of you younger readers might not even know who this guy is and that isn't entirely a bad thing. But check this out because he is an important figure within the Christian faith whether you like him or not.

Here is a CNN article on his comments and a great blog on some of his past "prophesies" if they are even worth being called that (doubtful). I guess he has been making these predictions almost every year since before I was born. Wow.

I could easily rip into him with all my might, but I'll try not to.
Some thoughts on Pat...

-Why even make these predictions? I mean he is wrong a lot more than he is right. In my book he is cheapening what it means to be spoken to by God. In my theology class we talked a little bit about what makes a prophet and the first criteria was being able to predict things correctly. I wonder what a non Christian would say about him...my best guess is that he is a joke.

-Pat isn't his given first name. I wonder why he would allow that to become his nickname and used as his first name. I mean I understand Tiger going away from Eldrick. But going from Marion to Pat doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Most people I know picture this when the name Pat is said.
-I think it is awesome that he is a more charismatic person within the Southern Baptist Convention. I know he isn't a pastor anymore, but when he was he led in that way.
-His comment about Hugo Chavez is up there as one of the worst statements by a Christian leader in the past century.
-His ability to start a tv program from scratch in 1960 was innovative and bordering on genius.

I think I'll end on a positive note with this. It would have been all too easy to rip him a part, so I'll take the high road...kind of.

What do you all think about this controversial guy?

Right or Left

It seems to me that the press is starting to catch on to this thing called the postmodern generation and the emerging church. I want you to see this great video by NBC News. I have at least 3 times as many friends who will vote for a democrat (likely Obama) and not a republican. This has far reaching implications for not just next November. I'm not going to give a stance on this, just want you to be enlightened.

You have to click the video and you link to the webpage.

God has 4,235,843 friends on MySpace

Church Politics .2 of 3

#2 Why Politics Exist in Churches...

1. I think this is partly because people are passionate about their beliefs. Churches have to be able to make decisions and this can create politics. People accept Jesus and one of the after effects is that they are going to be convicted about different things they are doing wrong in their lives. The same thing happens at a church, some things aren't ideal and there has to be a way to change them. But people hate change...and so begins church politics.

2. I posted a video of Andy Stanley talking about leadership here. Leadership is a gift is primarily what he was saying. Church politics don't have to be negative but when we begin to view leadership as something entitled to us I think church politics begin to take on a new form.

3. I remember the an old friend told me that we should never hold on tightly to our roles on the worship team. I've seen situations when someone new comes along and changes some things and people begin to get upset. Was the new way different? yes Was it worse? no. I think the reason people were upset is because their role was changing but if they would have really taken the advice it wouldn't have mattered what their role was, God would use them.

4. Decisions have to be made within churches and usually people are passionate about what they feel God is telling them. Once you have two people who are passionate about what they think God is telling them and they don't agree, so begins politics within church.

For whatever reason people expect church to be perfect. They won't ever get hurt, nothing will ever convict them, and everyone will be happy. I know that I sin all the time, even at church and church is full of leaders and members who are just like me. People make mistakes, people screw up and all of this allows for bad situations to develop.

I remember how hurt I was after the crap that happened at my old church. I hated being around town and seeing people from there. It almost ruined my freshman year of college. People would often ask me what I thought of church after everything went down. I would always say that church is run by sinners so not everything is perfect, but church is the body of believers and I will always go to church because it is how God designed for us to fellowship and meet together to lift Him high.

God Tube

There is a very popular new website. You can find it at godtube.com. It is just a Christian YouTube. There is nothing much else that they do that youtube does not other than that they monitor their content so that it has some sort of Christian purpose. There are a lot of positives with this. It provides a website churches can feel comfortable with for putting some of their content onto, etc. The ceo of GodTube is a student at Dallas Theological Seminary. This surprised me to find someone from Dallas who could think with today's world enough to come up with this idea. Yes that is kind of a knock on Dallas, but hey...I didn't come up with the idea. I think the idea is great, the concept is great, even though it is a knock off. Not very often does a Christian alternative match up with the original. How many churches have had a series called iLife in the last 2 years? I mean...really? Anyway, watch this video and see how he responds to the question about where the money goes. I think he dodges it, and I don't like that.




Watch the video, check our the site, tell me what you think.

Church Politics .1 of 3

My life whole I've heard people say the reason they don't go to church is because of church politics. Christians will use it as a reason for why they don't attend a church and non Christians use it for why they don't want to. Even people who do go to church complain about church politics. So you might be wondering..."you're 23 Tyler, what on earth could you tell me about church politics? You haven't lived enough to know about that." Well let me tell you...

After I graduated high school my parents threw me a graduation party and invited a lot of people from church, including a lot of the pastors since my dad was the senior pastor. Not many people showed up and little did I know at the time that it was the beginning of a rift at the church. That same October the elders asked my dad to step down from his leadership role and give the speaking and main leadership duties to the then associate pastor who my dad had hired a few years before. My dad agreed, but when they announced it to the volunteer leaders many of them were outraged and asked my dad to not accept this change. So he stood firm. After many church member meetings, 8 pastors from the church gave their resignation to my dad (my dad was the only pastor left).

That same weekend my dad apologized for being self seeking and gave his resignation from the church. Make no mistake about it, the leaders of the church wanted my dad gone and to this day there are many of them who do not like my family or my dad. That next summer I went back to that church to watch my friends on the youth worship team lead for the adult service. I remember walking in and people just staring at me like I was breaking the law. I sat in the very back of the balcony and left as quick as I could.

That was four years ago and now I know only one pastor out of the nine who is still at that church. That graduation party was the beginning of a disrespect the other pastors and elders had for my dad and so they didn't send me a card or come to my party. I didn't know it at the time but it was the beginning of the hardest six months of my life. In my life, church politics have been very real and because of that I think I can shed some light on the subject.

Are politics a reality in church life? Yes. Will that ever change? No, I don't think so.
Next time I'll look at why I think they exist.

Jonestown

Tonight on SportsCenter they had a showcase on Jim Jones, one of the most infamous men in US History. I have to admit that I had never heard of him. It isn't common for history classes to teach modern religion history is my only excuse. I consider myself a person who knows a fair amount for my age but this I did not know. Here is a video about Jim Jones and Jonestown, Africa.


SportsCenter was showing this because Jim Jones' grandson is now a freshman on the basketball team at the University of San Diego. Jones' son was in the capital of Guyana at the time of the mass murder-suicide. He and some of his brothers had formed a basketball team and they were playing in a tournament in Georgetown, Guyana. That is how only a few descendants of Jim Jones survived. Really...an amazing story despite how shocked I was that I had never heard of this event specifically.

I know this isn't news to most people who read this. It just amazes me how much the Gospel can be skewed.

In But Not Of .2

We began a discussion on how to be in the world but not of the world...now we'll continue.

I like to consider myself an introvert with extrovert qualities. My wife is definitely an extrovert through and through. Evangelism/friendship/shooting the breeze all come so easy for her and for me it always feels so difficult. I've always thought that God would just use me for who I am but I think thats not totally true. God is just going to work through my weakness in a huge way for me to step out to reach some people. I don't want to be the introvert who stands back and blames my lack of activity on being introverted...thats a cop out.

Another way to be in the world but not of it.

2. Get together with your friends (Christian or non Christian) in public places.This could be a weekly Bible study specifically getting into a public place or a small church's staff getting out of the church to meet. It doesn't have to be Starbucks, I would actually say you should support your local coffee shop instead of paying the man. You will be surprised by how much the people around you hear bits and pieces of your conversation. You will also get a chance to hear bits of pieces of other conversations nearby yours. This only leads to opportunities to create friendship. In our postmodern world it has become overused that evangelism will be done through relationship, but it is true.

In but Not Of .1

I think a big dilemma Christians face is the principle of being in the world but not of the world. Every Christian seems to deal with this differently. Although I'm sure none of us think about it all the time, it effects so many decisions we make on a daily basis. I won't be the one to draw the line because its obviously something I struggle with all the time. But I do like to think about reaching other people for Christ like this: Church is our element, it tends to be comfortable for us but it is not that way for a non Christian. All of us tend to just invite our non Christian friends to church and let the church do the job of sharing who Jesus is. It also allows us to stay out of this person's world. I'm not saying church isn't a valuable place for you to bring people, but just like you don't want to go to a bar on a weekend, they don't want to go to church. So how can we be IN the world of the non Christian yet stay away from being OF the world...

1. Many of us Christians only listen to Christian music. On the radio this is Klove or the Fish or Air1. No this isn't bad and I think the quality and quantity of Christian music has expanded greatly in the past 5 to 10 years. But what do we have in common with a non Christian by only listening to this.........NOTHING. Can Christian music be used to reach a non Christian? well of course, but it certainly won't work for everyone. Give secular music a try without overdoing it and listening to Britney's new album (how is that crap #1 on iTunes?). There are tons of a great artists out there, use them to create a relationship with someone.

Rip City

I was looking at Google Trends. A google app that allows you to choose words and look at the trends of how often people search for a word and where they do it from. So I typed in "emerging church" and it was a little weird...it shows that most searches for this word occurred in 2007 and the highest number of searches per capita happened from Portland, OR. You can look at this search HERE. I just thought it was interesting....its per capita basically so its not sheer number but the highest percentage of people in Portland out of all other cities were searching for this. It can be a sign of optimism because I don't think Portland would be called a highly reached area for Jesus.

The Coffeshop Generation

I originally wrote this 2 years ago, but I think it will work well as my first blog posting.

I took a class my freshman year called Christian Discipleship, and it basically turned into a class on the post-modern church. For those of you who don't know this is basically a fancy word for how my generation and those somewhat near my age desire to have church "done". People call me a part of Generation Y or the Millenial Generation, or whatever, but I say that I'm part of the Coffeshop Generation (I want credit if that ever catches on). We love to get together in a place with music and some noise, lots of stuff going on, and try and hash out a meaningful connection by way of conversation. The question is how does this type of generation work within the church and how can a church make this relational aspect come alive. The question I ask as a worship leader is how to make worship in church relevant to the coffeeshop generation.

I went to a concert a month ago (Shawn McDonald) and throughout the concert there was a painter, painting in the background. He painted 2 pictures, they had basically no relevance to Jesus or Christianity but I was struck by the fact that music and painting are both art but only one is done every week in every church around the world.

Last November I went to a concert at the Salem Armory. It was a worship concert led by Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman. Those two combine for easily the two best leaders and writers of worship music today. There were never more than 5 people on stage but it was one of the loudest concerts I've been to, and God was felt all throughout the 3 hour concert. It was simple but there were 3,500 people diving into worship while one person was singing and three people playing instruments.

Last October I saw Shane and Shane and The David Crowder Band in concert. Two completely different types of bands, and neither is particularly a worship artist. However, I worshipped to songs that are never sung in church and they fostered an easy way to connect with Christ. It was loud, but it was real and it was worship.

I've attended Rolling Hills Church a few times this semester and being a worship guy I really focus on that. I honestly can't attend a church where I can't connect with the worship well. They have about 5 singers up front and 2 or 3 instruments that play in the band. It is a simple sound, and is never really energetic, but the church is 3,000 people strong.

For a the last few years I've been a part of the worship team at my church. I didn't choose the music most weeks, but I was kind of the up front person that the congregation would look to. We would usually have 5 or 6 six singers and 4 or 5 instruments. We could do any song in the book with those amount of numbers. As we gelled together we became pretty good at doing the songs we knew really well, but the church didn't grow in numbers or in a worshipful attitude.

What am I saying here? No I am not saying that there is one way to "do" worship that works for everyone. There is not one way that pleases God above the others. There is not one way to do worship for the Coffeeshop Generation that everyone will enjoy. But have you noticed how every worship CD that comes ou today has one or two singers on it? And how every worship CD that comes out always has some part when the worship leader stops singing and lets the church sing?

The Coffeeshop Generation loves to sing. I mean they really love to sing. They'll sing anything, including hymns, just as long as they know the song. I am a part of this generation, there has never been a song that I knew and didn't sing to. Having 6 singers every weekend leading worship fogs the noise and makes it hard for a church to connect. Six singers makes worship a performance if not done perfectly right. Painting pictures and letting a church sing can be lead people to Christ but it to can also become a performance if not done right. The coffeeshop generation is a broken group. We have experienced more life than any other generation has, and we didn't need a world war to do it. Shawn McDonald is huge today because he is real. Chris Tomlin is incredible because he leads others to Christ by making themselves the leader of their own worship experience.

Generation Y, the Millenium Generation, the Coffeeshop Generation...all they want is something real, a connection, and to sing. The fun part is that there are any number of ways to do that. This is worship in the postmodern church.