This Saturday

This Saturday morning is our neighborhood gameday. We will be reaching out to our local neighborhood through something simple...playing games with kids.

If you can help out, we will meet at 9:30am at church on Saturday morning. We will play games until around noon. Also, if you can help pass out flyers on Friday after school, contact Kelly.

evil is real

I remember the days following the 9/11 tragedy. I'm sure you do too. One of the thoughts that kept coming to my mind was, "This is one of those moments that will drastically change the course of history. "

I think that one day we will look back on 9/11 recognize it as the day that absolutes were revived. The days of saying that all truth is relative...that there is no universal right and wrong are over. At least, that's my theory. Oh, and by the way, I have a hunch that this isn't the end of postmodernism...it is the beginning.

So, anyway, I read a great article over at CT today that also notes this cultural shift. One quote:

According to a February 8 story in The New York Times, some forensic psychiatrists are beginning to think that the predatory killers they examine are "not merely disturbed but evil. Evil in that their deliberate, habitual savagery defies any psychological explanation or attempt at treatment." This, of course, flies in the face of traditional psychiatry, which eschews all talk of evil as a way of avoiding "a dangerous slide from clinical to moral judgment that could put people on death row unnecessarily and obscure the understanding of violent criminals."

After 9/11, it's hard to argue that their isn't, at least in some form or another, an absolute right and wrong. When true evil comes and knocks at your door, any belief that says "there are no moral absolutes" is thrown out the window.

Maybe postmodernism isn't that bad after all.

4th ave jones

When Joel and I went to the National Youth Workers Convention, we got a chance to see a lot of bands live. One that impressed us was 4th Avenue Jones. They have been underground for a couple of years, and they are releasing their first nationwide CD with Gotee tomorrow.

The link is to an e-card that will let you listen to almost the whole CD. It sounds pretty good...hard to compare them to anybody out there. Maybe the best comparison is to say that they sound kinda like Black Eye Peas.

"Practicing Passion" quotes

Right now I am wading through a book on youth ministry called, Practicing Passion: youth and the quest for a passionate church by Kenda Creasy Dean. I just finished chapter five. She talked about how the age-old teenage struggle with sex is related to our longing to commune with God and other people. If teenagers aren't finding intimate communion with God and others in the church, then it is only natural that they pursue our culture's picture of "intimate communion," namely...sex. It was a fascinating chapter and worth the price of the book. Anyway, here are a couple of statements that stuck out to me:

"Premature sexual behavior signals a crisis in intimacy, not its fulfillment, as young people longing for secure attachments are thrust into a sexualized public world that makes them feel anything but secure.

"We have substituted romance for religion as a vehicle of self-transcendence. Popular songs chant the 'theology' of romance, worshipping the beloved with hymns of praise: 'You are my destiny,' 'I can't live without your love,' 'You are my everything.'" -p. 127 (quoting Caroline Simon)

"Postmodern youth may be dying because of their dates, but what they are dying for is someone who will be there for them, someone who can draw them beyond themselves into the mystery of 'we,' someone who is 'one' with them and therefore holds out the gift of 'being known.' And if the only route to this intimacy seems to be sex, then sex it will be." -p. 129

"Intimacy involves you and me, but also takes place within the embrace of Jesus Christ whose suffering love redefines the intimacy between us. In other words, authentic intimacy requires the presence of a transcendent Other who sheds light on us from beyond ourselves, illuminating human relationships in a new way." -p. 130

"Kids today are growing up without any understanding of the incremental steps of getting to know each other...They have no way of knowing how to explore their first inklings of wanting to be with each other." -p. 133 (quoting Patricia Hersch)

Mexico Trip

Hola! If you need info on the Mexico Trip, we just posted a bunch of info on the Connection website. It is all of the stuff we sent home to parent in a packet last week. It includes an application, a tenative schedule, and info on raising support.

Don't forget, applications are due by April 1st. That is this Friday!

New Lifehouse album

I picked up the new Lifehouse CD today from Best Buy (it was $9.99. Horray!). So far, I have mixed feelings about it. It is definitely a more subdued sound than their last album, very acoustic. I like the sound...it's just a little different than their last CD.

I am a little disappointed in the lyrics. Don't get me wrong, Jason Wade is an amazing songwriter, and that is reflected here as much as any other album. The songs I enjoyed the most lyrically (Everything, Anchor, Wash, etc.) were ones that spoke to me as love songs written to God. It is Jason's passion for the Creator that I appreciate the most. I don't see that side of him very often on this album.

CT mag has a great review of the album. It makes some good points, I agree with almost everything said.

a great article on the emergent church movement

I stumbled across an article from a KY newspaper on the emergent church movement. It is an extremely fair and even treatment of the movement. I really appreciate that this reporter took the time to present the movement in a way that reflects its diversity and breadth.

Is our youth ministry part of the emergent movement? Nah. I think we are a youth ministry that is part of a contemporary church that is exploring what it means to minister to today's teens. I think that the emergent movement can be a guide in that pursuit.

10 random thoughts from the CORE

This weekend, six of us youth leaders when to the CORE conference. We had a great time. Here are 10 random thoughts I had about our day:

1. I'm gonna really miss Kelly as a youth leader.

2. Our youth ministry can do a much better job of making sure each student knows that they are wanted and needed.

3. I haven't played basketball with a bunch of students in a while.

4. Jim Reilly is becoming a great mentor for the teenage boys in our group.

5. It's weird to go to a conference and have a female speaker.

6. Speaking of having a female speaker, I could be a whole lot more sensitive to the fact that usually half of my audience is female whenever I speak.

7. This Sarah McLachlan video is maybe the most moving music video I've ever seen.

8. The class of 2005 has had an entirely different high school experience than the class of 1995 (my graduating class, by the way).

9. I love each and every one of the adults who help out in our youth ministry.

10. I better spend more time on my knees if I want to see God genuinely changing lives in our ministry (I think that my life needs the genuine changing too).

Good sons let their Dad hold the flashlight while they fix the dryer. 

Horray! I won't smell funny anymore! 

Kutless/Pillar Six Flags Concert

The Six Flags concert is only a week and a half away. The concert will be on Friday, March 25 and will include BOTH Kutless and Pillar. As we have done in the past, our plan is to be at Six Flags when they open at 10am. The concert starts at 7pm. Make sure to bring some $ for lunch (we'll go off-site and grab some fast food). If you need a group ticket (a season pass will get you into the park and the concert), then I need to know by this Friday (March 18). Group tickets will cost $18. We will have a sign up sheet at youth group tonight. Hope to see you all there. You can post a comment below or email me if you know you will attend. Just make sure to let me know if you have a season pass or will need a group ticket.

irony of all ironies

Tomorrow night we start the new series. It is titled, "SATURATED: God's take on our sex soaked society. Oh, and how ironic this Sunday afternoon was. For those who didn't have the privilege of being there, we went to Audubon Park for a picnic after church & small groups. Sunday was a beautiful day...lots of sun...a nice breeze that kept the temperature perfect. It was the greatest day in the history of the world to go to the park. By the way, this is about the only time of year that you can actually utter the words, "I love the weather in New Orleans," and not get laughed at.

Anyway, so we arrive at the park, (which is right across the street from Loyola and Tulane Universities, by the way...which will make sense in a minute.) and look for a spot to spread out our blankets. Clay and I are leading the pack. Clay, with icechest in hand, says to me, "Doug, where should we go?"

I reply, "Let's find a open area for football and fisbee...and a tree for shade..."

Clay looks around as finishes my statement, "...and let's not get too close to all of the sunbathers."

There were college girls sunbathing all around us. Lots of skin being shown...probably their first chance of the year. Needless to say, it made for an interesting afternoon. A bunch of teenagers and adults who have given their lives over to Jesus surrounded by people who obviously hold very different values than us.

So what did we do? Well, we ate our lunch, talked, laughed, relaxed in the sun and enjoyed a great game of flag football. Like I said, it was a great day, and we weren't about to let anyone spoil that for us.

What a great way to start this new series. The world we find ourselves in is one that doesn't share our values...especially when it comes to our sexuality. Followers of Jesus have to run against the current. What are we supposed to do about it? Don't get upset, enjoy life, and live out our lives for whoever is watching.

So if you are a teenager, I hope to see you tomorrow night. We meet at 7:30pm every Wednesday night to meet with God and hang out with each other. We are located in Algiers. We'd love for you to join us.

Bono's creative activism

It seems that Evangelicals always have strong feelings about U2. Either they think that U2 is the greatest thing since sliced bread or they think that the band is the spawn of Satan.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see the aftermath from this one. Bono and his wife, Ali Hewson, just launched a fashion clothing line called Edun. So what, Doug, every other celebrity has their own clothing line. Who cares? Well, this one is a little bit different. The clothing line is "a marriage of social activism and aesthetic innovation." It is only being made in developing countries and only being made by workers who receive a fair wage.

I have to say, I applaud Bono on this one. This is a very creative way to use the immense resources at his disposal to try to make the world a little bit better. I think it is a great idea, even if I will never be able to afford any of the clothes.

Here is a link to the AP news story.

worship through what?

I just read a great article over at CT's website. It got me all excited about God and baseball at the same time. Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is a feat that I must applaud. So whether you are a baseball fan or not, I recommend that you surf over here and check it out.

It'll be worth your time...and make you wonder what your time is worth.

the throne

Joel did a great job last night. It's always really cool to hear what God is teaching other people in their life. In case you were wondering, the verse on the screen was Romans 12.1-2 from the Message paraphrase. The book by David Crowder that Joel talked about is called Praise Habit. It is a great read that will both challenge you and make you laugh out loud (a very unique combination). I'm about two-thirds of the way through the book right now.

The thing that was most convicting for me about Joel's talk last night was the idea that we are already worshippers, whether we realize it or not. The question is not if you worship, it's what you worship. His talk begged the question, "What is on the throne of my life?"

So I picture it in my mind...my throne. What would it look like? Probably a nice, comfy chair, not a pristine, ornate, royal chair. I like chairs that look like they came from the thrift store. I used to have this great, comfy, yellow chair. It was hideous. My wife hated that chair. I loved it. Yeah, that's good. My old, yellow, comfy chair is my throne.

So I got my throne. So what is on it? If you look closely, you can see that the cushion is a little more worn in certain spots. It looks like there is something or someone who has sat in it more than anything else. It has started to take the form of it's primary occupant...me.

It's crazy how easy I can slip into an "all about me" view of life without even realizing it. Yeah, I know, I'm a pastor...it couldn't be that hard to get it right. Try being an accountant. Try going to public school. Try to make that into Jesus worship.

Well, I have to admit, I often do ministry for the glory of Doug. If I give a good talk, who looks good? me. If I'm there for a student when they need me, who gets thanked? me. If I plan, organize and execute an event well, who gets a pat on the back? me.

Every once in a while, things are the way they are supposed to be. God ends up in my yellow, comfy chair (I probably got up to get another cup of coffee), and I find myself face-to-face with the Creator of the Universe! I can't help but fall down on my face before the throne and it's rightful occupant. In that moment, as few as they are, I get a glimpse of glory. It's like the sky is ripped open and this whole universe is revealed. I bask in the worship of this King and the thought comes to mind, "This is what I was made for. Everything in me cries out for this moment of greatness. This is why I wanted to be a pastor."

In these moments, I become painfully aware of my smallness. I think back over the moments when I chose to sit in the comfy chair...and it just seems foolish. What was I thinking? How could I trivialize what it means to be a Christian...what it means to be a pastor...what it means to be human? How ironic. In my quest to make myself great, I have made myself miniscule.

God, clear my head. Help me to see things the way they really are. Don't allow me to sit in Your Chair and dehumanize myself. Free me to be what I was created to be...a worshipper.

So, what's on your throne? If you dare, post a comment, and let me know.

this Sunday's afterglow revised

The afterglow this Sunday afternoon was SUPPOSED to be at our new house. As much as we want to have you all over to see our house, we think we need to wait a bit...like until we have a bathroom or something.

Anyway, we have a BETTER plan. So there. It's time to take advantage of the great weather! Let's have a picnic! We will have the afterglow at Audubon Park. Bring a BAG LUNCH & a BLANKET. We will bring a frisbee, football, soccer ball, etc.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Oh, and make sure you are at youth group tonight! Joel is speaking. I'm looking forward to hearing about what God is doing in his life. The talk is entitled, "the air I breathe." Unfortunately, (check that, fortunately) I don't think it has anything to do with trombones.

Narnia movies

Following the immense success of the Lord of the Rings movies, the Chronicles of Narnia is currently being made into movies. If you aren't familiar with Narnia, the fantasy novels were written by C. S. Lewis and are chock full of Christian symbolism and allegory (much more overt than Lewis' friend Tolkien penned in LOTR). Anyway, here is an interesting article on the marketing of the movies in a Passion-esque way to Christian groups.

get your own tots

In case you haven't found it yet, there is an official website for Napoleon Dynamite. Heck yes! There are loads of killer sweet stuff like video clips, soundbytes, games, and even the coveted downloadable LIGER COLORING SHEET. Don't get TOed. Check it out here. Peace out.

my place of rest

God--you're my God!
I can't get enough of you!
I've worked up such hunger and thirst for God,
traveling across dry and weary deserts.

So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

I eat my fill of prime rib and gravy;
I smack my lips. It's time to shout praises!
If I'm sleepless at midnight,
I spend the hours in grateful reflection.
Because you've always stood up for me,
I'm free to run and play.
I hold on to you for dear life,
and you hold me steady as a post.

Those who are out to get me are marked for doom,
marked for death, bound for hell.
They'll die violent deaths;
jackals will tear them limb from limb.
But the king is glad in God;
his true friends spread the joy,
While small-minded gossips
are gagged for good.

David wrote these words on the run. He was ripped from his home and tossed into the desert by an attempted coup (you can read the history here). I can't imagine what it would be like to live in that kind transition...living out of a suitcase for an indeterminate amount of time...never knowing if you will be able to return home.

Oh wait, those words hit a little too close to home (no pun intended).

Crystal and I finally made the big move this weekend. We have spent the past six weeks feverishly trying to get our new house ready for this moment...and we didn't get it all done.

Members of my family (I love you) generously offered to pay our apartment rent for another week or two so that we could avoid living in a house that isn't complete. While these offers were much appreciated, Crystal and I choose to decline those offers.

We are tired of living in transition. We are tired of living somewhere between our old aparment and our new house. Our nerves are wearing thin. We would rather living in a house with no shower or hot water than deal with this "in-between" feeling for one more day.

There is something special about a home. It is a place of comfort. It is an enclave from everything around you. It's like the world slows down when you step through the doorway at the end of the day. You know what I mean? I'm ready to feel that again.

At this moment in my life, David's words inspire me. He leaves me dumbfounded as I stare at a snapshot of David's life at this moment and let his poetry soak into my soul.

David is stuck in a dusty tent. His solace has been ripped from his fingers by his own son. He should be mad...mad at his son...mad at himself...mad at God.

Instead, he buries his face in the sand and bows before his God. He takes his feelings of anxiety, hunger and discomfort and turns them on their head. It's like his circumstances are the lumber that he throws atop a flame of worship.

I'm thirsty. I need to drink deeply of my God.
I'm dirty. I need to bathe in the cool waters of my Redeemer.
I'm tired. I need to collapse on the soft cot of my Savior.
I'm weak. I need to hide behind the strong back of my King.

My place of rest needs to be in the presence of my God, not 116 Danny Drive.

a new kind of Christian

Dear diary,

Last night was our "Q & A" night at youth group. "Q & A" Wednesdays are always some of my favs of the year. Students get a chance to write whatever question they want on a notecard and I'll do my best to answer them. It's always interesting to see what kind of questions are asked.

The hot topic last night was the direction our youth ministry is going. More questions on that than anything else. We have made a number of changes in the past couple months and we still getting used to them. As with anytime you make changes, there have been mixed reactions. Some people are totally stoked...some people are really mad.

Needless to say, I wish we did ministry in this perfect world where every decision we made as leaders was picture perfect...totally God-directed, researched and flawlessly executed. Every person affected immediately understood why the changes are made and jumped right on board.

That world doesn't exist. There is no way an imperfect person like me can communicate in a way that makes sense to everyone. Even if I could, who knows if what I communicated would be right? Sometime you just gotta see it to believe it. You know what I mean? Moses could talk about the Promised Land 'till he was blue in the face, but the truth is, he hadn't seen it and neither had anyone else stuck in that hot desert.

So anyway, back to last night. Some people are struggling with the changes and that's okay. If they don't express that struggle, then our vision of the future will be way too narrow. It's all about the process...this communal process. We leaders think, research, pray and plan the future. Then we lay out that plan to all the people involved. They make comments, raise questions, yell at us, etc. We start tweaking mid-stream and keep on truckin'.

But, in the midst of this amazing process (it is really cool, in my opinion, how it all works out), I think I realized something. These changes are going to be hard to digest. They are hard for me to digest. I think the reason why is because we are totally questioning the way we do Christianity. It makes me think of the Brian McLaren book, "A New Kind of Christian." Great book, by the way. I didn't totally buy everything in there, but I think he is on to something. The thesis is that the world we live in is rapidly changing. In fact, it has changed so much that it's time to do what Martin Luther did almost five hundred years ago. Namely, listen to the little voices in our head that tell us that something isn't exactly right. It's time to redefine what it means to be a Christian.

So, anyway, I think I'm starting to realize that maybe this what these changes are all about. When I hear students say stuff like, "These changes make it impossible for us to reach people," that tells me that we are redefining what is means to reach people. When some says, "These changes take away the reason someone would come to our youth group," then that means we are redefining why anyone would want to come to youth group. If we are asking questions this fundamental, then we are changing the fundamentals.

So, anway, I better stop rambling. My wife and child are at home waiting for me. We gotta make a Home Depot run tonight. Otherwise we won't ever have a bathroom in our new house.

This is a great journey, isn't it? Ride with me. Don't worry, I'm not driving. God has the wheel.

sarcasm

(Doug stands up.) "Hi. My name is Doug, and I'm sarcastic."

Okay, now everyone together, "Hi Doug!"

(Doug sits back down.)

I have to admit, I am sarcastic. I enjoy being sarcastic. If I decided one day to no longer be sarcastic, I think part of who I am would die on that day.

Okay, so the truth is that I offend people sometimes with my sarcasm. BUT, you see, I used to offend a whole lot more people than I do now. I like to think of myself as "sarcastic...but with tact." Yeah, that's better.

So, needless to say, this will not be a "don't be sarcastic anymore" public service announcement. Although I have been very convicted lately about my sarcasm. It's not sarcasm in itself that is starting to bother me, it is when and why I decide to be sarcastic.

I'm having this flashback right now. I remember being in high school. I remember going on a mission trip to Honduras. I remember tender moments together as a group on cool evenings with hardly any light. I remember things getting really serious as teenagers shared what God was teaching them on this mission trip and how they had bonded with other teenagers on that trip.

Than I remember putting my foot in my mouth by being the smart aleck.

I remember it being my turn to encourage other people around the circle. I remember making jokes and giving back-handed compliments. I remember my youth pastor looking at me and shaking his head.

It wasn't that I was a jerk. It wasn't that I didn't like the other people. These were my best friends in the world for crying out loud.

I now realize that it was that I was uncomfortable.

I was uncomfortable talking about my feelings. I was uncomfortable being serious. I was afraid someone might see who I really was behind this shell of sarcasm. They might not like what they see.

So, here is my public service announcement: Be sarcastic if you want. BUT please be serious when you should be serious. Be vulnerable when you should be vulnerable. Let others into your life so that God can use them to make you better.

Oh, and while your at it, check out this out. It's a list of every time the apostle Paul wrote the words "one another." It shows how desperately we need to let others into our lives.

Billy and Cindy Foote in concert

I just got an email from the youth pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in Metairie. They are gonna have Billy and Cindy Foote in concert to kick off their DiscipleNow weekend on Friday, March 11. They are worship leaders that have written some really great music. We sing two of their songs, "Amazing Love" and "Sing to the King" in youth group. Let me know if you would like to go. The concert starts at 7pm and tickets will be five bucks.

Podcasting

Have I mentioned to you that I love my new iPod? It is a snazzy little gadget that holds my music and gives the false impression that I am hip. I have to admit that while the music and the hip factor are wonderful benefits, I have found a new unexpected pleasure from my iPod. That is the phenomenon of podcasting.

Okay, so the truth is I'm not really sure what podcasting is. I think it is some way that basically anyone can have their own "radio program." All you have to do is record your show using your computer and post the MP3 files on the net for anyone to listen to. I think there is some cool way to setup your iPod to automatically download the lastest shows from your favorite podcasters or something like that. (Here is a link to a news article on podcasting.)

Anyway, my favorite, unexpected use for my iPod is to download sermons. (Does that even count as podcasting?) You can find lots of sermons online for free. Here are links for my two favs: Rob Bell and John Piper.