There was a time when YouTube would not allow you to post long videos over 10 minutes. For that reason I always posted my videos on VEOH. It would allow me to post 20 minute sermons.
Now YouTube is owned by Google so I am launching my brand new YouTube channel that includes all 5 sermons I've done.
Please watch them and feel free to comment, like, subscribe and share.
www.youtube.com/justjump321
Monday, May 14, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Parenting
Recently there was a post going around facebook of a father whose daughter posted her frustrations about her parents online: Click here to watch it
I posted the link saying, "this is a terrible parent" and I was surprised to get the response, "No what this is is a parent that is fed up with how they are being treated and wanted to make sure that ppl knew he was not above punishing his daughter. I wish more parents today would step up and remember that punishing a child is not a bad thing."
I decided I would write a blog to discuss this matter in more depth. It is important to note that while I have a lot of experience and education in adolescent development I do not speak from the perspective of a father. Also, these statements to not reflect on my parents in any way.
This was my response:
"There is nothing wrong with correcting your kids if it is done in the right way. Modern research shows that mid-adolescents like this 15 year old girl lack what they need to be successful adults because of parents who discipline this way. In the past 30 years the skills needed for successful adulthood have risen exponentially and the ongoing adult support and guidance offered has decreased at the exact same rate. Kids are just getting better at adapting to the agenda of adults because they don’t have the nurture and care they need at home. The number one thing a teenager needs is a stable and safe family. Even men need to be tender, kind and gentle as well as encouraging, comforting and finding opportunities for positive reinforcement. Parents should model appropriate behavior. From a developmental standpoint, unloading your handgun into your daughter’s laptop, cursing at her and posting a video of it on facebook does nothing but harm. It destroys trust, continues modeling and reinforcing the exact behavior he is trying to change, and teaches her that he isn’t willing to enter a healthy conversation taking any kind of responsibility for his failure as a father. I believe that teenagers are gifted to the body of Christ and should be loved and celebrated and made to feel like they can count on their family system."
I want to take a moment to highlight some of my statements and take them a bit further.
"It destroys trust, continues modeling and reinforcing the exact behavior he is trying to change, and teaches her that he isn’t willing to enter a healthy conversation taking any kind of responsibility for his failure as a father."
This father reinforces negative behavior. He models exactly what he is trying to teach his daughter NOT to do.
1. Posting inappropriate things on facebook
2. Using foul language
3. Undermining the value of material things
4. Taking responsibility for your actions
These are self-explanatory. He doesn't want his daughter posting something about him but he posts something about her. He doesn't want her to use foul language but he uses foul language. He wants her to learn the value of the things he buys her but unloads his pistol into her laptop. He wants her to take responsibility for her actions but doesn't take responsibility for his own actions.
"finding opportunities for positive reinforcement"
I worked as a counselor at the Los Angeles Youth Network for 2 years. It is a network of homeless shelters for homeless youth in the heart of Hollywood. Many of them didn't have parents and most of them had severe discipline problems. I noticed that correcting their negative behavior didn't work nearly as well as finding opportunities to reinforce positive behavior. We had a rule that guys couldn't sag their pants. A guy named Donald would sag constantly. I told him to pull them up over and over but it didn't work. Finally, I waited for the rare moment when he randomly yanked them up (otherwise they would be on the floor) and I said something like "Donald, good job keeping your pants up today. I noticed that you aren't sagging and you pulled your pants up without being asked. To thank you I will do your chore tonight." From then on he never sagged his pants again.
"I believe that teenagers are gifted to the body of Christ and should be loved and celebrated and made to feel like they can count on their family system."
It is important to realize that adolescence is a unique life period between childhood and adult. From a Biblical standpoint - in the gospels there was only childhood and adult with no in-between. In the Greek/Hebrew there are a lot of words for children and adults but none for teens. According to scripture teens are not adults but children. Adolescence corresponded with childhood but that is different now. Teens are to be thought of as individuals in a unique stage of life whose task is what researchers call “individuation". This is the process of becoming a unique person. In modern society you are not yet an adult until you "individuate". There might be grown ups who haven’t individuated.
I will highlight 3 questions teens might ask of their surroundings from my understanding as it pertains to being a part of the family system:
1. Identity (who am I?). This first came about in the 1950s. The community always held your identity in the context of your community. There was no separation between the world and other people. Until the 1950s the community walked with you in the process of becoming an adult. I believe that as we get more fragmented we don’t have community to hold our identity. There is less community to reinforce who we really are. You can’t choose your identity because it will be external and will really be “performance.” I believe simply that every teen is longing to discover that they are loved. They need parents who walk with them in the process of becoming an adult.
2. Autonomy (“do I matter?”) - This is where responsible action happens. It is not about making good choices but about power and the source of the choices we make. So why would a 15 year old girl write a post about her parents on facebook? I suggest that part of the reason is she feels like she doesn't matter. She feels like the list of chores on the wall are impersonal. She is crying out for her father to connect with her and walk with her in the development process.
3. Belonging (“does anyone care?”) - Culture does everything to tell teens to produce individual conformity and only then are we a part of the family while inside they don't feel like they are the "whole package". They can’t bring anything to the table. Teens want to know that their parents care about them.
Some of the previous terms come from my perspective on research done by Chap Clark at Fuller Graduate Schools - He is an expert in theology and adolescent research.
I posted the link saying, "this is a terrible parent" and I was surprised to get the response, "No what this is is a parent that is fed up with how they are being treated and wanted to make sure that ppl knew he was not above punishing his daughter. I wish more parents today would step up and remember that punishing a child is not a bad thing."
I decided I would write a blog to discuss this matter in more depth. It is important to note that while I have a lot of experience and education in adolescent development I do not speak from the perspective of a father. Also, these statements to not reflect on my parents in any way.
This was my response:
"There is nothing wrong with correcting your kids if it is done in the right way. Modern research shows that mid-adolescents like this 15 year old girl lack what they need to be successful adults because of parents who discipline this way. In the past 30 years the skills needed for successful adulthood have risen exponentially and the ongoing adult support and guidance offered has decreased at the exact same rate. Kids are just getting better at adapting to the agenda of adults because they don’t have the nurture and care they need at home. The number one thing a teenager needs is a stable and safe family. Even men need to be tender, kind and gentle as well as encouraging, comforting and finding opportunities for positive reinforcement. Parents should model appropriate behavior. From a developmental standpoint, unloading your handgun into your daughter’s laptop, cursing at her and posting a video of it on facebook does nothing but harm. It destroys trust, continues modeling and reinforcing the exact behavior he is trying to change, and teaches her that he isn’t willing to enter a healthy conversation taking any kind of responsibility for his failure as a father. I believe that teenagers are gifted to the body of Christ and should be loved and celebrated and made to feel like they can count on their family system."
I want to take a moment to highlight some of my statements and take them a bit further.
"It destroys trust, continues modeling and reinforcing the exact behavior he is trying to change, and teaches her that he isn’t willing to enter a healthy conversation taking any kind of responsibility for his failure as a father."
This father reinforces negative behavior. He models exactly what he is trying to teach his daughter NOT to do.
1. Posting inappropriate things on facebook
2. Using foul language
3. Undermining the value of material things
4. Taking responsibility for your actions
These are self-explanatory. He doesn't want his daughter posting something about him but he posts something about her. He doesn't want her to use foul language but he uses foul language. He wants her to learn the value of the things he buys her but unloads his pistol into her laptop. He wants her to take responsibility for her actions but doesn't take responsibility for his own actions.
"finding opportunities for positive reinforcement"
I worked as a counselor at the Los Angeles Youth Network for 2 years. It is a network of homeless shelters for homeless youth in the heart of Hollywood. Many of them didn't have parents and most of them had severe discipline problems. I noticed that correcting their negative behavior didn't work nearly as well as finding opportunities to reinforce positive behavior. We had a rule that guys couldn't sag their pants. A guy named Donald would sag constantly. I told him to pull them up over and over but it didn't work. Finally, I waited for the rare moment when he randomly yanked them up (otherwise they would be on the floor) and I said something like "Donald, good job keeping your pants up today. I noticed that you aren't sagging and you pulled your pants up without being asked. To thank you I will do your chore tonight." From then on he never sagged his pants again.
"I believe that teenagers are gifted to the body of Christ and should be loved and celebrated and made to feel like they can count on their family system."
It is important to realize that adolescence is a unique life period between childhood and adult. From a Biblical standpoint - in the gospels there was only childhood and adult with no in-between. In the Greek/Hebrew there are a lot of words for children and adults but none for teens. According to scripture teens are not adults but children. Adolescence corresponded with childhood but that is different now. Teens are to be thought of as individuals in a unique stage of life whose task is what researchers call “individuation". This is the process of becoming a unique person. In modern society you are not yet an adult until you "individuate". There might be grown ups who haven’t individuated.
I will highlight 3 questions teens might ask of their surroundings from my understanding as it pertains to being a part of the family system:
1. Identity (who am I?). This first came about in the 1950s. The community always held your identity in the context of your community. There was no separation between the world and other people. Until the 1950s the community walked with you in the process of becoming an adult. I believe that as we get more fragmented we don’t have community to hold our identity. There is less community to reinforce who we really are. You can’t choose your identity because it will be external and will really be “performance.” I believe simply that every teen is longing to discover that they are loved. They need parents who walk with them in the process of becoming an adult.
2. Autonomy (“do I matter?”) - This is where responsible action happens. It is not about making good choices but about power and the source of the choices we make. So why would a 15 year old girl write a post about her parents on facebook? I suggest that part of the reason is she feels like she doesn't matter. She feels like the list of chores on the wall are impersonal. She is crying out for her father to connect with her and walk with her in the development process.
3. Belonging (“does anyone care?”) - Culture does everything to tell teens to produce individual conformity and only then are we a part of the family while inside they don't feel like they are the "whole package". They can’t bring anything to the table. Teens want to know that their parents care about them.
Some of the previous terms come from my perspective on research done by Chap Clark at Fuller Graduate Schools - He is an expert in theology and adolescent research.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Review of 2011
2011 was a great year. There were two significant events that took place.
Fuller Theological Seminary.
When I first moved to Los Angeles in January of 2010 I came with hopes of being a student at Fuller but the Presbytery of Tampa Bay said I had to go to a “Presbyterian” seminary for a year before I could transfer to Fuller. I have to do what they say to be ordained when I finish. I decided to go to the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa because it is the only Presbyterian Seminary that offers classes online and by going to two week intensives. You can actually do an entire Master of Divinity that way. I did a full year from Fall, 2010 - Spring, 2011 which included two, two week intensives and two online semesters. I learned a lot and met some outstanding people.
All that is to say that 2011 began with a bit of uncertainty. There were questions. Would my Presbytery allow me to transfer to Fuller? Would I get in? At my annual meeting the committee decided that I could begin at Fuller in the Fall of 2011 since I would have completed my year at Dubuque. I applied in the Spring and was accepted. My first quarter at Fuller was surreal. I couldn’t believe I finally made it. I was stretched farther than ever in my classes and experienced learning from professors of the highest caliber. I remember times when classes would end and I would just sit there. I never wanted to leave.
Associate Director of Student Ministries
Second, I took a full time position at my church in September. Until then I had been working 28 hours each week at the church splitting my time between middle school, high school, and the alternative worship service. I was also a full time student and was working at the Los Angeles Youth Network about 20 hours each week. In September I was offered a full time position as the Associate Director of Student Ministries at my church. I took the position at the church and moved from staff to volunteer at LAYN. It was an exciting time. It will always be a great memory. There is no other place I would want to experience my first official full-time ministry position.
This year
This year the journey continues. I hope to become an official candidate for ordination and begin taking the 5 ordination exams. I am scheduled to take the Bible Content exam in February. I have a feeling this year won’t be as eventful as 2011 in terms of job/school changes. I’ll continue serving full time at Westminster, I will volunteer at LAYN, and I will enroll in the Winter, Spring, and Fall quarters at Fuller.
There are a few trips I will go on. I’ll go skiing in Park City Utah in March, go on a mission trip to West Virginia in August, and will be back to visit family in North Carolina in December.
I am proud of my two older brothers- Ben and Andrew. They are both starting businesses this year. Check them out at:
www.phillipscopywriting.com and www.keylessautoremotes.com My mother is finishing her nursing degree and my father was just accepted into a Ph.D program after just finishing his second masters.
In 2011 I gave 2 sermons. Click here to watch them.
Fuller Theological Seminary.
When I first moved to Los Angeles in January of 2010 I came with hopes of being a student at Fuller but the Presbytery of Tampa Bay said I had to go to a “Presbyterian” seminary for a year before I could transfer to Fuller. I have to do what they say to be ordained when I finish. I decided to go to the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa because it is the only Presbyterian Seminary that offers classes online and by going to two week intensives. You can actually do an entire Master of Divinity that way. I did a full year from Fall, 2010 - Spring, 2011 which included two, two week intensives and two online semesters. I learned a lot and met some outstanding people.
All that is to say that 2011 began with a bit of uncertainty. There were questions. Would my Presbytery allow me to transfer to Fuller? Would I get in? At my annual meeting the committee decided that I could begin at Fuller in the Fall of 2011 since I would have completed my year at Dubuque. I applied in the Spring and was accepted. My first quarter at Fuller was surreal. I couldn’t believe I finally made it. I was stretched farther than ever in my classes and experienced learning from professors of the highest caliber. I remember times when classes would end and I would just sit there. I never wanted to leave.
Associate Director of Student Ministries
Second, I took a full time position at my church in September. Until then I had been working 28 hours each week at the church splitting my time between middle school, high school, and the alternative worship service. I was also a full time student and was working at the Los Angeles Youth Network about 20 hours each week. In September I was offered a full time position as the Associate Director of Student Ministries at my church. I took the position at the church and moved from staff to volunteer at LAYN. It was an exciting time. It will always be a great memory. There is no other place I would want to experience my first official full-time ministry position.
This year
This year the journey continues. I hope to become an official candidate for ordination and begin taking the 5 ordination exams. I am scheduled to take the Bible Content exam in February. I have a feeling this year won’t be as eventful as 2011 in terms of job/school changes. I’ll continue serving full time at Westminster, I will volunteer at LAYN, and I will enroll in the Winter, Spring, and Fall quarters at Fuller.
There are a few trips I will go on. I’ll go skiing in Park City Utah in March, go on a mission trip to West Virginia in August, and will be back to visit family in North Carolina in December.
I am proud of my two older brothers- Ben and Andrew. They are both starting businesses this year. Check them out at:
www.phillipscopywriting.com and www.keylessautoremotes.com My mother is finishing her nursing degree and my father was just accepted into a Ph.D program after just finishing his second masters.
In 2011 I gave 2 sermons. Click here to watch them.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Economic Stimulus
Right now there is a petition going around for the president to relieve student loan debt as a means of economic stimulus. There are different versions of the same proposal that I've read. Some would have the president wipe away all student loans, some would have various restrictions. Each proposal suggests that wiping out student loan debt would boost the economy because that demographic of professionals would put their money back into the economy rather than spending it on student loans.
I have heard a few arguments against this proposal. I understand where they are coming from. Most of the time one's position is based on their own worldview. This is true in all aspects of life. If you are not currently paying back loans you're more likely to disagree with this stimulus plan.
I put myself through college and now I am in my second year of graduate school. I have always paid my living expenses out of pocket completely. That includes laptop, books, travel, etc. My student loans have been applied to nothing but tuition. Those loans were only paid to the balance after various scholarships. I was never eligible for a grant from the government. My point is - I am also speaking from my own worldview. I admit it.
On the other hand - I have friends who have responded to this stimulus as ones to whom it doesn't apply. They didn't go to school, never had to take out loans, etc. Many of them have replied saying it isn't fair to those who had to pay off their own loans. This is a very good point - and the fact that one would speak to that outside of their own interest is notable.
With that said, there will never be a stimulus plan that is fair to everybody. When "cash for clunkers" was instituted I had just bought a car and worked hard to sell my previous car for $2,000.00 when I could have been given $4,000.00 had I known there would be a stimulus plan called "cash for clunkers" that would be passed a few months later. I was definitely happy for those who were able to take advantage of it. I felt the same with the $8,000.00 tax credit given to first-time homeowners. I would love if that is when I go to buy my first house but it simply doesn't apply to me. I was happy for my friend who bought a house during that time period.
Some would suggest: That a lot of people would lose their jobs. That large banks would have to let go of thousands of employees because they aren't making money on student loans anymore. I'm no economist but I have no doubt that most bank revenue doesn't come from student loans. There are mortgages, auto loans, retirement plans, fees, ridiculous interest rates, the list goes on and on.
Then there are the companies like Sallie Mae - the lender from whom I took out my student loans. To my knowledge student loans are their primary source of profit. It would be great if these types of companies weren't needed in the first place. If the U.S. cost of tuition weren't far beyond one's ability to pay. Sallie Mae is the company that constantly takes my loans out of deferment, doesn't notify me, then I get a phone call about every 6 months saying I'm 3 months past due on my loans and I own them $xxxx.xx. I tell them I've been in school non-stop for the past 7 years and they should be deferred. The conversation ends with me sending in another in-school deferment request and paying another $xxxx.xx in interest charges for the time period when my loans went out of deferment. The first time this happened I took a serious hit to my credit because they sent it into collections an notified the credit bureaus. I have experienced this organization engaging in unethical business practices non-stop for the past 7 years. The only reason they have deferment requests is because they want an excuse to charge more interest. They could easily go on the National Student Debt website and see that I've been enrolled in full time study and that I was just rewarded another loan from a different lender when I started graduate school for this quarter 2 months ago. Do I really care if those kinds of business are effected because of an economic stimulus plan? No.
So far I've heard a lot of opposition toward this particular stimulus plan. Each time it is a valid point. But it is also a line of thinking that could be applied to any stimulus plan we've ever seen. Speaking from my own perspective I know this would change my life completely. I would be able to put money back into the economy immediately. People would be taking out mortgages and auto loans like crazy now that they are free of the student loan burden. If this isn't the best plan I hope the government will consider moving money to a place that encourages higher education in times of economic hardship.
Here is a link to sign the petition if you are so inclined.
I have heard a few arguments against this proposal. I understand where they are coming from. Most of the time one's position is based on their own worldview. This is true in all aspects of life. If you are not currently paying back loans you're more likely to disagree with this stimulus plan.
I put myself through college and now I am in my second year of graduate school. I have always paid my living expenses out of pocket completely. That includes laptop, books, travel, etc. My student loans have been applied to nothing but tuition. Those loans were only paid to the balance after various scholarships. I was never eligible for a grant from the government. My point is - I am also speaking from my own worldview. I admit it.
On the other hand - I have friends who have responded to this stimulus as ones to whom it doesn't apply. They didn't go to school, never had to take out loans, etc. Many of them have replied saying it isn't fair to those who had to pay off their own loans. This is a very good point - and the fact that one would speak to that outside of their own interest is notable.
With that said, there will never be a stimulus plan that is fair to everybody. When "cash for clunkers" was instituted I had just bought a car and worked hard to sell my previous car for $2,000.00 when I could have been given $4,000.00 had I known there would be a stimulus plan called "cash for clunkers" that would be passed a few months later. I was definitely happy for those who were able to take advantage of it. I felt the same with the $8,000.00 tax credit given to first-time homeowners. I would love if that is when I go to buy my first house but it simply doesn't apply to me. I was happy for my friend who bought a house during that time period.
Some would suggest: That a lot of people would lose their jobs. That large banks would have to let go of thousands of employees because they aren't making money on student loans anymore. I'm no economist but I have no doubt that most bank revenue doesn't come from student loans. There are mortgages, auto loans, retirement plans, fees, ridiculous interest rates, the list goes on and on.
Then there are the companies like Sallie Mae - the lender from whom I took out my student loans. To my knowledge student loans are their primary source of profit. It would be great if these types of companies weren't needed in the first place. If the U.S. cost of tuition weren't far beyond one's ability to pay. Sallie Mae is the company that constantly takes my loans out of deferment, doesn't notify me, then I get a phone call about every 6 months saying I'm 3 months past due on my loans and I own them $xxxx.xx. I tell them I've been in school non-stop for the past 7 years and they should be deferred. The conversation ends with me sending in another in-school deferment request and paying another $xxxx.xx in interest charges for the time period when my loans went out of deferment. The first time this happened I took a serious hit to my credit because they sent it into collections an notified the credit bureaus. I have experienced this organization engaging in unethical business practices non-stop for the past 7 years. The only reason they have deferment requests is because they want an excuse to charge more interest. They could easily go on the National Student Debt website and see that I've been enrolled in full time study and that I was just rewarded another loan from a different lender when I started graduate school for this quarter 2 months ago. Do I really care if those kinds of business are effected because of an economic stimulus plan? No.
So far I've heard a lot of opposition toward this particular stimulus plan. Each time it is a valid point. But it is also a line of thinking that could be applied to any stimulus plan we've ever seen. Speaking from my own perspective I know this would change my life completely. I would be able to put money back into the economy immediately. People would be taking out mortgages and auto loans like crazy now that they are free of the student loan burden. If this isn't the best plan I hope the government will consider moving money to a place that encourages higher education in times of economic hardship.
Here is a link to sign the petition if you are so inclined.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Seminary
Right now I'm on a break from studying. It gets really tiring. My mind can only work for so long.
Today I woke up early knowing I only have so many hours to get my schoolwork finished. Tomorrow is Sunday - the busiest day of the week. I am teaching confirmation for 2 hours in the morning starting at 8am then I will grab my electric guitar and pedal board and run downstairs for the 3rd service band rehearsal. I would have liked to practice the songs again today but I just didn't have time.
Once I was awake I went across the street to Starbucks and started my schoolwork. At noon I got hungry and went to Subway and back to Starbucks. I came home around 4pm and kept going. I still have 3 assignments due tonight.
I'm realizing that preparing for and doing ministry takes up all my time. It has taken me away from community with others - which is what the Christian life is all about right? I have to ask myself whether I'm living my life the way it was meant to be lived or not. And I'm asking those questions as a full time minister and seminarian. I suppose one of the effects of living 40 miles away from campus is that I don't study with community. I live among those to whom I minister. I immediately think about the apostle, Paul. He constantly went from one place to the next. I wonder what his community was like. I want to find a group to chill with in Pasadena on Monday/Wednesday nights after my class. Just straight kick it. I almost want to say if it's a Bible study I'm not interested - I do enough of that. I'm talking about a group of people who know each other's names, share stories, go places, etc.
When I decided to go to Fuller I knew they didn't do community well. It's like when I visited Austin Seminary and they said you had to live on campus to go there because community was that important. Have we missed something? Fuller (in my opinion) is the absolute best place to study the Bible. But if we learn how to seclude ourselves in doing so are we missing the point?
Today I woke up early knowing I only have so many hours to get my schoolwork finished. Tomorrow is Sunday - the busiest day of the week. I am teaching confirmation for 2 hours in the morning starting at 8am then I will grab my electric guitar and pedal board and run downstairs for the 3rd service band rehearsal. I would have liked to practice the songs again today but I just didn't have time.
Once I was awake I went across the street to Starbucks and started my schoolwork. At noon I got hungry and went to Subway and back to Starbucks. I came home around 4pm and kept going. I still have 3 assignments due tonight.
I'm realizing that preparing for and doing ministry takes up all my time. It has taken me away from community with others - which is what the Christian life is all about right? I have to ask myself whether I'm living my life the way it was meant to be lived or not. And I'm asking those questions as a full time minister and seminarian. I suppose one of the effects of living 40 miles away from campus is that I don't study with community. I live among those to whom I minister. I immediately think about the apostle, Paul. He constantly went from one place to the next. I wonder what his community was like. I want to find a group to chill with in Pasadena on Monday/Wednesday nights after my class. Just straight kick it. I almost want to say if it's a Bible study I'm not interested - I do enough of that. I'm talking about a group of people who know each other's names, share stories, go places, etc.
When I decided to go to Fuller I knew they didn't do community well. It's like when I visited Austin Seminary and they said you had to live on campus to go there because community was that important. Have we missed something? Fuller (in my opinion) is the absolute best place to study the Bible. But if we learn how to seclude ourselves in doing so are we missing the point?
Monday, October 10, 2011
Learning
Over the past few weeks I have been learning a lot.
First - I moved into a new position at my job. I went from part time to full time - from a few responsibilities to many. There is plenty of learning there.
Second - I began graduate classes again for the Fall quarter (I can't believe I'm starting my third week)
I'm taking Ethics and Exegetical Method among others. I am using Greek every day and dissecting the New Testament word by word. The exegesis class is incredible. There are countless methods for putting the pieces together. Some say "When I study scripture with a question I only leave with more questions" - Well.. that's not my experience. The more I study the more concrete my belief is. These words are from eye witnesses. When reading the Greek New Testament there is Greek at the top half and these little characters, dots, lines, shapes, etc. at the bottom. They are there to represent all the ancient manuscripts there are to back up the Greek translation. It wasn't made up or just a good story. Jesus was really there in Jerusalem as witnessed by thousands of people. He really did die, come back to life, and speak to countless people afterward.
Third - Last weekend I went to San Diego for a conference. I chose a seminar called "sticky faith" done by Kara Powell and Brad Griffin who are both graduates from Fuller (where I go to grad school). They work for one of the many organizations operated by Fuller called "Fuller Youth Institute." Basically, they do research and turn it into resources for people like me. I appreciate how their research can practically inform ministry. From that seminar I took many things. One of them is the importance of being in community with those who have similar beliefs.
Finally - I just got back from a weekend at a retreat center hearing a speaker lecture on "work." Two things really stuck. He held up a lemon and said "If I squeeze this lemon what will come out?" Of course we replied, "lemon juice." The point is that when we are "squeezed" what comes out is what has been put in. There is no doubt that hardship comes along for all of us - but if you fill your time with meaningless things that's what will come out when you're "squeezed." Another thing he said was that "time is poised to be wasted." Meaning it will be wasted unless you do something. My goal is to discipline myself to make use of my time learning, being active, helping others, etc. so that when I'm tested those are the things that will come out.
First - I moved into a new position at my job. I went from part time to full time - from a few responsibilities to many. There is plenty of learning there.
Second - I began graduate classes again for the Fall quarter (I can't believe I'm starting my third week)
I'm taking Ethics and Exegetical Method among others. I am using Greek every day and dissecting the New Testament word by word. The exegesis class is incredible. There are countless methods for putting the pieces together. Some say "When I study scripture with a question I only leave with more questions" - Well.. that's not my experience. The more I study the more concrete my belief is. These words are from eye witnesses. When reading the Greek New Testament there is Greek at the top half and these little characters, dots, lines, shapes, etc. at the bottom. They are there to represent all the ancient manuscripts there are to back up the Greek translation. It wasn't made up or just a good story. Jesus was really there in Jerusalem as witnessed by thousands of people. He really did die, come back to life, and speak to countless people afterward.
Third - Last weekend I went to San Diego for a conference. I chose a seminar called "sticky faith" done by Kara Powell and Brad Griffin who are both graduates from Fuller (where I go to grad school). They work for one of the many organizations operated by Fuller called "Fuller Youth Institute." Basically, they do research and turn it into resources for people like me. I appreciate how their research can practically inform ministry. From that seminar I took many things. One of them is the importance of being in community with those who have similar beliefs.
Finally - I just got back from a weekend at a retreat center hearing a speaker lecture on "work." Two things really stuck. He held up a lemon and said "If I squeeze this lemon what will come out?" Of course we replied, "lemon juice." The point is that when we are "squeezed" what comes out is what has been put in. There is no doubt that hardship comes along for all of us - but if you fill your time with meaningless things that's what will come out when you're "squeezed." Another thing he said was that "time is poised to be wasted." Meaning it will be wasted unless you do something. My goal is to discipline myself to make use of my time learning, being active, helping others, etc. so that when I'm tested those are the things that will come out.
A few weeks ago I got to work and my phone rang. It was the assistant to the head pastor at the church where I work as the Junior High director. The pastor had left for a sabbatical about 2 months before this time and the associate pastor was too busy to preach. She asked if I would be willing to do it.
I thought about it and realized I would only have 2 days that week to prepare if I wanted to give up my weekend. My logic was that one day I'll probably be a person who is asked to speak at different things. Often I will have much less than 2 days to prepare. I wanted to stretch myself and see what God might do and how God might speak through me. I believe God spoke through me that day and even I got something out of it.
Click here to watch.
I thought about it and realized I would only have 2 days that week to prepare if I wanted to give up my weekend. My logic was that one day I'll probably be a person who is asked to speak at different things. Often I will have much less than 2 days to prepare. I wanted to stretch myself and see what God might do and how God might speak through me. I believe God spoke through me that day and even I got something out of it.
Click here to watch.
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