larry @ grace

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Petra

No... not the '80s Christian Rock Group, but the restaraunt. Amy and I went out for a belated Valentine's dinner and found the food fantastic! Great Middle Eastern fare.

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Haiti Blog

http://www.grace-erie.org/blog2/haitiblog.shtml

Be sure to check out our Haiti blog. Our team of "short termers" just touched down last night! Great stories... snakes and all.

Tuesday, February 07, 2006

A Warped Retelling of the Thee Little Pigs

This is the story of the three little pigs, who, as you all well know, gained advanced language and home construction skills after eating the cobs and husks of genetically altered corn. Shortly after adjusting to their newfound language skills, they became more aware of their surroundings, and decided that they needed to build shelter from the wolves that lived on the other side of the woods. The first little pig decided that he would build his shelter with the metaphorical straw of popular wisdom. So he set to work collecting the thatch of the pop culture— fashion tips from People Magazine, thoughts of on being masculine from GQ, and spiritual caveats from Oprah. The pig wasn’t sold on the sturdiness of his new domicile but distracted himself by sponge painting its walls with the latest colors from American Tradition Premium Paint.

The second little pig studied up the work of his fellow swine and decided to opt for a more sturdy shelter—one built from the planks of every ethical system he could get his hands on. She thought to herself, “If I surround myself with my good living and kindness then karma will save me in my day of trouble.”The third pig looked at the straw and wood structures and knew that they wouldn’t withstand a single wolf attack. So he turned to the Bible and baked bricks of truth and doctrine for his home.

The third little pig was diligent to make sure that every doctrine was perfectly tempered in his kiln. He knew better than to allow any structural weaknesses. The wolf was evil. The three pigs lived in peace for years in their shelters and they nearly forgot about the wolves. That is, until the day of the attack.

The big, bad wolf came, but not with fur and canines. He too was a metaphor of the worst life had to offer: divorce, poor health, unemployment, wayward kids, depression, even the literal end of the world.

The third pig watched the wreckage from the safety of his brick house. Scattered straw and wood and two curled pig’s tails were all that remained of his friends. The pig felt a twinge of guilt over the smugness he felt for being wiser than his peers. Then, as the wolf inhaled a large volume of air, the pig braced himself. This wouldn’t be pleasant, but certainly his home would last.

The last thing the pig heard before being swallowed was the wolf offering his condolences. “It was an honest and common mistake, pig. I’m grateful that so many people think this way—I’d be starving otherwise. Most people think that surrounding themselves with Bible knowledge gives them shelter from life’s storms and wolves. Shelter only comes from hearing and obeying God’s word. Hey, but at least you were closer to the truth than your fellow hams.”

Jesus said, “Everyone who hears these words and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Matthew 7:24

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Teaching... For What?

I'm breaking in a new Bible, my parents bought me a beautiful ESV. I choose to work with a different translation of the Bible for a few years to force me to become surprised again. I guess that's the downside of growing up immersed in the Word-- you lose the ability to be surprised.

This new translation forces me to think as I read. The phrasing is not what I expect. This morning I reread 1 Timothy and was reminded that when I teach I choose to promote one of two goals. I can either teach in a way that promotes "speculation"-- spiritual trival pursuit, head knowledge for head knowledge sake, or I can chose to teach in a way that promotes stewardship.

A good Biblical teacher encourages the learner to be a steward of God's gift of faith. 1 Timothy 1:5 breaks that stewardship down in three categories...

love, that pours from a clean heart;
a good conscience;
and a sincere faith.

If I'm teaching well, then I impress on others that they are to steward their love, their moral conscience (holiness), and the quality of their faith. All my teaching should encourage growth in those categories.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

From kidscreen.com

Sunday, December 18, 2005

Now that you've avoided the detours....landmarks...

LANDMARKS FOR YOUR MINISTRY

Now that you’ve removed the detours from your maps, here are unchanging landmarks you can use to plot your children’s ministry course.

• Move mountains.
Don’t be surprised if your prayerful plan runs right into a mountain of challenge. This doesn’t necessarily mean you’re off base. The mountain may not have been there when you started your journey--life is fluid. Remember, Jesus said with faith you can move mountains. Danish writer Soren Kierkegaard said that sometimes God calls us to place the mountain on our shoulders and move it ourselves.

• Have a woman at every port.
Just make sure it’s the same woman—the Bride of Christ. Take port calls often. You’re on the journey of a lifetime. You need to be firmly connected with your church. You need worship, teaching, and accountability from outside your ministry department.

• Be a magi.
The wise men set their course from the Far East by fixing their eyes on the Christ Star. In his seminal book, Aqua Church, Leonard Sweet challenges us to use Jesus Christ as our North Star.

• Eat your veggies.
When Magellan circumnavigated the globe, the majority of his crew didn’t survive the journey. The killer wasn’t a storm or marauding pirates, but a lack of vitamin C. Poor nutrition made the crew susceptible to scurvy. If you want to go the distance, you need to have a regular diet of prayer and time in the Word.

Friday, December 16, 2005

Detours #4

Detour #4
“The church is responsiblefor children’s spiritual development.”Setting sail with this detour on your map is a recipe for taking on water fast. When your ministry assumes parents’ responsibility for their children’s faith development, the weight is too heavy for your vessel to carry.

You can’t afford to bring this baggage on board.

Many parents in our children’s ministries are just coming back to church themselves and don’t have a solid understanding of their God-given role in raising kids. These parents drop off their children at church the same way they drop them off at soccer practice or at the dentist’s office. They assume their job is to play taxi and get their children to and from their specialists on time.

But Deuteronomy 6:6-8 clearly designates parents as the primary teachers and modelers of vibrant faith. A landmark study by researchers at Search Institute confirms that parents have the most influence in determining whether children who grow up in church settings will continue worshiping when they’re adults. Mothers exercise their greatest influence when they engage their children in faith conversations when they’re between the ages of five and 12. And fathers have their greatest influence when they engage in faith conversations with their 12- through 15-year-olds.Instead of loading your hull with extra cargo, view your children’s ministry as a large supply ship that travels with families as they make their spiritual journeys.

Your job is to resource these smaller vessels with ongoing training, encouragement, and protection. At our church, we provide regular fun events for the entire family, periodic training on ways to have family devotions, and annual “helps” on how families can interact with our curriculum at home.

Now that you’ve straightened out your map, you’re ready for an adventure on the high seas of ministry. An accurate map won’t guarantee everything will be smooth sailing, but you can have the assurance that you’re headed in the right direction. cm