The Gospel Coalition

Tony Kummer’s four foundations for children’s ministry:

What are the real essentials in Children’s Ministry? What core values should transcend your curriculum and ministry methods? I am constantly asking these questions to myself. When the children I teach this Sunday turn 30 what will really matter in their lives? Here are what I consider four essential foundations for all church based ministry to children…

What shopping carts have to do with the gospel:

Our selfishness and arrogance show up everywhere. I am too important to have to take 32 seconds to return a shopping cart.  Serve me, slave!  Don’t ask me to serve you.  If sin is so pervasive in my soul, then surely a savior is required.  I cannot save myself if my deepest and first instinct is to serve myself, not serve others.

Jared Wilson has 11 innovations for the church today. Included in the list are: “Talk about sin”, “Sing hymns”, and “Preach through a book of the Bible”.

Learning to live with less:

Ministry leaders are just the ones to help Christ followers exchange big for small. After all, leaders are supposed to help usher others toward something better (not just something bigger), so maybe we should start ushering folks toward living lives that are less hectic, less cluttered, less selfish, less toxic. And maybe instead of a big ad campaign advertising “LESS!” we should start living with less ourselves. Instead of just preaching it from the pulpit, maybe some personal choices would help slow down the growth, bring some sanity to our lives and make the world more livable.

I’m grateful for Chris Castaldo’s review of Holy Subversion:

I can’t adequately express how excited I am about this book. It’s well written, substantive, and prophetic in its application. If you’re looking for a clear, readable text on discipleship, one that will help you to search and destroy the idols in your soul, look no further.

Grandpa and Grandma stepped out of their car and boarded a shuttle that whisked them away to their church’s main sanctuary. Both had been regular attenders of Higher Heights Church since its founding half a century before. That small congregation of thirty had grown consistently for the first twenty years before seeing an explosion of growth in the early 1980′s. Now numbers swelled to over 25,000 a week.

The shuttle arrived at the main entrance to the sanctuary, but Grandpa and Grandma didn’t go into the main auditorium. Instead, they began walking down the corridor, past the coffee shop, bookstore, and art gallery to a small chapel that seated around 250 people.

Grandpa nodded to the old faces he saw. Many of the people had been there for more than thirty years. Others were newcomers, but still welcome. The couple took their seats in the chapel. The organist began playing “Faith of our Fathers.” This was the prelude to the traditional worship service that Grandpa and Grandma were expecting.

“Where’s John tonight?” Grandpa asked, wondering about their only son.

“Oh, he’s at the worship venue in that big tent we passed along the way here,” Grandma replied.

“The outdoor one?” Grandpa asked.

“That’s the one,” Grandma nodded. “It’s the one called ‘Heavenly Stairway,’ – you know, the one with all that Classic Rock of the 70′s.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Grandpa sighed. “He always did love those bands.” After a pause, he added, “But Sarah couldn’t stand that kind of music. I wonder how he convinced her to go to that service.”

“Oh, she’s not with him,” Grandma answered, nonchalantly. “She goes over to Worship Venue 5 – the Country music one that gives line-dancing lessons after church. You know she’s lost a lot of weight since she started going over there,” she chuckled.

“What about our grandkids, Jessica and Michael?”

“Well you know. Jessica goes to the Hawaiian islands venue, and Michael likes Hip Hop Central,” Grandma reminded him. “They come to church together, split up for the services, and then meet back after Sarah’s dancing lessons are over.”

“Oh, that’s right,” Grandpa sighed, before adding under his breath, “I miss the old days.”

“You’re showing your age,” Grandma laughed. “What do you mean?”

“I miss us going to church all together.”

“We didn’t even have a good air conditioner back then,” reminded Grandma.

“I know. But we were still together.”

“I guess you are forgetting the gossip and the fighting and the bickering. Why, don’t you remember some of those arguments?”

“I wouldn’t mind having a good fight now and then,” said Grandpa.

“I’m sure that’s the Holy Spirit talking,” Grandma said sarcastically.

“There aren’t any arguments now because we’re never with anyone who’s any different than us. Just look around, sweetheart. Who’s going to argue in here?”

“Times have changed. We’ve progressed. Just look at our attendance!”

“Well, at least we still go to church together,” Grandpa smiled.

“That’s right. And we always will,” Grandma affirmed. The organist began playing louder. The service was about to begin. “Look at where we were fifty years ago,” she added.

Grandpa began thinking of all the memories, the family outings, the church picnics, the family feuds, the stuffy sanctuary. He remembered seeing old and young, senior adults next to seniors in high school, newlyweds, young couples with children, grandparents and great-grandparents – all together, lifting their voices as one. Now, as he looked out across the sea of gray hair in front of him, he couldn’t help but feel alone.

“We’ve come a long way,” smiled Grandma.

“Yes, we have,” sighed Grandpa sadly. “We’ve come a long way.”

first posted at Kingdom People on January 12, 2007

I am away from the internet this week. Enjoy some links from three years ago that are still relevant today…

The Probabilist has released the 10 Most Misspelled Words on blogs:

1. Your – You’re
2. Then – Than
3. Its – it’s

Albert Mohler and Susan Jacoby participate in an online forum answering the question: “Has Organized Religion Done More Harm than Good?”

The modern concerns for human rights, the rights of women, and the protection of the vulnerable have been driven by Christian concerns and the belief that every single individual, male or female, is created in Gods image. This is a far more substantial basis for human rights than any secular theory.

Bob Kauflin asks: “Should worship be fun?”

Let me rephrase the question one more time, to broaden the application. “Should our fun be worship?” Well now the answer must surely be “yes.” We’re told in 1 Cor. 10:31 that whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, we’re to do it all for the glory of God. Rather than focusing on making our corporate worship fun, maybe we should spend more time making sure our “fun” is worship.

Owen Strachan: “Working Fools – The Strange Lives of Seminarians”

In general, seminary life as it is currently practiced is quite difficult and it exacts a heavy toll from seminary families. At the very time in their life at which they really need to focus on their studies and their vocational training, many students are worrying more about their schedules, their bills, and their suffering families. This is an unfortunate and needless situation. If churches could commit to financial provision for seminarians, if pastors would commit to mentoring their charges, and if seminarians would commit to a mere (but rich, spiritually speaking) lifestyle, it’s my guess that you’d have alot less dozing seminarians–and alot more healthy churches.