David Ryser in a brilliant one page article entitled "Lover or Prostitute?" (click pic and scroll to page 4 of PDF to read article in its entirety) recalls a quote from Sam Pascoe that goes something like this: "Christianity started in Palestine as a fellowship; it moved to Greece and became a philosophy; it moved to Italy and became an institution; it moved to Europe and became a culture; it came to America and became a business.” But isn't the church supposed to be a body (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:27)? And if a body becomes a business, isn't that a prostitute? What's the difference between a lover and a prostitute? They do many of the same things, but a lover does what she does because she loves. A prostitute pretends to love, but only as long as you pay.
Hebrews 1:2 (NLT) tells us Jesus was in Genesis. "Through the Son He created the universe." So rightly understood, Jesus has always been the source of creativity. And long ago, His followers embraced creativity. Churches were epicenters of cultural and artistic creativity. Think about all the famous art in the middle centuries. Who commissioned and paid for its creation? The church! Who pioneered new technologies to get God’s word and subsequently all words into print? The Gutenberg Bible! And who made an award winning Doritos commercial for the Super Bowl? A pastor named Erwin McManus and a team of Christians in California (click pic to read all about it). Enjoy!!! And ask yourself, how can churches become epicenters of cultural and artistic creativity once again?
A birthday safari in Africa changed Kim's life forever. She saw hundreds of little girls in old and tattered clothes. So, when she returned to her suburban Detroit home, even though she couldn't sew, she decided to sew 1,000 dresses for them!!! Her idea spread and just three years later a hundred thousand dresses poured in. Now like a modern day Lydia (Acts 16), preparing the finest purple clothes for royalty (and dresses of all other colors), she sends clothes all over the world for children of the King of Kings!!! Amen?!!Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Derek Paravicini, now in his late twenties, was born premature at 25 weeks and as a result of the oxygen therapy required to save his life, lost his sight. His development was affected too. It later became apparent that he had severe learning difficulties. However, he soon acquired a fascination for music and sound, and, by the age of four, had taught himself to play a large number of melodic and complex pieces on the piano. With no visual models to guide him, his technique was chaotic, and even his elbows would frequently be pressed into service, as he strove to reach intervals beyond the span of his tiny hands until serendipitously he received some training from a gifted piano teacher.
Derek's talent, love of music, and - above all - the ability to communicate through sound means he will continue to thrill audiences for years to come in the UK and abroad. Click the pics to read more about him on his website and in his new book In The Key Of Genius. When I watched the 2 minute clip below, it reminded me of the Beautiful Things lyrics from Gungor. Enjoy both short vids below!!!
There's only one verse in the Bible that talks about tatoos (Leviticus 19:28). And most Christians think it does so negatively. But why don't the same folks say the same things about prohibiting hair cuts or facial hair? (which are the prohibitions of the verse right before). Take a look at this interesting 10 minute take on tatoos by Aussie believer Mark Brown. And click his tatoo pic for more. What if some tatoos are not taboo?
For the last few years, the Toledo First Church has hosted an annual car show. Regardless of weather, this ordinary outreach with really cool cars (click here to see some), fresh squeezed lemonade, and live 50's and 60's tunes has consistently delivered smiles galore and resulted in priceless friendships being developed in our community. Money from its proceeds were raised to comfort kids with cancer and even more was added to a fund to build a gymnasium for Toledo Junior Academy (a K-8 Christian elementary school) and James Meade Learning Center (an infant to preschool Christian daycare).
Philips and the renowned director/producer, Ridley Scott, recently launched a global filmmaker competition dubbed the: “Tell It Your Way” Film Making Contest. The entrants were given total freedom of expression but could only use six lines of dialogue and no more than three minutes of film. The grand prize winner was entitled The Porcelain Unicorn. Click the triangular play button below to see why it won!!!
In the first century AD, Christians suffered insults and persecution but stood side by side with those imprisoned for their faith (Hebrews 10:32,34). But as time went by, they grew weary and drifted away (Hebrews 2:1) and began to neglect their faith (Hebrews 2:2). Sin's deceitfulness began to harden their hearts (Hebrews 3:13-16) and they failed to grow spiritually (Hebrews 5:11-14). They gradually quit gathering for church (Hebrews 10:25) and some may have even publicly renounced Jesus (cf. Hebrews 6:4-6; 10:26-31; 12:15-17). Does anyone else recognize the similarities between those Christians back then and those today? No wonder the author of the book of Hebrews called the sermon he wrote a "work of exhortation" (Hebrews 13:22)!!!
Toledo First Church voted on what book of the Bible they wanted me to sermonize from next so our back-to-school sermon series, based on the New Testament book of Hebrews, is called The Born Supremacy. To many Christians, this book remains a mystery because its language of priests and sacrifices confuses them. But if we begin at the beginning and let the Word speak to us in its terms not ours, we can grasp its meaning. If the tired Christians in the first century who caught a glimpse of the supremacy of Jesus were renewed, revived, and invigorated after reading this letter about who Jesus is, what He accomplished on the cross, and what He is doing as our heavenly high priest, you can be too!!! Plan to bring a friend and join us Saturdays starting September 3 @ 11am!!! Click here for map and directions. You do NOT have to be a member of Toledo First Church to participate.
How do I know God loves us like crazy? Brennan told me. I'm SO glad I got to hear him live in Cleveland a few years ago. He had a serious fall recently,and is still alive but not able to speak much anymore. If you haven't read The Ragamuffin Gospel yet, you and your kids and your grandkids and pretty much everyone you care about should. I'm going to get his memoir All Is Grace (click below to read more about it). Acts 20:32 (NLT) says, "And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself."
On September 11, 2001, New Yorkers witnessed their fellow Americans' inspirational potential for generosity and sacrifice as aid from across the nation flowed into the city. The documentary New York Says Thank You follows the participants of this landmark public service initiative as they commemorate the anniversary of 9/11 each year by rebuilding homes, hospitals, schools, and churches destroyed by disaster. In the process they share stories of survival and hope, and bring a patriotic message of gratitude and solidarity to survivors of tragedy nationwide. Remember!!!
I am SO looking forward to hearing Gabe Lyons at the 7th Annual Conference on Innovation taking place in Columbus, Ohio OCT 2-4, 2011 (click above for more info). This 36 year old author of the 2007 book I previously reviewed and recommended on Fortune Cookies called unChristian has written another called The Next Christians (click vid below for a preview).
Read the entire recent USA Today article here. And don't forget, early bird $99 registration for the Conference on Innovation ends AUG 11, 2011 so if you want to go OCT 2-4 as part of my group, consider this your personal invitation and let me know before then!!! (You'll need to get there or carpool with me from Toledo and share/pay half the hotel room with someone else from our group but your registration fee will be covered. Shall we shape culture together? I hope so!!!
Joshua (turning 12 in a few days) and Lydia (9 years old) have been working hard this summer. I'm SO proud of them!!! WTG!!!
Four years ago, Katie Davis was homecoming queen at her high school in Brentwood, Tennessee. She had a yellow convertible and planned to study nursing in college. But those plans changed. Today, she's in Uganda, sharing her home with 13 orphaned or abandoned girls, ages 2 to 15. 
Davis is the legal guardian or foster mother for all of them, and hopes to one day adopt them. She reminds me of a modern wonder woman, who like Esther in the Bible, decided to use her beauty and influence to live for God in such a time as this. Click the pics for more info about Katie. Click here to listen to her inspiring interview on NPR. And click here to watch / listen / read more about Esther. Photos courtesy of Stylianos Papardelas
Heavenly Father, You are the real foundation of nations, raising them up to serve and care for the people dwelling inside and outside their boundaries / Thank You for raising up a nation devoted to freedom and interdependence on You / Please bless this country with your Spirit so like Abraham and the followers You called before us, we can be a blessing to others
Jesus did all the time. Matthew 14:15-21 says he did so with 5k plus people! We probably won't have that many at ours after church on July 16, but hopefully, we'll have a few hundred. Because in addition to our church members, who bring their friends and family who might never walk into a church but would walk into a park for a delicious meal, we will again be serving smiles and lots of fresh squeezed ice cold lemonade to all the walkers, joggers, and proud doggie owners walking by our picnic (plus doggie biscuits for the dogs!!!). Pastor Daniel is organizing a corn hole tournament and Donna will once again be taking on all challengers in ladder ball. Sabbath afternoon promises to be a delightful day full of good fellowship, games, and worship. Jesus always picnicked with purpose. Will you?
Do followers of Jesus have a media imperative? Brian Solis from briansolis.com thinks so. He says 65% of the emerging "Millenial Generation" is disconnected from online stuff less than an hour a day! So if you want to reach them, that's where they are! And when we try, he says the acronym to keep in mind is not Keep It Simple Stupid. It's KISS = Keep it significant and shareable!
Mother Teresa said, "Small things done with great love change the world." James Hunter, author of To Change the World might say it this way: "Small things done by networks of individuals and their institutions faithfully partnering with others over time change the world."
Aside from carrying thousands of songs from my iTunes library, five of the latest Toledo First Church podcasts and six "Jesus books" [Jesus on audiobook by Walter Wangerin Jr is great for kids and what we're listening to for family worship, click for details], what I like most about my iPhone is its apps especially some that Pastor Anna showed me recently. Here are a few of my faves. If you have some too, do share!!!
Earthlings may be the single most thought provoking documentary I have ever seen in my life. It simultaneously disturbs and inspires. Not for little kids, I still think parents and churches and high-schools [with parental consent] should watch it and talk about it.
Some of you know Jackie and I [back row middle] went with a bunch of pastor friends to Israel in January 2010. Seeing the places Jesus walked made the Bible "come alive" in ways you must experience to understand and I have wanted to return ever since!!! So I want you to know I am planning an eight-day tour back to Israel JAN 23 - 30, 2012. The tour is approx. $2500/person [not including travel to NYC where we depart] but will include visits to Tiberias, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, Mount of Beatitudes, Site of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes, Capernaum, the River Jordan, Mount Carmel, Caesarea, the Dead Sea, Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, the Garden Tomb, Calvary, Pool of Bethesda, Garden of Gethsemane, Mt. Moriah, Mount of Olives, the Western Wall, the Via Dolorosa, Bethlehem, the Kidron Valley, the Room of the Last Supper, and King David’s Tomb [click pics to see some of these places].
I'm hoping with enough notice, some of you may be able to join me! You do NOT have to be a pastor, Adventist, or a member of Toledo First Church to participate. If we get 30+ people to sign up, we get our own coach bus in Israel and hopefully Menachem my fave tour guide extraordinaire from last time!!! Click here for all the details and to download a flyer.
Years ago a monumental study of young people revealed that emphasizing grace, actively participating in community service, and teaching children how to pray, read, and share during family times of worship are three of the most significant factors that contribute to whether they will see God as significant and the church as a positive place to stay when they're adults [for more info read Valuegenesis]. This summer, you're invited to see how these things can work in your lives today.
I thank you, Lord Jesus, for becoming a human being so I do not have to pretend or try to be God / I thank you, Lord Jesus, for becoming finite and limited so I do not have to pretend that I am infinite and limitless / I thank you, crucified God, for becoming mortal 
The last few weeks we've been on the road. First stop? Greeneville, TN for my 94 year old grandma Mabel's memorial service. Aside from forgetting my Bible before the service and botching the words I thought I had memorized to Psalm 23 in the KJV, it went okay. I learned my grandma whistled alto in a trio back in the day. Why? Because she loved Jesus like crazy!!! So I reminded my family that one day, "The Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the dead in Christ will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words." [The dozen pink roses are from Toledo First Church. Thank you!!!]
Second stop? Florida! Jackie's grandma and grandpa and my brother and his fam live in Florida so since we were halfway there, we drove there for the kids Spring Break. 
Though it rained hard a few days, Joshua and Lydia did enjoy feeding the Sting Rays and Dolphins @ Sea World and watching the sharks!!!
Third stop? Mount Vernon for 2011 Worship Fest. I chaperoned the boys in grades 5-8 and our kids from TJA sang their hearts out. Joshua also learned how to do puppets. What fun!!! The entire Worship Fest will be archived @ www.ohioadventist.org
The freedom of the open road, the rush of the wind in your face, and the thrill of an IMAX® theater view of the world are things a person must experience to really understand. And knowing Jesus isn’t any different. To show biker enthusiasts this, there's an event occurring soon [June 2-5] I'm happy to share and invite you to invite your friends to join [click pic or see below for more info].Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
God of Justice from John Hood Jr on Vimeo.
On March 11, 2011 the largest earthquake in Japan’s history triggered a devastating tsunami. According to the United States Geological Survey [USGS],this most recent Japanese earthquake and subsequent tsunami, while falling into the major category of anticipated seismic activity and breaking Japan’s previous record for largest earthquake in its history, does not break the consistent trend of one major 8.0 [or greater] quake per year the last 100 years [click pic above for more on trend], is not the largest recorded earthquake in magnitude the last 100 years [the earthquake in Chile on May 22, 1960 is still the biggest quake in the world on record with a magnitude of 9.5], and hopefully will not rival the most destructive January 23, 1556 earthquake that killed 830k people in China [click separate green links for more info].
I think it’s important for Christians to know and understand these larger seismic trends and historical facts so we don’t over-exaggerate the signs of the times when proclaiming the surety of Jesus’ Second Coming. Jesus came the first time. Right on God’s time. And regardless of life as we know it, He will come a second time [click Bible pic for more on that]. All earthquakes, whatever their magnitude, whenever they occur, are supposed to remind us of this!!!
Rest on the Sabbath. Heed Old Testament dietary codes. And be ready for Jesus to return at any moment. If these practices sound quaint or antiquated, think again. They're hallmarks of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the fastest-growing Christian denomination in North America. G. Jeffrey MacDonald wrote a great piece on my church denomination in a recent USA Today article. My fave line?
Previously during Soup for You, we've read books about suffering like The Shack illuminating the way God looks at the battle between good and evil. We've learned that God wants us to live like crazy because we are loved like crazy in The Ragamuffin Gospel. Because Hurt People Hurt People, we better understand the small and large ways we hurt and how God can mend our broken hearts. We still have a few copies of Lee Vendon's book It's All About Him skillfully explaining why Christianity is primarily about Who
God really blessed during Generation Rain. That's the name of the high school Bible retreat I was speaking at last weekend at Mt.Aetna Camp in Hagerstown, MD. Nearly 200 high schoolers, most of whom do not attend Highland View Academy, the Adventist boarding school next door, descended for the weekend. The worship was vibrant led by an entirely student praise team. The prayer and art rooms were full. Four youth were baptized SAT night and another planned to do so in their home church!!!
Here's ours. Anyone else think it's ironic we're collecting soup but eating pizza LOL?!! Think people would come for some split pea instead? Join us for all the action on a 25' screen and tons of fun this SUN FEB 6 @ 6:30pm. Admission? Free with canned goods.
Then don't forget, on SAT FEB 12 @ 7pm, we're hosting a piano concert with Mary Grace - a one armed piano player who plays amazing music for Jesus!!! [click here for more info on her]. You and your sweetheart will be amazed and encouraged by her story and music. The concert is free, but 100% of the collected offering will benefit orphans in Haiti's Eden Garden Orphanage. Join us and bring some friends for Christ's sake [as my friend Charles likes to say]!!! Click her for map and directions.
Untitled from New Hope Adventist on Vimeo.
1 John 4:18 says perfect love casts out fear. But as my friend Bobby accurately points point out, perfect fear also casts out love. Could that be why 16-29 year olds say the Christians they know are "hypocritical", "insensitive", "judgmental", and "unChristian"? This Valentines Day, do something loving and read UnChristian: What a New Generation Thinks About Christianity...And Why It Matters [click pic more info] or click the vid below to get a another snapshot of how perfect love and radical empathy can still cast out fear.
In August 2010, I told you about a book on CD that has had a tremendous impact in our home entitled Preparing for Adolescence by Dr. James Dobson [click here to read that post].What we're still doing is listening to 15 minute segments of this content before Josh goes to sleep [will do the same thing with Lydia soon!!!] pausing when necessary, to laugh, talk, or wonder about what was just said.
While this content contains some of the most helpful ways to discuss Biblical issues of sexuality, CD#5 also contains a very helpful 10 point quiz on true love between a man and woman. So much so that in 2011 I'm discussing each of them during chapels on Fridays with the kids at school. Would you pass this little True / False quiz? Would your kids? If not, maybe you should click the pic and buy your own copy of this content!!! It might save your kids or grandkids a lifetime of therapy and brokenness!!!
