Unsportsmanlike Conduct

I went to my first St. Louis Blues hockey game tonight.  It was a pretty good game with the Blues scoring early, falling behind in the 2nd period, and then rallying to win 3-2 at the end.  Way to go, Blues!

Here's what I found interesting:  at 16:08 in the 2nd period, Blues player David Backes is given a 2 minute roughing penalty, and Red Wings player Mikael Samuelsson is given a 2 minute 'unsportsmanlike conduct' penalty.  What precipitated the penalties isn't the interesting part.  It's the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.  And for a couple of reasons.

First, it's hockey.  When has hockey ever been about sportsmanlike conduct?  In fact, one could argue that the reason hockey is as popular as it is has more to do with the fights than it does the skill of the game.  Here's when the crowd was on it's feet: when the Blues scored, and any time a fight broke out or seemed like it was going to break out.  It's like car racing - so many people watch car racing for the accidents.  However, having been to several races, I can attest that a majority of the crowd is standing for the majority of the race.  Even when wrecks aren't pending.  Anyway, back to the point.  I think, for many, 'unsportsmanlike conduct' and 'hockey' are synonymous.

Second, why do we continue to operate under the delusion that professional sports has anything to do with the players conducting themselves in a sportsmanlike manner?  We don't want to see the players play fair and abide by the rules.  We want to see them flaunt the rules (but not too much, granted), we want to see teams continuously push the boundaries.  We complain about athletes using steroids, but wonder how boring sports would be without the drugs.  We no longer desire our athletes to be role models (although we say we do), we just want them to entertain us.  They truly have become the gladiators of the modern age.

The more they flaunt the rules, live immorally, flash the wealth we give them in our faces, the more we reward their behavior.  What message does this send our children?  What message does this send our adolescent athlete heroes (that's right - many of our professional athletes are still adolescents - and making more than most of us reading this blog will ever see in our entire life)?  A buddy of mine from seminary, and still one of my best friends, has been the chaplain for the Orlando Magic for the past several years and talked with me often about how we have these 20 year olds making millions with girls throwing themselves at their feet.  Even if they did have a frame of reference for how to handle that kind of wealth and debauchery, how long could one hold out?

No, we lost the 'sportsmanlike conduct' aspect of sports a long time ago.  Sports as a tool for teaching children and adolescents how to work with others; to develop skills, abilities and self-confidence; to learn how to handle both success and defeat has been lost.  It's now about the entertainment, it's about the wins and the trophies, it's about the money and the glory.

And it makes me sad.  What are we doing to ourselves?

"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained? Is this not why you are here?"

- Maximus, Gladiator

Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. 

- 2 Timothy 2:5

how do they do it?

I'm in process of working on my sermon for this coming Sunday, and found myself delighted at how easily this sermon is coming along.  Yesterday was a bit of a roadblock in the sermon-prep process, and today is sailing along.  Why?  It's all about the text.

You see, yesterday I didn't have a passage of scripture from which to base the sermon.  Today, I do.  Yesterday, I had a whole list of what I wanted to say on Sunday.  Today I have a much shorter (thankfully, for all involved) list of what the Bible has to say.  It's coherent, concise, and straightforward... and not at all about me.

I find myself wondering, how do they do it?  How do pastors, teachers and preachers prepare and deliver their sermons and lessons without starting with the Bible?  I'm not saying that what they have to say isn't, therefore, biblical, but that I don't understand how one can preach without starting with the text and letting the sermon flow from there.

I have no problem with "prooftexting".  I think prooftexting can be used positively (when the cited passage is used in context and with integrity) and negatively (when the cited passage is ripped out of its context).  So I know sermons that are topical and then littered with Scripture to support the topic at hand can be godly, biblical and edifying.  And there are times when I preach sermons like that.

However, it's not how I usually work, and it's certainly not how I work at my best.  I'm at my best when I start with the text and go from there, allowing it to say what it wants to say to the congregation - and the preacher - on Sunday morning.

Thanks for letting me procrastinate a little longer.

espresso beans

There once was a time when I would knock back a coke (by coke I mean generic "could be anything that is a carbonated beverage...some parts of the country refer to it as "soda", but, in my life, it would still actually be Coca-Cola, the only, the best) before heading to bed.  I could drink 12, 16, maybe even 20 ounces on my way to dreamland and not be late.  Sleep would not even be phased by the assault of caffeine and sugar that inundated my brain and my body.  It was a good time to be me.

Somewhere along the journey that is my life, that changed.  My body became more sensitive to sugar and caffeine.  I began to notice this when I would still drink said coke on my way to bed and then lie there for hours wide awake.  Being the brilliant and highly observant person that I am, I would lay there completely baffled by this assault of insomnia.  Why on earth can't I get to sleep on this particular night, when other nights I'm practically asleep before my head hits the pillow?  After many nights of such confusion and irritation, I slowly began to deduce the pattern.  No coke, good sleep.  Have coke, bad sleep.

A few years ago, I began drinking coffee.  My coffee intake increased while in Alaska (shocker, I know), but never exceeded two cups a day - almost always in the morning.  Having become aware of my natural sensitivity to caffeine, I tried to avoid coffee after, say, 3 pm or so in the afternoon.  Every once in a while I would break that rule, and I always paid the price.

Tonight, we began a weekly young adult bible study that meets at Wired Coffee on Thursdays at 8 pm (feel free to join us).  I arrived early and apparently checked my brain at the door.  I promptly walked up to the counter and not only purchased a coke, but also Cappuchino Gelato with Chocolate Covered Espresso Beans.  That was at 7:45.

I'm not even close to tired.

It's tough being a slow learner.

And I don't really like espresso beans.

The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep. - Ecclesiastes 5:12

one year later...

Today is officially the one year anniversary of when I came on staff at Southminster. I've been in St. Louis for a year and a week. It's been a pretty fascinating year of a lot of learning and a lot of change - change for me, change for the church.

Here is some of what is different now than a year ago:

- A year ago, the youth ministry met maybe every other week - if that. The only regular program offered was sunday school. In November, we began weekly youth group meetings. The first night, we had 6 students (high school and middle school) show up. We peaked at 23 by the end of the school year and can now count on a minimum of 20 each week. Not huge growth, but not too bad.

- A year ago, the contemporary worship service, then 4 or 5 years old, was in a bit of a rut. Not a lot of new music, the projection was average, and the praise team was really looking for some direction. Now, the praise team boldly pushes new boundaries and is constantly looking for new music. The projection has really advanced and is quite good. With the help of an incredible interim praise team leader, the praise team no longer needs direction, as they are following the vision that has been cast.

- Additionally, the contemporary service has changed format and name. It is now Worship Celebration and has a more developed liturgy. Liturgy is really the wrong word, in it's popular understanding. But in it's traditional definition, it is quite fitting. We do have a defined order of worship that we follow for that service, but within that order we are always willing to explore new ways to enable worshippers to "experience the life giving touch of the One who first gave them life."

- Another worship-related change was moving the start time of Worship Celebration from 10:30 to 10:55. 10:30 was only 30 minutes after the end of the first service (if it ended on time), barely enough time to set up for the service. Moving to 10:55 provided enough time not only for setup but also for a sound check and rehearsal.

- A year ago the children's ministry was struggling to provide meaningful ministry for the families and children of the church. Not that it was bad or in dire shape, but it didn't seem to be meeting a need. A couple of changes were made that seems to be bringing about a turnaround in that ministry. One of which was changing from a rotation sunday school model to a more traditional format with consistent teachers each week. Not that the rotation model is bad, it just didn't seem to be working at Southminster.

- Because of the time change for worship, time was created to allow for a dedicated Sunday School hour. Previously, sunday school was at the same time as the 9 AM worship service. Somewhat convenient for families (mom and dad go to worship, the kids go to Sunday school), but one of the core values of Christianity is the importance of the corporate body worshipping Christ together, people of all ages, gathered together in worship. How could we expect to raise children who desire to worship God if they are never in worship? How can we provide meaningful discipleship opportunities for parents when folks pretty much leave after worship? Moving Sunday school to it's own hour helped alleviate that tension. It is a change that is not without its flaws, however. Some classes have seen reduced attendance as a result.

- Also, a year ago we did not have any dedicated staff for children's ministry. In early 2007, we hired a children's ministry intern on a part-time basis. She is a college student who is being trained as a children's education and development specialist. Her love for the Lord combined with her love for children made her a natural addition to the church staff. Since then, the children's ministry has taken off. The CE Commission has recognized the benefit of this kind of specialized attention and ministry, and desires to make that a full time position in the future.

- Along those lines, and related to the worship and Sunday school changes, we added a new ministry called Kids Own Worship. Recognizing that it is developmentally inappropriate to expect younger children to sit through an hour long worship service, we have the children in worship for the first 15 minutes, then after a children's sermon, they head out to an age- and developmentally-appropriate worship program.

Much of these changes actually have very little to do with me. It is the result of a large number of people who are passionate about the Lord, passionate about their areas of ministry, and passionate about seeing others come to know Christ. It has been a really exciting year - not without its challenges, but still good - and it is fascinating to see this church grow and stretch.

I wonder what next year will hold.

This is what the LORD says—
he who made a way through the sea, 
a path through the mighty waters, 
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?"
- Isaiah 43:16-19

spiritual hydration

I am a notoriously poor hydrator.  What I mean is, I rarely drink enough water to keep myself hydrated.  That particularly was an issue on the mission trips this summer.  The first day in Mississippi and in Mexico were much harder on me than they should have been due to the fact that I hadn't been drinking enough water and didn't drink enough while working.  Being dehydrated just simply isn't any fun.  That's the obvious part.  What isn't so obvious is how important hydration is to day-to-day living.

We rarely realize how beneficial remaining hydrated is to our regular activities and life.  We know we need to drink water when exercising or working outdoors, but there's a reason why we need to keep ourselves hydrated - 64 oz daily is what "they" say we need.  What with our bodies being 75% water, staying hydrated keeps us functioning at our best.  It's a subtle thing, though.  It isn't like a shot of Gatorade, caffeine or sugar - or something else - that gives you a relatively instant shot of energy.  It's just a simple truth that you aren't as good dehydrated as you are hydrated.  It may not be a difference you notice immediately, if at all, but it is still a difference.  When we are dehydrated, not only does our physical body suffer, but so does our mental and emotional capacities.

Remember:  If you're feeling thirsty, you're already dehydrated.

What struck me a few weeks ago, though, was that the same thing is true spiritually.  If you've grown up in the church - attending worship, sunday school, youth groups, etc. - then surely at some point in time you've been encouraged or even admonished to practice spiritual disciplines such as spending regular time in prayer and reading the Bible.  It's probably been stated to you in some form of "there is nothing more important to your day and your life than taking the time to do these."  And, you've probably put forward a good effort every now and then to do so - only to find time for prayer and reading the Bible to be the first thing that goes when the schedule gets full.  And, frankly, who notices?  Everything seems just as good when you do take the time for these spiritual disciplines as when you don't.

But they aren't.  And as important to our physical well being as it is to stay hydrated, it is even more important to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well being to stay spiritually hydrated.  Being intentional will impact all areas of our being, not just our spirit.

As much as I struggle with staying hydrated, it is also hard to stay spiritually hydrated.  I think it's harder for pastors.  We spend our time every day in the Word, praying with people, delving into spiritual matters.  It's easy to rationalize the importance of this away.  Over the past year or so, I have been making a concerted effort to improve this area.

Eugene Peterson refers to this as working the angles in a book of the same name.  If the angles in a triangle aren't right, it doesn't matter how long or true the lines are - they'll never connect.  The three angles Peterson refers to are prayer, scripture and spiritual direction.  If we don't take care of the angles, every thing else falls apart.

The thing is, by the time we think we need to pray we're already spiritually dehydrated.  

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)  The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)  Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."  "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." 

- John 4:7-14

Hydrate or die.

the insidious nature of sin

I think one of the key reasons that we are called to hold each other accountable (as mentioned in the previous post) is because of the insidious nature of sin.  While sometimes it comes at us in an overt manner, more often than not I think it is much more subtle, insidious.

One of my favorite movies is The Devil's Advocate.  Not because Keanu Reaves is so brilliant in it (is he in anything?), or because Al Pacino turns in one of his most fantastic performances (the last 5 minutes are simply stunning), but rather because it illustrates so well how subtle sin can be.  If you look at where Kevin Lomax is at the beginning of the movie and where he ends up at the end, they are vastly different places.  But throughout the movie, Kevin makes a thousand little decisions, each of them seemingly innocent, that result in his ending up where he does.  It all begins with one simple decision at the beginning.  Kevin, and the viewer, almost don't even realize what is going on until it is nearly too late.

That is simply the reality of how sin works.  Most of the time, we don't even realize where it is taking us... or that it is even taking us anywhere.  And that is why we need our brothers and sisters to help us along the way.  

Is it hard to hold others accountable?  No doubt.  Is it hard to receive such accountability?  No doubt.  But if we don't help each other along the way, how will we ever know if we have lost our way until it is nearly too late?

Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
- 1 Peter 5:8-9

confrontation and conviction

I don't know if there is anything more difficult than going to a brother or sister in Christ and confronting them in their sin.  Well, anything more difficult than being on the receiving end of the confrontation, that is.  It is so hard to do something like that, and so hard to hear it.  

On the confronting side, what if you're wrong?  What if it's your own sinfulness causing you to misread or misunderstand someone else?  What if it's your petty differences that are the real issues, not issues of sin?  What if the other person won't listen?  What if they don't like me any more?  What might they say to others as a result?  And on, and on.

On the receiving side, what if they're right?  How dare someone else say these things to me?  Who are you to judge me, as if you knew what goes on in my head?  How could someone think these things about me?  What gives you the right to say this?  And on, and on.

Yet, we are called to both give and receive this sort of confrontation.  Take, for example these two words from Christ:

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that the brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to that person; then come and offer your gift.  - Matthew 5:23-24

If a brother or sister sins, go and point out the fault, just between the two of you alone. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If they refuse to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.  - Matthew 18:15-17

The responsibility rests on both parties in an issue.  If someone has something against you, go and seek reconciliation.  If you have something against someone else, go and seek reconciliation.  Not a whole lot of wiggle room there, and there's certainly nothing in there about whether it will be hard or easy.  Jesus knows - it's going to be hard, therefore it doesn't need to be said.

But it's the hard things in life that are often the most worthy.  Especially when it comes to confronting sinful behavior in the body of Christ.  When you are sick or have a cut, you attend to it with medical care, knowing that if you don't it will only fester and get worse.  Eventually leading toward greater problems throughout your body.  So it is with our sinfulness.  If left unchecked or if not confronted in love by our brothers and sisters, it will fester, rot and spread throughout the body of Christ.

By being faithful in this hard thing, every party involved benefits.  The two immediate parties, the confrontor and the confrontee, are able to find or initiate a process of reconciliation.  Should sin actually be involved, conviction followed by repentance is given opportunity. And the community around the two parties, the body of Christ, is given opportunity to experience health and wholeness that otherwise wouldn't occur.

Two brothers met with me today, and it was a hard but worthy conversation.  Frankly, I am very convicted of some areas in my life in which I need to grow.  There is much on which to reflect, pray and examine.  But none of us would have this opportunity if there hadn't been the courage to confront to begin with.

Psalm 51
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak
and justified when you judge.
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you.
Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
the God who saves me,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart,
O God, you will not despise.

In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
build up the walls of Jerusalem.
Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
whole burnt offerings to delight you;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

best

At church the other day, in the midst of a conversation, someone stated that our VBS is the "best." This wasn't just casually thrown out there, it was repeatedly said with increasing insistence - to the point of saying that no other church's VBS in the area even comes close. For this person, this was a big deal.

What struck me most about this is how different our values can be from one another.

I just don't have a frame of reference for this idea of being better than other churches. I'm not in this gig called ministry in order to make the church at which I work "better" than the others in the area, I don't even understand what that means.

Here's a dictionary definition:

best (n): that which is the most excellent, outstanding or desirable.

If the goal, the purpose, of the church, local and universal, is to 1) expand the Kingdom of God on earth and 2) be Christ's hands and feet in serving and loving a hurting world, what does "better" and "best" mean? In order to be best, that means someone has to be not best. If other churches are "not best" at expanding the Kingdom of God and being Christ's hands and feet, how does that help our goal, our purpose? What does any one church gain by being "best"? Particularly if "best" comes at the cost of negatively impacting another church's efforts in even the slightest way.

Don't get me wrong. One of my core values is doing everything with excellence. In all that I as a person and we as a church set out to do, I believe we should do it to the best of our ability and always be striving to improve and do better. I believe it is important to do the "best" we are able to do, but not in comparison to someone else. Rather, in comparison to ourselves. Being "best" in the sense of competing with other ministries and churches is just not something I can wrap my brain around.

I desire to see this church be the best it can be, to serve the Lord with faithfulness and integrity, to be effective and excellent in being the expression of the body of Christ that God is calling her to be. I also desire to see the other churches in the area do the exact same thing. No one church can effectively reach the vast array of personalities, interests and needs in any community. And there is certainly enough hurt and lost-ness for us all to partner together in reaching.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

provision

I've often thought that God has a funny sense of humor when it comes to provision.  To be honest, I don't actually find it all that funny.

While in seminary, my wife worked at a church while I was a student full-time.  Every once in a while, a gift of support would come our way.  Sometimes it would be a check, sometimes someone would pay our rent for a month or two.  Almost always it was anonymous.  But after the third gift, I began to notice a pattern.

Within a few days or a week of receiving the gift, something would happen.  Something like the hydraulic tensioner (it's the thing that uses hydraulics to keep tension on the timing belt on a car engine) breaking, thus causing the engine to, well, break.  In nearly every circumstance, the gift we received was within a few dollars of the something that then happened.

It got to the point that I would start wondering when the other shoe was going to fall every time someone would send us a support check.  I mean, as much as I appreciated the provision that God was providing, I was actually pretty happy with the engine I'd had in the car and would have preferred that it not break at all...

Well, that was several years ago (wow... 6, to be exact.  Time flies...).  But something happened this past week that reminded me of that incident.  We returned from two weeks of vacation to a very warm house - our air conditioning was not working.  I couldn't get it to start.  Since it was a Sunday, and the next day was Labor Day, I decided we'd sweat it out until Tuesday when I could make a service call and not pay emergency, holiday rates.

Turns out pretty much our entire air conditioning system is hosed.  Sweet.  And the estimate of the repair is, well, a lot of money.

Now, we never received our federal tax return, which was supposedly mailed in early June.  After signing off on the estimate for the A/C work, I filled out the form to request a new tax return check be issued.  I "happened" to look at the amount of the return.  

$30 more than the cost of the A/C repair.

Still not laughing.

juxtaposition

While I was in Mississippi, I spent an afternoon at Borders working on my sermon. One of my favorite hobbies is people watching, and sitting in the cafe in Borders provides a great opportunity to do that very thing. While I watched the traffic flow through the Starbucks ebb and flow, I was gradually struck by the juxtaposition of where I was sitting at that time, and the place I had been working just a few hours prior.

Here at Borders, people came and went, some were studying for exams, others having a casual conversation. Obviously many people were reading books and magazines, surfing the internet. Pretty much enjoying life and all it had to offer. In general I'd peg the economic class as upper-middle class and higher. For these people, life was back to normal (if it ever wasn't) and Katrina is probably a semi-distant memory.

And yet, just a few miles away, there were houses still covered in blue tarps. Homes still so damaged the family can not live in the house. Hundreds of people and families still living in FEMA trailers. Families doing their best to wait patiently while their house is rebuilt - by volunteers, over the course of months.

This stark contrast I am sure will gently diminish over time, as more people return back to their homes and their lives. Realizing this, though, I began to wonder about the last few. As time marches on and the sense of "need to help" that many have felt since Katrina hit begins to fade, will those who are waiting for help begin to feel forgotten? Once the media no longer talks about Katrina (frankly, I can't remember the last time I heard something about Katrina on the news), once the aid organizations move on to the latest tragedy, what will become of these people?

This is just one of the many thoughts that are settling in my mind as I process the past week. I'm not sure if there are any answers to this juxtaposition, and I don't think there is really any way we can avoid it or the way we will forget those who continue to struggle. But we can strive to do what we are able to, and if we remember them, to then do something to help. Organizations like Presbyterian Disaster Assistance are still eager for people to come down and help. And, believe it or not, living in a blue pod for a week really isn't all that bad.

Back From Mississippi

We're back from Mississippi after a week of doing hurricane recovery. If you'd like to read about our trip or see some pictures of our work, you can do so by clicking here. It was a great week and we did a lot of great work. Not sure how the sermon is going to turn out tomorrow, though.

There was another surprise for me in Mississippi I haven't blogged about: As mentioned in the comments on a previous post, a girl that grew up in the same church I did is working for the Presbytery down in Mississippi, and she showed up in camp this week. It was great to get in touch with her and hear what adventures she has lived since I left GPC. May God bless you, Erin, and the work you are going to do for Him and His Kingdom.

I forgot to mention...

...the other surprise: Here at the camp they have three big signposts with arrows pointing to the various churches that have been here to help. One of the churches with a signpost is the church I grew up in, Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church. Apparently, they've been down here a few times. so that's two "it's a small world" incidents within twenty four hours.

Unexpected Surprises

So I head into New Life Community Church for worship this morning, sit down, and then look up and see the pastor of the church sitting behind the pulpit. Turns out it's Scott Castleman, a friend of mine from seminary. What an unexpected surprise.

Scott has responded to the call of the Lord to ministry by serving as the pastor of both New Life and Handsboro Presbyterian Churches - churches about 15 minutes apart. These are two churches that walked very different paths yet are in the same place. New Life was founded in 1990, grew to 150 and is now at 7 members. Handsboro was founded in the late 1800s and is down to a similar number of members. Both churches were preparing to close their doors just prior to Katrina hitting. PDA's motto is, "Out of chaos, hope." Clearly here in Mississippi, we are seeing God bring new life out of mind-boggling tragedy.

Please keep Scott, his family and his ministry in your prayers as he seeks to be God's hands in bringing new life to these churches and this area.

In Mississippi For A Week

For the next week I'll be in Orange Grove, MS with the College & Career group from Southminster. We are partnering with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to continue to provide recovery support from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita a few years ago. While I may post some more personal reflections and anecdotes on here, we are posting daily updates on the church website, which you can find by clicking the title of this blog or here.

I raced the sun, and we tied ...and I hurt...

I raced the sun today, and we tied. Well, that's how I like to think about it anyway. I decided to go for a ride at about 7:45. Sunset was at 8:13. This ride takes me 47 minutes (11 miles) when I'm with Peter (in a trailer). My goal: finish the ride before dark. I made it...but it was close. Streetlights were on and cars were using headlights. Definitely late dusk. It was 8:30.

And for the first time on a bike ride in a very long time, I hurt. The transverse abdominis muscles got very sore over the last mile, and my quads were getting punchy. It was a good ride, although I probably pushed too hard throughout (a problem I seem to have...but that's another post). I increased my average speed by 2 mph compared to doing the ride with Peter (14.8 mph up to 16.8 mph) and I shaved 3 1/2 minutes off the time. I think if I had paced myself better, I could have broken 17 mph.

I don't mean to sound like I'm bragging or that I think I'm all that. I know I'm not. Perhaps I can express a bit more confidence once I can hammer the entire hill in Clydesdale Park in a big gear...even without Peter I still ended up in my granny gear (smallest chainring, biggest cog) - although not until after the halfway point.

The best part of the ride? The bike. There's a pic of it from a couple of years ago. It's a 1989 Bridgestone MB-2, one of the finest mountain bikes ever built. It's 26-ish pounds of chromoly niceness. It may be old school (may be? dude, it is so old school), but it is an incredible billy goat. Since the last 114 miles have been done pulling a 25 lb trail and a 28 lb 3-year old, I'd gotten used to a bike that pushed in turns, accelerated slowly and lagged on hills.

But that isn't the real nature of this bike. This bike is nimble, agile, incredibly fast and an absolute joy and delight to ride. A few years ago, I was offered more than the original retail price of the bike for the frame alone. I turned the offer down. I'll ride this bike until the frame rots away. I don't really think the frame is going to rot away...

I've never really expounded on my love of cycling...but I think this gives a bit of a hint.

Building Britney Spears...

Ever wonder how Britney Spears achieved such fame and success? Why did she make the choices she did and so on and so forth?

Walt Mueller posted a brilliant and insightful article on this issue on his blog (dated 12/15/05, and can be found at http://www.cpyu.org/page.aspx?id=76960). Here is that post:

Let’s do it again!

Here’s something very interesting. . . . . and it has to do with how pop stars are made. Yes, that’s right, made. When I was at the Kid Power marketing conference last May I sat in on a seminar by a gal from Jive Records. She wasn’t just any gal. She was the gal who claimed responsibility for creating and masterminding the Britney Spears phenomenon (are you sure you want to admit that?!?!?). Her seminar was titled, “Grabbing Kids Attention in a Competitive Marketplace: Creating the Next Pop Icon.”

Today I went back to find the notes I scribbled furiously during that seminar – I’ll tell you why in a minute. My notes reminded me that she showed us a DVD of an artist they’ve signed to the label who they were marketing to kids. Remember, the conference was about marketing to kids ages 2-12. I made some notes about how the video clip was very sexual and that it objectified women. She then showed a clip of Britney Spears that chronicled her evolution as a pop star. My notes read, “scary and sexual.” She then went on to tell us what the record company did when they met Britney at age 16 back in 1998.

First, they put her out in the public eye as an all-American girl. She was featured in ads for Claire’s Accessories in the Just Nikki Magalog for girls. Included was an offer to kids. Kids who responded got some free Britney Spears music. They also sent out Spears samplers with Scholastic Book Club orders. You know that group. They sell books to elementary school kids. Other strategies included giving out a CD sampler at Sunglass Hut, enclosing a free CD inside Seventeen magazine, placing Spears in a Hilfiger ad campaign just after her first album was released, and the placement of a flyer in the back pocket of new pairs of MUDD jeans. Brilliant, huh? It’s all about saturation, or, as the gal from Jive said, working to “cut through the clutter to grab kids’ attention.” Well, it worked. As of May of this year, Spears had sold 60 million records over the course of her career.

In hindsight, what did the folks at Jive records learn about creating a pop star? Here’s what the gal at the conference said: First, you’ve got to have an artist who’s willing to take risks and be unpredictable by pushing the envelope. Thanks for that bit of advice. Now the rest of us can accurately predict that emerging pop stars will be unpredictable, or in other words, always pushing the envelope with new surprises coming around each corner. Second, your artist has to understand his/her audience. Sounds like prerequisite for effective cross-cultural missionary work to me. And third, you have to maintain “edge.” Since kids are naturally in the process of breaking ties from mom and dad, they want their own music and their own stars. How did that work with Britney. We were told that she was initially a darling of mothers of young girls. But as those young girls grew up, they didn’t want to be listening to music that soothed mom’s ears and worries. So, Britney started the process of going over the edge, over and over again. In the words of our friend from Jive, Britney’s success – and the long-term success of any pop star – is that – and I quote – “she’s constantly pissed parents off.”

So now you know Jive Record company’s little secret. So why did I go back to dig around and find my notes from that seminar? Because there was an article in yesterday’s USA Today about an emerging new 16-year-old pop icon by the name of Chris Brown. Somehow that name sounded familiar. My notes told me why. After telling us about Spears, our seminar presenter asked the question, “Who’s the next pop icon on the horizon?” Then she told us. A young man by the name of Chris Brown. She then went on to lay out Jive Records’ plan to unleash young Mr. Brown. It includes turning him into the next Usher.

Why am I telling you all this? Because now you know how the plan works from the inside out. Keep an eye on Jive Records as they do it all over again. Invite your kids to watch along with you.

It feels good to be manipulated, doesn't it? So what is popular isn't really popular because people like it...but because marketing gurus flood us with their 'stuff' so much that we think it's popular.

Fascinating.

*reposted from my myspace blog, original dated January 9, 2006.

High School Sports - For Competition or Fun?

Many of those who study adolescent development and culture are becoming concerned about the state of childrens and youth sports. There are parents and coaches who seem to want to make up for their own (lack of?) glory days and overemphasize the competitive nature of sports. This isn't the case across the board, but there are plenty of examples available. Take as a case in point competitive t-ball. How on earth can you have competitive t-ball?? Apparently, there are enough examples that leagues have to designate themselves "non-competitive."

Today, I went to a high school cross-country ski meet. It was great to see a lot of students from the ministry that attend a variety of schools in one place, continuing friendships in the midst of competition (btw, way to go Becca, Becca, Wesley, Ben, Summer, Jackie, Hannah, JC and Sarah!). One student, who is very competitive, performed very well in spite of a waxing problem that kept her from kicking well - this problem was her primary focus, as she knew she could have done better. In general, one expects students to want to do well and to be upset when they don't do as well as they know they can.

But there are those (including this pastor) that fear that the fun of sports is being lost in the midst of the competition. I don't think this is the case for any of the students metioned above, but I know it isn't the case for one in particular. And it was such a surprise it really caught me off guard.

The race today was a 5k. It took most students about 15-20 minutes to complete. But one student and her friend took over 30 minutes to complete the race. Why? Because they were just out there to have fun. The smiles on their faces as they came around the last turn and raced each other to the finish line (the only racing either probably did the entire time) were priceless. That is why we have youth sports. That is why we want them involved in these things.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think competition is wrong. I just don't think that competition should replace the innocent fun of the whole thing.

*repost from my myspace blog, dated January 14, 2006

The Best Schools in the Country

One of the interesting aspects of living in St. Louis is the incredible passion the different areas have for their particular high school. Frankly, it really caught me off guard. Each school and its surrounding area are highly convinced that theirs is the best school - not just in the area, but in the entire country. Not a big deal to me really, I find it all highly amusing.

Especially given the report that just came out from Newsweek.

Not a single school from Missouri made the top 100. That rules out the schools in south St. Louis County...which is in Missouri. The highest ranked school in the area is #139, and the local high school, Lindbergh, is #759.

However, my alma mater is #25. In fact, 5 of the schools from that school system (Montgomery County, MD) are in the top 100. Richard Montgomery happens to be the highest ranked school. I'd like to take credit for that accomplishment personally.

On the bright side, my wife's alma mater is #573. I still win.

An Update - No Longer in Alaska

For a wide variety of reasons, it has been nearly a year since I last posted. The most significant reason was that I have moved from Alaska to St. Louis, Missouri. A change of call, a new church, back in the lower 48. It's been an interesting year of transition and change, and bits of pieces of that process will come out over time.

Additionally, we had an addition to our family last November - a daughter. She is a joy and a delight, and to watch her and her brother interact and begin to build a relationship is amazing.

So, my family and I now find ourselves in the Midwest. A part of the country we never thought we would end up. It is different from Alaska, Virginia or Florida...and yet also similar.

The church context we find ourselves in is a church that has a 50-year history. Over 65% of the congregation is over the age of 65, and the church has recognized that it needs to begin reaching out to the coming generations in order to continue to exist. It's a pretty neat opportunity, and a challenging one. Much of what is to come will chronicle this ministry.