OK not really. I mean how can I sit here and rail against technology as I blog on my computer. I take calls on an iphone. I listen to music on my zune or my portable xm radio.
Not to mention watching Heroes, 24, and college football on my plasma TV.

But, I do think that in the near future, say the next 20 years, there is going to be an explosion of socially mal-adjusted individuals around. I think there is going to be major problems with depression and a score of other issues to deal with because of the explosion of technology and people not using it in a correct manner.
I will not talk about the perversion and disgustingness of pornography and other filth on the internet…thats too easy a target, but is also going to a huge problem. Our kids are being exposed to pornographic images at such an early age it is no doubt going to have an effect on their development and growth.

But I am talking about the use of technology for communication. Texting, twittering, facebooking, etc. These are all valuable tools that should be used as ENHANCEMENTS to communication, but are rapidly becoming the chief means of communication.
Heck there are even “virtual churches” now. From the comfort of one’s own home you can listen to worship, hear a sermon, and now there are even churches who are offering the Lord’s supper and baptism ONLINE.
Oh sure, how convenient. But also how silly. I mean Paul in his letters to various churches expressed regret of not being able to be at the churches in person and visit with people face-to-face. Paul recognized the importance of the face-to-face as being better then sending a letter or a text. (OK Paul didnt have a cell phone, but you get the point)

There is no alternative to meeting someone face-to-face and being able to hear them, smell them, touch them, to know them. You simply cannot truely KNOW someone by using texts, videos, twitters or whatever.

I know this is a disjointed post, but who cares, I am having trouble gathering my thoughts, probably a result of too much facebooking or something.

Our kids are going to miss out on communication skills, on verbal and non-verbal cues, on a whole slew of things and as they get older the depression and confusion is going to hit. Oh sure we could say that the whole world is moving this direction and we have to keep up…well probably true, but all that means is that the whole world is going to be missing the connection of the heart that comes from communicating, fellowshipping, spending time together IN PERSON. The whole world is going to be hurting.
(as a side note, looking for a career path, psychiatrist, social worker, counselor might be a rewarding path)

I dont really have a solution either. I do know that the church has the only real answer. But the church, to some degree, has already succumbed to using technology. Hopefully the churches offering online baptisms and online Lord’s Suppers are few and far between. Of course I can see how online churches might be popular. Heck who wouldnt think sitting at home and worshipping and getting baptized at home would be cool.
But just because something is popular or cool doesnt mean it should be pursued.

OK, so now text me, twitter me, facebook me, email me or comment on my blog about the evils of technology. (Alanis Morisette would be proud)
(dont bother talking to me in public about it…I dont like talking to people) just kidding.

Havent posted on here in a while, so thought I would just for fun.
Have been working on a bunch of writing, but havent put finishing touches on any of them, so now its just some “uncommon sense.” I was gonna say deep thoughts…but Im not thinking right now and I am not deep.

I was thinking that the verse that people quote to say God is gonna bless them might be used wrongly. Imagine that, Christians using verses wrong. (and yes I include myself in that category).
Anyway. The verse that says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you.” If you are a Christian no doubt you have heard this verse, and also no doubt you have heard this verse as a way of you being blessed. Do God’s will, seek Him and He will bless you with “all these things”.
First lets just admit that in America today, many preachers when they say blessings, they really mean cash. Cash money. All about the benjamins.
The prosperity gospel has taken root in the USA thanks to many of the happy, smiling, cant-say-that-Jesus-is-way-and-the-truth-and-the-light-on-national-television preachers.
Which is funny when you think about it. We live in the USA. The most prosperous nation around. We have so much stuff, its coming out of our ears. Heck, stats show if you have a few dollars in your pocket you are one of the top 20% richest people in the world…and here we sit in America asking God to “bless” us.
WE ARE BLESSED ENOUGH. I wonder sometimes if God isnt up in heaven watching these prosperity preachers and saying…”uh dudes, Ive blessed you, Ive blessed you a bunch…go out and serve others and tell them about my Son.”

Sorry got off track. The verse. If you read that verse in context, the “all these things” are talking about food, drink, and clothing.

Go figure.

Well, enough for now. Just some ranting on a Friday night. Kids are watching TV, wife is asleep early so she can get up at 5am and go running…she’s way more better than me.

Peace peeps

IF IT’S NOT ABOUT JESUS, WHO CARES?

It has to be about Jesus.
It has to be.

If it isn’t, who cares?

Sure we are supposed to love our neighbors. You bet we are supposed to give money to our churches. Absolutely we are to raise hands in praise.

Yes, yes and yes. You better believe that God has given us instructions on how we are to live as His children. But do we ever stop to ask the why? Why are we to do these and other things that God commands?

It is NOT so our church can grow bigger. It is NOT so we can make friends. It is NOT so we can have a voice politically or socially.

It IS for Jesus. Everything we do, everything we are, everything we are about must be about Jesus. Jesus is the reason.

Why give money? Jesus
Why love my neighbors, or worse yet, my enemies? Jesus
Why praise? Jesus

Don’t give money so you can be blessed.
Don’t love others so you can get love back.
Don’t praise so you can have a good feeling deep down inside.

Do everything because of Jesus.

2 Peter 3:17 gives us instructions to stay on guard, so as not be led astray.
“Therefore dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position.”

We need to be on guard…why? So we aren’t lead away.
Away from what?
Jesus

2 Peter 3:18 backs this up.
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”

Don’t get caught up in the latest fad or the teaching that is sweeping the nation. Don’t let people lead you astray and into things that don’t matter.
Get caught up in Jesus.

It is all about Him and it is NOT about you. In fact, if in describing your service or walk with Christ, when you start to include the word “I” in your statements, it might be time to take a look at where your focus is.

“I give so I can…” Stop
“Worship was great because I got…” Stop
“Serving God is great, I get to…” Stop

If your focus is taken off of Jesus and his glory and starts to shine on yourself and what you might get out of your service, you might be placing too much emphasis on yourself and not enough on where it should be…

Jesus.

It should be about Jesus. And if it isn’t…who cares?

“Therefore dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.”
—2 Peter 3:17-18

Living Backwards

Christianity turns the world on its head.

The first shall be last. Blessed are the poor. Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek. And those are just a few of the statements of the Scriptures that go against what the world teaches. I mean, come on!

The first shall be first. The rich are the ones who are blessed. I love those who love me and hate those who hate me. If someone hits me, I’m gonna hit them back. That’s much better, isn’t it? I mean really, we all say those Christian quotes with gusto and passion, but don’t we all have a hard time living them out? It so much easier to say the first shall be last than to actually live it out.

But it is in those backwards statements that Christians start to live the lives that Jesus has in store for them. Only when we start to see others the way Jesus sees us, only when we start to treat others the way God treats us can we truly start to live the lives God has for us.

Basically we have to live backwards.

Take our prayers for example. I want to be a good Christian. I want to do amazing things for God. I want to love others, to reach others, to preach the good news and see people set free. (Hopefully every Christians wants these things)

So how do I go about seeing these things come to pass? I pray, right?

Well in a normal world, sure. I pray…God answers and I start to bear fruit in His Kingdom. Right?

Nope.

Since we know that Christianity turns the world upside down, let’s see what the Bible says. John 15:16 says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go bear fruit-fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name.”

Did you catch it? It’s backwards. Go do things and then your prayers will be answered. Also notice that it all rests on Jesus too.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you…” Has nothing to do with you. Heck we ever sing songs that are Biblically incorrect.
“I Found Jesus” Catchy song, yes, Scripturally sound, nah.

“…and appointed you to go bear fruit…” God has given us each jobs to do. He appointed us. He designed us to do things. We are to go bear fruit.

What kind of fruit? “…fruit that will last.” Could be me, but fruit that lasts sounds like a good thing.

So, God has created us to go do good things…and then He will “give you whatever you ask for in my name.”

Go out. Do things. Bear fruit. Pray and God will give what you ask. It goes against how we think it would be, doesn’t it?

Pray. God will give you what you ask. Go out. Do things. Bear fruit. Yes, that’s much better and it makes for sense.

Since when does God make sense? (At least in the worldly sense)

It doesn’t make sense that the first shall be last. It doesn’t make sense that poor people are blessed. It doesn’t make sense that I should go do things first and then my prayers are to be answered, but there it is…in the Bible.

Which leaves us another, important question. How are we to “bear fruit.” What does that look like? I mean, we all want are prayers answered, so how are we to go about and bear fruit, the fruit that will last?

It’s a long trip from John 15:16. Look at John 15:17.

“Love each other.”

(And hey, there it is again…that backwards Bible thing. Love each other. Doesn’t the world teach us to love ourselves?)

His love, His grace, His mercy, His blessings for me is not based on who I am or what I do but on who He is and what He does.

But I guess that’s after I repent of my sins and start trusting Him.

And by Him I mean Jesus.

God’s joy in me is not based on what I do (or don’t do) but is predicated on the cross of Christ.

BEST MARKETING

     We have all seen or heard them, the clever marketing tools of today’s church. 

The smooth announcer on the radio telling a story with a moral and then declaring that their church is the place to be. 

The television commercial showing hip, young people being cool and praising the Lord to hip music and of course the message is that this church is “the” place to be.

The billboard on the highway advertising the upcoming cool, even “controversial” new sermon series by the young pastor.  The best of course are the ones that mention sex and of course the message is that this church is different and is the place to be.

     These are just a few, and with apologies to anyone who might be involved in church marketing, they make me sick.  (OK sick might be a little harsh but I do not like them).   Does the church really need the guy with the silky smooth voice on the radio telling them about the Sunday service?  Does the church really need the cool angles and quick cuts of a TV commercial to make them seem hip and relevant to today’s culture?  Does the church really need to titillate and cause a stir with a billboard that announces to the world that Christians have sex?  (of course as Christians it should be within the confines of marriage, but that’s a discussion for another time).

      If a church has to market what they are doing, then the church is doing a poor job.

     The best marketing a church has is when its people are living their lives as God intended.  If that happens money won’t need to be wasted on TV time or radio spots and instead can be spent on ministries that reach out and touch people in need.

     Thinking about it deeper, sure a TV ad might add more people to the rolls next Sunday, but the people who show up will not stick around if the church is not living outloud for God.  If a church wants to draw and keep people in their church the church’s focus should not be on drawing and keeping people.  The church will grow when the church devotes itself wholeheartedly to the things of God.

     The Bible says that when God is lifted up that He will draw men to Him.  Sure it’s a paraphrase but it is God who does the drawing.  In Acts chapter 2 the disciples devoted themselves to God.  They prayed, studied the Word, hung out together and ate together and the Bible says that because they did that their numbers increased….they were blessed, not because of some clever marketing scheme or semi-controversial-look-at-me-I-am-hip sermon series, but because they were concerned about the things of God.

     If you notice nowhere does it say anything about cool commercials, billboards, radio ads, etc as being the reasons that people came to church?  Men are drawn to God, are drawn to church when God is the number one concern of the church.  God tells us to love Him…and to love others as we love ourselves.  He doesn’t mention commercials.  When we love God, truly love Him and try our best to do what He says, if we love the widows and orphans, if we visit the prisoners, if we take care of each, if we think of others before we think about ourselves, if we lift up God’s name, then people will (super)naturally be drawn to us.

I am not a huge fan of politics.  So this is simply a short message about the upcoming Inaguration of President Obama.