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Mo Money, Mo Money, Mo Money

 

 

Did you get caught up in the spending hype of Black Friday or Cyber Monday?  Or today’s fairly new Giving Tuesday? Wouldn’t it be great if we could get that excited about worshiping God.  Today we live in a very materialistic society.  The desire for money and what it can buy has a strangle hold on people.  Even Christians spend a great deal of time trying to create or pretend to have heaven on earth.  In search of mo money, mo money, mo money.  In fact, we see Christmas has become a time of the flaunting of affluence, assuming exaggerated expenses, a pursuit of vanity for vanity’s sake — in a word, financial decadence.

 

The last few weeks we witnessed in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana a focus on money almost like never before.  People stood in line for hours to get a Powerball lottery ticket.  No one won, so this week we are seeing a repeat.  The lottery was going to solve their problems.  Everyone speaks of what they would do if they won and the good they were going to do.   The jackpot now stands at $425 million.  The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot: 1 in 175 million.  See we trust what is impossible, yet doubt salvation that which is sure, guaranteed and eternal.  Money can distract anyone

 

Matthew 6:24 tells us that “ No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”  The Bible tells us that mammon can be translated or substituted with the words treasure, money, wealth or materialism.

 

God knows this materialism is so tuff that he made one of the most shocking statements – it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

 

The world’s riches make it difficult to keep God at the center of our lives.  Scripture has shown time and time again monies influence on behavior and attitudes.

 

The tragedy of Lot’s wife was her placing all her affection on an earthly city rather than a heavenly one.  Joshua’s army was crushed when Achan disobeyed God and took the gold, silver and exotic garments;  Achan thought his sin mattered little in the grand scheme of the invasion.  Both lost perspective and fell prey to materialism.

 

We see it in the church today. Pastors, the music ministry — lose their way; get caught up in chasing the o’mighty dollar.  They have become dependant on money to define their ministry, their life or their success.   It has led to excessive behaviors – infidelity, homosexuality, sexual abuse of minors, opulence in homes, cars and in the clothes.  Look at the destruction it has cost their sheep.   Congregations split, people avoiding church due to their view of the members.   Ministers, we have accountability and a responsibility.  Hebrews tells us that all to often the love of abundance and luxury opens people to sexual sin.

 

If we go further into scripture, and look over in 1 Timothy 6:10 it tells us – The love of money is the root of all-evil.  But if we go back up into chapter 5 to see how we got to that statement, we see that people who want to get rich, fall into temptation and a trap and into mans foolish & harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

 

As ministers of the gospel, we must be free from the love of money.  As overseers, the Bible says we are to be above reproach, not a lover of money, not greedy but eager to serve.  See where your treasure is, there your heart will be.  It will drive your values and decisions.  We can’t be compromised.

 

So what am I trying to say – as we move into this Christmas season, don’t get caught up in the presents hype and forget the real reason for the season.  Your young people will be watching you to see how you plan act and respond to the season.  They will look to you to see the expectation you set.  How do we focus less on giving and receiving presents and focus more on understanding the celebration is the birthday of the King.  Young people have become way too caught up in “what are you getting me?” and being mad if they don’t get what they want.  There are those who also flaunt and tease those less fortunate who don’t receive the presents they wanted.  The excess surrounding receiving Christmas presents is contrary to the lessons we should be teaching our students.

 

Now I am not saying having money is bad, you have to take care of your family.   We support the church thorough our tithes.  We help the poor through being good stewards of the resources God provides us.  What I am saying is the danger of a focus on accumulation of wealth, is that it usually dominates one’s mind and life so that God’s kingdom and glory are no longer first.

 

You say –  “having more money would really help . . . I don’t have much and could use so much more.  It would reduce so much stress in my life.”

 

But didn’t God tell us to be content?

He said he would supply all your needs

He said he would never leave you or forsake you.

Have faith and confidence in His Word

Don’t fall into the materialism trap

 

What assignment are you not doing to chase the dollar?  Be still and know that He is God.  Stay grounded.  The truly rich are those who have gained freedom from the things of the world through confidence that God is their father and he will not forsake them.

 

Money fails.  But we know that God can never fail.  Take inventory of your heart and life.  Is there any area in your life that needs forgiveness?  God promises to take care of the righteous.  First, repent of your sins and live a godly life.  Then God will supply all your needs.

 

 

Give me your thoughts; hit me back with your comments

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Thanksgiving in the Hood

This week we pause to celebrate my most favorite holiday.  I love Thanksgiving because it is a holiday focused on thinking about how thankful we are, or should be, for all that we have.  It is less commercialized than any other of the holidays we celebrate.  Personally I am thankful first for my relationship with Jesus Christ.  When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He’s done for me, my soul cries out Hallelujah! I praise God for saving me.  Second, I am thankful God provided me my best friend and wife.  The Bible says when a man finds an wife, he finds a good thing and obtains favor.  She more than competes me, she brings out the rest of me.  I could go on and on but today is not  focused on me but on Thanksgiving in Urban neighborhoods.  I will be brief today so you have time to read everyones holiday post that will come tomorrow and Thursday.  Prepare for your thanksgiving sermons and  spend time with your loved ones.

 

In the hood, families gather at big mama’s house for Thanksgiving dinner.  Food, fellowship, family, friends and football.  Family members come from all over the city.  Some who have moved away, come home to join the celebration.  Students that have gone off to college come home, trying to show how much they have matured.  In some families, brothers and sisters have grown up and have families of their own.  Big mama may not be present anymore, and the kids rotate hosting the family dinner.   The one common thing in most urban families are that anyone is welcome to stop by to “visit”.  It’s amazing how open we become to sharing a meal with others during the holiday season.

 

But there are young people (and our volunteers) who don’t have the opportunity to experience these family get togethers.  for various reasons, the family dynamics don’t exist or have been broken.  Are you checking on your young people and co-labors to see what their plans are for the holiday?  How about inviting them into your homes.  Give them a peek into your world.  It’s easy to have them come to youth group and meet you on neutral turf.  But this year, let’s step out and take relationship building to a new level.  Extend yourself to help someone else feel wanted, cared for, loved and included.

 

And to those who go into the hood to serve food or deliver care packages. . .

While this is a good thing, I challenge you to invite a young person from the neighborhood to share Thanksgiving dinner with your family in your home.  Pick them up and take them back to your home.  While you love to “go and do to people”, how about this year “doing with people”.   A real test of our faith is are we humble enough to really be in relationship with those outside our homogeneous circles.

 

There’s great focus on Urban ministry these days.  Friends, now you have a perfect opportunity to really do urban ministry.  It’s not a program, it’s not a mission trip to serve dinners, it’s doing as God instructed us in Luke & Deuteronomy – to love the Lord . . . and your neighbor.  And who is our neighbor is our neighbor?  Anyone in need.

 

Great things happen when God’s people share a meal together.  In Acts 2, we see the church in its infancy. Here we find the early disciples of Jesus being both physically and spiritually nourished.  While they spent plenty of time eating the bread of life, they made sure to be caring and hospitable to one another, by opening their homes for a shared meal.  To describe the real intimacy that comes from eating with your brothers and sisters in Christ, let us take note of what happens when one is found to be unfaithful to the will of God. The Bible teaches that those who are true and loyal followers of the Lord are not to have fellowship with those who violate the commands of God and will not repent (I Cor. 5; II Thess. 3:6-15).  The common meal was a mark of fellowship.  As Christians shared in the one faith and had the common hope of heaven, they would also, as the family of God, gather together for the purpose of sharing a meal.

 

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours

 

I’d love to hear your stories of how you will be spending your holiday and involving your neighbor.  Hit me back

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What is so urban about a city that makes it different from the Suburbs? – At their root are the same sin issue man has dealt with since the fall.

 

GUEST WRITER: Rob Townsend

 

I promised you I would be bringing perspectives from all across the country.  I am honored to provide you the prospective of a Youth Pastor, friend and co-labor in the vineyard.  Rob is the Pastor of Student and Family Ministries at Calvary Bible Church (CBC) in Rutland, Vermont.  Today Rob provides us a view from the suburbs looking in.

 

 

 

As a small city minister from central Vermont I am often asked why I spend so much time studying urban issues. I can totally understand this question because I must admit that I do spend an inordinate amount of time reading urban ministry books, blogs, and studies. This is a practice that started for me while at Moody Graduate School in Chicago and it is a direct result of my time studying theology, practice, and principles of urban ministry with my friend and mentor Dr. John Fuder.

 

Doc helped me to rethink my views on ministry. He challenged me through books by great men such as Dr. John Perkins and Dr. Roger Greenway, along with others to seriously consider the implications of applying urban ministry practices in smaller cities, and even rural areas.  In essence, Doc changed my worldview significantly which has enabled our student ministry to remain effective in our ever more “urbanized” small rural city.

 

What is so urban about a city with a population of 17,000 in a state of 600,000? That is a fair question and I one that had to ask myself when this journey began 8 years ago. The answer is simple: we have a sin problem out here too. Yes I think that the issue that binds the big city, small city, rural towns, and suburbia together is, at its root the same sin issue man has dealt with since the fall.

 

To be certain, the manifestations of this issue have some distinctions from place to place, but we must realize that at the core, they are all identical. Recognizing this reality, I became determined to help our students see the reality of this fact. This desire was the catalyst for building a cross-cultural student training program in our student ministry that has led to strong partnerships with ministries in the south side of Chicago as well as other urban centers. The goal is simply to help our students see that the city has many of the same issues they have and to help those in city see they are not struggling alone. Along the way I have been blessed to see that the other commonality between these groups is the ability to overcome obstacles to experience the victory available in Christ!

 

As I began to study the trends in Rutland, Vermont along with my studies of the urban culture in Chicago, I noted three key areas of struggle that exist across socio-economic, racial, and geographic lines.

 

  1. In every setting students desire to be accepted. Across the board from city kids to farm kids, this need to fit in pervades the human condition. We are wired for fellowship, and when this need isn’t met through Christ and Christ centered relationships it leads to destructive attempts to fill those holes. The result of these empty attempts to find fellowship is the formation of gangs, the troubling increase in bullying, and substance abuse issues. In my little city alone we are seeing gangs forming (Gangster Disciples, and Los Solidos to name two), the poor being taken advantage of by slumlords, and as our ethnic diversity changes we are seeing a marked increase in violence and drug related crime. I once asked a young man in south Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood why he joined a gang and his answer was immediate and succinct: “How else am I going to be accepted around here? And man, being accepted means being alive.”  We have to rethink our approach to reach all the young people in every location who see being accepted at all costs as the only means of survival.

 

  1. In every setting students need to find their identity. One of the greatest tragedies of the Fall is our loss of true identity. Our students struggle to see themselves as valuable creations of the King. Whether this is a product of fatherless homes, unbearable economic circumstances, or some other sin issue the end result is the same. We have seen an increase in teen suicides, more teen on teen violence, an epidemic of sexual dysfunction manifest in pre-marital sexual escapades, sexual identity issues, and a porn addiction of epidemic proportions. I was recently counseling with a student who was compromising in the area of relationships who stated, “If he makes me feel complete how can what we are doing possibly be wrong.” Young people need to be re-focused on the beauty of their identity in Christ by being introduced to his truth and then challenged to live without compromise.

 

  1. In every setting students are barraged by media. No one will argue that our culture is more media driven or influenced than ever before. In fact I would argue that many urban influences are finding greater traction in rural areas because of the increased exposure of all students to media.  Students are being hand fed their morals from stars like Jay-z, Ric Ross, Snooki, and other less than admirable figures. As they bury themselves in social media and online gaming, they are creating alternate realities where anything goes. Even though they are “more connected” then ever before they are becoming completely disconnected from any sense of right and wrong. They are watching depravity play out in their music, TV, and other venues of entertainment. We need to attempt to counterbalance this moral slide by making positive investments in students while offering positive alternatives to the moral filth available. Students need alternatives but most importantly they need to have their own moral compass tweaked to line up with the Creator of the universe. In short, we need to model and proclaim Christ within our context to show them the reality of His love, justice, and grace!

 

Each of these issues brings to light the hopelessness of our world when Christ isn’t in the center. We must begin to rethink our approaches to these issues so that He can transform lives.

 

To my Urban friends, I start by saying that on behalf of white rural America, I am deeply sorry that we have judged you, tried to “fix you”, and shoved our brand of churchy Christianity down your throats. I pray that you can forgive us as we seek true partnership centered on the Lord we all serve!

 

To my fellow suburban/rural counterparts, we must seek to learn from our brothers and sisters in the city. They are innovators, “over comers”, and people who have learned to shine Christ in some difficult situations. What they have done we need to do! Sin is universal and the urban issues are also rural/Suburban issues.

 

The Church needs to stop being the church in the city and a separate church in the country. We must take Paul’s words in Ephesians 4:2-4 to heart:  “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—” When we focus on Christ as the great equalizer, we see young people from the city, suburbs, and countryside overcoming the sin that so easily pulls them down. When we the church invests in students they begin to have hope. In my years investing in Chicago and Rutland I have seen many break free of their circumstances and start to shine.  We must recognize that there are many success stories, whether it be the young lady in Rutland who became a leader in a church after her father was sent to jail, or the young man in Englewood who in his junior year of High school serves as a role model for the young children or “shorties” in his neighborhood by excelling in school while making positive lifestyle choices or countless others.

 

The longer I remain in ministry the more I believe that every student can be a success story if we simply invest in him or her with the heart of Christ. It is my absolute contention that regardless of where a student lives we must focus on four simple philosophies of ministry. As long as their implementation is properly contextualized, these are practices that I have seen work wherever they are tried from the south side of Chicago to the small towns in Vermont.

 

  1. We need to introduce them to Christ. We must use scripture as the basis of our efforts to reach the lost and to help grow the redeemed!
  2. We need to give them a cause to serve. When young people are serving in a church or for the betterment of their community it becomes increasingly possible to help them see their worth and avoid some of the pitfalls mentioned above. In the Christian context that we so passionately hope they will seek to live within we need them to be active in their churches.
  3. As they grow beyond their circumstances, hopefully as a result of Christ at work with them, we need to encourage them to share their victory stories with their peers. One thing I know to be true is that students will listen to students.
  4. We need to encourage them to expect more of themselves! Let’s stop allowing them to expect so little from themselves (Romans 12:1-2). Challenge them to defy the odds. Challenge them to set lofty goals as they set high expectations for themselves and their peers. Allow them the freedom to fail while attempting the seemingly impossible plans they dream up for His glory. Encourage them to stop settling for compromise in their academic lives, their home lives, and their spiritual lives. Hold them accountable to His standards of excellence and watch them grow deeper and more committed to Christ than those around them.

 

I envision a day when student ministers across our nation link arms and commit to serving each other. Our students and our ministry have built lasting partnerships and friendships in the city because we have come to the table seeking true partnership. We have come alongside our brothers and sisters without an agenda.  Our only goal is to serve alongside them as ministry equals. This investment has allowed us to learn the valuable lesson that the city and the country are at war with the same “demons’ and sin nature. I want to ask each of you to join us in battle for the souls of our young people wherever they live. Let’s learn together by admitting that we both have something to teach and that we are united in battle for one cause!

 

I invitation you to check out my blog or the Christian Endeavor open source page.  My Blog is http://itbelongstothem.wordpress.com/ and the Christian Endeavor page is http://endeavormovement.com/.

 

 

How are you working with ministries different from yours to bring the Gospel to young people?  If you aren’t, what are your challenges with connecting?  Join the conversation and let’s discuss in hopes of reaching unity in the Spirit.  We look forward to your comments.

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Are Urban Leaders Effectively Plugging In?

GUEST POST: JP Paulus, Do-Gooder Consulting

 

 

In last week’s blog entry, David shared several great points.  One of these struck me in particular:

2. There are a significant number of urban leaders doing great things to engage and equip young people, but are not trying to hype it.

I have a view on this myself. I am a guy who grew up in the suburbs, but immigrated to the city, first in the Chicago North Side neighborhood of Uptown, and now in Chatham on the South Side.  I write that to say that I come from a culture that tells you that you are supposed to know everything and be self-sufficient, but it is also a culture that didn’t value deep interpersonal relationships, and certainly not ones that exposed weaknesses.

In my younger years, Uptown Baptist Church youth pastor Mark Colligan did a great job of helping in his volunteers (at one point, there were at least 8 of us!) connect with his ministry friends., introducing us to events like the KingdomWorks/CompassionWorks , and other city youth pastors such as Danny Lopez and Steve Laughlin.

What we saw as volunteers was Mark having REALATIONSHIPS – not simply doing a big event with little results. We saw lifelong relationships. (We DID do big events – but they were meaningful, and some lasted for years!)

And for me, it really ignited a passion of resourcing and connecting. And there’s a lot I could write, but I will try to keep it to a few brief thoughts (for now):

  • It can be very frustrating, at least in Chicago, to connect with people. Some have a particular agenda (such as political, or hyping their own ministry). Some are just super busy, and haven’t delegated networking to someone else.
  • Respect in the world I see here comes from consistency, and letting people see your heart over a long period of time. It’s not about how impressive or prefect things are (or appear to be) – but how real you are. Basically the same concept as effective youth ministry, only YOU are the one who will be ministered to.
  • Don’t let big events be the center of your connecting. I mean, projects are EASY to get excited about, and put a lot of energy into,  but you might not bear much long term fruit past a spiritual high.
  • People, especially in youth ministry, go through some hard seasons. Sometimes it’s God telling them to move on, but sometimes it might be that they simply need stop pouring OUT, and let someone pour INTO them (in conjunction with the Holy Spirit). But assume that person is you. (Especially those of us form the suburbs – we might “accidentally” go into Messiah complex)

Once you have plugged in with some people, your eyes will be opened to the community out there. So for example, the Reload one-day conference for urban youth workers, held at North Park University, can feel like a family reunion for those who have been a part of many such events.

And again, forgive my networking bias, but there are also secular events where we can also connect. And in the course of who we are, God will still bring out fellow believers to share a deeper connection.

My view is certainly limited, especially in a city with literally thousands of churches, and with that, millions of relationships and billions of stories. I would love to hear how you have experienced networking and connecting with the larger Christian community here in the city of Chicago or elsewhere.

I also invite you to check out a few of these resources as well. Between all of these, you can learn how to connect with fellow youth workers and get the tools you need to fulfill your calling.

North Park University –  http://northpark.edu/Centers/Center-for-Youth-Ministry-Studies/Reload-Urban-Youth-Worker-Conference/About-Reload = Reload conference information.

Urban Youth Network – https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/157392998144/?fref=ts = An interactive fellowship of pastors and volunteers with a heart for youth and a need for fellowship and support. Currently, their Facebook page is the best way to communicate.

Illinois College Access Network  – www.illinoiscan.org = A secular network of people and organizations who want to help youth (and adults) go to college.

Do-Gooder Consulting Blog – http://blog.do-gooder.us = The blog for my firm, Do-Gooder Consulting.

 

 

Is networking important to the success of urban ministry?  Join the conversation and tell us how you plug in. . .