Everything is Spiritual.

I know.
I know.
This is so 2006.
But I finally just watched Everything is Spiritual by Rob Bell last week.
It is incredible.

He takes complex issues and makes them simple.



Have you seen it?
What did you think of it?

Inside the Orange. Francis Chan

Francis Chan spoke in the general session this am.



Christians have a blackjack relationship with God.
Its just about the relationship with them and the dealer.
But it should really be about the relationship with the dealer, and those around the table.

The greatest miracle is Christians loving one another.
If that would happen, people all over the world would see God.

the orange conference

Inside the Orange. Day One

Today we traveled to the Orange Conference in Duluth, Georgia.






Found a snoop look-a-like


Heard an incredible message from Reggie Joiner


He dissected the prodigal son story.
And talked about the two different approaches to the prodigal.

Loving fathers are preoccupied with whoever is missing.
Older brothers are preoccupied with themselves
.
Loving fathers operate from a context of forgiveness.
Older brothers operate from a context of shame.

Loving fathers throw parties.
Older brothers throw fits.

Loving fathers confront older brother thinking
Older brothers criticize loving father thinking

Loving fathers keep the lights on for as long as it takes.
Older brothers close the door and turn off the lights.

Does God Exist?

Last week I went to the debate between Richard Foley (MU Philosopher) vs Grant Sterling (EIU Philospher). They debated the cosmological argument of whether God exists.



The debate from my point of view.
Packed parking lots.
Packed auditorium.
PC problems.
Big words I couldn't understand.
Grant Sterling took 20 minutes to say "god exist because there is a reason for god to exist"
Richard Foley took 20 minutes to say "there is no god until proved otherwise"
Christians in the audience trying to convince self proclaimed atheist Richard Foley that god exists.
Foley responding by saying "the only thing that would make me change my mind is valid miracles, but that probably couldn't even do it."
More statements by Christians trying to convince Foley.
Walked with a hurting brain.

Movies with a Cause pt. 1

Tonight at First Assembly we had our monthly Very Intentional Parenting workshop.
Tonight's theme was "Spiritual Conversations with your Kids".
I tackled the teenage years.
A couple great ways to have spiritual conversations with teenagers is thru situations and culture.

Here are 5 movies with a cause that can be used for spiritual discussion with teenagers.

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
official site


Amazing Grace
official site


Hotel Rwanda
official site


Jesus Camp
official site


Invisible Children
official site


Have you seen these?
What do you think?
What are some other movies that are good for this?

{rss subscribers. there are five embedded videos}

My Lead Pastor is Retiring

Twittered from one of our youth staff during the am service. aaron.

Listen to Pastor's Special Retirement Announcement

Creative Idea: Balloon Launch

We started a new series based on the first chapter of the book of James.

You in Real Life.
Real Pain.
Real Smarts.
Real Temptation.
Real Speech.


{embed video}

Last night we started with part one. Real Pain.
Here is what the message sounded & looked like.

I told a personal story of real pain.

Showed this clip on pain/suffering from Dan in Real Life.



Read
James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Luke performed a poem by Bradley Hathaway called "On Being Joyful And Content".
He tore it up, by the way.

I talked about that when we are suffering or experiencing real pain, we have a choice to believe and trust in God, and when we do, we become mature.

We showed this incredible video 99 Balloons

{embed video}

Then we had small cards on the stage, and challenged those students who are dealing with pain and suffering, to write it on the card.

And then to take a balloon and attached a card to it with the string.


Then we went outside where we prayed and ask got to help us with our pain and suffering, and as a symbol of releasing that to God, we released the balloons with the card attached.

I've got my copy of Pop Goes The Church

Where's yours?

Pop Goes The Church on Amazon
Leading Smart - Tim's blog
Pop Goes The Church - website
My review

Steve-O on God.

Steve-O blogged on myspace yesterday about his life of drug and alcohol abuse in a post titled You Should All Know I Am In Rehab.
Who's Steve-O? Wikipedia calls him a daredevil performer, television personality and hip-hop artist.

Steve-O blogs...

SPIRITUAL ISSUES

1) I believe that I was chosen by my Higher
Power/Guardian Angels, and led to the spiritual path
which I am currently on. I try not to ask of God,
rather, to work for what it is I want, and communicate
with God only in "Thank You’s." For my Higher Power I
am more grateful than I could possibly express.

2) I used to consider myself agnostic, as recently as
September of 2006. I now consider myself, well,
"spiritual," actually, let me say, "Thankful..."

A GOODBYE LETTER TO MY DRUGS OF CHOICE

At this point,
All you f#$%@#!@ things are good for is dying. I’m not
ready to die. I’m ready to live. I’m ready to breathe
(properly, even). I’m ready to fall in love. I’m ready
to become ready to start a family. I’m ready to be
happy, fulfilled and meaningful. Maybe I’ll see you
f!#@$&@ if and/or when I’m ready to die.

Interesting.
Everyone is searching aren't they?
Keep on seeking, and you will find. - Jesus

My highlighter marks in Jesus for President

Yesterday I got and read 54 pages, while i was armed with a yellow highlighter.
The artwork is incredible. I really think this is the most beautiful book I've read.
The pages are decorated. colored. illustrated.


Here is what I've highlighted so far.

Introduction - A Book to Provoke the Christian Political Imagination

• The church has fallen in love with the state
• The church often finds "guiding the course of history" a more alluring goal than following the crucified Christ.
• We're hardly able to distinguish between what's American and what's Christian
• Rather than placing our hope in a transnational church that embodies God's kingdom, we assume America is God's hope for the world, even when it doesn't look like Christ.

Section one - Before There Were Kings and Presidents

• (In regards to tower building Babel) During the project, God noted that "nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them" (Gen. 11:6). You can almost hear the echos of Hiroshima and Nagasaki here.
• God seems to have a knack for hearing the cry of oppressed people.
• Vengeance is not for you. God scolded the people over and over for taking things into their own hands.
• Despite the fact that the Bible insists "God does not dwell in temples built by hands," we, in our hunger for power, credibility, and glamour, insist that God should.
• Mother Teresa would sneak out of fancy banquets where she was speaking to eat with beggars.
• What would the world look like if all the child soldiers were playing with supersoakers instead of US-made AK-47s?

Jesus for President

Family Centered Ministry by Reggie Joiner

Four ways youth ministries are

1. Our job is to stop kids from going to Hell
2. Stop them from raising Hell
3. We want to scare the Hell out of them
4. (he either didn't say it, or i missed it)
   

5 words youth pastors think about during the week

1. Student
2. Content
   
3. Production
4. Age group focus
5. Growth

Across the country, churches are losing influence.

3 major dials needed to be in a life

1. Relationship with God
2. Relationship with others
3. Relationship with yourself

Shift from production to relationship.
As much money we spend, we still will not be able to out produce culture.
Culture can not out do you in your relational content.
The greatest gift you can give a student is relationship.
The greatest gift you can give a parent, is to give them same thing that their parent is saying.

Family ministry focus
We can't compete with the family, we need to compliment with the family.
2 combined influences make a greater impact, then just 2 influences.
Nehemiah 4:13
One day someone else will be doing my job, but nobody can be the kind of father to your sons and daughter that you can be.

Reggie Joiner in 60 seconds

Perceptions of Christianity by Gabe Lyons

• Gabe Lyons author of Unchristian

3 Questions we asked.

1. How do non-christians 16-29 view Christians?
2. How did we get here?
3. How can we change this perception

Perceptions of Christianity

• What's the first thing they think of when they hear the word Christian.
• Anti-homosexual - Christians show contempt for gays and lesbians
• Judgmental - Christians are prideful and quick to find faults in others
• Hypocritical - Christians say one thing but live something entirely different
• Get Saved! - Christians are insincere and concerned only with converting others
• Sheltered - Christians are boring, unintelligent, old-fashioned, and out of touch with reality
• Too Political - Christians are primarily motivated by a political agenda and promote right wing politics

Changing the perceptions
1. Respond to anti-homosexual by being compassionate
Christians show compassion and love to all people regardless of their lifestyle
That homosexual isnt the only sexual sin taking place in the church.
They are made in God's image.
2. Respond to judgemental by showing grace
Christians show grace by finding the good in others and seeing their potential to be Christ-followers
3. Respond to hypocrisy by being authentic
Christian are transparent about their flaws and act first, talk second
4. Respond to proselytizing by being...Relational
Christians cultivate relationship and environments where others can be deeply transformed by God.
5. Respond by sheltered by being informed.
Christians are engaged, informed and offer sophisticated responses to the issues people face.

Gabe Lyons General Session in 60 seconds

Leadership lunch w/ Scott Hodge

On our way to Target Leadership Conference today, we talked and had lunch with Scott Hodge (Lead Pastor at Orchard Valley Community Church in Aurora) and his creative arts director Mike Jones at Chilis.

What I learned from Scott.

• Hearing God everyday is important.
• Set high standards for volunteer leaders.
• Whenever change happens, some people will leave.
• Don't take people leaving as personal.
• Ron Kenoly isn't his cup of tea.
• Meet the needs of your community
• First Assembly is in a great spot for continued momentum & growth

Thanks scott for taking the time.

Bloggers Lunch @ Target Leadership Conference

Travis and I head to Rockford tomorrow for Target Leadership Conference. We are making a stop on our trip, for lunch with Scott Hodges. Scott is the pastor of an innovative church, The Orchard, in Aurora. I'm excited about talking church leadership with him.

Target is an emerging leadership experience where over 300 youth pastors and leaders gather from around the Great Lakes Region to spend three days experiencing what it means to be an effective youth minister.

There will be 6 general sessions with the following speakers.
Reggie Joiner - The reThink Group
Gabe Lyons - author of Unchurched
Bo Boshers - Willow Creek
Dan Hunter - Seven Ministries
Dave Mudd - FAZE Youth Church

I'm going to be blogging & twittering (my twitter) during all of the sessions, and will be sending utterz after each session. In a little piece that I am going to call, "In 60 seconds." So, if you aren't going to Target, I will give you the jist of the session "in 60 seconds."

Attn Bloggers.
Let's get together.
Let's share ideas and thoughts.
All blogger experience is welcome.
Friday @ Lunch, approx. 12:30pm @ Don Pablos in Rockford.

I'll be on chat during all the sessions.
mufan96 - yahoo, aim
ecourtney@hotmail dot com - msn
evan.courtney@gmail dot com - gtalk

Soul Searching: A Movie about Teenagers and God

A documentary was put together from the research of Christian Smith and National Study of Youth Religion.


It's only available on amazon for $20. ouch.

center for parent/youth understanding
national study of youth religion
relevation studios

Free hugs squeezes into local newspaper

Look who made front page!
Read the article here.
YouTube a valuable tool for local youth pastor, coach - Journal Gazette Article

Can you love your enemies?

Wow. The Plow posted some incredible artwork on loving others. These are incredible and very thought provoking.
Did Jesus really say love your enemies, and mean these type of people?

Mark Driscoll in Peoria

Today i went to related leaders 1 day conference at riverside community church in peoria to hear Mark Driscoll speak on preaching to today's culture. Here are my notes from 2 out of 3 of the workshops. I didn't understand half the words he said, and neither did google.

Cross Centered Preaching
1. Jesus is our penal substitution on the cross.
2. Jesus is our victor
3. Jesus is our redemption
4. Jesus is our new covenant sacrifice
5. Jesus is our justification
6. Jesus is our propitiation
7. Jesus is our expiation
8. Jesus is our ransom
9. Jesus is our example
10. Jesus is our reconciliation

mark driscoll's blog: the resurgence
mars hill church seattle
mark driscoll's books

I'm Reviewing a New Book

Tim Stevens, the executive pastor at Granger Community Church, has written a new book titled Pop Goes the Church: Should the Church Engage Pop Culture? Tim posted on his blog, asking for 10 leaders willing to read his book, and review it. I applied and I was selected.

I'm super pumped.
I will be posting more about the book as I'm reading it, but I can't quote any parts of it.

Also my name will be mentioned in the book.



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What did you GIVE for Christmas?

Once I got back to Mattoon after Christmas vacation, whenever I saw a student I hadn't seen since Christmas I have been asking them the question, "What did you give for Christmas?"

Immediate responses have been: xbox360, wii, iPod, shoes, clothes, cds, ect. Then I would re-ask the question, "What did you give for Christmas?" Some would process it that time, others I'd have to ask a third time. I loved doing this. It made them process it in their head, that "this life isn't about me." "What did you give for christmas?" wasn't a natural question. It was unfamiliar. It seemed easy for the things that "we got" to roll off of our lips, and sometimes minds would have to search to come up with the answers of "what they gave."

I become what I consume. If I become consumed with giving, I become generous. When I consume it, I become it.

Last year Americans spent $455 billion during the holiday season.
Consumer credit debt is now at $2.4 trillion.
26 million Americans are addicted to shopping.
It takes the average American 6 months to pay off the credit card debt from holiday gifts.
The average American spends 5 hours shopping a week during Christmas.
The average American only spends 1 hour a week on spiritual things.

I spoke on consumerism the sunday after thanksgiving. Lucky me! Listen here.
I posted some artwork for the message a while back. I am consumed.