Fruitful and Multiplying – "In the Bible, one of the first things God says to humankind is to be fruitful and multiply. That command predates the Ten Commandments and just about every other commandment in the Bible. God wants us to have kids. But just how fruitful do we need to be? … I’ve been to thousands of church services and lots of Christian men’s events. I can’t ever recall the topic of vasectomies coming up."
The Medium is Contradicting The Message – "I want to attend a conference one day about being small, authentic, and missional at a church that is small, authentic, and missional. I want to read a book about overcoming the success syndrome written by a pastor who, in the eyes of the world, looks like a failure. I want to hear from the pastor whose story didn’t have a happy ending, and yet who still clings to the fact that Jesus is enough." The choices of locations, books and speakers are often subtracting from the message.
The Apostle Paul's Cool Factor – We often look at the Acts 17 speech and think of Paul warming up the crowd like a late night talk show host's opening monologue. "You see, in Paul’s world, the hottest commodity was honor or reputation. It wasn’t dying with the most toys that mattered—it was dying with the highest number of honors recognized by the most number of people, popularity through status and virtue." On that score, Paul definitely bucked the trend.
Worship Leading for the Benefit of the Congregation – I know music-related articles are ubiquitous, but in many congregations, the worship time is more than half of the total service. This article by Carlos Whittaker was refreshing. "If you have a tendency to want to make out on the first date, keep it to your love life, not your song selection. Oceans is a great example. Our church introduced the bridge to that song mixed in with other choruses. We took it slowly. I know some friends that, although eventually catching on, that song was almost lost because they did it TOO MUCH TOO FAST …" Four overlooked steps in choosing songs.
When the Script Differs from the Scriptures – Not sure what it says about the forthcoming movie Exodus: God and Kings if the actor playing Moses finds him to be "likely schizophrenic and was one of the most barbaric individuals that I ever read about in my life." Matt Perman writes, "That is quite something to say about one of the greatest figures in at least two major world religions…" A quick look at the movie's namesake sets the record straight.
The Gift of Discouragement – These days every kid gets a trophy. We still joke in our house about our oldest's announcement that his team 'won the soccer tournament.' They did not. Not by a long-shot. But sometimes raw honesty can be a gift to your child. "[M]y mom told me I stunk as a pitcher. After that, I quit pitching. In today’s parenting culture, my mother would be raked over the coals for not being encouraging enough or supporting me or helping me dream big." But discouragement is not disheartening.
When It's Time to Leave Your Church – Every story plays out differently, and local and denominational policies may mean having to work within a fixed process. Much seems to depend on the attitude with which the task is approached. "It was both a matter of integrity and practicality to immediately inform a handful of the most obvious leaders of our church of my plans to transition out. Soon after, I invited them to my home and asked them to guide my decisions by becoming my personal 'transition team.' From that first monthly meeting, every decision would be a “we” decision, which paid off later for the church."
Thanksgiving is More Religious Than Christmas – Last week I spoke with a woman whose family—and extended family—exchanges gifts the first week in December, in order that the focus on Christmas Day itself will be all about Christ. I thought of her when I read this article, though as the new car advertisement says, 'Your mileage may vary;' we each experience the holidays differently in our family, economic and cultural contexts. See if you agree with 7 Reasons Thanksgiving is Way Better Than Christmas.
Today's Bonus Item – The next billion people to join the internet won't be doing so on a Mac, PC or tablet. "Any mission agency, any national church, any ministry, especially in the Majority World, which does not have mobile at the top of its agenda, is failing to understand God’s plan for effective communication." Hyperbole perhaps, but worth considering.
Paul Wilkinson edits the daily devotional Christianity 201.
