Firewheel Church

CPR: Reap

Posted on February 13, 2013 // Leave a Comment

We ended our CPR series this week with the idea of reaping. Reaping is the natural result of successfully cultivating the right soil and planting the right seeds.

I’ve been encouraged at how some of the students in our ministry have been focusing on these three words over the past few weeks. Some have gained some ground in their relationships and are beginning to see spiritual life in their relationships. Praise God!

The idea of reaping is simply calling for one to respond to the gospel. Our central passage for this series has been John 4 (The Woman at the Well). In this interaction, we see Jesus go full circle in the CPR approach.

C-Cultivating a relationship

P- Planting seeds of truth

R- Reaping/Calling for a response

John 4

⁴Now he had to go through Samaria. ⁵So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. ⁶Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

⁷When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” ⁸(His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

⁹The 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.^[a])

¹⁰Jesus 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.”

¹¹“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? ¹²Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

¹³Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

¹⁵The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

¹⁶He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

¹⁷“I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. ¹⁸The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

¹⁹“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. ²⁰Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

²¹“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. ²²You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. ²³Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

²⁵The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

²⁶Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

At the end of this conversation Jesus explains that he is the Messiah, and as a result, puts the ball in her court. He’s asking for her to respond to who HE IS!

That’s the point. You and I must introduce others to who Jesus is and call people to respond! And to be honest, this is where many drop the ball. They create intentional relationships with those far from God, they faithfully plant seeds of truth, but they NEVER call for a gospel response!

We must follow Jesus’ example- CULTIVATE, PLANT, REAP—-repeat—-CULTIVATE, PLANT, REAP—-repeat—-CULTIVATE, PLANT, REAP……

Lives depend on it.

Filed Under: discipleship, Firewheel Church, student ministry, Uncategorized //

CPR: Planting seeds of truth

Posted on February 5, 2013 // Leave a Comment

Last week we talked about the importance of spiritual CPR (cultivate, plant, reap) in regards to those who do not have a relationship with Christ (read Cultivate Post HERE).

This week we move to PLANTING- planting seeds of truth into our relationships. The fact is, you will not see anything grow out of the ground without first planting a seed. I’m not a farmer, but I know at least this much: seeds must be planted in order for new life to begin.

In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul says, ” I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”

You and I have a responsibility to plant and to water! Later, in verse 9, Paul says we are God’s fellow workers in this task. How cool is that? God invites us to participate in producing new life!

This past Sunday, our student ministry planted seeds in flower pots as part of our lesson. As each person placed a seed in the pot they listed a name of someone they know who does not have a relationship with Christ. At the end, we had a total of 65 names represented! We then discussed ways we can all begin to plant seeds of truth into these relationships.

Unfortunately, planting isn’t enough. Seeds need water. Once we plant seeds of spiritual truth into our relationships they need to be continually cared for and watered. For example, many students said they plan to invite friends to church. Statistics say that it takes 7 invites on average until a person finally says they will visit a church. This is our responsibility.

The next part is God’s. He’s the only one that can bring life. No matter how hard I try, I can never create life. It’s God’s miracle (even Miracle Grow can’t do it).

Filed Under: Firewheel Church, student ministry, Uncategorized //

Disco Jesus

Posted on October 1, 2012 // Leave a Comment

I grew up with this picture of a prim and proper Jesus with flowing blonde hair, blue eyes, and a harpe. It’s probably from the flannel graph illustrations in Sunday School. (If you don’t know what a flannel graph is, it’s probably a good thing.)

I’ve been thinking lately about how diverse Jesus really was. We see Jesus bringing peace and sword. We see him in the temple reading Scripture but we also see him eating with prostitutes and sinners. Yesterday, I taught on the Parable of Prodigal son. Parables are stories which present spiritual truth. I don’t want to share everything I talked about it but I do want to highlight a few things.

First, the story is about two sons and a Father. The younger son wants his share of his Father’s inheritance (a nice way to say he wished his Father were dead) so he can be free to do his own thing. The Father gives his son his share and in return the son goes on a wild rampage and squanders his wealth. It gets so bad that he gets a job at a pig farm and almost eats pig food. So, here’s a guy who lived like a King and has now reached rock bottom. The Bible says that the young son “Came to his senses” and longed to return home.

The next scene is incredible. As the young boy is walking to his home, his Father is already looking for him! At first sight the Father runs to meet him (something that would be shameful during this time period) and places his finest robe on his son, shoes on his feet, embraces him and calls for a banquet! And I’d imagine it was a rockin’ party, Disco ball and all!

Now the older brother gets angry. He’s angered by his Fathers gesture towards his wayward brother. Why should he get a party when he took all your stuff and wasted it!? (A response many of us would have as well). But his Father seems to think differently. All he cares about is that his son has made a step home. That’s it. No conditions. And that step home is worth celebrating.

The Father obviously reflects the heart of God towards us. And we represent both of the sons. We’ve all raised our fists at God and rebelled like the younger brother did. And yet there are some who represent the older brother, the one who has all his Father’s blessings and fails to celebrate out of selfishness and pride.

The point of all this is that God celebrates any step we take towards him! No matter what it is. It could be salvation, reading your Bible, extending forgiveness, helping a friend, etc. He doesn’t care about our past. He cares about where you’re going.

This next week we are hosting a “Step Party” where we are going to celebrate the steps we’ve chosen to take. We are going all out. Balloons, cake, pizza, and all! Not only are we going to celebrate our own steps but we will celebrate the steps of others. Something the older brother failed to do. In the end, we’ll be placing our footprints on paint canvases to hang on the wall as a visual reminder of the spiritual step we’ve chosen to take.

What “step” do you need to take this week? Too many times we want to take a leap, but I’d encourage to take a step. Also, think about the people in your life who may be taking steps toward God. Maybe they are not steps you would take but it’s where they are. Think of how you can celebrate with them!

The bottom line is this: God is looking for a reason to throw a party for you!

Filed Under: discipleship, Firewheel Church, leadership, student ministry, Uncategorized // Tagged: firewheel church, Luke 15, prodigal son, student ministry

Sometimes GO means STAY.

Posted on May 23, 2012 // 4 Comments

This summer is shaping up to be quite eventful. Over the past few months I’ve been making plans for children’s camp, VBS, student camp and a mission trip to Colombia. These events alone had already blocked out 4 weeks of my summer. These don’t include the week to week activities and other “family ministry events” I plan to do over the next two months with our church. Last week I had to make a tough decision. I’ve chosen not to go on a mission trip this summer. This was difficult because we have some exciting things that will happen in Colombia, including a training event for 500 young Colombian students on how to lead I Am Second groups. I have such a heart for missions and I wish I could see some of these things take place first hand. However, I had this thought last week that was comforting and convicting…. “Sometimes GO means STAY.” Jesus said, “GO and make disciples…” This obviously includes foreign missions. But sometimes people are ecstatic to GO across the world, but are much less eager to GO across the street and even less excited to GO and spend quality time discipling their children.

In this season of life I feel like it would be better to put my focus on HOME. This includes my family and the ministry at Firewheel Church. Thankfully I wasn’t leading the trip and there will also be another Firewheel Pastor who will be attending. One thing I know after 9 years of ministry is that there is always more to do than you have time available. One of my ministry hero’s is Andy Stanley from North Point in Atlanta. Andy wrote a book called, Choosing to Cheat a few years ago. The premise of the book is when church and family collide don’t cheat your family! This principle is easier said than done. Sometimes fires must be put out, a grieving family must be comforted, and some things must get done. However, the reality is that ministry can (and will) consume you if you allow it. This isn’t just limited to ministry but can also be translated into any work environment.

The battle for your child’s heart is hard enough. Be sure you are intentional at spending quality time with your children this summer. After all, if you are a parent, your primary mission field is your family anyway. Many see summer as a time to vacate but many times GO means STAY. I’m not saying not to do anything this summer. Maybe your family desperately needs a vacation. Go for it! But no matter what you do I’d encourage you to find the time to BE PRESENT!

Filed Under: family, Firewheel Church, I am Second, leadership, missions, parent ministry, Uncategorized //

Why so many churches are in decline

Posted on April 26, 2012 // 1 Comment

There are many reasons why many churches are on the decline. Reasons include the increasing post-christian culture, churches who have not been able to effectively reach their communities, churches who are too slow to change to adapt to our rapidly changing world, etc. However, I think the number one reason why so many churches are in decline is due to a “man crisis.” We simply don’t have enough men leading in our churches. The statistics reflect this reality. It is usually the women who initiate getting their family to church. It is predominately women who rise to the occasion when asked (60% of church volunteers are women).

We have a serious man crisis. I’ve read many books that are addressing the reality that men are extending their adolescence. No longer can we call a boy a man when he turns 18. He may not be a “man” until his late 20′s or 30′s!! This has many implications for student ministry in churches, including why so many young adults are leaving the church after high school, but that’s another post for another time.

In 1970, 69% of 25 yr old men and 85% of 30 yr old men were married. In the year 2000, 33% of 25 yr old men and 58% of 30 yr old were married.* These numbers are only increasing. Men are not living up to their God given responsibilities to lead. This is true in the workforce, government, communities, families and the especially the church. I think this is one of the major reasons why churches are suffering. We don’t have men leading. Now there are probably many reasons for this: Increasing divorce rates where young boys haven’t seen biblical manhood modeled (I read just this morning that less than 50% of US homes are led by married couples), churches who haven’t invested in younger leaders and giving them significant responsibility, and dads not understanding their role in the home and the church. I recently came across this video by Darren Patrick who addresses this issue specifically in the church. He’s calling for more men, not boys to lead our churches. I think his message needs to be heard:

*Hymowitz, “Child-Man in the Promised Land.”

Patrick, Darrin (2010-08-12). Church Planter (p. 18). Good News Publishers/Crossway Books. Kindle Edition.

Filed Under: discipleship, family, Firewheel Church, leadership, parent ministry, student ministry, Uncategorized // Tagged: adolescence, churches in decline, manhood

What is a “World Christian?”

Posted on March 4, 2012 // Leave a Comment

Today was session 2 of our world religions study at Firewheel Church. Here’s a brief recap:

Lynsi started by talking about some of the most common worldviews:

Atheism- A world without God
Theism- A world plus a Infinite God
Pantheism- A world that is god
Polytheism- A world with many gods
Deism- A world on its own made by God

Every major religion will fall into one of these worldview systems. We spent the rest of our time talking about what it means to be a “world christian.”

A World Christian sees the world differently than they typical Christian. Before we look at what it means to be a World Christian we need to examine what a typical Christian might look like. What are some of the characteristics of a typical Christian? Here are some of the answers from the students.

They go to church.
They pray.
They are good people.
Some are hypocritical
They have assigned seats at church.
They read their bible.

I don’t know about you that list is pretty boring. The truth is that this list, although it may not be exhaustive, paints a picture of many “christians.” At least it’s what the students of Firewheel Church think of when they think of the typical Christian.

I have no desire to be just a typical christian nor do I think this is what Jesus had in mind when he commissioned his church. I believe God wants us to be “World Christians.” Here’s what it means to be a world christian.

A world christian understands 3 things.

1. He understands God’s Word-

He understands that the Bible is a story of redeeming the nations. This is the overarching theme of the Bible. The Great Commission is his heartbeat (Matt. 28: 19-20).

2. He understands God’s World

A “World Christian” understands the task at hand and their role in it! There are 3.6 billion unreached people in the world! He is also familiar with the “10/40″ window. The 10/40 window stretches just above the equator from West Africa to Japan.

About the 10/40 Window

has a population of about 3+ billion people
88% of the unreached live here
only 10% of the missionary ‘work force’ is dispatched to this area of the world.
only .037% of U.S. mission dollars given to overseas missions is used in this area!!
most of the major religions were “birthed” in this region.
home to the world’s most poor.

Who lives in the 10/40 window?

Tribes- 3,000 unreached tribal groups. They worship spirits (good and bad). They are predominately polytheistic.

Hindus- pop. of 1 billion. Found primarily in India and Nepal. Hindus have more named deities than there are people in the United States! They are polytheistic.

Unreligious- pop. of 1 billion. Found primarily in China. They practice no religion at all. Many would be considered atheists or agnostic. They have an atheistic worldview.

Muslims- pop. of 1.2 billion. Found primarily in N. Africa and the Middle East. Indonesia is the largest Muslim country. They have a theistic worldview.

Buddhists- pop. of 800 million. Found primarily in E. Asia. The ultimate desire of man is to rid himself of desire and to relieve suffering. They have a pantheistic worldview.

Analogies To Help Understand the Task

1 billion seconds ago= 31 years, 7 months

1 billion minutes ago= John was writing Revelation in AD 92

1 billion people= can wrap aroud the earth 25 times

3. He understands God’s Work

He is a goer! (He goes on mission to reach those who have never heard of the gospel)
He is a sender! (If for some reason he can’t go, he sends others in his place. This is done primarily through financial support)
He is a welcomer! (He welcomes those around him of different worldviews and belief systems. This can be an international student at school, a neighbor or coworker. He seeks intentional relationships with these people.)
He is a prayer! (He prays for the unreached of the world and that God’s work will be accomplished.)

A few resources:

www.thetravelingteam.org (fabulous resource library! We are using much of their material for this series. Lynsi are I are indebted to this ministry for giving us a heart for the world. Thanks Todd!)

www.rightnow.org (Our mission is to help people trade in the pursuit of the American Dream for a world that desperately needs Christ. Offices are located 3 miles from Firewheel Church!)

www.joshuaproject.net (dedicated to reaching the most unreached)

“There are 3 types of Christians in the world. There are GOERS, there are SENDERS, and the DISOBEDIENT.”

– John Piper

Filed Under: Firewheel Church, missions, student ministry, Uncategorized //

Incarnational or Idolatry?

Posted on February 28, 2012 // 1 Comment

I knew that starting a series on world religions with students may spark some conversation. Whenever you do something ‘out of the norm’ you are bound to get a few emails. One of the reasons we have started this series is that our students wanted to study other faiths and wanted answers on how to respond with proper apologetics. I was both surprised and excited that they wanted to tackle these issues. Lynsi and I are both passionate about missions and we ourselves went through a course as students that changed our perspective of the world and gave us a stronger desire to understanding our own theology. Last week we began our study and we’ll begin discussing the beliefs of several other major worldviews and religions (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, Sikhism and others) in the weeks to come. As part of the study we may visit a few of these people who are literally in our backyard. I recently had a concerned parent email me about letting his child visit another place of worship. In his mind it was on par to visiting a strip club to learn about sex or visiting a bar to learn about the dangers of drinking.

I think at the heart of the issue is that some equate engaging or visiting another faith as somewhat endorsing what they believe. I told the concerned parent that if/when we would visit another religious site we would be going as “students”, not participants. Plus, any trip we took would be completely optional and I would equip and prepare them to know what they would encounter. I would want our students to tour the facility and have the opportunity to ask questions. At any rate, this recent exchange caused me to think about the various opinions many have about encountering other religions. I thought it would be appropriate to give a brief explanation of why I see engaging others of different faiths as not only appropriate, but biblical.

For some reason many have blurred the line between incarnational ministry and idolatry. Let me define my terms. By incarnational ministry I mean living the message of the gospel to those who don’t believe through intentional relationships. It comes from the example of Jesus’s incarnation where he took on flesh to redeem mankind (Phil. 2). God left the glories of heaven and emptied himself (kenosis) to be with sinful man. Incarnational ministry is to emulate and model the example of Jesus. Without God moving and initiating a relationship with us, we’d still be stuck in our sins.

Idolatry on the other hand is ascribing worth or value to anything in more abundance than God himself.

Our purpose, when engaging with other faiths, should always be an incarnational mindset. If we/I were to visit another place of worship and participate in ascribing worth or value to what they hold to be true that is direct contrast to Scripture then that would be idolatry. In the end, it is a matter of the heart and where one places their faith which is why a strong biblical and theological foundation is so important.

I began to think about a few examples of God engaging with other cultures and other faiths. To be honest, I think this can be found in nearly every book of the Bible. We see God’s people always engaging other nations and people groups. This was always done for the glory of God and for his renown.

Here are just a few:

1. God asked Abram to leave his country and family and GO to another culture. (Gen 12)

2. Jonah was sent to preach to the people of Nineveh (Jonah)

3. Daniel and his friends lived with the Babylonians. This is probably one of the most obvious examples of how one can live “incarnationally” for the Glory of God! (Daniel)

4. Jesus encountered the Samaritan Woman. (John 4)

5. Jesus eating and drinking with “sinners.” (Luke 5:29-31)

6. Jesus encounters a prostitute. (Luke 7)

7. Peter sent to the gentiles (Acts 9)

8. Paul encounters the philosophers in Athens (Acts 17)

There are many other examples of God himself and his people intentionally engaging with those many would consider as “outsiders.”

Now I don’t know what Jesus’ actions would be like if he were physically here today. I don’t know if he’d visit a gentleman’s club or a bar, but I do know he’d try to meet with those who do. The only way to be obedient to the Great Commission is to GO! And if you GO you will encounter people of other faiths. I thank God for the countless men and women who have gone before us and the many missionaries who are spread throughout the world engaging the different people groups of the world.

There shouldn’t be a difference between bringing the hope of the gospel to an idolatrous village in Africa and engaging with someone of another faith from your school or workplace. For some it seems easier and more acceptable to GO overseas than across the street! In the case of the Engage Hope Tanzania ministry of Firewheel Church, there wouldn’t be a church meeting near a former idolatrous altar if someone didn’t become intentional about bringing the hope of the gospel to that people group!

Why can’t we do the same in our own neighborhoods? Why do so many freak out when thinking about doing this in their own context?

Filed Under: Firewheel Church, missions, student ministry, Uncategorized //

Cinematic Theology: Thor

Posted on December 21, 2011 // Leave a Comment

Theaters are modern day pulpits. We pay a hefty “tithe” and are presented with a message. Every movie, every TV show, every song has a message. There is a metanarrative or overarching theme that the producers are trying to convey every film. Many times there are various philosophical world views portrayed, a certain ethic being presented or a theological framework. As believers I believe we should be able to identify what these world views are and what our culture is saying about theology and religion. We need to be able to think critically. One of the ways I try to get our high school students to begin thinking this way is what I call Cinematic theology. We watch film and try to observe the symbolism, colors, themes, world views and theology that are in the film. Last night we watched the movie Thor. SPOILER ALERT! (stop reading if you haven’t watched the film)

The movie begins with a group of scientists gazing into the sky. (A picture of how humanity longs for a creator or intelligent designer). We are then taken into heavens where we are introduced to the realm of Asgard. We also learn that Asgard is not the only “world” nor is Odin (the god of Asgard) the only god. There are multiple gods and multiple worlds. Odin had two sons, Thor (the oldest) and Lokin. Each son had flaws and we are introduced to sibling rivalry from the beginning. Thor was arrogant and prideful (Psalm 73:6-Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.) He felt that he deserved to be king. He abuses the power and responsibility his father Odin gives him and ultimately brings war upon his father’s kingdom.

One of most powerful scenes in the movie is when Odin banishes his son Thor out of Asgard because of his prideful and arrogant heart. He literally strips him of his divinity and power and casts him to earth. We get a sense of how discipline is often times necessary for us to learn a valuable lesson. The author of Hebrews says it this way,

7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? 8 If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. 9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! 10 They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. 11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

While Thor is on earth he begins to learns that his brother Lokin has been deceptive and was trying to rise to power and was also planning to destroy the Frost Giants. It’s during his time on earth that Thor is humbled and his heart is filled with more compassion. Towards the end of the movie his brother Lokin comes to destroy the inhabitants of earth. It is here where we see Thor represented as a Christ figure. He sacrificial gives up his life so his human friends would live. We are led to believe that Thor dies and shortly there after he is restored to power and is given his divine authority once again and is able to defeat his brother Lokin.

There is a lot of symbolism in this movie. For example, Thor is clothed with a large red robe. Red typically represents blood and sacrifice in the Bible and we definitely see how Thor offered himself as a sacrifice for his friends. Also, the first symbol we see when we enter Asgard is the trinity symbol. Once again this is not by accident. We see this trinity symbol displayed on Odin’s staff and on the architecture in Asgard and on Thor’s hammer. The writers what you and I to see these characters as gods.

Although there are Christian elements and themes in this movie the over arching theology of the movie is Mormonism. Mormons believe that God created multiple worlds and each world has its own people living on it. They also believe every world has its own god. We (on earth) are only subject to our God (the Father) and if we obtain the highest level of heaven we can become gods ourselves.

Mormonism uses much of the same terminology of Christianity but have entirely different meanings. God the Father for example is a human just like you and I who at one time attained Godhood himself. We were all at one point “spirit children” in heaven with God.

They believe Jesus and Satan were also “spirit children” making all of us ( You, me, Jesus, Satan) brothers and sisters. They believe Jesus is not fully God as Christian theology would claim. The movie Thor clearly seems to portray this Mormon theology. There are multiple worlds and multiple Gods. Thor is presented as a human god who ultimately saves the human race. This representation is eerily similar to the Mormon plan of salvation. The following is taken directly from their sacred books:

Our Father said, “Whom shall I send?” (Abraham 3:27). Two of our brothers offered to help. Our oldest brother, Jesus Christ, who was then called Jehovah, said, “Here am I, send me” (Abraham 3:27).

Jesus was willing to come to the earth, give his life for us, and take upon himself our sins. He, like our Heavenly Father, wanted us to choose whether we would obey Heavenly Father’s commandments. He knew we must be free to choose in order to prove ourselves worthy of exaltation. Jesus said, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever” (Moses 4:2).

Satan, who was called Lucifer, also came, saying, “Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor” (Moses 4:1). Satan wanted to force us all to do his will. Under his plan, we would not be allowed to choose. He would take away the freedom of choice that our Father had given us. Satan wanted to have all the honor for our salvation … After hearing both sons speak, Heavenly Father said, “I will send the first” (Abraham 3:27).

Satan was not pleased that his plan was not accepted and rebelled against God and took a third of the spirits with him. This is not intended to be a comprehensive summary of Mormon beliefs. Mormonism is a complex worldview that is dangerous because so much of their terminology is borrowed from Orthodox Christianity. My purposes here is not to defend Christianity, but to highlight some of the important theological differences. Perhaps I can blog more about Mormon theology vs. Christian theology at another time.

In the end this blog is only intended to present the theology found in Thor. Once again it is imperative for us to be able to identify what our culture is presenting with movies like Thor. The aim is to be able to think critically.

Filed Under: Firewheel Church, student ministry // Tagged: Mormonism in Thor, philosophical world, psalm 73, theological framework, Theology of Thor, Thor

The Origin of Sunday School

Posted on December 12, 2011 // 1 Comment

Does your church have Sunday School? Most do. Some have tried to creatively change the name of Sunday school to things like Life Stage classes, ABF’s (Adult Bible Fellowship), Growth groups, etc. Then we have the cute children’s ministry names along with the hip student ministry names. All of these are age segregated times of bible teaching..aka modern day Sunday school.. There has been a lot of talk recently (in church world) about the overall effectiveness of these age groups in the spiritual formation of children and youth.

Have you ever wondered about the origin of the Sunday school model? Did the early church have a “sunday school” hour for the kids prior to the Apostle’s teaching?

Many consider Robert Raikes (1736-1811) as the father of the modern Sunday school movement.

Raikes observed how children would fill the streets in England and would often find themselves getting into trouble by the authorities. He described the parents of these children as those who had “no idea of instilling into the minds of their children principles to which they themselves are entire strangers.” However, rather than seeking to reform the parents, Raikes focused on educating the children by placing educators into their life. Thus began the modern Sunday School movement. It was out of this genuine concern that he decided to act and wanted to have a place for these young kids to be safe and he thought education was the key. Raikes began meeting with these kids on Sunday mornings for 2 hours and used the Bible as the text book. His first goal was for the children to learn to read and then catechism. Although Raike’s intentions were pure his model eventually made its way to the church building where parents relinquished their responsibility and relied on the church to teach their children the bible.

As noted above, Raikes influence is still seen in almost every evangelical church in America. Although Raike’s intention was to create an outreach to underprivileged children, his Sunday school model has morphed into something which can rip apart the familial fabric of discipleship.

I’m not suggesting that age separation should never occur in the church. We have a Sunday school model at my church and there are some great things that occur during that hour. My concern is the already disengaged, unmotivated father who doesn’t know how to lead his wife and family and he probably won’t as long as the church provides a crutch. I digress..

The truth is that we need balance. I’m not sure what all the answers are, all I know is that something is broken and I want to help fix it.

Filed Under: family, Firewheel Church, parent ministry, Uncategorized // Tagged: adult bible fellowship, robert raikes, school model

Raising Kids in Today’s Modern Culture- Learning to Take Responsibility

Posted on November 18, 2011 // 2 Comments

Last Sunday I taught a parenting class about, ”How to Raise Kids in Today’s Modern Culture.” I thought I would put a few thoughts here from the class. We talked about a lot of things, but here is the first of seven points from the class. The first question we must ask as parents is this: Is what you are doing as a parent being done on purpose?

I think for many of us we “parent” without thinking or we parent from our own personality, our own childhood or we parent from the need of the moment. In short, we do what we do just keep our heads above water. Our fast paced culture doesn’t help! We seem to be constantly on the move and we struggle to find that sustainable pace.

The problem is that parenting has much more to do with the future than maintaining the present.

Whether we are intentional or not we are preparing our children for the future. But to what future?

Our Aim as Parents::::Learning to take responsibility

How many of you have difficulty in having your kids take responsibility? In cleaning their room? Picking up their clothes? Doing their homework?

Lynsi and I deal with this when it comes to trying to get Aden to clean his room.

He does not feel the need to clean up. We feel that need.

He does not feel motivated to clean up. We feel motivated.

He does not plan for or take the time to clean up. We do.

He does not have the skill to organize. We do.

There must be a slow transfer of these qualities from the outside Aden to the inside. Whereas his parents possess all the qualities inside, Aden does not.

We need to take what was once external to become internal.

We want Aden to “own” the same things we value as parents. When kids begin to internalize the external restraints and values of their parents they begin to take responsibility and build character.

Filed Under: family, Firewheel Church, parent ministry, student ministry //