Kids in Church
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Thursday, February 09, 2017 | |
How welcome are children in your church? The question is not rhetorical. I am asking you to think carefully. Why shouldn’t we? We bemoan the sense of disconnect today’s emerging generation feels toward the church, and the many ways they are unplugging. Yet I wonder if in some ways we haven’t invited them to leave. "You don't belong!" “Preposterous!” you say. “We have many wonderful programs for kids at our church—and they are well attended!” Maybe you do have a lot of well attended classes and events. Yet if young kids rarely or never take part in the main event—your Sunday morning worship service—is it possible we are telling them “You kids belong in your special little area…but you really don’t have much to contribute to us adults”? Draw a pie chart of last Sunday’s church service, if you dare. How big a piece of the pie did children get in the actual church service? Did even one of them play a music solo? Did an artistic junior high girl read the Scripture passage? Was the high schooler boy who loves to do stage plays asked to interpret a gospel parable that was mentioned in the sermon? Why do we seem to hear from the littlest children only at Christmas? What’s up with that? Why not? I ask…
The answer is….there is no answer. There’s no reason why these things should not be, other than the fact that we have not created church cultures that embrace this kind of thing. Too "Professional?" I’m not talking about tokenism here. I’m talking about real kids filling real functions in a real service…week after week. Are we so committed to “professionalism” or a sense of control that we cannot or will not be led by a child? Children belong in church. Not just in their seats—but up on the stage. Leading us! |
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Kindness Matters
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Thursday, February 02, 2017 | |
Do small acts of kindness really matter? Do they make any real difference? Does God actually take note of them? I know the Sunday School answer, of course. I know the theological rubric. (I’m a Moody grad, an ordained minister). Still, I sometimes wonder. Do you? Dusting off old memories This weekend, I attended an Awana “Historic Walls of Fame” event. We were there to celebrate what God has done in establishing a Bible club now attended weekly by 2. 3 million kids in more than 100 countries. When the program was over, I met with someone I hadn’t seen in decades: my very own Awana leader. Chuck was also my Sunday School teacher—a kind and patient man. Week after week, he listened as I recited verses, or demonstrated mastery of knot tying. We sat there, dusting off old memories Then through squinted eyes, Chuck asked, “Hey, Jon, do you remember the time I took you to a Blackhawks game?” Did I remember? As a kid, I won a contest he sponsored at Awana and the prize was an outing to a Chicago Blackhawks game. He picked me up at home, drove me to the old Chicago Stadium, bought us tickets for the Hawks game. What a night-- the drama on ice, the roar of the crowd…the magic of being there. Did I remember after more than four decades? Of course! I thanked Chuck for his kindness then—and his faithfulness in being a great Awana leader and Sunday School teacher. Rare and privileged moment Not everybody gets that kind of opportunity--to reconnect over a kindness shown decade ago. So it was a rare and privileged moment we shared. It all makes me glad for heaven—and it should you, too. For there, every word of encouragement, every thoughtful gesture, every bit of kindness will be seen…and reviewed…and rewarded. Kindness matters. Now. And for eternity. |
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What Courage Looks Like
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Thursday, January 26, 2017 | |
What does courage look like? Chiune Sugihara is a name most of us have never heard of. Yet this man, born in Japan in 1900, is a soul who embodies Christian courage. Joining a Christian fraternity at his university, Chiune became proficient at learning languages—English, German, Russian—launching him into a career with Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bombing Raid In 1939, his government placed Chiune at the Japanese consulate in Kaunas, Lithuania. There, he met a Jewish man who had recently fled Poland after a bombing raid had taken the lives of his wife and children. It was then Chiune realized there would be no stopping Hitler’s war from the borders of Lithuania. He was determined to help the Jewish people living in Lithuania to escape by way of Japan. Yet the Japanese government rejected Chiune’s proposal. What then? Conscience Demanded After praying and talking the matter over with his wife, Chiune did what his conscience demanded. The record shows that on July 31, 1940, he began writing transit visas—by hand—at a rate of 300 people per day. Witnesses say he worked long hours, took only short meal breaks, and wrote as rapidly as he could. Word spread. On September 4, the Japanese government closed the consulate, ordering Chiune back to Japan. But he stayed up all night before he was to leave, writing visa after visa. "Cannot Write Anymore" At the station where he was to depart, a crowd of Lithuanian Jews surrounded his train, begging for more visas. There, he handed out those he has written overnight stating, “Please forgive me. I cannot write anymore.” Yet once on the train, he wrote still more visas, tossing them out the open window as the train slowly picked up steam. No one knows exactly how many people were saved by his courage. Estimates range from six thousand to ten thousand. Chiune did what God called Him to do: save lives. And that's what courage looks like. |
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Watcha Readin'?
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Thursday, January 19, 2017 | |
A comfortable chair, a scenic backdrop—and an all-absorbing book. That’s what Diana and I call ultimate relaxation. Reading is a hobby my wife and I share with gusto. She reads a wide range of devotional books, historical fiction, cookbooks, and a lot about the British monarchy (she could probably earn a haul on Jeopardy). I read biographies, westerns, action novels (think Clive Cussler), mysteries (John Grisham, Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle) plus Christian writers like Tim Keller, Kyle Idleman, Charles Spurgeon, and J.C. Ryle. Right now, I'm reading a book by puritan Richard Baxter. I’m learning that any title by this guy is a book worth devouring. I was struck by a grid he created for choosing—or rejecting—books we allow on to our shelves. Allow me to quote him verbatim. Baxter advises: Make careful choices of the books which you read. Let the Holy Scriptures ever have preeminence. While reading, ask yourself: 1. Could I spend this time no better? 2. Are there better books that would edify me more? 3. Are the lovers of such books as this the greatest lovers of the Book of God and of a holy life? 4. Does this book increase my love to the Word of God, kill my sin, and prepare me for the life to come? Now by these standards, I’m afraid some of my reading choices would come up short. What about you? Really, it all comes down to an appetite for readiness. Are we hungry for the Lord’s return? Do we desire Him enough to ready ourselves for Him? I’m reminded of a sobering perspective from 1 Peter 4:7: The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Here’s to good reading—all year long. Quality books whose pages turn us toward Christlikeness, not mere entertainment. |
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Things We Claim Are Important
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Thursday, January 12, 2017 | |
One of the many reasons most of us dread a trip to the dentist is that the news we get there seems disproportionately negative. Whether it’s a simple dental cleaning (“You need to floss more”) or an X-ray (“that spot suggests a problem”) a dental exam is rarely a good news kind of experience. Open Wide! May I play the role of the dentist-you-dread for just a moment? Open wide--we’re about to take an exam based on a discomforting hypothesis of mine. Simply stated, it goes like this: Most of us Christians have a long list of stuff we claim is important, but apparently isn’t. For most of us, that list includes things like prayer, Bible reading, sharing our faith. Your list may vary slightly. But a survey from the Evangelical Alliance suggests that nearly one-fifth of Christians do not even have a fixed prayer habit. And for those born after 1980, that figure climbs to nearly one-third. Have not told another person about Christ 42% admit they have a hard time setting aside any regular time for Bible reading or prayer. The study says—quote—”In practice, only half are managing to do this.” A Lifeway survey shows 61% have not told another person about how to become a Christian in the previous six months. And 20 percent actually admit they “rarely or never pray for the spiritual status of others.” Little Anticipation of Following Through In other words, these things we claim are important to us are really not that important. (I told you this examination wasn't going to be fun!). Like friends who haven’t connected for a while and glibly say, “We should have lunch together,” we mean well, but have very little anticipation of actually following through on spiritual disciplines. Yet merely claiming they are important somehow makes us feel better. Just One Chance Folks, we get one shot—just one (very short) turn—at this thing called life. One chance to impact eternity. One chance to store up for ourselves treasures in heaven. Those things ought to be important enough for us to do. If not, we should drop the facade and stop claiming they are. |
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