Conspiracy

Once again I have been cheated. Click here to see who got the award I should have received.
JM

Middle School Concerns

A couple of weeks ago, I met with a few of my 8th grade guys and talked with them about what they feel a middle school student wants/needs to know and learn about in the 3 years that they are a part of my middle school ministry. Here's the list we came up with:
Lifestyle Evangelism
Friendships
Dating/Sex
Church Family/Creating Community
Family
Revelation
Wise Choices
Genesis
John
Synoptic Gospels
Drugs/Alcohol
Self-Image
Knowing God's Will
Call To Service
Worship
Community
Who Is Jesus
What is A Christian
David
How To Study The Bible
Romans
James
Prayer
Acts
Holy Spirit
Jonah
Parables
I'm hoping to meld this into a 3-year plan where we focus on each of these at least once during that time for our large group series. JM

Reinforcing Vs. Revising

The southern baptist convention has a new advertising campaign out called We Are Southern Baptists. The goal is to show people that Southern Baptists are doing good things. The whole thing seems like it's supposed to make southern baptists feel good about who we are (loss prevention) as opposed to breaking down the barriers that people have to the SBC. Here's the video from the site, seems basically like we're reinforcing what people already know - we're missions minded and care about people who have experienced tragedy in the United States and that we care about people who are sick and hungry overseas. JM

Bookmarks

I bookmark (favorite) pages on the internet all the time. I probably have like 100 stored up. I try to move them over to this site so I have them all in one spot that's easily searchable and I don't forget about things. I haven't done it in a long time, so they're just stacked up. I'll start moving the links over in the next few days, but here's the first. It's a movie called The Boy In The Striped Pajamas. It looks fascinating to me because it shows how relationships can change mindsets and how hatred can destroy relationships.

Messianic Politics

Everybody is talking about how great Obama is and how he is going to change America. It's sad to me. What I think is most sad is that people think their job is done now. They voted for their candidate and now they can just sit back and relax, let him do his miracle-working, and rest confidently because their voice has been heard.
When did my vote become my voice? I hope that's not my only voice in politics. When it becomes that way then we've slipped into dangerous territory. There are so many other ways that my voice can be heard: talking to my local government officials, state government reps, and federal government reps, protesting, civil disobedience, petitioning, etc. Making sure that they know what I want them to do as my representative. The government is supposed to work for me. I need them to be doing what I want, and if all I do is cast a vote once every 2 years, then how will they ever know what I want.
I've never cared about politics before, but I'm starting to now. I want my voice to be heard, and I'm glad that I know that doesn't mean just my vote.
JM

Sad

If only...

JM

2 Samuel 19:1-8

When you're in leadership you can't react to things the way that other people do. You have to be more concerned with the good of the whole. You have people serving under you that are looking to you to determine how they should react to things. The temptation is to selfishly show your emotions of regret, anger, disappointment, rather than showing the positive and encouraging hope. People don't want to follow someone who is a downer. They want to be inspired. They want to have hope. They want to feel a passion for something. I want to be that kind of leader. JM