At the last minute, I decided to let everyone watch the Nooma video Lump (7/29/07). Nooma is a video series by Rob Bell, a pastor of a very fast growing church near Grand Rapids, MI. His authenticity in his pastoring and writing has made him very popular. In fact, he's going on a national tour. I hope to see him when he's in Chicago in November. Each Nooma video is 10-15 minutes long and focuses on one idea. His combination of personal stories and scripture is very appealing. At some point, we will probably go through the whole series (there are around 20 of them thus far).
Lump is about letting one's sins catch up to them. Sooner or later, we all get busted for what we do. Eventually, they rise to the surface. There was a time in the Book of Acts when a couple got busted. Acts 5:1-11 tells the story of a couple named Ananias and Sapphira. This happens right after Acts tells us that everyone sold what they had and pooled all their money together, dividing it out to the community of believers as needed. Ananias and Sapphira held out on everyone and suffered fatally for it. I admit- an extreme form of "getting busted," but it still drives home the point that the sins you hide will eventually surface.
The video also focused on actions of Rob Bell's oldest son. One of the son's actions was toward his younger brother, which was how we went into a discussion about siblings. This proved to be a very popular topic! It looks like I'll be doing a series on siblings in the bible for the rest of summer! After the video, I asked questions about their siblings and times that the youth got busted. The point that I was getting at can be found in Romans 8:38-39. After Rob Bell and his wife busted their son, he went hiding up in their bedroom under the sheets. Rob went up to him and told him that there is nothing that he could do that would make them love him less. I believe this is God's feelings towards us. Yes, there will be times when parents need to yell at their kids, or times when God will allow trials to happen to us to refine us. But even when he sin and disappoint Him, He will not love us less.
Nothing can separate us from His love. I pray that we keep that in mind as parents, children, siblings, and most importantly, God's children.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
the holy ice cream?
With just a few of us last Friday (7/27/07) we headed off to McDonalds after our gym time. Because sometimes in the summer, you just need to get ice cream (or something cold). So we chose ice cream.
When we returned to the church, I went over a quick devotional on the first part of Ecclesiastes 3 from the new Relevant magazine. Relevant is one of my favorite magazines that writes about God, life, and progressive culture. It is targeted towards young adults but does appeal to a broader age group. I read Winn Collier's Deeper Walk devotional from the current July/Aug 2007 issue. Unfortunately I cannot find the full article online so I'll just go over the main points.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is "a time to weep." There are times when weeping is appropriate, such as dealing with grief, heartache, brokenness. There are plenty fo these things in the world, so it is right to weep at times. However, it must be honest and it must not consume us. Crying does not necessarily mean I am authentically looking at despair through the lens of faith. I could be hiding.
And it must not consume us. If I don't leave room for anything else but crying, then it will define me. If it becomes so overwhelming then there is no room for hope. That is the key in following Christ and encountering grief. Despite what we may see, there is always hope that Christ will come in and "intervene for our good" (from the article).
That is also why there is also a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to dance, etc. We can find beauty in God's creation and the relationships in our lives. Times when it is so obvious that God is "intervening for our good" that I cannot help but be joyful in Him. Winn Collier ends with this: "Karl Barth said that 'laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.' I believe it. There is deep grace in a holy chuckle."
For more reading, Winn recommends all of Ecclesiastes 3, Revelation 21, Psalm 90, and Psalm 30. My prayer for all of us is to honestly grieve the despair in the world as Christ did, and have His eternal hope overcome it.
blessings
When we returned to the church, I went over a quick devotional on the first part of Ecclesiastes 3 from the new Relevant magazine. Relevant is one of my favorite magazines that writes about God, life, and progressive culture. It is targeted towards young adults but does appeal to a broader age group. I read Winn Collier's Deeper Walk devotional from the current July/Aug 2007 issue. Unfortunately I cannot find the full article online so I'll just go over the main points.
Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is "a time to weep." There are times when weeping is appropriate, such as dealing with grief, heartache, brokenness. There are plenty fo these things in the world, so it is right to weep at times. However, it must be honest and it must not consume us. Crying does not necessarily mean I am authentically looking at despair through the lens of faith. I could be hiding.
And it must not consume us. If I don't leave room for anything else but crying, then it will define me. If it becomes so overwhelming then there is no room for hope. That is the key in following Christ and encountering grief. Despite what we may see, there is always hope that Christ will come in and "intervene for our good" (from the article).
That is also why there is also a time to laugh, a time to mourn, a time to dance, etc. We can find beauty in God's creation and the relationships in our lives. Times when it is so obvious that God is "intervening for our good" that I cannot help but be joyful in Him. Winn Collier ends with this: "Karl Barth said that 'laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God.' I believe it. There is deep grace in a holy chuckle."
For more reading, Winn recommends all of Ecclesiastes 3, Revelation 21, Psalm 90, and Psalm 30. My prayer for all of us is to honestly grieve the despair in the world as Christ did, and have His eternal hope overcome it.
blessings
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
growing Christlikeness
The second last Friday we talked about growing the kingdom of God with our gifts and talents. This past Friday, we talked about growing an equally important thing- our Christlikeness.
If we were to categorize our faithlife into three main parts, it could be accepting Christ, growing in Christ while here on earth, and enjoying Him in heaven. Obviously, it is this second stage that we focused on looking at the beginning of Philippians 2.
I think we can all admit to doing something for selfish reasons and one point or another. That's what the first few verses are telling us not to do. But rather but others' interests as equal or more important to your own interests. When verse 2 talks about "being one in spirit and purpose," it means more than just agreeing. It means working together towards the same purpose and common goals despite differences in backgrounds, beliefs, or interests.
Verses 6-11 are very powerful and straightforward. The only tough thing to mention is verse 6. Christ's equality to God was not "something to be grasped." His power and glory was always there (refer to the Gospel of John 1:1-5). He laid it aside by being incarnated, made into human likeness, only to regain it after resurrecting and ascending to be with God the Father again. It is this model of humility that we must strive for as Christians.
Afterwards we did an activity with a ball of yarn. One person mentions how another has displayed Christlikeness and then passes off the ball of yarn while still holding to the beginning of the yarn. This goes on to create a web of yarn. It visually shows how displaying Christlikeness can go a long way and affect many lives. Kind of similar to the concept in the movie, Pay it Forward. One person performs a random act of kindness to three people, and they return the favor by being kind randomly to another three people, and so on.
My prayer is for all of us to become more Christlike, which will naturally affect lives in a positive way towards Christ. blessings
If we were to categorize our faithlife into three main parts, it could be accepting Christ, growing in Christ while here on earth, and enjoying Him in heaven. Obviously, it is this second stage that we focused on looking at the beginning of Philippians 2.
I think we can all admit to doing something for selfish reasons and one point or another. That's what the first few verses are telling us not to do. But rather but others' interests as equal or more important to your own interests. When verse 2 talks about "being one in spirit and purpose," it means more than just agreeing. It means working together towards the same purpose and common goals despite differences in backgrounds, beliefs, or interests.
Verses 6-11 are very powerful and straightforward. The only tough thing to mention is verse 6. Christ's equality to God was not "something to be grasped." His power and glory was always there (refer to the Gospel of John 1:1-5). He laid it aside by being incarnated, made into human likeness, only to regain it after resurrecting and ascending to be with God the Father again. It is this model of humility that we must strive for as Christians.
Afterwards we did an activity with a ball of yarn. One person mentions how another has displayed Christlikeness and then passes off the ball of yarn while still holding to the beginning of the yarn. This goes on to create a web of yarn. It visually shows how displaying Christlikeness can go a long way and affect many lives. Kind of similar to the concept in the movie, Pay it Forward. One person performs a random act of kindness to three people, and they return the favor by being kind randomly to another three people, and so on.
My prayer is for all of us to become more Christlike, which will naturally affect lives in a positive way towards Christ. blessings
a different way to do a group bible study
On Sunday (7/15/07), I asked the youth for what they want to do and what they want to get out of this group. Please pray as I am still putting together the mission statement and goals for the youth group. Please do let me know if there is any input you would like to contribute.
Afterwards, we took a look at Psalm 149. However, something that is interesting to do is to let multiple people read the bible passage out loud. People can get different things out of the same passage from different readers. Different readers may also emphasize different words or different parts of the passage. New meaning can be drawn out of the Scriptures this way and hopefully make it come more alive for all of us.
Only a couple things to point out in the actual text. Verses 1-5 gives us several ways that we can praise the Lord- singing, dancing, and musical instruments. Since these are all musical ways mentioned in the psalm, I need to stress that praising the Lord is a lifestyle and can be done through most actions. Also of note- the double-edged sword in verse 6 represents the complete judgment the Messiah will do when He returns. It is never right for us to take vengeance out of our own will or accord.
blessings
Afterwards, we took a look at Psalm 149. However, something that is interesting to do is to let multiple people read the bible passage out loud. People can get different things out of the same passage from different readers. Different readers may also emphasize different words or different parts of the passage. New meaning can be drawn out of the Scriptures this way and hopefully make it come more alive for all of us.
Only a couple things to point out in the actual text. Verses 1-5 gives us several ways that we can praise the Lord- singing, dancing, and musical instruments. Since these are all musical ways mentioned in the psalm, I need to stress that praising the Lord is a lifestyle and can be done through most actions. Also of note- the double-edged sword in verse 6 represents the complete judgment the Messiah will do when He returns. It is never right for us to take vengeance out of our own will or accord.
blessings
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Bigger or Better?
Last Friday (7/13/07) we started off with a great activity called Bigger or Better. It's great because it gets the youth out of the church and into the neighborhood. However, it does get them out of their comfort zone because you have to approach people, most likely strangers, and ask them to trade. By far, the best item we probably received that night was a TaterTwister. It was a lot of fun and a couple of the youth stepped up really well to do the activity.
After we returned to the church, we went into a study of two very similar parables, but each with distinct lessons- the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of the Mina. The first, found in Matthew 25:14-30 has a master that leaves for awhile and entrusts different amounts of money to three servants. The first two double the money they were entrusted with and receive the praise of their master. The third hides his money and returns the original amount to the master when he returns. This angers the master, and he gives the one talent to the first servant and throws the third servant out.
The latter is found in Luke 19:11-27. Not as well known as the Parable of the Talents but starts off in a similar way. This time it's a king giving a mina (significantly larger than a talent) each to ten servants this time. But it still only focuses on the actions of three of the servants. As you can see, the same amount is given to each servant (unlike the former) with different results (like the former).
Both the talents and the mina can be seen as financial resources. However, the talents can also be seen as gifts/abilities. We each have different skills and need to be faithful with the ones God has blessed us with. The mina can also be seen as resources to expand the kingdom of God. As Christians, we all have gifts like God's Word, prayer, and the help of the Holy Spirit to further His kingdom. It is what we do with these different gifts that produces the different results, just as in both parables.
Another big difference in Luke is the situation with the king. In their time, it was familiar for a King, not Jewish, to leave on a trip to claim his inheritance in another city (Rome) and then return as their ruler. Obviously this upset the Jews and verse 14 shows their negative response to this. However, Jesus is referring to Himself, being sent from another place (heaven) to rule over the Jews and unfortunately, will receive the same response.
In both parables, the reward for being faithful is praise from the Master and more responsibility in the future. That future being in heaven. It's like God saying, "Ha! You thought that was a lot? That was nothing compared to what you will do in heaven." In Luke, the servants who multiplied their mina are put in charge of as many CITIES as they multiplied their mina by.
In conclusion, we all have varying gifts abilities but the same amount of resources I talked about before (God's Word, prayer, etc.) to be faithful with in order to expand His kingdom. If we are faithful with what may seem like a lot, or what is difficult, here on earth, it directly affects our reward and what we are given in heaven. It is my prayer that we all become "10 mina" servants.
blessings
p.s. Bruce Wilkinson teaches a lot about these topics and parables, which were very influential to me. The book that relates most to this blog is A Life God Rewards.
After we returned to the church, we went into a study of two very similar parables, but each with distinct lessons- the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of the Mina. The first, found in Matthew 25:14-30 has a master that leaves for awhile and entrusts different amounts of money to three servants. The first two double the money they were entrusted with and receive the praise of their master. The third hides his money and returns the original amount to the master when he returns. This angers the master, and he gives the one talent to the first servant and throws the third servant out.
The latter is found in Luke 19:11-27. Not as well known as the Parable of the Talents but starts off in a similar way. This time it's a king giving a mina (significantly larger than a talent) each to ten servants this time. But it still only focuses on the actions of three of the servants. As you can see, the same amount is given to each servant (unlike the former) with different results (like the former).
Both the talents and the mina can be seen as financial resources. However, the talents can also be seen as gifts/abilities. We each have different skills and need to be faithful with the ones God has blessed us with. The mina can also be seen as resources to expand the kingdom of God. As Christians, we all have gifts like God's Word, prayer, and the help of the Holy Spirit to further His kingdom. It is what we do with these different gifts that produces the different results, just as in both parables.
Another big difference in Luke is the situation with the king. In their time, it was familiar for a King, not Jewish, to leave on a trip to claim his inheritance in another city (Rome) and then return as their ruler. Obviously this upset the Jews and verse 14 shows their negative response to this. However, Jesus is referring to Himself, being sent from another place (heaven) to rule over the Jews and unfortunately, will receive the same response.
In both parables, the reward for being faithful is praise from the Master and more responsibility in the future. That future being in heaven. It's like God saying, "Ha! You thought that was a lot? That was nothing compared to what you will do in heaven." In Luke, the servants who multiplied their mina are put in charge of as many CITIES as they multiplied their mina by.
In conclusion, we all have varying gifts abilities but the same amount of resources I talked about before (God's Word, prayer, etc.) to be faithful with in order to expand His kingdom. If we are faithful with what may seem like a lot, or what is difficult, here on earth, it directly affects our reward and what we are given in heaven. It is my prayer that we all become "10 mina" servants.
blessings
p.s. Bruce Wilkinson teaches a lot about these topics and parables, which were very influential to me. The book that relates most to this blog is A Life God Rewards.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
finishing up Noah's ark
We went through Genesis 8-9 on Sunday, 7/8/07. To recap, Noah was the only righteous person on the entire earth. God regretted creating the human race because sin was constantly on our minds. But the regret was more sorrow because sin consumed our minds more than He was. God instructed Noah to build an ark, which took 120 years to complete and was almost one and a half football fields in length. He built it exactly as the Lord instructed him.
By the time Noah and his family exited the ark, they had been in it for over a year. The first half of chapter 9 is a lot like the beginning of Genesis. God instructs Noah and his family to be fruitful and multiply and is given dominion over all the creatures of the earth. There is also the reason why killing a human is worse than killng a plant or an animal in verse 6, for humans are made in the image of God.
Verses 8-16 talk about God's new covenant with humans. God will never destroy all of life with a flood again. The rainbow (which yes, has always been there) will now be a symbol of this covenant. So remember that! Whenever you see a rainbow after it rains, just think- "Hmm, God won't kill all of us with a flood again," because He said He would not.
The end of chapter 9 shows the one sin Noah committed that we know of. He got plastered and fell asleep naked inside his tent. The youngest son, Ham, saw his father's nakedness and didn't do anything to remedy it. Instead he called his brothers, Shem and Japheth, and they covered him without looking at him. Bad move for Ham. When Noah found out, he cursed Canaan, Ham's son, to be lowest servant among his brothers.
The last two verses just shows that Noah lived for another 350 years and a total of 950 years. That concluded our study of Noah.
Verses 8-16 talk about God's new covenant with humans. God will never destroy all of life with a flood again. The rainbow (which yes, has always been there) will now be a symbol of this covenant. So remember that! Whenever you see a rainbow after it rains, just think- "Hmm, God won't kill all of us with a flood again," because He said He would not.
The end of chapter 9 shows the one sin Noah committed that we know of. He got plastered and fell asleep naked inside his tent. The youngest son, Ham, saw his father's nakedness and didn't do anything to remedy it. Instead he called his brothers, Shem and Japheth, and they covered him without looking at him. Bad move for Ham. When Noah found out, he cursed Canaan, Ham's son, to be lowest servant among his brothers.
The last two verses just shows that Noah lived for another 350 years and a total of 950 years. That concluded our study of Noah.
Responsibility
Taking a cue from the whole Noah's ark/Evan Almighty story, we talked about responsibility on Friday, 7/6/07. More than once, the bible says that Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him. We looked at how that can apply to us today.
We went through a lot of lists of things for this lesson. First was statements about it. The youth had to reply yes, no, or maybe to the following (taken from a Group Publishing teen talk sheet):
1) Being responsible is boring.
2) Being responsible is part of growing up.
3) People my age don't need to be responsible.
4) People my age are less responsible than adults.
5) People my age don't get a chance to show they're responsibe.
6) I'll get more responsible as I get older.
7) Being responsible is a good thing.
Reasons for young people being irresponsible:
1) too young
2) not the one to blame
3) i forgot
4) i was mad
5) bad luck
6) i don't care
How responsible are you for:
1) personal hygeine
2) homework
3) getting along with parents
4) choosing good friends
5) staying away from alcohol/drugs
6) reading your Bible
7) keeping a secret for a friend
8) telling the truth
It's good for you to see where the youth think they are at with these things. I remember using the heck out of "I forgot" when I was growing up! It was good to see that the youth do have many opportunities to show they are responsible and that it is important to show that when it matters.
We went all over the Bible to see how some biblical characters displayed responsiblity:
1) Gen 3:12 (Adam blames Eve)
2) Ex 32:21-24 (golden calf)
3) Mt 25: 31-46 (the least of these)
4) Lk 10:30-36 (the parable of the Good Samaritan)
4) Lk 15:11-16 (first 1/2 of the parable of the Prodigal Son)
5) I Cor 10:33
And finally went over some more passages/verses to point out how responsiblity comes into play with certain characters or conditions:
1) I Cor 15:33- choosing good friends
2) Phil 1:27- being responsible inspite of circumstances
3) Rom 14:12- we all give an account to God and God alone
4) Mt 27:24- Pilate removed responsibility from his hands in condemning Jesus
5) Mt 25:14-30- parable of the Talents
6) Gen 1:28- God gives authority to Adam & Eve over the earth and its living things
I then had everyone break into small groups to discuss and pray for each other's weaknesses to close. If anyone tries this, let me know how it goes for your group.
blessings
We went through a lot of lists of things for this lesson. First was statements about it. The youth had to reply yes, no, or maybe to the following (taken from a Group Publishing teen talk sheet):
1) Being responsible is boring.
2) Being responsible is part of growing up.
3) People my age don't need to be responsible.
4) People my age are less responsible than adults.
5) People my age don't get a chance to show they're responsibe.
6) I'll get more responsible as I get older.
7) Being responsible is a good thing.
Reasons for young people being irresponsible:
1) too young
2) not the one to blame
3) i forgot
4) i was mad
5) bad luck
6) i don't care
How responsible are you for:
1) personal hygeine
2) homework
3) getting along with parents
4) choosing good friends
5) staying away from alcohol/drugs
6) reading your Bible
7) keeping a secret for a friend
8) telling the truth
It's good for you to see where the youth think they are at with these things. I remember using the heck out of "I forgot" when I was growing up! It was good to see that the youth do have many opportunities to show they are responsible and that it is important to show that when it matters.
We went all over the Bible to see how some biblical characters displayed responsiblity:
1) Gen 3:12 (Adam blames Eve)
2) Ex 32:21-24 (golden calf)
3) Mt 25: 31-46 (the least of these)
4) Lk 10:30-36 (the parable of the Good Samaritan)
4) Lk 15:11-16 (first 1/2 of the parable of the Prodigal Son)
5) I Cor 10:33
And finally went over some more passages/verses to point out how responsiblity comes into play with certain characters or conditions:
1) I Cor 15:33- choosing good friends
2) Phil 1:27- being responsible inspite of circumstances
3) Rom 14:12- we all give an account to God and God alone
4) Mt 27:24- Pilate removed responsibility from his hands in condemning Jesus
5) Mt 25:14-30- parable of the Talents
6) Gen 1:28- God gives authority to Adam & Eve over the earth and its living things
I then had everyone break into small groups to discuss and pray for each other's weaknesses to close. If anyone tries this, let me know how it goes for your group.
blessings
Friday, July 6, 2007
Relying on God
Last Sunday morning, I spoke during the adult service. Ahhhh! Scary, I know. I have no idea why my pastor let me do that, but it turned out alright. After much prayer and meditation on what God wanted me to say, I spoke about how God can use us best when we are most reliant on Him.
3 points stem from this:
1) We need a relationship with the Lord.
2) God can work past our doubts and inadequacies.
3) It usually gets worse before it gets better. Especially when it's a big task or purpose.
Plenty of biblical examples and personal accouts from friends to use. From the bible, I chose to talk about Moses and Mary, the mother of Jesus (Exodus 4:10-17, 7:1-6 and Luke 1:26-38). After seeing Evan Almighty with the youth group, I gladly referred to the movie a few times as well.
I am taken back to a time in Mexico just at the beginning of my time in high school. We served in a border town, or colonia, but stayed in Texas each night. Every morning we would pray for safe travels and our work that day. Well, one day (I can't remember if it was Wednesday or Thursday) we forgot to pray. Guess which day we had troubles that week...
1) It doesn't matter how long our relationship with the Lord has been going. It doesn't matter what we did in our past. What is important is that our relationship is continually growing and getting more intimate with the Lord. After all, Paul rejected Christ's name and persecuted Christians before his life-changing encounter on the road to Damascus. Moses killed an Egyptian after watching him beat up a Hebrew (Ex 2:11-12).
Evan Baxter had virtually no relationship with the Lord. Just a slogan to "change the world" as a newly elected Congressman. As the movie and the building of the ark progressed, so did Evan's relationship and intimacy with God.
The truth is we are all called by God for a purpose. It is up to us to answer that call and follow- just as the disciples had the ball in their court to drop what they were doing and follow Jesus.
2) Moses expressed 5 times to God his doubts and inadequacies! He complained of being slow of speech and tongue and not an eloquent speaker. I love this part. In Ex 4:14 it says "the Lord's anger burned against Moses" (emphasis mine). Even though Moses didn't have the confidence of speaking in front of Pharoah with God's help, He still worked around that anyway and sent Aaron with him.
Mary just had one doubt- she was a virgin. Quite reasonable to feel as such. But the angel, Gabriel, explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her. Mary's answer? "I am the Lord's servant." Sometimes women just get it quicker than men.
I have to admit that I mirror Moses' feelings. I am not an eloquent speaker. Some piece of advice from Pastor Lee came in handy. It actually relates quite well to point #1. "Let the Holy Spirit guide you. Prayer is a 2-way dialogue with God." Which means I need to take time to talk to God and take time to listen as well.
My friend, Matt, was asked to go to Chile a few years ago by his then-pastor. 2 weeks before leaving, his pastor told him that he (the pastor) couldn't go and Matt was quite a bit short financially as well. Uncertain but still reliant on God, Matt prayed whether he was supposed to go or not. A week before the trip, a man approaches Matt and tells him that he is supposed to support him on his trip. He proceeded to write a check for $1000 to Matt. Guess how much money he needed to go on his trip...
3) The Israelites faced harsh conditions under the Egyptians. After approaching Pharoah for the first time, Pharoah made them find their own straw instead of supplying it to them (Ex 5:6-21). Straw was mixed with mud to make bricks more durable. The Israelites had to find their own straw and keep up the same production level as before (Ex . They were also in fear after being released, as they found themselves in between the Red Sea and Pharoah's army (Exodus 14).
It's no doubt that both Mary and Evan (from the movie) faced ridicule. I'm not sure exactly how the conversations and insults went, but I'm pretty sure it went something like this. "You're pregnant. You and Joseph aren't even married yet! What's that? The Holy Spirit did it? Riiiiiight. Good one there." And with Evan or Noah... "You're building an ark? It barely rains at all! We don't even need an umbrella here! Yeah, you keep building that ark. We'll just keep doing what we're doing."
It is also important to mention that Mary and Joseph had to escape from King Herod, who ordered the slaying of all boys under 2 in Bethlehem (Mt 2:13-18).
What does this mean today? Small problems require just small solutions. But bigger problems are bigger opportunities to showcase God's power. Do you wish for big miracles to happen in your life? Let's not forget that through faith in Jesus Christ, we have the miracle of eternal life. Although not quite as visually stunning as turning the Nile into blood, it is no less of a miracle than the plagues God inflicted upon the Egyptians.
In closing, I leave with a thought from Evan Almighty. Evan's family has left him because they do no understand what he is doing. God talks to Evan's wife through a busboy at a restaurant. "If someone asks for courage, does God just give them courage, or the opportunity to be courageous? If someone asks for more time with the family (Evan's wife prayed for this at the beginning of the film), does God just give them happy times, or the opportunity to spend more time together?"
My prayer for all of us is to seize those opportunities, and rely on God as much as we possibly can so He can perform greater works through us.
3 points stem from this:
1) We need a relationship with the Lord.
2) God can work past our doubts and inadequacies.
3) It usually gets worse before it gets better. Especially when it's a big task or purpose.
Plenty of biblical examples and personal accouts from friends to use. From the bible, I chose to talk about Moses and Mary, the mother of Jesus (Exodus 4:10-17, 7:1-6 and Luke 1:26-38). After seeing Evan Almighty with the youth group, I gladly referred to the movie a few times as well.
I am taken back to a time in Mexico just at the beginning of my time in high school. We served in a border town, or colonia, but stayed in Texas each night. Every morning we would pray for safe travels and our work that day. Well, one day (I can't remember if it was Wednesday or Thursday) we forgot to pray. Guess which day we had troubles that week...
1) It doesn't matter how long our relationship with the Lord has been going. It doesn't matter what we did in our past. What is important is that our relationship is continually growing and getting more intimate with the Lord. After all, Paul rejected Christ's name and persecuted Christians before his life-changing encounter on the road to Damascus. Moses killed an Egyptian after watching him beat up a Hebrew (Ex 2:11-12).
Evan Baxter had virtually no relationship with the Lord. Just a slogan to "change the world" as a newly elected Congressman. As the movie and the building of the ark progressed, so did Evan's relationship and intimacy with God.
The truth is we are all called by God for a purpose. It is up to us to answer that call and follow- just as the disciples had the ball in their court to drop what they were doing and follow Jesus.
2) Moses expressed 5 times to God his doubts and inadequacies! He complained of being slow of speech and tongue and not an eloquent speaker. I love this part. In Ex 4:14 it says "the Lord's anger burned against Moses" (emphasis mine). Even though Moses didn't have the confidence of speaking in front of Pharoah with God's help, He still worked around that anyway and sent Aaron with him.
Mary just had one doubt- she was a virgin. Quite reasonable to feel as such. But the angel, Gabriel, explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her. Mary's answer? "I am the Lord's servant." Sometimes women just get it quicker than men.
I have to admit that I mirror Moses' feelings. I am not an eloquent speaker. Some piece of advice from Pastor Lee came in handy. It actually relates quite well to point #1. "Let the Holy Spirit guide you. Prayer is a 2-way dialogue with God." Which means I need to take time to talk to God and take time to listen as well.
My friend, Matt, was asked to go to Chile a few years ago by his then-pastor. 2 weeks before leaving, his pastor told him that he (the pastor) couldn't go and Matt was quite a bit short financially as well. Uncertain but still reliant on God, Matt prayed whether he was supposed to go or not. A week before the trip, a man approaches Matt and tells him that he is supposed to support him on his trip. He proceeded to write a check for $1000 to Matt. Guess how much money he needed to go on his trip...
3) The Israelites faced harsh conditions under the Egyptians. After approaching Pharoah for the first time, Pharoah made them find their own straw instead of supplying it to them (Ex 5:6-21). Straw was mixed with mud to make bricks more durable. The Israelites had to find their own straw and keep up the same production level as before (Ex . They were also in fear after being released, as they found themselves in between the Red Sea and Pharoah's army (Exodus 14).
It's no doubt that both Mary and Evan (from the movie) faced ridicule. I'm not sure exactly how the conversations and insults went, but I'm pretty sure it went something like this. "You're pregnant. You and Joseph aren't even married yet! What's that? The Holy Spirit did it? Riiiiiight. Good one there." And with Evan or Noah... "You're building an ark? It barely rains at all! We don't even need an umbrella here! Yeah, you keep building that ark. We'll just keep doing what we're doing."
It is also important to mention that Mary and Joseph had to escape from King Herod, who ordered the slaying of all boys under 2 in Bethlehem (Mt 2:13-18).
What does this mean today? Small problems require just small solutions. But bigger problems are bigger opportunities to showcase God's power. Do you wish for big miracles to happen in your life? Let's not forget that through faith in Jesus Christ, we have the miracle of eternal life. Although not quite as visually stunning as turning the Nile into blood, it is no less of a miracle than the plagues God inflicted upon the Egyptians.
In closing, I leave with a thought from Evan Almighty. Evan's family has left him because they do no understand what he is doing. God talks to Evan's wife through a busboy at a restaurant. "If someone asks for courage, does God just give them courage, or the opportunity to be courageous? If someone asks for more time with the family (Evan's wife prayed for this at the beginning of the film), does God just give them happy times, or the opportunity to spend more time together?"
My prayer for all of us is to seize those opportunities, and rely on God as much as we possibly can so He can perform greater works through us.
the weekend of Noah
Ha! We devoted a whole weekend towards this story. Friday night (6/29/07) we saw the film Evan Almighty at the theater. It is a modern retelling of Noah's ark with obvious differences from the original besides the whole different time thing. Still, it is quite entertaining, funny, and still holds on to the core themes found in Genesis. God asks a man to do crazy task of building a huge ark. Man listens to God and does it, despite ridicule and a lengthy period of hard work. God causes/allows flood to occur.
On Sunday (7/1/07) we followed up the movie with going over the actual story in Genesis 6-8. We got through chapter 7 during this study session. Along with a few notes on some verses, we also discussed the differences between the modern day movie and Scripture.
6 "The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain." It is important to note that although God was grieved, He did not regret making man. This follows what is said in verse 5 that God grieved over the wickedness of man. His people did not follow Him at this time. Noah was the only one who found favor in God's eyes.
Verse 15 gives the dimensions of the ark in cubits. This was enormous! The length of one and a half football fields! Scholars estimated that around 45,000 animals could fit in the ark.
2 "Take with you seven [g] of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate" Clean animals were those that could be sacrificed. 'Seven' and 'two' refer to pairs of animals.
SPOILER ALERT! DO NO READ IF YOU WANT TO SEE HOW THINGS HAPPEN IN THE MOVIE FIRST!
One of the major differences is how the flood started and how vast it was. The flood in Evan Almighty resulted from a poorly constructed dam that burst forth and swept through a large portion of the Washington DC area for one day. In Genesis, God sent rain for forty days and forty nights (7:4) that covered the whole earth and flooded it for 150 days (7:17-24).
Once again, despite the differences, the major themes are still shared. Both Noah and Evan did what the Lord commanded. Both built incredibly huge arks (although Evan had the help of a book, Buliding Arks for Dummies!) even though they lived in dry climates that barely rained, if at all. No doubt they were both made fun of. Their families did not understand what was going on.
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