Category: From the Blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Monday the focus of media coverage at the University of Missouri moved from racial-injustice and concern over campus violence to freedom of speech as a video emerged student-journalist Tim Tai attempted to photograph and enter the protestors campsite.

The response was a demand that he leave and after refusing assistant professor Melissa Quick physically blocked Tai from moving further, tried to grab the video camera being held by student Mark Schierbecker, and requested muscle to help forcefully move Tim from the area.

When asked why he wasn’t allowed to be there Click told him among other things that this was a “safe space.”  This is a popular phrase used on University campuses for an area where people are able to share their views without being challenged.  It also gives the idea of not being faced with information that would be viewed offensive or frightening.

I personally find the idea of a safe space ridiculous since it gives a warped view of reality.  The real world is to be honest many things, but safe isn’t one of them.  And sending out a generation of College graduates who have no experience of their views being challenged is incredibly offensive. 

But of course calling these safe places ridiculous doesn’t really deal with the problem, to do that we must go to the original safe space.

You see this idea didn’t just come up overnight.  A young adult didn’t just wake up one morning and say “you know what, I don’t think anybody has the right to tell me I’m wrong, or share an opposing view anymore.”  Instead this idea was planted in their minds by online communication (particularly through social media) and it grew over time.

I read an interesting article this week called “How (not) to respond to offensive ideas” that describes how we view people with a disagreeing viewpoint either as a terrible person (labeling them) or ourselves as a victim.

It is too easy to retreat into labels which discredit and disgrace others. homophobe, racist, sexist: these all have a place, but we are generally too quick to use them when we feel our views or even our very selves have been slighted in any way. An opinion expressed online is often not a personal attack.

And we are not victims when other people think different thoughts to us. We must relinquish the culture of victimhood that is taking society captive, not least because we are not all victims, and to cry foul after reading something disagreeable to us diminishes the grievances of actual victims.

The author (Tess Holgate) continues by explaining this response to opposing viewpoints will eventually create people who cannot defend their own views.  This is incredibly sad because it’s my belief websites like Facebook were originally created for conversation about difficult issues among other things.  Today it’s just about attacking those whose views are different from ours.

And it isn’t just social media.  A growing number of news-sites have decided to either completely shut down their comments sections, or add a lot more control to what’s posted.  Again what was originally meant for healthy conversation has turned into a war zone.

As we spend more and more time slinging mud instead of defending our views online this starts to affect our day-to-day conversations.  Things as simple as listening to a persons viewpoint instead of trying to figure out a way to prove them wrong have been forgotten.

There is no easy answer to equipping a generation of college students for a world that isn’t filled with safe spaces.  But perhaps the first step in that direction is reclaiming a place that was originally meant for conversation and wrestle together with the deep issues of society for the Glory of God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love being a Missionary, serving God by proclaiming the Gospel in foreign Countries is one of the most fulfilling, and at the same time frightening things a person can do with their lives.  That mixture of success and fear is why I like to define missions as “a mountaintop followed by a Viking funeral” Editors note:  This refers to the Vikings habit of putting their dead on a raft and then burning it as the body went out to sea.  Today it means giving up on an idea, or admitting it isn’t working.

Yesterday afternoon sixteen children visited my house on the way home from School.  While this huge group was partly due to the fact that it was raining, most of them truly wanted to be there.  After some juice, games, story, and an attempt at playing “the quiet game” I sent the kids home and spent about an hour teaching two of them computers.

This “mountaintop experience” was followed by two adults forgetting to come meet me for computer tutoring (again) and a painful reminder while I’m doing an awesome job of reaching the children of Barrouallie, my ministry with their parents needs lots of work. 

A few hours later I sat on the porch drinking a cup of coffee while the rain poured down and placed those computer outreach plans on a funeral pyre, before sending them into the dark Vincentian night.

Now please don’t think I’m feeling sorry for myself or trying to gain pity.  The truth is putting an end to those plans was a best thing I could have done.  Early in ministry setbacks would be viewed as God’s way of saying “you need to work harder,” but experience (and inability to open closed doors) helps me hear God saying “there is a better way.”

Of course this doesn’t mean I run around with a gas can and torch looking for anything that can go up in a blaze of glory.  Instead there is a willingness on my part to admit when a plan isn’t working.

That’s actually the hardest thing about walking away from a ministry…there’s always a part of me that feels like admitting things could be done better is also confessing I’m an utter failure.  Of course this isn’t true in fact it shows a great deal of courage.

But that doesn’t make holding the match in your hand any easier

What does make it easier is the knowledge God is honored when we hold the precious things of life with an open hand so that He can take them whenever He wishes.  And as a loving Father does He will always give us something better in return.

I’m not sure how the Lord will use me to reach the adults of Barrouallie.  What I am sure of is He has a perfect plan, and that knowledge gives the strength to set my plans aflame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay first things first-I happen to be a Christian that drinks Starbucks coffee.  I’m aware that many Believers don’t do this, and would view my buying coffee from them as wrong, and aware that they don’t hold to a Christian worldview (being anti-family and anti-military).  However this gives opportunities to develop relationships with unbelievers in the community and share the Gospel.

Being a starbucks drinker I found myself shaking my head more than once over the last week and saying “seriously?  It’s just a cup!”  Of course I am referring to the fact that “merry Christmas” is no longer on the Starbucks red holiday cup this year.

Those who have begun boycotting Starbucks and speaking against them would respond to my confusion/frustration by saying “it’s not about the cup”…and they actually have a point.

Now some may be angry just because the word “Christmas” is left off a cup.  But behind the anger is a much more terrifying message; We are no longer a Christian nation.

There was a time when Bible believing Christians were the moral majority in America and had a great amount of influence upon the culture.  Sadly today that’s no longer true.  Now instead of having a loud and clear voice we are finding our cultural voices silenced in favor of the new moral majority (the LGBT community)

In a way the Starbucks red cup is a reminder that we no longer hold the political power or influence Christians once had.  And unlike other things (like the court decisions on marriage) Believers can DO SOMETHING about this through social-media and their personal choices.

But the holiday cup goes even deeper than that because it affects our relationship with the culture.  After learning we aren’t the moral majority anymore Christians have three choices.

1. We can stand for Christian convictions
2. We can admit to the fact that we have no influence and just consume what the culture gives us
3. Or we can ignore the fact that our culture is no longer Christian

I’m not going to come out here and tell everyone what to do in this situation (there are plenty of people doing that already) but instead am making the point that we need to realize our time as the moral majority is over.  So instead of waiting for people to come to us we must prayerfully take the Gospel to them.

Maybe the red cups more than anything illustrate the fact that our world is broken, and doesn’t even realize it.  And each red cup should be a fresh vision of that brokenness motivating us to share the Glorious Gospel of Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planting the Gospel in children’s hearts often involves becoming the role-model for them which means you become the authority figure, and one who teaches them what being a man or woman of God is really about.  In other words, you teach them a whole new worldview, or way of thinking about life.

Changing their worldview with the Gospel is obviously going to be very difficult (especially since this role would normally be filled by their parents) so I started by looking  for complicated programs or strategic plans to help change their thinking.  While there’s definitely a place for this, I’ve replaced those strategies with a peanut butter sandwich.

Monday afternoon as the kids came they found not only the customary juice and Bible story but a toasted peanut-butter sandwich on the table.  I carefully explained that the boy or girl who behaved best during story time and our game time playing red light-green light would get the sandwich.

There was a bit of confusion (and some annoyance) when I gave the sandwich afterwards to a little girl who hadn’t won at the game.  More than one of the boy explained that they deserved the sandwich after winning two times.

Of course this confusion comes from a culture that rewards success (the fastest, and strongest) instead of a person’s character.  This is why most of the boys who come over will cheat at a game every time my back is turned, and get into a heated argument if they don’t win. 

The Gospel instead looks past a persons achievements focusing on the character of their heart.  And I must make that heart focus a part of all the time they spend at Mr. John’s house (not just during the Bible story).  In the future everything I offer; from the juice, to tablet time, or who starts a game will be given out not on the basis of who is the strongest, but who has the most character.

The true reason for the peanut-butter sandwich is it gives me teachable moments for the Gospel with these children.  One boy yesterday in particular  (the best athlete) was pretty frustrated because winning not one, but two competitions didn’t earn the sandwich, I explained after losing the last competition (a race) he got angry and said it wasn’t fair.

The idea of rewarding character instead of achievement is still foreign in his mind, but I’m looking forward to the moment the Holy Spirit allows me to explain God doesn’t care about all the things he can do…God cares about the heart.  And winning all the races in the world couldn’t pay the price for his sin.

In a culture where children of all ages find their identity and self-worth in achievement may we create a worldview one peanut-butter sandwich at a time that emphasizes character over success, and by doing so point their eyes to a God who sees their heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In about a week it will officially be two-months since I returned to Barrouallie as the intern pastor of Tabernacle Baptist Church.  During that time I’ve enjoyed many wonderful blessings, but none of them compare to tonight.

See for the last eight weeks we have enjoyed the “John show” which means I do pretty much everything myself (speaking five times a week and leading music occasionally).  This isn’t something that bothers me to be honest since it’s normal for Church plants and I love to preach, however I’m well aware that Tabernacle cannot grow that way.

Last month I began praying about this and the Lord burdened me about the need for one on one discipleship with men in the Church.  The kind of Bible studies that emphasize spiritual growth, but also equip for ministry, and lovingly send them out into the culture with the Gospel.  By God’s Grace that burden has become a reality starting today as I begin the first small-group study on evangelism at the Church, and two men begin discipleship next week.

Sadly though today is incredibly important for Tabernacle, part of me wants to keep the John show going.

1. Because it still gives me an element of control
2. I know things will be done the way that I like them done
3. I would rather not ask for help 🙂

The bottom line is it’s easier to run around spinning the plates myself than to allow other people to do it and break a few plates in the process.  Yet with all the plate-spinning I am forgetting an important truth.

It’s not but how many plates you can spin

It’s about how many people are spinning plates

If Barrouallie St. Vincent (and the world) will be reached for the Gospel we must get past the plate-spinning philosophy of ministry that will just lead to exhaustion, and enter into one focused on apprenticeship/discipleship.

Yes that means things will get messy and lots of plates will get broken

But it also means instead of being about it me it will be my Savior