chase the goose

I started reading a new book last week: Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson (he's guy who also wrote In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day).

This new book actually releases today. I was fortunate enough to get a pre-release copy from the publisher.

Want my quick take? Unbelievable book. A must-read.

Here's a brief synopsis: Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit–An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something…

Most of us will have no idea where we are going most of the time. And I know that is unsettling. But circumstantial uncertainty also goes by another name: Adventure. —Introduction to Wild Goose Chase.

Here's one of my favorite paragraphs from the book (chapter 2):

Pray about everything, then pray some more. But at some point you need to stop praying and start acting. One of the great mistakes we make is asking God to do for us what God wants us to do for Him. We confuse portfolios. For example, we try to convict the people around us of sin. But that is the Holy Spirit's responsibility, not ours. And when we play God, we not only do a poor job at it, but it is always counterproductive. In the same sense, God won't do for us what we can do for ourselves. And that is where so many of us get stuck spiritually.

If you want to learn more about the Holy Spirit and his role in your Christian walk, you need this book. My copy is getting marked up with highlighters and underlining very quickly.

Again, the book gets released today. You can read more here: www.chasethegoose.com.

untypical

Sunday we kick off a new series at NewPointe: UnTypical. Honestly, I'm as excited about this series as I have been for any series we've ever done. I think what excites me the most is the idea of you and me living lives that are anything but typical. God doesn't call us to live typical lives. He calls us to the extraordinary.

It's interesting to me that so many people think that if you "become a Christian" that you're automatically forfeiting fun and and excitement, trading them in for the dull and lifeless. I've found just the opposite to be true. So over the next 30 days we're going to explore the idea of living an untypical life--the REAL Christian life. Untypical courage, untypical faith, untypical ambition, untypical generosity.

This Sunday we're going to discover an amazing dimension to living the Christian life--an untypical dimension. In this untypical dimension, he who would be first will be last. He who would be last will be first. In this untypical dimension God’s power is perfected in weakness…and real life, really living, comes through dying. How's that for untypical?

Don't forget, the Go '08 food drive starts this Sunday. You can start brining in non-perishables now!

Oh, one more thing... Don't be late to church. I'm not kidding. If you miss the opener this week...well, just don't be late!

See you Sunday!

street preachin' and disciple makin'

I had lunch with a friend in downtown New Phila yesterday. The weather was gorgeous so we decided to eat outside. We were part-way in to a very enjoyable meal when the street-corner preachers showed up and began shouting the "good news" at the top of their voices.

I told my friend, "You know, those guys make my job as a pastor more difficult."

I couldn't help but see some irony in the scene. Here I am, sitting at the street corner, having lunch--and a spiritual conversation with someone who I care about...someone I'm investing in, because I want to see him grow in his relationship with Jesus. Guy on the corner thinks the best way to share the good news is to wear signs and yell at people as they go by.

My friend asked me, "Do you think these guys really believe they're doing the right thing?" I said, "Unfortunately, I think they really believe that."

Here's a question. Who do you supposed accomplished more for the kingdom of God on the street corner yesterday? Three street preachers who hollered at a few hundred people as they passed by, or one guy (me) who spent the hour investing in a guy who's trying to figure out what it means to live out his faith?

It reminds me of this Tim Sanders quote:

You will accomplish more in the next two months developing a sincere interest in two people than you'll accomplish in the next two years, trying to get two people interested in you.

I just think the street preachers are well-intended but severely misinformed.

Agree? Disagree?

i'm tired of people...

Yes, I admit, this post is a bit of a rant.

Here goes: I'm tired of people. Let me clarify...I'm tired of people living for themselves--not doing anything significant with their lives. Not living their lives in light of eternity.

I'm fed up with this 'here and now,' instant-gratification generation.

I'm tired of excuses. "Well, I just don't have the time, my life is so busy right now." Or, "After this season of life, I'll do that great thing for God..." Spare me. It all boils down to priorities. The reality is that most people, and I do mean most people are just self-centered and/or indifferent to a needy, hurting, and lost world.

We've GOT to stop screwing around and begin making a difference! Ask yourself this question: What am I doing for God right now that's going to impact eternity? Or am I just offering up excuses?

People need hope. They need fed. They need healed. They need loved. They need Jesus. And the church is so preoccupied with inconsequential stuff we've stopped being the salt and light the world so desperately needs.

We cannot afford to get this wrong! The stakes are too high! Let's wake up and get busy!

If you've read this far into this post, you may be rolling your eyes or shaking your head. Maybe you're agreeing with me. Maybe you're not. Maybe you're in denial. Keep reading.

If you're not serving...you're just offering excuses as to why you aren't. That's all they are.
If you're not tithing...you're just offering excuses.
If you're not in a small group...you're just offering excuses.
If you're not leading a small group...excuses.
If you're not sharing Christ with your family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors...excuses.
If you're putting off that mission trip that God has placed before you...excuses.
If you're not investing and inviting...excuses.
If you're not helping the poor, feeding the hungry, helping the orphans, the widows...excuses.

Let's quit the excuses and start DOING!

"Well, John, if I could just have more training...if I could just have one more Bible study to prepare me...if I could just take some time to get my spiritual act together..."

Maybe getting your spiritual act together means getting off your spiritual duff and just start somewhere. Do something.

Eternity is forever. Hell is a real place. There is real suffering in this world. We can't lose sight of that! We've got to do something about it.

What can you do? Really. What can you do? The way Dwight puts it is, "What are you doing right now that if God were to die, you'd have to stop doing it?" In other words, what should you be doing right now because God is who he says he is and he's counting on you to be a difference maker?

So, is this a rant? I guess so. Am I upset? Yes. Who am I talking to? Mainly me.

local churches unite...to oppose something!?!

I read this story in the paper yesterday. Here are some excerpts:

CHARLESTON -- The opposition to table games in Kanawha County took on an ecumenical cast Sunday, as worshippers from across the spectrum of Christian belief gathered to kickoff what they hope will be a successful campaign against casino-style gambling.

Members of churches from the United Methodists to the Southern Baptists -- gathered under the auspices of the West Virginia Council of Churches -- planned a rally to signal a month of intense campaigning against the expansion of gambling at Tri-State Racetrack & Gaming in Nitro.

Churches from a variety of Christian denominations have found common ground in opposition to the addition of casino-style games like poker and blackjack to the Nitro racetrack. They warn about the dangers of addiction to gambling and the negative impacts it can have on individuals and families.

As I read it, I thought, Are you serious? This is what causes Christians to unite? Because they want to oppose something? Once again, to the community at large, there go more Christians rallying against something.

I'm not saying it's wrong to do so. I'm just saying, why this one? Why unite against table games? How 'bout uniting because of the fact that people are dying and spending eternity apart from God? How 'bout the bigger issue? It's called sin. Why don't we, as churches, unite and rally together to deal with the root issue. That is that people are lost and hurting and they need a Savior. They don't need less or no gaming tables. They need Jesus! Let's rally around that!

What if our churches got serious about that one?

Here's the thing: before there will ever be change on the outside (gaming tables), there has to be change on the inside.

The Great Commission doesn't call us to be the morality police for our communities…it tells us to go and make disciples. What we need to do is focus more on Jesus and less on social issues. I think if we do that, the rest will be taken care of (Matt. 6:33).

See, gaming tables are not the problem. Gambling is the problem. Blake spoke this morning about how Bartimaeus was willing to deal with his root problem.

Instead of, as Christians, always being AGAINST something, why not show our communities what we are FOR! We're for helping people. We're for second chances...and third chances, and fourth chances... We're for the hurting, the helpless, the down-and-out, the spiritually poor. We're for our communities. We're for ending poverty. We're for forgiveness. We're for each other. We're for the family. We're for sinners. We're for those who think church is boring and irrelevant. We're for loving the unlovable.

Now, before you misunderstand me...I'm not FOR gambling. I'm for JESUS. Because he is the solution.

Let's rally around that.

god-in-a-bottle

There's this tendency in me to treat God as though he's a genie in a bottle. I carry the bottle around with me and if I ever get in a tough spot, or if the weight of my sin becomes too great, I rub the bottle and out pops God--ready and willing to grant me my wish...bailing me out or giving me yet another fresh start.

And then, of course, he must go back in the bottle until next time.
After all, if he were always outside of the bottle, well, it might cramp my style.

See, I want him near--I need him near. That's why I always keep the bottle with me. That, and I want everybody to see me carrying the bottle...I want everyone to know that I'm a guy who keeps God with me all the time. Image is important to me.

As I think this through, the bottle really tells my story: God, how 'bout you come along with me. God, I'm going to head this way, and yes, you're important enough to me that I want you to come along, I want you in on my gig. But ultimately, I guess all too often God is not important enough to me for me to say, "God, I'm coming with you. God, I want to be on your plan, your agenda...I want your way. You lead. I'll follow."

May today be the end of the God-in-a-bottle era of my life.

i can't even think of a good title for this blog...just read it and rejoice

We just finished shooting five baptism videos this evening. Five incredible stories of life-change. Five people who love Jesus so much that they're making a public declaration of their new association with him.

We're going to be baptizing a whole bunch of people later this month and early next month. I love it.

Four of the people whose videos we shot today were in the Starting Pointe group I recently led. I can't tell you how proud I am of those guys. All four of them had concerns/reservations about doing the video and then being on stage in front of so many people on Sunday morning. But they each decided that baptism was something they absolutely needed to do. I'm pumped.

Mostly I pumped because I got to hear each of their stories first-hand tonight. Most people wouldn't know this but when the baptism candidates are talking on video, they're actually talking to me (I sit right next to the camera). Everyone else leaves the room and then it's usually just the two of us having a conversation about how Jesus has changed their life. I love my job!

Tonight I got to hear Paul and Sharon W.'s story. You can see the video on July 8 but here are some highlights:

They moved to our area a few years ago because Sharon has rheumatoid arthritis and M.S. and is confined to a wheelchair...and they just wanted to be closer to the Cleveland Clinic. Shortly thereafter they discovered NewPointe. What she had to say rocked me: She said (as she began to weep), that she considers her handicap a blessing...because if it weren't for that she would have never found NewPointe and wouldn't have met Jesus. All I can say is, "Wow!" Is that unbelievable or what?

Her husband, Paul, shared that Starting Pointe was the catalyst that caused him to become a Christ-follower.

Dave C. also shared his testimony with me. Dave came to NewPointe one Sunday in January and got in a Starting Pointe group the next week. Now he's getting baptized because, as he said, he wants the whole world to know that he loves Jesus. Dave was extremely reluctant to do the video and be baptized on stage but he's going through with it because of what Jesus did for him.

His sister, Cheryl W. is also being baptized. Cheryl was also in our SP group. She's one of the quietest, most reserved and unassuming people I know. She said she gets nervous around people, even just a few people. But when I asked her about how she met Jesus and what her life is like now, I couldn't get her to shut up! You can see her video and baptism on July 8 as well.

I can't wait.

sunday's scuds (may 6, 2007)

Yesterday at NewPointe, we wrapped up a quick, 2-part series that began on First Wednesday. We looked at communion on Wednesday and baptism on Sunday. Here are some of the scuds that were launched:

• "Your view of baptism probably has more to do with the way you were raised than any research you've done."
• "Jesus commands those who become his followers to be baptized."
• "There are exactly zero examples of infant baptism in the New Testament."
• "When you come out of a religious environment where you don't read the Bible, you're going to do what the church tells you to do."
• "There's a big difference between a version or a realm of Christianity where the church is the authority and one where the Bible is the authority."
• "It's easy to understand baptism. Baptism is a public declaration of a new association."
• "Baptism was not inherently spiritual just within one context. It was a somewhat common thing that became central to Christianity."
• "Baptism is for individuals who have individually, personally made a decision to associate with Jesus."
• "We don't believe there's any inherent spiritual value in infant baptism."
• "The tragedy of infant baptism is that it can give a false sense of security to parents and children."
• "If you ask the authorities in denominations that baptize infants why they do it, they may have some answers that make pretty good sense to you...but their answer will not come from a clear teaching from Scripture."
• "There are churches that teach that a person is 'saved' through being baptized. The Bible doesn't teach that."
• "Baptism is extremely important but it has nothing to do with where you spend eternity."
• "If you have not been baptized since putting your faith in Jesus, you need to be baptized."
• "Do it in a way to where it's public enough that it's a public declaration of this brand new association."
• "The issue isn't how or where, it's when."

For more information at baptism at NewPointe, check out this link.

You can also read Chad's take on the 2-part series right here.

sandwich series

This Sunday we'll wrap up the No Strings Attached series at NewPointe. If you think the first three have been good, wait till you see how we wrap it up this week.

The next series is a quickie (but a goodie) called Remember: a modern interpretation of ancient traditions.

Here's the unique part (the sandwich part): The series begins on First Wednesday (May 2) and concludes on Sunday morning (May 6). Which ancient traditions we're going to look at? Communion and baptism. We're going to dig deeper to discover where these traditions came from and why they are still important in our lives. Dwight is going to talk to us about communion at First Wednesday--be prepare to be rocked! We'll participate in communion in a way you've never experienced before. And then on Sunday, I'll be exploring what the Bible has to say about baptism and how this informs our understanding of this universal Christian practice. And yes, we'll be baptizing some folks on that day too.

So there you have it: a two-part series that includes First Wednesday. Come get your faith informed.

i got saved!

A couple of nights ago, Jenny and I watched the movie Saved! Ordinarily, Saved! would not be at the top of my Netflix queue but I've always been curious about this one. Many Christians have bashed it saying that it's disrespectful, irreverent, and sacrilegious. So, naturally, I wanted to see it.

The movie is about a group of teenagers who attend a Christian high school. Each of the kids has issues (the main character gets pregnant after sleeping with her boyfriend because 'Jesus told her to,'...she did this because he thinks he's gay and she wanted to cure him from his gay-ness. Another kid who attends the school is a smoking, cussing, Jewish rebel. One character is stereotyped in the film as the holier-than-thou, goody-two-shoed, judgmental Christian. The school's principal is a pastor whose marriage is on the rocks and ends up having an affair with the pregnant girl's mom...I could go on). I know what you're thinking...John, why in the world would you watch this kind of junk? The short answer: I wanted to see what Hollywood is saying about Christianity...and I want to do my best to stay connected to culture. And I guess it was pretty much what I expected.

It's disappointing that Christianity gets such a bad rap. In the movie, the "Christians" are the villains and the rebellious kids end up being the heroes. The movie's goal, in my opinion, was to make Christians look like foolish hypocrites. Sadly, the 'bad kids' displayed more of the true essence of Christianity than the 'Christian' kids did.

So why the stereotyping by Hollywood? I think it's because we, as Christians, have made it easy for them to do it. I think there are many Christians, including myself sometimes, who are hypocritical, judgmental, and unloving. And it makes me sad. I'm sad that we haven't done a good enough job of being Christ-like to the world. What we've done is we've settled for the off-brand: Christian-like-ness instead of the real thing: Christ-like-ness. When we're Christian-like, we settle in to our own little Christian "clubs" and do our own little Christian things. And we tell the world that if you're not like us, if you don't agree with us, if you don't worship like us, if you don't talk like us, if you don't know the Christian lingo, if you don't know our songs, if you don't dress like us, then to hell with you. Yeah, I just said that. Because that's what we say to the world sometimes because we're so dang exclusive.

Here, let me break it down some more for you:

It's unfortunate that our culture is so turned off by the word Christian. And we've done it to ourselves because we haven't loved the way that Jesus loves. We haven't sacrificed the Jesus sacrificed. We haven't been generous the way Jesus is generous. Heck, most the time we don't even care. We just assume that someone else will feed the hungry, care for the sick, comfort the hurting.

The word Christian literally means little Christ. What if we, as Christians, got serious about that? What if we decided to "bring Christian back?"

Know what I think could happen? I think we could rock Hollywood with the love of Jesus Christ. I think we could rock the world with the love of Jesus Christ!

Saved? Not a very good movie. But it fired me up. And it makes me wonder if the ones who really need saved are those of us who call ourselves Christians.

i am proud of my wife...

...and I just want to brag on her a little bit. Before I go any further, I must say, she would never brag on herself...about anything...ever. She's very humble. In fact, she'll probably be a little embarrassed about me posting this but I just want to give her props. By the way...she only checks my blog every-so-often...so it may be a while before she sees this--she last read up on me yesterday (she visits this blog occasionally to get an update on what's new in my life). :)

Here's ONE of the many reasons that I love her and am proud of her: She's generous.

The other day she was shopping at Aldi. When she grocery-shops she usually has to hit Wal-Mart AND Aldi just because we can save the most money by doing that. But I digress: Jenny had just checked-out at Aldi...and if you've shopped there, you know that you have to bag your own stuff (that's part of how they're able to offer lower prices). As Jenny was bagging things up, an elderly, seemingly down-and-out gentleman, was checking out. Cut to the chase...the elderly guy forgot his money. He had no way to pay for his food purchases...and he lived 30+ minutes away. And he was there by himself. In other words...he was hosed.

Jenny Bunn to the rescue. She went to the cashier, asked how much the bill was, and paid for the dude's stuff. Right there...right away. I just think that's very cool.

The guy, of course, was blown away. He had been thinking that he was going to have go home, get his money, come back, re-shop for all his stuff, etc. He kept offering to pay Jenny back. He wanted Jenny's name and address. He wanted to send her a check. And Jenny tells me that he wouldn't let it go. He kept after her but she insisted that she just wanted to be a blessing to him...no strings attached.

He finally got the picture that Jenny was determined to help him...just out of the goodness of her heart. He thanked her over and over.

It always makes you feel very glad to help someone who really, truly appreciates what you've done.

Jenny, in my opinion, offered "a cup of cold water in the name of Jesus" that day. And you know what? She'll never forget doing that...and neither will he.

Isn't it interesting that the times when we are selfless and others-oriented are the times that impact us most? I guarantee that she's already forgotten most of what she bought on that day...but she'll never forget what she gave away. Neither will her Heavenly Father.

a couple of blogs you might be interested in...

First, you may not yet realize that my homeboy, Dwight Mason, has his own blog now. I know, I know...mind-blowing. He just started and he's only a few posts into it but it's definately worth checking out. His blog has entered blog-o-sphere in a kinda stealthy way...not much introduction or fanfare. But now that it's been featured here on "Outside the Bunn," watch out! You can find his blog at www.DwightMason.com.

Also, as I was bumping around the Internet yesterday, I stumbled across this blog: Church Hopping. Fascinating. In this blog a couple of agnostics choose a church (usually in Columbus or Cincinnati) to visit and then they file a report about their experience on their blog. I'm totally intrigued. Included in their church-hopping are serveral churches I'm familiar with including this one in Cincinnati I attended as a teenager (and I still have a lot of friends who attend there).

This pair of agnostics rates churches on a 1 to 10 scale with a 1 being "I was so uncomfortable and/or offended that I did not stay to the end of service" to a 10 which means "This church was welcoming and thought-provoking. I would recommend that others experience this church." (Actually, they admit in earlier posts that a "10" is reserved for a conversion experience--one church got a 9.9 (Crossroads Community Church near Cincinnati).

Very interesting. And it's not like they're going to these churches with closed minds intended to bash them...they seem very respectful and earnest.

restriction vs. freedom

Each spring at NewPointe we like to encourage our people to engage in a 40-day fast leading up to Easter. It's kinda like a Lent thing but we just take the 40 days immediately preceeding Easter and ask anyone who's willing to fast something during those forty days...in other words, give up something (could be a particular food, say, desserts, or junk food, or pop, or it could be something like TV, or Xbox). The fast is about growing your relationship with God. I believe God's not as concerned about what is in your stomach as He is about what is in your heart. Basically the fast is a spiritual discipline we do in order to deepen our relationship with God and to walk in step with His plan and purpose. Typically we get there through substituting our regular food (or TV, etc.) intake with Bible reading, praying and journaling. The overall goal is to experience a genuine hunger for spending time with God.

I've fasted in the past. Unfortunately, I haven't made it a regular discipline. I probably should.

Recently I read about something called a "Daniel fast." Have you heard of it? Daniel made a decision to not eat the king's food was an outward symbol of an inward commitment he had made to God.

Typically there is no definitive list of foods for the Daniel fast, it is truly the spirit of Daniel's decision that gets imitated over a set period of time (sometimes 21 days). The Daniel Fast is a partial fast, meaning that some common thingsget eliminated from the daily diet, but generous options are usually available. Most Daniel fasts that I've heard of focus on eating fruits and vegetables that are pure and simple.

As I was reading, a question was asked that struck me:

During this fast, have you focused on the freedom or restriction? We are free to eat of all the fruits and vegetables God has created. There is no way to count all the possibilities. Yet, with all the freedom we have been given, it is tempting to focus on the few restrictions.

Satan can manipulate the freedom God has given us in many areas of our lives. He can make God’s freedoms feel restrictive.

And so I started thinking...how huge is that? Man, that question/statement rings so true. My tendency when I'm fasting, no, in life often times is to focus on the restrictions rather than the freedom I have. If I'm truly free in Christ then I should live like I am. Following Christ isn't about keeping a list of dos and don'ts. It's about experiencing freedom! It an abundance mentality vs. a scarcity mindset. The restrictions, see, aren't really restrictions. In fact the "rules" that God gives us are actually guidelines for successful living. I'm learning that God's way is always the best way. It's just tough to get it through my thick skull sometimes.

Restriction vs. freedom. What's it gonna be? 2 Corinthians 3:17 says: where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. That's huge!

good enough vs. spirit alive

Too often I'm willilng to settle for for a cut-rate version of Christianity. I hate that tendency in me. I call it "Good Enough Christianity." Good-enough Christianity, for me, mainly consists of belieiving the right things and keeping busy doing "churchy" things. The Good-enough version moves me toward focusing on the wrong things--even though they may be "good" things--ministry, for example, or at least some self-contrived, overrated idea of ministry...or worse, it usually causes me to lose focus of the most important thing: leading people into a growing relationship with Jesus.

It's such a rut, this Good-enough Christianity. The place I want to be, and I'm good at talking the talk (or even blogging about it)--but far too often I'm far from it, is what I call Spirit-Alive Christianity. Spirit-alive Christianity, I think, has three main components:

1. God-hunger. C.S. Lewis said, "Put first things first and second things are thrown in. Put second things first and you lose both first and second things." I put second things first way too much. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." That's where I want to be: so hungry for God that he is first--always.
2. Kingdom-hunger. This means that I long to reveal God to others no matter how they treat me. I've got a long way to go with this one.
3. Holiness-hunger. This means to hate sin more than loving the pleasure it brings. Ouch.

Yeah, I'm hungry. Maybe I'm just not hungry enough.

louie giglio

Louie spoke on Friday morning at Catalyst. And, as expected, he delivered the goods. Louie is just the dude. Honestly, he's one of my heroes. He talked about living lives that are inspired...and thus, inspiring others. Here are some of my notes from this session:

Inspire people with something bigger than themselves. Root them in the love of God and the life of Jesus Christ. In other words, we ought to inspire people to shine!

Louie said that vision and strategy are great but they don't carry people--it's love! We are compelled by the love of Jesus.

He said that the question we need to ask is, Okay, we've reached all these people, but what do we want them to look like? Here's what he said:

• God-lovers: above all things they're in love with the Father
• Christ-likers: they're people who look like Jesus (less coming together--more going out and living like Jesus.
• Pace-setters
• Hell-raisers
• Inside-traders: they have an inkling that there's more...heaven is on the way!

Another one could be this: risk-takers. Louie said that to the greater degree that we roll the dice, the greater the potential.

working on my personal mission statement

I took some time to work on my personal mission statement today. It's definately a work in progress...and it's probably too long right now, but here's what I have so far:

I will live each day with a sense of passion and expectancy. I will make a choice to be enthusiastic and positive in my daily activities. I will do my best to inspire others to live with a sense of passion.

I will love my wife. I will serve her by putting her needs ahead of my own.

I will worship God with my whole life. I will ask myself these questions: Do my actions demonstrate love for God? Do my thoughts honor God? Do my words please God?

I will always seek to grow in my relationship with Jesus Christ. I will make him the center of my life. I will make decisions based on his example. I will strive to be transformed into the image of Christ.

I will strive to be authentic in my relationships.

I will honor and cherish my friends.

I will seek to find ways to serve others with a grateful heart.

I will learn what it means to truly love. I will strive to offer sacrificial love to my family, my friends, and my Lord.

I will strive to do the right thing even when others aren't watching.

I will make sure my life counts. I will make a difference.

I know, I know, all you personal mission statement gurus are going to tell me it's too long. But at least it's a start.

the skinny on dan brown

At Sugarcreek Free Methodist Church, we've been in a weekend message series about The Da Vinci Code. We've been looking at some of the claims the book makes, comaring them to Biblical teaching as well as historical records. It's been very interesting and fun. I'm giving the next talk (May 20, 21). It's about the Bible.

In researching material for this weekend's message, I listened to an hour-long interview with the author of The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown, yesterday. He's an interesting guy. Very thoughtful...a deep thinker as you might imagine. Here are a couple interesting things I learned about him.

He claims to be a Christian...although he never spoke of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, or life change or anything along those lines. He says he grew up with a dad who was a math teacher and a mom who was a church organist. He says he always felt conflicted when it comes to science vs. the Bible because of this interesting dynamic in his life. He comments that as a young boy, trying to decide which way to believe, he chose to land on the side of science rather than biblical teaching because it just made more sense to him. He also says that as he's grown and learned, he's decided that science and religion actually compliment each other and should be viewed as partners in a person's faith.

He reinforced the fact that the book is a novel. He thinks religious leaders have made way too much out of all of this (although I'm sure he welcomes it--it helped him sell over 50 million books). He says he doesn't pay much attention to the press and has not looked at a single book that "refutes" or "rebuts" his book.

I also found this very interesting: here's a guy who just got paid $6 million for the movie rights to Da Vinci, he's sold over 50 million copies of the book...in other words, he could live anywhere, do anything, etc...and he chooses to live in New Hampshire...and he says he's in front of his keyboard by 4 a.m. each day (he feels like if he's not there by then he misses the most productive part of his day)...and he's working on the sequel to The Da Vinci Code. You've got to admire/respect that kind of dedication.

He keeps an hourglass on his desk and takes a break every half hour to do push-ups, sit-ups, and hang upside down (he says it helps the blood get to his head and helps him with new ideas--a fresh perspective).

He claims to write an average of ten pages for every one page that actually makes it into a book.
He's thrilled with the way the movie turned out. He says it reminds him of what the whole movie theater experience used to be about--he says that when he was a kid, movies took him to places he'd never been, they challenged him, they moved him, they scared him, they inspired him...he says this movie is just like that.

He thinks its great that the book has generated so much talk about faith and has caused people to investigate the claims of Christianity and the Bible. Of course, it helped him sell a whole bunch of books. But I got the impression that he's sincere when he says this.

The movie opens this Friday. And, yes, I plan to go see it. I've read the book. It was interesting, and fun. I expect the movie to be the same. The key for me is that I approached the book as it ought to be approached--as fiction. If one approaches it otherwise, it certain could confuse a person. That's why we've done the message series at SFMC--to help people understand the real truth. If your small group is interested in studying The Da Vinci Code, shoot me an email. We've got some cool DVD curriculum that I'm sure your group would enjoy.

how should christians respond to the da vinci code?

I received this email from one of our church attenders today. My guess is that this email is working its way around:

WHAT ARE YOU DOING MAY 19TH?

May 19th is the date the Da Vinci Code movie opens. A movie based on a book that wears its heresy and blasphemy as a badge of honor. What can we as Christians do in response to the release of this movie? I'm going to offer you the usual choices -- and a new one.

Here are the usual suspects:

A) We can ignore the movie. ........

The problem with this option: The box office is a ballot box. The only people whose votes are counted are those who buy tickets. And the ballot box closes on the Sunday of opening weekend. If you stay home, you have lost your chance to make your vote heard. You have thrown your vote away, and from Hollywood's point of view, you don't count. By staying home, you do nothing to shape the decision-making process regarding what movies will make it to the big screen.

B) We can protest. ........

The problem with this option: It doesn't work. Any publicity is good publicity. Protests not only fuel the box office, they make all Christians look like idiots. And again, protests and boycotts do nothing to help shape the decisions being made right now about what movies Hollywood will make in the next few years. (Or they convince Hollywood to make *more* movies that will provoke Christians to protest, which will drive the box office up.)

C) We can discuss the movie.

We can be rational and be ready with study guides and workshops and point-by-point refutations of the lies promulgated bythe movie. ........

The problem with this option: No one's listening. They think they know what we're going to say already. We'll lose most of these discussions anyway, no matter how prepared we are, because the power of story always trumps the power of facts (why do you think Jesus taught in parables?!). And once again: rational discussion of history does nothing to affect Hollywood's choices regarding what movies to make.

But there's a fourth choice.

On May 19th, you should go to the movies. Just go to another movie. Save the date now. May 19th, or May 20th. No later than Sunday, May 21st --that's the day the ballot box closes. You'll get a vote, the only vote Hollywood recognizes: The power of cold hard cash laid down on a box office window on opening weekend. Use your vote. Don't throw it away. Vote for a movie other than DVC. If enough people do it, the powers that be will notice. They won't have a choice. The major studio movie scheduled for release against DVC is the DreamWorks animated feature Over the Hedge. The trailers look fun, and you can take your kids. And your friends. And their friends. In fact, let's all go see it. Let's rock the box office in a way no one expects -- without protests, without boycotts, without arguments, without rancor. Let's show up at the box office ballot box and cast our votes. And buy some popcorn, too. May 19th. Mark your calendars now: Over the Hedge's opening weekend. Buy a ticket. And spread the word. Forward this e-mail to all the Christians in your address book. Post it on your blogs. Talk about it to your churches. And let's all go to the movies.

I sent an email back. Here's what I had to say about it:

May I offer an option "E"?

E. Go see the movie! Put yourself in a position where you can speak knowledgably to others about it...instead of just being "the Christian who's opposed to everything. I say go see it, learn about it, find out what they're saying about Christ...and then REDEEM the movie. Maybe as Christians we should be about to say to our friends, families, and coworkers, "Yeah, that was a great movie! If you're interested in learning more, well, our church is going to talk about the movie on weekends. And they're not going to slam it, or put it down...they're just going to investigate things more thoroughly...with an open mind...they'll probably even talk about some stuff that the movie hasn't even thought of.

I believe we have an incredible opportunity to take something that the Devil intended for evil and turn it around. This is a time when many people are going to be asking questions and exploring spiritual matters...let's redeem it! I don't want the church to be a bunch of fuddy-duddies who alway disapprove of everything. The movie is a fictional piece, and needs to be understood that way. I could go on and on but I won't. Anyway...I say we embrace it, and then we redeem it.

--JB

P.S. (and that doesn't stand for Princess Sophie either--you'll have to have read the book to get that)...Where did this email originate? My guess is that it MAY be from the marketing staff for the "Over The Hedge" movie. Just a thought.