Everyone is in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars

psalm63adam · 03-27-2003, 02:59 PM

Yeah, maybe I should.

I was watching VH1, and they were talking about the MTV music video awards, and how Moore egged on the guy from Rage Against The Machine to protest Limp Bizkit winning best video. I thought that was pretty funny that these "young bucks" who play loud music were listening to advice from Michael Moore.

psalm63adam · 03-28-2003, 12:18 PM

RAVE - Week of 3/23/03

Watched a movie a couple of nights ago - About A Boy.

I really enjoyed it. I like Hugh Grant as an actor (if not as a regular person), and this movie was no exception. It had some good comedy, it had some dramatic scenes, and it was just a good movie.

When I watch a movie, I try to get more out of it than entertainment. I try to apply the main theme of the movie to my life, or I'll try to come out of it with a couple of things to work on.

So, as I watched About A Boy, there were a couple of elements of the movie that struck me.

First of all, Will (the character played by Hugh Grant) knew himself. There is a scene where he is at someone's house, and they just recently had a baby and wanted Will to be the godparent. Will looked at them incredulously and asked if they really thought that he would be a good godparent. The lady replied that she always though that he had a depth to him hidden somewhere. Will replied "You see, that's where you've always been wrong. I really am this shallow." Will knew his strengths, he knew his weaknesses. He knew that he pretty much did nothing, that his source of income came from a hit song his dad wrote in the '60's, that he had a different concept of time than most people, etc. etc.

It's good to take some time every once in awhile and reflect on who you really are. Not who you believe people see you as, not the mask that you wear each day in order to hide your shortcomings, but to really realize and discover who you are. So in thinking about this movie, here are some things I know about myself.

I know that I'm a pretty patient person, except when it comes to driving. And the fact that I live pretty close to almost every retirement community in Arizona doesn't help the situation. I've never been one to use bad language, but the place where I use it the most would be in the car.

Like most Americans, I'm selfish. I don't believe in "delayed gratification." I want it when I want it, which is usually right away. If I don't get it when I want it, then I usually will sulk and complain. I have a consumer mindset and one of the reasons why I'm so bad at saving money is that I spend it right away on whatever I think I need.

People infuriate me and frustrate me. Oftentimes, I will truly believe what someone once said: "The church would be a great place if it wasn't for people." Even simple situations, like today when I was waiting in line to get a couple of doughnuts, and some old guy cut in and got a couple in front of me because I reached down to get one of those tissues, and he thought I wouldn't see him and of course I did, make me wish that most people would just disappear.

Because of the things that have happened in my life, I have a continuing struggle in my relationship with God. I ask Job-like questions, but instead of being answered by God in a whirlwind, I get no answers. I see people who have had nothing happen in their lives and who continue to get away with sinful behavior and I envy them. Everyday I get up and wonder what bad thing will happen to me next. I fear that I will have to have brain surgery again. I fear that another person close to me will die. Because of the three miscarriages my wife and I have had, I am stressed out as my wife hits the sixth month of our pregnancy. Somehow I still hold on to this little thing called hope and stubbornly believe that God really does love me.

Sometimes I wonder if I should have gone into veterinary school rather than the ministry. I love animals and when I hear cases of animal cruelty, I get very angry and want to exact justice on them. Animals love unconditionally. One time I was thinking of how sad I become when I hear of an animal that is hurt and heard God say to me, "Imagine how I feel when the people I created get hurt. Imagine the pain I feel when people choose hell over me." This is one of the main reasons why I don't believe in Calvinism.

I could go on and on, but you get the point.

The other thing that struck me in this film is that towards the end, there is a remarkable transformation in Will's thinking. He goes through most of the movie knowing who he is and accepting who he is and not doing anything about it. Towards the end of the movie, however, he realizes that he can change, that he can be different, that he can turn his life around.

And I realize the same. Although I know who I am, it doesn't mean that's who I have to be, for the rest of my life. I can change. I can be different.

And that's what makes this life worth it.

***Art*** · 03-29-2003, 12:45 AM

You know... I never said congratulations...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

*confetti*

psalm63adam · 03-30-2003, 07:36 AM

Thanks, man.

Every week we take a bigger sigh of relief. We had a scary moment a couple of weeks ago, when the baby wasn't kicking, and so we had to go into labor and delivery to monitor the baby, but everything was okay.

Quite the stress. But on that day it will all be worth it.

tropicana · 04-02-2003, 02:10 AM

Yay! You're gonna be a daddy! Have you made plans to bronze the baby booties yet?

Congrats!

Tropi

psalm63adam · 04-02-2003, 10:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tropicana
Yay! You're gonna be a daddy! Have you made plans to bronze the baby booties yet?

Congrats!

Tropi

Thanks!

Today we went for our last ultrasound, and it's 100% that we're having a girl.

Haven't made the bronzing plans yet, but I can't believe how much preparation there is when you're having a baby.

***Art*** · 04-02-2003, 04:54 PM

Awwww, a baby girl

This is awesome.

psalm63adam · 04-02-2003, 05:47 PM

Yeah, secretly that was what I was hoping for.

We knew that this was our last shot at kids of our own, so we'll probably adopt a boy as well.

***Art*** · 04-02-2003, 06:29 PM

That is so awesome! I'm quite happy for you

psalm63adam · 04-02-2003, 06:35 PM

RANT - week of 3/30/03

I've been in ministry for almost ten years now.

That's crazy. In some ways, it seems like it was just a couple of years ago, me being the "young pup", the "new guy", the "I graduated from bible college with a youth ministry degree, but I have no clue how to really minister in the real world" one. In other ways, I feel like Billy Graham - hanging around after years and years of doing what I love, seeing all of the things that have happened over the long period of time, and just asking God for a few more years of fruitfulness.

A couple of weeks ago, I celebrated my first anniversary as a worship minister. The nine years before that, I was a youth minister - seven and a half in Colorado, and a year and half in Dallas.

I thought I was ready to make the "switch" from youth minister to adult minister four years ago. The associate minister at my church asked me to consider taking the position that was opening up that was in charge of the small group ministry and assimilation ministry (affectionately called "The Borg" ministry - "You will be assimilated.") I told him that I would take a couple of weeks to consider it. After three days, I told him I wasn't interested and that I wanted to still be youth minister. Although I really didn't tell him why, here were the top three reasons why at the time I decided I wasn't ready to leave youth ministry:

3. At the time, I still liked allnighters, week-long conferences and retreats. I look at them now and I thank God I don't have to do that anymore.

2. Adults scared me. The only adult contact I had in youth ministry was parents of teenagers. That was frightening. Well, I had some great adult leaders, but I figured they were "weird" like I was.

And the number one reason:

1. COUNSELING.

No matter what adult ministry position you end up taking, whether it be top dog (senior minister), loud dog (worship minister), mean dog (administrative minister), or whipped dog (Sunday School director), you will inevitably get looped into the counseling ministry of the church. Even if you end up avoiding having this task get put in your job description, there will always be a time when you're alone in the church office, trying to finish up something, and a lady will come in whose third husband is beating her and she doesn't know if she should leave him or not (To which I want to say, "Pack your bags, lady, get out of there now", but I know someone who said that, and an hour later her husband came back to the office with a gun. A big gun. Honestly. Of course, it was in Texas, where everyone has a gun, so...)

My rant is this: why do people seem to think that just because you're a minister, that makes you a good counselor? Believe me, it doesn't. I'm terrible at it. I never took a class in counseling (although I did have to take a class in psychology; unfortunately it was abnormal psychology, so I can only diagnose someone as a psychopath, I can't help them through it.), I don't have a counseling degree, but yet Mrs. Smith seems to believe that somehow my words of wisdom will make a difference in how she deals with her husband's "roving eye".

If I was the head of a denomination, one of the first things I would do would be to hire professional counselors for each church over 400 people. Or I would have each church partner with a Christian counselor in the area who would take on members of the congregation for a reduced fee; in return they would have some free advertising and more clients.

In the meantime, I have to go - Mrs. Smith just called and wanted to know if getting an ingrown toenail was a sign from God that she needs to cut down on her swearing.

**PianoMan** · 04-02-2003, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by parkway
No matter what adult ministry position you end up taking, whether it be top dog (senior minister), loud dog (worship minister), mean dog (administrative minister), or whipped dog (Sunday School director),

That is funny. My Mom is a whipped dog then.

psalm63adam · 04-02-2003, 11:44 PM

Yeah, so was my dad - it seemed like everyday he came home with his tail between his legs because there was some problem with an adult sunday school teacher.

BabyBear · 04-03-2003, 11:21 AM

LOL It's so funny, but sadly it's also SOOOOOOOO true. The other situation I hate is when a minister decides that it's his job to tell me what I'm feeling and try to fix a problem that's not THERE!!!!!

ANYWAY, Congrats, parkway. I'm praying for both your wife and the baby.

IHL,
BabyBear

psalm63adam · 04-03-2003, 11:34 AM

Thanks!

I appreciate your prayers.

psalm63adam · 04-03-2003, 01:46 PM

RAVE - week of 3/30/03

The past couple of weeks have been pretty exciting for the church I work for. The church is a five and a half year old church plant in the Northwest Valley of Phoenix. It's gone through a lot of ups and downs, mainly due to staff problems and issues. But we've been averaging 400 now for about six months, and have seen some great things take place.

One of those great things was purchasing 40 acres of land to begin building out our master plan. Our congregation is quite excited because for the entire time of the church's existence, it has been meeting in schools. Which really isn't fun. Having to rent out a building and deal with the problems that ensue just isn't a great time, if you know what I mean. Anyway, we're excited.

The big reason I'm excited is that the architects we worked with used to work for Disney. (At first, when I heard this, I had strange visions of "Hell Land" and "Heaven World" going through my head. "Hey, look kids, it's Jesus Mouse. Let's go take a picture with him.") After meeting with them for a couple of days, they came up with a master building plan that is innovative, creative, and has a theme running through it that I believe is necessary in today's culture: Architectural Evangelism.

What I mean by architectural evangelism (try saying that five times fast), is that the buildings that the church of today builds should be asthetically pleasing and should reflect the creative power of the One who created the universe, the world, and each and every one of us. It should be something that stops people in their tracks and makes them wonder, "What is that?" Too often, the church of today looks at its finances, its building budget, and if there's anything that gets cut first, it's the appearance, both outside and inside, of the buildings. That should not be. When I walk through Kierland Commons, a beautiful upscale marketplace in Scottsdale, Arizona, I'm amazed by the thought that went into designing for aesthetics and drawing power: the innovative shade structures, the changes of elevation of the roof lines, the "main street" road feel, the water fountain, the attention to detail with the stamping of the concrete, and the outdoor pavilion at the entrance to Barnes and Noble. This is a place that I can hang out for the entire day and get a glimpse of the creative power of our Creator ingrained in the lives of His creation: us.

If only our churches felt the same.