The Journey

The Beginning of Summer 2012 at Camp KIVU

I've been working with several schools around the country, and every now and again we get a chance to host a school group up here at Camp KIVU in Durango. 

This week, Valley Christian School from Chandler Arizona came up for their Senior Trip.  What a thrill!!  While most seniors are traveling to beaches, amusement parks, or meaningless road trips; these kids are getting a whole picture of what kind of fun we can have in the summer. 

I started taking kids down the River yesterday, and I remember everything I love about working with teenagers.  We talked about where they are going to school next year, their favorite movies of the year, and then we got interrupted by some crashing rapids.  It was incredible. 

What a great place to learn about each other, where there's no way to get out of a conversation.  It was AWESOME!!

In the evening, we decided to do a little worship time with my buddies Phil and Peter, and we found a great spot where the spirit decided to move. 

Last night, we took them down into the woods to sit around a fire and just talk. 

How many times do we get a chance to just sit in the quiet and talk to each other.  We're so busy working on our cell phones, facebook, and even writing blogs.  (Ironic huh?)

In the end, it's all about spending time together and getting to know someone, even if it's somebody we've known for the last four years of High School. 

What an incredible Senior Trip!

Lot's more fun to come, as these students get a full taste of what KIVU has to offer in the summer.  It's a great place to check out of the world, and get some perspective on where we're going before we enter the world at a full pace. 

I'm excited to see how this caps off four years at a Great School in Southern Phoenix.

 

Flesh Eating Bacteria? Have you seen this?

Ok, you've probably seen this story, but WOW...How Creepy?

Aimee Copeland, a student at The University of West Georgia, is fighting for her life.  Evidently she was swimming in a lake with friends.  She cut her leg on a branch or a rock when she was jumping in the water, and the open wound left Aimee exposed to a terrible bacteria in the lake.  

Soon after the infection began spreading through her body, her leg had to be amputated to stop the spread of the disease; and her mother says she will likely loose some fingers and other extremeties due to the rapid nature of the bacteria spread.  WOAH!!!  This is awful! CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

As I was thinking about this story, I'm concerned for Aimee.  
Can you imagine sitting in a hospital bed, not knowing what was eating your body from the inside out?
Can you imagine your leg being amputated because of a trip to the lake?

How many times have I been swimming in lakes and rivers around the world?
Was I exposed to this bacteria?
Did I ever risk the same outcome Aimee is enduring?
WOW!

When I read about this story, I was moved to think about how silent killers begin to work in our life, and since this is a blog about a faith journey, I naturally began to think about all the things in life that eat away from our own spiritual development.  

In the Christian tradition we have a similar flesh eating bacteria, it's called sin.  

Sin is a tough subject to talk about, because no one really wants to admit to being a sinner.  Our world is full of people who try to justify their behavior in comparison to others they know, communities they dwell in, or even other believers they watch do things outside the boundaries of what they would call 'Godly.'

Who sets up this measure of sin?  
And how do we know if we are allowing a disease to infultrate our very existence?

The Bible says, "The Wages of Sin is Death.." (Romans 6:23)  DEATH? REALLY?

 I suppose if we want to take this spiritual thing seriously, we have to take a while to figure out what sin is.  What is this thing that causes Death?  And why would there be a system set up by a God who loves us, containing this notion of Death and Sin?

The Bible is chalked full of places where God sets up standards for a life of perfection.  He says things like, "Thou Shalt Not Kill."  (Exodus 20:13)  Most of us can adhere to something like that, because most of us understand, naturally, killing members of our society leads to a declining population. Even Naturalists Understand this.

Another commonly quoted commandment in the Bible says, "Thou Shalt Not Steal." (Exodus 20:15) Another pretty easy commandment to follow, as we all understand if we become a society of thieves, nothing is safe.  It's not that difficult to figure out, but of course there are some who want to test and push the boundaries of even burglary.  

But if you think for a minute God's intention was to set up rules and regulations to merely develop a checklist of living, you missed the intent of God.  The Bible isn't a book filled with do's and don'ts for the sake of some social control.  God set up ways of living so we could experience the humanity He created in the beginning.  

He didn't say thou shalt not kill so to withhold the pleasure you might have of killing another person.  NO!  He gave us thou shalt not kill because of His love for humanity.  He knew the accompanying torture that follows a killing of another human being, even if it's for self defense or "just" type of reasons.  The pain and sorrow of loss is a bacteria that invades our soul.  The pain of guilt and shame continues to plague the perpetrator like a nightmare for the rest of their lives.  

It's the bacteria of the spirit that eats the spiritual flesh.  Sin starts small and when it grows in the hearts of humanity it leads to death.  

Jesus came and said, "I've come that you might have life and life more abundantly." He actually started answering the question of death from a human point of view and began giving us a picture of a full life living in God's perfection.  

The kicker comes when we have to come to terms with our own soul.  We can look one way or the other and try to justify the things in our life as "ok" without being honest.  Because to honestly look at every human on the planet, we must be able to measure our own hearts, full of sin.

To add insult to injury, sometimes the sin bacteria is so deep in our soul we have to eradicate it, just like Aimee did to her physical body.  In order to save the whole of the spiritual body, sometimes we have to take drastic steps to move from the ominous prospect of death to the power of life through God's Mercy.  By the power of God's forgiveness and a change of behavior, I think we can begin to outline how to get the disease out of our soul.  

As so many have asked what I think about sin in our culture, and sin in our personal lives, I'm dedicated over the course of the next few days, to provide a way to think about sin, death, and ultimately a place where we can find 'life and life more abundantly.'

Stay tuned...

It's Easy to Live in the Rules

Well, as I expected, I received a TON of e-mail and comments on the Same Sex Marriage article I wrote yesterday.  Some thankful for the notion of following Jesus, some angry I didn't just create a checklist of right and wrong and call people on the mat for doing something wrong.  

I was driving to work this morning thinking, "How is this so hard?"  

Maybe it's because I'm constantly thinking about how to follow Jesus.
Maybe it's because I'm teaching teenagers how to think about following Jesus in culture.
Maybe it's just because I write in this sphere.  

But is it really that hard?

And then it hit me...

It's tough to live in a world where there are people who feel comfortable with rules, and others who don't.  It's the rule of law that confuses us.  Some people are just created to see life in black and white, while others are created to see the varying shades of grey, and the conflict is there.  

Some will say, "Well the Bible says it.  Come on Andy just read the words.  It's right there."

Others argue, "But what is the intent of the scripture at the time it was written.  Andy, you can't just have a checklist of things to do and not do or you become just like the Pharisees."

For example:

I've heard people quote the Bible out of context all my life.  

Philippians 4:13 says, 'I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.'   

I've seen athletes claim this verse.
I've seen academics try and wrangle knowledge out of this verse.
I've watched Teenagers claim this mantra over and over again to call on God the Genie of the Universe to come and give them supernatural strength to overcome whatever physical obstacles are in life's way.

But that's not at all what the Bible means.

Paul wrote that verse in the middle of explaining how suffering can drive Him closer to an intimate relationship with God.  It was the suffering of rejection, the suffering of being a castaway, the suffering of people who were calling on Paul's pedigree forcing him to realize God can give strength through life's circumstances.  

But then you could argue, "Well, it's written right there in the Bible. Read the words." 

And so the mantra continues.  People continue working through the check list of what God said, and interpreting what God means.  It's almost like we need that list to know we're doing something right?  Right?

This seems to be an obvious problem living in a post-modern world, a time which most believers think they are exempt from, as the mis-understanding of interpretation and mis-used application of the WHY's in the Bible outline the way we walk with Jesus.  But we have to ask some essential questions.    

Why did Paul write what he wrote?
What problem was he trying to solve?
What issue was actually being addressed?

He didn't write Philippians 4:13 so you could go to the gym and bench press 350 lbs.  

Sorry.  

So when we talk about issues in culture that are controversial, it's important to seek the heart of God as we develop a social structure we can live in.  

YES, there are some boundaries for Holiness.  You can't be living in sin, any sin, and see God clearly.
YES, there are places we need to be very careful when accepting or rejecting certain lifestyle.  As a culture we are skating on thin ice in a lot of areas.  Let's not let the one overshadow our need for reform in the many.  This is a perfect time to take account of how we are living in relationship with God.  
And YES, there is an overarching need to establish this 'living by the Spirit' in the context of God's love and the WHOLE picture of the scriptures which is reconciliation.  

What say you?

Same Sex Marriage? The Bible? And Living in Culture.

No doubt the airwaves have been filled to the brim with the controversial Same Sex marriage comments floating through politics, business leaders, and the water cooler at work.  It's a subject we've danced around for years, but will be THE issue; not merely in society, but in the whole of the Church at large.  

Some will frame Same Sex marriage as a right in society and cry discrimination from a social structure only giving advantages to hetero marriages.  
Others will protest the moral fabric of a Judeo/Christian nation eroding into the abyss.  

I realize, even by writing on such a controversial issue, I've chosen to set myself up for angry e-mails from one side, and theological purity on the other.  But before we start throwing stones at each other, maybe there's a way to frame this conversation in light of what Jesus asked us to do.

First, this is an A-Political conversation.  I'm not interested in making this about political sides, as we know Politics Solves Little to NOTHING!  I know the President's recent comments were the centrifuge throwing all sorts of wonder into the culture, but let's be honest; The President of the United States has a few more things to do than sit around dictate what marriage looks like.  I'm not impressed.  

Secondly, this blog is about how to live in a world and remain true to following Jesus.  It's not about the theological discourse mounting verse upon verse to justify one side or another. It's not about the judgment of humanity,  I think that's God's Job.  It's not about rules of Christian living, I think that's kind of a cop out for control.  And it's certainly not about any organized religious organization or their views of general religiosity.  

This is a place where level headed people can talk, exchange ideas, and try as best we know how to follow Jesus in the historical place in time we've been given.  We have the Bible.  We have the Spirit.  We have our communities of faith.  And We have thousands of years of fellow faith followers who set precident for us to know how to act.  We MUST count them all.  

Third, this isn't a place to call people names.  In order to have a level headed discussion, we can share ideas, disagree, even adamantly think someone has an opinion off the reservation; but to hold true to respecting people, and debating ideas must be at the core of conversation.  If we don't respect people, then we need to go back to Matthew 22:37-40 again and start at the beginning.  

So on to the issue at hand...

What's with all the talk about Same Sex Marriage? And What would Jesus do?

I think Tim Keller Got it right in this short video.  Watch first, and then let's move on.

From a person following Jesus, the point isn't to cast a stone of judgement towards sin, but to always be in the middle of a self evaluation.  It isn't homosexuality that sends someone to hell, but rather; the greater question at large is the self righteousness accompanying ANY kind of sin keeping ourselves at the center of salvation.  For some it's the obvious keeping or not keeping of the law.  But for many, and even Jesus spoke loudly against this, the self righteousness of our own spiritual architecture condemns us already.  

It's only God who has the right to save, not man.   

And if by any chance you think hetero sexual marriages have the sinlessness figured out, just look at the overwhelming number of divorces, adultery cases, lying, cheating, and idol worship inside the walls of traditional marriage.  How can anyone speak to the validity of traditional marriage when Christians have the MOST marriage counselors, the MOST marriage seminars, the MOST help from people claiming to be experts.  What gives?  It reminds me of the speck and the plank example Jesus told in Matthew 7:3-5.  

As followers of Jesus, I think we need to be careful first to learn how to love people.  

Jesus' examples pile high in the discourse of the gospel as restoration comes only by love.  

The woman at the well.
The lepers.
The man at the pool of Bethesda.
The woman who touched his garment.
The disciples themselves were no real bunch of righteousness.
The woman caught in adultery.
The sinners who sat for hours listening to the sermon on the mount.
His feeding of 5K

ME!

Certainly God knew the sin in my life and decided to go ahead and take a chance on loving me.  In spite of all the times He knew I would disappoint Him, and those around me, God took it upon Himself to risk the chance of loving me into His Kingdom.  (John 3:16-17)

As we battle out the rights and wrongs of morality in a culture of plurality, let's not forget the chief goal at hand is to Love God, and Love Others...PERIOD!  (no qualifiers there)

What say you? 

An Ode to All Moms

I don't care what the pundits say, Being a Mom is the hardest Job in the world!

Much has been made of the Mom war in the press lately.  Don't think that's not a calculated strategic plan!  When it came out a few weeks ago that Mitt Romney's wife didn't every hold a real job because she was a mere housewife, the world gasped. And under the breath of every husband in the world you could hear, "has anyone every tried to raise children, keep a home together, keep the calendar, drive to and from events, make sure everyone has the right nutrition, make sure all the homework is done, help put band aids on scraped knees, hold kids in times of emotional pain, point the family in a direction everyone can agree on, and keep her sanity?"  

Oh  yea, that sounds like a CEO of a multi-national company.  

For today I wish a Happy Mothers day to mothers all over the world.  After all, without moms, we wouldn't be here, plain and simple.  

One Mom I've grown to know well over the last 15 years is my beautiful wife, Jamie.  I'm telling you, it's an amazing feet to watch this woman juggle all the tasks she has to finish each day.  As she creates an environment rich for learning and development at home for our 5 kids, she's got all the extra curricular activities on the calendar ready to roll. She's involved in a small non-profit company as the VICE PRESIDENT.  She has a social calendar full almost every night of the week.  She's an advocate for adoption around the world.  She has time to carve out special moments for those closest to her.  And she's in the middle of writing a book for teenagers.  

I don't know how she does it, but I'm sure envious of the way she does.  

I know sometimes it feels like no one is watching.  No one is caring.  No one gives you the accolades you deserve.  But remember, when they pan the camera across the bench in the football games, nobody holds up a finger and says, "Hi Dad!"  

So, To Jamie Jo...Happy Mother's Day.

For all you Moms out there who feel like no one notices, don't be fooled.  
They're all watching you pick it up, and put it down.
They're just running to a place where they can escape when the fire gets too hot to handle.
You're in the battle every single day.  
Keep on going.

You're making a difference every single day by the lives you influence.  

Happy Mother's Day! 

 

May the 4th be with you!

When I talk to parents about how to communicate with their teenagers, one of the crucial points I bring up is the "spend time doing things your kids like to do" point.

Four years ago, my 3 year old was just learning how to talk.  Mom went away for three weeks to handle our adoption process in Rwanda, and I was left at home to figure out how she ran the house.  First, let me say, Moms, YOU ARE THE HEROES.  I don't care what Republicans or Democrats want to argue about on the hill, Being a mom is one of the toughest jobs in the world.  

So, there I was staring into the face of a 3 year old who really didn't have anything he LOVED to do, and I had a TON of work mounting up with due dates and deadlines.  

I did what any normal father who grew up in the 80's would do, I put in the Star Wars DVD, sat him in his chair, and left the room to get something done.  

After the first episode was over, he was reeling to watch more, so for the next 3 weeks, we became Star Wars Addicts.  

At three years old, Dax could name all the characters, give plot lines, and predict what was going to happen in upcoming episodes George Lucas hadn't even thought of yet.  

So to this day, I have a little Star Wars lover in the house.  And every May 4th, we greet each other at the breakfast table...May the 4th Be With You.

Here's to you D-Man!

National Day Of Prayer

A Prayer for Today

Almighty God who sits on the throne of Heaven and Earth
Who created all things, and in Whom all things hold together
May Your name be lifted high today

We know your space is Holy and your Kingdom is right
As we look around this world and see the pain, hurt, disease and death plaguing our land
We ask, humbly, your space, be reflected in ours

We know all things come from you, and is within your power to provide
We ask your continued provision in our lives
We know every good and perfect gift comes from above
We ask those gifts be given freely in our time, in our world.

We know our world is full of mis-steps.
We know there are times we don't live up to your calling.
We ask your forgiveness in those places, and ask for the power to forgive others
We ask for the power to have peace that passes all understanding. 

We ask for the foresight to understand how to live and love here
As you've called us to live.
Help us to be understanding with those we interact with today
Help us reflect your heart to the hearts we get to touch today 

We know this world is yours.
We submit our desires to reflect the desires you have for us.

May we continue to understand the glory and power comes from You alone.

It's in all this we pray today

Amen. 

The KIVU Gap Year

KIVU: Vocational Education in Global Discovery

 It's official.  The 2nd KIVU Gap Year class has completed the entire program.  They have been around the world, working with different cultures, interning in different vocational opportunities, and developing a life's thesis including goals for the future.  

 As we met in the small conference center in Denver, I met all the parents with excited expectations.  We set the students up to give 5-7 minute testimonies about what they learned, and I must say It was nothing short of AMAZING.  As I sat with Jamie Jo, I leaned over and said, 'This is the most impactfull youth program I've been a part of in YEARS!"

 A few highlights from the students were...

 "I want to be a Doctor who cares for patients, instead of just treating symptoms"

"I know I work well with my hands, I want to go into engineering and working with systems."

"I love researching the stories of the people we worked with, I wonder if I'd be a good journalist."

"I know I DONT want to be a teacher now.  I went into the program thinking I would go to school to be a teacher but now I know, I don't have the energy."  

All of the students are enrolled in University in the fall, and have a full Life's Thesis that will help guide them, and remind them of the lessons they learned on their global journey.  I wish you could have seen the impact a year away from traditional education can have on students before they begin their Freshman year at the University.  

We are continuing to get calls from families who are enrolled in the University in the Fall.  One from North Carolina who has received a Global Gap Year Scholarship offer before they begin they begin the first year at UNC, and we've received another inquiry from a student enrolled at Duke.  

Overall we wnat to continue to build a program where students can see the world, interact with various cultures, find out about who they are in the big wide world, and graduate from our program knowing who they are and where God has called them.  

We've created space for a few more to join us in the 2012-13 school year.   

If you're interested in a year of Global Discovery for your graduating Senior contact Luke Parrott at luke@campkivu.com. 

 

Andy Braner

President KIVU

 

The Ugly App

Well, it was only a matter of time.  

A company called Dapper Gentlemen has released an iOS app in the apple iTunes store called the Ugly Meter.  

Basically, you can take a picture of yourself, and the app scans your facial structures to see where you scale on the ugly meter.  Here's a live report from CNN

You can only imagine how many teenagers are uploading this Ugly Meter to see where they fit on the scale.  And don't think for a minute this simple tool isn't going to cause waves in they psyche of today's modern teenage vanity culture.  

Can you imagine what might happen when you were 13 to put your face up to an iPhone to see if you're worth anything?  This is absolutely ridiculous.  As I think about the un-intended consequences, I'm reminded of the old adage, "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."

Who's telling kids this is one algorithm based on someone's view of beauty?
Who's going to follow up with kids who score HIGH on the Ugly scale?
Who's helping kids understand they are made special in God's image, in light of what this DUM app would say?

I can't imagine what the hallways of the high school are going to be like when the results get posted on someone's website.  

Well, Dapper Gentlemen, maybe we'll be reading more about you when the Ugly App becomes the foundation for bullying in the high school.  This will be a story I'll follow to see where it turns out.  

Vanity of Vanity...All is Vanity 

Theology and Teen Development

Based on a nationwide representative sampling of more than 4200 young people and adults the survey data show that people from ages 5 through 13 have a 32% probability of accepting Christ as their Saviour. Young people from the ages of 14 through 18 have just a 4% likelihood of doing so while adults (ages 19 through death) have only a 6% probability of making that choice.
(Barna Research Group) 

What's up with that?

Is this for real?

Is God less real for someone ages 13-18  than for someone 4-13?  

OR...is there something else going on here? 

I've been writing about Teen development this week, and we'd like to employ a comprehensive approach to helping teenagers navigate the roughest part of their development years.  Learning how to make decisions, understanding what it means to self regulate, and putting teenagers in positions where they can succeed is our highest goal at KIVU.  

Theology is certainly a part of helping teenagers begin to see the world around them with God at the center.  We don't make any excuses for taking a Christian Worldview approach to life.  We believe there is a God.  We believe in following Jesus.  We believe in looking at the world through a God centered prism. But in light of recent research, we are beginning to share it a little different.  

When I was attending the church as a teenager, I kept hearing this statement about teaching teens about faith early and often, so they could "invite Jesus in their lives."  You can tell by the research the Barna Group is putting out,  it's a pretty convincing argument for full on youth ministry.  If we believe life changing power happens to a person when they understand God and commit to following Jesus, then we should funnel ALL our resources to a place where children and teens can experience Him.  Otherwise, we're missing out on the vital time of life prime for students to believe in God.  Its almost as if the URGENT sign should be in the children's ministry at EVERY church around the country.  KIDS COUNT!

After our close look at neurological development, I began to think about the reason kids tend to accept God during these early formidable years.  I started asking questions like, "Does God cease to be God after 13?"  I mean, "If God is the God of the Universe, why is childhood and adolescence the prime time when people accept God?  After all, how do we really understand God during our teenage years?"  I'm still trying to figure out how God functions in my 30's.

I wonder...

Are teenagers more likely to accept God because of brain development?
Has the church locked into this emotional center of the brain?
If teenagers experience this onslaught of emotional decision making, could it be that we are noticing changes in their belief systems as a result of emotional experiences?
Could the responses we see in the teen world as they relate to accepting God be attributed to the way we present God during the teen years?

I don't know if you've ever been to a Teen Evangelical Large group meeting, but a couple of things you'll notice right off,

1. The Music is different from traditional Church gatherings
2. The Messages are usually high energy, highly emotional, and full of convincing arguments for accepting God "NOW" I remember one youth leader say, 'what if you get in a car wreck on the way home today.  WIll you go to heaven or hell?'  Now if that's not convincing...
3. The pressure to make a commitment in the midst of your peers is overwhelming

 (Remember, before you make assumptions on the validity of this methodology we're working on a comprehensive approach.  The development has to include all parts of the human experience; mainly biology, sociology, psychology, theology, experiences, nutrition, fitness, environment, and connections to others.  So, we're just asking questions about one specific part of the experience...Neuroscience. The spirit of God certainly has another way of trumping everything I'm writing.)

So, I've decided to take a different approach.  We have teenagers come to KIVU from different faith backgrounds.  We've had Jews, Muslims, Atheists, and Agnostics come to Colorado for Adventure!  And we believe we have some of the best adventures around.

But they also get a taste of what the Christian Worldview looks like from a relational point of view as they interact with our staff of Jesus Following College Students.  
They get to experience the honest living of a leadership team who continue to struggle with the idea of God working in their lives in real time.
They get exposed to a mental exercises of deciding what is right and what is wrong from a Biblical perspective.

And at the end of the day, THEY HAVE THE CHOICE.

We don't pressure kids into an emotional experience.
We don't turn the peer pressure on high.
We don't try to strong arm someone into believing in something they're not ready for.

We ask complex questions, and try to frame answers we think fit into our own belief system.  

If a student comes here, and isn't ready, we don't force them to follow Jesus.  We allow for the full development of discovery to happen, and in turn; the next question begins to formulate.

My colleagues quote, "75% of Teenagers raised in Christian Households who attend Public Universities reject their faith by their first year in college."  This is an alarming statistic.  Couple this statistic with the numbers of church decline over the last three decades, we've got a real problem.

Some of my youth leader friends address the problem by ramping up the emotional experiences for teenagers.
Others try to address the problem by creating College experiences at the University to pro-long the emotional response.
I just ask the simple question...Why?

Why do kids reject their faith?

Is it knowledge?  I don't think so.  We have more information on faith than every before.
Is it the new found freedom they experience?  I don't know.  If God is real, and they commit to Him, the freedom should allow for more in depth experience when they go away.
Is it the onslaught of professors who try to turn kids away from faith?  I'm sure that exists in some cases, but most professors I meet aren't EVIL.
So what is it?

Could it be, we're asking teenagers to make commitments in an environment they don't fully understand?

I'm committed to helping the whole being of the teenagers who I work with.
I want to mentor them from a comprehensive approach.

When I engage a mentor relationship, the teenagers who understand I care for them as people first, and then work on the emotional, physical, and theological development, are doing far better than the teenagers who get caught up in an experience.  

I know there's a lot to digest here, and I'm still trying to work it out in my own practical professional life, but the beauty of the newest neuro-research is the fact it gives us the tools to help.  

I'd love to continue the discussion and see what you think.  If we truly want to help teenagers succeed in life, we've got to begin addressing these real issues.   

 

 

Teenage Autonomy

As I continue to discover the intense development of the teenage brain, the negative responses might be something like, "Oh, that's why my kid is doing this. I need to get with a Medical professional who can regulate the brain chemistry.  I just need to give him some medicine, and everything will be better."

Don't get me wrong, in many cases, medical treatment is required by a proffessional psychietrist.  With the foods we eat, the lack of hydration, and the effects of our environment; often times medicine does re-set the teen brain and we see results.  At least we see results for a time.

But the dangers of putting chemicals in the brain are the effects and the un-intended consequences.  A spike in Dopamine, for example, might set into motion a high level of serotonin deficiency, and we're back at square one.  It will work for a while, but how long do you have to continue searching for pharmaceutical solutions.  

The approach I'm finding most interesting is a comprehensive look at helping development.  

Sure we need to address biology, but sociology, psychology, and theology all play an important role in helping students have a well rounded person.  (and that's all we're really aiming for, right?)

So today I'd like to take a second and highlight the importance of teen autonomy.  

Teenagers are on a fast track leaving childhood and entering the adult community.  They need mentoring and training to understand what it looks like to be able to regulate their own behavior, and make their own decisions.  If you can give them practical 'wins' to being a person a part from your authority, you win!  

Before we begin on practical steps, let's remember, it doesn't do any good to look down on your teen as someone less than able to be human.  When we take the approach as parents like, "Well, I'm the adult.  They don't know anything.  It's my responsibility to teach them something,"  We set into motion a dangerous style of mentorship actually counterproductive.  They continue to rely on us for every decision they make, and ultimately we run into what I call Extended Adolescence.  

I have a Sophmore University student I work with who lives like this.  His mother calls his cell phone every morning before class to make sure he wakes up.  She handles all his work applications.  She works with the proffessors at school.  She makes sure he has all the food he needs.  It's almost like he's still living at home, but really he's living 500 miles away.  This is not good.

Autonomy for a teenager simply means they need a space to know how to survive in a space of humanity they can feel safe.  They need practice to have a say in how life plays out.  

Let me explain...

If your teenager (13-18 years old) wants to eat pizza tonight, and you think "Ahhhh, we can't eat that stuff.  I've got to teach them how to eat healthy."  Take a second and evaluate.

Is it going to hurt them?
Is this the 7th night in a row of pizza?
Could this be something I can accomplish?
Will this give my teenager a say in what the family eats tonight?

You see, if they have a say in what's going on around them, they'll feel like they are an individual contributing to the world around them. We all know pizza isn't the best choice of a dinner every night of the week, but if this time is within reason, let him.

I know pizza sounds like a minor deal, but think even broader.

"Mom, can I stay out an extra hour tonight?"

Think...

Is it going to hurt them?
Do they have a good reason to want to stay out?
Will it compromise anything to hurt anyone around them?

And if the answers to those questions give you a way to allow them to negotiate, then let them stay out.  Of course the older they get, the more you want to allow them to negotiate their own space. If my 13 year old wants to stay out late, that's a different story all together than if my 18 year old asks.   Teenagers are slowly evolving from the child that requires 100% of your attention, to the adult that will ultimately be able to decide for themselves.  If you start early, you can build a behavior mechanism allowing them to choose well.

Which of course brings the question, "What if they do something to harm themselves?"  

I've worked with kids strung out on substance.
I've worked with girls who get pregnant.
I've worked with guys addicted to porn.
I've seen the failure of decision making.  

So I'm not advocating we just throw rules out the window and let it be a free for all at home.  But I am wondering, if we start early giving our kids the chance to succeed and fail small; they might learn the concept of actions and consequences before they have the chance to choose something destructive and fail BIG.  

The failure most parents see happens when we control everything in their life, and then send them to the open field of adulthood without any training.  We don't prepare them to be people who can actually understand they have a play in choosing right from wrong.  

Imagine what a mind bender it is to make every decision for your student, and then send them off to the University to sink or swim on their own.  It just doesn't work!

Early ability to regulate the automous behavior is important.

If your 13 year old forgets his homework, don't bring it to school.  Let him understand the consequence of responsibility as the teacher will give him a bad grade.  It's not the end of the world.
If your 14 year old forgets his lunch, don't rush to Chic-Fil-A to bring a hot meal to school.  He won't forget it tomorrow when he remembers how hungry he was.
If your 15 year old gets a D on a paper, don't give the teacher a hard time.  Spend time trying to help your kid study and understand the value of time management.
If your 16 year old wants to drive, don't just buy him a new car.  Help teach him the value of money, and the issues involved as your insurance rates that just went through the ceiling.

As we mentor teenagers to become successfull adults, we can live life WITH THEM in the midst of success and failure, so they can ultimatley know they can be safe with their own decisions.  

Tomorrow...Theology as it relates to Teens

Adolescent Brain Development

Kind of gross, isn't it?

It looks like sponge you might find at the bottom of the Ocean or something.
Maybe it looks like one of those Nerf toys you could squeeze, fill with water, and throw on your friend.   
I remember in biology class thinking, "That just doesn't make sense to me."  JUST BY LOOKING AT IT. 

But on careful study, I've found the Human Brain the most interesting organ in the human body.  

Last weekend, I had a chance to attend a brain development conference with Dr. Karyn Purvus of TCU's Child Development Center, and I'm here to tell you, we are on the cusp of discovering monumental keys to brain development.  

The brain is a part of the body most eagerly studied, but until the last couple of decades, has been one of the least understood parts of the human system.  Sure we know the anatomy of the brain, but how it works and why it works is quickly becoming revolutionary in how we work with people.  

We have good research on the baby brain, as the beginning of life is an interesting story of synapse connection.
We have good research on the elderly brain, as we try and figure out why Alzheimer's disease is plaguing much of our older population.
But little has been done on the Teenage brain, until now.

With the invention of a new medical device called an fMRI, Neuroscientists can now map the activity in the human brain in REAL TIME!  They watch as certain centers of the brain become active in certain real time situations.  

My time with Dr. Purvis was incredible, and I've been consuming information about what goes on in the teenage brain as they develop into adults like a thirsty man in the desert; and it is FASCINATING.

I found out quickly, the development of the teenage brain is largely centered around the part called the Amygdala.  It's a part of the brain made up of almond shaped tissues, and it controls the emotional stability of how we think.  

During development, the Amygdala acts like the control center.  The variables in decision making pass through this part and all the thoughts, actions, and behavior are filtered through the emotional CPU, if you will.

It was an "A-HA!" moment for me, as we've always known teenagers to be more emotional in decision making, but we didn't know why.  We use phrases like, "Well, the hormones are raging" and we answered questions of behavior by dismissing it as just teenage stuff.

I also found Joseph LeDoux, a neuroscientist at the Center for Neural Science at New York University, and discovered the reason why!  

During Adolescence the connections in the Amygdala are highly influenced by experience.  The synapses are connecting at light speed, and setting up our brain for long term decision making abilities.  But at the same time, the brain is pruning the synapses we don't use.  

In other words, if you can think of muscle training, your brain is literally strengthening the connections you have as you have various experiences.  

If you experience emotional pain, the synapses leading to decision making become stronger.
If you experience lustful emotions, you're strengthening the synapses for lust.
If you have experiences of fun and delight, those parts of the brain become the filter where you make decisions.  

ITS INCREDIBLE! and all of the sudden, it makes sense. 

I know why it's important to flood a teenagers brain with positive experiences.  It's not simply behavior modification, but rather; its actually a training mechanism allowing them to think in a logical way!

Of course this doesn't last forever.  

As the brain develops, the CPU for decision making shifts to the Frontal Lobes and Logic becomes part of the mix.

I can't tell you how revolutionary this is to a guy like me dealing with teens all the time.  It's like a key to unlock the mystery of behavior, and it gives me real action points to help teenagers and parents of teenagers understand who they are and why they do what they do.

Of course there are multiple centers of development, and you certainly can't spend your time on one part over the other, but in my counseling work this new information is akin to the Rosetta Stone.  

I'll be sharing more as I learn more, but I've found a new passion to drive what I'm working on out here at KIVU.  

Stay tuned...There's MUCH More to come!

Are Boxes Really THAT important?

My family has moved houses three times in the last 12 years.  I know it doesn't sound like much, but every time we move I feel an indescribably pain in my gut.  I HATE IT!!  

I don't know why I hate it so much, but I do know, almost every item we pack I can't stop myslef from asking, "Why are we keeping this?"  And it doesn't matter what it is.  It could be something as trivial as the newspaper stack I've neglected to throw away, or pictures from our wedding day.  The simple fact is, STUFF is frustrating.

So we do what every family does when they begin the process of moving, we go to the Container Store, UPS, FED-EX, the good ol' USPS, and we buy hundreds of cardboard boxes.  

The only saving grace to packing up all our stuff, is the fact we can filter through it all and decide what is worth keeping and what's not worth moving.  My wife is UNBELIEVABLE at this.  She has the ability to throw STUFF away like a CHAMP!  But it's still painful to take as much time and energy to move from one location to the other.  

Once the boxes have been packed, we can load up the moving vehicle with ease, and pack everything tightly in a space.  We label every box so we know exactly where to make sure it lands upon arrival. It makes for easy loading, and easy unloading when we reach the desired destination.  I'm certain without boxes, I'd go insane!  You'd never FIND ANYTHING!

This weekend I was with a group of guys working on major world issues.  We were talking about all the conflicts around the globe, and what it would take for those of us interested in following Jesus to, in effect, BE Jesus to people around us.  One of the guys at the table began categorizing people and putting them in their own boxes, labeling and all.  I had visions of packing up my stuff for another move, and then I started thinking.

Are boxes really that important?  

I know they are important when it comes to moving, but can you put people in boxes in order to strategize how you're going to treat them?  Is that honest?  Is it authentic?  Or do we try to categorize people so we can manipulate an agenda on their terms, rather than ours?

After a pretty heated discussion about the necessity of boxes or the unreliability of the boxes, one of the smartest guys in the room said, "We only put these boxes on people because they actually exist.  The conflicts around the world often arise when people label their own boxes and seclude themselves from the conversations with people who have different labels.  So we're not intent on created boxes for people to live in, we're simply identifying those boxes so we can creatively understand the keys to their culture.  We want to understand their story.  We want to empathize with their pain.  We want to serve them were they need to be served."

It was a great way of learning how to love someone else.  

Often times we perceive our relationships with other as if they have to live in our boxes, in our spaces.  But to truly reach out to love someone else, it takes a well thought out understanding of who they are, where they come from, and what issues are central to them being human in their story.  

Do you see the difference?

Instead of trying to mold and shape your world in nice neat little packing squares, the squares are intended to allow you to perform to most profound of all human interactions...LISTENING!  With the proper education for someone else's plight, you have the sacred key to interacting with someone else based on their story, NOT YOURS.  

Listening is a lost art in our culture, and if you think about it; the people you want live life with in your community are often the people willing to sacrifice their need to be heard, and sit to listen to YOUR story.  

So why is it any different when it's your turn?

I concluded, at the end of the weekend, boxes are important.  

Not for the purpose of manipulations.
Not for the intended goal to make someone think like you think.
Not for some hidden agenda to sell someone faith principles.
But rather; boxes are important because they give you the keys to listen intently.

The Bible Says, "Rejoice with those who Rejoice, and Mourn with those who Mourn" (Romans 12:15)  

When we're able to fully understand people around us, we can engage in a the sacred art of developing friendship.  

Listen to those around you today.  
Don't judge.
Don't categorize.
Don't strategize.
Don't politicize.
Simply Be WITH them.

It's the most exciting part about developing a community of people who love one another.   

Few Places in the World

There are only a few places in the world I think about during my work. Obviously, there's vacation time with the family, home, and then the most unique place I've ever visited.

With the mix of Middle Eastern culture, incredible food, and some of the kindest people I've ever met, the city of Khobar is sure to be a place you never forget.

I was recently remembering my time in Khobar, and I couldn't stop smiling as the memories of lasting friends continued to flood my stories.

I love talking with Americans living there.
I love learning from my Arab friends there.
And I guess I'm just overwhelmed by the history represented in this little slice of desert.

Here's to my friends living abroad.
I'm thinking of you today!

Is the Connection part of Social Media Making us More Lonely?

I've been doing extensive research on the effects of social media on the teen culture.  Remember, this is the first generation growing up in a world where Social Media and Web 2.0 is a reality.  They don't know life without Facebook, YouTube, Google, or Twitter.  Their whole lives have been connected through a series of messages, videos, and 140 character tweets.  

So the question at hand is, Does social media actually do its perceived job of connecting people?

And there's no question in my mind.  The answer is ABSOLUTELY YES!

We've been able to connect with people we haven't seen in years.  Old classmates, new friends, and people with similar interests are connected like never before.  We can message people, inform dates and calendar events, talk about the latest homework assignments, or just talk about what's going on in our world...ALL FROM THE TOUCH OF OUR CELL PHONES.

It's an unbelievable mobile world we live in, but what of connecting?  Really connecting?

I was recently at a youth event and I asked the students "Who in this group post pictures of themselves in their most depressed time?"  

Let it be known...NO HANDS WENT UP.

"So when you're cruising facebook looking at everyone else's pictures, do you ever picture the people you're creeping on having a bad day?"

One student realized where I was going and responded, "No, it just seems like everyone else is having more fun than I am."

"Exactly!"  I was so excited someone was actually tracking with me.

"You see, what happens in our illusion of connection is a euphoric ideal that the world is 'better' out there.  Everyone else has life figured out.  They're eating good foods.  They're going on exotic vacations.  They're hanging out with popular friends and celebrities.  But in reality, they experience the same life you do.  

Put a different way....

When you're creeping on the Facebook pictures of someone else thinking to yourself, 'Man, their life is awesome, and I'm so depressed.'  They are actually doing the same thing to your photos on their end.  They're cruising through all your highlight pictures and thinking, 'Man, their life is awesome, and I'm so depressed.' (obviously depression is overstated for the analogy)  But the point remains the same.  We all think everyone else has life figured out while we're struggling."

The truth is, WE ALL HAVE ISSUES.  We all struggle through pain, heartache, disease, death, depression, rejection, the need for validation, and the ever wondering 'Am I good enough?'  
Nobody lives the life we see in People Magazine, not even the people who are in People.
Nobody is safe from pain.
Nobody is immune to the feeling of inadequacy.  
It's a natural drive for us to go out and prove who we are and that we matter.  

So in as far as Social Mediums connect us, it's unbelievable.  But to think Facbook, Twitter, or Youtube can replace real human interaction is to deceive ourselves.  We are whole people who need the support of a community.  We need people to rejoice in our success.  We need people to mourn in our loss.  We need to have those few people we can be honest with about all the hidden dark shadows that run around in our minds.  After all, we're born that way.

In the beginning of time, I believe God created us all to live in culture together.  Sure, He knew Facebook would be around, but He created us to dwell with one another.  Not just 'click' for friendships, but actually work at serving one another.  Maybe a better way to state it is, "Love Your Neighbor!"  

Interestingly enough, all the major religions on the planet find commonality in the fact we should learn to Love those around us.  And Love, in its purest form, is to serve each other.  When we dwell in a community of people, and look out for the best interests of others HIGHER than those of our own; we find TRUE community.  

That's why I get so excited about our little slice of heaven in Colorado called KIVU.   We're not simply putting on a summer retreat/resort center for teenagers.  We're putting together a community of people who learn how to interact at a human level.  

No cell phones.
No facebook.
No twitter.
No Youtube.
No Social Mediums.  

We're interested in Teenagers having the time of their life, and learning that we are more about understanding how to live with one another, than turning to a safe place of connection on the web.

Come check out our progress at www.campkivu.com.  

I'm interested in your thoughts.  

Do you think Social Media is making us more lonely? 

Parent Pressure

Public School vs. Private School.
AAU league vs. Family Vacation.
Summer School vs. Sports.
More homework, less homework.
Summer Job vs. Summer activities.

Raising kids isn't easy.  
There's lots of books out with information leading a parent to believe if you only follow pages 1-40 you're kid is going to be successful in the world.  But let's just be honest, WHO'S KID IS THAT ON PAGE 15??  

I recently talked with a family who is trying to figure out what their going to do this summer.  WIth Summer School, Summer Sports, Family Vacation, Church Missions, Church Camp, and time for their student to hang out with their friends, the summer is already planned out.  

Each year we prepare for KIVU out here in Colorado we find more and more parents struggle to just 'fit in life' let alone try to carve out another week or two for their kids to come to KIVU.

Believe me, I GET IT.

I get the pressure to make sure your kids get the training they need to go on in WHATEVER field they want to get into.
I understand the idea of a school sports team taking up more and more time.  
I get the need to make sure you set them up for success.  
But in my world...I'm seeing some tragic consequences.  

I talked with a pastor friend of mine last week who said, "I've never seen a kid go through summer traveling sports programs who make it.  They get burned out.  They loose their spiritual direction.  They get used up and spit out."

And as we talked more about the culture of 'GO GO GO' we compared notes.  I don't know I could disagree with my pastor.  Kids are being pressured into more and more stuff that doesn't allow for them to just be free to be who God created them to be.

Believe me, I get it.  I know what it means to try and give your kid a head start.
I know how important it seems they network with the right coaches, or go to the right camps to make sure they're a step ahead.
But whatever happened to summertime just being...well...A BREAK?

Kids need a time to refresh, re-sharpen, and re-evaluate who they are.  
They need a place where they can work through their spiritual maturity.
They need to be around other kids in a comfortable encouraging environment.

If that's at home...THEN CANCEL SOME OF THOSE OTHER THINGS!
I choose to encourage my kids in whatever they want to be.  
I'll push them as far as they want to go.
I'll train them for whatever they want to do.
But I'm not going to become someone who puts the throttle to the floor to ensure that College Scholarship, or that Special Place on the team, or the Valedictorian of the class.  

Nope.  

I've seen too many families fall apart under that pressure.  

So for me and my house...

We're going to figure out what drives our kids, and give them every opportunity we can to make sure they fan into flame the gift God created them to be.  Not to make them into something their not, but we're working on encouraging them to develop and mature into the part of God's body that functions in fullness, joy, and health.  

I'd love to hear your thoughts.   

The Result of Pressure

I was reading my usual news sources this morning, and I found an interesting article detailing the rise of suicide rates due to the Economic downturn in Europe.  CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL ARTICLE

The reported gave details of businesses on the brink with too much debt, and proprietors unable to handle the pressure of a failing business.  I started thinking...

How much pressure would it really take to cause someone to think suicide is the only option?
What does our Western Culture teach us about the importance of success?
How can we begin teaching our teenagers there's more to life than dollars in a bank account?

It made me think about all the work we've been doing at KIVU, teaching and training students how life is full.  

It's full of relationships.
It's full of adventure.
It's full of spiritual maturity.

We don't cower from responsibility, but we do help students see the WHOLE person, not just one part.  

I wonder how many of the people reported in the article had a chance to realize their WHOLE potential apart from their business responsibilities?

I wonder if they had a chance to know people in their lives willing to step in and help when it looked like life had dealt them an unwinable hand?

My heart is sad over stories like this.  We should never reach a point where we have to decide to take our lives, no matter what kind of trouble we find ourselves in.  

Failure is a part of the human experience, and we've got to begin teaching our kids how to deal with poor decisions, circumstances beyond our control, and the TRUTH about a God in the Universe interested in their very being.  

I would love to know how you are participating in helping to teach people around you how to rely on community.  

In the meantime, Check out our program at KIVU.  We'll continue to lock arms with parents and youth leaders across the country to figure out how to keep people from reaching the pressure point of no return.   

Prom Season Is Upon Us

Prom Season is upon us!! 
Millions of teenagers will be buying dresses, renting tuxedos, and dreaming of the perfect night to end their high school tenure. 
So, are you ready?

To Teens:

Dear Prospective Prom Date,

Your friends will build this night up as the coming of age night of your life.  They'll be people trying to create memories that will last a lifetime.  But don't forget...

What happens on prom night doesn't often stay on prom night.  The consequences of your choices on this evening might seem temporal, but more than one teenager has found prom to be a monumental changing point in their lives. 

The pressure to fit in and party like a Hang Over movie is overwhelming, and even though the guys in the Hang Over lived to fight another day, the baggage you'll spend forever trying to get rid of, might not be that easy to shed. 

Be Alert.
Make sure you're choosing to be you, and not someone else is forcing you to be.
Give caution to the initial decision to "party" and make sure you're willing to accept the consequences when things go wrong. 
It's one thing to watch a movie where someone wakes up with a tiger in the bathroom, it's quite another when you can't give the tiger back.

Be careful not to rush into a relationship just because it's prom. 

So many teenagers think if they haven't proven their own sexuality by the time prom is over, they've somehow failed the tradition of prom. 

Remember, sexuality is something special.  It's not something to waste away for a one night stand.
Protect your body.
Protect your date's body.
Respect each other enough to enjoy the evening, FREE FROM PRESSURE.

To Parents

Dear Prospective Prom Parent:

What an accomplishment!  You've come this far parenting your teenager to a place where they are allowed to celebrate the end of the High School career.  You're almost there!!  The pomp and circumstance is fun for pictures, videos, and a general feeling you've now raised a civil young adult.  I love watching this process as a teenager's adulthood culminates on a night where they are actually participating in adult events. 

But don't forget...

Just because your son or daughter is going to prom, it doesn't mean they are getting married.  Make sure you take precaution when you add un-necessary pressure to a relationship that might not last much longer than an evening.  

TALK> TALK> TALK>

Educate your teenagers to the ills of prom night, and make sure you don't leave ANYTHING up to chance.  Talking about substances, bad decisions of your own past, or even the sexual pressure your student will be facing is important.  Don't let the night whisk away into fairy tale land without preventative education. 

After all, that's your most prized possession walking out that door.

And above all...

May those of us who are seeking to follow Jesus in all we do, May we find joy in dwelling together as brothers and sisters of unity.  HAVE FUN!!  Enjoy all you've accomplished to this point in your life, and celebrate it as such. 

Believe me, every weekend from now until summer, I'm on my knees praying for teenagers around the country to find Joy during this season. 

Welcome to adulthood!

Thoughts on Trayvonn Martin and Racial Tension

I'm usually pretty perceptive when I see the media blowing something up that doesn't necessarily need the attention.  But Trayvonn is different.  The cultural wind blowing right now surrounding this case is going to be with us for at least a year, if not more.  Remember Casey Anthony?  Every armchair quarterback attorney took a stab at trying the case in the comfort of their home laz-y-boy, and it seemed like the news of the world came to a stuttering hault to find out "Who done it?"

I'm disturbed as I watch more and more talking heads try to drum up emotional outrage when none have a law degree.  People are sticking their un-intellectual noses into business they have no right to pontificate on.  I wish our culture could step back and take the high road when dealing with sensitive issues like this. 

But I suppose in order to sell more television ads, newspapers, and radio spots, the ratings have to soar.  And what better way to make ratings soar than taking racial issues and introducing them into a racially sensitive culture.  We were ripe for this.

The Reality...

1.  The sad part of the whole story is young Treyvonn and his family.  They are enduring a constant barrage of media attention, not much really having to do with the guilt or innocence of their son.  They've just lost the most treasured part of their lives, their son.  And if you ask ANY DAD, white or black, this is a tragedy in the most extensive degree.  To the Martin Family, I'm so sorry. 

2.  To the Zimmermans.  I'm so sorry.  I realize the facts of the case seem black and white on television, but think of it this way.  There's no court in America that is going to find this guy innocent. He doesn't have a chance.  With death threats on his head, and a culture ready to explode, this guy is going to have an uphill battle to find any sort of an assemblance of a fair trial.  I'm so sorry for what you're going to have to go through here. 

3.  To America.  Justice needs to be sought, but innocence is a given until proven guilty in our court of law.  For those using this issue for their own celebrity game, shame on you.  You've encited another racial war over something you know very little about.  The news coverage has been moderated along party lines, as is most our news; and the truth of the matter needs to be settled in a court of law.  STOP PROTESTING.  STOP TRYING TO GAIN.  There are no winners here. 

The Young Martin has died.  There's nothing you can do to bring him back.
The Young Zimmerman is in custody.  I'm sure his life will change forever. 

Does this case deserve the scrutiny we're giving it?

Only in the sense that people are killing people, and that's the real heart of the matter.  Instead of calling for Zimmerman's head, what about the murders escalating on an exponential scale?  Shoudn't the question be about why humans are killing humans, rather than why hispanics are after african americans? 

According the the World Health Organization's 2008 report on national murder rates, here are some similar murder rates around the world. per 100K people. 

United States of America	5.22	2008
Lao People's Democratic Republic	5.17	2004
Grenada	4.89
Latvia	4.38
Turkmenistan	4.13
Yemen	3.97
Occupied Palestinian Territory	3.85
Mauritius	3.75
Montenegro	3.7
Kenya	3.65
Afghanistan	3.44



There are more murders in America than in Afghanistan and Yemen.  REALLY?

What is the deal?  Why do we kill each other.  We are 106th on the list of safest countries in the world per population.  SERIOUSLY??

Maybe instead of stirring the pot on the racial divide, which is still a real issue in America today, we should begin looking at how to curb the violent culture we live in.  My friends in Bahrain are worried about coming to America because of the violence.  BAHRAIN!!! 

In the wake of a terrible tragic event, I challenge leaders in the media to put down the division, and try to help us to a healthy discourse of social change.  We wouldn't need STAND YOUR GROUND laws if there wasn't a reason.  We wouldn't need to be shooting anyone, if we could figure out why all these murders are happening. 

Am I crazy here?

Summer's Coming

Download Video as MP4

 

KIVU Commercial from Andrew Braner on Vimeo.

For the Last 12 years, KIVU stands to represent a place where Teenagers from around the world come to enjoy a summertime filled with Memory Making Adventures.

The Colorado Adventures

I've asked all my friends from around the country, "Who wants to spend 100 days in 100 degrees?  Summer is getting hotter and hotter around the country."  And they all shake their heads and nod.  Oppressive heat is a mainstay in the middle region of America, and I've got RELIEF for you...Durango, Colorado.

As we set out every day during the summer, we encounter some of the best weather in the world.  Temperatures range from 60-80 degrees most of the summer, and while we know we can go inside, there's much to do outside. 

White Water Rafting
Mountain Biking
Hiking
Skiing
WaveRunners
Rock Climbing (real rocks)
Camping
Kayaking
Fly Fishing
Wake Boarding
High Ropes Courses
High Mountain Zip LInes

And the list could go on and on and on....
KIVU is a paradise for teenagers to enjoy a summer filled with life changing memories.

Relationship Adventures

We spend most of the year recruiting from Universities all over the country.  With a thorough interview process, adequate background checks, and a filter to find the BEST OF THE BEST, we set teenagers up for friendships with Outdoor Enthusiasts. 

They get to meet people from all over the world. (i.e. Spain, England, China, Africa, Jordan, and The Middle East just to name a few.) Can you imaging the head start your teenager could get by expanding their network of friends? 

It's not uncommon for people to have friends in all parts of the globe, entering in all sorts of industry, engaged in several flavors of the University, and they connect!!  That's an added value to the beautiful landscape we get to play in day after day!

The Faith Adventure

For the last 15 years, I've been working to develop a curriculum for students to understand what it means to live out their faith in every area of their lives.  We ask real questions about God, Culture, School, and how to interact on a day to day level to make their faith their own. 

We don't force anyone to do anything, believe in anything, or try anything they're not comfortable with.  And that makes KIVU a place where teenagers can develop on their own time. 

We love what we do, and we hope you'll come and join us this summer. 

Feel free to watch the 2 min. video above, CLICK HERE TO BEGIN YOUR REGISTRATION PROCESS, and we'll see you soon. 

Because SUMMER IS COMING!!!

Hunger Games Part. II

There were so many comments, emails, and discussion surrounding the Hunger Games Article yesterday, I thought I might take a second to answer some questions brought on by a couple of readers.  Here are a few points I read yesterday that continue to make sense as we try to understand why the Hunger Games has become such a phenomenon.  

1.  The concept of Oppression

There's no doubt Suzane Collins wrote about a time when the Rich were Rich, and the poor were under the oppressors thumb.  District 1 seems to control the whole of the world, and there's even a place in the film where the President says, "they make stuff we need."  They make stuff like coal for energy, agriculture for food, and raw materials to create products bought by Districts 2-12.  I agree with one of the readers, this is an interesting metaphor, but don't take too far.  To spiritualize this concept is to ignore the reality of Globalization in the 20th and 21st centuries.  Let's be honest, until recent past decades China, Brazil, India, and Russia didn't have much to offer on the Global financial stage.  It was America that ruled the roost, at least since 1991.  Often we like to extend our own spiritual experiences to something like this, but remember in America we still have the freedom to express our religious views however we want.  Unlike much of the rest of the world, Christians have it REALLY nice here.  

2.  The concept of standing up for rights.

In the book Katniss and Peeta are two characters that make it known they'll do the games how they want to do the games.  They want to remain true to themselves, without having the pressure of those around them change them to be someone else.  

Again, this is a noble idea, but don't try to lean into the spiritual here.  I don't know that Ms. Collins was trying to set up a battle cry for Christian teenagers in high schools to "Stand up for Jesus" so to speak.  In fact, for some; that would be bowing to another kind of pressure.  Environmental influence is an interesting idea.  Sometimes we think we can encourage kids to "stand up" and "get out of the world" which is exactly the same pressure being applied with their friends at school, just for a different outcome.  I just want to make sure we have a level handed approach to seeing the pressures teenagers face in the world today.

3.  The Pain Concept

I don't think there's any way around the idea of feeling the pain of loss, identity issues, and death with teenagers in today's culture.  The more I read, the more I think, the more I study the teen culture, the problem of pain is central to transitioning from Elementary School to High School and then off to the University.  I don't know of ANY teenagers I've talked with this year that say they've figured out how to avoid the pain of rejection, betrayal, or loneliness.  It's an Epidemic, and as I continue to conceptualize this incredible series, I'm finding more and more analogies that hit the chord of meaning in the souls of today's teens.  

It's been a great discussion on all fronts.  Thanks so much for continuing to find meaning as we live in a world with illusive meaning.  

Yesterday was one of the all time most viewed articles here at andybraner.com.  Thanks for continuing to share it with your friends, your family, and anyone interested in re-imagining the Christian Worldview.  

Hunger Games

I toook my 13 year old son to see the Hunger Games this weekend.  I figured as it seems this is going to be the next world wide phenomenon hitting the big screen I should probaby figure out what all the hubbub is about.  I must say, in the most humble way, this was really disturbing.  

Hays read the book about a year ago, and I remember him saying, "Dad, you gotta read this book, it's awesome."  He would try to describe it to me, "There's this world where there are districts, and they have this hunger competition, it's really great!"  And I thought it was just another teen book he was reading for pleasure.  Little did I know this was going to be the next Harry Potter.  

So when the movie came out last week, my kids were literally begging to go see it.  I'm usually a "If Dad sees it first" and all is well, I'll go with them to see something like the Hunger Games.  But since Hays already downed the book, I figured it was probably ok.  

We bought our tickets online, and headed to the theater.  

When the opening scene came on after the mix of previews, I was in shock.  This was going to be a movie about kids who were going to chase after one another and kill each other to survive.  They would represent their districts at an all national wide olympic like survival game called The Hunger Games.  

They are selected like an old army draft.
They're put through training like a military soldier.
They are paraded through the halls of commericalization for the benefit of the capitalists.
But in the end, they're given an open space to chase one another down until there's only one left standing...ALIVE!

When they started the game, initially there are 7 or 8 out of the 24 kids slaughtered by the hands of their peers, and as I peeked through my fingers I whispered to Hays, "This is really disturbing."  

After the movie, I sat in awe as to how we've become more and more like the Roman barbarians of the Colosseum age, and I couldn't wrap my mind around why this is such a barnstorming franchise.  And then my wife hit it..."This is what teenagers are going through everyday in the hallways of their high school.  Sure they're not being killed, but they're being emotionally slaughtered as other kids call them names, put them down, and ridicule them in front of their friends."  

The metaphor of the Hunger Games is simply a vehicle to show the hurt and the pain kids feel like when they are isolated together on display for parents, teams, coaches, and academics to parade them around to be what we want them to be.  

I get it now.  

This isn't a book about kids actually murdering each other.  
It's not a book about the bloody survival games.
No, this is a book about survival!

Today's high school hallways don't look that different from the forest of the Hunger Games.  

It's survive or be killed.  

What an interesting way to tell that story! 

It's Friday, But Sunday's Coming

A Different Kind of Easter Tradition

Remember waking up Easter morning to Easter Bunnies, Egg Hunts, and Easter Bags on the Kitchen Table?

Or, What about the annual spring fashion festival, as millions of young ladies parade to church in their new Easter dresses?

Well, some Easter traditions don't bring about such nostalgic memories.  

This morning's Huffington Post reported a group in the Philippines that take their walk to Golgotha literally.  CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE 

Believe me, this isn't for the faint of heart.  

It seems every year Hundreds of barefoot Filippino Christians take to the streets to re-enact the crucifixion.  They do everything from self mutilation to actual crucifixion like experiences.  For those of us in the west, it looks gruesome, but to the participants; well, they believe enduring penance during the lenten season actually brings about healing.  

I'm interested mainly because I wonder how many Western Christians act the same way.  Sure, we don't have public crucifixions on the street corners, but so many of us live under the banner of guilt and shame often searching for something we can do to speak to God's heart loud enough for Him to hear us.  We endure tremendous emotional guilt for our past, sometimes it leads us to strange behaviors that really have nothing to do with the message of Jesus.  

Paul helped explain the crucifixion of Christ like this, "In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace  that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,  he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ." Ephesians 1:7-10

In other words, it's through Jesus we have been forgiven. 
It's through Jesus we have access to the riches of God's Grace.
It's through Jesus He has made known the fulfillment of all the law and the prophets.
And it's through Jesus all things will be unified under heaven and earth.  

The hope we have in this life isn't the penance we pay, but rather; the penance already paid.  

My interest in the Philippine story has little to do with the honorable traditions these people have been doing for hundreds of years, although it is quite intriguing.  My pain comes when I see people who try and take the freedom God has graciously offered, and try to do it themselves.  

Jesus already took care of all that stuff.
God has lavished on you the richness of forgiveness so you don't have to bear the weight of guilt or shame in your life today.  
Jesus came to defeat the sting of disease and death.  
The Hope we have in this Easter weekend has nothing to do with your practice, your penance, or your work.  

It has everything to do with the fact God made a way for you to have access directly to all the things He is.  

Today, my prayer is this...

That I may see myself, and those around me, the way God sees them.  Not holding to a grudge, a sin, or a guilty verdict; but rather, people who He chooses to lavish great grace even in the present world.  

May you be FREE today. 

Keep Going You're almost There

The end of the Lent season is almost here, and Resurrection Sunday is only a few days away. 

For those of you who've kept true to your lenten challenge, Good For You!! You have partnered in the natural calendar of the church, and we're almost ready to celebrate together!

And while many will find easter eggs in the yard, baskets on the kitchen table waiting when you get up, or even a new easter outfit to wear to church on Sunday, remember, THIS IS THE REASON!!

Easter is the reason we believe.
Easter overshadows every other faith holiday in the whole of Christendom.
Easter is the culmination of all the hope we have to follow Jesus.

For without his death and resurrection, we're just following a good teacher.
The power of this moment can not be understated.
When Jesus walks out of the tomb...

He looks at every death,
Every disease,
Every place in life full of hopelessness;
and gives hope back to humanity.

This event changed the whole of the world.
Before Jesus, hope was held in the confines of the human condition.
After Jesus, hope is free to be shared for all.

So this week, I'm concentrating on 1 Corinthians 15: 

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

  “Where, O death, is your victory?
   Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 



Following or Defending. What is the purpose of Knowing Faith?

 

I wrestle with the concept of Apologetics and Defending the Faith. I've taught Apologetics for 15 years, and know the value of knowing what I know, but I struggle with its significance in the real world. 

Is it supposed to be used to convince others?
Is it supposed to provide real answers to real faith?
Is it supposed to be a slam dunk to that Atheist at work?

On the one hand, I understand the illiteracy plaguing today's Jesus followers.  Ask ANY University Student what they believe and why.  You'll be surprised at the variety of answers you'll get.  Ranging from "God is the light of my life" to "Jesus is the substitutionary atonement for my sin;" we have as many answers for what faith is as we do denominations in America.  (currently over 3500 different flavors of Christendom)  So I understand the need to teach students information.

On the Other hand, I wonder if Faith was ever meant to be something defended?

When I think about the need to defend something, I fear the weakness that may lie in the core of the thing I'm defending.  Think about defending an army, a kingdom, or a nation.  When you set up warriors around the perimeters, there is always a chance of breech or subsequent fall. 

Is faith something we need to be worried about failing?

If we're following a God with the potential of failing, then what kind of God are we really following? 

As I interpret the "defense of the faith," I find it valuable in building confidence in my own faith, rather than useful for arguing my point to someone else.  I really haven't had any great stories of success when I try to argue my faith to an atheist, a muslim, a buddhist, or any other faith for that matter. But in the times when I find my spirit doubting, apologetics always brings me back to facts.  It helps me stay tuned to a firm foundation of belief, rather then floating in mid air. 

There's no question 1 Peter 3:15 says, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect," 

So I wonder...

Am I Alone in thinking truth is truth? 
Is it distant to think truth will be truth whether I defend it or not?
Am I off the reservation when I think relationships I have with people are more important than winning an argument?
So how do we approach issues that are diabolically different from our own views of the world?
Should we spend time with people that think differently than we do?

In all my travels, I've found most of humanity similar in nature. 

We all want to raise our families well.
We all want to learn as we grow.
We all have a desire to have meaning in the short time we have here on earth.
We all want to do better than the past generation.
We all want to be significant in the world. 

What would the world look like if we had a chance to Love people, without the need to make them into anything more than God made them.  It's my desire to help young adults around the world to understand the gifts God gave them.

What a freedom I live when I know it's God's job to transform someone's heart, and it's my job to follow Jesus' example and try as best I know how to show people how to Love God and Love People in Real Time!!

I'm voting today for Following.  Defending??  Well, I guess that will come with time. 

 

 

 

 

The Social Media World, and The Effect on Teens

Who would have thought the world would be connected by all these different mediums at the touch of a finger?  Ten years ago, there was no such thing as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube.  Today, studies show teenagers spend an overwhelming amount of time connecting with each other through the various forms of technology.  It's a medium that supposedly brings all of us together, but what's really going on?

In a recent presentation, "Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids," Dr. Larry D. Rosen, professor of psychology at California State University, outlines the dark side of teenagers using social media. 

Dr. Rosen reports lower test results from teenagers frequenting Facebook, a higher rate of anxiety, aggression, and depression; and an overall Narcissistic culture created when students spend time focusing on how many friends they have, how many retweets they get, and what their overall online personality looks like.

It's amazing to watch a culture become more and more familiar with each other, but what's really happening is quite disturbing.  More and more kids are finding identity in their online self without taking into consideration the enormous side effects. 

I was talking to a group of students a while back and asked, "How many of you ever post depressing pictures of yourself on Facebook?"

No hands went up.

"So basically what's happening, you're posting those pictures of cool vacations, great food, and friends laughing and having a good time right?"

They all nod in agreement.

"So when you go and look at your friend's profile, all you see is the 'good' parts of their life.  I would venture to say that while you're looking at all the good parts, you're probably thinking to yourself Wow look at their life, it's so awesome, and my life stinks.  Right?"

Again, all shake their head in agreement.

"Well guess what?  Your friends are all doing the same thing when they click on your pictures. Wow look at their life, it's so awesome, and I'm my life stinks."

It was as if I dropped a ton of bricks in the room.  You could hear a pin drop.  They never imagined the pictures others were posting, or the conversations they were having were as unreal as the reality they were living in. 

The beauty of social media is the way we can communicate messages in an instant.  The dangers are the blows to the psychological fortitude of today's teen when they feel left out.  No longer can anyone escape the pressure of feeling alone, because they spend incredible amounts of time wondering what everyone else is doing. 

We need to be vigilant to ask the right questions, teach the reality of living a life as humans, not just here on the internet.  (I realize this is a bit ironic that we're talking about the dangers of social media on a blog outlet.) 

I would encourage you to take a fast of social media for a while. 
Get out of the constant pressure of wondering if your life is matching up.
Go make your own stories with real people.
And then watch, being human is rewarding. 
Living in a space of true friendship is important. 

We want to be a people who understand the victories and failures of each other, so we can "rejoice with those who rejoice, and mourn with those who mourn."

It's fun to play on social media, but be careful when it consumes your identity. 

Teens and the Dating Scene, Are we asking the Right Question?

I don't know if you've seen the Oscar Nominated movie, Moneyball.  But the premise of the movie is, Are we asking the right questions?

Billy Beane is the general manger of the Oakland A's and his job is to put together a team poised to compete for a World Series.  The problem...the Oakland A's budget is almost 1/8 of what the New York Yankees franchise allows to pay it's players. 

So how can you recruit talent, when you don't have any money. 

The movie is inspiring from a lot of different angles, but one of the over arching themes is the idea that if we keep doing life the same way, we'll never see any different results.  Whether it's our marriage, our business, our friendships, or our faith; there's got to be a reckoning when we ask the right question. 

In the teen dating arena, we often ask "How can we keep kids from having sex?"  Or, "If they are having sex, how can we keep them from getting pregnant or getting a disease?"  I don't know if those are the right questions. 

I released a book last year called An Expose on Teen Sex and Dating that tries to articulate the problems, work on the solutions, and help those who are hurting.  We've got to get to the core of this issue, or we're going to have a generation of young people with confusion as the center of their sexualtiy. 

Why are kids dating?
Who are they dating?
Is it right or wrong to allow them to date? (as a parent)
How far is too far in a physical relationship?
How can they respect each other?
What are the proper ways to date?

I was watching Moneyball the other day, and so many issues in my own life need a re-evaluation.  I need to look in the center and start asking the right questions about the most important issues in my life.

As for parenting.  Well...every time I see this I tear up a little. 

 

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What's with the Epidemic of Marijuana Use among Teens Today?

If you spend any time in the hallways of the high schools today, you'll find a growing epidemic spreading like wild fire. I've been working with kids around the world asking "What's the biggest problem you see in today's teen world" and I often hear "Marijuana Use."   The acceptance, regularity, and addiction to smoking pot, is really a disturbing trend. 

I remember growing up and knowing there were a few kids delaing in weed, but they were on the fringe of the group. 

Today's high school student is on the fringe if they don't. 

So we need to start asking questions, starting with what might seem like the rhetorical to the deeper issue at hand.  We can try to justify behavior by trying to gloss over mistakes we made as adolescence, but what we really need to do is look deep into the issue and try to make sense of what's going on in our High Schools.

I've interviewed students on both sides of the issue.  Some agree with me, Marijuana is dangerous, addictive, and takes people away from school/family/and friends.

Others believe just the opposite.  They claim there's no inherent danger in smoking weed.  They find a culture of social togetherness.  And they believe they can be a high functioning drug addict and live successful future. 

I don't want to hint to much toward my opinion, but I do want to kick over the can of conversation and see what comes out. 

What do you think.

Let's start with a few questions. 

1.)  Is smoking Marijuana good or bad for the development of a High School Student?
2.)  As the legal question continues to appear on the ballot boxes, what position do we (believers) take when/if pot becomes legal?
3.)  What is the reason so many kids are gravitating to smoking weed?  Is the weed "high" really worth the trouble?
4.)  What steps can we take to help students understand the consequences (either good or bad) of the decision to engage in a drug culture?

Nothing like starting a conversation on controversy, but hey...you'll always know they'll be a conversation brewing here at AndyBraner.com

Another Example of A Specially Gifted Teen

Shows like American Idol, X Factor, and Britain's got talent have given the world a place at the judging table.  We look at people who attempt to become famous with an eye of skepticism, and as the famous Simon Cowell cuts to the heart of reality, we sit and judge people based on whether we think they can impress us. 

Britain's Got Talent has done it again.  I watched this video with an eye of skepticism just like you, but began weeping as I watched another teenager celebrated for the gift inside rather than the appearance on the outside. 

So many of our interactions with people are based on what we see on the outside rather than what they can offer from the inside.  Here at KIVU, our destination in Colorado, we're continuing to provide a place where teenagers can explore their own God gifted ability, and find a community to celebrate those gifts with them. 

What a story!!  Be sure to watch the video.

 

 

When Addiction Wins

She was probably the best natural singer we've ever heard.  Her songs will continue to ring through the historic hallways of the 80's and 90's, and yesterday the autopsy reports confirmed what many feared the most.  Whitney Houston's addictions won.

I can't imagine what it would be like to live in the public eye and feel the pressures of performance all around.  Whitney had to be 'ON' all the time.  With photographers acting like vultures at every turn, she never had a chance to be...well, Whitney. 

She was constantly trying to out-do her previous albums in a culture demanding the newest latest and greatest. 
She was navigating a failed marriage, trying to figure out how to be a mother, and make a comeback. 

I can't imagine.

The Majority of us will never have to endure the public spotlight like Ms. Houston was akin to.  We'll never have to wonder who is our friend, who is trying to get close for different reasons, or how to please the public at every turn.

But one thing is sure, we all have places in our lives where we try to hide the ugliness of being human, and people of faith are often the worst. 

We live in a world where admitting pain feels like negotiating God's blessing on our lives.
We try to put on a face where we have it all together, and we know down deep there are parts of life that are tragic.
We might not have the eye of the world's media peering into our living room, but we know when we're trying to convince ourselves the addictions aren't there, and everything is ok.

I've been talking to students for the past year about what it means to be honest with who you are, and I find more and more of them performing for perfection. 

We all want to be liked.
We all want to show the world we have it all together.
Admitting pain is to admit we are weak, and our culture isn't into anyone who is weak and unable to handle whatever is before them.

Which is the reason I believe following Jesus works so well.  "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest."  (Matthew 11:28)

It's only in the strength we find in the Creator of the Universe where we can face others without the fear of rejection.  We can stand in the face of reality without the fear of failure and weakness, when we know the One who created us is interested in our every day lives.

Don't let addictions win in your life.
Don't let the fear of failure or rejection force you to a place of hopelessness.
If you're looking for a place where you can be honest with what's going on inside your soul, without fear of judgement, there's a place you can find it. 

^"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

 

The Day I prayed with my friend, The Muslim

WOW!  I jut got back from the Middle East, and I am loaded with stories that may take us through the year.  We had a tremendous opportunity to speak with fellow Christians from all over the world.  Some Indian, others Nigerian, some New Zealanders, Canadians, Australians, and YES, we even had a chance to fellowship some native to the Middle East Region.  It was an awesome time!

One day, I had a chance to go and meet with a Muslim friend for lunch.  I met him at a gathering in the U.S. attended a few years ago, and I was excited to see his home town.  We had a great conversation about the two biggest religions in the world, and much of our time centered around how the Koran and Bible speak to their perspective followers.

We talked about the differeneces in Islam and Christianity. 
We talked about what it means to follow Jesus.
We talked about the need to pray and make sure we continue to live our our faith.
We even had a chance to laugh together about some of the things people often mis-interpret. 

There's no doubt there are differences in the two Religions.  The concept of God existing in Trinity is foreign to the Muslim, even quite offensive.  The concept Jesus was indeed divinity rather than another prophet separates us from a core belief system.  But this wasn't an evangelical meeting. 

It was just a meeting of friends. 
Two men interested in breaking bread together. 

It was interesting to hear how fear plagues both faiths, and what perceptions of Christianity plague his homeland.  As we kept talking for what seemed like hours,  I had a chance to articulate the concerns from a Christian point of view that Islam poses to the West. 

At the end of our talk, He excused himself to one of his daily prayer times, and I asked him if I could pray with him.  He looked at me quizzically, 'Do you really want to pray with me?' 

"Well, you pray to Allah.  I pray to Yahweh.  I believe I need to pray as much as you feel like you need to pray. So...Let's do this" 

So there in an office building the two of us began to pray.  He spoke in Arabic, and I started reciting "Our Father, who art in Heaven Hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven..." 

After we finished praying he asked, "Do you want to know what I said?" 

"Sure, I'd love to know how your prayers go?" And he began telling me how he prays 5 times everyday, and ensured me he was asking God to help him to love people. He told me how he prepared each time to pray to Almighty God, the Creator of the Universe, for the help to keep himself pure in his business, his family, and his daily workings with others.

"What did you pray?" he asked. 

"I just focused on the way Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew.  I prayed the Lord's Prayer." 

He looked at me with compassion in his eyes and said, "Good for you!"

So there you have it.  A Christian praying in the same space as a Muslim.

I didn't have to fear. 
I wasn't intimidated. 
I didn't even give it a second thought. 
There were two men, trying to find meaning in life in the perspective of Loving God, and Loving our Neighbor, No matter what system they choose to believe. 

We didn't have the haggle about the differences in our faith, and there are MANY!
We didn't have to prove each other right or wrong.
We didn't compromise the fact we were praying differently.

But we did, if only for a short time, enjoy the ability to respect each other.  We had a chance to show the world (even though it was only us in the room) peace can be accomplished between two people here on earth.

Which is really how Jesus asked us to pray right?  "Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN."

No fighting.
No War.
No indignation.
Just two neighbors praying to the God they worship. 

Sure, both of us believe the other will be judged someday, but this was not that day.  And neither of us will be doing the judging anyway.  It was as pure of a 'love your neighbor' scene as I've ever been a part of. 

I'll never forget my time with him. 

The Space Between Me and God

Remember the song, "He's got the whole world..in His Hands...He's got the Whole World...In His Hands..He's got the Whole World...In HIs Hands....He's got the whole world in His hands."

Somewhere between the elementary lessons I learned while I was younger got confused as I grew into adulthood.  I sang He's got the whole world in His hands, but at some transition I started thinking "He needs MY Help."  I don't know if it's the place between "I believe" and "God Loves" but somewhere it got confused in my spiritual DNA.  Does God really have the whole world in his hands?

What happens when you hear the diagnosis from the Doctor, "I'm sorry, you have cancer."
What happens when you get the phone call, "I'm sorry to report, your loved one has passed."
Where is God when we see the social issues all around us of poverty, hunger, and addiction.

Where is the world then?

When I dwell on these kinds of issues, I find myself having to find a place where I can rest assured He does still have me.  He still wants me.  He's not a God who is satisfied with a sentence of confession without my participation in the world. 

He doesn't need me to change the world, but He wants me to engage. (Ephesians 2:14)
He doesn't need me to defend Him, He wants me to know what I believe and why. (1 Peter 3:15)
He doesn't want me to control others, He wants me to Love them.  (Matthew 22:39)

The Space between God has it all in His Hands, and my own proactive response to live on the earth and begin doing what He's all about...this is one of the hardest parts of fatih living.  

I was recently asking some teenagers about faith and heard so many of them creating a hodge podge of belief system.  They would take certain truths and values from different religions and combine them to form their own opinion. 

Where do we draw the line? (John 14:6)
Is there a need for a line to be drawn? (John 6:63)
What is the whole message of the Gospel, as God Holds all these ideas together? (2 Corinthians 5:18)

Often I think we're so scared someone might compromise our own faith and forget God's ability to hold it all together, or maybe we really think God needs defenders here on earth? I don't know.  What I do know,  God wants us to use the time here on earth to spread the message of reconciliation and hope, but when we get in the way, the message gets muddy in the water. 

Today take some time to think about the Space between you and God. 

 

Feeling Trapped?

As we continue to help people understand the message of Jesus, we find more and more people who feel trapped where they are.  Not trapped as though they are in a physical prison, but rather; trapped that if someone really knew about the stuff going on in life.  Before enjoying what makes us human at the most simple level, we start asking ourselves...

Would they even understand?
They'd probably make fun of me?
They would try to fix me?
They just wouldn't understand?

And so we go on about our lives thinking we can just handle it. 

The funny thing about being human is, we weren't designed to live like this. 

We've created this idea of perfection and we try and posture that literally makes us feel like...

I'm the only one dealing with this

Everyone else has it all together

I'm weak if I can't handle it

Surely if I only pray more, God will give the strength to endure

But in reality, God says, "It is good that man should not dwell alone."  (Genesis 2:18)

We were created to share our lives with each other.
We were made to bear one another's burdens.
We need to stop making perfection our goal and understand humanity is about the messiness in life.

I was sitting in an office with a mentor friend one day and he pulled out a picture of an old beat up cowboy boot with spurs that were fashioned to say "Jesus Saves."  As he showed me the picture he asked, "If you could have these boots, or new boots, which would you choose?"

I thought for a minute and said, "I'd want new ones."

He laughed.  "Of course you wouldn't."  He replied.  "New boots give you blisters, but old boots that have been worn in...now those are the most comfortable.  The boots in this picture have been through hell and back, and they're probably the most comfortable boots in the world."

I started thinking....

Those boots are kind of like life experiences. 

Lives that are sanitary and clean have no real character.  Making everything clean all the time keeps us from the adventures life throws at us. If we were all honest with each other, there'd be a myriad of tragic things in our lives molding us and shaping us into the people we are. In other words, it's the boots that have endured; they're the most fun to be around.

So today as you meditate on your lent Journey, take a second and think about how many of lifes trials and tribulations have shaped you into the person you are.  Those are the things that make you...well...YOU!

You shouldn't have to hide them, because chances are, someone in your sphere of influence has been through the same things.  Together, when you share those memories, you can unlock the prison of loneliness, and live in the abundant life Jesus talks about in the Gospel.  (John 10:10)

The Permission to Be You

Jamie and I were talking with a group today here in the Middle East, and the word Permission kept coming up in our talk.  It's almost like it was the message for the day.  What would the world look like if you had the permission to just be you?

No more performing to be someone else.
No more intentional pressure to achieve something unachievable.
No more communities where "All Good" is the Motto.  (we all know its not all good.  its good, but come on.  life needs a little flavor to keep from being boring.)
No more hiding from the real, honest, human way of living life. 

What would it look like if someone handed you a hall pass to just be you?

I'll never forget the first time I met my good friend Wes Roberts.  We were at a speaker's symposium, and I ran into this wonderful guy who was counseling like a pastor to the attendees of the event.  It was really cool. 

So if you can imagine, here you have a group of ego maniacs who think they have something to say to the world.  Every one of them had some kind of DNA that drives them to be able to conquer the fear of getting in front of people and putting together a string of talks and points that might convince someone of their way of thinking. 

We and I started talking, and he helped work through some of the old baggage I was carrying around, and I'll never forget when he looked at me and said, "God created you to be you.  He wants You to be the best You, You can be.  You don't have to be like ________." 

Isn't that awesome? 

I can feel free to be me in my own skin, and I don't have to compare myself to anyone else. 

When we incorporate the permission to be us in a community of people who do the same, God can begin a synergy of love that might just show the world how much He loved us.  (John 13:34-35)

I hope you have a GREAT Sunday, and on this next day of your lent Journey, spend some time knowing you have the permission to be just like God created you to be. 

When the World Cries for More

What happens when the world cries for more?
More hope.
More results.
More safety.
More security.
More sustainability.
More help.
Where do you turn?

I'm in the Middle East right now, and there are many people who are looking for hope. There are people who believe in God, people who believe in Allah, people trying to find identity in somewhere or something, and I wonder; how will they find it?

One of the constants in humanity is the need to find security and validity.  We all, no matter what tribe, nation, tongue, or skin; we all have similar needs to find identity in the world.  You know what I'm finding?  No matter if you're from Doha or Dallas, the issues are the same. 

Families are trying to do their best to raise their kids.
Business owners are trying to survive.
Communities are trying to understand the nature of success.
People are people, no matter where your from.

And I also find much of the solution to the problem comes when someone, ANYONE, has the courage to sit and listen to someone's story.  We want to be known by someone, and deep down inside we want to know.  We want to connect and know there is a place in the world where someone will look on us in approval. 

The Beauty of the Jesus story is just that.  God expressed His Grace so much, He came to earth to say, "I love you this much." (John 3:16) 

When the world cries for more, there's nothing to replace the love of God. 
When the world demands justice, there's nothing to compare to God's Grace.
When the world longs for validity, there's no other place better than the creator of the Universe who dwells with us. 

My meditation here on this Saturday of Lent is to focus on the fact, the God of The Universe likes me, and wants to be my friend.  (John 15:15)

If you're feeling lonely today...
If you're looking for approval...
If you're filling your life with material things, power plays, business deals, or even work for a good cause...

Don't under-estimate the Love God has for you.

Today on this Friday Lent Journey

Have you ever tried to stop the noise?

You know what I mean, right?

The noise of life is so loud, we can hardly get a word in edgewise. 

Work is full of projects to get done.
School tests are coming on strong here before spring break.
Families are constantly filling the calendar with more and more to do.

And we find ourselves in a constant state of tense-ness.  We don't know how to sit in silence anymore and allow our minds to clear and be free from the business of life controlling every decision we make. 

I have a friend in Durango challenging me to put aside work for a bit, sit and start each morning in the quiet punch the re-fresh button on my mind.  After all, it seems to work for computers, right?

Amazingly, we have the same instructions in the Bible.  Psalms 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations.  I will be exalted on the earth." 

There's something about the still quietness of my room in the morning when I take a short time to just meditate on the truth of the world around me.  No lies.  No Pressures.  No projects.  No deadlines.  No tragedy.  No victory.  Just.....QUIET!

The deafening quiet allows for a purge of my soul to ready my day. 

Have you ever tried to stop.

Stop your mind wandering.
Stop the craziness of the day.
Stop to breath and know "God is God!"

Today on this Friday, I encourage you to take 10-15 minutes and find a still quiet place where you can re-set your mind.  It's amazing how EVEN the physical body will respond to allowing the pressures of life fade into the stillness. 

Try it.  I've come to long for it.  It's a great way to listen and be still know your place in the world

Changing the World is a Commitment

I've been in the ministry world for 15 years now.  I've been a part of youth mission work, businessmen who want to use their influence to change the world, and NGO's who do hard labor getting their hands dirty by feeding the poorest of the poor. 

My concern is this...

We know there is something better out there. 
We know the world is a broken place.
We know there is violence all around.
We know sickness, disease, and death. 
We know we need to be involved in partnering with God to eradicate these things.

BUT!!!!!

We need to understand...

It doesn't matter how many mouths we feed, there will always be more hunger.
We need to know in reality, no matter how many lives we save, there will be more work to do.
The passion raging in our souls to reach out and "do" is AWESOME, but make sure we are thinking impact. 

The impact of wanting to change the world without thinking can be demonstratively dangerous. 

You think you just want to give a kid a free pair of shoes, and all of the sudden, when the new shoes wear out, he doesn't have the callouses on his feet to walk in his village anymore.  He steps on a nail, and ends up dying of Lock Jaw because there are no tetanus shots in the village.  You thought a new pair of shoes was your Christian Duty, and you inadvertently set someone up for more danger. 

You think it's ok to give a kid a bowl of rice because they don't have anything to eat, but you don't factor in the malnutrition of the rice.  You think, "Well it's food," and thereby you give the hungry kid the worst bowl of nutrition on the planet.  He gets sick, but he felt so good after filling his belly.  You thought you were changing the world, but in reality, you've made the problem worse. 

You want to paint an orphanage.  You sponsor a team, pay for the paint, travel across the world, and when you're done, the sponsor says "Well, we really need a farming operation to feed ourselves."  You paint the orphanage and all the while wasted your time, their time, and your energy because that's not what they needed. The sponsor hates the color you painted the orphanage,  but you felt like you were changing someones world for the better. WE NEED TO THINK!

Don't get me wrong, All these things are good things.  But we need to seriously examine the impact of our actions before we run to the next way we think we can change the world. It's AWESOME to get excited.  It's intense to rally the troops.  But if you don't know what's going on, don't pretend to. You need to make sure you understand what you are doing may harm you, harm them, and in the end drive your goal further away from success than you intend. I'm not one to run from danger or hard circumstance, but I am one who thinks through an issue before I jump off a bridge. 

Let's not forget, our changing of the world won't happen in it's fulfillment, until Jesus.  God created us.  He fashioned us.  He fashioned the world, and without Him, we can do nothing to make the world right again.  Evil, Greed, Lewdness, and Envy come from within a man's heart, said Jesus.  Until He fulfills all things, and reconciles all things on this planet both spiritually and physically it's a real trial to change the habits and behaviors of those who are evil.  We can't just eradicate evil without something from the outside transforming us from the inmost part of our soul.

So we get Koney2012, they'll be another, and another, and another.  This isn't simply about one man.  This movement I'm watching on the internet has a deeper more substantive solution.  Let's think together.  Let's put ideas on the table.  Let's aim before we fire. 

Evil must be stopped, but do we really know changing the world is more than a twitter, a facebook repost, or a night hanging posters?

THIS IS BIG!!  The people speak freely in a country where the law allows, but you know what?  Uganda isn't in AMERICA! 

Who cares if the people speak?
Who cares if Americans speak?
Who cares if a bunch of college students rally on a campus?

The intention is RIGHT!!  We need to go get this man, but have we been swept into a media frenzy, or do we really understand what we're doing. 

Louie Giglio posted on Twitter today, "Make Jesus Famous" And that's the real answer.  Jesus transforming the hearts of mankind to love each other like God loved us is the only answer.  It's the only answer to evil on the planet today.  And until He takes control, we'll be doomed in a world full of Joseph Koneys. 

Step back.
Make sure we have the facts.
Let's rally a movement around REAL GLOBAL CHANGE, not just some night in the shadows.

10 MILLION people know who Koney is

Download Video as MP4

KONY 2012 from INVISIBLE CHILDREN on Vimeo.

It only took two days, and over 10 Million people clicked on this video.  10 MILLION? CRAZY!!

I'm more than willing to share the video here for the 100K followers on this blog, and I'm excited that there is a movement toward understanding Justice in the world. The atrocities committed by this man are almost unspeakable, and one might wonder how in the world he is human at all. 

But I'm also cautiously optimistic... 

Cautious because, after watching this film do you really know who Joseph Koney is?

The video is well done, and it highlights an incredible issue happening all over the world.  The use of children for soldiers, slaves, or sex toys is nothing new, and certainly isn't only happening in the forrest of Uganda.  The Beauty of people coming together to fight for the rights of children to survive almost brings tears to my eyes.  And when Mumford starts playing...I was read to jump out of my chair and hunt down Koney myself. 

But is that what I need to do?

This man Jospeh Koney has been building child armies for decades, and the Invisible Children guys have done an awesome job raising awareness, raising funds for education, and they have a unique way of galvanizing a movement.  I love their enthusiasm, they're need to feel like they want to do something in the world is contagious, but most of all, I admire their passion for longing for rightness.  

No child should have to fear death before they go to sleep at night.  Not in Uganda.  Not in the Ukraine.  Not in Utah.  The very thought of innocent kids having to deal with such a weighty human rights issue goes beyond what most of us know is normal.  

However; this isn't some clown dressing up in the woods scaring people at night.  Joseph Koney is a mass murderer, a killer, a man who never plays by the rules, and continues to evade the authorities of Uganda.  

Now don't get me wrong, I believe murderers need to come to justice.  We must stop the evil happening in our world.  It's part of God's mandate for us to subdue the earth, but are we ready to count the cost.  

I have a hard time counting10 Million people watching a video, getting excited about putting up posters in the middle of the night.  I love the enthusiasm, but what is this really accomplishing?  It makes us feel good we are doing something, but are we really?

Sure the government will see a blip on the radar of the populous, but we can't even keep a news story in the cycle for more than 24 hours.  How in the world are we going to keep Koney at the forefront of the Department of Defense....unless.

Unless we pledge for the long haul. 
Are we ready to hunt Koney at all cost?
Are we ready to put soldiers in harms way?
Are we ready to see this thing through, remember Bin Laden was the #1 guy on the hunted list in the world, and it took 10 years to find him.
Is this a cause you're ready to stand with, maybe for life?
If not...don't make him famous...

Here's a little insight...Joseph Koney would like nothing more than you wear a T-Shirt with his face on it.  That's what megalomaniacs do.  Their narcissism is the thing that keeps them going, and in the case of Koney he's about to be elevated to a cultural icon like Che, Mao, and Lenin, seen on the college campus as a hero against the establishment.  Oh, I know, now Koney is the devil, but so where the other guys in their day.  Those guys became famous, and now you can buy their T-shirts at any college novelty store as a symbol of a resistance.  

Justice isn't something you can simply talk about in the shadows of Facebook, and the corners of the intellectual conversations.  It's not justice to come off thinking you know something about the inner part of Africa where others haven't heard.  Justice is difficult. 

The world is full of Joseph Koneys.  There are Koneys in Southeast Asia, Central America, all over the Middle East, and by in large, the world has no real traction or desire to bring bad people to the light.  (unless of course it serves some national interest, but that's for another blog) There's always a self interest in the middle of a situation like this, often much bigger than one ever imagined.  

So as you watch the video of Koney2012, pledge to stand with our friends at IC.  It's a great cause, fighting for innocence.  But don't deceive yourself into thinking you've done your civic duty because of the social medium you passed on, shared, or tweeted.  This is a long battle that may cost many more lives. Freeing the children of African is no different that looking in your back yard and beginning to free the children of America.  Sex trafficking, Slavery, and Abuse is happening all around us.  You don't need to go to Africa to fight. 

For those who are called...May your work not be in vein.
For those who have energy...May your passion be directed toward your gifts.
For those who can help...May God give you the power and strength to carry on.

But remember...

"It doesn't always turn out like the movies..."  Are you ready for that?

When you think of Freedom

As you know, in Colorado it snows A LOT!  Of course we welcome the snow, unlike my mid-west friends.  It's certainly not as humid, and the beauty that comes with a huge winter snow storm is simply...indescribably.  There's no Ice Storms, or Power Outage days where we live.  In fact, the kids have to go to school unless the snow accumulates as high as the school bus bumper. (about 3 feet)  So life goes on when it snows in our neck of the woods. 

I was reading in Isaiah 1 today as a part of my Lent Journey.  I found this passage,(Isaiah 1:16-18)

 Wash and make yourselves clean.
   Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
   stop doing wrong.
 Learn to do right; seek justice.
   Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
   plead the case of the widow.   “Come now, let us settle the matter,”
   says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
   they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
   they shall be like wool.

I'm amazed by the beauty of this kind of passage.  The previous verses were delivered to Sodom and Gomorrah, and the leaders of the church who were bringing sacrifices to the alter.  Isaiah writes this section to admonish the people and let them know the heart of God isn't necessarily for the actions of the righteous, but rather; the humble. 

It is the deeds of the humble that appeal to God, not those of self preservation.  And when the heart of the humble impacts with God's heart, it's an amazing act of salvation from the chains of sin that shackle.  The analogy is the red stained crimson guilt, shame, and worthlessness; becoming white as snow innocent as the wool of a sheep. 

Today I pray we take time to meditate on the power of a God who can give freedom like that.  He isn't a God who sits on the throne of heven and earth playing dictator to the minions of humanity.  He's a God who cares for the beauty, like the fresh snow falling from above to cover the ground. 

From time to time I can see this snow falling right out my window, I wonder...when was the last time you allowed the snow to fall in your own life?

When God Doesn't Calm the Storm

With the combination of the second Saturday on our Lent Journey, and the tragic storms pounding the Mid-West part of America and the South; I can't stop thinking about how many people called out to God to stop the storm and just got obliterated. 

I've seen so much damage reporting on the news, and I've seen so many interviews of people saying things like, "It could have been worse."  Or one man I heard said, "God spared us" as he stood in the middle of a debris field. 

I guess I'm trying to understand the logic, but even though a life was spared, the climb out of destruction is ever present.  I understand the life piece, but why wouldn't God stop it?  Why would He allow the storms to plow through these neighborhoods? 

It's easy to see the physical, but all of us could relate to other metaphorical parts of life.  Certainly there are times you wonder Why God doesn't allow the storms to stop like He did in the Bible, right?

As I meditate on it today, I wonder if we're just asking the wrong questions all together.  It's not God's job to step into the world and make it heaven on earth with no pain.  No.  The Bible certainly is a book full of pain.  In fact, I don't think there's 1 story in the Bible where a character is free from pain and tragedy because of his walk with God. 

So it might be concluded that every person who walks on the earth has to endure some level of pain in the "storm."

Maybe we need to re-evaluate the perception we have of God, and remember the intent of reconciliation of all things unto Himself.  (Colossians 1:20) 

The Faith in God can't be likened to a Genie in the Bottle sort of experience, but rather; it's the hope all things will get better SOMEDAY that allows us to keep going.  

The strength I see in the people from the Mid-West is inspiring.  Many are saying things like "We'll rebuild,"  "We'll make it through this,"  and I've watched as whole communities come out to help their neighbors.  It's AWESOME!!!

Maybe that's the real lesson in all this.  The Storm doesn't calm so we can posture ourselves in a way that lives practical hope, and brings neighbors together.  Isn't that what Jesus called us to do anyway?  (Matthew 22:37-40)

My heart goes out to all the people enduring this storm season.  With each news real, I wish there was something we could do to prevent the hardship they're facing.  But to the spiritual question, I wonder...

What do you think?

Why doesn't God calm the storm?

The First Day of March, Our Lent Journey Continues

The Lent calendar I'm following has a reading this morning from Matthew 7.  Jesus was talking to a crowd of people and in the famous discourse,"The Sermon on the Mount" He began to outline the foundation of teaching.  If you've never had the chance to read through Matthew 5-7, get a Bible or Google it and meditate on it today.  It's an amazing section of the Bible as it begins to revolutionize the way religious people think about their posture in the world. 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8)

Jesus gives us a picture of a God who is interested in giving.  He's not a dictator God.  He's not an authoritarian God demanding and oppressing.  Jesus paints a picture of a God who cares for the whole of humanity.  He's interested in providing, meeting needs, and giving hope to the world. 

Today, take a couple of minutes in silence to reflect on the God who designed the world to live with mankind, rather than sitting on a throne living at us. 

A Question to argue since the beginning

As we continue to explore the Lent Season, questions continue to rise to the surface.  In the middle of sacrifice comes places where we have the opportunity to come to meaningful principled driving answers. 

Who is God - the first question positions us in a place where we can focus on what is truly important.  If your God is your car, your family, your job, your position, or the power you've accumulated; then it's pretty easy to see why so many people would bow at the alter of those things and allow life to be consumed by them. 

If you're God is the Creator of all things, then we have, at the very least, an obligation to figure out why He created us, and what we are all here for. 

On a clear night at my home in Colorado, you can look up at the sky and see billions and billions of stars.  It's amazing!!  Unhindered by pollution or night sky lights, the sky is glows brilliant with the light from the deepest parts of outer space. 

When I look up, I think, "I am really small.  What am I doing here?  Would anyone really notice me if I didn't wake up tomorrow?" 

Which brings us to our second question.  "Who is Man?"

Some believe the intrinsic goodness of mankind.  They hold to the ideals we all have goodness boiling inside us fighting to come to the top.  They feel humanity can figure its way out, the strongest will survive, and the race will keep climbing a ladder toward a more perfect species. 

But if you answer the God question, 'I believe in a higher power,' or 'I believe in a God who created us,' or 'I believe in something beyond the human race.'  Then you have to start asking why?

If we're all here to survive, that's pretty simple to see. 

But if there's something out there beyond who we can see, 'What's He up to?'

The Bible says, "Let us create man in our image, in our likeness..."(Gen. 1:26)

The beauty of serving a God who created us in His image is a wonderful hope.  If God created all that is around us, and He saw fit to make mankind in a special way, in His image, it seems to reason we have a wonderful God who not only created, but filled with some sort of purpose. 

I counsel teenagers and college students all the time, and identity issues are at epidemic highs today.  I often wonder, if we really knew what God thought of us, and how much time He put into the creation of humanity relative to the rest of the world, Would we still be dealing with Self Confidence issues?  Would we still have to find our identity other places? 

What if we woke up every morning and looked in to the mirror to affirm our creative importance relative to the rest of the universe.  All of the sudden the small issues of life fade in the distance, and a swelling pride begins crashing in our psyche.  "I'm a creation of GOD!!"  And that's an awesome thing.

Today, think about who you are in relation to your 'God.'  If you don't believe in God, then who is mankind?  Where did we come from?  What is our true purpose?  And what happens when we die?

If you chose the God of the Bible to be the God you serve, then share how that God helps you understand you.  Can you imagine what God must see when He looks down at you and smiles in pleasure?  Could you ever get to a place where you knew God loved you...No matter what?

Because He does. 
He loves you where you are in spite of the good things.
He loves you where you are in spite of the bad.
He created human kind, and His desire is reconcile all the evil in the world so you can enjoy Him and He can enjoy You. 

How crazy is that!

 

The First Monday of Your Lent Journey

The first Monday of your Lent Journey is a Milestone.  You've made it through the first weekend, the first Sabbath, and now you're well on your way to remembering the hope we long for.  It's not a hope simply imagined by near eastern poets, but rather; a hope, if indeed real, can change the way the world spins. 

Her on the first Monday, I want you to ask a few questions about whatever faith you believe in.  You see, I believe we all have faith.  Some of us choose to believe in a God who created the world and has been interacting with mankind since the beginning of time.  Others believe the world has always existed, and there's an ebb and flow happening at all times to balance good and evil.  While others still have other unique views about the origins of the Universe and the laws governing it. 

Today I want you to look deep in your own journey and ask, "Who is my God?"

A God is something in your life that you bow to, you worship this being, and for many people "God" can take many forms.  An Atheist doesn't believe in God, to you I ask, "Why?"  A Hindu approaches "God" as a revelation through all of creation, and to you I wonder, "How do you come to that conclusion?"  And for many who are theists, we believe there is one God.  How did we arrive at knowing about God?

Take some time today to write down Who your God is.  We'll spend all week working through a process to examine your worldview as it is, and ask how we can work on developing a more comprehensive way of looking at life around us. 

But for today, Who is your God?  What does it look like?  How do you serve it? 

We all have one, no matter if you go to church or not, We ALL serve something?  Who is it for you?

Forgiveness, it's a part of the Journey

I was reading Mark 2 this morning, and the first story is Jesus healing the paralytic who was dropped through the roof by his friends.  It's an amazing story of friendship, community, and Jesus' mission to heal the physical and the spiritual. 

He reached out the cure the man unable to walk on his own, but He didn't stop to focus on the physical part of the healing.  Jesus looked at the teachers of the law and said, "Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?" Mark 2:9.

The beauty of the healing isn't simply that a paralyzed man walked, although that might be enough; but the real power in the statement is when Jesus claims His authority to heal sin.  If we hold to the idea we've all sinned against God (Romans 3:23), and the gift of God is life (Romans 6:23), Jesus came to fulfill the hope of physical healing, and the reality of spiritual healing.

We've all got times we suffer from a place of inadequacy, the guilt of a move we made we weren't proud of, or we did something we know is just wrong.  EVERYONE.  I could create a laundry list of failure on this blog I've experienced in my own life, often created when I know I purposely chose to do something that hurt someone, myself, or even crossed the boundaries God set up for me. 

But remember, the HOPE we celebrate during this sacrificial season of Lent points to the healing power of Jesus. 

He came to forgive.
He came to make all things new.
He gave us a way of living that points to our inner fears and said, "You're ok."
He came to validate us as a creation of the Creator.
He gave us vision that in the middle of our own paralytic nature, He offers healing and freedom for us. 

Today as you spend time focusing on your journey, spend time meditating on the healing power served up from a God who loves you more than anything else in the universe. 

Don't Forget

I saw this hat the other day, and it reminded me of the journey we're on here this lenten season.  So often, we have good intentions that go awry.  Remember that new year's resolution?  How are you doing on that? 

The Season isn't built for us to simply have good intentions.  In order to understand the journey from now until Easter, we have to continually put ourselves in a place of remembrance. 

Remember this is not a season for the light hearted.
Remember, this isn't just a good intention resolution.
Remember, we are taking time to remember who we really are in the world as it relates to a Creator. 

Take some time today to remember. 

Remember how hope is the center of the season.
Remember how rescue is the promise of this faith.
Remember how God came to make all things new. 

As the urge to drink that coke, eat that meat, get on facebook, or whatever you've chosen as your lenten sacrifice rears its ugly head.  It's for a reason.  Keep on Keeping Strong. 

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
(1 Timothy 1:7)

Remember Today!

Giving it Up

What is following Jesus all about?  It's about giving it up, letting it go, giving your own desires up for the good of others.  Paul says, " For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you." (Romans 12:3)

We all have this issue, don't we?  We often think we have it together.  We feel like we have rights to do certain things that may or may not contribute to our own hubris.  There's an underlying need to feel as though someone owe's us something, but in reality; we're all just trying to pass through life the best we know how. 

Following Jesus' teachings is to understand the reality of our existence.  We're simply people.  That's all.  Each of us has been given gifts from our creator, and we all need to experience the gifts of everyone.  No one has a gift more valuable than another, as God sees it all contributing to the whole.  (Romans 12, 1 Cor. 12, 1 Cor. 14 etc..) 

This Thursday at lent, lets focus on giving up the 'right to be,' and posturing ourselves as 'grateful we are.'

You can imagine how messed up our worldview must get when we walk through life thinking we have more to offer than we really do.  Today, I'm thankful God has given me life and life more abundantly. 

How do you plan on celebrating Ash Wednesday?

It's all over for Fat Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday is today.  Ash Wednesday is a time to reflect and begin to examine how you will spend the next month or so looking forward to Easter Sunday.  Usually it takes the form of fasting, or denying yourself something in order to work into the rhythm of sacrifice. 

As we take this Lent season seriously, here are a few questions for your lenten journey.

What will you sacrifice in preparation for your celebration? (many people choose something of significance that will be a constant reminder throughout their day.)

As you examine your own life today, what hope are you needing to show itself in your own state?

The scripture says, "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me." (Psalm 51:10-12)

Join us, as we journey together this season. 

Fat Tuesday...TODAY!!

Today is Fat Tuesday all around the world, and millions are living it up.  Although the original meaning of the day has been lost in the reveille of the the party; the day still holds a special place in the rhythm of the calendar of the faithful. 

The day before Ash Wednesday has traditionally been a time of preparation for confession, a time where the old is finally been pent up for the long journey of Lent.  The Lent season is upon us as those of us who celebrate the tradition prepare for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. We fast from things in our life that take our attention off the hope of life and life more abundantly.  

We believe evey person on the planet is living in the muck and the myer of life, looking for hope.  It's not a condition special to the faithful, everyone on earth has the same longing.  It's a plague of humanity. 

Imagine the world much like a fish living in a bowl of muddy water.  No matter what kind of fish you are, we all have to endure the filthiness of disease, disappointment, and ultimately death.  The only difference between the fish who believe in God and those who choose not to is, the hope of something different.  We have a hope the muddy water will one day be clean. 

It must be. 

We can't simply think the world spins with all its ills, and not hope for something better.  Why would you ever get out of bed if all you had to look forward to was the hope of death?  Each day we are either living or dying, and the bottom line is, if you're search for meaning has led you to a place where the hope of life rules, you're living in the present, and you'll go on living...FOREVER!

Fat Tuesday isn't just a party.  It's a time when believers all over the world are in preparation for a long season of anticipation.  We anticipate hope.  We anticipate life.  We anticipate meaning through the gospel story. 

I'm excited to post my Lent Journey with you this season.  I'd love for you to join me as we await the celebration coming.  We start Ash Wednesday tomorrow and we journey until Sunday April 8th. 

I look forward to hearing your stories as well.  Feel free to post your journey, and we can do this thing together. Share it with your friends, and let's see what happens.  Not all of us will make it to the end, but it will be fun as we lock arms together. 

I wonder...

What would happen if thousands of teens and college students all over the world took the time to prepare, sacrifice, and focus this season?   Would the world notice?

 

Law Students Fed Up, Suing Law Schools Because They Can't Find Jobs

I guess every industry has a tipping point.  You can flood the market with so many niche type service jobs, there just isn't enough work to go round.  At least that's what seems to be happening in the law profession. 

I've been hearing about this issue for a while, but my brother in law posted the article on facebook today, and it makes TOTAL sense.  Here you have an institution requiring a student to pay $150-$200K for a law education assuming there will be a job on the back end of the education able to help pay off the Student Debt. Unless your parents were smart enough to start a college fund while you were in utero, that's a big chunk of change for the average bear. 

So you have students with high amount of debt, assuming the institution they are entering will be able to pay, but what happens when there are enough attorneys in a certain community and they can't support anymore?.  It's the same idea as if 100 plumbers moved in a small community and tried to all capture the market share.  Only a few are going to survive. 

So it seems like the tipping point of attorneys might be in reach.  CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE. 

It's another reason we need to help students from high school understand what they want to explore as a vocation early in their career.  Several of my University Friends decided to default to law school because it paid a good wage, there was room to grow in your own profession, but rarely did I run into many "lovers of the law." 

So sure, there are those who love the law.  They practice it with fervor and vigilance.  But for those who simply say, "Well, I don't have anything else to do.  I'll just take out some more money and defer my growing up a bit longer..." (totally overstated) maybe if they decided before they took out all the money, or if they had the experience of other vocations, they could save themselves the heartache of debt, un-employment, and a lack of excitement for their future. 

That's why we started the KIVU Gap Year.  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.  Our kids have been in Denver working with the inner city.  They've been to Haiti working on the outskirts of a natural disaster.  They've finished up their section in Rwanda.  And today, they are beginning to climb Kilimanjaro.  (lots of pictures coming soon.)

Why would you spend $100K for a promise of a new job, when we all know teenagers aren't even ready for undergraduate performance.  They have no idea what the REAL world looks like.  They don't understand what adventures are out there.  So as we explore Vocational Discovery through a Global Community, our students will have reference points and contacts all over the world.  They'll be able to adapt, they'll be able to perform, but most of all they have the still sweet confidence of knowing who they are. 

We find more and more parents moving away from the traditional forms of education.  Sitting in a classroom only re-enforces what college undergrads would be doing anyway.  The KIVU Gap Year is a place where students can experience the ebs and flows of different cultures, they can be in the middle of developing global businesses, and they'll learn to serve the least of these. 

I can't imagine suing my school because I don't have a job, but I can probably bet they trained them well.  Watch out NYU Law School.  The student is becoming the teacher.

What do you want your student to become?