The tragedy of modern faith is that we no longer are capable of being terrified. We aren’t afraid of God, we aren’t afraid of Jesus, we aren’t afraid of the Holy Spirit. As a result, we have ended up with a need-centered gospel that attracts thousands…but transforms no one.

What happened to the bone-chilling, earth-shattering, gut-wrenching, knee-knocking, heart-stopping, life-changing fear that left us speechless, paralyzed, and helpless? What happened to those moments when you and I would open our Bibles and our hands started shaking because we were afraid of the Truth we might find there? Barclay tells us that the word used in the Bible for “Truth” has three meanings—a word used to describe a wrestler grabbing an opponent by the throat; a word meaning to flay an animal; and a word used to describe the humiliation of a criminal who was paraded in front of a crowd with a dagger tied to his neck, its point under his chin so he could not put his head down. That is what the Truth is really like! It grabs us by the throat, it flays us wide open, it forces us to look into the face of God. When is the last time you and I heard God’s Truth and were grabbed by the throat?

I know for me I have a tendency to be too judgemental, lookig to the speck instead of my own log.  Then there are those who belong to the anything goes compassionate brand of Christianity. Too far to one side and we are either playing God or watering down and removing sin from the gospel repectively. The answer for me is to pray that I would be fearful of God in the way I’m supposed to be fearful of Him. That I would be completely in awe of Him. Then from that place, God would tell me to fear not. My approach to God should be one of trembling, because of who I am. But I can tremble in confidence because of who Jesus is.

If that happens, I will naturally introduce my friends to Jesus in those terms. But I’ve got to be willing to be grabbed by the throat - to be transformed myself.

The Internet Monk has a name for that Jesus.  He calls him the “Abbreviated Jesus”.

You’re going to discover that there’s a remarkable resemblance between the abbreviated Jesus and the current version of political correctness. (Isn’t it unusual how Jesus takes an interest in whatever happens to be the current rage on CNNMSNBCCBSSUSATODAY?

I’m not sure this abbreviated Jesus believes in hell.

He seems considerably more flexible on sexual matters than one would believe reading the Bible.

Living together before marriage? The abbreviated Jesus seems to have not issued a statement on that one.

I actually think the abbreviated Jesus doesn’t like to be bothered with issues of morality, character or behavior. He’s mostly interested in larger political and cultural issues, or your experience at your local church, or how you’re doing in your relationships.

And, he doesn’t want to have anything to do with the Abbreviated Jesus.

I’m announcing that I’m afraid of the abbreviated Jesus and his followers. I’m afraid of his “church,” his books and his kind of “discipleship.”
 I’m uninviting him from my life and my interactions with other Christians.

I want to know Jesus. The untamed, old school, offensive, mysterious, demanding, awe-inspiring, transformational, life altering, crucified, risen, ascended, revolutionary Jesus.

Now that’s a Jesus I can get excited about living my life with, one that’s going to tell it like it is even when I don’t like it, who’s going to tranform my life into something I was meant to be, instead of letting me do whatever I want and be okay with it.  That’s a Jesus I can be fired up to tell other people about.  He’s a wild man, a God-man.  He’s died, but he’s still alive.  He went toe to toe with the most religious folks of his day for their hypocrisy, but he never overlooked sin.  In fact, it was his radical love for sinners that led them to repentance.  He was so wild he did the unthinkable.  He hung on a cross and died for me - the son of God gave up his life for me and then came back to life to show me it was for real.  And, He’s still alive today!  It’s really crazy and not at all deserving of the sanitizing culture tends to do to it, and for the sake of making Him more attractive.  That’s really ridiculous if you think about it.  What’s more attractive than that real Jesus?

If you don’t read the Internet Monk, you should. Definitely take a look at this whole post.

The Mentoring Project - Recruiting 10,000 Mentors Through 1,000 Churches.

We’ll send you one free book for every $10 pledge you make between now and Christmas. When you give $10 per month, or more, we will mail you (immediately) an autographed copy of Jazz Notes, the special, gift-edition of Blue Like Jazz. This book was put together in coordination with the people at Hallmark, and contains a CD with one Don’s lectures, along with outtakes from Don recording the audio version of the book. In addition, this 140 page book contains an interview with Don five years after Blue Like Jazz hit the shelf. How had life changed in that five years, and since the book sold more than a million copies?

I’ve heard statistics say 75% of men struggle with pornography, so more than likely either you have or you are right now and your guys probably are, too.  Why not talk about it, bring it to light, and get well?  Download it.  Share it.  Discuss it.  Deal with it. 

And, ladies…this one is just for the fellas. 

Here’s a snippet.

God tells us that his people tend to satisfy their thirst not by drinking from his streams of living water, but instead drinking from man-made toilets (Jer. 2:13). This metaphor is particularly adept in a world where men such as Tom Leykis, Dr. Drew, Howard Stern, and a legion of men’s magazines and porno providers become wealthy by selling glasses of toilet water to thirsty men across our nation, many of whom claim to be sons of God. Meanwhile, the church alone has access to the living water from God’s perfect Word, but largely fails to teach men masculinity in any area, particularly regarding their sexuality.

The causes for this sin of omission are many. First, there is a propensity in many churches to take sexuality out of the hands of theologians and place it in the hands of secular counselors, whose philosophy is dominated by unbiblical evolutionary concepts of humanity and gender. This error prevents the church from speaking about men and women because they’re only permitted to see androgynous humanity. Second, the effeminate nature of pastors and churches causes many masculine men to feel unwelcome in what they perceive as an organization solely for women, children, and weaker men. Third, there is a timidity among weak pastors to wade into controversial issues in general, and sexual ones in particular. Lastly, the sad truth is that many pastors are also enslaved to their own sexual sins and/or are languishing in unfulfilling and infrequent sex with their wives, and therefore are unable to speak of sexual matters out of a sense of disqualification.

To speak of the matters of pornography and masturbation, I must speak frankly, as frankly as the Scriptures do on important issues. In 2 Timothy 3:16 God says through Paul that, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” These Scriptures that God breathed for our profit include the very frank discussions of sexuality throughout the Song of Songs and Ezekiel.

In Ezekiel 16:25–27 God says, “At the head of every street you built your lofty place and made your beauty an abomination, offering yourself to any passerby and multiplying your whoring. You also played the whore with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoring, to provoke me to anger. Behold, therefore, I stretched out my hand against you and diminished your allotted portion and delivered you to the greed of your enemies, the daughters of the Philistines, who were ashamed of your lewd behavior.”

Also, in Ezekiel 23:18–21, God says, “When she carried on her whoring so openly and flaunted her nakedness, I turned in disgust from her, as I had turned in disgust from her sister. Yet she increased her whoring, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the whore in the land of Egypt and lusted after her paramours there, whose members were like those of donkeys, and whose issue was like that of horses. Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed your young breasts.” God basically called his people tramps for lifting up their shirts like it was Mardi Gras and chasing men with huge penises and semen emissions like fire hoses.

While God spoke frankly to Israel, he is certainly not crass like some meat-headed high school boys killing time in a locker room. God is honest and forthright about the truth and his people must not be so prudish as to try and speak in ways that are holier than their God. In our age of lewdness and perversion we, like our Father, must avoid crassness, while wisely and boldly speaking frankly about the joy and beauty of sexual intimacy when it is confined by the loving directions of the God who created both us and our desires. And, we must refuse to speak in sanitized clinical euphemisms like calling adulteries “affairs,” fornication “dating,” and perverts “partners” because God uses frank words for deplorable sin so we will feel its sickness without anesthesia.

Get it here.

The same thing happened back in May.  I got that feeling that something just wasn’t right.  I was doing everything I was “supposed” to do.  Quite times, worship, prayer, fellowship, but it was all just religion.  Then I went on assignment and wa la the real reality hit me in the face - God is real, He loves me, He wants to walk with me, He’s cool as crap, and He wants me to point others to him. 

So, I’m back.  Back to reality.  Time to let the world be the world with their kings & presidents & CEOs.  Time for me to focus on His kingdom and The King.

I just got done writing a weekly update for some of my friends & supporters and thought I’d share part of it with you.  I had the opportunity to chaperone my school’s homecoming dance Saturday night and wouldn’t you know God showed up in a strange, but very cool way.

To finish off the week, Sarah, Jesi, & I chaperoned the dance on Saturday night. Chaperoning a dance is always a surreal experience, because the kids are not experiencing fun at Young Life Club as we are used to seeing. They are at a dance with their friends experiencing the “fun” the world has to offer. It always makes me a little sad to see, but helps me know we are doing ministry exactly where we need to be doing it.

That’s how I went to the dance on Saturday night, a little down, just wanting the night to be over. I was assigned to the dance room from 10:00 – 11:00, walking around, being a presence, making eye contact with my Campaigner guys to hold them accountable. Little did I know God was about to give me a huge sign of encouragement.

Believe it or not, 80’s music is back. The DJ played Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and the kids just belted it out – I’m still not sure how you dance to that song (I’m thankful for songs they can’t dance to, btw), but they were definitely singing at the top of their lungs. A few of my friends came over to me as they yelled the lyrics, “Hey, Storms, this is a Club song. This is just like Young Life.” Yeah, I thought, just like Young Life.  I hoped not.

I smiled and sang along without moving my lips (not sure if Chaperones are supposed to sing or dance). Then, the very next song was Sweet Home Alabama, a song we literally do every other week at Club. As the song started playing, I couldn’t help but think how cool it was that 2 songs in a row were Young Life songs. I got my camera out and started walking among the kids, figuring there wouldn’t be much inappropriate dancing to Sweet Home Alabama.

So, there I was in the middle of about 300 kids all singing one of our favorite Club songs, snapping pictures, thinking how neat this was, and the chorus started. “Sweet Home Alabama” they sang. Then, I would say about 90% of the kids shouted out “Bama Bama Bama, Wooooo”. That’s a little thing we add to the song at Club to make it more fun and here all these kids were at their Homecoming Dance singing just like they were at Club – and it was almost all of them. Now that was surreal. What a blessing for me to hear.

I don’t want to sound like a pansy, but I almost started crying.  In my defense, I was tired and had endured watching Georgia almost get beat by Auburn earlier in the day, so I was emotionally spent.  But it was one of those things where you’re just like “Wow”.  I didn’t want the song to end, just to hear them keep singing.

One of the things we’ve always said is that we want to reach every kids at our school.  While that seems nearly impossible, one of those things we say but don’t really “really” believe, God showed me that it is possible and it is happening.  I’m so thankful for being able to witness what God is doing in the lives of kids.

More to come…

Here’s some flyer fodder.

While in a Grocery Store

• Every time you turn the corner with your shopping cart, yell “Make Way!!!”
• While scratching frantically, ask the manager if he or she has anything for body lice.
• Bring your own buy one get one free tags and put them on random items.
• Get tubes of Preparation H (or other embarrassing items) and as you go past other shoppers just secretly drop it in their cart. Stand near the checkout and watch what they all do.
• Challenge other shoppers to cart races.
• Set up your own little sample table, but just give out plain animal crackers. Be very enthusiastic about them. “YOU”VE gotta try these!”
• When you see a worker pulling items to the front of the shelf, walk by and push some back. Just keep walking.
• If you can find a freezer with room in it (or make your own room) get inside and look out at the shoppers through the glass doors.
• Bring a fake mouse attached to fishing line (50 feet is good) and drag it around behind your cart.
• Insist that the bagger only put one item in each bag.
• When you stop to look at something, turn your cart sideways so nobody can get by.
• Make up your own language and ask people questions in it. Make the questions sound important.
• Wear headphones and sing out loud.

Chris & Jason interview their friend Eddie Kaufholz to discuss 2 questions.

1. As a counselor, what types of things have you learned that would be helpful for anyone in youth ministry?
2. Folks in youth ministry are not counselors, so at what point in relationships with kids should we realize our friend needs to talk to someone other than us (a professional counselor) about issues they are dealing with.

The audio is still a bit of a struggle, but we’re working on it.

BTW: We have no idea what happened to Episode 16.  Just make something up in your head.

Direct Download: Episode17.mp3

Let’s talk. Tell us what you think or submit a question for upcoming podcasts.

My area is headed to Sharptop this Sunday, so it’s timely for me to listen to this & think about being an excellent leader.  I’ll repost part 2 - Episode 4 in the next day or two, but you can also get it on iTunes.

Before we get to the podcast, I’d also like to mention a somewhat overwhelming, but good list of cabin time questions posted over at Help for Young Life Leaders NOW.  It’s good to read through, sit back with your eyes closed and just think about all the great conversations you’ll get to have about Jesus, Sin, aliens from outerspace, and whether the new tribe of indigenous people in Brazil is destined for heaven or hell.

In Full Camp Mode (Part 1) 

1. Excellent Camp Leadership
2. Bad (or Not So Great) Camp Leadership
3. Camp Ideas & Advice

Part 1 ends abruptly.  Part 2 (Episode 4) will pick up right where 1 left off.

Leader Lounge Promo - Save 10% on party supply orders of $100+ ShindigZ.com with promo code SZCJC8.

I’m always trying to work out what ‘he’ or ’she’ or ‘it’ is. I don’t know if it’s Allah or Jesus or Mohammed or Zeus. But I’d go for Zeus. I lay claim to being the only person in the world who still believes in Zeus. - Cold Play Star Chris Martin

This might be a good quote to use for a first talk.