like a fire

I have just stumbled upon a new site and group that I am really loving called - Deadly Viper. It takes a bit to capture my attention but they definitely have. How is the best part of it.

1. Their site looks amazing. I know all the common wisdom about judging a book by its cover, but I just disagree. Good design equals confidence, and these guys get that.

2. They are committed to radical grace and radical integrity. Enough said.

3. They are … quirky… and that is enough to make them remarkable (thanks Seth Godin).

Nest week they start a series on the S word. I can’t wait to hear how they tackle it. I highly recommend it.

I have been reading a lot of Marko lately. I don’t know if his blogging has changed or if I just didn’t get him before, but he really has my attention lately. Specifically, he is writing a book on youth ministry that I can’t wait to get my hands on.

The latest chapter preview is on identity. This is one of my hot topics and I have been teaching a lot on it lately. Marko provides an excerpt (teaser) for us:

“For our purposes, we’ll define identity as the “who am I?” question. Simply put: one’s identity is the sum of one’s self-perceptions. This includes self-perceptions about character, values, purpose and potential in life, caste, emotional make-up, appearance and body type, intellectual and spiritual and emotional strength or weakness, relationship to family and friends and culture at large, and many other factors.”

He then goes on the describe how preteens don’t have generally have the abstract thought to develop a sense of identity, It is in the teen years that this becomes paramount.

I am so ready to hear what Marko has for this, especially if he has any insights into how we help teens find their identity, especially if they are believers. Check out the post if this whets your appetite.

My thoughts have been gathering for this for a couple a years. What were we created for? What specifically am I here to do? Where is my place in the kingdom? My counselor pushed on most of those questions to make them much more specific. What would I do if I could do anything? The best and hardest question though still has me thinking.

What are five things about you that will always be true?

I still think about that and wonder. I have a couple of answers, but not a complete answer to the question. That question has become a great source of freedom for me. It is specific to me, rather than the vague leaning of my identity in Christ. It helps me know when I am being true to myself rather than living for other’s approval (a big problem for me). So I was thinking about this and the importance of identity when reading John 13 the other day. One word changed my perspective on identity.

John 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.

The word “so” changes my perspective on the passage. Basically, because Jesus knew where he came from, where he was going - who he was - he did what followed. Did identity drive Jesus’ mission? I can’t see how he could have done it apart from that knowledge. So that is my new goal and teaching point on identity. Where do I come from, where am I going, and who am I? Thoughts?

We had our first run with the Lectio Divina this last Sunday night. I meant to get pictures before hand but it just didn’t work out. We took out all the lights and added about 50 candles. The only light we had was from candles and the projector. Yes, I know that is not what they used in ancient practices, but I went with it anyway because it kept us from fumbling with books or papers. I set up the media so that it ran itself. Once it was started, no one had to direct it any more than anyone else. That way, the staff was able to be just as involved in it as the teens.

I thought it was a really great night for us. Every student said they really loved it and I got the highest praise from one of our ADD junior high boys. He said that we should do it for longer the next time. So there you have it, God’s presence trumps ADD.

I ave been reading and re-reading Contemplative Youth Ministry by Mark Yaconelli. It has some great things to say, and I have been wondering if it is actually possible to have a youth ministry do some of the things he talks about. His site The Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project talks about the practices for a more contemplative style of youth ministry. Frankly, I wouldn’t know where to start. So his site is actually a big help.

If you are like me, you wouldn’t know the Lectio from a Contempletatio, so here is what I have found:

“Lectio Divina refers in Latin to the practice of “divine reading.” This form of spiritual reading originated in the Benedictine tradition and involves a deeply personal and prayerful encounter with the presence of God through sacred scripture. Lectio invites us to listen to the word of God with our whole being and our longing to be touched, healed and transformed by the Holy Spirit.”

So guess what we are trying in the near future in our youth ministry. That’s right. It won’t be this week, since our attendance will be down from the holiday weekend, but it will be soon. I’ll write on how it goes. If this sounds really strange, go check out the site. It is quite compelling.

I haven’t posted a lot lately due to spending lots of time with people. Given the choice, I will always take people over face-time on the internet. But this last week has been one of many ups and downs. Cathy grandmother (Nanny) died Sunday morning and we had services Wednesday. I was glad to hear the stories about the legacy he left her family, but there was a longing there for some of that. It started hitting my identity, though I didn’t know it at the time.

Wednesday night, we had our normal youth get together, but it was far from normal. There were some huge connections that I really loved. I had already planned on talking about the soul and how God gives us a soul with a distinct identity. When we don’t know that identity, it is like we are a coffee pot being used as a baseball bat. Not only do we not make coffee, we can’t hit a baseball very well either. Worse than that, we get damaged trying to hit a baseball if we are a coffee pot.

I was thinking of several things in discipleship that ought to drive our relationship with Christ. In Christ, we see more and more of our identity. I’m not talking about how we are like him, but rather in the transforming presence of God that awakens the inner part of our soul. John Eldredge calls it the heart. Maybe that is it, but what ever you call it, there is something hugely powerful in knowing who you are. I was trying to explain this when a story came back to me.

When I served at Westminster PCA in Pennsylvania, there was a guy there who was unashamedly known as a virgin. It wasn’t because he was unattractive. In fact, this guy had plenty of opportunity. He was on the basketball team and was quite popular. Many of his team-mates gave him a hard time about it. They told him that he was missing out and that he would never have an opportunity this good again to sleep with as may girls as he wanted. I guess it finally pushed him over the edge, because eventually he let them know what he thought about them. I’ll never forget it.

He said, “I can be like you in five minutes. You will never be like me.”

I think that kind of conviction comes from identity. I don’t know if it possible to stand up for what you believe without a strong sense of who you are, knowing that you are loved and accepted, actually making a choice that is better, and/or full of confidence in what you believe.

I think that points to a necessary component of discipleship. How are we helping this generation see who there are, know that they are loved, know their choices are better if they are centered in God or confident in what they believe? Is it possible to disciple apart from that?