The summer is sadly over. Great memories made, new experiences had. Now it’s time to get back to the grind of school and sports. Oh yeah, don’t forget that other option – church. Sometimes I wonder whether it’s just an option amongst many in a very packed schedule. Our lives are packed full like a suit case that needs sitting on to close. Mostly it’s filled with so many good things that there is no space left for God.

Education, the glowing shiny trophy in which we place our hope. Education will save us in this life, since no matter what happens you can always fall back on that. But much more than that is the pressure to be successful. We are enlightened and must reach our full potential. If you don’t keep up in this world, you will get run over. Education is the stepping stone to excellence.

Sports, the great complement to education. An outlet to all the pressure from the education. A place to find your value among fellow students. So, the better you are the more valuable you are. More people want to be friends with the sports star. Since education is connected with sports, this value becomes a motivation for education. Win – Win for schools. Parents are informed by the schools and are fueled themselves to give these great things to their children.

With all this pressure occurring it can become difficult to juggle all the options. So often church is the easy option to drop. Occasionally this may be the wise thing to do. However, I wonder if we have made good things, god things. Have we made idols of Education and Sports that we worship before God. I truly encourage you to weigh your heart before God. If God is truly our God then we must give his Lordship over our time, money, learning and exercise. Do you trust that God can help and strengthen each of these things as we live according to his way?

I also wonder why people place a low priority on church. Why has church become like an extension of the way we treat God? Often the role expectation is reversed and God is our servant that helps us deal with our guilt when we sin. When we’re having a tough time we can come and get built up again. Many are so absorbed into a culture that wants to bear the Christian name but sees God and church as fall backs in times of need.

The church encourages us to grow in the ways of God that encourages true self identity, godly morality, and is the hope of life that gives meaning to every subject. Education and sports are good things and God would encourage us in them. However they should not rule our lives. It’s my prayer that we would be a church that is committed to living in Christ centered community. That understands education and sports are strengths but not our all. That God will take his place and breathe life into what we do. That we would be more passionate about seeing God’s kingdom come than getting an A. That we would train harder to be pleasing to God than to win a sports game. That we would love people more than achievements. It’s my prayer that this year we would know the life of God in our midst and that as we trust him we would go further in every area of our lives than we ever could ourselves.

Peace Jason and Chelsea.

Summer is here and for our youth the pressure of school and exams are now safely a memory (except for all that summer reading). We celebrated our end of year party by going to Miyabis. Hibachi steak, shrimp or chicken were sliced and thrown about with great skill.  Mostly everyone came out with at least an extra lunch and maybe a dinner too. We then turned to Cold Stone Ice Creamery and got our favorite combinations. Yum!! This was a great celebration of our year but also a chance to bring on the summer.

Summer for many can be a very busy time. Trying to fit everything into our schedules can be tough. However, for those that are off school it is ‘how busy can I be’. Our confirmation class runs from January through to December with a break during the summer. The session just before the start of summer is ‘Personal Spirituality’. As the youth have the pressure taken off though lack of school the challenge is to make a space for time with God. This is the lifeline for the Christian life. In class we discussed two ways they are to do this. First, they can be present with God at all times. For God is omnipresent and the one time we don’t notice him is when we ignore him. One way Jesus described the Christian lifeline is “I am the vine and you are the branches.” The question is how often do the branches visit the vine before they die? In reality they are never simply visiting the vine, they are constantly connected to it. So, first be present with Jesus, allow him in to every day thoughts and enjoy life with him and let him pour out his love when needed. Second is quality time with God. Time that is set aside every day that is time just between God and them. This is the gas station for the Christian but instead ofstandard or even the premium gas with 93 octane level you get God at 777 times life to the full. This time is so infinitely valuable!! Without it personal spirituality we are just going to run out or turn somewhere to fill up. This is a dangerous place to be, easy pickings for the evil one. However, if we live not to please ourselves but God’s Spirit, then we are empowered to change the world around us. That time with God each day is so valuable. If I carried a marriage certificate in my pocket but never talked to Chelsea there would not be much of a true marriage. Christianity is not a ticket to heaven it is a restored relationship at immense cost. The blood of Christ was shed for us. I’d like to share with you one of the tips I shared with the confirmands about spending time with God. When we spend time with God, we often have mind chatter. Especially in the twitter world we live in. Our minds are becoming more and more difficult to keep focused. Part of our time with God is focusing on our relationship with him. When God makes covenant with Abraham there are animal carcasses split in two on the ground. This is the ancient way of making promises that says ‘may we become as these animals if we break the promise.’ God, in his sacrificial nature, ultimately made the promise with himself on Abraham’s behalf. Abraham’s job was to bat the vultures of the carcasses. These vultures were there to eat away the memory of the promise. I told the confirmands ‘in your time with God do not let the vultures come and eat your precious time with God, they will try and they will be subtle – maybe you’ll think about things like ‘what if I got a text’ or ‘I’m hungry’ or even ‘they were so cute’ sometimes it can turn internally and the enemy can accuse you of past sins or call you ugly- anything to get your mind off of God and what he has for you’. It is my prayer that we can all spend time protecting our time with God and being present with him this summer. Maybe spend a moment right now asking God about the time you spend with him. I’m sure he’ll let you know in a heart beat. As he longs for time with you, may you long for time with him.

Peace Jason and Chelsea

Sow a thought, reap an emotion;
Sow an emotion, reap an action;
Sow an action, reap a habit;
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.
by Charles Reader

The Martyrdom of James, who was called the Brother of the Lord. by Eusebius 263–339 AD

The aforesaid Scribes and Pharisees therefore placed James upon the pinnacle of the temple, and cried out to him and said: ‘Thou just one, in whom we ought all to have confidence, forasmuch as the people are led astray after Jesus, the crucified one, declare to us, what is the gate of Jesus. And he answered with a loud voice, ‘Why do ye ask me concerning Jesus, the Son of Man? He himself sitteth in heaven at the right hand of the great Power, and is about to come upon the clouds of heaven.’ And when many were fully convinced and gloried in the testimony of James, and said, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David,’ these same Scribes and Pharisees said again to one another, ‘We have done badly in supplying such testimony to Jesus. But let us go up and throw him down, in order that they may be afraid to believe him.’ And they cried out, saying, ‘Oh! oh! the just man is also in error.’ And they fulfilled the Scripture written in Isaiah, ‘Let us take away the just man, because he is troublesome to us: therefore they shall eat the fruit of their doings.’ So they went up and threw down the just man, and said to each other, ‘Let us stone James the Just.’ And they began to stone him, for he was not killed by the fall; but he turned and knelt down and said, ‘I entreat thee, Lord God our Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’And while they were thus stoning him one of the priests of the sons of Rechab, the son of the Rechabites, who are mentioned by Jeremiah the prophet, cried out, saying, ‘Cease, what do ye? The just one prayeth for you.’And one of them, who was a fuller, took the club with which he beat out clothes and struck the just man on the head. And thus he suffered martyrdom.

Meet the Zeitgeist Family

Life is busy for the Zeitgeist family. The members of this typical Christian family are all baptized and one is still to be confirmed. The parents work hard to build a stable future for their children. With their resources they are able to provide for their children with a wide range of opportunities. The Zeitgeists seek to enjoy what life has to offer by doing as many activities as possible. The boys hunt and fish as much as doable while the girls are in to shopping at the mall. They all have strong friendship groups, which feel like extended family. Although the Zeitgeist’s are members at a church they often skip church to do something “a little more fun”. Although they pray at mealtime, it seems a matter of duty rather than joy. This average Christian family wants to be connected with the church, but they struggle with juggling too many other commitments. Their family’s priority list is lost, which creates tension in the home over time commitments- ultimately resulting in doing lots of activities rather focusing on being a family. For Mr. and Mrs. Zeitgeist being distracted with each other seems like a distant memory and so many other things pass through their minds like a crowded hall way. Arguments help to get attention back on each other but they seem to be trapped in this cycle. The Internet seems to provide peace for the family but some of the girls are talking to ungodly boys and the boys seem to spend consuming amounts of time online with out anything to show for it. The emphasis of the Zeitgeist family is the education system, which they hope will teach and provide what is needed for living in the world. As for God, the parents have appealed to Him as a sort of therapist who will give direction when life goes really bad, and the children are now following that model themselves.

Our youth have the potential to hold our highest hopes and deepest fears. They are the future of society, the testimony of our families, and they often shape the world of younger children. One of the books I have studied this summer is by Dr. Christian Smith, Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He is the one of the most renowned sociologists of religion in North America. His studies have shown that the majority of youth in America believe in no more than a therapeutic deity that helps them to live a better life. He concluded that the strongest source of their spiritual understanding comes from their parents and almost all youth directly follow the spiritual life that their parents present. Some adults project the breakdown in morality and spiritual disconnect in our society as a teenage problem, rather than realizing that often it is the parents projecting their own disinterest in church on their youth. The Zeitgeist family is my attempt to show this in one instance.

“Hurt” by Dr. Chap Clark, is another fascinating study into the lives of teenagers. In his book, he states that the period of adolescence has been extended over the last generation, leaving teenagers more vulnerable and distant from adults. This leads them to find their identities in “friendship clusters” which in turn, also define their morality. Friendship clusters are also the center for dating, without any sense of parental involvement. Without strong parental/family structures, teenagers’ sense of “family” will be found in their friendship groups. Within these groups it is ok to lie to parents because ‘Parents don’t understand’. The cultural pattern within teen groups is to emphasize their time spent outside of the home. Teens have created a huge disconnect from those that love and know them most and can often provide the best advice for them. Like the Zeitgeist family above, many families have become very disconnected and though they have some ‘together time’ at meals, they spend little time connecting at a deeper level.

If we really look at the Zeitgeist parents they seem to treat their children like pets. They feed them, give them exercise (sports) and train them in education, but they miss out on the most central aspect of their children- the reality that they are image bearers of our God! They have distracted themselves so much with worldly things, that they find security anywhere but the home. Interestingly God spoke to the ancient/primitive Israelites about the basic structure of society through the Ten Commandments. God was at the top and family was central. God gave the commandments to be taught by parents to their children so that society would progress and not regress. Family devotions are a great way to keep the basic foundations of society. Saying grace at meals is a small start, but the statistics today show that the emphasis parents place on faith will direct our future generations either for their benefit or detriment. We can often say that God and family are our priorities but if we don’t live that out, we are simply lying to ourselves. At our baptism and confirmations we make promises to keep God in the family. This promise is a serious commitment before God- it is called a covenant. We are a part of God’s kingdom that He has pronounced justified from sin. We are his representation on the earth to welcome people into that beautiful kingdom.  And yet, at times the church is difficult to distinguish from secular culture. The beauty of the kingdom is lost when both are off key. God has provided us with the basics and promises to meet us and provide for us those areas where we are lacking. One great thing about our Episcopal tradition is that the prayer book offers a liturgy for family devotion, as well bible reading schedule so that all the families can read together. This was once a strong tradition that seems to have lost it strength. Let us be the patriarchs and pioneers who transform both our families and the culture around us. I’ll finish with a quote, “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Peace Jason and Chelsea

We talk a lot about biblical marriage, dating, and relationships here at Mars Hill. Here’s an interview with one Ballard member about his experience living that out.

In order to avoid the nasty divorce they watched their parents go through in the ’70s and ’80s when divorce rates peaked, many couples today are deciding to live together, have kids, and maybe at some point down the road – if they really feel the need, say, for insurance or something – they go ahead and get married … maybe. Most of us know a couple or family who fit this profile. But it’s a trend that Christian couples can’t join in on.

This leaves dating, which, to be honest, is a dying trend these days, but one Christian couples are doing their best to pursue. Today, we’ll talk with Andy, a 21-year-old college student at the Ballard campus, about what it means to date a woman within the context of a Christian relationship, i.e. one when you’re not living together or sleeping together. In Christian parlance, he is in what he refers to as a “courting” relationship with his girlfriend, Naomi, also a 21-year-old student.

How is your relationship with Naomi different than your friends’ relationships?

Let me lay a foundation here–there are selfish reasons to date and God-honoring reasons to date. This [unmarried, cohabitating couple I know at work] is in a self-serving relationship: all the benefits, but none of the commitments and responsibilities of being in a marriage.

For me and Naomi, we are wanting a relationship that is honoring to Christ. What it looks like practically, for instance, is our level of expression of affection, emotionally and physically, corresponds to our level of commitment: you don’t have sex before marriage for instance. Also emotional boundaries: I can’t be the one who she attaches herself to; she has to protect her heart because [the relationship] might not end in marriage.

Read the rest of the interview – and watch a 2008 sermon on dating that includes a full-grown man inside a plastic bubble – after the jump:

So for our relationship, it means getting to know each other in groups, at her parents’ house, at my parents’ house. We get to know each other’s friends. This Thursday I’m meeting her dad in Centralia and we get to sit down and chat.

I guess it should also be said that our case is ideal in that we’re 1. we’re both Christians, and 2. we both come from Christian families. So, her dad’s input – because he loves God and he loves his daughter and wants her best – is something I value.

If you do get married, how do you think this plan might impact your kids, your family, your legacy?

The first thing that comes to mind is–right now, what we’re doing, we’re trying to be as wise and as intentional as we can, knowing that we’re laying the foundation for a potential marriage. Step by step in prayer, seeking counsel from our parents, people we look up to–trusting that that will lay a solid foundation–a good foundation…and as far as our kids go–I definitely hope to be able to say to my kids, “Here’s how I did things, you might be able to learn from this–not saying that it’s going to be perfect, but, uh, but I want to be able to point to this as an example as a godly dating–courting–relationship.

What’s the difference between dating and courting?

Dating is usually about meeting a selfish need: I feel lonely, so I’m going to date. Courting is about intentionally building a foundation for a marriage. It’s not just about not feeling lonely anymore; it’s about, “Can we work well together in a Christian marriage?”

Want more? Check out Pastor Mark’s Date Night Tips here on the blog, or under the #d8nite tag on Twitter.

Andy was interviewed by Jean, of the Shoreline campus. Volunteers Kristin and Kim, both of the Ballard campus, contributed the photo and graphics, respectively.

Manhood is one thing. Biblical manhood is another. We’ve been taking a long look at this over these last few weeks on the blog. Check out more teaching from pastors on biblical manhood and more stories of guys working to figure out what it means to be a man in Christ. Stay tuned in coming weeks as we shift to biblical womanhood.

INTP – The Thinkers
[INTP]
The logical and analytical type. They are especially attuned to difficult creative and intellectual challenges and always look for something more complex to dig into. They are great at finding subtle connections between things and imagine far-reaching implications.

They enjoy working with complex things using a lot of concepts and imaginative models of reality. Since they are not very good at seeing and understanding the needs of other people, they might come across as arrogant, impatient and insensitive to people that need some time to understand what they are talking about.

Get yours here http://www.typealyzer.com/

Evaluation nation
Evaluation is the power that we all have and we all feel its weight. BP and possibly many other oil companies have pursued value over the planning and foresight of a deep-sea spill. They are now being seriously devalued at best and bankrupt at worst and worst of all they are causing damage to the environment. We have, no doubt, already made evaluations of BP and Government regulations.
We live in a world of evaluation. Our minds are conditioned to determine the value of people and things all the time. Value is treated as something we have to give or take away-it is our right of opinion. It seems natural to seek one’s own value just like capitalist companies. Think about it on a small scale: examine how you think about people and things. Many people spend a lot of their thinking time critiquing others and justifying themselves so they have claim on the limited value of people’s opinion.
We are born in to a world that finds worth according to what people give worth to. We determine what is valuable is based on public opinion. As we continue to judge others, we join in this system of pursuing our own market value over the care of others. We have friends and associate with people that increase our own value. We are constantly selling ourselves and doing what ever we can to increase our value to others. “Look at how intelligent, artistic, musical, sporty, rich, hard working, good-looking, well connected, important I am.” We live in an unstable system, floating in the middle of the ocean of opinion, hoping that we will be given value. We fail to realize the potential darkness of sins destructiveness that lies beneath. Yet many do not know that there is already a leak and their time of limited and small value is running out.
If you are trapped in this evaluation nation then it is your god and may be hard to move your trust to live for the true God. God put the tree of knowing ‘evaluating’ good and evil in the center of the garden. It was for God to decide values, not us. What does God think of us? It is God’s values that you need to think most about. The biggest declaration of how God values you and the whole world is his love on the cross. The Son of God gives himself for you; there is nothing more valuable in the universe. That is what God thinks of you. That is how God loves you.
BP seems to be stepping up to the work of cleaning up the mess it has made. Maybe if we were truly following our God ordained role of caring for the planet we would not have gone outside the bounds of capabilities for the sake of money. No matter where you stand, we all need our minds cleaned up and God is ready and willing to help as you are of infinite value to him.
Spend time this week evaluating the thoughts you have and whether your mind is wrapped up in this value system. We evaluate ourselves according to this system all the time; the hard part is catching ourselves and allowing God to change us. We can escape this devaluing of ourselves by seeking the true picture in christ and what he has done for us. I also encourage you to read Luke 15:1-32 while imagining your self as the one lost and God pursuing you. Getting the real picture of God‘s love for you will transform your thinking and free you from the evaluation nation.