Old Books

Know anyone whose birthday is fast approaching? *cough-cough* Perhaps they'd like something from GreatSite.com, from, oh, say the Platinum or Gold rooms.  Hey, who do you love?  Try the 1550 Stephanus Greek New Testament, offered at $37,500.  You can't go wrong.

Leaving Funda Polygamy

LeavingPolygamy.org helps women caught in the perverse world of Mormon cult life.  But the front page article caught my eye as it clearly outlines three primary characteristics of RELIGIOUS CONTROL GROUPS.  "Wow," I thought, "this sounds like *ahem* people and places I used to know."
1.  "First, religious control groups create a culture of fear in order to cloister members from the influences of the outside world. They are often strongly anti-intellectual, and any significant study of opposing viewpoints is discouraged."
2.  "A second characteristic of religious control groups is an irrational resistance to cultural change."
3.  "A third characteristic of religious control groups is an excessive emphasis on submission to authority, which is built into the theological grid of its members from day-one. Control group leaders must keep a short, tight leash around the necks of sect members to foster a spirit of dependence. Mandatory public confession of sin is an extremely effective tool to keep everyone accountable to abiding by group customs."
This is a good ministry worthy of support.  It also has several interesting articles outlining cultish practices.  If you have ever heard your church, group, organization or beliefs lampooned as being "cultish", then perhaps you should peruse this site.

Reformission Reflections

I'll skip the perfunctory slough of hyperlinks to people who love or hate Mark Driscoll or Mars Hill Church, Seatle, WA. Here are all the Reformission Reflections from his latest book (as of this writing). I think they are good questions for us to ask, and very helpful when considered immediately after reading each chapter. But I like to be able to view the question, type my answer, or have the questions and my written answer on the same paper page. I googled for a while in hopes that someone else had done this leg work only to find that the joy was mine. They are good enough questions that we should consider them frequently during the course of our lives as ministers. So here they are: Reformission Reflections.

(note: everything contained in the document is taken from the book Confessions of a Reformission Rev. by Mark Driscoll and is exclusively his work)

Sermon 9.03.06

My sermon on our vision for youth ministry, from Deuteronomy 6: Love God.

more on metal music

Part 2 of Metal in the Mainstream is out on PluggedInOnline.com: Alien Nation.  Adam Holz discusses the tie that binds trans-generational metal fans: as Staind sings, "I'm on the outside/I'm looking in."  Here again, metal gets it right.  Soft silky princesses sitting cross legged atop husky buttes humming dharmic pop tunes in the hopes of coming back as a butterfly miss this all-important reality: there is a place we belong, and we've been kicked out of it.  Genesis 3 is one of the most important passages of the story of God with which humanity must come to grips.  We are on the outside.  That nasty, butterflies-barfing-in-your-stomach feeling of being all alone, separate, cut off?  Yeah, that's how you should feel on the outside of a covenant relationship with God.  And the reason you feel that way is because you weren't meant to be there, outside.  You were created to know and love God.   But we have each gone astray... we have turned and gone our own way.
Part 1: Metal Roots Reach Deep
Part 2: Alien Nation
Part 3: Theater of Pain

From Pieces to Weight

I just finished From Pieces to Weight, one of the Autobiographies of Curtis Jackson III, a.k.a. 50 Cent. Several young people involved in church programs have expressed to me a heartfelt appreciation for the work of 50 Cent. Who is 50 Cent? What is he all about? What sorts of themes dominate his work? From what place has he come? I've never knowingly heard a 50 Cent song and so approached this volume a tabula rosa. Here are some of my thoughts on the book as literature, 50 Cent, and the dominant themes of From Pieces to Weight.
as Literature
The book begins with promise. That would be the hand of editors. His philosophical flourishes at the beginning and end descend into and emerge from a profanity laden, morally blind, street world of Queens, NYC. If you've never read a book in a different vernacular or full of profanity, then you'll have a hard time reading this one. However, sometimes you are able to self-edit the language. You're eyes become skipping-stones, jumping around the f*bombs to the pertinent subjects and verbs. As the rate of 'F's increases, the pertinent subjects and verbs decrease. Thus, I was able to plow through the book in about 3-4 hours. A more sensitive reader would probably have come to a log jam midway through. But then they would not be reading 50 Cent's biography either.
50 Cent
Remarkable circumstances can produce two sorts of remarkable people. Those who succumb to their circumstances in remarkable waste and lethargy and those who overcome their circumstances through remarkable industry. 50 Cent grew up in remarkable circumstances and hustled with remarkable industry. His mother was a drug dealer. He lived with his aunts and uncles, all of whom were drug users. The only working folks he knew growing up were dealers. When he was eleven one of those friendly dealers gave him some pieces of crack to sell for him. He was eleven when he started pushing. It was the only thing he knew and the only thing he would know for some time. The story follows Curtis from Pieces to Weight, which are larger blocks of drugs, such as kilos.
Dominant Themes: Hustle, Feel
Hustling defines Curtis's life. This was how he moved from pieces to weight and how he went from unknown to world renowned in the music industry. "Burning the candle at both ends" is a common phrase in the book. He tells of times he slept on the bench and sold drugs late into the evening and early the next morning, never leaving. Just hustling. 50 draws parallels from his own definition of hustle to that great Puritan work ethic upon which this nation was built. In effect, he's right. He only knew dealing, so he dealt drugs with all his might. Far from admirable, it nonetheless ought to put before us Christians a reminder of Jesus who "burnt the candle at both ends" for the love of His Father and His flock. Too few of us, myself included, appreciate this sort of work-ethic. If we had pastors willing to work as hard as drug dealers,...hmmm.
"Feel" describes how 50 makes decisions. "I'm not feeling it"; or, "I'm feeling that." 50 claims to be a God-fearing man who appreciates church stuff and believes in right and wrong. But the bottom line moral compass in that young man's life is and has been his feelings. Sometimes you have to do the right smart thing whether you "feel" it or not. But generally, what you "feel" determines what you do. This is not unusual today, and it is helpful to have 50 Cents own description of his moral categories, with which he influences millions of young people across the globe. Get Rich or Die Trying sold 11 million. This is what we are working with. Feelings are the moral compass and the vehicle of understanding. Curtis never asked, "Do you understand what I'm saying?" No, he said, "You feel me?"
That's the bottom line question the world has for the Church: Do you feel me, church-people? Do you feel us?
Well, do you?

on Metal

Adam Holz begins a series on Heavy Metal Music and its influence on and reflection of culture. The site is PluggedIn.com, a service of Focus on the Family. The first article: Metal Roots Reach Deep.
If you've never been a fan of any metal bands ever, then you should read this series. If you have a hard soft place in your heart for powerful guitars, thunderous drum symphonies, and Calvinism, then, well, you'll enjoy the articles even more.