Here’s a video we made for The Mercy House almost two years ago. It was for the church planting group we’re a part of and they were highlighting several of the churches with short clips of that church and a pastor speaking about what was happening. So a lot of this is out of date, but it’s still fun to watch to see old faces. The baptism clips were classic.
Crazy Larry
Originally written for Relevant’s website a couple years ago:
The name fit him well: Crazy Larry. Crazy Larry owned Crazy Larry’s Waterbeds in my hometown and the locally produced commercials always solidified that reputation. In one commercial in particular, Larry stood on top of his own building, took off his pants, and wrote the word ‘SALE’ on his boxers. Then after these antics, he states, “I’ll drop my pants to make you a sale. Why? Because I’m Crazy Larry.”
Crazy Larry is now out of business. While it cannot be proven, it stands to reason that it might be in part to being so crazy. After all, the ‘crazy’ moniker is good for a memorable commercial, but being crazy doesn’t guarantee successful entrepreneurship. Larry now probably realizes that being memorable doesn’t translate into customers, just spectators.
So why can’t the American church learn the same thing? Why is it that at every turn there is another pastor, another leader, another congregation doing something to be memorable in the hopes to attract more customers? We run advertising campaigns to reach the masses. We have slick promotions and direct-mail pieces. Some larger churches have even added full-time public relations positions on their staff.
Perhaps there is nothing wrong with this. After all, we are called to go out and reach people for Christ. Therefore, we should not feel ashamed to use any creative means necessary to bring people to our churches to hear the gospel, right? And we are called to be culturally relevant and reach people in ways they are used to hearing messages, correct?
The problem is that we, as Christians, are falling for the belief that the gospel needs our help in some way. While we may not say that is true, our actions speak differently. We spend countless hours and dollars developing ways to be a unique and creative voice within the media landscape. Sometimes we even go the crazy route, all in an effort to attract attention to ourselves in the hope that our voice can be heard.
When we do this, we are attempting to add to the gospel. What we are saying is that the gospel is not enough to change lives – that it needs our help in some way to make it more acceptable or palatable. Our actions state, “Maybe if I present the gospel in a slick enough way, maybe someone will accept it.” Or we say, “If I can make it less threatening or more culturally appropriate, then perhaps they will listen to what I have to say.”
In doing so, we have become willing to be more politically correct, to change gender roles for God, to personify God in ways He was never meant to be, etc. And we have done so all in our feeble attempts to make the gospel presentable to a world that doesn’t seem to want anything to do with it.
Our hearts may be in the right place, but our actions have possibly been more detrimental than helpful. God doesn’t need our creativity to reach the masses. We have overstated the Mars Hill argument of Acts 17 far too often. In the passage, Paul is found using cultural examples to bring the gospel to the people of Athens. While this is effective at times and obviously is Biblical, it is taking it too far to overuse this method on this one passage alone.
It is the same Paul who also says, “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.” (1 Corinthians 1:18) Paul also goes on to say that “we [Christians] preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” (1 Corinthians 1:23) If this is true, then we are doing it all wrong. We are spending all kinds of energy, time and money trying to remove the stumbling blocks out of our messages. We try all we can to make our words seem less foolish to the culture.
But the fact is that we are not called to make the gospel anything other than what it already is. It is meant to be offensive. It is meant to separate father and son or mother and daughter. The road has already been labeled narrow and any attempts of ours to widen it, reconstruct it, and pave it are in vain.
As messengers of this gospel, our job is simply to carry it as it is, to allow it to be what it already is, and leave the results up to God. For as Paul says, “my message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power…” (1 Corinthians 2:4)
We don’t need more churches to be crazy. We simply need to be faithful.
It’s Okay Not To Be Okay
Let’s drop the false humility right now. While we are at it, let’s get rid of the sense of guilt as well. The lack of a proper view on being single and the dating life has caused enough damage as it is.
For those of us who are single, it seems that many of us are on a quest to feel okay about this stage of life. Now, let me make a quick disclaimer before I get in too deep. Contentment is a wonderful thing and we should definitely strive to be there. Paul exhorts us to do everything without complaining or grumbling (Phil. 2:14). And God has the complete right to give as He pleases, and this includes a potential spouse.
An Open Letter to New Life Church
I wrote this back in November, 2006 right after the Ted Haggard scandal fell. I think most of us in the evangelical world was shocked by the entire affair and, as a pastor, I had concerns on a different level - the church and how they would respond. So I wrote an ‘open letter to new life church’ and thought I would post it here after the fact (since I just found it a few days ago):
To New Life Church:
Undoubtedly, you are finding your collective selves in a position that you would rather not be in. As a pastor, I grieve for your situation and pray for God’s glory to somehow shine in the midst of sorrow and darkness, confusion and concern. There are already a myriad of pressures upon you now as the media spotlight shines on and the wounds are still fresh. But I am writing to request one more thing.
You are in a unique position. It is not one that you asked for, but it is yours nonetheless. It is the ability for the people of God to truly display what grace and compassion is all about. It’s the platform to speak the truth in love and actually have an audience when you do it. It’s the capacity to both discipline and restore in a time when the words ‘church’ and ‘discipline’ are never seen together.
S-A Interview: Jake Smith
His last album, Real, proved Jake Smith to be one of the industry’s brightest up-and-coming talents. From out of nowhere, it seemed he seized each stage he was able to grace with his New Orleans influenced jazz-pop-rock sound. Plus his fun, catchy lyricism meshed well with the infectious musical material.
Now Smith is back with a new EP, showcasing a more somber, reflective side. We recently asked him a few questions regarding his career, his direction and what he thinks about his debut now that some time has passed.
SA: You’ve mentioned that the new EP is really focused on hope and the ability to find that in life’s circumstances. Were there specific instances that led you to want to focus on this?
Jake Smith: The last CD was based on huge events that I hope people don’t have to go through such as hurricanes, cancer, car wrecks, pretty much anything horrible. Those things aren’t every day occurrences, and it’s not as if once you go through such things like that then your life will be smooth sailing from there on out. This EP is based off of the everyday situations, politics, relationships, careers etc.
You can read the rest of the interview here.
A Skewed View of Nudes
Recently, I ran across an article about an elementary school in Colorado that took a group of fifth graders to an art museum…
*Pregnant Pause*
I just want to let that soak in. I know, I know. Incredible, isn’t it? I can’t believe the audacity of that art teacher. What’s crazy about it is that it was even approved by the principal! How dare he do that! Imagine a teacher wanting to take kids to see art that includes, ahem, nude sculptures. N-U-D-E. Nude. Kids can’t handle that.
And then the parents. They all signed permission slips! Every one of the kids who went had a signed slip from the parents. The nerve of those parents, if they can even call themselves that. Who allows their child unfettered access to such disgraceful places that house paintings that could possibly include semi-clothed people, sculptures that show even more, and God knows what else.
*End Sarcasm*
This country is going to hell. I don’t mean literal hell, as I am leaving spirituality out of this for a second. I just mean that we are shooting our own selves in the foot. A parent in Georgia is calling for a ban of Harry Potter. An art teacher is fired for going to an art museum on a principal-endorsed, parental-permission given trip. The teacher has been teaching for 28 years! She is almost 60! But some kids came back and apparently told mom and/or dad there were breasts exposed in 3-D form, and then chaos ensued.
How did we get to this point? I’m glad these articles aren’t exposing these people as Christians and not making it a religious issue. We have it bad enough. But it leads to me to think about our own inability to just absorb art on a grand scale, even that which we disagree with. Music is so broken down by genres that we don’t have to take in any other forms. Books are categorized in the same way. Movies have not only genres but ratings, and now art is simply doing the same. How long until you have “Nudes” in one room, “Scantily Clad” in another. All paintings, sculpture, sketches that could remotely give me a snippet of an idea of what a male or female might look like without clothes should all be stored up in one closet so that perverts can just be put together, I suppose.
When you and I refuse to be challenged or shaped by different political viewpoints, we become closed-minded, dogmatic and really no good to anyone. Does this have consequences in the art world as well? When you and I refuse to listen to the talents of others, to view something that is different, to take in beauty in all its forms, do we miss out on what true beauty really is? I would answer that we do.