Oct 2009
"Rogue... the climber"
Saturday, October 17, 2009 Filed in: my life
i learned the hard way
the other day that Rogue cannot be put in a pen with
no top to it. why? because she's pretty talented.
check it out...
|
"thoughts from a recovering worshipper"
Monday, October 05, 2009 Filed in: my life
| deep thoughts
last month, i was asked
to write an article on the subject of worship for a
Christian e-magazine. unfortunately, the article that
was published got edited a bit more than i'd have
liked. so, here's the article as i originally wrote
it.
-mb
______________________
"thoughts from a recovering worshipper"
I guess I’d consider myself a recovering worshipper. Like many, I grew up going to church and thinking that worship was something you did at an appointed time and place and in a particular way. Usually, the place was church and the time was at the beginning of the service before announcements and the message. (Sometimes, we’d worship as the plates were passed after the announcements, but this time was usually saved for what was labeled, “special music performance.”) Then there was the method of worship. Worship was always singing with a live worship band and was usually led by five or six well-dressed singers with amazing voices singing in perfect harmony. (Though, occasionally, they’d let the guy with the country voice lead so as to reach another demographic. I was not in this demographic.) Does any of this sound familiar to you?
The problem for me was not the “how” of worship. Of course you can worship with six singers (or even, I suppose, a country singer). The problem came in the “why.” The “why” for worship was never incredibly compelling to me. Yes… we worship because God is worthy of our worship… but why before the announcements? Why with three “praise” songs followed by one “worship” song? Why was worship always through singing? I always felt like I was worshipping because somebody else decided it was time. There had to be more.
A few months ago, I was working on our Tru curriculum with my friend, Kit. (Kit also happens to be our Children’s Pastor.) I was trying to find the right words to explain our philosophy of transformational learning when Kit gave me a great word picture. He said that traditional Christian education approaches learning like collecting. It’s as though kids are given a bag, and throughout their lives they collect information to be put into their bag. The bag, however, is something that they can hold at a distance or even leave behind at some point. It isn’t a part of them. It doesn’t change them. In fact, sometimes, it weighs them down. In contrast, transformational learning uses the same information to change the person. Instead of holding the info in a bag, it becomes a part of who they are and changes their identity. It focuses on allowing a person to encounter God and be transformed.
Needless to say, I loved his description. The picture he painted described my own education in Christianity flawlessly. I memorized stories and verses. I knew that the ark was built out of gopher wood. (Though I’m still not sure what gopher wood is.) I could list the books of the Bible, the Ten Commandments and the twelve apostles. But did any of this transform me? Not really.
When I was a younger man and was off at college, I took an internship with the college group at the local church. This is where my transformation began. In many ways, God began to reveal His character to me. In doing so, I began to see my true identity in Him. Whenever this would happen, I would want to respond somehow. Actually, it was more than that. I would need to respond. Apparently, I was in good company. Throughout scriptures, we see examples of people finding ways to respond to God’s goodness.
In Exodus 15, when God has lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and across the dry ground of the Red Sea, His people respond by singing songs to Him. In 1 Samuel 7, when God is faithful to deliver His people in battle, Samuel stops to respond by setting up the Ebenezer Stone. Or look at the people in Acts who witness the day of Pentecost. After the Spirit descends on them, they respond by giving up everything they have to the cause of Christ. In Romans 12:1, Paul tells us that our response to God’s wisdom, knowledge and glory should be to give our lives to Him. He says that this response is our spiritual act of worship.
Worship is our response to God’s power and glory. It’s our response to who He is. One thing that was very different about the college group I was interning with was that we did the bulk of our worship after the message. Worship was a response to the ways God had revealed Himself. Some people sang. Some danced. Others prayed, tithed or took communion with friends and strangers. Some stayed for a little while and others stayed for a long time. Sometimes we’d sing a few songs and other times we’d worship for hours into the night. In each instance, we were choosing to respond to God by sacrificing our time, our money, our energy, our voices and anything else we could. For the first time, I got the “why” behind worship.
This has fueled much of the work I’m doing today. At ROCKHARBOR church, we also provide the opportunity for response after experiences with God. For years, we’ve provided response options that flow directly out of the message as a way for adults to worship. About a year ago, we began providing the same kinds of opportunities to our kids. I’ve never seen anything like it. Kids as young as three and four years old choosing how they will respond to God in worship. They’re experiencing something I didn’t until I was 20.
When I think of what I want for this next generation, this is it! I don’t particularly care if they know about the gopher wood, but I do care that they know who God is. I want them to know His character. I want their identity to be found and formed in Him and who He has created them to be. I want life transformation that elicits response. I want to see kids who have been impacted and changed by the very Spirit of God and are compelled to worship Him.
As people who are called to minister to the children of the next generation, it is upon us to replicate our faith in them. If we can help our kids experience God and make sure they are free to respond in worship, they’ll see a world impacted and changed by Christ through them.
-mb
______________________
"thoughts from a recovering worshipper"
I guess I’d consider myself a recovering worshipper. Like many, I grew up going to church and thinking that worship was something you did at an appointed time and place and in a particular way. Usually, the place was church and the time was at the beginning of the service before announcements and the message. (Sometimes, we’d worship as the plates were passed after the announcements, but this time was usually saved for what was labeled, “special music performance.”) Then there was the method of worship. Worship was always singing with a live worship band and was usually led by five or six well-dressed singers with amazing voices singing in perfect harmony. (Though, occasionally, they’d let the guy with the country voice lead so as to reach another demographic. I was not in this demographic.) Does any of this sound familiar to you?
The problem for me was not the “how” of worship. Of course you can worship with six singers (or even, I suppose, a country singer). The problem came in the “why.” The “why” for worship was never incredibly compelling to me. Yes… we worship because God is worthy of our worship… but why before the announcements? Why with three “praise” songs followed by one “worship” song? Why was worship always through singing? I always felt like I was worshipping because somebody else decided it was time. There had to be more.
A few months ago, I was working on our Tru curriculum with my friend, Kit. (Kit also happens to be our Children’s Pastor.) I was trying to find the right words to explain our philosophy of transformational learning when Kit gave me a great word picture. He said that traditional Christian education approaches learning like collecting. It’s as though kids are given a bag, and throughout their lives they collect information to be put into their bag. The bag, however, is something that they can hold at a distance or even leave behind at some point. It isn’t a part of them. It doesn’t change them. In fact, sometimes, it weighs them down. In contrast, transformational learning uses the same information to change the person. Instead of holding the info in a bag, it becomes a part of who they are and changes their identity. It focuses on allowing a person to encounter God and be transformed.
Needless to say, I loved his description. The picture he painted described my own education in Christianity flawlessly. I memorized stories and verses. I knew that the ark was built out of gopher wood. (Though I’m still not sure what gopher wood is.) I could list the books of the Bible, the Ten Commandments and the twelve apostles. But did any of this transform me? Not really.
When I was a younger man and was off at college, I took an internship with the college group at the local church. This is where my transformation began. In many ways, God began to reveal His character to me. In doing so, I began to see my true identity in Him. Whenever this would happen, I would want to respond somehow. Actually, it was more than that. I would need to respond. Apparently, I was in good company. Throughout scriptures, we see examples of people finding ways to respond to God’s goodness.
In Exodus 15, when God has lead the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and across the dry ground of the Red Sea, His people respond by singing songs to Him. In 1 Samuel 7, when God is faithful to deliver His people in battle, Samuel stops to respond by setting up the Ebenezer Stone. Or look at the people in Acts who witness the day of Pentecost. After the Spirit descends on them, they respond by giving up everything they have to the cause of Christ. In Romans 12:1, Paul tells us that our response to God’s wisdom, knowledge and glory should be to give our lives to Him. He says that this response is our spiritual act of worship.
Worship is our response to God’s power and glory. It’s our response to who He is. One thing that was very different about the college group I was interning with was that we did the bulk of our worship after the message. Worship was a response to the ways God had revealed Himself. Some people sang. Some danced. Others prayed, tithed or took communion with friends and strangers. Some stayed for a little while and others stayed for a long time. Sometimes we’d sing a few songs and other times we’d worship for hours into the night. In each instance, we were choosing to respond to God by sacrificing our time, our money, our energy, our voices and anything else we could. For the first time, I got the “why” behind worship.
This has fueled much of the work I’m doing today. At ROCKHARBOR church, we also provide the opportunity for response after experiences with God. For years, we’ve provided response options that flow directly out of the message as a way for adults to worship. About a year ago, we began providing the same kinds of opportunities to our kids. I’ve never seen anything like it. Kids as young as three and four years old choosing how they will respond to God in worship. They’re experiencing something I didn’t until I was 20.
When I think of what I want for this next generation, this is it! I don’t particularly care if they know about the gopher wood, but I do care that they know who God is. I want them to know His character. I want their identity to be found and formed in Him and who He has created them to be. I want life transformation that elicits response. I want to see kids who have been impacted and changed by the very Spirit of God and are compelled to worship Him.
As people who are called to minister to the children of the next generation, it is upon us to replicate our faith in them. If we can help our kids experience God and make sure they are free to respond in worship, they’ll see a world impacted and changed by Christ through them.
"buying a dog... take two"
Sunday, October 04, 2009 Filed in: my life
some of you know the
tale of my first foray into the world of dog
ownership. if you don't, here's the short version...
six years ago, on a whim, i bought a Jack Russell Terrier from a pet store at the mall. at the time, i lived in a condo in Anaheim Hills that had a 5x5 slab of concrete for a backyard.
apparently,
you're supposed to research the dog you want
before
you make the purchase.
i clearly didn't understand this concept and
learned after purchasing my dog (Scout) that he
required ample room for exercise. fortunately,
everyday i drove by my parent's house on the way to
work. i would drop Scout off at their house to play
in their big backyard with our family dog, Baby. on
my way home from work (often times as late as 9 at
night), i would pick Scout up only to put him to bed
so i could drop him off again in the morning. after a
while, he began staying at my parent's for the whole
week and i'd pick him up on the weekends. after a few
weeks of this, my mom claimed Scout as her own and
refused to let me take him anymore. seeing as he was
infinitely happier with a large yard and a best
friend, i decided to let him stay. (if you ask my
parents, you'll probably hear lies about being a
dead-beat dad. but that's all crap.)
fast forward to 2009. Scout is still living (mostly) happily with my parents (he's had a few accidents along the way) and i'm getting the urge to enter the dog world again. this time, i've put much more time and effort into my decision. i've researched various breeds and found just the perfect one for my situation... a French Bulldog. they're cute, don't require a ton of exercise and are perfect for apartment life.
well, last month, i bought myself an early birthday present when i brought Rogue home. she's a six month old Frenchie (that's what they call them... though it looks very girly now that i see it in writing) and she's amazing. i had Rogue at home with me for about two weeks when i decided to send her off to the same dog-training course that my parents put Scout through six years ago. so, for the past two and a half weeks, Rogue has been learning to sit, come, stay and poo and pee in the correct locations. (mostly, not on my white rug.) but Rogue comes home on Tuesday and i can't wait to have her back!
here's a quick video of her playing in my place. (watch for the end when you can see her up close... so cute.)
six years ago, on a whim, i bought a Jack Russell Terrier from a pet store at the mall. at the time, i lived in a condo in Anaheim Hills that had a 5x5 slab of concrete for a backyard.
fast forward to 2009. Scout is still living (mostly) happily with my parents (he's had a few accidents along the way) and i'm getting the urge to enter the dog world again. this time, i've put much more time and effort into my decision. i've researched various breeds and found just the perfect one for my situation... a French Bulldog. they're cute, don't require a ton of exercise and are perfect for apartment life.
well, last month, i bought myself an early birthday present when i brought Rogue home. she's a six month old Frenchie (that's what they call them... though it looks very girly now that i see it in writing) and she's amazing. i had Rogue at home with me for about two weeks when i decided to send her off to the same dog-training course that my parents put Scout through six years ago. so, for the past two and a half weeks, Rogue has been learning to sit, come, stay and poo and pee in the correct locations. (mostly, not on my white rug.) but Rogue comes home on Tuesday and i can't wait to have her back!
here's a quick video of her playing in my place. (watch for the end when you can see her up close... so cute.)
"the need to blog"
Saturday, October 03, 2009 Filed in: my life
you know... when i last
updated this blog, way back in March, i had fully
intended to do a better job at keeping it up.
i failed.
my life is pretty crazy these days. that's why i keep putting this kind of thing off. i'm doing the ROCKHARBOR thing and the Cook thing (also known as the Tru thing) as well as trying to keep some semblance of sanity going on and it's easy to choose things to not do. this has been one of them.
however, i'm finding that i miss it. there is a need to purge myself of thoughts and emotions occasionally and blogging has allowed that for me in the past. so, i'm back!
my goal will be to blog at least once a week. also, i'm doing the twitter thing. my screenname there is matthewbarnes. (pretty easy to remember!)
in the meantime, here is a link to a teaser video for what i've been working on (www.truministry.com). it should be up for a few more weeks.
here's to the need to blog!
-barnes
i failed.
my life is pretty crazy these days. that's why i keep putting this kind of thing off. i'm doing the ROCKHARBOR thing and the Cook thing (also known as the Tru thing) as well as trying to keep some semblance of sanity going on and it's easy to choose things to not do. this has been one of them.
however, i'm finding that i miss it. there is a need to purge myself of thoughts and emotions occasionally and blogging has allowed that for me in the past. so, i'm back!
my goal will be to blog at least once a week. also, i'm doing the twitter thing. my screenname there is matthewbarnes. (pretty easy to remember!)
in the meantime, here is a link to a teaser video for what i've been working on (www.truministry.com). it should be up for a few more weeks.
here's to the need to blog!
-barnes