Moving my blog

I'm somewhat new to the blogging world, and I started on Blogger. It worked for me, as a beginner, but now that I'm a little more experienced, I found that Blogger didn't have all the features I needed.

So I'm moving to wordpress. It's self-hosted, so I'm actually not sure whether you'll need to update your feeds, but you should definitely update your bookmarks.

The new blog can be found at the homepage: www.gcfyouth.com. If there is a problem with your feeds, then you'll probably have to resubscribe at that one.

Sorry for the hassle, but it will be a better experience for all involved. This Blogger blog will not be updated past January 2009; you'll have to visit the new site for current blogs. Thanks for reading!

The Website as Digital Space

It's an easy concept to grasp, for one who lives and breathes technology. Want to expand your company? Get a website. By now most companies have websites. And many of them are very good websites. Some, however, need work. Not just in the programming department, but in the imagination department. In the vision department. And we all know what a big thing "vision" is nowadays.

According to David Lee King, libraries have physical branches where you can do things: Search the catalogue, ask a librarian, check out a book, read the newspaper, etc. He then takes it a step further to consider a library's website as a type of "digital branch". And then he asks the salient question: Can you do the same things in the digital branch that you can do in a physical branch? And unfortunately, all too often the answer turns out to be no. All too often, he says, websites become simply signposts, pointing to the physical location. And that is bad, because there is an entire world of digital people out there who will never check out the physical location.

I think this goes for churches too. Perhaps more so, even, because what church have to offer is intangible. Thanks to Obama, we know now that you can market change. You can market hope. But salvation, man, that's just something that we need to get the word out. So let's put on our imagineers hat, just for a moment, and think outside the box. Let's think outside the church as a traditional one location, three service building.

What if the church were everywhere?

What if someone from Australia could be just as encouraged from our well-designed and well-thought out website as they could if they came to our physical location? Wouldn't that just be a glory to God? Wouldn't it be truly spreading the gospel to all ends of the earth if our website got regular visitors from 30 different countries?

What is keeping the church from expanding in this direction? Fear? A lack of knowledge? A lack of personnel? A lack of faith?

I can understand them all. Fear of the unknown world. A fear of technology. A lack of knowledge about what is out there and how a website can be made and used. No one to maintain the website, let alone set it up. A belief that no one will care or ever see the website. All very valid. And all can be overcome, though perhaps not easily.

Firstly, let's think about the fear of technology. Coming from a rural church, I understand this more than most, perhaps. I think that many people (not just Christians, though they may be more than most), simply see the internet as something to connect to to get your email. Maybe the more web savvy ones will pay their bills online, or check their bank account, or use the online yellow pages. But mention one technical thing about it, or new social networking application, and their turtle-reflex snaps in. It's over my head, they think, so they stop thinking about it. Or they dismiss it. Or, even worse, smile tolerantly at your geeky-ness in an "isn't-she-cute-in-her-obsession" kind of way.

The latter two excuses, a lack of knowledge and a lack of personnel can be rectified. Learn how to make a website. It's really not rocket science or anything like that. You don't have to have a computer engineering degree. Kids have websites. The information is easily accessible, and if you can follow directions, Web Sites for Dummies will take you step by easy step and you'll have a workable website in no time.

So for today's post, let's get out of our turtle reflex and understand that the church's website is not just a side hobby, but is integral for the spreading of the Good News. Let's start thinking about our website as a church "branch", and as such, as a reflection of the One we serve. And the one that we serve is Great and Mighty. So why shouldn't our website be too?

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Next post, I'll be expanding this topic and thinking about the ways that the church website can be useful as a "branch", and some of the technologies that can make it happen. If you have any ideas or things that have worked for you, I'd be glad to hear them.

How Churches Can Tame the Web

The web is an amazing thing. From all perspectives. It gives a global platform for corporations (or other business entities) not only to market their goods, but also to provide better customer service. How much better is life now that we can just google a company and immediately (usually) find out their store locations, contact numbers, sales of the week, etc. Before the internet, you were constrained by your own knowledge base and the yellow pages.

However the internet gives the consumer a much more vocal power base as well. Before the web, to find out if there were any complaints about a business, you had to call the BBB or Attorney General's office and the process could take much more time than the answer was probably worth. Now, it's a few simple clicks and you can view complaints, see reviews of products and services. Honestly, I rarely buy anything without searching for consumer reviews. Amazon? They've got 'em. Target? Sure.

One of the newer platforms for reviews is the blogosphere. Bloggers of all types can review new products, applications, technologies, and not only can their readers hear their review, but it's indexed and searchable. Have a bad experience with a company? Blog about it. Twitter it. Get it out there. You can almost see the PR execs scrambling for a handhold in this avalanche of Very Public Information.

One way that it seems companies have been taking control of this issue is to have someone scour the web (either by computer programs or actual employees) for references about the company. And then have that person, or someone in the PR department respond. I have seen a couple examples of this. The most recent involves the use of a survey on the Quaker Oats website. I was attracted to this post because I have had experiences like this (popups about subscribing to newsletters, as well as surveys) and it was annoying to me as well. So I read the comments. The post was blogged on Jan. 6 and by Jan. 14, someone from Quaker Oats commented. Not too bad of a turnaround. Granted, the replies are usually couched in typical PR-speak, but what it says to me is that companies are keeping track of what is being said about them.

So, how can we apply this? As churches, it's especially salient that we know what our reputation is in the community. This may apply more toward larger churches, who may have more of a web presence. But it's always possible that someone, somewhere is blogging about their great/horrible/boringly normal experience at your church. And that is hard marketing data that you need to know.

So, what should you do? Periodically search the major search engines for your church. I regularly do this for my own name, so why shouldn't I do this for my church (or employer) as well? The internet can be a powerful tool, both for the public, but also for corporations. That is, if the corporations (or churches) can learn how to harness that power.

Technology and Change and How it Never Changes

As an information professional, I live in the world of change. The denizens of the library/information world are always abuzz about the latest new web 2.0 (or 3.0, by now) technology. Blogging? Who doesn't. Twitter? So old hat. It's always about making life easier, more integrated, and more interesting.

On the other hand, as a youth pastor, I war against the tide of apathy that technology brings. Teens who are inundated with images and action from every corner come to church and youth group and look blankly at us when we bring out a board game. What, no video games? No high-definition, professionally mastered, entertaining worship videos? Puh-lease!

The apathy and inertia that the technology brings can seem like the proverbial (or very literal) road to hell. It will never get better and the more technology changes and evolves, the more and more our youth will stagnate.

Would it make you feel better to know that this feeling is not new? That the fear of technological change is age-old? Imagine my surprise when I pulled a dusty book off my shelf for some light-reading, and I found this: "The Cybernetics Revolution" and its subsequent detriment on preaching. My favorite Christian author, John Stott, wrote this section in his book, Between Two Worlds: The Art of Preaching in the Twentieth-Century way back in 1982. 1982!!! That's way back when the internet was nothing more than a geeky hobby for uber-nerds. Or academics.

Stott was, granted, primarily speaking about television (or "the box"), and it's desensitizing effect on parishioners and how preachers need to understand how television affects their congregations so they can tailor their sermons. In trying to understand how this rate of technological change would affect us by the year 2000, Stott had this to say:

"In such a dehumanized society, the fellowship of the local church will become increasingly important, whose members meet one another, and talk and listen to one another in person rather than on screen. In this human context of mutual love, the speaking and hearing of the Word of God is also likely to become more necessary for the preservation of our humanness, not less." (ch 2)

What Stott realized, and ministers today are still realizing, is that yes, technology can facilitate ministry. And yes, as servants of Christ it is our duty to use every tool at our disposal to propagate the Good News of salvation. And finally yes, it does behoove us to know our generation and how we can best reach them (even if it be through technology). However, Stott reminds us of the lesser-known companion to the great commission: The Great Caveat. Do this, he says, but beware!

Yes, we should use these tools, but we need to be aware that the historical method of preaching the Good News has always been face to face. There is something inside, something that makes us human, that craves human contact. And what better medium for the best news of all time than to fulfill the fundamental human need to known and be known.

I am a technology junky by profession and choice, but I am human by design. And no matter how many friends I have on Facebook, how high my Technorati rating is, how many "igadgets" I have, or even whether I am open source or proprietary, I am made in the image of God; and it is through humans that God works. And is still working.

So yes, technology can impact ministry, but it is our duty as the human images of God to retain that fundamental humanness and not get so caught up in keeping up with secular technology that we lose the message. Let's be counter-cultural for a moment and have a station of silent prayer. Of meditation on a scripture passage. Of silent, sober reflection on our actions the past year. Let's be low-tech for a while (or even, gasp, no-tech at all) and become fully human. Because the danger is always present for us to replace the message with the method. And this Message would be a terrible thing to lose.

The Immutable Calling of God

So my husband and I have been thinking lately about God's calling over our lives and what our plan should be for this coming year. All those nice happy (or not so happy) thoughts for living better in 2009.

God's calling on our lives right now is unmistakable. Youth Ministry. Internet Ministry. Building up the church. And raising our (very soon to be growing) family. That's all well and good. But is that all we're supposed to do for the rest of our lives?

And so we were talking about the calling of God and how he can call people to different things in different seasons. Like for us, my husband is most comfortable in an academic environment. And nothing against out youth (whom we love dearly), but an academic environment it is not. I think our discussion of theology last night went as far as "why you should not crush cups while someone else is praying".

So is it possible that we are called to youth ministry for this season. It may be five years, it may be ten years. And we will serve to the best of our ability because we serve a God who is Worthy of our best. And when his calling moves us on to something else, we will serve that calling with all that we are.

There is nothing wrong with that. So in this post, let me remind you that God's calling is immutable in one sense: That His command for us to serve Him never changes. Whatever you do . . . the Bible says. So whether we're serving Him in this calling or a different one in the future, we will do it as best we can. Because He is Worthy.

But on the other hand, God's calling can also be transient. It moves and shifts to the situations that will bring Him the most glory. Youth Ministry for now, possibly something else for later. And all that His children can do is follow His lead.

So what should you take from this? If you're toiling in a calling that you feel doesn't really fit you, remember that God's not done with you yet. If you're in a calling that you feel is ending, then perhaps it is; but be aware there is always another calling lurking around the corner. So be prepared to move and change but still be faithful to God. And really, as obedient children, what else can we do but trust Him?

Mary's Magnificat: Advent Week 4

Anyone raised in a traditional liturgical church should be familiar with Mary’s Magnificat, or Mary’s Song. Anyone at all familiar with choral or classical music should also recognize the name, if not the words. It’s basically her song of worship and praise for the baby that is in her womb as well as for Elizabeth’s miracle as well. At least, that is how it is commonly seen.

On this last week of Advent, people normally tell of the birth of the Christ-child, of peaceful mangers, starry nights, of Kings wrapped in swaddling clothes. While those are the reason for the season, I’m going in a completely different direction for this holiday. Let’s back up from Jesus’ birth for a bit to his mother and her song.

On the surface, it seems like a typical song of praise. And it is. Mary was praising God for remembering the humble and remembering his promise with Abraham. But Mary isn’t the only one in the Bible to have sung such a song. There was another woman, another miracle of birth, ages ago. 1 Samuel 2:1-10 is Hannah’s song of praise. Hannah and Mary’s songs sound quite similar. They have similar themes, even similar wording. They exalt the Lord, they praise God for his faithfulness to Israel, and his commitment to the poor and lowly.

Perhaps both songs can be seen as a part of one longer tradition. Mary’s song praises God, yes, but it also acknowledges that God favors the lowly. Reminiscent of many of the Psalms, Mary says that God brings down rulers but lifts up the humble (meaning poor in station). God fills the hungry but sends the rich away empty. Both women were in difficult situations: Hannah had just given up her child, and Mary was an unwed mother. Yet through the difficulties, they found the strength to recognize the sovereignty of God.

Perhaps, instead of a peaceful lullaby or a sweet song of praise, Mary’s Magnificat should be seen as more of a battle cry. She understands the pain of the poor, the hungry, the lowly, the outcast. She raises her voice on their behalf and tells of the Lord’s redemption.

During the Christmas season, it’s easy to get caught up in the dross that surrounds us. It’s easy to lose sight of the Christ when we are drowning in our own troubles. It’s easy to feel helpless when we’re eating Christmas dinner and so many people are starving. There are so many ills in the world that it’s easy to lose focus. And when those hurts are close to us, we carry them around with us; inside of us. Even during Christmas, supposedly a joyful time, churches are still filled with broken people.

So on this, the fourth week of Advent, a week generally associated with hope, let’s re-read the Magnificat and realize that God is not finished yet. He is still working. I repeat the cry of David in Psalm 27:

“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” (Ps 27:13)

Let us cast off our cares, just for the moment and praise God for His ultimate victory over the troubles of the world. Hunger? No problem. Poverty? Taken care of. Jesus Christ was born to die for our sins so that we can be redeemed. That is victory. That is the ultimate battle cry. That is Christmas.

Why Jesus Wept: Advent Week 3

So it's a little late . . . I'm very pregnant with a toddler at home. :-) Thanks for your patience. Without further ado, here is my Advent Devotional for week 3.

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There is no shortage of end-time prophets. Since the beginning of the world, people have been proclaiming the end of it. The Bible is no exception. Zechariah 9 almost sounds like it belongs in Revelation. It talks about the Lord coming in power to redeem his people and they “will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown” (9:16). But at the very beginning of the chapter, Zechariah wrote something peculiar, something very strange. He wrote

“See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey . . . He will proclaim peace to the nations.” (Zch. 9:9-10)

That doesn’t seem to match up too well with the war-like wording of the rest of the chapter. How can the King come riding on a donkey (of all the ridiculous things!) and proclaiming peace, if the Lord will come roaring in later, overcoming all his enemies and setting up his people like jewels?

The key to making this passage one cohesive whole is to understand its duality. The first part is talking about the Messiah proclaiming a gospel of peace and salvation. In verse 14, it says, “Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning.” The first part talks about the first coming of Christ, and the last part talks about the second coming of Christ.

The first coming is shown in Luke 19. In what is commonly known as the “Triumphal Entry”, Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt that no one has ridden. To a people steeped in tradition, they knew exactly what it (according to Zechariah) meant – the King had come! He was going to set up his kingdom of peace! Death to the Roman Empire! Is it any wonder that Jesus wept? You can hear the pain in his voice when he said in verse 42: “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes.”

The sheer pain of that statement nearly brings me to tears. Even you, even God’s own children, missed the point. Even we miss the point still. Yes, God will come in power and glory, riding on the clouds with a flaming sword in one hand, as so many scriptures tell us. Yes, the Lord will come and rescue his people from tyranny. Yes, it will come suddenly, like a thief in the night, when we least expect it.

But the irony that they failed to see in Luke 19, and that we often fail to understand today, is that the Kingdom of God is here. It’s now. It’s me and you and these lives that we are given. Right before the triumphal entry, Jesus told a parable about the man of noble birth who went to a distant country to have himself appointed King, and then return. He put his servants in charge of ten minas. He went away, was crowned, and returned to see what his servants had made of the money he left entrusted to them. One was a good steward of that trust and made returns on the money. That servant was rewarded. Another servant earned less, but still made a return. He too was rewarded accordingly. But the servant who hid his mina away, not for safekeeping, but because of cowardice and evil desires, the King took his mina away and gave to the faithful servant.

This is the peace that Jesus brought. This is what they did not understand and what made the Messiah weep. The Kingdom of God is now, and we are the servants who have been entrusted with the good news of salvation. Last week we went over what we are to proclaim, so there is no excuse to not proclaim it. This week, we learned what can happen when the Lord returns and finds out that we have not proclaimed the news. And it is certainly not pretty.

So, for this third week in Advent, let’s meditate on what the Lord entrusted to us. Let’s stop for a moment and think honestly about how we’ve treated our good news. Have we made returns? Have we hidden it away for any reason? The Bible is very clear that the Lord will return suddenly. When that happens, there will be no time for us to gather last minute returns: We will be judged on what we’ve done to that moment. What will your moment be like?