Challenging Images

My privilege this past week was to be one of the adult leaders for our youth group at Challenge. Challenge is a national youth conference for the Evangelical Free Church of America held every two years in different cities around the country. This year, we got to be the host city for 5400 youth and over 1000 leaders. (See #ChallengeKC on social media.) This little blog can in no way contain the breadth, depth, and value of all that happened.

One of the events at the conference was the Berlin Walk - a tour through the down-and-out "streets" of Berlin. It was an immersion experience to learn about the enormous problem of human trafficking that plagues the world, but is so focused in Germany, particularly in Berlin, that this great country is called the "Brothel of Europe." Trafficking is not just for sex, but also for labor and other forms of exploitation. The EFCA is ramping up an enormous effort in Berlin in collaboration with many other organizations to bring the reality of Jesus to the city, expressed in ways like dismantling human trafficking.

Most often trafficked are women and children, usually with false promises and dreams. It is a violation that is almost universally decried and battled by people from different countries, religions, ethnicities, and class. I believe the vilest offense is that these trafficked persons bear the image of God, and the very act of trafficking them is a violent attack on that image.

No animal should endure what these people endure, and therefore trafficking is horrendous. More than this, tho, these people are image bearers, and treating them as chattel is a loud lie that they are not - a kind of graffiti of the soul.

As we walked through these "streets" and learned, I watched our youth, also image bearers. Safe, untrafficked, properly fed, groomed, and clothed, listening, reading, and praying about defaced image bearers. They even learned how American teens' appetite for porn on their smartphones actually feeds the problem of trafficking in Berlin (and around the world). But still ... standing there, clean, loved, valued, safe image bearers at a conference to pour more light on what it means to live as image bearers, politely learning about other image bearers who have no one to remind them they, too, bear the image of God. Set in juxtaposition, my heart broke for both our youth and their counterparts in places like Berlin.

I applaud those who deny God and yet still fight trafficking. We care about the same thing. For my tribe, the reality of the image of God in others moves us to respect them, to demand justice for them, and to forsake ways in which we steal from their identity as image bearers.

Yet it's not just because the trafficked bear God's image, but because I, too, bear God's image. And our youth. I want to fight trafficking because they bear His image and because I bear His image. What else does an image bearer do in order to reflect that image than to fight for the oppressed image bearers?

The world conspires to tell us we don't bear that image - the image doesn't exist, God doesn't exist, you're just a more intelligent critter than average on this planet, and so on. The message of Jesus says you are an image bearer, and therefore valuable on His scale. My love for youth fostered even deeper, our love shared with those we served in our projects, and our growing love for the trafficked persons conspire to say that yes, indeed, the image of God is real in all of us.

The Crazy Things You Learn When Teaching Others

Well, God showed up in a big way.

Last weekend, I was in Central Texas to reprise a set of talks for a youth retreat based on The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, which I wrote about in last week's Grace Notes. I know that a number of you were praying specifically for a good weekend.

It's a role I had done for this church three times before - the first time was 20 years ago (before any of the students attending this year were born!). I have also done these talks in two or three other venues. I change and tweak it every time, but a lot of the material has remained the same, including the ending - although I've never been pleased with the ending.

This year, the youth pastor of the church in Austin asked if I wanted to work in a Wormwood character (read the book!), which we had never done before. I thought it was a good idea, but I didn't really do anything with the idea until the week of the retreat. So it was a completely new element added late. I wrote in the character to ask occasional questions to open up a few topics for further discussion.

The day before the retreat, I also wrote down a vague note that perhaps Wormwood should lead a rebellion against my character (Screwtape, in essence) after the last session Saturday night. No details, just that much of an idea. Another completely new element to the script, and possibly a whole new ending.

I had never met the guy (John) who would play Wormwood until 1/2 hour before the first talk. We went over some last minute questions, and just ran with it. John did  a great job Friday night being the confused nephew and I had fun putting him down (as part of the character). Saturday morning's sessions also went well, with Wormwood beginning to ask better questions, but also starting to challenge Screwtape more.

That afternoon, we finally started to plan the actual rebellion, well after we're in this thing knee-deep. We talked to the other leaders and a couple of seniors so that they were ready to join in the rebellion. What we didn't know is how the youth would react. How many would join in? What would they say? Would those who had already been confused the first night by being on Screwtape's side break allegiance so soon after finally settling into the idea?

And still, the rebellion was not scripted - just sketched out rather roughly. It would turn out to be the most important moment of the entire weekend. (How could we have not had this ending all the other times I've presented this?)

At the end of the first Saturday evening session, Wormwood got a little mouthy, but cowered when Screwtape dressed him down. Then after the last session, his question was a direct challenge. Screwtape exploded on him (I ended up completely destroying one of the props throwing it to the ground in "anger"). With Wormwood licking his wounds, Screwtape then turned his attention to the youth. Suddenly, Wormwood finally tears off his emblem of belonging to Screwtape and stands up to him, armed with pertinent passages of Scripture, and begins the rebellion.

The entire group of youth instantly joined in the rebellion! It gave me chills! They were adding their own passages and cheering on Wormwood. The "plants" in the audience could barely be heard over the noise. Screwtape was infuriated by the rebellion, but increasingly weakened by every passage. I had some prat falls, turned over chairs, picked up a boom stand to crack Wormwood on the head, but fell short. It was bedlam! At the passage, "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7), I fled out the door and the room erupted in cheers. 

It was an incredible scene, only partly planned and very unscripted. It was added at the last minute, and no one person put it all together to be able to take credit. During group time, most, if not all, of the groups were connecting dots and drawing incredible conclusions. Although the planned, scripted talks generated good cabin time discussions, none of them were able to spark what happened that night.

The capper for me was that after all this happened, the youth pastor (Jeremiah) realized in the middle of the campfire talk that the two main takeaways that they had planned for the youth (being in Scripture and having accountability partners) were fully demonstrated in this unplanned rebellion scene. Screwtape was run out of the room by Scripture and by the collection of people banding together in support of one another against the enemy. Scripture, and the power of accountability partners.

Jeremiah thought we had planned to work in those two elements, and that he was so clever to have figured that out. When he drew those conclusions for the youth, it clicked for all of us that God had certainly showed up, putting together a beautiful, coordinated lesson that no one person planned. 

What's a Yoot?

Sunday night is our annual Chili Cookoff and Dessert Auction to raise money for the youth program. Much of the proceeds will go toward the big Challenge trip that comes every two years, but a portion of the funds are also used for outreach activities throughout the year. There was a time when the youth were continually in fundraising mode, which just wore everyone out. This one big annual event is much more fun and usually raises enough to fund all that the youth need. (The funds also cover the costs for the adults who will be overseeing the trip to Challenge, including yours truly this year.)

The Chili Cookoff is simple enough - everyone is encouraged to make a pot of chili. Bowls are set in front of each entry, and you "vote" for your favorites by putting money in the bowls by the chilis you like. Ryan (and Kathy) Rasmussen are the reigning champs two years running. Perhaps you saw Ryan toting around the trophy on Sunday on his wheelchair taking on all challengers! Last year, I had more fun just eating different kinds of chili than worrying about which ones I liked best. (You'll note that I've used the plural throughout this paragraph - I want you to have several favorites so that you'll "vote" for several different entries. Here's one case where you are encouraged to vote more than once!)

The Dessert Auction comes after dinner. Again, everyone is encourage to enter a dessert. The youth help out by presenting each entry, and the auctioning begins. I've got my sights on the rhubarb pie. I also learned that if some people don't win the dessert they want, they have no shame in coming over to the winner and trying to bum a taste. I won't mention Christy by name, because that might be inappropriate. :-)

Please plan on joining us. We have a professional auctioneer in our midst (thanks again, Gregg!) which adds to the fun. We joke about some of the desserts going for a walloping price, but please don't let that intimidate you.  There are a few desserts that skyrocket just for the fun of the event, but most end up on this side of reasonable. Plus, the chili contest is always a way to help out without having to get into a bidding war. The main thing is for us to come together as a church family, have some fun, and find a way to ship our youth away for a whole week!

Thanks to the entire crew who will be pulling this together. It's a lot of work, but seeing our youth impacted by Challenge and by getting out of their comfort zones to help others in our community are both certainly worth the sacrifice of eating all that chili and dessert. Ministry is hard.

An Important Conference in Olathe on Purity

Several weeks ago, we had an important message about sexual purity. Dr. Ratliff and I shared some of the  effects, causes, and helpful resources for dealing with the epidemic of impurity that is affecting every aspect of our society, including the Church. Your comments were very positive about how we addressed the topic in a straightforward, non-judgmental way. There were a number of people who have started taking steps toward more purity in their own lives, which is fantastic news!

We don't intend to put this topic to rest. We need to talk about it frequently and in different ways. Several of you asked us to make sure we don't ignore this topic going forward. We won't.

To that end, I want to recommend to you three related conferences coming to the Kansas City area (hosted conveniently in Olathe), all on this topic of purity. These conferences are designed to address many different aspects of purity, through both plenary talks and breakout sessions. Dr. Ratliff will be one of the breakout session leaders.

The conference for men is "Men of Valor" (Jan 27 - 28), the conference for women is "Women of Virtue" (Feb 3 - 4), and the conference for both college students and youth is "Youth 4 Truth" (Jan 27 - 28). Both the men's and women's conferences include both genders for the Friday night portion of their respective conferences. The college and youth conference has different venues for each gender. You can register for any of them at http://kcmov.eventbrite.com/.


There is no one who is unable to benefit from these conferences - they are not just for those who have acute struggles in the area of purity. Purity is a topic that we all need to learn more about, especially living in a culture that is progressively more sexualized - a trend that our children will face even more strongly that we have. These events are for everyone.

Please consider attending the conference that applies to you. They are not that expensive, and well worth it.

And we won't be done with this topic after the conferences. We will continue to lift one another up in this difficult area of life.

Wise Investments

Thanks to all who helped with the Carnival last weekend! We had well over 500 guests, more than double last year - which is why we ran out of prizes, frisbees, pucker powder, sno-cones, and so on. Because of you investing your time, we all had a blast. The weather was as good as we could expect for mid-August, and a lots of kids (and parents) had a great time.

And a super "thank you" to Susan and Susan! They did the lion's share of the work - it was far easier for us because of them. Thank you, ladies.

My friend Jim took pictures, which you can view here.

Please pray that the informational packets we sent out would intrigue those who don't already attend church to consider attending a good church, whether it's ours our not.

Take a breath. A quick one.

AWANA starts this Monday! Jim has an impressive crew of volunteers, and already I'm extending my thanks to all of you (including those who have committed to pray consistently for AWANA throughout the year). AWANA boils down to a great excuse for adults to talk to kids about Jesus, and to model His character before them. All the games, lessons, Scripture memory - the most important feature of AWANA is adults investing into kids.

The AWANA leadership material is clear as it coaches each volunteer how to execute their part of the big picture. Jim still needs a handful of volunteers to round out the teams. We've adults for every group, but a few need one more person. Would you please pray a simple prayer: "Lord, do you want me to help AWANA this year?" That's it. Pray that prayer sincerely, listen, and if the answer is "Yes," please contact Jim.

Investing in kids has a much better ROI than investing in the stock market or 401k's - I give it a maximum "5-star" rating. There are other things you could do on a Monday night. There are few things you could do that are better investments.

The Clown Days have Changed

Please remember to pray for our kids who are at Camp Quaker Haven. Pray for them to learn, to grow, and to be safe.

This week, I had an opportunity to drive by the house in Independence where I grew up. It's amazing to me how much smaller the house looks, and how that great hill we used to sled down looks rather flat and short - somehow I don't think the hill is what has changed over time. Perspectives have changed.

I also went through the drive-through of the McDonald's that we used to go to when I was a kid. There was only one in town at the time, and it was a bit of a drive, but what a great treat it was for us kids. This week, however, while waiting in line I watched a drug deal go down - as brazen as could be. Like I said, perspectives have changed.

Seeing how the innocence of my own childhood has been erased by age and crime, let me urge you again to pray for our children at Camp Quaker Haven. This world conspires against their innocence. The constant forces of gravity never pull them up. They are pulled up only by God, by His Truth, by the example of disciples, and by our prayers. Everything else is a constant pull downward. Just as my childhood home decays over time, so do our souls, without an intentional effort on our part to foster God's work within us.

Pray for our kids. Pray for our children's Sunday School. Pray for AWANA. Pray for Children's Church and Junior Church. Pray for our Youth Group. And pray for all those who volunteer their time and talents to invest their lives into our young people.

Pray for our kids constantly as if the rest of their lives depended on it.

Comfort Zone

We've received great reports from youth group who are at Challenge this week! Good attitudes, good outreach projects, openness to letting the Word make a real difference in their lives. I'm looking forward to hearing stories from the full week after they return.

One of the events that our youth participated in was offering to pray with people who passed by them on the street. Apparently, it was a great experience - even though the thought of it must have been nerve-wracking at first. But, they jumped in, and saw God move in the lives of people. They were taken beyond their "comfort zone" - that space in which we feel comfortable and safe.

You've heard dozens of times "go beyond your comfort zone," whether in church, in business, or in school. It's a challenge to venture beyond that boundary between safe and risky, between comfortable and unsure. Jesus continually challenged people to step out of their comfort zones. You cannot come to Christ in faith without leaving your comfort zone, and you cannot serve the mission He has for you without passing that border.

But I prefer a different phrase than "go beyond your comfort zone." I would rather challenge you to "expand your comfort zone." Not only go beyond the borders, but then extend those borders! Bust through them as Jesus challenges us to, but then change them. Once you do something like praying with a total stranger, rather than retreat back into your same ol' comfort zone, redraw the boundaries to now include things like praying with total strangers.

Call it "gerrymandering for Christ"! Change your borders to include more and more of the things Christ wants us to do in your new, improved comfort zone. Stretch, but don't forget to then grow!

Challenge, Colorado, and Shalom

Challenge: This Sunday, 15 students and 3 (very brave) adults are heading off for Challenge, the EFCA conference for youth. I have heard tremendous reports from our youth about previous Challenge trips, including several coming to Christ. So, I "challenge" you to pray for our group as they travel. Please pray for God to bear much fruit, for safety, and for unity.

Colorado: Lynne and I will miss you this weekend. I have had a long-standing commitment to perform the renewal of wedding vows for friends of ours to celebrate their 30th anniversary. It is their desire for their renewal to be a strong witness of God's faithfulness to their non-Christian loved ones who will be attending, so please pray for us to put together a Christ-honoring service. We got to know this couple in Texas, we reconnected with them after we all had moved to California, and the celebration will be in Colorado - quite a nomadic friendship.

Shalom: This week, I attended an informative presentation at the Jewish Community Center near the Sprint complex. Several professors from their Jewish adult education program gave previews of what they teach in their classes. It was interesting to see how they approach Scripture and the rabbinic writings from centuries past. I was also interested in some of their comments about how the Jewish writings from the 3rd and 4th centuries were written in response to the rise of Christianity. They were quite welcoming to have a Gentile pastor attend, and I did pretty well not to verbally object to anything that was said. They are not coming from the direction of conservative Jewish scholarship, so I hold more to the traditional view of the Hebrew Scriptures than many of them do!

In order for us to be able to engage people with the claims of Christ, we must understand at least some of where they are coming from. To fail to do so shows that we don't really care about where they are, just where we think they should be. Only when we understand where someone is can we show them specifically how Christ speaks to them specifically.

Serve well.