Shallow Justification. Huh?

Just a few days ago I overheard a conversation at a lunch table regarding a recommended Christian book. Essentially the book under discussion deals with 6 or 7 topics the author feels were essential for young people to understand and believe prior to exiting their journey of adolescence.

Given the fact that the author is not a Pentecostal author, one of the individuals discussing the book suggested that he doesn't agree with all the "checkpoints" in the book, but does like the concept of teaching young people core topics so they become adults, knowing what they believe.

When someone at the table asked him what topics the book did mention as important, he stated "he (the author) dealt with things like justification by faith and other shallow stuff ..."

I nearly fell off my chair. Justification by faith is shallow stuff? If it's shallow, we might as well excise the book of Romans from the Bible. We might as well remove the foundation of Christian theology. In my humble opinion there is no greater biblical truth than justification by faith. All of salvation hinges upon it.

To be fair, perhaps the one categorizing justification as shallow was overstating. I hope so. Because inspection of the topic for the rest of eternity could not exhaust the wonder and depth of being made right in God's sight by faith in Jesus Christ's atonement.


Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Commune-ity: The Morning After - kdc

Heading home in a few minutes. It's 10:25 a.m. Only one other Ap in the lobby. He seems coherent.

Frankly, GYD packed this “mini-Catalyst” event so full (even lunch was on-site) that I was fine w/it ending at 5 p.m. Friday instead of its usual schedule of all day Thursday & Friday, & Saturday morning.

* Because it’s small & dealing with leaders, everyone can take some chances / be more candid in their comments

* I liked how certain classes were narrowcast to specific needs: there was a class on Marriage vs. Ministry (Paul & Brooke Pamer - Barberton, OH), the Effects of Hip-Hop culture on Society (Josh Anderson - Indianapolis), and Why People don’t Attend Church (Christian Richardson – Titusville, FL)

* Likewise, there were lesser known speakers, equally or better qualified than many “names” here because the focus was completely on content. It’s reassuring to see how deep the Apostolic movement is with passionate leaders.

* A new(er) youth pastor, leading his first group, called me Tuesday unsure if he should attend the Commune-ity. He hadn’t heard of any of the speakers. I told him he should attend for two reasons: 1) You could learn many important principles you could apply to your group; 2) If you don’t learn much (it’s inevitable you’ll get something out of this)), then you’ll lead with complete confidence (when the unexpected occurs) since you’re as knowledgeable as the speakers. He came. He learned a lot.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

The Commune-ity Meeting has adjourned

The Commune-ity Meeting is officially over ... and our team is very gratified and thankful to God for His blessing upon it. And we're really tired.

It was extremely encouraging to see so many men and women, dedicated to kids, taking some time to join with others and be encouraged, challenged, and we trust, changed.

This event was intended to be very different from previous renditions of Youth Worker Convention events, and so prior to its start, we were all wondering how it was going to received and attended. God helped us to have an increase in registration from two years ago, a fact we're thrilled about, especially given the fact that it's only the second time we've taken this event (including its previous formats) outside of St. Louis (the last time in 2000 - where we actually saw a decrease in registration over its previous cycle.)

I'm consistently humbled by the opportunity to be joined by such a hard-working team that makes an event "go." Most of all, a HUGE thank you to every student ministry leader who spent time, money and energy to be a part of TCM '06. What a national ministry division does has a measure of importance, but pales in comparison to the vital role local youth leaders and youth teams play in God's kingdom. My hat's off to the "in the trenches" men an women who are most definitely making an impact on young lives for His glory. We admire you greatly, and again, thanks for coming to Overland Park.

Now, where's my bed?


Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Sarahk--pondering

The Commune-ity has come and gone. I certainly intended to blog all day long, but they just kept us running and when we weren’t, we were meeting with our group to discuss and plan. What an inspiring event this has been. Once it’s soaked in, I’ll update!! But before I forget, I just want to say how amazing it was to be here with the best youth pastor in the world, and so many amazing members of our youth staff, and of-course, the other best youth pastor in the world, my amazing boyfriend! You two inspire me!

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Luke

The day is over…If you are a Student Pastor and are not here, make plans right now to be at the next one. This has been one of the best conferences that I have been at. The knowledge that was imparted to us was not just knowledge but also filled with tremendous burden. Every speaker was relevant. Looking forward to hearing what everyone else has to say about the last couple days, I’m sure that everything will be more than positive. Shout out to DM, JM, A&ED, KN, RE and definitely not least SH, ya’ll made this week great!

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Sarah--

Wow, wow, wow, wow… Bro. Danny Rivers and Bro. Norm Pasley were unbelievable tonight! For a moment I felt as though I had my Christianity handed to me and pointed out that Christ reached out into the community, he touched people, he made a difference. He didn’t just stand on mountain top and preach to crowds, he touched those in need. And what a move of God we had as God increased our burden for the community. After Danny Rivers empowered us to reach out, Bro Pasley gave us the tools for communication. Our group already made a plan of action for how to begin. That’s a successful conference to me, and it’s only the first night.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Commune-ity Live

* This is a difficult event to live-blog, much harder than NAYC. The wireless connection teases that it’s available in the ballrooms, but actually it’s not – it’s down the short hallway to the lobby. However, if I’m in the lobby I’m not manning my booth or in the general sessions. Because it’s only a 28 hour event, even lunch is compact & on-site, & there’s little access unless you want to miss something (& if you miss something, then why are you here blogging about it). Yes, my life is hard.

* Wisconsin has a huge (31 people out of about 297 registrants) contingent here, perhaps because district Prez Aaron Soto is closing the Commune-ity down this year & perhaps not.

* Registration was up about 20% from 2004. This is human nature, but too often we go to an event due to a big name speaker with huge social interaction instead of understanding that it’s training events like this that better us and best prepare us to change others for Christ.

* Chantry Dean has led the worship & 5 man band (w/2 female backup singers). Some original songs, some of the usual Chris Tomlin stuff. The music is exactly what we discussed - relevant, fresh, alive, and contemporary. Yes, it can be done.

* There was a panel discussion that was lively & candid. As one (unnamed) Youth Pastor admitted, when asked why he stuck w/Youth instead of being “promoted” to pastor somewhere, “I hate adults!” (The reason is they’re too high maintenance, etc.)

* Strong interest in the IQ Forum.

* It’s been great fun meeting 90&9 regular supporters Jason, Tim, the twins, & others for the first time.

More later maybe!

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

The Commune-ity: Part I - kdc

And so, as every Youth Worker in Overland Park, KS goes out to eat, I, your loyal correspondent, sit alone in the Sheraton lobby, pecking away at the keyboard, so that you, the loyal reader, can learn the latest in high tech Youth Worker Training.

But first, a slight commercial: I'm here representing Word Aflame Publications, the official Sunday school literature of the UPCI (& ALJC) since 1969, with Teen literature. I am constantly amazed at how many youth leaders don't even know it exists! Just appalling! When I ask what they teach, they nearly always point at their heads as the source of all lessons. Yikes! Folks, there are many great resources out there. Please don't cheat your kids by only teaching what you know.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled reporting on The Commune-ity (Formerly the North American Youth Workers Convention):

Because I was at my booth, my interaction during tonight's sessions were sporadic. However...

* The House Band is loud (the floor was literally shaking), contemporary, & spiritual. Good stuff.
* Casual, casual dress! It's great. Except for the 2 visiting District Superintendents, nearly everyone was decked out in jeans & the appropriate contemporary shirts/blouses.

* NA Bible Quizzing results can be found on Collideoscope.

* In the 2nd Session, new grandpa Bro. Norman Paisley spoke on "The Art of Communication." It was solid throughout, but he ended w/these shocking (to me) facts on how we must impart the gospel (be it for discipleship or evangelism). The Apostle Paul broke Romans and Ephesians in half like this: 50% information, 50% application. Jesus spent about 65% of the Sermon on the Mount & his final words to the Disciples (John 13-17) in application. WOW! Too often we share 90+% information w/out telling listeners/students how to actually use it. (Which could indicate a lesson is ego-driven, etc.) If it can't be applied instantly, we're doing something wrong.

More tomorrow throughout the day, as this beautiful, classy Sheraton has free wireless in the lobby (bereft of everyone except the bald security guy in the blue uniform and me, your loyal correspondent).

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Luke-The first EVER

Here at commune-ity, and LOVING it. Started today at 5 and its now 2:35 am had a minor delay at the airport this morning but we got into KC at about 4 pm. Was able to sneak a peek into the conference center to see the set up and it was great! The anticipation for the evening was quite strong. Worship was great with the commune-ity house band. Tonight’s “line up” Danny rivers who absolutely blew me away. And then Bro Norm Pasley who was Fantastic. Hey did anyone mention that the dress was casual? Shout out to the boys and the staff at the GYD! They have a burden to take this dept to the next level and that makes my job as a student pastor soooo much easier. Looking forward to finding out all what is going to take place tomorrow. And I almost forgot…I won a DVD SET of Tim Rutledge from the POA, I now can sleep a little better…we’ll talk tomorrow…
Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

SarahK--Upon Arrival

Sarahk here, finally arrived at the beautiful Sheraton Hotel in Overland Park, KS for the Commune-ity Meeting (who I am can be found on January 05 Monthly Blogger, or on the Youth Congress blog from last year). I began to fear we'd never make it when our plane refused to leave the ground at Detroit airport. When, after an hour and a half of sitting (and sleeping) we made our way to St. Louis, rented a car from the nice people at Enterprise--they'll pick you up--and drove across the lovely state of Missouri. The dread turned into excited anticipation as I walked immediately in to several friends, a well-organized registration, some incredible packets (the day of the binder is gone), and (and I saved the best for last) the casual dress of The Commune-ity Meeting. My first shout out goes to the organizers of the meeting who called for casual dress! I'm excited for the (so I've been told) very relevant Danny Rivers, and of-course my favorite boys on guitars. Not much but the underlying excitement to report on at the moment, you'll here from me after the dust settles!

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Toto, are we there yet?

Arrived in Overland Park, Kansas this afternoon for the conclusion of the North American Bible Quiz Tournament and the beginning of The Commune-ity Meeting tomorrow night.

Congrats to Miramichi, New Brunswick and Toledo, Ohio for winning the Intermediate and Experienced divisions respectively. The hardware (a.k.a. trophies) will be given out at tonight's Awards Banquet. Chicken, cloth napkins and trophies. Should be quite a night! BQ'ers are amazing and deserve great applause.

How's Kansas? In two words - quite nice. Overland Park (south Kansas City metro area) is a couple of miles across the state line from Missouri and has a cool, corporate feel. Yeah, there are cornfields and farms elsewhere (I'll not forget my drive across the state a decade ago - L-O-N-G) but Overland Park has won rave reviews from more than a few attendees to the NABQT.

In the news?

• 48-hour cease-fire? It's history as Israel and Hezbollah rage on.
• Interesting article in the NY Times about a evangelical pastor stepping away from conservative political stances and his attempt to forge a new way. Controversial? Yes. Thought-provoking? Indeed. Interestingly, the pastor is a former UPCI minister.
• Oh, and the White Sox go for the sweep tonight.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

The Republicans' Finest Hour

Triple digits in many, many cities. I predict this is the closest the Republicans may have this year to being able to claim a red state majority.


Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

Mel Gibson's Apology

Just read Mel Gibson's apology for his drunken anti-Semitic tirade last weekend. Is it sincere? Sounds like it. Only Gibson himself really knows. I'm intrigued though by the reaction of one of those he offended.

Rabbi Mark S. Diamond of the 280-member Board of Rabbis of Southern California was only partially swayed by Gibson's latest statement.
"I welcome his words. And I hope and pray that they are sincere and heartfelt," but Gibson needs to show "tangible actions" of repentance, he said.
"I don't want to minimize for a moment the hurt and anger, the anguish, his words have created in our community," he added.

Jesus dealt with the woman caught in the middle of adultery by saying:

John 8:11 ... And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Forgiveness was instantaneous. But it seems proof of a repentant heart was expected.

Grace is indeed completely free for me. But accompanying it are expectations. Am I living up to His post-grace expectations?


Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

"Hi My Name Is" Sticker Stuff

Okay, it officially begins. A guy with OCD tendencies enters the world of blogging ... sounds like a recipe for at least an eventful month and certainly some occasional personal angst (did I spell angst right?)

My name is Todd Gaddy and I'm married to Brenda (11 years), and the daddy of Ally (5.9 years old - turns 6 this month) and Mikayla (3). I admit to being a few things: a) a political junkie, b) a White Sox fan - as in World Champion White Sox - and c) a member of two all-male book clubs (eat your heart out Oprah.) (Does the punctuation go inside or outside the parentheses?)

Oh, I forgot the business card information:

I work for the UPCI in the General Youth Division and serve as the General Youth President. I work with a great team in the GYD and enjoy not only their company, but the daily challenge of making Christ-followers of students.

Ran across this quote today about the ever-shifting nature of an element of the youth culture landscape:

“I can’t even keep up with all the stuff that’s out there now. Music spreads so much more rapidly than it did in ’01, and with things like MySpace, you can start a band on Friday and have tons of fans by the next Friday.”
- Music blogger Laura Young, a.k.a. Miss Modernage, Spin, February 2006, p. 55
- Youth Culture e-Update, Edition #86: February 16, 2006

Laura, you're right. The job is enormous. Do-able, but huge.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James, you're right too. Thank God you're right too.


Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

THE GRAND FINALE

I’m pleased to end July’s Blog-o-rama with a bang and not a whimper! Kerpop! Kerpow! It’s been a long, strange month--stranger still when I’m asked to reflect upon its strangeness with strangers. The weekend was no exception, with several incredible events. Whiz! Bang!

ALL NITE PRAYER CAMP
Note to all Children’s Pastors – DO THIS!!! You will not regret it. Ask me or Angie Clark from the World Network of Prayer for more details.

On Friday night, The Shekinah Kids from New Life Apostolic Church in Bridgeton, MO, came to Herrick, IL to minister at the “First Ever All Nite Prayer Camp.” Kids ages 6-11 were invited to spend the night praying for themselves, their church, and the world.

Parents were skeptical that their children would stay up past eleven. At 8:30 pm, many dropped of their smurfs and smurfettes, also handing me their sleeping bag, saying, “You’re gonna need this.” They were terribly wrong.

27 of my kids entered into intercession. At 11:30, God absolutely rocked our world, with at least 20 children and 10 adults chattering like squirrels in tongues. At least five children received the Holy Ghost, at least fifteen who already had the Holy Ghost used it to new heights. God was truly magnificent and magnified.

Once the mighty move of God slowed down an hour later, we went into intercession for the church and the world. 10 of my 27 children, and 6 of 10 New Life ministers, prayed and worshipped from 10pm to 6am. The only thing that stopped us was the parents coming to pick up their unslept child. Crash! Boom! Thunder! (applause)

SINGLES’ CONFERENCE
On Saturday night, I was asked to preach at Centralia’s singles conference, seeing how this would likely be my last one (I’m getting married November 18th—fingers crossed). I preached on the Rapture, but God added the perfect exclamation. At the end of a tremendous altar service, as single Apostolics traveled from the sanctuary to the fellowship hall, they were greeted by a most glorious awe-inspiring sunset. With the Rapture on the mind, God reminded us that He is the Author and Finisher of life. . . Well done, Jesus! Pop-sizzle-kaboom! (applause)

2 O’CLOCK SERVICE
On Sunday at two, Christ Tabernacle had a special service, wherein I had 60 more children to minister to. Unfortunately the nachos were too delicious, and I had a tough time keeping their attention. Finally, I abandoned all hope of trying to teach a traditional lesson, opting instead to have them repeat repetitively, “Jesus is coming soon!” This is all I really needed to get across anyways, right?. They chanted the End-time mantra for fifteen minutes.

When your parents ask you what you learned today, what are you gonna tell ‘em?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
When you talk to your grandparents who aren’t in church, what will you tell ‘em?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
What are you going to tell your busdriver?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
What are you going to tell your brother and sister?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
What are you going to tell your teachers?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
You’re out on the street, you run into a stranger who doesn’t know Jesus, what d’ya say?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
What message do you need to take to China?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
To Brazil?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
To Los Angeles?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
To Antarctica?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
What was that?
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!
I can’t hear you!
JESUS IS COMING SOON!!!

Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-whistle-bang! KABOOOOMy! (Thundrous applause)

THE DOCTOR
And then today, I go to the doctor for a general check-up for the first time in ten years.

All I have to say is that a rectal exam is very humbling. . . Alright, so maybe the month did end with a whimper.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

ANGEL SOFT UPDATE

As if challenged by my recent blog, Smithson, my roommate, is looking for new ways to use Angel Soft toilet paper. I had mentioned that his recent 12-pack purchase was a year’s supply for two bachelors.

Here are things Smithson is doing now, thanks to Angel Soft, that he didn’t do before:
WIPING THE TOILET PRE-USE
KILLING BUGS
POLISHING HIS SHOES
WIPING THE COUNTERTOPS
CLEANING OUT THE BATHTUB BEFORE EACH SHOWER
POLISHING THE BATHROOM FAUCET
QUADRUPLE-PLYING
HIS NOSEBLOWING HAS NEARLY TRIPLED
NAPKINS?

In three short weeks, we are already through three rolls, thus proving my earlier post incorrect. Sorry that I short-changed you, Smithson.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

BETHALTO PROPHECY

I wanted to report on a supernatural event that occurred during St. Louis’ recent Storm of 2006. For those that haven’t heard, Bethalto’s Apostolic church was destroyed by the storm. Now here is the rest of the story, as circulated around UPCI HQ, and later confirmed by members of the Bethalto church

PART I
Almost nine week ago, a prophecy came forth during a Sunday service that said that within eight weeks, the Bethalto congregation would be worshipping in a new building, “Thus sayeth the Lord.” Apparently the pastor has desired a new building for quite some time, but for some reason, was locked into the building that they currently occupied.

Six weeks after the prophecy was spoken, the pastor revisited the prophecy in the evening service saying something like, “Six weeks ago this prophecy was spoken, and quite honestly I don’t see it happening, so let’s revisit the prophecy . . . maybe we’re missing something.” The congregation prayed earnestly for God to reveal what they were missing. . .

Three days later the storm came through and destroyed the building. According to sources, the church was insured.

PART II
On the night that the storms rolled in, a small group of teen-agers were at the church, doing a Bible study in the front row of the sanctuary. When the teens heard the storm sirens, instead of going to the door to look, like most teens would do, they felt the immediate urge to get in the basement. Once they made it to the basement, the storm tore the roof open, with much of it crushing pews in the sanctuary. Once the storm blew over, neighbors were horrified when they saw cars in the church parking lot. Praise God that the youth had a word of knowledge to go to the basement. If not, they would have surely been seriously injured or dead.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!

THE FLAW

For those who aren’t afraid to date older men, please take note. I’d like to let you in on a little secret. It’s called The Flaw. That annoying little Thing that has made that older man, who is temporarily in your scopes, “still available.”

By his mid-30’s, The Flaw has grown hair, warts, and isn’t afraid to show Its scaly, scabby tongue to anyone willing to give that middle-age man a second-, third, or fifteenth look. The man has grown comfortable with The Flaw, fully knowing that It is the sole reason why he is thus far unloved. The Flaw is bittersweet company—be damned with It, or be naked without It

For some men, they are able to cover up The Flaw, never letting anyone get inside the inner sanctum, close enough to know the atrocious Underbelly that has plagued him since his teen years. But when dating begins, The Flaw lurks in the dark shadows of each meeting, waiting for the vulnerable onlooker to simply pry deep enough. Once the scab is peeled back, the bleeding begins. The façade is no longer available, and The Flaw undauntedly repulses another victim.

Once The Flaw is unearthed, the man is helpless. He wants to change. He wants That which has caused his loneliness to be banished into oblivion. But until one is loving enough, to embrace The Flaw, and tediously sand away at the edges, The Flaw remains unwanted, yet undefeated.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!