Family Matters

The GYD's "Your .02" question (a weekly poll) this week on our web site has yielded some interesting, and surprising (at least in my estimation) results.

The question:

"What or whom has the biggest influence on young people?"

The items to choose from - Television, family, the Internet, the church, friends. As of this afternoon, the results looked like this:

Television - 21.98%
Family - 14.29%
The Internet - 6.59%
The church - 16.48%
Friends - 40.66%

I was very surprised that "family" has scored as low as it has. Doesn't a family's influence affect, either positively or negatively, every other one of these items' effect on kids?

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

The Day Pluto Died

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

So now Pluto is off the official-planets-of-the-solar-system list. Say it ain't so.

Think of all the wire hangers that will be spared though as kids now only have to buy eight styrofoam balls and steal eight coat hangers to make their science projects.


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

The GYD and Everyone

A recent question batted around in one of our GYD staff meetings:

Should the GYD create a page of its own on www.everyonesconnected.com ("EC")? Evidently, though a public web site not originally created as a "Christian" hangout, EC has nearly been overrun with Pentecostals, making it quite the place to communicate to hundreds (probably thousands) of Apostolics quickly and effectively.

Though much of our GYD mailouts, promotional materials, and such go directly to churches, ministers, and/or pastors, there certainly are benefits to being able to quickly spread the word about certain GYD youth-related things (i.e. Youth Congress information, other upcoming events/opportunities, etc.) directly to young people or young adults.

After getting a crash course from our staff on "how" EC works, we're in the midst of more seriously considering the idea. Now, here's where I humbly request your input. How about some words of wisdom from some of you EC veterans - any comments, suggestions, tips, concerns? Email me and let me know.

BTW, check out the new pix from the recently-completed Soulwinners Boot Camp, now available here.


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

"Doing" Church Focused Upon Whom?

While in church this past weekend, I began thinking (again) about Jesus and His consuming passion to relate what He did to unbelievers. Throughout His ministering years, He spoke using terminology they could undertand (i.e. wheat and tares - abundantly clear in an agrarian society, "rocks will cry out" - not simply a random choice of words, but an incorporation of a readily-seen geologic element in Middle East topography). He seemed to deal with believers (his disciples, closest followers) in a more private setting, and used public settings to focus His attention on making God understandable to the unbelieving masses (through teaching, miracles, parables, etc.)

Jesus' strategy made me also think, how well do we do in making our public gatherings understandable to unbelievers? Granted, there are some things that, as the Bible declares, will be unknowable without the Spirit of God, however, what message does our terminology, worship components, and the way we "do" church, send to a non-Pentecostal, unbelieving, person who is not following Jesus? I guess the bigger question is - who IS our intended audience when we "do" church - believers or unbelievers?

Recently, while at a church to speak, I announced my scripture reference for my text, then said something like "the book of ____ is found about 2/3 of the way through the Bible, next to a book called ____." When I did this, someone in the congregation chuckled. I must assume that the person who laughed thought it funny that I'd say how to get to the scripture reference, when I assume he felt that everybody would already know where the particular book was located (a familiar NT book to Pentecostals.) The fact is though, my comment wasn't meant for him, the believer. It was for the new-to-church person. The person for whom the Bible is just a book. The person who doesn't know Exodus from Romans. The person who doesn't yet accept the "word of God" claim we so easily toss around. The kind of person that I think Jesus would focus upon.


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