Johnny Brower

For the past four weeks, we’ve exposed the scars of our lives, explored what it means to allow God to heal us, and committed ourselves to the healing process.

On this day, Good Friday, we remember the scars that Jesus bore.

Not only did he endure physical pain beyond our comprehension, but he had to deal with the abandonment of his closest friends and disciples. He dedicated his life to saving people from spiritual and physical death, but when he was facing certain death, no one was there for him.

On this day, we remember the scars that Jesus bore. We are reminded that we are not alone, that we can trust Jesus to save us from our suffering because he has felt it, too.

He knows your pain.

He knows what it’s like to be abandoned, to be mocked, to be beaten, to be unloved.

…and in 3 days, we’ll remember that he knows what it’s like to conquer it all.

I love plans. I love planning things. I love to talk about my plans.

Plans inspire, motivate and unite. People love a good plan.

It’s essential for every organization to develop a strategic plan that will lead them to the growth they desire.

But, until you begin to share your plan with your leadership, it is only a fantasy. It’s something that makes you feel good for a short time until you realize it’s too hard, too risky, too much work, too costly or too _________. Then you abandon hope and come up with another plan.

Sharing your plan with the rest of your leadership is the step that takes you out of fantasy and into reality. You now have a web of accountability that will keep you moving forward!

You’ve also created buy-in.

Like I said before, plans inspire, motivate and unite, and there is nothing more valuable than when your leadership unites with you, motivates each other and inspires new growth!

Last night, I finished a series at Breakaway called Scarred. We sought to explore what it means to feel emotional pain and how God heals us.

I thought it would be appropriate for a couple students to come up and tell real stories of real hurt with real healing. It was intense and had a greater impact on our student congregation than anything I could have conjured up to say.

At the end of worship, I wanted every student to get the chance to tell their scar story. So, I had cards ready that said:

I am Scarred.

I am a Guy or Girl

This is my scar:

This is how I deal with it:

…and, while our worship leader played Psalm 145 (by Shane & Shane), the students were invited to come and fill the cards and place them “at the foot of the cross” (on our altar).

The response was jaw-dropping.

…i’m depressed; i’ve attempted suicide, twice; my parents cheat on each other; i feel responsible for their divorce; i gave up my virginity because i was drunk; my dad hits me…

My heart breaks for our students. Many express a feeling that no one gets them, or that no one believes them, or that no one loves them.

Yet, their response to adversity has impressed me all the more:

…God knows everything about me and chooses to love me anyway; i know God loves me even if my dad doesn’t; i am praying for real love; i opened up to my parents and have never felt more loved…

As I read these cards, I hear the voice of a generation that feels unloved, neglected and guilty. Though, some have found ways of coping/healing, I know there are many more dying (both emotionally and physically).

My prayer is that we, the leaders of the Church and lovers of God’s creation hear the cries of our students.

This is a trilogy: “______ and Health Care Reform”.

To round it out, here’s our favorite Christian financial adviser, Dave Ramsey weighing in on the subject:

http://www.daveramsey.com/article/how-the-new-health-care-reform-affects-you/lifeandmoney_insurance/lm1/

http://www.daveramsey.com/article/heath-care-changes-through-the-years/lifeandmoney_insurance/

This comes from an official email periodically circulated through the United Methodist Church’s in the Central Texas Conference:

Reactions to the health care reform legislative continue to circulate around the nation and our Central Texas Conference. It is important to recognize that The United Methodist Church has been fully involved in this conversation since John Wesley’s time and certainly over the past 8 General Conferences, always affirming the need for comprehensive health care that extends to all. We are a diverse people with many perspectives on most every issue — including health care. The UMC’s position is not for or against any political party or the specific bill passed late Sunday by the U.S. House of Representatives. It is simply in support of health care for all.

From a UMNS story released Tuesday: An attack on U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (a UM clergy elder in the Missouri Conference) — who was spat upon and called a racial slur by protesters outside the Capitol—offers an opportunity to model civil discourse and point to a different path. “It saddens me, the acrimonious debate both in Congress and in the public at large. We have failed to carry on serious debate without personal attacks and name-calling,” said Bishop Gregory V. Palmer, president of the UM Council of Bishops and leader of the denomination’s Illinois Great Rivers Annual (regional) Conference. “My hope is that the church would do such an effective job at managing its own difficult conversations that we might be a model for how the world can manage difficult disagreements,” he said. Read the full story at http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=5259669&ct=8114773&tr=y&auid=6110074.

For those who wish to deepen their understanding of the UMC’s views on health care, read on the conference website under “Church and Society” the 2008 Book of Discipline paragraph 162.V (http://ct.brickriver.com/files/oFiles_Library_XZXLCZ/2008_Book_of_Discipline_Right_to_Health_Care_XYHJAQCL.pdf) and Resolution 3201 (entitled Health Care for All in the United States) from the United Methodist Book of Resolutions (http://ct.brickriver.com/files/oFiles_Library_XZXLCZ/2008_Book_of_Resolutions_HEALTH_CARE_FZ5YQBYY.pdf). Other helpful resources:

GBCS’s The Bible and Health Advocacy:  Ancient Vision, Modern Imperative

http://www.umc-gbcs.org/atf/cf/%7B689fea4c-8849-4c05-a89e-c9bc7ffff64c%7D/GBCSHEALTHCAREGRID2009.PDF

John 10:10  — A Justice-Filled Prescription for Health Care

http://www.1010challenge.org/site/c.olIZIfNYJwE/b.5337789/k.C006/Home.htm

Also, view the following video clips to see the UMC’s responses to the need for compassionate health care in local settings:

First UMC, Los Angeles:

http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2022489&ct=7130479

Pathways in Petersburg, Va:

http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2022489&ct=6759761

La Clinica in St. Louis, Mo: http://umtv.org/video/[20031001]/la_clinica.mov

I found this on PerezHilton.com (thanks to my lovely fiancee).

I’ve always found Mr. Moore to be a little over the top, and this letter is no different. But, amidst the Facebook status riots, I thought it was appropriate and informational.

Let it be known, that the views and opinions of Mr. Moore are not necessarily the same as mine.

To My Fellow Citizens, the Republicans:

Thanks to last night’s vote, that child of yours who has had asthma since birth will now be covered after suffering for her first nine years as an American child with a pre-existing condition.

Thanks to last night’s vote, that 23-year-old of yours who will be hit one day by a drunk driver and spend six months recovering in the hospital will now not go bankrupt because you will be able to keep him on your insurance policy.

Thanks to last night’s vote, after your cancer returns for the third time — racking up another $200,000 in costs to keep you alive — your insurance company will have to commit a criminal act if they even think of dropping you from their rolls.

Yes, my Republican friends, even though you have opposed this health care bill, we’ve made sure it is going to cover you, too, in your time of need. I know you’re upset right now. I know you probably think that if you did get wiped out by an illness, or thrown out of your home because of a medical bankruptcy, that you would somehow pull yourself up by your bootstraps and survive. I know that’s a comforting story to tell yourself, and if John Wayne were still alive I’m sure he could make that into a movie for you.

But the reality is that these health insurance companies have only one mission: To take as much money from you as they can — and then work like demons to deny you whatever coverage and help they can should you get sick.

So, when you find yourself suddenly broadsided by a life-threatening illness someday, perhaps you’ll thank those pinko-socialist, Canadian-loving Democrats and independents for what they did Sunday evening.

If it’s any consolation, the thieves who run the health insurance companies will still get to deny coverage to adults with pre-existing conditions for the next four years. They’ll also get to cap an individual’s annual health care reimbursements for the next four years. And if they break the pre-existing ban that was passed last night, they’ll only be fined $100 a day! And, the best part? The law will require all citizens who aren’t poor or old to write a check to a private insurance company. It’s truly a banner day for these corporations.

So don’t feel too bad. We’re a long way from universal health care. Over 15 million Americans will still be uncovered — and that means about 15,000 will still lose their lives each year because they won’t be able to afford to see a doctor or get an operation. But another 30,000 will live. I hope that’s ok with you.

If you don’t mind, we’re now going to get busy trying to improve upon this bill so that all Americans are covered and so the grubby health insurance companies will be put out of business — because when it comes to helping the sick, no one should ever be allowed to ask the question, “How much money can we save by making this poor b*****d suffer?”

Please, my Republican friends, if you can, take a quiet moment away from your AM radio and cable news network this morning and be happy for your country. We’re doing better. And we’re doing it for you, too.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

Last night, I finally took in Bill Maher’s scathing documentary Religulous. I had been excited about this movie for sometime, but like all other movies I get excited about, it took me months to get to it.

This film was exactly what I expected. It’s Bill Maher interrupting every interviewee, but getting really upset when they interrupt him. It’s picking only the most outrageous zealots to speak on behalf of their religion. It’s quick edits on the few credible interviewees so they sound like idiots.

And…
It’s Bill Maher asking some really great questions! Religulous is a movie that all Christians (over 18) should see. Not because he uncovers any new truths or says anything thought-provoking, but because it will give you a glimpse of what Christianity looks like to an outsider.

This movie sparked some great conversations about our “foundations of faith”, and what it is that makes us Christian. What are the thing(s) that make you a Follower of Christ? What if those things you hold to be foundations in your faith were to be proven untrue? Would you know longer believe?

I’m a huge fan of Christopher Guest and the multitude of mocumentary magic he’s had his hands on.  So, I’m always a bit skeptical when a musical mocumentary emerges without him.

I saw this preview for a new movie called “Jesus People” today. It’s written by two christian guys about a fake Christian band and their journeys through recording, interviews and concerts.

I think it’s a funny concept, but the preview seems to me like they’re trying to hard.

jesuspeoplefilm.com

It seems a lot of people have a problem with this.

I do, too.

My problem stems more from the Gay and Lesbian community.  This seems like a huge step backward for you.  In an age where we fight for equal rights, this seems a whole lot like self-inflicted segregation.  The school is not the one who decided this should happen, it was a student!  How can we continue to fight for equality (whether gender, race, or sexual orientation) when we keep asking to be segregated?

[story here]

It seems like my entire career (yes…it’s a career) in youth ministry has been in transition.  I’ve had the privilage of working under some great leaders from whom I have learned many things about communication, delegation, spiritual health and working as a team for the glory of God.  I’ve also worked under some [not so] great leaders from whom I’ve learned almost as much.

Truth be told, we are all in roles of leadership in our lives — in our jobs, with our friends, small groups, parenting, etc.  Being a young, single male, I’ve not had too many opportunities to take a leadership role in the workplace.  But in the wake of recent events, I find myself there.

I’d be lying if I said that I haven’t been dreaming of this moment.  I feel like I was made for this. Sounds corny, I know.  But no matter how ready you think you are, there are things you could never forsee when it comes to leadership.  EVERYTHING MATTERS — every word, every gesture, your timeliness, your priorities, your attitude, YOUR LIFE!

As I transition (yet again) into this new adventure, I go with the utmost confidence in my ability and, even more so, my willingness to learn.  I want to be the very best leader that I can be!  Not for my own selfish gain, but for the Kingdom.

To my staff…
You are solid!  I couldn’t ask for a more qualified and willing group of people to work alongside.  As we continue this journey called youth ministry, I will work hard for you.  I want to provide an efficient, yet comfortable/fun-loving, work environment.  I want to work in conjunction with you and your talents to bless our students, their families, our church, our community and our world!

To my church…
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to serve one of the greatest churches I’ve ever been a part of!  I’m so proud of our organization and our commitment to serving God by serving others.  I feel honored to be on this unbelievable team.  I will work hard to continue a tradition of excellence.  I know our potential, and I’m ready.

To my volunteers…
Without you, this ministry would not go!  I am only one person with limited life experience.  Your passion for our students and love for God show through on a daily basis!  I am in total awe of your willingness to serve this church and our ministry.  The eternal impact that you make on our students is priceless.  Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

To my students…
You are why I’m here.  Your passion for the knowledge of God never ceases to amaze me.  I’m warmed every week as I see your love for God and His people grow.  Thank you for your life.  I’m honored to be given the chance to share it with you.  I will continue to grow in knowledge and strength on a daily basis, so I can be best I can be for you.

To myself…
You are ready for this.  I’m proud of you.

I know that a large part of being a great leader is seeking the wisdom of other great leaders.  I’m beginning by reading a book by Bill Hybels entitled Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs.  I hope to posts some personal notes on my findings.

What are you reading?  Who are the great leaders that feed you?