Monday, July 28, 2014

Relating to Millennials: Humble Love should Rule Over Condemnation

Unconditional love and true friendship are two of the requirements if we want to relate to millennials.  It can especially be the case when we are talking about the teenagers who are part of our worship community.  Unconditional love requires that we accept young people with their flaws.  It also means welcoming them back with open arms when they make poor choices.  When it comes to friendship: Many young folks give us the impression that they have a wide circle of friends, but often those relationships come with conditions.  In the world of social media, many of those relationships are casual, having no roots.  While true friendship typically requires a mutual interest in each other, our relationship with millennials might be one-sided.  They might have little enthusiasm when it comes to hearing about what going on in our lives.  We are probably going to spend more time listening. 

Unconditional love and friendship are obvious requirements but a recent article that I read added humility to the list.  The author was Chris Martin and it was published on www.churchleader.com.  Chris Martin is a millennial whose ministry involves helping people relate to his generation.  One statement in the article especially struck me, "The church will reach Millennials when God’s truth is embodied in humble love more than constant condemnation."  We are all sinners.  Our lives are flawed.  Still we have a tendency to see the sins of other, more than our own.  That especially should be the case with young people.  How can they wear their hair that way?  Why do they insist of having different parts of their body pierced?  What is the purpose of all those tattoos?  We need to love them for who they are, and we need to be honest about our flaws.

Humility is a requirement if we desire to reach out to the young people who pass through our lives. 

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Don't Like Change: How do you Feel About Irrelevance?

As I write this blog post, Barb and I are wrapping up a twelve day road trip.  We have visited a lot of family along the way.  This morning I awoke in Valparaiso, Indiana, home of Orville Redenbacher and Barb's brother Gary and wife, Susan.  There is another connection; Our son, Mark, went to the college here.  Valparaiso University was a life-changing experience for him.  For me the highlight of the trip was the four days I spent in Detroit.  I got some quality time with my mother and her brother, my Uncle Don.  The visit also brought back a flood of memories.  I got listen to the Tigers on the radio (no cable TV in mom's apartment), and spend time playing cribbage with my uncle on Belle Isle., After church Sunday we drove north to St. Claire for a perch dinner. We dined overlooking the river.  A lake freighters passed during our meal and I was able to stand on the deck of the restaurant and wave to one of the crew members.  How often I did that as a child. 

This morning I have had time to put things in perspective: The past has everything to do with where and who I am now, but very little to do with where I go and what I do in the future.  While it's okay to reminisce, but we cannot live our lives looking to the past.  I saw an interesting quote this morning in a article titled The Ten Lasts Gasps of a Dying Church.  The author, Brian Dodd, wrote, "If you don't like change, you are going to like irrelevance even less." How true!  In our fast-changing digital world, we cannot live in the past. 

So, I have reached the point this morning where I am ready to move on.  I am planning on doing some work on my next newsletter this afternoon.  There is a Starbucks near the university, so I plan on hanging out there and tasting the local culture.  I am also anxious to get home, and back to my writing project.  I am about half way done with the manuscript for: Relevant? The Church as it Relates to Millennials.  I also wait in anticipation to see what the future holds, feeling blessed to be alive at this time. 

Monday, July 7, 2014

Reflecting on July Fourth

Over the weekend Barb and I celebrated The Fourth of July.  No matter how I celebrate it, the holiday is always special for me.  This year was no different.  We kept our tradition and spent the evening of July 3rd watching the fireworks in Addison.  Kaboom Town is annually rated as one of the top displays in the country.  After putting out the flag on the Fourth, I spent some time working in the yard.  Our son, Mark, stopped by in the afternoon and I cooked some steaks on the grill.  We played bocci ball and spent time sharing family memories.  Sunday we traveled to Aledo where we celebrated Peter's birthday with the whole family together, minus Kristen who is still in Africa. 

Before I began any other activities on The Fourth, I spent time in God's Word.  I was directed to Psalm 33:12.  "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance."  (NIV)   I reflected on our heritage as "One nation under God" and yes I grieved at how far we seem to have drifted.  As a country, I don't feel our values are in line with God's plan.  Our national motto might be, "In God we Trust." but statistics seem to indicate that a minority of the population see Jesus Christ as their Lord in Savior.  Even if we trust in God, we seem to place our hope in ourselves and our own resources.

As I listen to other older adults, I sense that I am not alone.  I like to spend some time each week working in coffee shops, usually a Starbucks.  Recently, attracted by the 49 cent senior coffee, I stopped by the local McDonalds to get some work done.  A group of at least a half dozen senior men sat nearby.  I assume from the conversations they were house regulars.  I also discerned that they had a negative view of our society, especially those under thirty or who were from a different culture.  It was too much.  I finished my coffee and decided to continue my writing at home.   Too much negativity.

As adults we have a choice.  We can complain, or we can set out to make a difference.  Nothing is accomplished if we invest all our energy into bemoaning how bad things are.  If we are change our culture, it must begin with us.  If our country has drifted from our heritage, perhaps it is because we have failed to share the message.  If that is the case, the best time to initiate change is now.  Pass the Torch.