Presidential Address

As a youth pastor there are a few things that I am not supposed to talk about and politics is definitely one of them.  But since the President is going to be addressing the students tomorrow in a nation wide broadcast, I thought I would take a poll.  I am not concerned with Republican vs. Democrat or Conservative vs. Liberal.   My question is this:  How are/were your view of politics shaped?  By parents, pastor, friends, news, music, tv, etc…  Let me hear it.  

how do we spell s-i-n ?

I was in a class this week and a student (admittedly he is more advanced in years than most of my peers) made a brief statement, being: “I spell sin with four letters: S E L F.”  I quickly began searching for the meanings of such a statement and tried to discern his motivation for making it.

The first thought that comes to mind, and what he probably means, is that selfishness is the root of sin.  Stealing is ‘sin’ because it pretends that the Self of the one stealing is more valuable or necessary than the one being stolen from.  This is Self as the root of sin.

The other thought that comes to mind is more concerned with what the statement actually and literally says.  The statement is set up like a mathematical equation: Sin = Self.  This is an oversimplification.  If the ‘equation’ is taken to the extreme, simply for being a Self one is synonymous with sin.  Then, Jesus Christ is synonymous with Sin, because Jesus is a Self.  This is absolutely unacceptable.  There is a connection between self and sin (after all, it is people who sin) but it can’t be this elementary math equation.

To be a person (a Self) is much too complex and powerful and dynamic to be hopelessly condemned to SIN (as well as to be defined AS sin).

We’ve talked a bit about redemption – where does redemption come to play in this?  As a person (self) how am I condemned to sin?  Do we have more value than this as people belonging to God and being God’s creation?

Let’s think about this, anything can help.

-jonathan

my summer with Jon

Well, since Jon wrote about his summer at NBC, I thought I would write about my summer with Jon.  I am not a “poemer” like Jon so I will not try to be creative and create a story or poem but I will just write.

Like Jon, I too was a little disappointed that Jon’s truck was broken down for three weeks and to be honest I didn’t know for sure that Jon would actually come.  Instead, he proved me wrong and came and totally redeemed himself.  Since most of you know Jon I don’t have to tell you what a great guy he is but instead I will (like Jon) list a few attributes of Jon and things I will miss.  This may read much like an obituary or some sick bromance.

• Jon makes the best coffee in the world.  Many a morning I would wake up to the smell of coffee that was prepared by Mr. Jon.  Not only would he make coffee but he would actually prepare me a cup.
• Jon has an extensive vocabulary.  He was constantly using words that I have only heard during the national spelling bee on ESPN.  The one word he taught me that I will never for get is “Phronemophobia”- Fear of thinking.  I think many people suffer from this.
• Jon hates to sleep but is good at it.  It wasn’t unusual for Jon to be up until the wee hours of the morning.  He would read or watch Michael Jackson videos.  But if he wasn’t making coffee he was sleeping in.  For some reason his alarm on his phone would not wake him but my still small voice could lift his head from his pillow in a moments time.
• Jon loves to save me money.   He wasn’t hard to feed…just give him a piece of bread, peanut butter, chocolate syrup and some crushed coffee beans and he is good to go.  He also helped me save on my water bill by not showering much.
• Jon always has a smile on his face.  I can’t remember one time when I was with Jon when he wasn’t in a great mood and smiling.  He was always fun to be around and could brighten my day with one smile.
• Jon loves to talk to people.  Whether if we were in a store, restaurant, church, my house, golf course, etc…I always found Jon talking to someone.  I appreciate his ability to have conversation with anyone and find value in the other person no matter who it was.
• Jon is a great uncle.  As many of you know, my two boys love uncle Jon.  I am forever grateful for the way Jon took time to play, talk, care for, watch, feed, hold, buckle in, push, etc…my boys all summer.  I will never forget Caleb standing at the top of the stairs and yelling down at Jon saying, “JON, I LOVE YOU!”.  Nor will I forget that every time Luke saw Jon he gave him a sitting ovation.
• Jon will make a great youth pastor.  When Jon was in my youth group I always knew that he would end up doing something in ministry.  As I observed him this summer I know that he will be a great leader for students.  His love for God and youth and his passion to live it out will allow him to make a great impact in youth ministry.

Thanks Jon for a great summer.  Thanks for coming here and not expecting anything.  Thanks for your willingness to serve.  Thanks for your attitude that we should all try to imitate.  Have a great Senior year and I look forward to blogging on here with you as we dive into the Fall Experiment.

~Justin

my time with new beginnings

It was recommended that I write a blog concerning my time as an internship with nbc.  I hereby comply… but confess this won’t be simple [nor short - which short would be peculiarly out of character].  I’ll start with a story called, Coming to NBC:

Once upon a time, Jonathan Platter knew a certain Justin Roach.  Justin invited Jonathan to intern at nbc. Jonathan agreed.

The summer arrived, but Jonathan’s truck was out of commission.  Many tearful nights passed and the lonesome Jonathan remained in OKC, unable to initiate the trek to KC.

Three weeks later, the truck was finished and Jonathan traveled (without AC) to KC.

The End.

So, the summer began depressingly.  I was discouraged with the first few weeks and felt a great deal of anxiety about my belated arrival.  Praise God for the wonderful people at nbc.  I felt immediately welcomed into the community, and I was eager to participate.  The youth group was equally welcoming.  This was really encouraging and I am very thankful to each of the teens for their encouragement, friendship, and willingness to humor me.  For the sake of simplicity, I’ve compiled a list of highlights from the summer:

• Staff: I felt a substantial amount of growth through participating in/observing staff-meetings and the team-like structure of the church staff.  It was both enlightening and encouraging.  Many thanks to Shane and Paul and Justin and Andrew for being a challenge and a blessing to me.
• Ping Pong: We played a lotof ping pong.  Hoorah!  I even came home and beat my Father two out of three games yesterday. Thanks for all the practice!
• Canoe Trip: This was my first extensive involvement with the teens and sponsors.  Mark and I flipped the canoe once or twice (or five or six times, but who’s counting?).  The weather was beautiful and it was an overall great opportunity for me to meet and get to know a number of students and sponsors.
• Mission Trip: Nashville was an amazing experience.  Having the opportunity to observe and serve along with the teens was humbling.  It was very encouraging to see a group of people humble themselves in daily service and then to hear their reflections on it in the evenings.  These teens are smart people.  And they are smart about being smart.  I heard them reflect on the difficulties of service and the injustice in the kids’ lives, and then I heard them challenge themselves to find impacting and Christ-like responses to the same injustices all over the country and world.
• Twitter: Man, these teens can tweet!  haha
• The Roach Family: I’m eternally grateful to Justin and Amy for housing me this summer.  More than having a place to sleep, I was able to participate in a wonderful family and experience balance and integrity in family.  They were a great example for me and challenged me (in ways I’m sure they don’t recognize) to continually and intentionally honor, respect, and love the people one has committed to sharing life and home with.
• The Greater Church Community: I can’t reiterate enough what a blessing the church was for me.  So many individuals took the time to encourage, challenge, and welcome me that it evinces a culture of Love and Servant-hood which is surely instilled in the identity of the nbc community.

There are many things that have come to define my summer experience (pun of Summer Experiment… ha), but alas, too much to blog… at least at once.  Mostly, I hope this is a simple symbol of how grateful I am to all the people I met and to the whole church for a time of growth and learning that is irreplaceable.

ps – and, if it’s okay, maybe Justin and I can follow the Summer Experiment with the Fall Experiment. 

-jonathan

Creation

Here is a quick paraphrase of Genesis 1 – 3.  What does the creation story (without discussing evolution vs 7-day creation) tell us about ourselves and our relatioship to God and the world?

There was a time when God created earth and sky
There was chaos and darkness, but Breath and Life were in conversation
And from it God spoke for light – light is day and dark is night.
“This is Good.” And evening to morning became the first day.

God spoke to the waters, calling for sky
The water birthed vapors into space – colliding, collecting, clouding
Between water and water-child the sky gathered
“This is Good.” And evening to morning became the second day.

Then God aimed to dry the land
Its razor broke the surface parting waters with earth
God spoke Life into the earth raising vegetation and trees and all things green
“This is Good.” And evening to morning became the third day.

God saw still a disorder in the light
God spoke light into organized orbs – the lords of day and night
Dwelling in Space, in the created expanse of sky, were Sun, Moon, and Stars
“This is Good.” And evening to morning became the fourth day.

God saw fertility in the water and sky
And spoke life into the seas – the great whale; the minute bacteria
And spoke life into the air where birds now fly
“This is Good.” And evening to morning became the fifth day.

God spoke living creatures out of the earth
Then God designed a new animal – “In Our own Image,” God designed
Formed from dirt, filled with Spirit-breath, the human creation awoke
“This is Good.” And evening to morning became the sixth day.

Earth and sky were created and blessed
And their inhabitants within it
The seventh was a day sanctified and consecrated
A day of rest; for God rested from the work of creation.

Now man and woman were made as husband and wife
Pure, naked, and unveiled – they communed unashamed.

The serpent interrupted and spoke to them, concerning
Forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of good and evil
“Attempt a taste and you shall not die – the eye of God should be your eye”
They were coaxed and thus persuaded

They then were burdened by their lacking
So that their nakedness brought shame, then hiding
God sought community with them, but they denied God for their shame.
Hence, outside the garden their home became.

-jonathan

Nashville – Day Four

This final day with the kids was, as would be expected, a day full of emotions and affectionate words of farewell.  I think one powerful thing that happens on a trip like this is that teenagers (and myself, as I’m not yet a parent) get a glimpse of the love, then investment, then hopes, and finally the dread, anxiety, and trust a parent progresses through in caring for a child.  And we also saw how much of a difference healthy vs unhealthy family structure makes.

For four days, we cared for children – trying to discipline and uplift them.

For four days, we struggled through the friction of engaging a place of poverty within a nation of wealth.

For four days, we tried to embody the power of community and love.

The great thing is that the kids were still frustrating and obnoxious and devious – but the teens still poured themselves out and gave.  We worked on a plaster craft design that was somewhat unsuccessful, we sang some songs, we did a puppet show and then two more encore puppet shows, and we played games outside.  Some teens were given addresses and ask to send ‘text messages’ (which meant ‘a letter’) and many were asked to return.  Overall, it was a good day that brought conclusion to a good week.

-jonathan

Nashville – Day Three

Wednesday was even more successful than Monday and Tuesday. We began by making friendship bracelets out of yarn with the kids. They really loved having ownership of this simple activity. Because of the looming rain, we headed down the street to the library. The teenagers paired up with one or two children and read books. They enjoyed this reading time. After lunch we took the kids to play at the playground and have some batting practice with a wiffle ball. In the evening we went swimming.

This was the day that our teens really started to make connections with the children. They are finding that it is rewarding to feel this kind of love from a little kid after several hours of showing sacrificial love.

- Jodi Light (special guest blogger)

Nashville – Day Two

Tuesday started off with one of our teens being sick. Tara had come down with some type of virus that was causing her to feel nauseous. She went to the work site but the pain had overcome her so Jodi took her to a health clinic to be checked out. Meanwhile, the other teens were busy over at the Napier House singing songs. Then about 10 am the heavens opened up and the rain began to fall. This wouldn’t have been bad except our whole day is spent outside and all our lessons and programs are created to be done outside. So we turned to plan “B,” which we attempted to develop in about two seconds. We took the kids inside the ministry house (which is two rooms equally 250 sq ft). So we had 20 kids, 14 teens and about 6 adults in two rooms that were dimly lit, cluttered, and very small. We began by playing “Simon Says,” which lasted all of five minutes. We then moved on to doing crafts followed by lunch. The rain was pretty persistent and stayed around much of the day. I will say that under the conditions the teens did an amazing job of keeping everyone’s ear-drums safe.

-Justin and Jon

Nashville: Day 1

Monday:  We spent most of the day just getting to know the 25 kids that were there.  We sang songs, had a puppet show, played games, and made play doh.  Our teens did a great job of engaging the children.  Their attitudes were awesome and therefore the children were excited to participate in the days events.   After a day of singing, playing and crafting we made our way back to the church to get cleaned up for dinner.  After dinner we went to the Opryland Hotel and the Opry Mills Mall.

Day 1 was a sucess.

-Justin

In my heart there rings a melody (part III)

I worry sometimes that the reason we fear (non)christian media is because we are afraid to think about it.  Rightfully so, the general public has become more aware of individuals ‘living vicariously’ through media, music, gaming, etc…  My fear is that there may be a misunderstanding of the danger of this approach – one that can greatly affect us as Christians as we engage the culture and media.  

This serious danger, in my opinion, is that we begin to ascribe to ourselves a false sense of control.  I don’t approve of ‘that life-style’ – so I can turn it off. Well… can we really?  I live in a world; a beautiful, magnificent, awesome setting for the continuing art of God and creation in continual engagement, yet some of this world is strikingly repugnant at times.  One thing my parents taught me when I was a child was that even if I thought that the meal my mother had prepared was disgusting, I had to eat some of it.  Even more than my immediate ‘need’ for food (I mean, what’s the harm in missing one meal?) I needed  to be a part of the family; to participate in the relationships which pre-date my very existence; to engage the desirable and the repulsive elements of the people who are of highest value in my life.  And what better reminder than eating some food which tickled my gag-reflex?

Can I really just turn my nose up at a life-style that seems contrary to my values?  Can I pretend that they don’t exist, just so I don’t have to think about how to engage the people living such lives?  No, I can’t (not healthily), and nor should we as Christians do such among this ‘good’ creation of the Good God.

If we never let ourselves think about the media we subject ourselves to, we very quickly feel an unrealistic amount of control over the world of which we are a part.  Does Christian music/media shape us any better?  There is some really great ‘Christian’ music out there that truly has a great message, but a lot of it is tainted with poor theology, egocentric ‘worship’, and self-glorification.  Unfortunately, there are Christians who assume that anything labeled “Christian” is wholesome.  Is not our understanding of God most important of all?  If it is important to be deliberate concerning what shapes our mind, how much more important is it to be deliberate concerning what shapes our approach to God?

This only touches on content (which has value, but I believe it only truly has value when one thinks about it).  When we minimize the whole issue to being about content, we are forgetting the majority of what music is – music.  (Mere content has a name – poetry)  What do we do with the music?  Does it not have value?  I believe there is a beautiful connection inherent in music to the creativity of our Creator God.  It professes our participation in the imago dei (Image of God) when we continue God’s creation.  Music has been a big part of this in our tradition.

Immanuel Kant (a Christian philosopher/ethicist) posited a means for judging an act as ‘moral’ or ‘immoral’. An act is moral if it treats a person as an end in themselves and is immoral if it treats them as a means to an end.  In other words, don’t use people.  We forget that musicians are people; people who have invested in music and worked to create art.  When we deny the value of a piece of music, we (in part) deny value to that person (especially when we claim the qualifying factor for music to be ‘good’ or ‘not’ is whether the person is ‘christian’ or ‘not’).

What does it say of a Christian community that rejects anything that does not originate within the Christian community?  It seems to me to say that Christians do not value anyone outside their community.

-jonathan