Selfies and Self-Control

Let’s discuss something bluntly.  You probably know about this summer’s “celebrity hacking” scandal:  naked selfies of several famous actresses were stolen from their online accounts, and these images spread quickly across the internet.

This is a massive ethical and moral problem on many different levels.  We could point fingers at many people:  the thieves who stole these private photographs, the young women who took these selfies, the many strangers who viewed these pictures for their own pleasure.  For quite a while, I have been bothered by this entire situation.  But today I gained some clarity on the issue.

I subscribe to a news magazine called The Week.  In its current issue, this magazine quotes a Vanity Fair interview with Jennifer Lawrence, the 24-year-old actress most famous for playing the role of Katniss Everdeen in the “Hunger Games” movies.  Jennifer is one of the victims of the aforementioned hacking scandal.

Let’s put aside Jennifer’s claim that the theft of her pictures is a “sex crime.”  Let’s put aside questions of whether or not she “deserved” this unwelcome attention.  I want to focus on one extremely illuminating detail from her interview with Vanity Fair.  Jennifer explains why she sent naked selfies to her boyfriend by saying this:

“I was in a loving relationship.  It was long-distance, and either your boyfriend is going to look at porn or look at you.”

Read the last phrase of that quote again.  What kind of sexual culture do we tolerate that brings young women to believe such a statement?

The true evil revealed by the celebrity hacking scandal is that our culture believes men must satisfy their sexual desires in any way possible.  Since they must, they will.  And since they will, they may as well find that satisfaction in “appropriate” ways.  This perspective absolves men of any responsibility for their own behavior, and it cheapens human sexuality, which God intends for higher purposes than satisfaction of impulses.

Either your boyfriend is going to look at porn or look at you?  Why do we assume that he has to look at all?  Is there no other way?  Is there no better way?

It is time for us to stop believing the lie that “boys will be boys.”  It is time for us to reject the ideas that viewing pornography is natural, that the female body is meant to be seen indiscriminately, and that women must do whatever it takes to satisfy their boyfriends’ sexual desires.  It is time for us to call men (and women) to exercise self-control.

I understand where Jennifer Lawrence and her boyfriend are coming from.  I am a 34-year-old man who has been married for nine years.  Tara and I did the long-distance dating thing for two years before our wedding.  We know that self-control is possible.  And self-control has led us into a healthy and safe relationship that will last our entire lives.

Women, keep your clothes on.  Put your cameras down.  If you believe that your boyfriends must choose between pornography and you, then both you and your boyfriends need to mature.

Men, stop viewing pornography.  Stop the online image searches.  Stop “reading” swimsuit magazines.  Stop asking your girlfriend to send naked selfies to you.  Stop supporting the many ways that our culture misuses the female body.  Learn the art of self-control.

I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.  For what is our lot from God above, our heritage from the Almighty on high?  Is it not ruin for the wicked, disaster for those who do wrong?  Does he not see my ways and count my every step? (Job 31:1-4 NIV)

Preparing for the Banquet

Jesus told the parable of the wedding banquet in Matthew 22:1-14, which ends with a somber punchline: “Many are invited, few are chosen.”  What does this parable mean?  How does it relate to spiritual life today?  And how does it connect to our new, emerging vision?  Listen in to Pastor David’s message:

Listen now!

Seeing the Goal

We began a new sermon series this week:  what is our vision as a congregation?  What drives us into God’s preferred future?  And what does this have to do with how we communicate as a church family?  Listen in to Pastor David’s sermon on Philippians 3:4b-14:

Listen now!

This is the vision statement which Pastor David references in the sermon:

vision

October Youth Update

We are off to a GREAT beginning of the 2014-15 school year.  Youth is going strong every week from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM, then Connie & I are scurrying home for our 8:15 Grads @ Grahams meeting. Sundays are BUSY as we are proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Even our 10:00 AM Sunday morning class has picked up in attendance.  We are hoping to touch over 30 people on any given Sunday as the year progresses. Our topic on Sunday morning is “InTune with God Through Purpose, Purity, Power & People.”  With the Youth on Sunday nights we are “Becoming a GREAT Youth Ministry” through knowing “Who is God, Jesus & the Holy Spirit.”  Our grads are exploring the topic of “Extreme Love.”  So the Word of God is being spread!

Our IYC Sunday was a blessing highlighted by testimonies from Corey Forster, Liz Dale, Paul Hassen, Nick Torres, Tristan Mapes, Sabrina Torres, Jessi Smith and Shane Mudd. All of our delegates came home closer to God and we are anxious to watch how it plays out in their daily lives. Several commented that they could hardly wait for the next one in San Antonio, Texas.  It was a BIG event with over 5000 in attendance, $65,829 given for Spread the Word missions ($600 from us) and incredible stories of God working in our kids!  Thank you for all the prayers and support.

Speaking of prayers, we could still use some more volunteers to “Prayer Warriors” for our youth.  We are entertaining the idea of including the Grad Class participants, which would multiply our numbers.  Pray about it and let us know.  Thanks!

Our Mum Sale was not as great as we hoped, but after reducing the number to just 50 delivered, we were able to sell most of those.  We will be having a poinsettia & wreath sale in December plus possibly some can collecting and we know Olive’s yard will need to be raked soon.  We appreciate you donating pop cans & bottles on a regular basis.  It doesn’t seem like much, but last year we had almost $700 in can & bottle money.  It adds up!

Our Church of God WINTER RETREAT at Cran-Hill Ranch is coming up on January 9-11, 2015. Sounds like a long time from now, but a $50 registration deposit is DUE by November 30, 2015, with the remaining $49 due by January 4, 2015 (total cost $99).  It’s a great deal for two night’s lodging, five meals, snacks, all programming and much of the recreation.  This year’s speaker is Brett Talley from the Church of the Crossing in Indianapolis.  Josh Lavender (recommended by Tommee Profitt) will be our worship leader. By December, Connie will be praying for snow and making some of the final preparations!  Think ahead, earn your money needed and mark it on your calendars.

As you know, our Detroit CSM mission was very successful and were blessed greatly again.  On Sunday, September 28th we made the Midland Daily News with pictures and an article about our trip. Hopefully, you were able to catch that as we had quotes from students and a general description of the mission. Check the Youth bulletin board because we will have it posted for a few weeks.  We are possibly considering a weeklong adventure in Detroit next summer.  Keep that in your prayers!

Missions – YES, we already have 12 people signed up for our Guatemala Mission on the dates of February 5 -12, 2015.  If you are still thinking about it, please let us know ASAP because we will begin having our Spiritual Preparation Meetings in October.  Our goal of $5000 to help with the cost of a Guatemalan Home is set and we are praying for God’s blessings in helping out another family.  Each year it is exciting to include new participants on our team to share the blessings of Guatemala.

New 2014-2015 Parental Medical/Permission Release Forms were mailed to each family during August.  We NEED to have these forms completed and turned into Pastor Jerry ASAP.  If you have lost your copies, contact Pastor Jerry and we have more.  Many have been received, but we still need a few more. Please help us have this necessary paperwork done for the year so students can attend meetings, ride in the church van and attend any youth event.  Thanks for your help!

We have tentatively planned some of our events for the year with the details still needing to be worked out.  They are as follows:

  • October 25: Service project – the Diaper Alliance followed by visiting Grandma’s Pumpkin Patch & Maze
  • November 23: Service project – Thanksgiving Baskets @ Aldersgate followed by Bowling @ Northern Lanes
  • December 21: Christmas Party @ Mt. Haley
  • January 9-11: Winter Retreat @ Cran-Hill
  • January 23: Mt. Haley Lock-In
  • February 22: Swimming Party @ Four Seasons
  • May 15-17: State Youth Convention

There will be events in March & April yet to be determined and there probably will be other events mixed into the schedule.

Every summer we attempt to upgrade the Youth room at church and we have been successful again. We have new darker rugs to replace our light tan one and we have an air hockey table that we picked up cheaply at a garage sale.  Also there are some new wall pictures & sayings that spruce up the room. We are forever grateful for the church providing a “newly remodeled” room a couple of years ago.  Thanks again that we have an inviting room for our youth and their friends.

Parents and church, your prayers, support and encouragement are greatly appreciated and we look forward every week to sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with our students through interaction, study, fellowship and relationship.  Thank you for sharing your son or daughter and our congregation for holding the youth up in PRAYER.

Love God, Love People, Live It!

Blessings,
Pastor Jerry  

True Colors

One of the joys of walking, driving, or riding a motorcycle at this time of year is seeing all the tremendous, vivid colors of the changing leaves. I hope you are taking time in these weeks to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation!

Do you know why leaves change color just before they fall? Let me summarize, to the best of my limited understanding, why this happens. Leaves are green during the spring and summer because they contain chlorophyll. This green chemical allows plants to absorb the sun’s energy, which empowers the plants to grow and thrive and multiply. (Of course, this turns out to be a good thing for us humans, because plants take in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen, which is the reverse of our breathing process.) This chlorophyll must be constantly produced by plants in order to take full advantage of the boundless energy of the sun.

But when it comes time for trees to take a long Midwestern winter’s nap, they stop producing chlorophyll. They have stored up as much energy as they need to survive the winter, and they say farewell to their leaves, which cannot survive cold temperatures.

When the leaves stop receiving chlorophyll from the tree, their greenness disappears. It is then that we can see their true colors. The reds, yellows, and oranges we see in this season are actually the real colors of leaves all through the spring and summer, as well. Only when the leaves are connected to their branches, when they are filled with live-giving chlorophyll, do we see them in their healthy green state.

People are just like these leaves. We come in many different sizes, shapes, colors, and varieties. And it truly is a beautiful thing to observe the diversity and complexity of humankind. (Those of you who have gone to Guatemala on our recent mission trips will understand!) God has done marvelous work in forming us, each a unique creation loved deeply by our Creator.

“I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.” (John 10:10 NET)

And yet when we are connected to the true Source of Life, namely Jesus Christ, something amazing happens. The life given to us by Jesus Christ changes us in fundamental ways:

  1. Jesus makes us truly healthy. Just like leaves filled with chlorophyll, we are able to take in the life-giving Spirit of God and expel toxic, harmful behaviors and attitudes.
  2. Jesus unites us. Just as red, yellow, and orange leaves share the same greenness during the spring and summer, we all carry our own unique identities, but we are deeply united in our connection to Jesus Christ.
  3. Jesus gives us life. Just like leaves only stand a chance of surviving while connected to the tree, we are designed and built to be connected to the true Source of Life.

May God fill you with his Spirit each day, and may you remain connected to the Lord throughout the changing seasons of life!

Pastor David

Welcome to the Journey

A voice from the past calls us into the future.  A journey begins with a simple yet profound ceremony.  We lift our eyes to the hills ahead of us.  Those intimidating mounds must be crossed.  We realize that our help comes not from the thrill of hill climbing but from God, the maker of the hills, the guide along our journey (Psalm 121).

I have begun a professional academic program at the Anderson University School of Theology.  In four years, I will earn a Doctor of Ministry degree (see these preliminary thoughts).  My DMin degree is an applied degree that will be intimately tied to the life of Mt. Haley Church of God.  The program culminates in a “professional project” in which we will work together to address a ministry-related issue in the life of the church.

This is our journey, not just mine.  I intend to keep you updated on my classes, readings, ruminations, and dreams throughout this process.  Soon, I will ask a few of you to serve on a “local support team” which will work closely with me over the next four years and will help give shape to my DMin project.  (Would you be interested in that responsibility?)

For three weeks a year, I will be in Anderson for intensive classes with the eight other students in my cohort.  The first of those weeks is taking place right now.  I want to share with you a wonderfully meaningful event that took place at the end of the seminary’s chapel service this past Tuesday.

All of the new DMin students (including me) and new master’s degree students were asked to come forward and kneel at the chapel’s altar rails.  The faculty and other mentors anointed us and prayed God’s blessing on our upcoming journeys.  And then we were given a small, silver cross.cross

Take a close look at this image.  Look at the date and the signature.  This was signed on September 2, 2003 by Dr. Gilbert Stafford, one of my mentors and seminary professors.  (Dr. Stafford was pastor of East Ashman Church of God in Midland prior to his time as seminary professor in Anderson.)  He was endlessly enthusiastic and deeply theological; he inspired, challenged, and transformed his students in remarkable ways.  He was a writer, a thinker, a discussion partner, and a worship leader.  And he prepared small, silver crosses like this to give to incoming students at the beginning of their time in the seminary.

Dr. Stafford died of bone cancer in 2008.  I was working on my Master of Divinity degree in Anderson then.

Just recently, the seminary’s leaders discovered these signed crosses in a long-forgotten file and decided to give them to this year’s incoming students, including me.

Where were you on September 2, 2003?  I was beginning my second year of math studies at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  I was 23 years old and was not married.  I had not yet begun seminary studies, let alone service as a pastor.

Somehow, across the years, my life keeps intersecting with Dr. Stafford’s life in meaningful ways.  I can only hope that my ministry intersects with his just as meaningfully.

A voice from the past calls us into the future.  A journey begins with a simple yet profound ceremony.  Stand on the shoulders of yesterday’s giants.  Can you see what the future holds?

Will you join me on this journey?

Pastor David

Fruit of the Spirit: Self-Control

In the final sermon of this series, Pastor David helps us investigate a scandalous Old Testament story:  an attempted extramarital affair involving Joseph and the wife of Potiphar, found in Genesis 39.  How do we misuse human sexuality – and other relationship aspects – in today’s world?  And how do we make use of self-control to battle temptation?  Listen in to this week’s sermon:

Listen now!