May: National Foster Care Month

May is National Foster Care Month. Here is some information and facts about foster care and the kids "in the system"

Foster Care Highlight

Washington, D.C. -- Today there are nearly 500,000 children and youth in America's foster care system. As the economy has worsened, reports of abuse and neglect have increased in some areas of the country and are expected to rise. Of the 26,000 young people who age out of foster care each year, many end up facing life's challenges alone without the support and education they need to compete in the workplace. In this economy, they are more likely than ever to endure homelessness, poverty, compromised health, unemployment, incarceration and other adversities.


Quick Facts

Youth Aging Out of Foster Care:

More than 25,000 foster youth age out of state care or run away every year, leaving them without ongoing connection to family members or caring adults.

Barriers to Higher Education:

Foster care youth are less likely to enroll in college preparatory courses (15 percent v. 32 percent) even when they have test scores and grades similar to those of non-foster care youth.

In addition, they are more likely to drop out of high school (37 percent v. 16 percent). These youth are less likely to access higher education as young adults.

A strong majority – 70 percent – of teens in the foster care system have a desire to attend college.

Research has shown that education is a leading indicator of successful youth development and adult self-sufficiency.

Lebron James

I thought this was a good photo that the photographer got during last nights blow-out win:

Two Quotes on Religion & God

Lenny Bruce
"Every day people are straying away from the church and going back to God."

Jonathan Swift
"We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another"

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Just things to think about

Francis Chan & Nancy Beach

Today, I was fortunate enough to hear two great sermons today. This morning, I got to listen to Francis and thi afternoon, I heard from Nancy.

Francis



Francis gave (once again) a challenging sermon for us to truly be christian community and for us to truly live out in Acts way of life. He gave an illustration that made a challenge to me and I will be mulling it for awhile.

Later on, I will give full details on the message.

Nancy



Friends, Nancy gave a great - maybe the best I have ever heard on women leadership in the church. Her voice and her message that she gave today is one that we as churches and Christians need to wrestle with.

I will also give more on this message when I get home.

So far, the Orange conference has been good. Tomorrow will be a good but long. We will have the convention from 9 am to 6 pm and then we will make a 12 hour drive.

In Atlanta

I am currently sitting in a Hyatt Place Hotel in Alpharetta, Ga outside of Atlanta typing this post while watching Sports Center.

This morning, I left home at 6 am and we got into Atlanta (Duluth) at 6 pm. We registered and then waited around for the opening session at 7:30.

The opening session was good. The night could be summed up by two words: reconciliation and restoration. I will have more to say about it later when I have more time to think on the night.

We then made a phone order to the Cheesecake Factory and went in and picked it up. Dinner at 11:15 pm was not good - even though the food was good; that is why I can not sleep. I am hitting the bed for good in about 15 mins.

Tomorrow we are over at the convention center from 9 to 9.

My main emphasis tomorrow will be ministry to teens.

I have not seen anyone that I know, even though I know they are out there --- I just cannot find them in the midst of 4,000. Well, that is not true. I did see Sheila. She use to be the Big Stuf registration guru.

What & Why of Orange

What is Orange?

I am headed to the Orange Conference in Atlanta in 11 hours and I have had a few individuals ask me about it and what it means. Here is a snipit from their site that explains it pretty well:

The Orange Conference is an opportunity for churches to have their key leaders in a room together being challenged about what it means and what it takes to reach the next generation. It's not a children's ministry conference. It's not a youth ministry conference. ORANGE IS THREE CONFERENCES ROLLED UP INTO ONE EVENT. It's the only place that a senior pastor, student pastor, children's pastor and volunteers that work within these ministries can learn together and begin formulating a strategy to impact the lives of the people in your congregation by...

...creating a plan for handing off kids from preschool ministry to children's ministry; from children's ministry to student ministry; from student ministry into college ministry - a plan that works among these age groups to build a strong foundation of faith, grow it, challenge it and mature it before students leave your ministry to become independent adults in this world.

...equipping parents with kids at every age level to become the primary spiritual leader for their kids - to partner with them so that the one hour the church has with kids each week is multiplied at home.

...creating opportunities for families to invite their neighbors to a relevant and engaging environment at your church - to see what happens to their own faith when they begin investing in those around them.

This gets me excited and makes me dream of the possibilities that could occur when church deliberately took steps to be "orange".

Why Orange

Orange is a color that symbolizes INTEGRATION. It's the brilliant result of a merger between two more traditional influences - red and yellow. Just like something radically new happens when red and yellow come together, there is a different kind of culture that is established when the Church understands the value of a true partnership with the family. There is a different kind of culture that is established in a church that really values a compreshensive and integrated strategy. When church staff members step out of their silo-style departmental thinking and start playing together, it creates synergy. Your team must be intentional about alignment. You can never get on the same page if you don't spend quality time in the same room discussing the things that really matter.

Orange is a color that suggests CHANGE. It's the primary color for autumn, a season of transition. You might be thinking, "Don't things turn orange right before they turn brown and die?" Actually, smart leaders realize there's a life-cycle to any organizational model. Every innovative idea and creative program will ultimately grow old. Styles and methods need to change more frequently than we are willing to allow. That's because the idea of change makes comfortable Christian leaders nervous, and it keeps the Church lagging behind culture. As a result, we give a generation the perception that the Church and maybe even God are irrelevant. Churches are notorious for feuding over what is already dying while they lose focus on the timeless principles that really matter. Just remember, even the most ground-breaking version of today's Church will ultimately have to be redesigned and reborn.

It is my belief that we definitely need change in the church and this is a great avenue of change and so much of the change is grounded in the Deut. 6 priniple within the ministry of Orange.

A Great Facebook Video

I just had to share this when it was shared with me ....

My Rock: John Delich

I have not really used Windows Movie. I have only used it once before today. I took a shot at it today and the work is below.

One of our options for music during VBS is to have singers up-front and they will use cd's as accompany. We will do this instead of musical instruments. We also may use the vocals on CD to help with the singing. Part of this is that, our children/students are not familiar with the songs. If we go that route, I thought - let us put pictures and words to the cd and make it into a movie format. We will use both pics that go with the song and then we will also use vbs themes - alternate it to mix it up. Well, the first one is pics that match the lyrics ----- or try to at least. I am not too good at this; I am still learning.

I Will Save You

A typhoon stranded a monkey on an island. In a protected place on the shore, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed to the monkey that the fish was struggling and needed assistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resoved to help the fish.

At considerable risk to himself, the monkey moved far out on the precarious limb of a tree, reached down, and snatched the fish from the waters. Scurrying back to the safety of his shelter, he carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few moments, the fish showed excitement but soon settled into a peaceful rest.

Today, I was reminded of this parable. So often, we want to rescue/save people and we think that we know the situation better than them and we reach out and save them.

In the parable, the monkey thought he was being heroic and saving the fish, however, he killed it.

How often do we do that ?

Doubting Thomas

I have re-read through my sermon a few times. I am going to check on a few things for family sunday school. Below is the sermon that I was am going to preach at the 8, 9 and 11 am service today.

Sermon
April 19, 2009
Zion Lutheran
Jeff Greathouse

Before we begin today’s message, I want you to take a few seconds and think of a time when you got hurt (physically, emotionally, spiritually, or otherwise).

What’s the most important thing you learned from that experience?

In the weeks leading up to Easter this year, sad news filled nearly every newspaper and broadcast. In just over a week, there were five mass murders in the U.S. alone, from Oakland, CA, to Binghamton, NY, killing nearly 40 people. In Italy, just as that predominantly Roman Catholic country was beginning to celebrate Holy Week, a massive earthquake killed at least 260 people. Violence continues in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in other war-torn corners of the globe. And all over the world, people continue to struggle with a devastated economy and our community has not gone untouched.

The week after Easter is an unmatched Sunday in the church. On most Sundays, the appointed readings are different each year, following a three-year cycle. But every year, on the week after Easter, we hear this story about Thomas, the disciple who asked for proof. That makes me wonder: What’s so important about this story that the church asks us to read it every year during this time?

It seems to me we could answer that question with two words: doubt and scars.

In the midst of danger and suffering, it’s normal for a little doubt to creep in. Thomas asked, and for good reason, to see the same proof that Jesus handed -- literally -- to the other disciples. For Thomas, as for most of the citizens of Jerusalem, the resurrection had not changed anything. Well, not anything they could see anyway. Life was still hard, and death was still at hand. So before Thomas took the message of “He is risen!” very far, he needed to be sure he wouldn’t just be telling a cruel joke to people who needed some real, meaningful hope.


So, we look today at Doubting Thomas ……

Doubting Thomas is a term that is used to describe someone who will refuse to believe something without direct, physical, personal evidence; a skeptic.
The term is based on the Biblical account of Thomas the Apostle, who doubted the resurrection of Jesus and demanded to feel Jesus' wounds before being convinced (John 20:24-29), although the Bible does not mention if actual contact took place. After seeing Jesus alive and being offered the opportunity to touch his wounds - Thomas professed his faith in Jesus; on this account he is also called Thomas the Believer.

Even though Thomas earned a negative label, he was not lacking in some very good qualities. He displayed great courage and loyalty. When the other disciples tried to keep Jesus from going to Bethany to raise Lazarus from the dead because of the danger from those in the area who had just earlier tried to stone Him (John 11:8), Thomas said to them, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him" (John 11:16). Thomas also asked Him one of the most famous questions. John 14:5-6 says, "Thomas said to him, 'Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?' Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

I think I have behaved similar to Thomas at times. I have gone through stages in my life when I questioned God. Have you ?

So, let us take a look at the story once again, with the focus on Thomas

Shock and Disbelief

On Saturday he is in shock. On Sunday he is so disillusioned that he doesn't gather with his fellow disciples for an evening meal. Thomas is dazed, hurt, bitter -- and lashing out. Monday morning, the disciples go looking for Thomas and tell him what has happened in his absence.

"Thomas, we were in that upper room where we'd been meeting. We lock the doors for protection. Yet, all of a sudden, Jesus appears. 'Peace, Shalom,' he says. Then he shows us his hands. There are jagged holes where the nails had been. He pulls back his tunic and shows us where the spear penetrated his chest. But he isn't weak or sick or dying. He is alive, raised from the dead!"
Afraid to Believe

"I don't believe it," barks Thomas. "I don't believe a word of it. You're seeing what you want to see. Jesus is dead. I saw him die, and part of me died with him. But he's dead, and the sooner you accept that fact, the better off you'll be. Give it up!"

Peter pleads with him. "Thomas, I saw him myself, I tell you, and he was as real as you are!"

Thomas is cold, with an edge in his voice that cuts like ice. "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
But Thomas's anger cools, and by the next Sunday evening he is eating with his fellow disciples in the same locked room. Suddenly, Jesus stands among them once again and speaks -- "Shalom, peace be with you."

All the blood drains from Thomas' face. Jesus turns to him and speaks plainly, without any hint of rancor or sarcasm, "Put your finger here, see my hands." Jesus holds out his scarred hands for him to examine. Thomas recoils. Not out of fear, really, but from a mixture of amazement and revulsion.

Jesus begins to open his outer garment and says, "Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

My Lord and My God

Thomas is weeping now and then begins to sob out loud. Jesus reaches out and puts a hand on his shoulder. Then Thomas slips to his knees and says in awe, "My Lord and my God!"

Thomas, "Doubting Thomas," as he is sometimes called, is the first disciple to put into words the truth that Jesus is both Lord and God. "Doubting Thomas" utters the greatest confession of faith recorded anywhere in the Bible.


I don’t see Thomas as a doubter at all.
I see Thomas as someone who is seeking the truth.
I see Thomas as an unusual someone
who does not just go along with the crowd,
but is willing to stand up and say,
Sorry, I just don’t buy this.
I need a little more evidence

Jesus knows and loves Thomas, too.
Jesus understands the depth of Thomas’ love for him.
Jesus returns when Thomas IS there with the other disciples,
and the very first thing Jesus says is,
Peace be with you.

A small side note ….

Peace be with you.

Imagine how our relationships would change if we began our conversations—especially our conversations with those who question us, with those we disagree--if the first thing we said to them was, Peace be with you

Now, back to Thomas ….

Thomas seeks the truth.
Because he knows it is only the truth that will give him freedom.
Freedom to be whom God has created him to be.
Freedom to do God’s work in the world.
Freedom to face himself in the mirror.

Easter is not one day in our church.
Easter is a season.
Easter is the season of resurrection, of transformation

Not just the transformation of Jesus, but the opportunity for our own transformation, our own resurrection. Easter is the season when we are invited to seek the truth:

Put your finger here and see my hands
Reach out your hand and put it in my side.

Easter is the season we are invited to celebrate the truth, to leave the dark realm of secrets and shames and to stand in the light of Christ.
The joy of the resurrection is, understandably, mixed with paralyzing fear, and the gospel of John portrays the ongoing struggle among Jesus’ followers to understand exactly what happened and what it meant for this community of believers. Doubt, confusion, and disbelief raised more questions than answers, which is why John focuses on the physical details of Jesus’ resurrected body. Jesus was not a disembodied spirit floating among them, but a tangible being whose wounds were still present: “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe” (John 20:27). Without believing in the resurrection, the disciples could not live it, and if they could not live the resurrection, neither could they “reach out” and bear the new life of Christ to the world.

But they did believe. In the following months, the community’s faith in the resurrection was so strong that, in Acts, Luke testifies that it bore the truest mark of the new reign of God, for “the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common” (Acts 4:32). To be Christian was to participate in a unique community in which all were of “one heart and soul,” sharing both social and material equality.

Theologian María Pilar Aquino insists that the liberation wrought from the resurrection means that we who believe in it are called to “reach out” and touch the wounds of Jesus in the world. There we must repair inequalities in every aspect of human relationships, building community and healing where oppression and exclusion exist.

We, too, live this Easter faith in a dead and dying world. Thanks be to God, Jesus lives and breathes in the midst of our doubts, bearing the scars, and yet overflowing with life.

Jesus, you lived and died and live again, feeling in your own body how hard life can be. Help me see your love and grace in the midst of the entire world’s, and my own scars. Be patient with me, and accept my doubts even as you give me faith. Amen.