Prophecy
We’ve been doing a mini teaching series on prophecy.
Some basic overview:
A prophet (nabi) speaks on behalf of God.
A prophet is a truthteller and that most often the truth is not received well.
Prophecy shatters all of our allusions and exposes us to the real truth.
Old Testaments prophets always spoke by saying something like, “Thus says the Lord”… Jesus spoke with the authority of the Lord himself. He not only spoke on behalf of God, he spoke as God when he said, “Truly, I say to you…”
The real truth about Jesus is unfortunately missing to many people. Not that we haven’t heard it, or don’t know it… it just hasn’t pierced our hearts like the people in Acts 2.
Many people live on the 10 year plan, meaning chasing after what is best for them in the next 10 years. God is concerned with the 10,000 year plan. Where and how will you spend eternity?
I am anxious to get into the 3rd and final installment on this teaching. I’m praying already that we would all be as impacted by this upcoming truth as I have been.
Some reflection… How are you at receiving truth?
Do you long to see things fully as Paul does in 1 Corinthians 13:12?
Movie Review :: Monsters vs Aliens
The story: Not much of a complicated plot here. A secret government agency that rounds up monsters is now using them to defend against an enemy from outer space. The story-line primarily follows Susan, who through a freak asteroid accident is transformed into the “monster” Ginormica. It is a classic lose everything you thought was important and find what really is story.
The review: I went in with high expectations. The cast of Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland as well as some funny previews had me expecting a movie filled with light-hearted laughs and a good story-line. It is definitely funny, and the kids certainly enjoyed it. However, like so many movies these days, the majority of the good parts were in the preview. I thought that the movie carried a decent message overall, but it was nothing earth shattering.
What parents should know: Parents worried about any violence or scary parts will find Monsters vs Aliens on par with typical Sunday morning cartoons. I did not find myself covering my children’s eyes, nor were there any scenes that would keep them up at night. Parents should, however, beware of some potty language.
The only other concern that I had from a parent’s perspective was a scene with a guy and girl parking in the woods. The woman is very forward and their time together is referred to as a date. I’m sure my kids didn’t catch anything in particular about it, but it I thought it completely unnecessary.
Overall: Nothing amazing, but a lighthearted kids movie. It would have been even better with a slightly better story-line and the deleting of one or two unnecessary scenes (see the parent’s review above).
I give it 3 out of 5 on the Alley scale.
Kids in Mission
One of our most popular posts from the past was a list of ways to get kids involved in mission. Click here to see it.
This week my son Nate (7) tagged along to the foodshelf with me. I was a little worried that he might, “get in the way” but was amazed at how quickly and joyfully he dove in. He unloaded pallets, put away milk cartons and sorted diapers. Work I could never get him to do at home. And the best part was, when we get home he was begging me to let him go back again!
I’m convinced that there are lots of opportunities for us to involve our kids in mission. And by far the best way, is to invite them to serve alongside of us.
Baby Smith!
If you haven’t heard it yet, hear it now. Brian (our worship leader) and Sarah welcomed a beautiful baby girl to the world last Monday. Her name is Delaney and she joins their other two daughters.
You may also notice we’re a little behind on some postings and web updates. That’s because we want to make sure Brian takes time to be Dad and he’s enjoying 2 weeks at home with his girls.
God bless them!
How to spiritually invest in others…
I had a great 24 hour conference this week with some terrific church planters from around the nation. One of the things that we realized in our 24 brain storm was that we typically put a lot of energy into communicating “WHAT” needs to be done but often drop the ball in passing on “HOW” to do it.
This next series of posts I want to focus on the “HOW” of spiritually investing in others.
The first one could easily cross over to parenting as well.
#1 Don’t tell others, show others.
One of my favorite sayings is, “Who you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you are saying.” When Jesus chose his disciples he didn’t invite them to sit in a classroom with him. He called them to walk with him, live with him, and to learn from being with him.
If you want to lead other people spiritually, make sure that you are not leading them to follow you, but rather to walk along side of you in following Jesus!
The best way to invest spiritually in others is to model it. It really is caught more than taught.
Counseling 101.4
#4 Know your Limitations
This one, like number 3, is also more for the counselor than the counselee, but I think there is a truth here that we can all learn from.
When someone looks to you for direction there is a built in sensor that says I must have an answer. Sometimes that leads us to say thing that aren’t helpful or lead people to make decisions that are not healthy.
The other danger is that you can set yourself up to be the “one with the answers.”
Rule number four could be summed up this way. Be honest! Be honest about your limitations. When you don’t know what is right or helpful… say so.
I always respect the counsel given by someone who will tell you when they don’t know. It makes what they do know all the more trustworthy.
If you’re afraid of letting someone down. You’re not. You’re actually helping them. Good counseling always helps people to solve their own issues. And really good counsel leads people to put their trust in God, that always puts things into perspective.
Another good thing to say is, “I don’t know, but I will look into it.. or pray about it.”
I often tell people that I have a 3 session limit. I refer people often to others who I know are experts in one area or another.
Counseling 101.3
#3 Show don’t Tell
This one is more for the counselor than the counselee, but the principle applies to anyone dolling out advice.
Sometimes I catch myself “preaching” to people. ”Don’t do ______”, “You should do ______”, “Why did you do _______”, “What I would do is _______”
But the best counsel isn’t telling it is showing.
And the best way to do that is to ask a lot of questions. Even if you think you know exactly what should happen and the best course of action. Also, share stories where others have dealt with similar issues, or overcome greater odds. People are much more likely to follow it when they discover it on their own, not because you told them.
So, ask leading questions. Help people to explore their issues and come to healthy and God honoring conclusions. In this, you will equip them with tools to tackle other issues and not become a crutch.
Counseling 101.2
#2 You can’t change them.
Often people come to counseling wanting someone else’s behavior to be changed. If they would do ________ then I would be okay. If they hadn’t done __________ then I would be in a different place.
What we often fail to realize is that just as much as someone else’s behavior affects us, our behavior affects them.
The basic counseling truth here is to focus not on what “they” could do different, but to focus on what you can do differently and many, many times that will have more of a profound affect on them than you might expect.
Imagine if God said to us that he would save us only when we started to earn it. Problem is we would never earn it. Our salvation is not an “if we” proposition it is a “because He” truth.
Jesus gave his life for us, “while we were yet sinning.”
The hardest thing to do is often exactly what we need. We can’t change “them.” But we can love them the way that Jesus loves us. Love the unlovable, love in spite of their behavior.
Watchman :: The movie review I wish I’d read
I went into the movie Watchman expecting an action packed Superhero movie with a compelling story. What I did not expect was a movie teeming with gory violence, nudity and sex. One character, a male, doesn’t wear any clothes for about 80% of the time he’s on the screen. How that didn’t warrant an NC-17 rating I don’t know.
Normally I would review the overall message of the movie, the character development and the story-line. For this movie I’ll simply share my advice which is to stay away. There are some good story elements and action, however the negative aspects so overshadow them that I can not in any way endorse the movie.
Youth Video
More on Counseling 101 tomorrow. Today I wanted to share video our youth put together to highlight what they’ve been up to. Once again, thanks Dave for some great editing.
