I recently finished reading Palmer Chinchen's book where he shared stories about taking pieces of heaven to places of hell on earth...
I loved the read as it was full of stories from places and peoples and moments in Africa...and it reminded me how much my life feels incomplete not having been able to travel there these past 2 summers...
Here's a few thoughts from the book that resonated with me as I read them:
PIECES OF HEAVEN...
*when you enter the grime of a city dump to wash children, you take a piece of heaven with you...
*when you hold a child orphaned by AIDS until she falls asleep in your comforting arms, you take a piece of heaven...
*when you take a mosquito net to the hut of an African family, you take a piece of heaven...
*when you give a barefoot man a pair of shoes, you give a piece of heaven...
*when you buy groceries for a family whose father has lost his job, you give a piece of heaven...
If places of hell exist, then in the name of Jesus, take a piece of heaven there.
SHALOM...
Let me tell what this world would be like if we all lived to share God's shalom and make the world just a little bit more like heaven:
*shalom means men would stop their cars when they see a guy pushing his car uphill...
*shalom means babies in Africa would sleep under mosquito nets...
*shalom means mothers in Haiti would make cookies for their children with flour instead of mud...
*shalom means husbands would never hit their wives...
*shalom means women in Ethiopia would no longer be sold for sex...
*shalom means women and children would never be chained to trees...
*shalom means girls would never be raped...
*and shalom means junior highers would never again sit alone at lunch...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Cross and Suffering
As I have been struggling with the sudden loss of my good friend and spiritual formation ministry partner Ryan Davis, I ran across these words I read a few years back from John Stott, who acknowledged that suffering is "the greatest single challenge to the Christian faith..."
I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the cross...In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? In my imagination I often turn to the lonely, twisted, tortured figure of Jesus on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside His immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings became more manageable in light of His. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross which symbolizes divine suffering. 'The cross of Christ...is God's only self-justification in such a world' as ours.
I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the cross...In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? In my imagination I often turn to the lonely, twisted, tortured figure of Jesus on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That is the God for me! He laid aside His immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings became more manageable in light of His. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross which symbolizes divine suffering. 'The cross of Christ...is God's only self-justification in such a world' as ours.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Three Secrets to Developing Students Today by Tim Elmore
One of the latest pieces from Tim Elmore on seeking to help this generation of students grow and mature through meaningful learning methods and experiences...
Kids today belong to a generation that’s never known a world without hand-held and networked devices. According to author Anya Kamenetz, “American children now spend 7.5 hours a day absorbing and creating media, about the same amount of time they spend in school.” What’s more, because kids have grown up multi-tasking they can cram 11 hours of content into those 7.5 hours. That’s more than a day at a full-time job. The truth is, it’s a new day. We have to figure out how to use this new world to develop a new generation.
Let me remind of you of something. Back in the 1960s, people bemoaned the vices of television. The American public became aware of how much time can be wasted in front of the tube, and worse, how damaging the violence, language and suggestive behavior can be to children. Eventually, however, some smart people began creating shows like “Captain Kangaroo” then “Sesame Street” and later “Blues Clues.” Based on research, producers recognized there were virtues in what many assumed was an “evil” medium. From “Sesame Street’s” debut in 1969, it changed the prevailing mindset about a new technology’s potential. People began to realize TV is neutral. It can be used for destructive or constructive purposes. Bingo. The same is true for today’s new technology. Handheld devices are at the same turning point, with an important distinction: they can be tools for expression and connection, not just passive absorption.
Take the “Smartphone” for example. It is a handheld device that’s simple to use and engages kids in their own learning process, at their own speed. Anya Kamenetz continues, “For children born in the past decade, the transformative potential of these new devices is just beginning to be felt. New studies and pilot projects show smartphones can actually make kids smarter.”
I have a question for you. Are you still teaching students the way you did five years ago? Whether you are a faculty member teaching a class of 300 freshmen college students, or a youth pastor with 20 kids in your youth group—you must be committed to engaging today’s student in a new way if you plan to flourish.
Case in point. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education earmarked $5 billion in competitive school reform grants to aid pilot programs and evaluate best practices. Major foundations are zeroing in on handhelds for preschool and primary grade students. The students, as young as six, pick up the devices and immediately engage in solving the math games on them. When the application is in a foreign language, they’ll group up in communities of three and help each other figure out the menus. Kids actually begin teaching themselves. Teachers can track student’s progress through software on their laptops. Everyone wins. It’s a virtual “pocket school.”
“What’s at issue is a deep cultural shift, a fundamental rethinking not only of how education is delivered but also of what ‘education’ means, writes Kamenetz. The very word comes from the Latin ‘duco’ meaning ‘to lead or command’—putting the learner in a passive position.” It’s still teacher centered. We’re the active ones.
1. Problem Based Learning
PBL is brilliant because it incentivizes students. Growth doesn’t revolve around a lecture or sermon, but solving a problem. Dr. Galen Turner, at Louisiana Tech, has changed the way they introduce students to engineering. Faculty ask them to look around the world and choose a problem. Then, they must invent something to solve that problem. All their learning revolves around addressing a real-life issue. Suddenly, any lectures they hear are relevant.
2. Student Driven Learning
This is where education is going. SDL engages students because their progress centers around their own speed and ability. Karl Fish teaches freshman algebra to ninth graders in Aurora, CO. He switched how he leads his class. He puts his lectures on YouTube, since students are on that site each night anyway. His class is now more interactive, as he helps students with their homework, helping them think about how to solve problems. Karl calls this switch the “Fish Flop.” It’s working.
3. Experiential Learning
The term isn’t new, although most schools and churches still don’t practice it. Today, students need real, three-dimensional experiences in their learning process. The flat screens they interact with on their phones, computers and TV require authentic experiences with real people in real time to produce authentic maturity. In 1985, David Kolb provided helpful insights into what makes experiential learning so powerful: Experience, Reflection, Abstract Conceptualization, and Experimentation.
Kids today belong to a generation that’s never known a world without hand-held and networked devices. According to author Anya Kamenetz, “American children now spend 7.5 hours a day absorbing and creating media, about the same amount of time they spend in school.” What’s more, because kids have grown up multi-tasking they can cram 11 hours of content into those 7.5 hours. That’s more than a day at a full-time job. The truth is, it’s a new day. We have to figure out how to use this new world to develop a new generation.
Let me remind of you of something. Back in the 1960s, people bemoaned the vices of television. The American public became aware of how much time can be wasted in front of the tube, and worse, how damaging the violence, language and suggestive behavior can be to children. Eventually, however, some smart people began creating shows like “Captain Kangaroo” then “Sesame Street” and later “Blues Clues.” Based on research, producers recognized there were virtues in what many assumed was an “evil” medium. From “Sesame Street’s” debut in 1969, it changed the prevailing mindset about a new technology’s potential. People began to realize TV is neutral. It can be used for destructive or constructive purposes. Bingo. The same is true for today’s new technology. Handheld devices are at the same turning point, with an important distinction: they can be tools for expression and connection, not just passive absorption.
Take the “Smartphone” for example. It is a handheld device that’s simple to use and engages kids in their own learning process, at their own speed. Anya Kamenetz continues, “For children born in the past decade, the transformative potential of these new devices is just beginning to be felt. New studies and pilot projects show smartphones can actually make kids smarter.”
I have a question for you. Are you still teaching students the way you did five years ago? Whether you are a faculty member teaching a class of 300 freshmen college students, or a youth pastor with 20 kids in your youth group—you must be committed to engaging today’s student in a new way if you plan to flourish.
Case in point. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Education earmarked $5 billion in competitive school reform grants to aid pilot programs and evaluate best practices. Major foundations are zeroing in on handhelds for preschool and primary grade students. The students, as young as six, pick up the devices and immediately engage in solving the math games on them. When the application is in a foreign language, they’ll group up in communities of three and help each other figure out the menus. Kids actually begin teaching themselves. Teachers can track student’s progress through software on their laptops. Everyone wins. It’s a virtual “pocket school.”
“What’s at issue is a deep cultural shift, a fundamental rethinking not only of how education is delivered but also of what ‘education’ means, writes Kamenetz. The very word comes from the Latin ‘duco’ meaning ‘to lead or command’—putting the learner in a passive position.” It’s still teacher centered. We’re the active ones.
1. Problem Based Learning
PBL is brilliant because it incentivizes students. Growth doesn’t revolve around a lecture or sermon, but solving a problem. Dr. Galen Turner, at Louisiana Tech, has changed the way they introduce students to engineering. Faculty ask them to look around the world and choose a problem. Then, they must invent something to solve that problem. All their learning revolves around addressing a real-life issue. Suddenly, any lectures they hear are relevant.
2. Student Driven Learning
This is where education is going. SDL engages students because their progress centers around their own speed and ability. Karl Fish teaches freshman algebra to ninth graders in Aurora, CO. He switched how he leads his class. He puts his lectures on YouTube, since students are on that site each night anyway. His class is now more interactive, as he helps students with their homework, helping them think about how to solve problems. Karl calls this switch the “Fish Flop.” It’s working.
3. Experiential Learning
The term isn’t new, although most schools and churches still don’t practice it. Today, students need real, three-dimensional experiences in their learning process. The flat screens they interact with on their phones, computers and TV require authentic experiences with real people in real time to produce authentic maturity. In 1985, David Kolb provided helpful insights into what makes experiential learning so powerful: Experience, Reflection, Abstract Conceptualization, and Experimentation.
Friday, May 6, 2011
ONE.LIFE--A Few Thoughts from Scot McKnight's new book
A couple pieces I loved from chapters 2 and 8 on Kingdom and Church Life in ONE.LIFE--Jesus Calls and We Follow, a new book worth your read by our graduation speaker at CU this year: (he's also an alum!)
WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?
A Christian is one who follows Jesus by devoting his or her One.Life to the kingdom of God, fired by Jesus' own imagination, to a life of loving God and loving others, and to a society shaped by justice, especially for those who have been marginalized, to peace, and to a life devoted to acquiring wisdom in the context of a local church. This life can only be discovered by being empowered by God's Spirit.
KINGDOM
Jesus means this when He speaks of the kingdom:
God's Dream Society on earth, spreading out from the land of Israel to encompass the whole world.
God's Dream is UBUNTU...God's people living before God and with others in a way that embodied the will of God in a new kind of society...
*Kingdom is an interconnected society
*Kingdom is a society noted by caring for others
*Kingdom is a society shaped by justice
*Kingdom is a society empowered by love
*Kingdom is a society dwelling in peace
*Kingdom is a society flowing with wisdom
*Kingdom is a society that knows its history
*Kingdom is a society living out its memory
*Kingdom is a society that values society
*Kingdom is a society that cares about its future
WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?
A Christian is one who follows Jesus by devoting his or her One.Life to the kingdom of God, fired by Jesus' own imagination, to a life of loving God and loving others, and to a society shaped by justice, especially for those who have been marginalized, to peace, and to a life devoted to acquiring wisdom in the context of a local church. This life can only be discovered by being empowered by God's Spirit.
KINGDOM
Jesus means this when He speaks of the kingdom:
God's Dream Society on earth, spreading out from the land of Israel to encompass the whole world.
God's Dream is UBUNTU...God's people living before God and with others in a way that embodied the will of God in a new kind of society...
*Kingdom is an interconnected society
*Kingdom is a society noted by caring for others
*Kingdom is a society shaped by justice
*Kingdom is a society empowered by love
*Kingdom is a society dwelling in peace
*Kingdom is a society flowing with wisdom
*Kingdom is a society that knows its history
*Kingdom is a society living out its memory
*Kingdom is a society that values society
*Kingdom is a society that cares about its future
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
An End of the Year Note to CU Students...
A little note I wrote to be posted at the CU Facebook site:
Can you believe that it is May and another school year is finished at CU? I’m sure it has been a year filled with all sorts of things in your life and your time here in Grand Rapids…lots of group activities, research papers and exams, late-night events and conversations, a basketball national championship title, and hopefully the building of some great friendships and creating of life-long memories that are defining your college experience…
We have loved the privilege of being part of your Cornerstone experience as a team of servants all over this campus, and we love the reality that this is a place where God has started and is even building some remarkable dreams for your life…as another year at CU draws to a close know that there a few things we want you to know we will be praying for you all as you head into the summer of 2011…
*We pray that this summer will be a time of rest and renewal where you experience the presence of the God who made you and loves you…
*We pray you will have experiences that deepen and stretch your faith as you discover more clearly your role in God’s Kingdom work…
*We pray for God’s provision and protection and healing in your life in all areas…physical, emotional, spiritual, and even financial…
*We pray you will experience great joy in relationships with family and friends…
*And we pray you’ll know how much you as students are appreciated and valued by all of us at CU!
We will be counting the days till we see many of you back on campus next September, and we can’t wait to hear all that will happen in your lives as followers of Jesus in the next 4 months…we really do believe that the best is yet to come at CU and in your life as well!
And please, please keep in touch with us over the summer…we always welcome your phone calls or emails and would love to catch up in person if you are ever back on campus!
CHIP HUBER
Dean of Student Engagement
PHILIPPIANS 1:6… And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns…
Can you believe that it is May and another school year is finished at CU? I’m sure it has been a year filled with all sorts of things in your life and your time here in Grand Rapids…lots of group activities, research papers and exams, late-night events and conversations, a basketball national championship title, and hopefully the building of some great friendships and creating of life-long memories that are defining your college experience…
We have loved the privilege of being part of your Cornerstone experience as a team of servants all over this campus, and we love the reality that this is a place where God has started and is even building some remarkable dreams for your life…as another year at CU draws to a close know that there a few things we want you to know we will be praying for you all as you head into the summer of 2011…
*We pray that this summer will be a time of rest and renewal where you experience the presence of the God who made you and loves you…
*We pray you will have experiences that deepen and stretch your faith as you discover more clearly your role in God’s Kingdom work…
*We pray for God’s provision and protection and healing in your life in all areas…physical, emotional, spiritual, and even financial…
*We pray you will experience great joy in relationships with family and friends…
*And we pray you’ll know how much you as students are appreciated and valued by all of us at CU!
We will be counting the days till we see many of you back on campus next September, and we can’t wait to hear all that will happen in your lives as followers of Jesus in the next 4 months…we really do believe that the best is yet to come at CU and in your life as well!
And please, please keep in touch with us over the summer…we always welcome your phone calls or emails and would love to catch up in person if you are ever back on campus!
CHIP HUBER
Dean of Student Engagement
PHILIPPIANS 1:6… And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns…
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