Ministry Journey Blog

Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Read the online article here

Mission Trip Rules that Transform

When we think about mission trips, rules are not one of the first things that come to mind. Rules in youth ministry are often treated as a necessary evil instead of an opportunity. Believe it or not, in the case of mission trips, rules not only create physical and emotional safety, they can add to the transforming power of mission trips. There are a few rules that I have carried with me throughout my whole career and to every church I have served. They are always met with some resistance, but they have served as a great tool for transformation. Too often, we youth worker types are not intentional about many things, particularly our rules and expectations of students.

Rule #1: Cell Phones

I have never allowed students to bring cell phones on mission trips for any reason. We communicate this with students and parents early and often. We do allow our adults to bring them for communication and safety reasons, but also ask them not to use them in front of students unless it is an emergency or an important trip communication. Leaving cell phones home makes a huge difference on mission trips. It’s one more thing that could get lost or stolen as well as one more thing to keep track of. Additionally, cell phones are a huge distraction. Most of our rules for mission trips are focused on either safety or removing distractions. Forcing our students to disconnect during the mission trip avoids a wide variety of problems and leads to a lot of transformation. Our students (as well as adults) are surrounded by noise and distraction and are constantly connected. This prevents so many of us from hearing the voice of God. Removing cell phones from our trips has helped students hear the still, small voice of God with more clarity.

Rule #2: Other Electronic Devices

We also have rules regarding other electronic devices. We do allow music players (ipod etc) on our trips unless we are going on an international trip and are concerned about customs (Yes, we have several students who tell us their music is on their phone but we do not allow them to bring their phones for any reason). We only allow these music devices to be used while on the drive or flight to and from the location of the trip. Once we arrive we take them away and lock them up (this prevents them from getting used, lost or stolen) and even though we have students who insist they need them to sleep, we ask them to suffer for Jesus. We of course allow cameras (unless it’s a phone) on our mission trips, but do not allow any other electronic devices (video game players etc) on our trips. As with the cell phones, these devices are not only a risk (theft etc), but they are also a distraction. Thankfully we have not had any students go into shock after a week without their electronic devices.

Rule #3: Pampering

This rule has created the most debate and controversy in recent years. For our mission trips we tell all participants that it is not a time to pamper, spend time on our appearance and parade the many resources we have in front of others. We ask our students and adults to avoid really nice clothing and jewelry and tell them not to bring a bunch of makeup and other pampering products including hair dryers, curling irons etc. More times than not, our leaders (and usually the ones in their twenties) have the hardest time with this rule.

Rule #4: The Obvious Stuff

There are those rules that are (or at least should be) obvious that I also hold fast to on mission trips. In addition to honoring and respecting the rules of the organizations and people you are working with, the most obvious of these rules relates to romantic physical contact between students. I have never permitted this and while I have rarely had a problem in this area (I am sure there are some I do not know about) it is a rule that we must take seriously on mission trips. Allowing students to wander alone in unsafe situations or riding on the roof of the church van along with other issues are the simple and obvious things that hopefully we do not forget.

The Covenant

Each year I ask our mission teams to create and sign a covenant. I ask them to think about the things that they should expect from each other and we have a dialogue about what should go into our covenant. This agreement between all of the members of our team and God is something that enhances the trip and creates great dialogue between our students as they prepare for our mission trips. It also helps us all to focus on why we are serving while perhaps even reducing some the drama that is a natural part of any mission trip.

Rev. Marcus J Carlson has worked with children and youth for over 14 years and is a spiritual director. He current serves as Associate Pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs, CO. (marcusjcarlson.com).

Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Read the online article here

Making Mission Trips Meaningful for Parents and Families

The impact of a mission trip in the life of a student never ceases to amaze me. If I am honest, every mission trip I lead also has an impact on my own life. There is something so powerful in serving others that I often feel guilty for getting more out of serving than I feel like I give. Over the years I have learned a lot from leading mission trips, more often from mistakes I make and stealing the good ideas of others rather than my own creative insights or brilliant revelations. In fact, I am not sure I could name one. I have found that one of the great gifts I can give a student, their family and the church I serve is to do things that make the mission trip experience meaningful for parents (and families) as they send their students off on this adventure with me. Here are some things that I have done over the years that have enhanced the mission trip experience for parents and families.

Practice #1: Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

I tend to be an over communicator and while that can be annoying to some, many parents are appreciative of this aspect of my personality, especially when it comes to mission trips. Our mission trip process starts with information meetings, which anyone who would like to go on the trip must attend with a parent. This expectation alone has not only enhanced my relationship with parents and made the mission trip more meaningful for all, but it also has prevented a lot of stress and headaches. In addition to our informational sessions, I make sure to send regular email communication about the mission trip to parents. This includes giving parents a copy of the itinerary and the packing list at the very least two weeks ahead of the trip, but in most cases three to six weeks before the trip. After the trip, I make sure to send out a follow up email so everyone knows about the expectations, events and other follow up that happens after the trip.

Practice #2: The Follow-up Breakfast

Teenagers are notorious for the lack of information they share with parents. I had one student refuse to tell their parents anything about the mission trips for months after the trip. In fact, I had to tell the student that I would ban them from any future trips if they did not talk about the mission trip with their parents. Every summer I have a breakfast where we invite parents (and depending on the church, the whole congregation) to come and hear about the mission trip. I usually prepare a simple slide show and have some youth (and occasionally adult leaders) share about the mission trips from that summer while also sharing a few words myself. Parents are always thankful to see and hear about the mission trip experience from the perspective of their youth as well as others. The great thing about doing this is it is very little work for a lot of return.

Practice #3: The Prayer & Packing Meeting

One practice I stumbled upon due to my own need to plan is what we call the prayer and packing meeting. For every mission trip, the youth and adults going gather the night before we leave. During this time, parents come with their youth and the youth bring their luggage (except maybe for their pillow and personal bag for the ride/flight) to the church. After checking all the bags (for size or weight depending on whether we are flying, driving or both), we load the bags up in the vehicles we will be using the next morning. Then we share a time of meeting and worship. We cover final details, answer questions, and hand out emergency numbers. Then we spend some time in prayer and pray for those going on the trip by inviting parents and family members to come and lay hands on the youth going on the trip. It is a very meaningful send off. We then share communion before disbursing. It is not only a meaningful experience; it’s a gift to parents in another way. It prevents the late evening (or 1:00am) argument between parents and their youth when the procrastinator packing has not started and the parent is running to Wal-Mart to get deodorant. I remember one parent thanking me for this evening when I first came to the church stating, “this is the least stressful day before the mission trip we have ever had.” Sometimes it is the small stuff that has the greatest impact on parents.

Practice #4: Letters

A meaningful tradition for youth, families and friends is to have families and friends of youth going on the trip write secret letters of encouragement to them. Every year I ask parents to help provide 2-4 letters (without their youth knowing) to give them just past the halfway point of the trip. This is always an emotional and powerful experience as I give the letters to students and give them some time and space to read the letters from home. Parents have very little opportunity to tell their children how they fell, especially when they are teenagers. Most of our students have no idea how their parents really feel about them, so reading a heartfelt letter from home is always meaningful and has a great impact on students, parents and families. I have seen siblings moved in powerful ways just by being able to write a letter to their brother or sister. One of the most powerful experiences with this tradition came on one mission trip where I got word that a student’s grandfather had died. I shared the news with the student who was heartbroken. The next evening I passed out the letters as usual, knowing that one of the letters this student was going to receive was from his grandfather who had passed away. Word cannot express the power of that moment for the student and his family.

While none of these practices are complicated or deeply profound, they can have a powerful impact on your youth, parents and families. Thinking carefully about how to involve parents and families in the mission trip experience will not only enhance the mission trip experience, but it will also serve parents in a way that will benefit your ministry more than you might ever realize.

Rev. Marcus J Carlson has worked with children and youth for over 14 years and is a spiritual director. He current serves as Associate Pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs, CO. (marcusjcarlson.com).

Published in Connections Magazine (Sept/Oct 2012)

Learn about Connections here

A Theology of Suffering for the Family

by Marcus J. Carlson

Nobody enjoys suffering, and our human nature avoids it. One of the great failures of the American church is our lack of a theology of suffering. For a faith that hinges on the greatest torture device in the history of the world—the cross—we do not know how to think, talk about or embrace suffering. For a people who seek to follow Jesus Christ—who embraced suffering for us—we often assume that His suffering means that we should not have to suffer.

Suffering is a reality of life that cannot be avoided. As Lutherans, our love for the cross, for Lent and for other symbols of suffering should lead us to a more thoughtful theology of suffering, but this is often not the case.

As followers of Christ, our entire faith hinges on the life of a man, Jesus Christ, who embraced suffering, not for the sake of suffering, but out of love for us all. Jesus did not shy away from suffering; instead, He embraced it.

Additionally, Jesus calls all of His disciples to “take up [their] cross daily” as they follow Him. Our churches and our families desperately need a theology of suffering that is consistent with our faith and the reality of suffering. Pain avoidance has become high in value in both our culture and our churches, but it is not a value consistent with Scripture and the story of God’s people. It is not consistent with the life and message of Christ.

As a parent, I do not want my children to be in pain. Many times I wish I could take their pain on myself so that they do not have to experience it. In this way, I catch a tiny glimpse

of the love of God for all people. Parents often want to fix things for their children. We want to find solutions to their problems and help them avoid pain. While these intentions are good, we must stop, think and reflect carefully (and theologically) about the role and nature of suffering in the lives of our children, youth, families and churches.

Suffering is a reality we are called to embrace by the words and life of Christ. Our children and youth desperately need to learn and have modeled for them a theology of suffering. Our children and youth need to learn how to deal with suffering so that when they face it as adults, they can be drawn closer to God.

We cannot put our efforts into ignoring suffering, expecting our children and youth to face it alone. Nor should we try to avoid or fix the suffering in the lives of our children. Instead, we need to find a way to teach them about suffering, and help them to embrace it as we walk with them through their times of suffering. As I work through my own theology of suffering, particularly when it comes to children and youth, I try to keep the following five key points in mind.

No suffering is too great for our God

Talking about suffering is very difficult, especially when in the midst of it. We know in our hearts and minds that there is no amount of suffering that is too great for our God. In the midst of suffering, it can be hard for us to embrace this reality. When thinking about suffering, and when helping our children and youth, we must remind them of the power and love of God. Our children and youth need to know that they do not have to walk alone in the midst of their suffering.

No suffering will ever be as painful as the suffering of Christ
Our own suffering often feels so significant that we think nobody can fully understand how much we are hurting. The nature of pain is usually overwhelming, and suffering creates a sense of loneliness in us. It even caused Jesus to cry out, asking the Father, “Why have you forsaken me?” While comparison is often the basis of all unhappiness—and comparison can be especially dangerous in the midst of suffering—perspective is crucial.

No amount of suffering that we will face as human beings will ever be as painful as the suffering of Christ. The amount of suffering Christ endured, not only on the cross, but in His life and ministry as well, will always be more significant than anything we will face. Part of the beauty of the cross is that Jesus embraced the worst of suffering and rejection so that we would not have to. The cross does not rid the world of suffering, but it does change our experience with suffering.

No suffering is the end of the story

God has written the most beautiful love story that can ever be told, and yet it’s a love story that is also filled with pain and suffering. God’s story continues to be written in our lives and in the world, and God’s Kingdom is still fully present and unfolding in, around and through us. Suffering is a part of our story; it shapes us in powerful ways, but it does not define us. It is not the end of the story that God is writing in our lives and in the world that He loves.

No Suffering Can escape the power of God’s redemption
Our God is a God who can (and does) redeem all things, making all things new. We believe that God can take any situation and any suffering we face and make it good. Some of the most significant parts of my own faith life have come in the midst and aftermath of suffering. While God does not cause our suffering, God can take our suffering and turn it into good, making all things new. This is the powerful story of redemption we must share with our children and youth as we walk with them through their suffering.

No Suffering Can Separate us from the love of God
Romans 8 reminds us in a powerful way that nothing in the world can separate us from the love of God. While suffering may be a painful, lonely experience, it does not keep us from God’s love. I believe that it is in the midst of suffering we can experience the love of God in the most profound ways. While we may feel a sense of punishment, abandonment or isolation from God in the midst of suffering, it (and any feelings suffering causes in us) cannot separate us from God’s love. Our children and youth need to hear this truth in order to embrace suffering as followers of Jesus Christ.

While suffering is a painful reality of a broken world that we wish were not a reality, God’s redeeming power is bigger than any amount of suffering we will ever face. God speaks to us in the midst of, in spite of and because of suffering. Max Lucado once commented: “The next time that you are called to suffer, pay attention, it may be the closest you ever get to God.”

We know the end of the story: on the other side of suffering is hope and victory. While the cross is an important part of the story that can help us understand, accept and find life in the midst of suffering, the cross is not the end of the story because of Jesus’s victory over death.

Published in Connections Magazine (July/Aug 2012)

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Lutheran Heritage: The Church and Family

by Marcus J. Carlson

It is easy to lose sight of our Lutheran heritage. After all, there are many other things we must think about in our day-to-day living as followers of Jesus Christ. In fact, Luther himself admonished that we must first consider ourselves Christians and not Lutherans. Today in North America, denominational affiliation is not nearly as significant or important as it was even ten years ago, and certainly not as important as it was 50 years ago.

While these realities are in many ways healthy, it would also be unfortunate to lose sight of our Lutheran heritage and connection. I have come to believe that the best understanding of our denominational connection and heritage is to view our denominational affiliation as a theological home. We are called to be Christ followers first and foremost.

One of the most significant aspects of our Lutheran heritage is baptism. As I think about family ministry, I find that baptism offers a critical picture and perspective of what it means to be a church embracing and supporting family, and focuses on a family model of life and ministry.

For the first time in the history of the church, we have at least six generations coexisting within the church. These six generations are equally important and very unique, and there are important differences in each.

When we think about the church, we must view it as a family. The church is the family of God, adopted by the God of the universe through the love and grace provided through Christ Jesus. We are God’s children, brothers and sisters in Christ. This is more than just an affiliation or a cliché expression, as we recognize we truly are the family of God.

The generational divide in the church can be challenging as each generation fights to find value, meaning and significance in the church. Stereotypes, division, hurt and misunderstanding can be more common than a sense of unity, love, community and understanding in the midst of diversity. We are an intergenerational church, but many times our intergenerational identity is limited to diversity of our membership instead of being an expression of life, worship and community.

We still hold the view that the older members of the church are the ones who fund ministry, while those of middle age lead the various ministries of the church. We assume that the youth and young adults are the labor force and missionaries of the church, while the children are at best seen as consumers to be nurtured—or at the worst, a nuisance.

While this may be true in a practical sense, it is not at all consistent with the Biblical notion of community, church or family. It is not at all the intergenerational expression of the church Christ envisioned, and it falls short of the picture of unity provided by Paul in many of his letters to the early church.

In the midst of our generational diversity we have lost sight of the unity we have in Christ. We have lost sight of our Lutheran heritage of what it means to be the church, the adopted family of Christ that is saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The challenges we face as an intergenerational church in North American are significant, but our potential is far greater than our challenges. We must look to Christ as the source of life, the model of the Christian life and image of what the church is called to be. As Lutherans the answer to these challenges can be found in our theology, understanding and heritage, specifically in our understanding of baptism and the language we use in our baptismal vows and order of service for baptism.

In our baptismal liturgy there are words the pastor, parents, sponsors and congregation share as a part of the baptismal service. These words are rich and intentional. They not only speak volumes about the sacrament of baptism, but also about the nature of God and His church. The parents and the congregation both make promises as a part of this liturgy, and are reminded of the covenant God has with His people.

Our theologically rich baptism liturgy is deeply rooted in the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testament. The parents promise to bring the child up in the Christian faith and the church. The parents commit to teaching their children about the Christian faith, to provide them with the Scripture and to nurture their faith that they might know, trust and love God.

The congregation also shares in a commitment—not only to their own faith in the words of the Apostles Creed, but also to the person being baptized. The congregation welcomes the new member of the family of faith (the adopted family of God to which we all belong), and also promises to provide for their nurture and instruction. Our baptism liturgy reminds us of some very important things about our relationship with God, our families, our church and each other. Our baptismal service provides some beautiful reminders about who God is and who we are as His people and His church. They are a key part of our Lutheran heritage and practice.

There are three things that strike me when I reflect on our baptismal liturgy. First, I am reminded once again that God has a covenant with us, His people. It is a covenant that we did not and cannot earn. It exists only because of who God is, what God has done, is doing and will continue to do. In short, it is not about us. What if we grabbed hold of this piece of our Lutheran heritage and theology and embraced the notion that church is not about what we have done or do, but about who God is?

The second piece of this liturgy that causes me to reflect is found in the promises of the parents of the child (or the adult) being baptized. Here we find a commitment to be connected to the body of Christ, the church, and to be raised in the Christian faith. In this way we are reminded that parents are the spiritual leaders of their children. This language is important. At a recent meeting, I heard a youth minister share that parents were the disciplers of their children based on what the Scripture says. The problem is that this is not accurate to the Scripture and runs counter to our Lutheran heritage and understanding.

The third piece of our baptism liturgy that causes me to stop and reflect provides some clarity to this issue. It is the response of the church during the baptismal service reminding

us about the purpose of the church and the order that God has set up for His community of faith and His people. It is the church that takes ownership for the discipleship of the child. While the spiritual leadership of a child belongs to the parents, it is the community of faith, the church, that is responsible for pointing this child to Christ. Our faith is not an individual effort, rather our faith is something that is learned, expressed and lived out in community. Our liturgy, theology and heritage remind us that the church is the family of God responsible for leading, caring for, and pointing one another to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

What would happen if we began to live out this understanding in our families, our homes, our work, our church and our communities? I suspect that the challenges of being an intergenerational church would fade away and we would not have to worry about attendance, giving, membership or outreach because we would not have church buildings big enough to hold all the people that would love to be a part of a family like that.

Published in Connections Magazine (May/June 2012)

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The Holy Spirit, Our Children and Youth

by Marcus J. Carlson

As parents—and as a church family—we always want the best for our children and youth. We know we are obligated to keep them safe, provide for them and lead them spiritually so that they might grow into their own relationship with Christ. As parents—and as leaders of children and youth ministries— we cannot always succeed or be perfect in our parenting; after all, it is hard work, and we are human beings.

There is this thing known as sin as well. Sometimes what we think is best for our children and youth resembles what we want and need as adults instead of what the Holy Spirit is doing and wants for our children and youth. We easily forget that the Holy Spirit leads and guides us as we parent and work with the children and youth entrusted to us in our family, our church and our circle of influence.

We often react and respond based on emotion or instinct, especially when it comes to our children, youth, families (and even our churches). We should stop and sincerely ask the question, “What is the Holy Spirit up to right now?” We must look to the Holy Spirit for guidance in all things and trust the Holy Spirit is speaking in the midst of every situation and wants to use all things to draw us closer to God. As evidenced in Scripture and history, God is always redeeming all things and making them new.

Parenting and leading our children and youth can be challenging and difficult. The Holy Spirit will help us—and in many ways make this task easier—but it would be wrong not to admit that following God’s direction is not always easy. It continues to amaze me both as a parent and a pastor how freeing it can be once I choose to let go and trust God with the lives of the children and youth I care about. Maybe it is personal fear, our individualistic nature or a desire for control that causes us to assume control over things we must trust God with. If we choose to allow the Holy Spirit to lead, not only do we find freedom, but also the process and the results will be more fruitful.

This does not mean that we abdicate our responsibility; rather, it means we recognize the significance of our responsibility and our need to have God lead us as we care for the children and youth in our families and churches. We must make our best effort to discern what the Holy Spirit is, has and wants to do in the life of our children and youth in all things, not just their spiritual lives. God cares deeply about every aspect of the lives of His children, and the Holy Spirit is here to guide, encourage, support and challenge us as we accept the high calling of parenting and caring for the children and youth in our families, our church and our community.

We somehow assume God needs us or that God is our backup plan. We assume we are in charge and fully responsible and in control. It does not take children or teenagers (especially teenagers) to remind us that there is little we can control. To illustrate this idea, Jesus offers a parable about a sower where he explains the difference between the planting of four seeds. Jesus loved to use agricultural imagery in much of His teaching.

Our culture today is nowhere near as agricultural as the culture Jesus was speaking to, but we can all understand the simplicity of this parable. If you try to plant a seed on the sidewalk, some animal will eat it. If you try to plant a seed amongst the dirt and the rocks, it won’t grow well because it cannot take full root. If you try to plant a seed among the weeds and the thorns, they will choke it. If you plant a seed on good soil, however, it will grow and produce fruit. Sounds good, right? If you ask any farmer or gardener, they will tell you that the first three statements are almost always true and the last statement is usually true. It is possible to plant a seed in perfect soil, give it the right amount of moisture, sun and care and still have it not grow.

Parenting, as well as leading our children and youth, is a seed-planting mission. We must do all we can to cultivate the right environment and experiences for them to have the best opportunity to grow and flourish in every way. While we can do all of these things by the grace of God, who provides us the means to do so, we are still not in control. Whether or not the seed grows, how it grows or what it produces is not really up to us—it is up to God. The more I remind myself of this reality, the more I am humbled and empowered to care for and lead the children and youth God has put in my life. If we all recognize that it is God through the Holy Spirit, who leads and guides us, and that the Holy Spirit is the one who makes the seed (our children and youth) grow, then we can be empowered to not only better parent, serve and lead our children and youth, but we will grow in our faith as well.

Recently I was walking my youngest child, my daughter Abby (who is 4 going on 30), from my church office to the preschool at the church. As we were leaving my office so she could go to school for the day, she looked at the two baby pictures in my office of the children. She asked which one was her and after I asked her to guess, she picked correctly.

“I was beautiful, Daddy!” she exclaimed.
“Yes,” I said, “and you are still beautiful.”
“You and mommy changed my diapers when I was a baby.” “Yes,” I said, “we did and we loved to take care of you.”

I could see her mind processing it all, and as we walked hand in hand to school I was reminded that the Holy Spirit frequently speaks to us through our children. Time and time again I learn more about God from children and youth that changes my life and ministry than I ever could have learned in seminary. Remember, God can speak to us, the church and the world, through our children and youth. Also, the Holy Spirit can speak to our children and youth as well, enabling them to lead us to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is speaking to us through our children and youth. The Holy Spirit guides us and calls us to align ourselves with the will of God as we care for our children and youth in our families, our churches and our community. May we always recognize that the Holy Spirit is at work in, around and through us.

Published in Connections Magazine (March/April 2012)

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Living in the Resurrection

by Rev. Marcus J Carlson

Jesus Christ is risen! In this issue we celebrate Easter, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Each year after spending the season of Lent reflecting on Christ’s journey to the cross, I am ready for the celebration of Easter Sunday. As Lutherans, we have a tremendous theology and understanding of the cross, yet we must always remember we are a resurrection people. We believe Jesus rose from the dead, and so we must live in the resurrection. What does it mean to live in the resurrection? What does it look like for individuals, families, churches and the world to live in the resurrection?

Several years ago, a television show came out that has since run its course called My Name is Earl. The show was about a man who won the lottery and as a result felt that fate, or Karma, required him to make up for every bad thing that he had done in his life. The show shared a variety of stories that affirmed this line of thinking. The basic gist of Karma is that if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you. If you do good things, good things will happen to you. When we, as followers of Christ think about this, we readily recognize that this is a false line of thinking, especially the preposterous way that this show often depicted Karma. Karma is the New Age, postmodern version of a works theology. If we are to be honest, however, we at times hold a view incredibly similar to Karma. When something bad happens we wonder why God is doing this bad thing to us, or why God is allowing it to happen. We wonder what we have done wrong. We feel and live in tremendous guilt when we sin and often look for ways to make up for our sin, while living in our mistakes instead of grace. I am not suggesting we not have remorse for our sin, nor am I suggesting we not engage in authentic repentance. What I am suggesting is that oftentimes we allow suffering and sin to have more power in our lives than grace. When we do so, we fail to live in the resurrection.

The resurrection is the story of new life. Christ died for our sins. We are saved and as we are reminded in 2 Corinthians, we have new life in Jesus Christ. This new life does not exempt us from sin or suffering, but it does guarantee that sin and suffering do not get the final word. Christ was victorious over death. God has made a promise to His people fulfilled in Christ, and it’s a promise God is not going to break. When we live in the resurrection, we recognize that God can redeem all things. God can make all things new. Whether is a major event or a minor issue, regardless of whether is a story of joy or suffering, God is redeeming all things. God wants to take every event, experience, and part of our lives, our families, our churches and our world and make them new creations.  It can be tremendously difficult in a time of pain, grief or suffering to see the good; there is no denying that. One of the greatest tools we have in healing from these situations comes when we are able to look for the good that God is, has and wants to do in the midst of the difficulty we are facing. Every individual, family, church and community faces difficulty, but those who live in the hope and promise of the resurrection are able to find not only healing, but also new life.  To say that God redeems all things recognizes that through the resurrection, God has promised to take all things, the good, the bad and the ugly, and make them new. To live in the resurrection is to look for the ways God might be redeeming every circumstance, experience and relationship. To live in the resurrection is to reject Karma and believe that even in the midst of sin, suffering, grief and pain, God can write a new, better and more powerful story that not only brings healing and hope, but a new life as well.

Recently, we had one of those weeks in our house where almost everyone had some sort of health issue or ailment. It is one of those frustrating times where you wonder why everyone has to be struggling all at once. Even though it is not terrible, you secretly wonder if it can get any worse, but don’t want to say it out loud for fear that it will (a different form of Karma thinking). I did not mind much when I was feeling terrible, but when my wife Jessica got sick, I suddenly felt a lot worse. Then, when my precious little four-year-old princess Abigail got sick, I felt awful. Jessica and I (suffering from different ailments) both wished that we could take away Abby’s sickness. We hated to see her sick, uncomfortable and in pain. We would have gladly taken her illness from her. Ironically, this gave us a rather simple glimpse into the power of story of the cross. As parents and as human beings we often wish we could take on the suffering of those we love. It’s the beauty of the human story, it reminds us of the holiness and power of love and it demonstrates the potential of human beings.

The great news is that the story does not end with our desire to take on the suffering, because there is more to the story. There is the story of redemption that profoundly and mysteriously declares that God will make all things new. To live in the resurrection means we believe with our whole being that God can take anything and not only create good from it. God can, will and desires to make all things new so we might experience healing and live in hope and so that God’s grace may be known to all the world. It’s hard to realize this when you marriage is falling apart or when your son or daughter has wandered off in ways that makes the story of the prodigal son look like a walk in the park, but it is the truth of the Easter story. Somehow, in some miraculous and mysterious way God is going to take these situations and others and make them new in a way that not only brings great joy, but proclaims his love story to anyone who is willing to watch and listen.

To live in the resurrection is to look for and engage with the glorious, redemptive work God is doing in our lives, in our families, in our churches, our communities and the world. Living in the resurrection is trusting that God is going to do amazing things in our lives, our children, our families and our churches even when things seem dark and hopeless. After all, that is the story of Easter when after the darkest hours of the history of the world, the greatest story of redemption broke forth in a way that will never cease to amaze all of creation.

Jesus Christ is risen! May we be a resurrection people. May our lives, our families, our churches and our world reflect the power of the resurrection.

I continue to argue that the world has changed the church and not the other way around. As one of my college professors and mentors, Tony Campolo said ‘the church is the taillight of every social movement.’ The church reflects the world far more than it reflects the kingdom. One example of this is Christian celebrity. Whether it is a mega church pastor like Bill Hybels, a youth ministry superstar like Doug Fields, a sports star like Tim Tebow or any other celebrity in a religious or secular field; it is hard to discern the difference between how Christians approach these and other celebrities and those who are not Christ followers. As a church we tend to idolize, sermonize about and point to Christian celebrities. Pastors and other church staff desire to be known, speak, write several books and have large ministries. These dreams along with Christian celebrities have become idols. Looking at the Kingdom narrative and the life of Jesus, you do not see much value on these things. Surely Jesus attracted a crowd, but was that because he was a celebrity? Jesus’ church had 12 active members with many irregular and inactive members. Only once was Jesus afforded a celebration, on what we know as Palm Sunday. The disciples were not at all celebrities, most were common men with a few exceptions, and even those exceptions were not celebrities. One who had a lot of clout before following Jesus was the one who went on to betray him. While there is value in honoring and celebrating public figures who sincerely share and live out their faith, we have most certainly gone too far. Instead of seeking to be like Christ we compare ourselves to celebrities and others who seem to have been more successful around us. This is idol worship and it’s a distraction that Satan just loves to have his way with. At the end of the day, there is Christ and then there is everyone else who all happen to not be the Christ. Sure we must honor those who have had success, those who genuinely serve, those who work hard for the kingdom and many others, but in the end the things that matter the most is our love for God, others, and self and our ability to be faithful, not because of the results we hope to garner, but because we trust God with our whole lives.

Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Read the online article here

A Youth Worker’s Commentary on John: Volume 1 (John 1-8)

Les Christie & David Nystrom

A Youth Worker’s Commentary on John is more than a devotional and has much more depth that most youth ministry curriculum. This tool provides background information on the book of John as it walks through the first eight chapters. It includes great questions that can be used for personal study or for with your youth. This would be a very helpful tool for any youth worker teaching from the book of John. While it is more than a devotional or a curriculum, I would not exactly call it a commentary. While this tool provides great, in depth information on the book of John and uses some good sources of information, it is not at the level of an academic commentary. That said, I would highly recommend this for all youth workers, as it is a great resource.

Rev. Marcus J Carlson has worked with children and youth for over 13 years and is a spiritual director. He current serves as Associate Pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs, CO. (marcusjcarlson.com)

Published at Youthworker Online (A part of Youthworker Journal)

Read the online article here

Review:

Creative Bible Lessons on the Trinity

Andrew Hedges

Creative Bible Lesson on the Trinity is a curriculum tool and resource for youth workers and youth ministries that looks at the Trinity. This is not an easy topic to teach or understand and this curriculum tries to use a variety of teaching approaches and tools to talk about the Trinity with youth. The twelve sessions cover a variety of aspects of the Trinity. The curriculum could be used as a series or independently as it does a good job of looking at the character and nature of God. Creative Bible Lessons on the Trinity would probably work best with smaller groups (such as Sunday school or a small group Bible study), especially if you intend to go through the who book. It might be too deep for middle school youth, but could also serve as a great introduction. Like all youth ministry curriculum there is more here than most youth workers would need for a youth ministry program, and it is certainly not a perfect tool, so its important to plan, prepare and choose the pieces of each lesson that best fit your context. I would recommend this curriculum for youth ministries looking for a good, fairly easy to use resource on the Trinity.

Rev. Marcus J Carlson has worked with children and youth for over 13 years and is a spiritual director. He current serves as Associate Pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs, CO. (marcusjcarlson.com)

I was not sure what to title this blog, as there are still so many thoughts running through my head. In the midst of my doctoral work and other things, I have stumbled upon something that I am very excited about and sense could be an amazing thing for me as a pastor, for my church, for families and for the community in which I live. I have been thinking a lot about the changes our children and youth are experiencing and living into. I have also been thinking a lot about how we (and I) can build greater social capital for all children so that we can not only care for them, but to help them thrive. Through various connections, I have stumbled upon Project 51 through Parenteen. It is run by a couple colleagues that I know and respect greatly. The concept is to find 5 Christ following adults to invest in the lives of every child in our congregation as well as our own families. It is an amazing concept and the intentionality that can come from it could be world changing (at least if not life changing for kids, families, churches and communities). I have not had this much excitement for an idea or concept in ministry in a long time. Its not that I have lacked passion, as that has not been the case, but I sense that this is something bigger, more than a program or just another ministry idea. The pastors and leadership of our church are getting excited for this and I can only begin to imagine the potential that this has. It is humbling, scary, exciting and so much more. It is something that I suspect I will be writing about more as we begin this journey. Right now, its something that is incredibly exciting that I cannot stop thinking about, but much like your first love, it is hard to describe and you are not sure what comes next. Yet, I cannot help but to be ecstatic for what the future holds!