So InterVarsity at Drake is doing a week-long awareness/service project called Jesus.Justice.Poverty. People on leadership were put on a team to plan each day of the week, and I got Modern Slavery. It was a very eye-opening experience to say the least.

Some facts:

• 4 million women and children around the world are in sex slavery
• You can buy women in the United States for $10,000. That’s 1/3 of Drake’s tuition. In comparison, to buy a slave in 1850 was the equivalent of $40,000.
• You can buy women in Bosnia for $50. I still cant believe that even after reading it.
• In Ethiopia sex goes for as little as 10 cents.
• Over 1 million children enter into sex slavery every year
• 30 million children have lost their lives to sex exploitation over the last 30 years. That’s one million per year.

We had a coffee-style chalkboard posted outside of our sub/pizza shop with prices listed for what you can buy sex slaves for in about 10 different countries. It was amazing seeing people’s faces as they walked by.

They had no idea this was happening in our world.

They were absolutely shocked.

What’s interesting though is that it was especially men who seemed interested. The men in our society who so revere sex. They couldn’t believe that women were being used like this. It was awesome to see.

We also sold scarves made by former Ethiopian prostitutes at that stand. It was about 30 degrees yesterday and we sold 34 scarves in just over an hour for $12 each. It was incredible.

And that is the goal of Jesus.Justice.Poverty. To make people aware of the world around them. To make people aware of that fact that Des Moines, Iowa isn’t all the bigger it gets.

Yes, you can give. But simply being aware and lifting up prayers for these women and children is the first step.

Think about it.

P.S. Cool story – I was standing outside in the cold working this stand, and a girl came up and said she bought me a hot chocolate and appreciated what I was doing. I have no idea who she was. Maybe an angel in disguise..

So I’m sitting here in Marketing 101 class and thinking about how ministry fits into all of this.

The 4 P’s of Marketing are:

1. Product
2. Price
3. Place
4. Promotion

How does Jesus fit into that formula?

Honestly, I dont think it fits very well. It relegates my “product” into a formula instead of a unique relationship. I completely understand that churches need to market themselves in order to draw people, so it’s ABSOLUTELY important to know the rules of marketing. It’s important to know our cultural trends and values. And yes, to an extent ministry can be applied to those 4 P’s. If we lose the incredible uniquesness of Jesus and of the relationships that He brings us, then our marketing is worthless.

I plan on being in ministry when I graduate in a year and half, and I’m actually almost certain that my role will include marketing and promotion and PR and all that jazz. Believe me, I’m incredibly excited. I pray however that I dont lose the foundation of my “career” [i dont like calling ministry a career...lifestyle seems more appropriate]. Jesus is not a formula. Being a follower of Jesus is not a formula. Every situation is different. Every life is different. Every personality is different.

Think about it.

P.S. Paul Stewart just announced a new church plant in downtown Des Moines. I dont even know the guy yet, but I’m excited to see what God has in store there. Check out his blog. Cool stuff.

I went to Mars Hill Church in downtown Seattle for the first time last night. It was a church experience unlike any I’ve ever had. 

The setting is an old bar. You know what that feels like. It had that basement/concert venue look about it. You walk in and notice the coffee bar. It’s not like most churches though. The coffee is actually delicious, and they use real cups instead of 7 oz. styrofoam cups. Next, you hear the music being played pre-service. It’s rock music. Top 40 rock music. When’s the last time you heard that? Never! Then you turn and see the main room. The entire back wall is used as the projection screen, and it works really well. The graphics are absolutely incredible. The band is laid back and dressed casually. The pastor is wearing jeans and trendy t-shirt. He even announced that they would soon be starting a doggie day-care type thing during services because in Seattle dogs outnumber Christians. 

This is certainly a bit different than the church I attend in lovely Des Moines, Iowa. The setting is auditorium style. The worship team and pastor generally wear suits. Graphics are very good, but not so… risky [I dont really know how else to put it]. It is generally a somewhat formal affair, in the sense that you know what you’re getting. Now, I’m actually going to be an intern at this church this summer, so that is in no way meant to be a degradation. It is simply a difference in culture and demographics. 

What I noticed is that the message of Jesus doesn’t change. The presentation of Him does change though. Seattle is a city that thrives on coffee, arts, trendiness, and individuality. Mars Hill very wisely has formatted church in order to be open and attractive to the main demographic of the city. One of the church’s tag lines is that they are “theologically conservative, but culturally liberal”. The delivery of our message of reconciliation must be adapted to the culture we are in. Church in Seattle versus church in Iowa isn’t better or worse, it’s just different, because it has to be. Who are the people you are trying to reach? What do they like? What kind of music do they listen to? What are their cultural values? These questions must be asked. My Lutheran church in Iowa would not have the same kind of success it is having were it in Seattle. I guarantee it. The same goes for Mars Hill in the middle of Iowa. 

It’s incredible to me that demographics and “target audience” [that is a public relations term that I hate using in this context, but it fits so well] will change and in fact must change the presentation of Jesus. Again, I must say that the content of the message cannot be changed, for that would  be blasphemy. How does your church reach out to your culture? To your city’s way of life? 

If there are ways you think your church can better reach your population, bring that up to someone in leadership that you know. In humility, of course. But it’s worth it to have a conversations about this! 

Think about it.

I’m gonna differ from the norm a bit today and just offer up some short snippets. 

First of all, I found this sweet techno version of Carol of the Bells. In my mind you’ll play this and read the rest of the post at the same time. [Ignore the background pic]. 

-I’ve recently become obsessed with Collide Magazine. It’s a magazine/website dedicated entirely to ministry and media. It is awesome. They have great articles, and a great blog. They also have tons of resources and links to check out. 

-I’ve also recently been digging into a lot of other church websites to check stuff out and steal ideas and also listen to sermons. A lot of megachurches [defined as over 2,000 weekly attendance] these days are going with multi-location video sermons in which the lead pastor will be at one location, and broadcast live to the other locations. The two I’ve been digging into most this week at least are National Community Church in Washington, D.C. and LifeChurch.tv located in Oklahoma. Play around with them a little! 

That’s all I got for now! 

Explore what God is doing in other churches apart from your own.. It’s fun to see new and innovative ideas in the world of ministry!

I’ll be the first to admit that I love technology. I covet gadgets like crazy and I search too many blogs in search of the latest greatest toy. 

Lately though, I’ve been finding the internet and cell phones and having the internet on cell phones to seriously detract from the intimacy of my relationships. First of all, I’d like to say that I do think technology can enhance and cultivate relationships, but too much of it can lead to disaster. 

I often find myself just texting someone to ask if they want to go to dinner [I live on a college campus]. I find myself e-mailing or texting my mom to ask her something that only a mom can know. It’s a matter of ease. With the internet we have no need to really work at maintaing relationships. All we have to do is hit the ‘Send’ button and we feel like we’re staying in touch with people. Again, I want to make a full disclosure that this is often true and good, but too much of it in substitution of real conversation and face to face meetings can lead to just as much harm as benefit.

The high-speed world has also made it much easier to avoid conflict or reveal things about ourselves that we normally wouldn’t. I know multiple people who have broken up relationships with a text message or an e-mail. They didn’t have the gall to sit down and talk to each other in person. How often do you resolve conflicts with your phone or your computer? We lose our courage when we’re physically with someone, but get us behind a digital mask and all of a sudden we have all the confidence in the world, ready to spout our opinions and feelings to anyone who will listen [i.e. LiveJournal, blogs, etc.]. As I mentioned above, we also tend to reveal more of ourselves when we can just write them and send them and we don’t have to see immediate responses or facial reactions. There was an article in the USA Today a couple days ago that said almost 40% of high school girls have texted nude photos to their boyfriends, and almost 60% of high school boys admit to seeing one of these photo messages. Isn’t that disgusting? 

The high-tech world has without a doubt made relationships easier to maintain…on the outside at least. To lose that face to face contact though is so detrimental. I’ve been challenging myself lately to call people more often and at least hear a voice. Or stop and talk to someone and ask how they’re doing instead of sending them a message in the middle of class. Challenge yourself. Unplug yourself. I have as hard a time of this and you do, so a little grace would also be nice. 

Work on maintaining intimacy. Don’t use the internet or your phone as conflict resolution. Don’t use technology to get out of talking to someone face to face. Don’t use the wireless world we have gotten ourselves into as an excuse to live inside an online community instead of the real thing. 

Think about it.

Yahoo.com released its top 10 web searches of 2008 this week: 

1. Britney Spears
2. World Wrestling Entertainment [WWE] 
3. Barack Obama
4. Miley Cyrus
5. Runescape [online game] 
6. Jessica Alba
7. Lindsay Lohan
8. Naruto [Anime series] 
9. Angelina Jolie
10. American Idol 

Isn’t that sad? Half of the list is young famous women – likely the result of boys from ages 10-80 looking for some kind of excitement. Isn’t it sad though that our list is just celebrities? That’s what our culture worships. We read the latest magazines, listen to the latest gossip, and do everything we can to know every detail about these people’s lives. 

What if we did that for Jesus? How different would that list look? Maybe AIDS would be there. Maybe Mother Theresa would crack the list. Sadly, that’s not the case. We spend more time researching celebrities, and not enough time researching Jesus, or even the people he cared about. What if we spent more time trying to learn every detail about the lives of the poor? 

“Do not be overawed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases; for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him. Though while he lived he counted himself blessed – and men praise you when you prosper – he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of life. A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.” Psalm 49:16-20 

“For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills. Therefor pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence. From their callous hearts comes iniquity; the evil conceits of their minds know no limits. They scoff, and speak with malice; in their arrogance they threaten oppression.” Psalm 73:4-8

Essentially, being rich and famous without understanding [God] is absolutely worthless.

Who do you worship?  

Think about it.