sorry for lack of posting. i'd blame being out of town at camp all last week, but then i wouldn't be able to explain why i never posted before that!

here are some fun facts about me that i'm trying to pass as blog content:

-i realized in the last few weeks that i don't think i have missed HNW student camp since the early 90s when my family joined. that's almost 20 years of summer camp with the same church. yowza. it's been a fun ride!

-people (including myself) don't realize how many bajillion freckles are on my arms because they (my arms, not "people") are so hairy.

-because of said hairy arms, a guy in my freshman english class at cy creek called me "wolfenstein."

-my brother (who is 3 years my elder) and i graduated college on the exact same day. this is not a dig... he slowed down because he started a family. oh, and i graduated early because i'm a super genius. ha

-also, my brother predominantly pronounces my name "jurmee" rather than "jair-uh-mee." (this kind of is a dig but i'm not upset with him or asking/expecting him to change or anything!)

-i know how to say "party" in sign language.

-spaghetti "sandwiches" are probably one of my top 4 or 5 favorite foods.

-i accidentally partook of a carbonated beverage a few weeks ago for the first time in years. (i hate breaking streaks... and i hate carbonation)

on thursday nights, at college home group, we've been going through john piper's what Jesus demands from the world. each chapter has great insights, of course, but i was impacted greatly by the chapter about loving Jesus. the challenge, piper asserts, is that loving Jesus is not obeying Him but actually having great affection for Him. we should desire Jesus more than any other person or thing in the world, not simply consider Him our highest priority in theory.

this is a groundbreaking truth for people who spin their wheels trying to "love" Jesus with obedience but don't like Him or like serving Him. piper points to john 14:15 ("If you love me, you will keep my commandments.") and notes that obedience is a product of love and therefore evidence. BUT obedience does not equal love.

so the key is stirring our affections for Jesus. not trying to backstroke our way into loving Jesus by modifying our behavior. i'm sure most burned out christians didn't realize this truth, if they were truly regenerate to begin with.

on a related note, loving our neighbors/enemies must involve more than just doing things for them. if it follows the rest of Jesus' demands, it's something only He can do through us. that leads me to believe that Jesus would have us actually care about and care for our neighbors/enemies... to have affection for them. surely this something only Christ can accomplish in us!



this is probably elementary to most of you. just thought i'd share!



and to go with this lesson, i wanted to post one of my new faves. check it out below...

(i didn't make this video, please forgive any typos.)

so, all of our church staff has transitioned into our new offices. this is my first day in mine (i was out last week on a mission trip in duncan, ok), so i'm still adjusting! i'm sure it'll be like what garth algar said about a new pair of underwear, "at first it's constrictive, but after a while it becomes a part of you."

i've got three weeks of the exodus series done with the college and young singles and i think it's going well. i was nervous about my teaching style not being what the college and young singles are used to, but i think i'm just a worrier. regardless, i've enjoyed the material.

the mission trip to duncan was really good. the students we took from our church were great. they worked hard, didn't cause trouble and the guys were a blast to be with in the room. it was a great reminder of how awesome student ministry can be. i worked on replacing a roof for the first time in my life! it was funny because i have ZERO construction knowledge/skill, so before the trip i made sure i wasn't signed up to be a crew chief (who oversees a group of students and a construction project). so, i was signed up as an encourager. i fully planned to work hard, i just couldn't lead in the construction. when we met our crews, i found out that my crew chief was the only female crew chief out of all the projects and i was the only male encourager! it was slightly emasculating, but worked out fine. i really liked my crew. they all got along great, worked hard (most of the time) and got the job done. if you're my facebook friend, you can see some pictures of our work and the rest of our time in duncan.

one interesting encounter occurred on wednesday night. all of the world changers facilitated a community carnival and our new student associate, sarah, and i talked with a couple of mormon missionaries who happened upon the crowd. we sat and talked for quite some time. alas, after much conversation, neither party was convinced of anything different than what they believed when they sat down. it was, however, a great reminder of why we should know what we believe and how to differentiate between slight perversions of truth and the real deal.

and speaking of saddle... next week is VBS (saddle ridge ranch edition). the church will be overtaken with rugrats in cowboy hats. (bring on the snack room!)

ok, more updates to come, i hope. it's been a crazy few weeks!

i'm starting a series on exodus with the college & young singles group this sunday. probably can't do ALL the same stuff i did with the high schoolers, but i'm still looking forward to pointing to Christ in the rescue and establishing of israel. ya know... the important stuff!

maybe i'll turn some outlines into posts. that'll give me some content!

also starting piper's what Jesus demands of the world with the college home group tomorrow night. hoping to build some momentum this summer and take it into the fall!

not gonna question plot holes, guess at theories or try to pinpoint the theology of losticism. just gonna throw these out there:

-i think it would have been better to have jack's death scene on the island be the end. the sideways world/limbo story line was "neat," but kind of just came across as a way to make the masses happy and keep people on the show. i like how they went about it and realize that this season was made complete by that whole gimmick, but i don't think the story needed that arc at all. it was just the twisty mystery of this season.

-the jack vs. MiB battle/showdown/duel was SO fantastic! the stare down, jack with a flying superman punch in the rain, etc. epic.

-really enjoyed the eye closing in the bamboo bookend. (as stated before, i think that would have been better left alone without the "closure" of the happily ever after. but i'm not HATING that they added all that.)

-thoroughly enjoyed the star wars references (that i caught, anyway): "i have a bad feeling about this" and "yeah, he's worse than yoda."

-and, of course, loving that jack was the hero (despite what some naysayers may say ... or naysay.) "looks like you were wrong, too."

-little perturbed/disturbed by the wife-swapping and love polygons that permeated the series/finale.

-out of all of the reunion-flashback-memory-trigger things, i enjoyed charlie/hurley (because of hurley) and charlie/claire (because of charlie) the most.

-and i don't know if you saw matthew fox on jimmy kimmel last night but i believe his tears were real. that was the first time he had seen the finale, he said. (and can we get this dude an emmy, please?)

due to a need for content and the recent inspiration/reminder by my sister-in-law and her "good lists," here's a "good list" for you, quick six version:

-witmygracesays (the twitter account my brother started where he posts things my niece, grace, says)

-blue bell's "milk chocolate" ice cream (tastes like a wendy's frosty)

-chick-fil-a's honey roasted bbq sauce (SO good. also, looking forward to the chick-fil-a spicy chicken sandwich due next month.)

-volleyball nights are imminent

-david platt's radical (well the first chapter, at least... that's as far as i've read)

-got to go to radio music theatre the other night AND sat on the front row! (i laugh hard every time i go)

it's the most busiest time of the year. with job role changes, a new home group starting, people graduating, friends getting married, offices relocating, a wedding to co-officiate, etc. etc. it's been (and will continue to be) a little crazy. BUT i can't complain and i know my busy-ness pales in comparison to most people's. i still hope to become a more regular blogger, of course. we'll see how that goes!

quick rundown: mowed my yard last week (this is only "news" because i bought a mower and did it myself for the first time since moving in)...still waiting on official grades from this past semester...it's getting hotter (anyone notice?)...amazing race finale = thumbs down...survivor finale = meh...LOST finale = we'll see...rooting for the suns...missing college football...

you're probably familiar with john the baptist's great insight, "He must increase, i must decrease."

i think we (believers) have a basic understanding of that truth. denying our wills to pursue and submit to Christ, while not necessarily easy, makes sense as we live the Christian life.

BUT, and maybe i'm alone here, i think denying my SELF is much more than just denying what i want. it's often about denying who i am. i think this because i've noticed, again, mainly in myself, that believers tend to justify their flesh by "wrapping" it around spiritual things. what i mean is, if my natural personality is abrasive or insensitive or prideful, it's really easy to present/defend/"stand on" biblical truth and hurt people or be a first class butt about things. i've addressed this line of thinking before, but i think God is still grinding me down about it! i know my tendency is to chalk up certain things to "that's just how i'm wired."

God has obviously wired us all uniquely and specifically and i'm not suggesting all of our personalities should dissolve so that we're a bunch of Christ-bots with no humanity in us. BUT we should be characterized by Christ and we should deny the flesh. the point is that people see Christ, not us. this is the tension i'm constantly trying to figure out. less of me, more of Him.

maybe this is elementary Christianity, but i see this being an issue in a lot of believers and specifically in ministers/pastors. because our personalities/emotions are natural, we embrace and justify them, but our sin is natural, too, and we seek to deny it. where is that line drawn? denying ourselves is made up of more than just doing what Christ wants. it means doing the things Christ wants with the attitude Christ would have. of course, the key to that is wanting what Christ wants so much so that it becomes what "we" want.

i'm reminded of Psalm 37:4

"Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart."

and Philippians 2:13

"for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."

and this just in from a potential intern's application/testimony

"God is ruining my life"

(in the context and heart of his statement, i think that's a great way to look at it. his goals, dreams, ambitions, etc. are all trumped by God's will for his life.)

submitting ALL of ourselves to Christ results not just in changed actions but changed motives and attitudes. which, i have to believe, means less of our "edgy personalities" (rudeness), less of our "carefree approach" (apathy), less of our "undying conviction" (foolish stubbornness), etc. and more humble service. and that's genuine humility, not the kind i've been known to feign so people will notice! this is a vigilant task, because i believe God uses our unique and natural personalities, quirks, "wirings," etc. to do His kingdom work. that's why it's so easy to let the guard down in these areas. but i have to imagine that ministers around the world are often doing more harm than they should by not getting enough of themselves out of the way as God works.

trust me, this post is as much a confession as a charge to fellow believers. (probably more so!)

anyway... i'm not on the other side of this battle (hence the post title.) i doubt i'll ever be. i'm not sure any Christian ever really is. i'm just sayin'.

the plunge
grades 6-8: july 17-20
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i've been harras... er, asked about my dating life four times (that i remember) in the last four days. now, i'm used to fielding questions on this subject, but the concentrated effort over the last few days has been extra noticeable. (and none of these inquiries came from my parents!) questions/advice ranging from "what about so and so" to "you should(n't) date so and so" to "do you go on blind dates?" and the good ole "we'll work on that" when hearing that i'm single. ha

also, help is being offered from a variety of age groups spanning high school students all the way up to senior citizens. i'm not bashing these people or complaining, either. i appreciate their concern and know i am loved.

just wondered if a memo went out or something recently!

*sigh*

this semester of seminary is ALMOST over. all my papers (doctrine of adoption? check. egalitarianism? check. book reviews/interactions? check.) and projects are in and i'm down to the three finals. by thursday night next week, it's another semester of being in the books... in the books.

i won't be taking any classes this summer. the scheduling and funding are tough to coordinate! in the fall i'll take principles of teaching, elementary greek I and the christian home. i'll also start my required semesters of chapel.

i heard that my bff randy is halfway through his seminary education. kudos, randall. i'm gonna be a while longer.

it's been good so far, it's just slow going when i think about graduating! sometimes i fear that i'm just making the grades and not really soaking in the education. but i know i'm learning and getting to share what i learn with the people i get to minister to.

anyway, here's to finishing strong, all you students out there!

i found myself interestedly watching golf this past weekend. (i know, right?) someone take my temperature! i even alluded to the pain of watching golf in my last survey/post.

i didn't tune in for tiger, either. i did find myself rooting against him, but i didn't tune in to root against him. i THINK i was lured into watching by directv's masters coverage. they had a channel devoted to a featured group, a channel devoted to amen corner, a channel devoted to the network (CBS) coverage and a channel devoted to holes 15 & 16. then they had a mix channel (the previously mentioned 4 masters channels viewable on one channel). add to that an interactive leader board menu and some great golf and i was in.

i'd write about phil mickelson's great shots (the ALMOST back to back to back eagles on saturday and the roy mcavoy shot from the woods yesterday), but if you care, you've already seen them and if you don't, you probably wouldn't even watch them if i embedded them (which i almost did).

i still don't much about golf at all. i know you're supposed to hit a ball into a cup and you keep score by counting how many strokes it takes. i know i took "intermediate golf" as a PE credit in college and got a B (DESPITE my skill level) and the only club i could hit "decently" was the 8 iron. and i know it was impossibly frustrating.

i don't know if all golf tournaments are as exciting as the masters was this past weekend or if phil just found some "magic." don't worry, i certainly don't plan on watching golf on a regular basis. i just think it's weird that i awoke to it this past weekend. guess i'm just a sucker for some good competition. BUT i STILL can't watch hockey. blech.

1. when you wear socks, which one do you usually put on first and what is your dominant hand?

2. choose your jack: shephard OR bauer

3. why is texas the best state in the union?

4. would you rather eat dinner with: tim robbins OR sean penn and why?

5. chocolate chips OR chocolate chunks?

6. thunder OR lightning?

7. what's the best name for a dog you've ever heard or have come up with? (if it's a dog you actually know/knew, what kind of dog was it?)

8. forced to watch one on tv, which do you pick: soccer OR golf?

9. which is more impressive: average GPA from a "respected" school OR high GPA from a "nowhere" school?

10. who legitimately flops more: manu ginobili OR the entire duke team?

11. what's your biggest phobia (thing you irrationally overreact to)?

12. what would your spy codename be (in theory, of course!)?

13. untie your tennis shoes OR just slip them on/off?

14. preferred candy: chocolate OR hard

15. what are the 3 "ugliest" places you've ever visited (scenery-wise)?

16. would you rather watch paint dry OR grass grow?

17. what ONE piece of advice would you give your 13-year-old self if you could go back in time?

18. what sport do you have more skill/talent in than any other?

19. more uppity: the french OR apple users?

thanks for playing. and yes, i stopped at 19 because i figured it might bother some people.

first, the incomparable keith green. he speaks some great words, too, when he's not singing. ("you know what the greatest healing is? it's the healing of the sin-sick soul.") LOVE IT!

and one of my all time faves for nostalgia's sake:

been doing some thinking on the "all sins are equal in God's eyes" mentality. i've found that since starting seminary, i've been prone to pick a lot more theological nits than before. i think this is both good and bad (which leads me to think about the law of non-contradiction... darn you, christian apologetics.)

anywho... sitting around in Bible studies, a lot of churched people like to say "all sins are equal in God's eyes" because they also say/know that "we (churchy people) are no better than murderers, hitler, etc."

i'm gonna try to split some hairs here, because i believe we have a false dichotomy. it's true that no one is better than anyone else in the sense that no one is righteous (romans 3:10). this means that no one has or can merit their own salvation. ANY sin separates us from God. so yes, all sins have the same effect when it comes to earning us eternal judgment.

but, the phrase "all sins are equal to God" doesn't seem accurate. in exodus 21-23, God lays out the earthly punishments/consequences for different sins/infractions. not all wrongdoing resulted in capital punishment, but some did.

so, does God see all those sins equally and knows we don't, so He allowed for gradations of punishment? OR are there actual gradations to sin in God's eyes EVEN THOUGH the "smallest" of those sins separates us from Him?

thoughts? am i way off? stating the obvious?

i need to come up with a lighthearted survey for you people...

one of the "giant killers" from northern iowa was on the dan patrick show this morning. here's a summary of the interview from the dan patrick show blog.

Northern Iowa's Ali Farokhmanesh joined the show to talk about his huge three-pointer to sink Kansas.

Dan asked Farokhmanesh if he thought his late three against Kansas was a good idea. "If that had crossed my mind, I probably wouldn't have made it," Farokhmanesh said.

Farokhmanesh said that he was thinking that if he didn't take the shot, Northern Iowa probably would have turned the ball over. The Panthers had problems with turnovers late in the game.

Farokhmanesh said that his coach wouldn't have said anything if he had missed, because it's not his style.

Farokhmanesh said that his nicknames are "Mohammed" and "Stroke."

-From danpatrick.com

sorry dude, "stroke" is taken. pretty sure i had it before you (thanks, bird). btw, i had n. iowa winning their first game, but not their second. HOWEVER, my final two teams are still alive... syracuse and baylor. i actually picked baylor to win the national championship. crazy i know... but how many people thought kansas would be gone after this past weekend?

there is a lot of transition coming for our church. it's all been announced publicly, so i can finally refer to the de-bagged cat.

here are the transitions in a nutshell: our student pastor (my boss), darren carver, will be taking on the role of pastor of discipleship. our children's minister, stephanie thames, will be moving to ft. worth as her husband will be pursuing his doctorate in biblical archaeology at southwestern. and yours truly will be transitioning from high school pastor to pastor for college and young singles.

so, lots of moves taking place in the coming months. it's pretty surreal right now because nothing is changing right away AND this is the only ministry i've served in since graduating from college just over 9 years ago. i think i've been on this student ministry staff longer than anyone in the history of the church (at least in the last 20 years since i started coming here as a 7th grader.) i don't say that to brag or in any way take anything away from all the great people that have served on this staff (maybe i shouldn't have said it all.) they are some of my greatest friends and fellow ministers and always will be. i just think it's weird to think about. it doesn't really feel like i've been doing this that long.

anyway, just wanted to let you know what's going on with me and ask that you pray for our church, those transitioning, the families and volunteers that will be affected and for the new team members that will be joining us in the future.

i'm sure i'll be posting more as the transitions become more "real."

so, apparently the wilsonian institute turned 1... last october. time flies when you're a negligent blogger with a handful of readers! to celebrate, i've generated a wordle, showing the 3,000 most commonly used words (excluding the REALLY common ones... maybe... 3,000 is a lot!) from all of my posts from the first to the last.

i don't know why "like" is the most common word. i feel all valley girl, now.

i do enjoy (almost used the "l" word) that the way i think is pretty well represented, though. and i'm not talking about all the "churchy" stuff (though that is encouraging). i mean the thinking, knowing, reasoning, "anti-emotional" stuff!

anyway, happy belated blogoversary to me!

i recently heard some staggering sbc stat on the declining number of student baptisms over the last several years. i'd be lying if i tried to quote it. trust me, it's staggering. baptisms are down across the board, but students (ages 12-17) are WAY down. of course, much is being discussed as to "why?"

not coincidentally, i'm sure, is the fact that about 40% of sbc churches have plateaued in membership while roughly 30% are increasing and the remaining 30% are decreasing. that's a lot of stagnation and decrease.

i have a few theories on this. please consider the following my very humble opinions and perceptions from my limited experience. i hope they make sense.

i've daringly broached the subject before of parents worshiping their kids and may come close to that territory again here. i am not a parent, so i tread lightly.

i think there have been trends in familial life and trends in churches that have compounded the woes of evangelical student ministry but i can't point to which is the chicken and which is the egg.

parents and students now, more than ever it seems, are so focused on academia, extracurriculars, resumé building and "giving their kids what they never had" that the church and, more importantly, the Church are being neglected.

if soccer or band conflict with Bible study, guess what's getting nixed. now, hear me... i don't think merely attending Bible study is of greater value than soccer or band. BUT i think negligent attitudes towards spiritual matters can quickly be inferred if Christian parents aren't diligent to battle them. parents are right to stress the importance of grades, scholarships, etc. but Christian parents should somehow also show/teach their kids that spiritual matters are far more important. i believe, on the whole, this is not happening. more and more parents are relying on the church to be the main disciplers of their kids, but kids whose parents don't really value discipleship are not likely to see value in discipleship.

a similarly dangerous attitude that i think has evolved in student ministry over the years is the idea that student ministry simply equals good, clean fun. on this front, parents AND churches are to blame. this is where i won't venture to guess which is the chicken and which is the egg. over the last 50-60 years, youth groups have become a place where students can have fun, be accepted and stay out of trouble. parents like this. students, generally, like this. but this is not all there is to being the Church. this is moralistic day care.

i'd be interested to see the stat of how many "sweet" youth buildings were built over the last 50 years... how many pool tables, coffee bars and video game stations were installed? (and i serve at a church with a great youth building, so "hello kettle. it's me, the pot. you're black.") line that stat up next to the declining number of baptisms. where has our focus been?

it's been on entertaining. it's been on wowing. it's been on competing with culture and it's been on attracting. many parents and churches like that and still think that's what a good student ministry is supposed to do. i've seen some fruit from that era, no doubt. but most of the students that were reached from that type of ministry stayed connected to church and ministry because someone invested into them on a deeper, more personal level. (and, of course, the holy spirit caused the growth.)

the oft used adage is, "what you win them with is what you win them to." until parents and churches get on the same page about what student ministry should really be, i don't think we'll see much change in plateaued and declining student ministries. (again, i'm hoping and praying for change in my own ministry, not just pointing fingers.)

this is why students don't know what real life in Christ is and parents are confused when their "good" kids get in to trouble or completely walk away from church. teaching Biblical values to the lost is only producing well behaved (and often resentful) unbelievers. which i understand is unavoidable as nearly EVERY crowd has unregenerate people in it. BUT if we skip the cross altogether and jump to discipleship, we've erred, not the crowd. you want kids to have manners, firm handshakes and impressive credentials, send them to boy/girl scouts. you want to teach them that apart from Christ, they are nothing, preach the cross to them in your homes AND in your youth buildings. i realize that many students don't have believing parents to set that example. but that's another reason we can't "afford" to have Christian parents who don't value the cross acting as surrogates for these students.

as i've said before, we need to stop trying to reach/look past the cross for greater fulfillment. and we certainly don't need to stop short of it (as is often the case). we need to cling to it, kneel at it and proclaim it.

i hope to be a parent some day, even though the thought of it scares the mess out of me. so, parents, please don't take offense. i can't pretend to know what that role is like. i hope i haven't spoken out of place. i'm just offering my observations and theories... in an adamant manner ; )

(as a current student minister (and former youth), though, i think i can speak somewhat credibly concerning what i've seen in student ministry over the past 20 years!)

this video is brought to you by the band that did the "treadmill video." if you haven't seen it, check it out here. it's genius. they also have an alternate video for this too shall pass which is pretty impressive. but i prefer this one: