2005 Term 3 Week 4 - Hypocrisy
This week no one had prepared anything so we looked at hypocrisy. How can we tell others to step into the chaos when we ourselves do not (or do rarely)?
Ultimately, we decided that hypocrisy was a sinful thing that we do. And that it should not stop us from encouraging others to do good. Rather, our hypocrisy indicates that we know it is hard thing to do, and even something that we don't always believe in. Our desire to be more than we are, and for others to be more glorious, is in conflict with our desire to protect ourselves. I think the problem with it is when I try to make out that stepping into the chaos is easy. That is when I move from hypocrisy to outright lying. The hypocrisy of saying one thing and not living up to it, is a recognition that I am not what I wish to be. I am not saying hypocrisy is a good thing (because it is a sinful thing), I am saying that my current state is not good and I know the good I could do and until my behaviour catches up with my desire to be more glorious I will be a hypocrite. And being a hypocrite is a bad thing. The only way I can see to stop being a hypocrite is to lower my goals to match my behaviour, which is effectively thinking that I am perfect. So hypocrite is a necessary label for the work of salvation. Until I am made perfect I will be a hypocrite. So I can't use my inability to live up to being godly as an excuse for not blessing others, eg "When I reach this level of godliness then I can tell others that they should want it too". The qualifier is that I must not misrepresent myself as someone who does these things more than I actually do.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Monday, August 01, 2005
2005 Term 3 Week 3 - Planning how to tell others
This week we will begin to plan how to tell these ideas to others, particularly the new group that will join next year.
Areas mentioned:
- Chaos (fallen/broken world)
- Binksy Bit (I can protect myself from the chaos)
- I can't (save myself, others, or make myself more Godly)
- Greed (need to be even more greedy than we think is safe)
- Desire is good, often what we do with it is bad
- How to kill orcs (why do good and how)
We will begin with these areas over the next few weeks.
This week we will begin to plan how to tell these ideas to others, particularly the new group that will join next year.
Areas mentioned:
- Chaos (fallen/broken world)
- Binksy Bit (I can protect myself from the chaos)
- I can't (save myself, others, or make myself more Godly)
- Greed (need to be even more greedy than we think is safe)
- Desire is good, often what we do with it is bad
- How to kill orcs (why do good and how)
We will begin with these areas over the next few weeks.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Monday, July 18, 2005
2005 Term 3 Week 1 - 99.98% of Anger is Sin
Anger is one of the things we do when we don't want to face the brokenness of our world. 99.98% of my anger occurs because something or someone has disrupted my plans or my life. I reckon only 0.02% of anger is the righteous and it is distinguishable by it being on behalf of another and full of sorrow. It is very rare. Righteous anger is not what we will talk about tonight.
There is only one verse (Psalm 4:4, though quoted in Ephesians 4:26) that separates anger from sin. Only one. Whilst there are many that tell us to have nothing to do with anger (2 Cor 12:20, Eph 4:31, Col 3:8, 1 Tim 2:8, Jas 1:20). And even the Eph 4:26 verse goes on to say not to stay angry. I think it is saying don't make things worse by acting out of your anger.
Anger means that I don't have to change. Anger shuts out feelings of sadness and fear. It is also a good deterent. If somebody hurts me and I give them what-for they will think twice about hurting me again. Anger is violent. It is always about making someone else pay. If I've had a bad day and am in a bad mood (I'm angry) it does not justify me to treat my family poorly. I am not even justified in being angry at the person who made my life harder (in the case of giving me more work). This world is broken and things like this happen. My anger cannot change that. Not even my sadness can change that, though my sadness will remove my resolve to make another pay for the situation I find myself in. So if that's true why don't I go to sadness instead of anger? Because we like anger. It gives us a sense of control and it blocks out the fear and sadness. In short, anger appears to work for us.
"Inside every fist is a fragile dream that I have hoped for but have begun to fear is slipping away" - Andrew Olsen
Anger is one of the things we do when we don't want to face the brokenness of our world. 99.98% of my anger occurs because something or someone has disrupted my plans or my life. I reckon only 0.02% of anger is the righteous and it is distinguishable by it being on behalf of another and full of sorrow. It is very rare. Righteous anger is not what we will talk about tonight.
There is only one verse (Psalm 4:4, though quoted in Ephesians 4:26) that separates anger from sin. Only one. Whilst there are many that tell us to have nothing to do with anger (2 Cor 12:20, Eph 4:31, Col 3:8, 1 Tim 2:8, Jas 1:20). And even the Eph 4:26 verse goes on to say not to stay angry. I think it is saying don't make things worse by acting out of your anger.
Anger means that I don't have to change. Anger shuts out feelings of sadness and fear. It is also a good deterent. If somebody hurts me and I give them what-for they will think twice about hurting me again. Anger is violent. It is always about making someone else pay. If I've had a bad day and am in a bad mood (I'm angry) it does not justify me to treat my family poorly. I am not even justified in being angry at the person who made my life harder (in the case of giving me more work). This world is broken and things like this happen. My anger cannot change that. Not even my sadness can change that, though my sadness will remove my resolve to make another pay for the situation I find myself in. So if that's true why don't I go to sadness instead of anger? Because we like anger. It gives us a sense of control and it blocks out the fear and sadness. In short, anger appears to work for us.
"Inside every fist is a fragile dream that I have hoped for but have begun to fear is slipping away" - Andrew Olsen
Monday, June 27, 2005
Monday, June 20, 2005
2005 Term 2 Week 7 - Your problem is that you don't want enough
Most people think that if you want too much it will cause you problems. The reality is that when we settle for less we get into trouble. If you want more than this world can offer, something only God can give, then you will be less likely to sin.
Most people think that if you want too much it will cause you problems. The reality is that when we settle for less we get into trouble. If you want more than this world can offer, something only God can give, then you will be less likely to sin.
Monday, June 13, 2005
2005 Term 2 Week 6 - Review of applying the Gospel to Life
After a weeks break we will check in with the guys about how they are finding this approach of directly applying the gospel to their lives.
Firstly, some questions:
1. List 3 reasons why people sin
2. List 3 reasons why people do good
3. What would you change in your lists if we changed "people" to "christians"?
This will be used to help the guys see how the theory is worked out in reality.
This will be followed with a check in of the 2 guys we have "applied" the gospel to. To see what they are thinking and how it has affected them. Then we will see what the guys think about that way of applying the gospel.
After a weeks break we will check in with the guys about how they are finding this approach of directly applying the gospel to their lives.
Firstly, some questions:
1. List 3 reasons why people sin
2. List 3 reasons why people do good
3. What would you change in your lists if we changed "people" to "christians"?
This will be used to help the guys see how the theory is worked out in reality.
This will be followed with a check in of the 2 guys we have "applied" the gospel to. To see what they are thinking and how it has affected them. Then we will see what the guys think about that way of applying the gospel.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Monday, May 23, 2005
Monday, May 16, 2005
Monday, May 09, 2005
2005 Term 2 Week 2 – The Gospel According to Fairy Tales
My favourite fairy tale is Cinderella. I especially loved the movie Ever After. At the beginning the heroine is shown as a servant. She is dressed as servant and does the work of a servant. We are told that she is of noble descent, yet it is hard to believe when you look at her. In fact not even she believes it. She has become so used to her predicament that she believes it is true. And yet when the story has been told everything has been changed. She is no longer Cinderella, she is now the princess. Her true character has been revealed. And no one is in doubt as to who she is. So too with life. We long for the story to reach its conclusion when all is made known. When the good are seen as good and the bad as bad. Everyone’s true colours have been revealed.
We will also look at Bad Boys 2.
My favourite fairy tale is Cinderella. I especially loved the movie Ever After. At the beginning the heroine is shown as a servant. She is dressed as servant and does the work of a servant. We are told that she is of noble descent, yet it is hard to believe when you look at her. In fact not even she believes it. She has become so used to her predicament that she believes it is true. And yet when the story has been told everything has been changed. She is no longer Cinderella, she is now the princess. Her true character has been revealed. And no one is in doubt as to who she is. So too with life. We long for the story to reach its conclusion when all is made known. When the good are seen as good and the bad as bad. Everyone’s true colours have been revealed.
We will also look at Bad Boys 2.
Monday, May 02, 2005
2005 Term 2 Week 1 - The Gospel According to MTV
This term we will be looking at how the gospel story forms part of every story (given that it is well hidden at times). People are very good at "Sin spotting" (pointing out the bad in others/things). This term we will begin the discipline of "Glory spotting". This is when you look for the good in something and celebrate in that. Too often when a new music video appears the Christians seem to be looking for the things that are wrong with it (too violent, not enough clothing, etc). I am not saying that these things are unimportant or invalid. What I am saying is that this is only a portion of the whole. There is also good in there too. One of my presuppositions is that nothing is pure evil, evil is just a perversion of the good. Evil began with something good and made a mess of it (got this idea from C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity). For example, a lie can be a Half-truth, and exaggeration of the truth, a colouring of the truth; ie a variation of the truth. So to with music videos. In some way they portray the gospel story. For the argumentative types, I acknowledge that some music videos don’t tell a story, obviously they are not the ones I am referring to. One more disclaimer, if the "bad" stuff in music videos disqualifies the "good" stuff from being used then I am in trouble because the bad stuff in my heart would disqualify any good stuff I have to offer.
Anyway, Glory spotting. Being able to see the gospel portrayed through music videos allows a whole new field of discussion with people that doesn’t involve them having to know the bible. Being able to say, "Did you notice the message of hope in that music video?" is more likely to produce a conversation than, "Did you notice the message of hope in the bible?" And even on a personal level, to be watching Video Hits and become aware of the gospel in a fresh way is a good thing. The director/choreographer may not have even realised that is what they were doing (telling the gospel story) and yet they still tell it. Every heart yearns for the gospel to be true and it leaks into the way they live their lives. G.K. Chesterton says the man who knocks on the door of the brothel is knocking for God. His very desires are a desire for the divine.
What I want to do is get the guys noticing glory on MTV (and movies, books, comics, etc) this term with the hope that it will set the foundation for looking for the glory in people. It is not intended to make them wear rose coloured glasses and think everyone is wonderful. It is intended to give a more holistic picture of the other person. Everyone notices the when someone is an idiot and tend to think it consciously, "What an idiot!" Very few people consciously notice when others are generous, "Wow, person A didn’t react to person B’s provocation". I would love for the guys to become fluent in the language of glory and would bless the socks off everyone they meet.
This week we will be looking at 2 music videos: Tina Cousins – Pray (MTV version) and Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Tim Special version).
This term we will be looking at how the gospel story forms part of every story (given that it is well hidden at times). People are very good at "Sin spotting" (pointing out the bad in others/things). This term we will begin the discipline of "Glory spotting". This is when you look for the good in something and celebrate in that. Too often when a new music video appears the Christians seem to be looking for the things that are wrong with it (too violent, not enough clothing, etc). I am not saying that these things are unimportant or invalid. What I am saying is that this is only a portion of the whole. There is also good in there too. One of my presuppositions is that nothing is pure evil, evil is just a perversion of the good. Evil began with something good and made a mess of it (got this idea from C.S. Lewis - Mere Christianity). For example, a lie can be a Half-truth, and exaggeration of the truth, a colouring of the truth; ie a variation of the truth. So to with music videos. In some way they portray the gospel story. For the argumentative types, I acknowledge that some music videos don’t tell a story, obviously they are not the ones I am referring to. One more disclaimer, if the "bad" stuff in music videos disqualifies the "good" stuff from being used then I am in trouble because the bad stuff in my heart would disqualify any good stuff I have to offer.
Anyway, Glory spotting. Being able to see the gospel portrayed through music videos allows a whole new field of discussion with people that doesn’t involve them having to know the bible. Being able to say, "Did you notice the message of hope in that music video?" is more likely to produce a conversation than, "Did you notice the message of hope in the bible?" And even on a personal level, to be watching Video Hits and become aware of the gospel in a fresh way is a good thing. The director/choreographer may not have even realised that is what they were doing (telling the gospel story) and yet they still tell it. Every heart yearns for the gospel to be true and it leaks into the way they live their lives. G.K. Chesterton says the man who knocks on the door of the brothel is knocking for God. His very desires are a desire for the divine.
What I want to do is get the guys noticing glory on MTV (and movies, books, comics, etc) this term with the hope that it will set the foundation for looking for the glory in people. It is not intended to make them wear rose coloured glasses and think everyone is wonderful. It is intended to give a more holistic picture of the other person. Everyone notices the when someone is an idiot and tend to think it consciously, "What an idiot!" Very few people consciously notice when others are generous, "Wow, person A didn’t react to person B’s provocation". I would love for the guys to become fluent in the language of glory and would bless the socks off everyone they meet.
This week we will be looking at 2 music videos: Tina Cousins – Pray (MTV version) and Green Day – Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Tim Special version).
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
2005 Term 2 Required Reading/Listening/Viewing
Song: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/greenday/boulevardofbrokendreams.html Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
And in no particular order:
Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172156/ Bad Boys 2
Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/ Resident Evil
Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328107/ Man on Fire
Books: http://www.tor.com/jordan/ Wheel of Time
Game: http://www.blizzard.com/war3/ Warcraft
Song: http://www.rareexception.com/Garden/Pie.php American Pie by Don McLean
Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/ The Butterfly Effect [Updated from Steve's comment]
Add your selections to the comments and i'll update the list every now and then.
Song: http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/greenday/boulevardofbrokendreams.html Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day
And in no particular order:
Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0172156/ Bad Boys 2
Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/ Resident Evil
Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0328107/ Man on Fire
Books: http://www.tor.com/jordan/ Wheel of Time
Game: http://www.blizzard.com/war3/ Warcraft
Song: http://www.rareexception.com/Garden/Pie.php American Pie by Don McLean
Movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289879/ The Butterfly Effect [Updated from Steve's comment]
Add your selections to the comments and i'll update the list every now and then.
Monday, April 04, 2005
2005 Term 1 Week 6 - Disrupt and Entice - Part 2
2005 Term 1 Week 6 - Disrupt and Entice - Part 2
As most (75%) guys were away last week we will have to do a repeat. The difference is that the guys who were there last week will be able to be more active participants.
The general idea will be to start with a general picture (from last week) and then flesh it out with an example or two.
The picture was an arrow (wanting to do good) gripped by a hand (not wanting to get hurt). To this picture we made the arrow bigger (enticement) and took a chainsaw to the hand (disruption). Probably not the best illustration, though good for 16+yr old guys.
Key ideas:
Enlarging the arrow is taking the good bits that already exist and shining a light on them. It is noticing what is godly and noble and right in wanting to do the particular something and celebrating it. It is not telling them that they should be different. It is saying I see this good thing in your actions, when you do that you are being godly. It is saying, "Where you are at is not far from where you could be."
The chainsaw is not attacking them. The hand symbolises the grip of sin and death. (It is against the powers and the principalities that we fight - Eph 6:12). It also follows on from the idea in Matthew 18:8&9 about cutting of your hand if it causes you to sin. So by disrupting we are finding the things the cause us to sin and cutting them off us. Disruption is not a telling off or a scolding. It is saying, "This particular action/though process you have leads to (or stops you from reaching) this particular place where you want to be (from the entice bit)."
And finally reminding the guys that this process guarantees nothing. It will not work everytime no matter how well you do or how much effort you put in. All it does it create a space for change to occur. Change still requires the work of the spirit and the choice of the person you are helping. So don't be surprised when it doesn't work. Remember that it will probably take quite a few such "spaces for change" before you see the person actually try anything. And be aware that they will stumble lots too.
As most (75%) guys were away last week we will have to do a repeat. The difference is that the guys who were there last week will be able to be more active participants.
The general idea will be to start with a general picture (from last week) and then flesh it out with an example or two.
The picture was an arrow (wanting to do good) gripped by a hand (not wanting to get hurt). To this picture we made the arrow bigger (enticement) and took a chainsaw to the hand (disruption). Probably not the best illustration, though good for 16+yr old guys.
Key ideas:
Enlarging the arrow is taking the good bits that already exist and shining a light on them. It is noticing what is godly and noble and right in wanting to do the particular something and celebrating it. It is not telling them that they should be different. It is saying I see this good thing in your actions, when you do that you are being godly. It is saying, "Where you are at is not far from where you could be."
The chainsaw is not attacking them. The hand symbolises the grip of sin and death. (It is against the powers and the principalities that we fight - Eph 6:12). It also follows on from the idea in Matthew 18:8&9 about cutting of your hand if it causes you to sin. So by disrupting we are finding the things the cause us to sin and cutting them off us. Disruption is not a telling off or a scolding. It is saying, "This particular action/though process you have leads to (or stops you from reaching) this particular place where you want to be (from the entice bit)."
And finally reminding the guys that this process guarantees nothing. It will not work everytime no matter how well you do or how much effort you put in. All it does it create a space for change to occur. Change still requires the work of the spirit and the choice of the person you are helping. So don't be surprised when it doesn't work. Remember that it will probably take quite a few such "spaces for change" before you see the person actually try anything. And be aware that they will stumble lots too.
Monday, March 21, 2005
2005 Term 1 Week 5 - Disrupt and Entice
This week we will be re-examining the previous two topics, Disrupt and Entice. The plan is to go over them in more detail and with more examples.
The examples will be suggested by the guys. And the following question format will take place:
1. Describe the chaos. From this we will find out what this person is hoping for and what makes the hope seem ludicrous
2. Explore the hope. In this we will uncover how certain responses to the situation are reflective of God’s character. Also we will consider how such action will bless others and how it changes the guy who steps into the chaos on another’s behalf. This is the entice bit
3. Discuss why the guys wont step into the chaos. Even though there are many wonderful reasons why he might step into the chaos, there are some against that which seem to be bigger/more urgent/more important. This phase involves pursuing this negative reasons to their natural end. If that were true then this is where it takes you. Which has the follow up question, "Is this what you want? ‘Cos that’s where this path goes". The idea is to spit in their soup (note the soup is really battery acid, but telling a person that wont cut it. They have been eating it for years, surely if it were battery acid they would have noticed. Good luck convincing them of that. So instead we spit in it. Who wants to eat soup that someone has spat in?). Note that this phase cannot be done combatively. If an argument occurs you’ve buggered it. Either start over or wait for next time. Once someone is on the defensive you have no hope. The key is to work with them. You are working with them to make sense of the situation/chaos.
4. Discuss where things are at now. This is important because you want them to realise that a shift in the way they view life has occurred. That is all that has occurred. There is no guarantee that next time they met the chaos they will step into it. That may be a long way off. What might happen is that they feel slightly less comfortable about not entering the chaos. Or perhaps they catch themselves in the act of deliberately avoiding the chaos. It will be little things that over time add up.
Examples of disrupt and entice by Jesus:
Matthew 18:1-9 – Greatest in the Kingdom
Luke 15:11-32 – Parable of the lost son
Luke 18:9-14 – Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
Monday, March 14, 2005
2005 Term 1 Week 4 - Disruption
Firstly, disruption is disruption of sinful patterns. This is the technical term for "Spitting in his soup", which we used last year. Disruption is where you have found a way a person sins (avoids entering the chaos) and are proceeding to make the sin less appealing.
For example, Guy A says "I really like Mary. I'm thinking of asking her out". Guy B responds "Are you stupid? She'll never go out with you. Take a look at yourself". And if you knew Guy B you would realise that he often answers like this. Whenever someone takes a risk to voice their hope he jumps on it. Guy C is also standing there and he says to Guy B "Dude, if you say stuff like that people wont tell you stuff anymore". And Guy C has just disrupted Guy B. Guy B would mock another's hope as a way of making the situation more comfortable for himself. Guy C has just made that option less palatable. The next time Guy B jumps on someone's hope there is a chance he might remember what Guy C said and not enjoy his actions.
Having said that, disruption should not exist separately from enticement. In the above example Guy C invites Guy B to something more. He does not slam him for being nasty or sinful. Guy C does not say, "That was low man" or "Way harsh dude" or "You're always tearing into people". Guy C does more than tell Guy B off. He gives a reason why it was bad. Another way he could have been disrupted would be to ask him if that's who he wanted to be, "Dude, do you really want to be known as a lamer who puts people down?" This gives him a chance to see himself as others do, which might lead to a change of heart. Note that none of these approaches guarantee Guy B will change, rather they open up possibilities of change.
Disruption could also be positive reinforcement. For example, I have to do something good and I don't feel comfortable doing it (because it involves stepping into the chaos). When I do it and the other person is gleeful and celebrates what you did with you it works to disrupt the idea that stepping into the chaos is completely horrible.
Examples of disruption by Jesus include most of his parables, the sermon on the mount, and his death (who would willing die for something?!?). Eg Luke 15 (Lost sheep, coin, and son), Matthew 5:3-12 (Beatitudes), Hebrews 12:2&3 (endured the cross for something greater).
Disruption is used to break a sinful pattern of behaviour in order to give enticement a better chance. Reveal that the bad old paths are just that (bad) and it makes it harder for a person to go back to them. Perhaps they will try the new path that you have offered them.
Homework:
Make sure you have decided on a movie/song/poem/book/whatever that you would like us to find elements of the gospel in for next term.
Firstly, disruption is disruption of sinful patterns. This is the technical term for "Spitting in his soup", which we used last year. Disruption is where you have found a way a person sins (avoids entering the chaos) and are proceeding to make the sin less appealing.
For example, Guy A says "I really like Mary. I'm thinking of asking her out". Guy B responds "Are you stupid? She'll never go out with you. Take a look at yourself". And if you knew Guy B you would realise that he often answers like this. Whenever someone takes a risk to voice their hope he jumps on it. Guy C is also standing there and he says to Guy B "Dude, if you say stuff like that people wont tell you stuff anymore". And Guy C has just disrupted Guy B. Guy B would mock another's hope as a way of making the situation more comfortable for himself. Guy C has just made that option less palatable. The next time Guy B jumps on someone's hope there is a chance he might remember what Guy C said and not enjoy his actions.
Having said that, disruption should not exist separately from enticement. In the above example Guy C invites Guy B to something more. He does not slam him for being nasty or sinful. Guy C does not say, "That was low man" or "Way harsh dude" or "You're always tearing into people". Guy C does more than tell Guy B off. He gives a reason why it was bad. Another way he could have been disrupted would be to ask him if that's who he wanted to be, "Dude, do you really want to be known as a lamer who puts people down?" This gives him a chance to see himself as others do, which might lead to a change of heart. Note that none of these approaches guarantee Guy B will change, rather they open up possibilities of change.
Disruption could also be positive reinforcement. For example, I have to do something good and I don't feel comfortable doing it (because it involves stepping into the chaos). When I do it and the other person is gleeful and celebrates what you did with you it works to disrupt the idea that stepping into the chaos is completely horrible.
Examples of disruption by Jesus include most of his parables, the sermon on the mount, and his death (who would willing die for something?!?). Eg Luke 15 (Lost sheep, coin, and son), Matthew 5:3-12 (Beatitudes), Hebrews 12:2&3 (endured the cross for something greater).
Disruption is used to break a sinful pattern of behaviour in order to give enticement a better chance. Reveal that the bad old paths are just that (bad) and it makes it harder for a person to go back to them. Perhaps they will try the new path that you have offered them.
Homework:
Make sure you have decided on a movie/song/poem/book/whatever that you would like us to find elements of the gospel in for next term.
Monday, February 21, 2005
2005 Term 1 Week 3 - Difficulties with encouraging others to enter their chaos
This week will follow on from last week.
We will do an activity to help the guys understand why enticement doesn't always sound like enticement. The activity was 4 guys were each given 4 cups. Each of the 4 cups had a different orange drink. The guys sampled the drinks and ranked them from best to worst. The drinks consisted of:
a) Freshly squeezed orange juice (blue)
b) Reconstituted orange juice (green)
c) 25% orange juice + sugar (yellow)
d) Fanta (red)
The guys ranked the red and the yellow as the best. Based on the ranking they had made, the others weren't keen to try the blue or the green, even though they were the best in terms of health. We used this example to show how people don't always want what is best for them. When you offer someone hope (when you give them a pro) don't be surprised if they think you are trying to do the wrong thing by them.
We also looked at milk. If you are lactose intolerant you can't eat dairy products, so you have to find other ways to get the calcium, protien, etc. This is paralleled with a man that was beaten by his dad since he was 3. If you want to tell him the gospel you can't use the father image. His understanding of it has been twisted (and will probably stay twisted). So you have to find other ways to tell the gospel.
This week will follow on from last week.
We will do an activity to help the guys understand why enticement doesn't always sound like enticement. The activity was 4 guys were each given 4 cups. Each of the 4 cups had a different orange drink. The guys sampled the drinks and ranked them from best to worst. The drinks consisted of:
a) Freshly squeezed orange juice (blue)
b) Reconstituted orange juice (green)
c) 25% orange juice + sugar (yellow)
d) Fanta (red)
The guys ranked the red and the yellow as the best. Based on the ranking they had made, the others weren't keen to try the blue or the green, even though they were the best in terms of health. We used this example to show how people don't always want what is best for them. When you offer someone hope (when you give them a pro) don't be surprised if they think you are trying to do the wrong thing by them.
We also looked at milk. If you are lactose intolerant you can't eat dairy products, so you have to find other ways to get the calcium, protien, etc. This is paralleled with a man that was beaten by his dad since he was 3. If you want to tell him the gospel you can't use the father image. His understanding of it has been twisted (and will probably stay twisted). So you have to find other ways to tell the gospel.
Monday, February 14, 2005
2005 Term 1 Week 2 - Reasons to Enter the Chaos
This week we will look at why people don't enter the chaos. I know we have done this before. This time will be from a new angle. This time we want to encourage others to enter the chaos. When we do they will give us lots of reasons why they shouldn't. Almost everyone of their reasons will be valid. The typical approach is argumentative, that is I argue against your reasons. This approach seldom works (unless you are a bully then it might work a bit more often).
Example:
Mum: Johnny turn the TV off and go do your homework
Johnny: I'll do it later, I want to watch this show
Mum: You wont do it later. Bedtime will come around and the homework wont be done
Johnny: I promise I will. This show is just up to the exciting part
Mum: Its just a cartoon
At every turn the mum character argues against each of Johnny's reasons. This is a common way of dealing with differences, making the other person's reasoning look flawed. As you can imagine, this leads to a lot of fights. Tonight we will consider another approach.
Update after the fact:
We came up with a list of why a guy wont ask a girl out on date (in honour of Valentines Day). Some of the reasons were: Fear of rejection, Don't know her, Waste of time or money, Might not work out, and Don't want one.
I then turned the tables and said if you were a friend of the guy who saw the girl and you knew they would be great together, how would you act in the situation. All the responses involved attacking/undermining the aforementioned reasons against.
This tends to be the approach of culture, very adversarial. In this situation people tend to get very defensive, and when that happens they stop listening.
Another example we used was: If I were to ask one of the guys to lead devotions next week they would probably say no. Then I would ask why and the only reason I ask why is so that I can know the reason in order to break it. Eg. "I don't know what topic to do" - "I'll give you one". "I don't think I can make it last 1 hour" - "I'll help you". All I am doing is undermining the reasons, saying that their fear is baseless, which is never believable.
So, what to do in response? With out coercion, the only way to encourage someone to enter the chaos is to give them a reason to do it (a pro reason, as opposed to the con reasons we listed earlier).
To illustrate this I picked on Jono, who I had given a pro reason last September.
We then talked about how we could increase our city's water and power supply. Everyone of the guys contributed without having any detailed knowledge or expertise, yet they were willing to try and create something rather than just critique existing ideas.
We then went back to the initial guy and girl situation and came up with reasons why the guy would actually ask the girl on a date. The reasons were: Adventure, Fairy tale, Crazy, Forever, Bless her, Mystery, and God. We then had another look at the list and realised that the list was reflective of the gospel. These reasons to enter the chaos are the same reasons that God uses to enter the chaos. We can be like God.
This week we will look at why people don't enter the chaos. I know we have done this before. This time will be from a new angle. This time we want to encourage others to enter the chaos. When we do they will give us lots of reasons why they shouldn't. Almost everyone of their reasons will be valid. The typical approach is argumentative, that is I argue against your reasons. This approach seldom works (unless you are a bully then it might work a bit more often).
Example:
Mum: Johnny turn the TV off and go do your homework
Johnny: I'll do it later, I want to watch this show
Mum: You wont do it later. Bedtime will come around and the homework wont be done
Johnny: I promise I will. This show is just up to the exciting part
Mum: Its just a cartoon
At every turn the mum character argues against each of Johnny's reasons. This is a common way of dealing with differences, making the other person's reasoning look flawed. As you can imagine, this leads to a lot of fights. Tonight we will consider another approach.
Update after the fact:
We came up with a list of why a guy wont ask a girl out on date (in honour of Valentines Day). Some of the reasons were: Fear of rejection, Don't know her, Waste of time or money, Might not work out, and Don't want one.
I then turned the tables and said if you were a friend of the guy who saw the girl and you knew they would be great together, how would you act in the situation. All the responses involved attacking/undermining the aforementioned reasons against.
This tends to be the approach of culture, very adversarial. In this situation people tend to get very defensive, and when that happens they stop listening.
Another example we used was: If I were to ask one of the guys to lead devotions next week they would probably say no. Then I would ask why and the only reason I ask why is so that I can know the reason in order to break it. Eg. "I don't know what topic to do" - "I'll give you one". "I don't think I can make it last 1 hour" - "I'll help you". All I am doing is undermining the reasons, saying that their fear is baseless, which is never believable.
So, what to do in response? With out coercion, the only way to encourage someone to enter the chaos is to give them a reason to do it (a pro reason, as opposed to the con reasons we listed earlier).
To illustrate this I picked on Jono, who I had given a pro reason last September.
We then talked about how we could increase our city's water and power supply. Everyone of the guys contributed without having any detailed knowledge or expertise, yet they were willing to try and create something rather than just critique existing ideas.
We then went back to the initial guy and girl situation and came up with reasons why the guy would actually ask the girl on a date. The reasons were: Adventure, Fairy tale, Crazy, Forever, Bless her, Mystery, and God. We then had another look at the list and realised that the list was reflective of the gospel. These reasons to enter the chaos are the same reasons that God uses to enter the chaos. We can be like God.
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