I just added a new item to the “secret vault” at my website. It is a mind reading magical object lesson that you can do. It can be used to teach that only God knows the future, or that God knows everything about us, and loves us anyway. (Or you can do it just for fun.)

Be sure to check it out.

I came across a great on-line article at the Group Magazine site, How to Relaunch Your Ministry, Five Ways to Refocus, Refresh, and revitalization Your Ministry in the First Month of the New School Year. The five areas is focuses on are:

1. Focus on Yourself
2. Focus on Growing Healthier, Not Growing Bigger
3. Focus on Giving Your Ministry Away
4. Focus on Staying Small
5. Focus on Ministering to Parents

There is a lot of great information in there. It’s written for youth ministry, but the same principles apply to children’s ministry. If you’re in charge of a children’s or youth ministry, you should check it out.

I came across an excellent article at Harpers, The Christian Paradox, How a faithful nation gets Jesus wrong. It’s a long article, but it’s worth reading. While I don’t completely agree with every detail in there, I think the vast majority is right on.

Here are a few excerpts…

“America is simultaneously the most professedly Christian of the developed nations and the least Christian in its behavior.”

“[Dominant teachings of American churches] undercut Jesus, muffle his hard words, deaden his call, and in the end silence him. In fact, the soft-focus consumer gospel of the suburban megachurches is a perfect match for emergent conservative economic notions about personal responsibility instead of collective action.”

So, is America a “Christian Nation”? I’m not so sure. When traveling overseas, people have asked me what percentage of Americans are Christian, and I don’t know what to say. Sure, the majority claim to be Christians, but do our actions back that up? Are even half of Americans really Christian? A third? I don’t know.

Personally, I’m tired of the soft, comfortable, easy philosophical belief system that passes for Christianity in America. I want the kind of faith I’ve seen among the poorest of the poor in third world countries. The kind of faith I’ve seen in Christian workers in India. The kind of faith that Jesus taught about. The kind that costs something. The kind that is willing to risk everything.

I guess the real question is, am I willing to do what it takes to have that kind of faith, or am I too comfortable where I am?

A lot of the programming I do is geared toward “family” audiences. Of course the American family isn’t what it used to be. I just read an interesting article on the family. Less than one quarter of American families are “traditional families” with a married mother and father with kids.

In the church, we often complain about the state of the family, and what it means for our society. While that may be valid, to a point, I think there is something more important. Whether or not we like what is happening to families, we have to meet people where they are. Our churches have to meet the needs of the family as it is, not as we might like it to be.

Are our churches doing a good job or reaching out to single moms, unwed couples, divorced and blended families, and so forth? Do they feel welcome in our churches? Are their needs being met? For that matter, what should family ministry look like in the modern church? I don’t know what the answers are, but these are definitely questions worth serious consideration.

I just got back from a major outreach in Booker, Texas. Booker is a small town in northern Texas, about 1,300 people.

First Baptist Church sponsored a huge free outreach event. In addition to their own puppet team, they had two bands, Seven Band and Nevaeh; an impersonator, Damon Whaley; Team Xtreme; and. of course, me. They also had a cake walk, inflatable games, bike races, and more. It really was an amazing event.

It took a huge commitment from the church, both monetary and in hard work, to make this event happen. It’s an honor to be involved with a church that is so focused on reaching into their community.